~ Author's Note ~
D.T: Back with another installment of Prisoner of Love (which is overdue)! Today, we have the fabulous writer of the alluring RikuKana fic, "We Meet Again," joining us! The delightful NIGHTDREAMER! *audience goes crazy with cheers*
Dreamer: Hey guys. Thanks for having me. :D
Kana: Welcome, welcome, Dreamer-chan! :3 So glad to meet you! I love your story! Please update it soon - it's been TOO LONG!
Dreamer: I'm almost done with it! Can you guys wait a little longer?
*audience groans but nods*
Rikuo: Hey. *shakes hands coolly* I have to agree with Kana-chan. We would really love for an update to happen. :)
Dreamer: Well all I can say is that you- *points to Rikuo* Are going to have some competition.
Rikuo: Oh-Wait. WHAT?!
Tsurara: Good day to you! *whispers aside* Take AS MUCH TIME as YOU WANT with your story. Don't listen to them. Update as slowly as you want-
*glares from the audience*
Dreamer: Ahahaha. Funny- Tsurara over my dead body.
Tsurara: *pouts* I was just saying.
Kubinashi: Ah, well, I won't pester you with your story. But it is a great honor to meet you. *kisses Dreamer's hand*
Dreamer: *blushes* N-nice to meet you too, Kubinashi-san.
D.T: Alright, alright! Now let our guest breathe in peace, everyone! Be a sweetie and announce the disclaimer, Dreamer-chan? :3
Dreamer: D.T-chan doesn't own Nurarihyon No Mago!
D.T: Shoo and enjoy the chapter folks! Thank you to Raze Dragon OAO and Patriot7Scout for following!
Dreamer: Bye, everyone! :)
Beta Vanguard: Sorry to interrupt but DT, what was in your head while writing the first word of this chappie? :O
D.T: XD So you realized . . . . .
Ch. 20 – Twisted Existence
"Luka . . . . you . . . you are a terrorist . . . I-I don't . . . . I-I can't . . . ."
"I can explain, Ai, I can explain-"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR EXPLANATIONS! Have you been . . . . have you been lying to me for these past two years . . .?"
Kana watched the Japanese drama fold out half-heartedly, her eyes bloodshot due to over-exhaustion. It was around 1:30 a.m at night and beside her lay a lightly snoring Natsumi, draped over the bed at awkward angles. Due to the . . . . "thieving experience" before, Natsumi had offered her a place to crash into for the night (since Kana's parents were arriving in Hokkaido the following morning). A drunken Kiyo had managed to drive the two girls home while there had been texts from Saori and Jiro that they'd "see them at college."
Of course, it indirectly meant "I'm-gonna-get-laid-so-I'll-pass-out-on-you-guys-tonight." She wasn't very surprised about Saori but Jiro . . . . that had left her gaping at the time.
But even with a pounding head and a scarred soul, the brunette still couldn't be lulled into the sweet, carefree world of dreams. Of course, God had to be so cruel as to prescribe her insomnia today of all days (why couldn't he do it during the exams?) So here she was, with her bestie snoring beside her, watching a sappy, over-rated drama play on T.V. And it was titled "Prisoner of Love." Cheesiest name of all cheesy movie names they could get.
After the kissing in the movie got intense (and gross), Kana finally switched off the irritating electronic device and settled down in bed, throwing a blanket over Natsumi, who was only wearing lingerie with her shirt half-open. Snuggling down in bed, she just gazed at her sleeping friend, trying to avoid the line of drool that trickled down her lips from dominating her vision. Natsumi had been very concerned for her during the club hours and the brunette had even contemplated about telling her the truth but . . . . .
. . . . She had promised Rikuo Nura she would not.
Dammit! Her devil side screamed, why is he so important to you?! You can at least tell Natsumi about that bastard assassin! You've been friends since high school!
No, no, no,her angel side gently chided, you promised Rikuo Nura not to tell anyone. And a promise is a promise.
Chibi Kana-devil materialized on the brunette's left side. "Don't listen to that sissy Angel!" she growled, tapping her trident on the pillow. "She'll only give you advice which is gonna be a sure- shot warrant to your death!"
Chibi Kana-angel materialized on the brunette's left side, shaking her head. "You know better than to break promises, right Kana-chan?" her wings shook. "And besides," she shot a withering glare at Kana-devil, "She'll give you advice which is gonna be a sure-shot warrant to a painful death."
