Disclaimer-I own nothing.

No Escape

Chapter 5

Rukia had to sit on her hands to keep from reaching out to Kon to reassure herself he was okay. She knew he wouldn't like her coddling him in front of the two officers sitting on the couch.

"Let's go over this one more time," said the younger of the two policemen, Officer Madarame. His head was completely bald and he held his pencil poised over his notepad in anxious anticipation. "You were in your room studying at what time?"

Kon's jaw tightened with frustration. "It was about ten, I guess."

"And then what?"

"I already told you," Kon nearly shouted.

Rukia had never seen him so agitated, and it worried her. Maybe something more had happened than the simple talk he'd claimed he'd had with his father. Then again, maybe that was enough.

Madarame opened his mouth, but the older officer who'd introduced himself as Officer Ukitake held out a warning hand to his partner. He had a calm patience about him that spoke to his obvious experience in dealing with children. He looked a little sickly, but it only made him seem more experienced.

"Tell us again, son," said Officer Ukitake in a calm, steady voice. "It helps make sure we didn't mess up any details the first time around."

Kon sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. It was nearly midnight, and he looked exhausted. Rukia barely stifled the urge to run the police off and send Kon to get some much-needed rest.

"He threw rocks at my window," said Kon. "I thought it was one of my friends, so I went over, but it was Da-Yammy."

He'd almost said 'dad' and the fact that he had to stop himself and call his father by his first name to distance himself from him broke Rukia's heart.

"Had you already opened the window at the time?" asked the older officer.

"No, but he wanted me to, so I did."

The younger policeman's pencil raced across the page, writing down who knew what vital information.

"What did he say to you then?" asked Ukitake.

"I already told you!" shouted Kon.

Rukia couldn't hold back any longer. She put her hand on his shoulder, hoping she was offering more comfort than embarrassment.

Kon stiffened at her touch, but at least he didn't shrug her off.

"Tell us again," came the calm reply of the seasoned cop.

"Coffee, anyone?" Ichigo came into the living room with a fistful of coffee mugs and a full carafe. Apparently he'd found the secret hiding place that she couldn't.

The young cop perked up, nodding at the offer, but Ukitake kept his attention steady on Kon, not letting the interruption bother him. "Go ahead, son. Tell us what he said."

Kon let out a gusty, dramatic sigh. "He wanted me to come out and talk to him."

"So you did."

"Yes. I did."

"Why?"

Kon looked at Rukia, then down at the carpet.

Ukitake looked at Rukia, too, then nodded as if he'd found the anwer. "You didn't want him to come in the house, did you?"

Kon shot to his feet, knocking Rukia's arm away from him, and threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't know why you all are making such a big deal about this! He didn't hurt me. All we did was talk!"

"What about?" asked Ukitake, unfazed by Kon's explosion.

Kon's mouth tightened, and he remained silent.

"Kon?" said Rukia. "What did he want?"

"Nothing," said Kon.

Ichigo handed both officers a cup of coffee, then propped himself against the wall, listening.

The younger policeman stopped writing long enough to shoot Kon a disbelieving look. "He came all the way out here late at night to talk to you about nothing? You don't think we're going to believe that, do you?"

Rukia fought an uncharacteristic surge of anger but lost the battle. They were not going to treat her son like a felon. "Hey! Don't you call Kon a liar in his own home. If he said they talked about nothing, I'm sure that's what happened."

"Well, Kon?" asked Ukitake. "Was it really nothing?"

Kon gave Rukia a guilty grimace. "Well, it wasn't exactly nothing. Just stuff, you know. He asked if I liked it here. And he wanted to know who Momo and Natsuki were. If they were close friends of yours, Rukia."

The hair on the back of Rukia's neck rose. If he knew about them, he'd been watching the house since last week, when she'd babysat Natsuki.

"Who are they?" asked Ukitake.

Her voice came out faint. "Momo's a friend of mine. Natsuki is her daughter and my student. She's seven."

The officer's mouth flattened. "Did he threaten them, Kon?"

"No. He said he thought Momo was hot and wanted to ask her out. I didn't tell him who they were. I swear."

