Chappie 7 up for grabs!
CHAPTER 7: KARIN KISHITANI
Sakura Kinomoto was in a pretty good mood. As the trio took their lunch from the grumpy cook, they made a bee-line for their favourite place by the window.
"Seriously, the seniors were correct…the cafeteria food tastes way better on Wednesday than any other day." remarked Meiling as she popped in a piece of wobbly carrot in her mouth.
"But nothing beats Sakura's meat-buns," added Ayume as she picked on her noodles.
"Which reminds me, Sakura, when are you and Li-kun going on a date?"
Sakura spluttered on her water while Meiling gave a violent cough to get that piece of carrot out of her wind-pipe.
"Say what, Ayume?" they chorused.
"Oh come on, you two. It's not the question of how, but a question of when. Haven't you seen the way dear little Li-kun looks at our cherry blossom beauty?" said Ayume grinning.
Sakura went red while Meiling's face adopted a thoughtful look.
"Hmm…now that you mention it, Syao-kun….well well well Sakura-chan…let's see how it goes. I would absolutely love seeing my cousin go all heart-eyed!"
"It's not like that…" Sakura mumbled as she spooned down her noodles.
"Ok-ok…deny all you want. But its only time's play now." said Ayume sagely as she began gorging on her lunch.
Sonomi Daidouji and Yelan Li sat across each other in a posh restaurant of capital. The brown-haired lady primly wiped her mouth with the spotless white linen napkin as the black-haired Li Corp CEO remarked, "I see you still love your tempura fried till crispy brown."
"And you still love French crepes even though they are sinful in your opinion," Sonomi replied, smiling.
"I have grown old now, Sonomi…my son is an adult now. My daughters are all married and I am soon to become a grandma…Fuutie is expecting twins this June."
"Ah! That's great news, Yelan."
Yelan brought her fingertips together, resting her chin on the interlocked fingers before continuing.
"I know it's been a long time…and I apologize sincerely for that communication blank for the last eighteen years. I should have been with you after Reiishi died…I haven't been a good friend."
Sonomi chewed her fish tempura quietly before continuing.
"You had your plate full…what with Yangtze's plane crash and the entire Li Corp falling in your hands…it wasn't cakewalk for you either."
"I met with Suzaku Kishitani three months back for some business work when I learned about Karin Kishitani. You remember that case from two years ago, right?"
Sonomi nodded in assent.
"That Miyagi-Kishitani thing…how Miyagi was cleared of all charges."
"People with brains all knew that Miyagi's son was to blame—but it's really astounding to discover that how uncommon is common sense. I knew Miyagi paid the jury or threatened or did something on those lines to get his son off…the same way he got off during Reiishi and Nadeshiko's murder cases. People knew…but had no proof. Suzaku, he's Karin's older brother, might have some tangible proof. He said he has the phone records, the CCTV footage of their house and evidence from the car which had saved up—waiting for the right moment to strike. Karin's testimony is pivotal to the case and unless she is declared medically fit enough to state the encounter, his case will fall apart. So he has kept her incognito in some facility where she is being treated."
The waiter cleared their tables and replaced them with bowls of their favourite chicken-tossed noodles.
"What actually happened that day?" asked Sonomi between mouthfuls.
"A story long hidden under the carpet needs to come out…"
2 years ago
"KARIN!"
"COMING ONII-CHAN!"
Suzaku sighed as he killed the engine. She was running late and she was still obsessed about putting on her lipstick.
After a good five minutes, a gasping strawberry-blonde girl slipped into the seat next to him, poking him to start the engine.
"So, you have realized that you are running some ten-minutes late?" said Suzaku as he fired the ignition.
"I have a date with Ryuuga today after lunch, onii-chan. It's imperative I look good." she said, smiling brightly.
"Still seeing that Miyagi's son, eh?" he said darkly as he steered onto the main road.
"He's not that bad…he's really gentlemanly. You should see him when we go out for dinner…just like a real blue-blood. Not his fault that his father is such a dump."
Suzaku shrugged as he looked at his sister's glowing face. She was beautiful, innocent and really simple and he knew she loved that boy immensely. He hoped for her sake that everything turned out well.
"You do remember that you have an exhibition in Brussels next month, right?" he said as the college drew nearer.
"Oh yes…I have talked with that organizer guy—now what was his name again…yeah, Alexander. He has received those paintings and they have been carefully stored away for the time-being. Nothing to worry, onii-chan. You just worry about your company. Mama and Papa would have been proud if they could see you now."
Suzaku sighed as he ruffled his sister's hair, earning an angry pout from the latter.
"They would have been proud of you too, little Karin."
After dropping his sister at the university, Suzaku drove into the Tokyo office of Kishitani Securities. The setup had been originally done by his father but after his parents were taken prisoner in Portugal for some serious drug charges six years ago, he along with his father's senior advisor-cum-family friend Tanaka had kept the company afloat. He remembered those days—how he, then a lanky nineteen year old fresh out of high school had to drop out of college to take on the reins of the company. Karin was then just a little over fourteen, still naïve and impressionable. He had packed her off to a boarding school in Canada to keep her away from the prying reporters and snide comments, calling her back only when she was in eleventh grade and old enough to understand what had happened. Now she was more at peace with herself and was able to ward off unpleasant questions on her own.
