Author's Note: Sorry for the hiatus, I've been having trouble with my computer. And writer's block. They both suck. Anyway, new chapter, with a shocking new twist! Here ya go!
The next morning, Yu had gotten up to make a cup of coffee when he bumped into the last person he wanted to see. "Arimitsu-san." He said stiffly as the Shirogane heir approached.
"Narukami." Arimitsu replied, the cold look from the previous day still evident in his eyes. "You're still here? I'd thought for sure you'd come to your senses and leave before facing me again." His voice was as dry and condescending as ever, his eyes seeming to mock Yu with their gaze.
The silverette returned his gaze with equal coldness, responding, "The bond I have with Naoto will never be broken by anyone, least of all you. It'd be best if you stopped trying."
Arimitsu's eyes flashed with anger as he hissed, "You're pushing your luck with every second you stay in my sight. I suggest you leave before I lose my temper, fool." Naoto's cousin took a step forward threateningly, his expression betraying his pure hatred of Yu.
"What's going on here?" A familiar high-pitched voice from the doorway made both of them stop and turn, meeting Naoto's annoyed gaze. "Arimitsu, what are you scheming this time?" She asked harshly. "I already told you not to interfere."
The two Shiroganes locked eyes before Arimitsu shook his head and said, "I cannot accept this, Nao-chan. You deserve better than this gutter trash; a man must have wealth, power and intelligence to have any chance of being good enough-." He seemed passionate about the subject, his voice growing in intensity until Naoto cut him off.
"Enough!" The young detective's voice held more anger than Yu had ever heard from her before; she sounded almost hysterical. "You've crossed the line, Arimitsu! Yu, will you please come upstairs with me?" Tears had formed in the girl's eyes as she gazed at her fiancé and her cousin, torn by their animosity.
Yu, however, stood his ground. "You like to fight, Arimitsu-san? Then I'll give you a fight. I'll prove to you I'm strong enough to marry Naoto." His voice was hard without being overly aggressive, and his words brought an expression of amusement to Arimitsu's face and one of horror to Naoto's.
"Hahaha…" The elder Shirogane chuckled as he swept a lock of his navy hair from his face. "You have more guts than I gave you credit for, Narukami! I accept your challenge! If you win, I will offer no more resistance to your and Nao-chan's union. If I win… You will leave the estate, and never speak to her again under penalty of death!" He licked his lips savagely, silver eyes wide and face locked in a demented grin.
Naoto spoke up then, saying, "Stop this, you two! There's no reason to-!"
Yu raised a hand and interrupted, his expression cold. "I'm sorry, Naoto, but this has to be done. People like Arimitsu-san understand nothing better than brute force." The barbed insult was complimented by his emotionless voice, but Arimitsu didn't seem to mind.
"It is decided then. We'll have our duel in the training room beneath the house. Meet me there once you've said your goodbyes." Turning and waving casually, Arimitsu walked away as a peal of delighted laughter remained to hang in the air.
All was silent for a few moments until Naoto fumed, "Yu, what have you done?! Arimitsu is an expert fighter, and was even before he began this career! I know you're strong, but… He's too dangerous!"
Yu shook his head and glared after his opponent. "This is something I have to do. If I don't, he'll keep harassing us until the end of time, and I won't have him ruining our life together." Looking over his shoulder at Naoto, he asked, "Where is this training room?"
"It's in the basement. I'll take you there." The young woman sighed in resignation, wheeling herself forward to lead the way.
The two reached the room below the estate in short order, Arimitsu standing before them with a cold expression. "Nao-chan." He stated icily. "Stay out of the room for this. I believe it is unnecessary for you to see what will become of your Narukami."
Naoto was about to protest when Yu nodded. "He's right, Naoto, but for a different reason. I know you're no stranger to it after our adventures together, but there's going to be blood. You don't have to see this."
Nodding slowly, the girl said, "I'll still be watching through the window, but I won't interfere. Is that good enough?" Both men nodded in agreement, and Naoto wheeled herself out of the room and to the window.
The door closed automatically, locking behind Naoto as she exited. Yu stared Arimitsu down, though his opponent seemed unperturbed. "You're brave, Narukami. Or is it foolish? There's a fine line between courage and madness, you know."
"Cut the crap and let's get on with it." Yu responded, his hands clenching into fists.
The Shirogane heir nodded and allowed himself a small grin, pulling something out of his pocket with one hand while another reached around to his back. "Yes, let's. It's time for you to leave my cousin's life… Forever." He produced a small canister from his pocket and tossed it at Yu, letting it break open on the floor. A smell Yu was familiar with from the fast-food restaurants back home filled his nose as he coughed, hearing Arimitsu's laughter.