"Good. That's good." Ukitake looked to Rukia. "Do you have Momo's address and phone number?"

"In my address book." She fetched it from the kitchen and gave it to the younger officer, who wrote the information down. "Can you drive by her place and check on her?"

"Yes, ma'am. We'll see to it."

Rukia wished that relieved her, but it wasn't enough. She was going to have to warn Momo, let her know to keep an eye out for Yammy.

"Did Yammy ask you to leave with him, Kon?" asked Ukitake.

"No."

"Did he threaten you in any way?"

"No."

"Did he threaten anyone else?"

Kon paled a little and glanced Rukia's way. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ukitake.

Kon shrugged. "I just know him, you know."

And he'd seen Yammy hurt his mother over and over.

Rukia laced her fingers together tightly to keep them to herself. "You don't need to worry about me, Kon. I'll be careful."

Kon flushed a guilty red, but didn't look at her. Instead he asked Ukitake, "Are you worried that he might hurt Rukia or Momo?"

"I'm just trying to sort this out, son. Did he say he was going to come back, or ask you to meet him again?"

"No. I think he was going to, but then Ichigo came along and he ran off."

The younger man was still scribbling when his partner stood and slurped back the last of the coffee, signaling they were done here. "If he tries to contact you again, you need to let Rukia or one of us know, okay?"

"He's not going to hurt me," said Kon.

"I'm sure you're right," soothed the older man. "But he's not supposed to see you without supervision. If he tries anything, we won't have any other choice but to charge him with breaking a court order. Maybe even parental kidnapping."

Kon snarled, "Good I want him to go back to jail."

"Keep your distance, son. It's the safest thing for both of you and your friends." He turned to Rukia. "We'll file a report in case you need any official documentation that he came by tonight. His caseworker can call for a copy in the morning."

"Thank you."

He handed both her and Kon a business card. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call. Custody battles can turn ugly fast."

"I understand."

He gave her a sympathetic nod. "Thanks for the coffee."

The police left, and Rukia shut and locked the door. Kon stood there with his feet braced apart and his face grim. He looked like he was expecting a punch, and Rukia felt the sting of tears. Again. He'd been through so much. All she wanted was for him to be safe, happy and healthy. He had so much potential that that's all he needed to bloom. It wasn't much to ask.

When she said nothing, Kon started to fidget like he was nervous. "I'm sorry."

"You should be. You really scared me tonight." It came out as a whisper, soggy with tears even though she'd tried to stay strong.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't. I also know you'll never sneak out like that again, right?"

"I promise."

"Good. Go on to bed and make sure that window is locked. We'll talk more after you've had some sleep."

Kon scrambled away as if he couldn't get away fast enough. He was halfway up the stairs when he stopped but didn't turn around. Rukia knew he wanted to say something, so she waited silently.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," he said and hurried up the stairs, two at a time.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Ichigo moved quietly from window to window, checking each to make sure it was locked. Rukia's house was old, and the only secure windows were the ones painted shut. Not that that would keep anyone from breaking the glass.

She needed a security system installed before he left. And maybe a big dog. That way he wouldn't have to worry about her when he was gone.

Yeah, right. Hardly a week had gone by since he'd joined the military that he hadn't thought about the sickly little girl he'd left behind and wondered how she was. Her cards and letters had helped ease his mind, but not entirely. And now his fears were no longer all in his head. The danger to her and Kon was real and he had to do something to fix it.

Ichigo finished his security check downstairs and went to the second floor.

He heard the soft thrum of music coming from Kon's room, and without knocking and waking him up, Ichigo crept inside.

Kon was asleep, his body flung out across the bed, covers twisted around his restless body, barely keeping him warm. Poor kid had been through the wringer tonight, and it wasn't over yet. Not until Yammy went back to jail or gave up any hope of reuniting with his son.

Ichigo grabbed the blanket off his own bed and covered Kon up. After a quick window check, he left the boy in peace, hoping he'd found some solace in sleep.

The light of day was only going to highlight last night's ugliness. Ichigo knew that from experience.