Kana-devil flipped her head over her shoulders. "Look who's speaking!" she sneered "The moralistic pansy who only knows the arts of running and hiding!"
Kana-angel just stared back at her calmly. "At least this moralistic pansy,"her tone was a weird mix of polite and bitter "Knows the skills to survival."
"Huh! Sissy! I can give better survival advice to Kana!"
"Kana-chan is only gonna be murdered if she listens to you."
"ARE YOU TRYINA' INSULT ME?"
". . . . Maybe?"
"You HAVE IT NOW!"
Kana just ignored her two Chibi-sides fighting, instead slowly nodding off to sleep. Her thoughts flashed from one to another; from her date with the charismatic Rikuo Nura to when she was caught spying on the terrorists in the abandoned classroom to Hikage Daito Ryu – okay, whoever that mysterious person was – arriving in her bedroom. Her mobile phone lit up with a message from someone but at the moment Kana was too sleepy to look at it. Her Chibi selves had disappeared sometime ago and now, with no more hindrances, the brunette nodded off to sleep.
Outside Natsumi's house was a tall cherry tree, its branches leading right towards the cat-eyed girl's balcony. A dark-clothed figure was seated on the branches, staring inside the room at the two girls peacefully sleeping. Then, making sure there was no one in sight, it jumped down and getting on a bike, rode off.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A sharp, stinging pain. Kubinashi felt a sharp, stinging pain on his right shoulder as he rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to get used to the bright light that directly shone on his face.
"He's awake," a familiarly annoying voice spoke and when his vision finally got used to the darkness, he was aware of the irritating brown-haired female inspector – Kejoro . . . he forgot her surname – staring down at him, eyebrows creased in worry. However, as soon as she saw his eyes flutter open, her features of anxiousness were immediately smoothed into her trademark flirtatious and condescending smile. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to join us."
Kubinashi groaned as his hands travelled to his head, a light hiss escaping his lips as he felt a small bump on the side of his head. The room he was in was darkly lit and looked like a small doctor's cabin, with white dominating every feature in the space. "What happened?" he whispered out in a hoarse voice. He remembered meeting Hikage in the alley, followed by a shootout. Then he remembered texting Itaku for backup and following Hikage when he escaped (presumably out of bullets). Then . . .then . . .
Blank.
"It's a good thing you were rational enough to call Itaku." Kejoro said, seating on a swivel chair right in front of Kubinashi. He was once again greeted by her blossoming cleavage and a tiny peek of her lacy, black bra. "Though I can't say anything about your rationality when you followed him all alone." The brunette picked up a Chocolate Krusher – with KFC's tag on it – and began sucking indifferently. "But speaking of that," she raised an eyebrow, leaning back on the swivel chair "How did you follow . . . " her voice trailed off and that was when Kubinashi realized that except them, there was a doctor (who was currently fumbling with papers) in the small room.
"I wasn't following him," muttered Kubinashi, running his fingers over the blood-soaked gauze that covered his injured right arm. Kejoro tilted her head at the statement and he gestured her to lean in closer. The busty brunette complied and Kubinashi regretted his decision – the erotic view of her ample cleavage and the tantalizing smell of an enticing perfume were on the verge of giving him a boner. "I was following," he whispered, trying to lean a little away from her "Tsurara Oikawa's car."
A momentary look of shock crossed Kejoro's features before being replaced with a steely gaze. "We didn't find any vehicle where we found you." she whispered back, seemingly unconscious of the delicious view she was offering her colleague.
"R-Right" Kubinashi gulped, trying not to breathe in the enticing perfume and averting his gaze from her cleavage. Realizing that there was a doctor with them in the same room, the blonde detective was able to retain some of his composure. "Of course the vehicle wasn't in the premises anymore." he scowled, shooting an icy glare at the female officer. "However, I'm certain that the car I saw belonged to Tsurara Oikawa. I remember the number." I hope . . ., he mentally added.
Kejoro sighed and rubbed her temple, muttering "Well, I trust your judgment." A smile flitted on her face and she sat back, causing Kubinashi to sigh in relief under his breath (though he still wished she'd button up the first three buttons of her shirt). "There's some good news. The DNA results of that strand of hair you found in Hitotsume Nyudo's fingernails have arrived. The team should be at the station anytime now."
