Ok, this update came much later than I would have liked, but I hope you enjoy. The next chapter will be coming MUCH sooner.

Sosoru

Chapter Twenty Seven

After Aoshi left my home, I decided there was much I needed to investigate. I had to treat the situation as I treated my cases. I needed to be completely informed about my enemy. I would hate to consider that handsome man as such, but he had used me in a fashion that trumped the misadventures of Meko. He sought to use me as a device of pain. His intentions, I had to know. His psyche, I had to know. But, how to play the game was in question. A full frontal assault, or, play coy and do this in an undercover fashion? Then I felt a twinge of guilt. I was letting my personal life get in the way of work. I had almost forgotten about the very case that brought me into this predicament.

O'Nelly.

The only reason Kenshin became my partner was because of the O'Nelly case. Though distracted, we worked hard to find an alibi for our not-so-innocent client. That was, surprisingly, Kenshin's first client whom he had known was guilty. He handled the situation very well and did his job as any other professional would do. Now, the personal matters were a different story. His inability to follow the rules and desire to possess me as more than a fling led more people than necessary to be involved in our trifle. Somehow, news of our dally had reached the ever-listening ears of Enishi. One thing was certain; he had somehow maintained the family business in which his sister wanted no part of. Only a well-organized crime lord could obtain the information as he did. He had people everywhere, which meant I had to be extremely careful. I could only hope that my house was the only place bugged, for if my backyard was being surveyed, we'd be in trouble.

Still, action had to be taken and swiftly. I rose from my comfortable spot, still pondering. Everything had to appear business as usual. That meant, Kenshin and I would have to come face to face. I was not sure if I should tell him what Aoshi told me, but my instinct carried me in one direction.

No.

If Aoshi wanted Kenshin to be openly involved, he would have asked Kenshin and not me. I picked up the phone in my bedroom and dialed Kenshin's cell number. Not to my surprise, it was shut off. I left him a message telling him that we needed to talk about the case and only about the case. Personal feelings aside, I knew not how I felt about him any longer. I told him how it was to be between us, but we both let our emotions get the best of us. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. That wasn't what I needed to be focused on.

Aoshi.

Too bad we couldn't continue our conversation. I wanted to know what possessed him to become a flaming hypocrite. But, I guess that would have undone our uneasy truce. To sleep with your best friend's wife after you scold him for his infidelity? That was a low blow, even by my standards.

Ah...focus, Kaoru , I scolded myself. Was it really that important a detail? What led Tomoe, the ever-devoted wife, to cheat on her husband? I suspect that she had never been unfaithful in her life. I also suspect that she and Aoshi had never been intimate before their recent incident. What led her to stray?

My cellphone rang.

"Who is it?" I snapped, not recognizing the number.

"It is Tomoe, Kaoru," the hoarse voice replied.

Her tone was haggard from crying, though the heaviness made her sound ever-so-appealing. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and clutched my eyes shut, contemplating. If Enishi had my house bugged, he probably had my phone bugged as well. I let Tomoe languish in the silence a few moments before I spoke to her.

"Why are you calling me?" I said sharply.

"Is Aoishi there?" she asked quietly.

"I kicked his sorry ass out a few minutes ago. Planning another rendezvous?" I shot at her.

Ok, so I was being just a tad unfair to her, but come on? Why the hell did this woman think it was ok to call me?

"Kaoru, I know you have every right to be angry, but I need to reach him. His phone is not on and..."

"I don't give a fuck why you are trying to get a hold him," I nearly yelled through the phone. "You need to be talking to your husband."

Then there was silence. I knew she was still on the line, I could hear her breathing. She must have been crying still. Perhaps she was waiting for me to say something more since I rendered her speechless.

"He doesn't want to talk to me," she said finally.

"I'm shocked," I said sarcastically. Though he is truly being a hypocrite, I continued in my head.

"I need Aoshi!" she said most urgently.

"The last time you needed Aoshi, you slept with him," I said dispassionately.

"It's not like that. It was a one-time-thing. Your sister is so darling, I never meant to hurt her. And Kenshin...I LOVE HIM!"