He shut Kon's door and went back to his own room. The bright yellow walls hurt his tired eyes, even though he was sure the color was meant to be cheerful. Rukia's touch, no doubt.

He sat on the wide bottom bunk bed, careful not to smack his head on the narrower twin bed above him. He unlaced his boots and toed them off. He'd been so exhausted when he'd crashed earlier that he hadn't noticed anything about the room other than the fact that it had a bed and he wanted to be in it.

Two small chests of drawers flanked the window. The drawer pulls were molded into the shapes of different animals. On the closet door was a growth chart, void of any markings. A child-sized art center sat in the corner, waiting for the touch of little hands to give it life.

It was a kid's room, freshly decorated, waiting to be filled.

Was Rukia expecting another foster child? If so, then maybe Ichigo was in the way. Maybe he shouldn't have been so insistent that he stay here.

Then again, people were dying, and Kon's father was a complete asshole who clearly could not be trusted. Until those problems were removed, she had no business bringing a child here.

Not that it was any of his business. He had no say in her life.

That fact shouldn't have bothered him nearly as much as it did.

Ichigo stripped out of his clothes and settled back in bed. He couldn't let himself get sucked into her problems. He'd talk to the police and see if her suspicions about the deaths were valid, beef up her security, and be on his way.

The thought made him uneasy. Rukia had no idea how to protect herself. And she had a child. He had to be sure it was safe to leave them. There could be no mistakes.

And once he was sure, he'd hit the road and never come back. This place was full of bad memories, and more were piling up by the day.

If he never saw Rukia cry again, it would suit him just fine.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Kiyone was breathing so hard she almost didn't hear the faint squeak of floorboards overhead.

The killer was back.

She jerked at the metal rod inside the toilet tank, but it didn't come free. All she managed to do was bend it so that the water started rushing out of the tank in a deafening hiss.

Now she couldn't hear anything. He could be coming down the stairs right now and she couldn't hear it.

Panic flooded her body, making her hands shake. A quiet sob of panic tore from her chest. She had to stop before he caught her.

Kiyone let go of the rod, but the tank was refilling and she still couldn't hear over the noise of water.

Inside her prison, the light bulb blazed to life, searing her eyes.

The lid to the tank was still off. He was going to catch her.

He slid a key into the lock. Metal scraped metal as it turned.

Kiyone grabbed the lid and set it in place. Her hands were soaked, and water dripped off the edge of the lid.

He was going to know what she'd been doing. He was going to see the water and know. And then he'd punish her. He'd kill her like he had Sentaro.

Terror gripped her and squeezed hard.

The doorknob rattled as he turned it.

Kiyone grabbed the washcloth with one hand while she turned on the sink with the other. She swiped away the telltale wetness with the cloth.

He opened the door.

She plunged the cloth into the streaming water and covered her terrified face with the cloth to hide any signs of guilt.

Her husband's killer walked in. She could hear his heavy footsteps on the concrete floor.

Kiyone spun around and held the dripping cloth to her chest, praying it would hide any water spots she might have gotten on her while fiddling in the tank.

"You're awake," he said, giving her a smile that made his brown eyes sparkle. "Did you sleep well?"

Kiyone refused to answer such a ludicrous question.

He set a tray of food on the foot of her cot. Her stomach turned at the sight of it, but she needed to eat and retain what little strength she had left.

"Eat," he ordered.

Kiyone stared into his face, loathing everything about him. His bright hair, the wide bulk of his shoulders. But most of all, she hated his brown eyes. They were eerily bright, clear, and they missed nothing.

"Why are you keeping me here?" she asked him for the hundredth time.

And for the hundredth time, he replied, "It's not your turn yet."

Kiyone didn't know what he meant, but her instincts told her it wasn't good. "My turn to die?"

"Eat," he told her again, and this time there was an edge of steel in his voice. "Now, or I'll take away the food and put you back to sleep hungry."

Put her back to sleep. A chill of revulsion raced over her skin, making her stomach turn even more. Chocking down the sandwich he'd made her wasn't going to be easy, but Kiyone was going to find a way.

The next time she woke up, she was going to get that metal rod out of the toilet and kill the fucker.

Review, and happy summer!