"Gas…!?" The silverette choked, watching as his foe pulled a gas mask over his face. "You cheating son of a…!"
"Dear dear, are you upset at being caught unprepared? And did you really think I was going to give you, whom I've already known to be a strong fighter, any sort of chance at beating me? All I need to do is stand here, Narukami. Stand here and watch you die." A malicious laugh bubbled out from behind Arimitsu's mask as he watched Yu cough and choke on his weapon.
Feeling his throat and lungs burning, Yu nevertheless lumbered toward his intended killer, letting loose a heavy blow toward his elder's stomach. The punch was caught effortlessly, and the pain Yu felt was multiplied exponentially as Arimitsu slammed his other fist just below his ribs. As the silverette doubled over in pain, Arimitsu laughed again and bashed his chest with one knee, cracking at least one rib. "You scum!" Yu choked, his vision fading as the gas took its toll on him. "I'll… haunt… you…" The words were barely perceptible as he blacked out, falling unconscious.
"That was no challenge at all." Arimitsu commented as he walked to the wall and flipped the AC switch. Once he was certain the gas had cleared, he removed his mask only to be tackled hard from behind. "What the-?!"
Daichi's voice growled with rage into his ear as he demanded, "Why would you resort to such measures?! Why, Arimitsu?!"
Breaking free of the old man's grip, the younger Shirogane turned and punched him hard, knocking the family's head to the ground. "Don't call me Arimitsu." He ordered harshly. "That piece of trash is dead, just like Narukami will be." The young man had changed completely; his voice no longer held the stiff formality of before, instead sounding rough and coarse like a gangster's.
"What?!" Naoto demanded as Yakushiji removed Yu's unconscious body from the room. "Arimitsu is dead?"
The stranger nodded and grinned, saying, "Yep. I was just helping my boss run some angel dust into Tokyo, when all of a sudden some nut job starts waving' a gun around and saying he's with the prefecture. Of course, we don't take shit like that very well, so he didn't last long. And whaddaya know? He's got a badge and everything, with the name 'Arimitsu Shirogane.' Well, we'd all heard about the Shiroganes - a bunch of stuck-up law-and-order types who'd prefer it if everyone was robbed of all freedom and turned into mindless drones. So my boss tells me, 'Jungo, you're gonna pretend to be this Shirogane asshole and take 'em all out from the inside.' I'm only too happy to do the job, so I get fixed up by some of my fellow yakuza pals and head over here to this backwater dump. On the way I learned that the sap we filled full of lead has a cousin, and I figured she'd make a nice little present for the boss once I gave the rest of the family a couple good blows to the head."
Naoto's eyes widened with horror as the yakuza continued his story. "But then that damn Narukami starts getting overprotective, so I've gotta get rid of him too. Damn shame; I would've liked to get someone like him into the syndicate. But he wants to fight, so I gotta oblige him. Luckily I've done some research into chemical weapons and know how to make mustard gas, so I just let that loose on his ass and away we go! And now we're here, just you and me, and I think I'd better train you for your new life with the boss." He grinned savagely, taking a step forward and asking, "You ready, Nao-chan?"
Before Naoto could move to wheel herself away, and before the gangster could move, an authoritative voice yelled, "Freeze!" Both the detective and her would-be assaulter snapped their heads toward the door, where a squad of armed police officers were pouring in.
One of the officers, a girl with bowl-cut brown hair, asked, "You okay, Naoto-kun?!" Naoto blinked with surprise, seeing Chie in uniform for the first time.
"You're under arrest for the murder of Arimitsu Shirogane, the attempted rape and kidnapping of Naoto Shirogane, and the attempted murders of Daichi Shirogane and Yu Narukami!" Detective Dojima and the rest of his squad restrained the yakuza thug, who had enough sense not to resist. As the police led him out, Chie helped Daichi to his feet and escorted him and Naoto from the room.
After the infiltrator had been taken off to the police station, Daichi and Yu were hauled away to the hospital. Yakushiji and Naoto stayed behind, as did Chie, who had been granted temporary leave by Dojima. "It's gonna be okay now, Naoto." The junior detective said soothingly, stroking her friend's hair.
"Yu…" Naoto murmured in a soft, terrified tone. "I wouldn't care what happened to me as long as he was safe, but… Because I didn't intervene sooner, he could die…" Tears began pouring down her face faster than Chie could try and wipe them away. "I'm going to the hospital. I don't care how long I have to wait, I'm going to be by his side as soon as I'm allowed to."
Chie and Yakushiji glanced at one another, knowing it was useless to try and stop the distraught Naoto. Before five minutes had passed, the three were in Chie's cruiser and on their way to Inaba Municipal Hospital.