It wasn't so much that she said she loved him that bothered me, it was how she said it. She sounded so desperate, as if her very next breath depended on his existence. She couldn't imagine her world without him in it, and she would be completely lost if that had been the case. The passion and necessity in her fevered pitch, I was forced to feel sorry for her. I supposed I understood how she felt. My heart softened just a bit, but the resolve to stay focused on my goal had not.

"I am no one to judge you," I said finally, "But I don't like you."

"Kaoru, I know I am no one to ask you this..."

"Then don't ask!" I snapped.

"I need to know if Kenshin cheated on me," Tomoe continued, ignoring my outburst. "The only reason I ran to Aoshi that night was because I thought my husband had been with someone else. I couldn't shake that feeling and I still can't. Aoshi...I thought he would tell me. Kenshin... I never imagined he would cheat on me but I thought if he ever did, he'd be honest. You...I don't know why I want to ask you or why I think you know...but I think you know. Did Kenshin sleep with someone else?"

"I don't know what you expect of me, Tomoe."

"I'll amend. Are you sleeping with my husband?"

Pretentious little wench!I almost said aloud, but somehow I managed to keep in internal.

"What difference would it have made if I had, or if he were sleeping with someone else? Would you have been justified in being unfaithful?" I posed to Tomoe.

She was quiet for a moment, evaluating my words, which were much too nice. Still, I needed her at the moment. I had to use this as an opportunity to learn more about her, and about Enishi. If she gave me the information firsthand, I was certain I could trust it.

"Let's get some things straight," I said, seeing if I left it to Kenshin's wife, we would have been there forever. "I know little of you and you know little of me. I would like to know why Aoshi is so protective of you."

"Aoshi?" she said, as if the name were suddenly unfamiliar. "Aoshi has...protected me since I lived in Japan. Have you ever been home, Kaoru?"

"Hai, I have," I replied.

"I haven't been in years, since my late teens I believe. Because of my father's occupation, we were all in danger. Enishi was sent to California when he was still small. He hated being away from me. He thought he should be the one to protect me. When that job became Aoshi's, Enishi was furious. Anyway, Aoshi had always been there for me. When I started college, our lives somewhat normalized, but we remained very close. I, of course, visited my brother often. It was a trip to see him that led me to meet Kenshin, whom had been a friend of Aoshi's for years. Is any of this making sense? I feel I am blabbing," Tomoe said, interrupting herself.

"You are fine," I assured.

"Well, Aoshi was always so weary of the men I dated, especially Kenshin. I do not think he wanted us to get married, but we did, and we were happy for a while."

"What was Aoshi protecting you from all those years?"

"Must you ask such a personal question?"

"You quite bluntly asked me about my sex-life, which is more personal. I think my line of questioning is fair," I retorted.

"It is not something to be discussed over the phone," she said with finality.

The yakuza, I already knew. But, she was correct not to outright say it, especially since she is so close to it.

"What were you going to reveal earlier?" Tomoe asked me.

She almost caught me off guard. I had expected someone would eventually ask, just didn't think it would happen as soon as it did. So, she wanted to know what I was going to reveal. Tough.

"All I can say is that involves Enishi, Aoshi and Kenshin. I really cannot say much more than that. Perhaps after everything has settled, we can sit down and discuss it," I lied.

"I will find out the truth eventually," Tomoe said, as if it were a warning.

"Yes, you should know this all too well," I retorted before hanging up on her.

If I stayed on the phone for a moment longer, I would have been forced to kill her. I should have told her all they ways I had her husband in every room of my house, but that wouldn't have gotten me the information I wanted. I had a good start, though. Now, the hard decision of who to pump for information was in question. Should it be Kenshin, who was probably expecting the least ...or Enishi, who probably suspected my knowledge of his reach. Kenshin wouldn't be easy, but since when did "easy" become fun?

With the next victim picked out, I only had to be patient. Though patience wasn't a particular virtue I heavily possessed, I was certain through practicing it my endeavor would be a fruitful one.