Kubinashi felt elated but none of the joy was shown on his face. Instead, he focused on other questions. "Where did you guys find me?" he muttered.
Kejoro, for some reason, smirked naughtily at the question and replied in a teasing tone "You were found unconscious by a call-girl of a nearby brothel, Temptation, on the road. They took care of you until we arrived on scene." Kubinashi grew horrified and his hands immediately travelled to his pants; which, he finally realized, was the only piece of clothing he was wearing at the moment. "Don't worry," the brunette snickered "The girls swore they did not hamper your chastity in any way. Though I know how hard it must've been to control themselves . . ."
Kubinashi glared at her again but before he could coldly retort, someone cleared their throat in the room – and the blonde was again pulled back to the reality that he and the infuriatingly arousing brunette weren't the only occupants of the dark area. "If my work is done," the doctor spoke in a crisp, detached tone, "May I be allowed to leave?"
Kejoro, who'd just picked up her Krusher, smiled sweetly at him and said in a cheery tone, "Of course, Haruno-san! Thank you for your help! And your payment will be sent to you within today!" The doctor, a blonde man with a goatee of middle-age, nodded sternly and walked out of the room. After he was gone, Kejoro noisily slurped on her Krusher and placing it down after it was over, remarked ,"You're lucky Itaku's on your side. Kido-kun was really angry at your 'disappointing code of conduct.'"
The blonde rolled his eyes and mumbled, "What did he expect me to do in that situation? Hide and keep watch?"
Kejoro grinned as she nodded. "Exactly."
Kubinashi sighed and ruffled his hair, "Well, I'm not exactly brother-in-arms with him either."
"Kido-kun may behave like a heartless bastard but he's actually soft and loyal on the inside." Kejoro said, a reminiscent smile on her face. Kubinashi just stared at her blankly, confused at whether he should or should not believe her words. Ah well, he shrugged, I don't see how it concerns me.
Suddenly, the ringtone of Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' set off in the room and Kejoro's hands travelled to the pocket of her skirt, before fishing out a Samsung Galaxy. The blonde detective's eyes widened when he saw the time on her cell phone. 8:30 a.m? Shit! How long was I out? "Inspector speaking." Kubinashi could hear panicked shouts – and what sounded like . . . . . ambulance wails? – on the other side of the phone. "WHAT?" Kejoro yelled, her brown eyes widening in horror as her grip on the phone tightened. "When? HOW?"
More panicked shouting from the other end. The female officer muttered something incoherent under her breath and yelled, "I'll be there in 5!" before rapidly switching off the cell phone.
Kubinashi had already jumped out of bed (though his arm and head still hurt) and donned a white shirt and his signature coat. "I'll come with you." he muttered and the brunette nodded absent-mindedly, clearly tensed. Making their way out of the room, Kubinashi noted that there had been in the backroom of a small and neat-looking clinic. A few people who'd been waiting outside stared at them as they walked by.
Kubinashi hastened his steps until he was close enough to whisper in Kejoro's ear. "What the hell happened?" he muttered, as they came in view of the blinding sunlight which signaled a warm day ahead.
"The team that was bringing in the DNA results," Kejoro muttered, leading the way to a shiny red Volkswagen that stood in the parking zone of the clinic. "Their car . . . was bombed."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
At 9:00 a.m. in the Torii household, Kana and Natsumi sat eating cornflakes, their eyes glued to the T.V rather than their breakfast, which flashed with quiet alarming news.
"This morning, a rather large explosion occurred in the Shiratobi locality, which caused the death of 5 police officers and injury to several civilians," a smart young female journalist ricocheted, image of a wrecked and burning structure, with firemen trying to put out the fire, a little distance behind her. "According to investigating officers, there had been a bomb attached to the underside of the police vehicle further details about which cannot be given presently. The interesting news is the vehicle was carrying some important evidence related to the murder of Hitotsume Nyudo, one of the Nura Company's board members, last week . . ."
Kana turned a deaf ear to the news after the mention of "Nura Company", instead concentrating on her rainbow colored cornflakes. Even though she'd turned away from the T.V screen, her ears and mind refused to take a rest from listening and thinking. It is highly possible he was responsible for it, Rikuo Nura's cruelly smirking face flashed in her mind. But is he really capable of being . . . this cruel?
Her Chibi-devil side snapped at her. Get your head down from the clouds! Hikage-bastard fucking works for him! Stop being so naïve!
Kana sighed under her breath, realizing the ring of truth in the words of her devil side. It was highly possible and probable for him to do something like this. And it was events and thoughts like this that made her realize that the man she'd gone on a date with was actually very dangerous.
And yet . . . I still like him . . .
The brunette was awoken from her reverie by a call on her cell phone and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Kiyo?" she mumbled. "But today's Sunday . . ." Letting her words trail off, she picked up the call. "Hello, Kiyo?" she asked.
"Thank Kami at least someone picked up!" he exclaimed so loudly that Kana had to remove the phone from her ear for a moment. "Are you still at Natsumi's place?"
"Yeah" the brunette replied, staring at her green-haired friend who was staring at the T.V, rapt. "Why?"
"Ask that airhead why she isn't picking up her phone, will you? Oh, and do you have any news of Saori or Jiro?"
" . . . No. Now that you mention it, I completely forgot about them." Considering what's been happening lately, that's highly feasible.
"Oh, okay then. See you at College tomorrow, I guess."
"Yeah" Kana nodded. "By the way, did you see the news?"
"No. Did something interesting happen?"
"Yeah. Check out 'Hokkaido Today'."
There was a slight pause and Kana thought she heard a faint clicking sound. After what seemed to be eternity (which, in fact, was only three minutes), Kiyotsugu's hyperventilating voice rang out "Oh shit. SHIT! I mean-what the FUCK?"
Kana nodded. "See what I mean? This case-"
The line was cut off. It took Kana a few seconds to register the fact in her mind but just as she was about to place the phone down, the caller tune rung off again. It was Kiyotsugu.
As soon as she hit the accept button, her ears were blasted by the sounds of loud screeching "What the hell is Saori doing there? This is messed up!"
Kana just kept on nodding. "See? I knew it would-WHAT?!" The brunette almost dropped her phone, turning hurriedly to face the screen.
She almost got a heart attack.
Twice.
There, right in front of the camera stood Saori, looking confused at her surroundings.
But that wasn't the cause of her second heart attack.
"Sources say that the bomb was placed by none other than Hikage Daito Ryu himself, the murderer who assassinated the late Hitotsume Nyudo. The explosion took place around-"
But Kana wasn't paying any attention to the journalist's words. She was paying attention to the journalist himself.
It was that guy. The black-haired guy she'd met days ago while returning home.
And then, she suddenly realized the phone had been cut off again. Looking at her mobile screen, the icon of an unread message popped up. It was a photo from . . . Saori Maki.
Clicking it open, Kana almost dropped the phone in embarrassment. It was a picture of Saori and her late night "acquaintance" – in bed – with only sheets covering their naked bodies. The boy was leaning back on the headboard, his face relaxed and hands folded beside his head while Saori's hair was in tangles, her face flushed. Kana immediately deleted the photo. Saori had a habit of sending her the photos of her one night stands when she was drunk.
Looking back to the T.V screen again, she sighed. What a small world it was. Seeing Natsumi nowhere at the table, the brunette was gonna go look for her when her phone rung off again.
"Hello, Kiyo?" she said without looking at the caller ID. "I'm a little busy right now so could you-"
"It's Rikuo Nura speaking."
"E-Eh?" the brunette exclaimed in confusion, removing the gadget from her ear and glaring at the caller ID. 'Rikuo Nura' blinked in large, red letters.
"G-Good morning, Nura-san!" the brunette stuttered, awkwardness evident in her tone. She wasn't expecting him to call her so soon.
"Good morning. I'm sorry for my rapid departure yesterday but some important family matters had come up. So I was thinking if we could talk today. But since you're busy . . ." his voice trailed off and Kana realized he was waiting for her to speak.
"Oh, n-no, I'm not busy!" after second-thought, she continued "I-I mean, I'm sure I can make time for you!" Kami, that sounded so snobbish. "I-I mean, we can meet up! I'm free!"
"Great! So Cuppa Java at 12:00?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"See you then, Ienaga-san." And with that, he was off.
Kana sighed as she stared her cell phone, at the faded red letters of 'Rikuo Nura' and the 'Call Disconnected' sign.
"It's a small world indeed."