In six years, he had expanded the company all over the country and even had a couple of foreign clients. Kishitani Securities was now a well-recognized name and its exploits made first-page news in every business daily. Tanaka, now an old man of seventy-six, had long retired but still was ready to lend an ear and a hand if necessary. Suzaku remembered the initial years when he had to sell almost everything except their modest two-room flat to keep the company afloat. He realized now the reason why his father had dabbled in drugs—at that time, the finances of the company was in the danger zone and his parents were exploring every avenue possible to re-acquire the necessary funds. The morally upright Kishitani senior was forced to enter the dark world of drug trafficking to keep themselves alive. And the consequences…he sighed.
The office no longer resembled what it was that time. Now a forty storey edifice of glass and metal spread over three acres in the business district, though dwarfed by the other tall buildings, was a force to reckon with. His office was on the topmost floor, offering a commendable view of the streets and the city. The walls were dotted with his sister's paintings, right from her first attempt (which was an unintelligible squiggle with crayons) to her latest masterpiece which she had gifted to him on his birthday—Margin. It showcased a battlefield with the soldiers lying injured, their colours mixed and a doctor treating them regardless of their affiliation. His employees often joked that his room was worth more than the entire company put together.
Karin had started going out with Ryuuga Miyagi some four months ago—though he had met the boy and he appeared pretty well-mannered—there was something on which he couldn't put his finger on. Something which was not…well, not well. As if creation itself was warning him of impending catastrophe.
The Miyagis were a dynamic business house which had its finger in every pie—retail, hospitality, real estate…everywhere. And being its heir, Suzaku doubted Ryuuga would be anything but pleasant. Then why did he always get that creepy, snake-like feeling whenever he saw that man?
He shook off those thoughts and concentrated on his day's work. Maybe he was getting old. And paranoid. He smiled slightly—Karin was twenty now, she knew how to take care of herself.
The day passed uneventfully—two business meetings with prospective clients and a briefing of the financial team members. It was almost eight and the night life of Tokyo was slowly gearing up. He stretched and yawned. Tomorrow was Saturday and the sibling duo had planned a day out in a ryokan near the mountains. Ah! Hot springs!
Just then his secretary poked in her head.
"Umm…sir? I think you need to see this."
She switched on the TV and changed it to a news channel.
And Suzaku grew deathly pale.
"This is live from downtown Tokyo! Apparently a girl has been found—presumably assaulted—near one of the warehouses. She is not yet conscious and the medics have already taken her to the General Hospital nearby. Preliminary identification has been confirmed from the ID retrieved from her purse. Apparently, she is none other than Karin Kishitani the prodigious painter and sister of young businessman Suzaku Kishitani. The police are investigating—"
"Inform the driver. General Hospital. Now." rasped Suzaku.
The hospital was in a flurry. The nurses scrambled for syringes while the doctor-in-charge looked pretty harried. Suzaku stormed into Karin's room accompanied by his personal doctor. He quickly took stock of the situation and after squeezing Suzaku's shoulder briefly, he quietly engaged into a dialogue with the other doctor.
Karin lay on the stark white hospital sheets, blood and bruises covering every surface. Her clothes were torn and a nurse attempted to draw the curtains around her bed to stop prying eyes catch a sight of her.
"I want my sister in a private ward. Money will not be an issue," he said coldly.
"We can do that only after the initial examination of her wounds are complete. Then we can decide the treatments which need to be carried on."
Suzaku looked at his sister, tears forming in his eyes. Suddenly, he thought of Ryuuga. Where was he?
He stepped outside into the lobby and called up the Miyagi junior. To his surprise, the speech of the receiver of the call sounded slurred.
"Is Ryuuga Miyagi there?" he said a bit hesitantly, thinking it was wrong number after all.
"Mi'agi 'ere. Wassa want?" slurred the voice.
"Weren't you supposed to be on a date with my sister?" he asked.
"Sis'er? Ah! That one? Ya ya…li'l Kari doesn't know how to behave…tut tut. So I taught her…eh? Naah…I didn't kill her…just played, you know. B'hut she's such a prick…useless…"
"You…you…shitty piece of…" Suzaku growled.
"Now now onii-chan…that's what she calls you…she was crying out, you know….Onii-chan, save me…please…" and Ryuuga laughed, chilling Suzaku's bones.
Karin was raped and molested to the point that she had lost her sanity. She stared at the ceiling in an uncomprehending manner, the spark of life absent from her eyes. The doctor and the nurses tried their level best but she didn't respond. Her injuries on the outside began to heal, but no one could tell about the injuries on the inside. The investigation reports and forensic evidence all stated the guilt of Ryuuga Miyagi and when the court case began, they mysteriously disappeared. Suzaku now began to receive death threats and Kishitani Securities was, once again, on the brink of collapse. No one was willing to fight against the Miyagis—and at the end, Suzaku couldn't blame them. He was worried about Karin's well-being and unwillingly dropped the charges, letting Ryuuga go scot-free. He decided to leave Tokyo but was apprehensive of his sister's treatment. Then the doctor told him about Clearing Meadows and then one night, she was quietly shifted and admitted in the facility in an incognito manner.
It was quite clear that if Suzaku pursued the case any further, consequences would be dire.
But he held on to that anger…not now…but one day, he would bring down the Miyagi Empire. And put out the real truth in front of the public.
Four months prior to the start of the story.
Yelan Li was a woman to be reckoned with. She had presence, grace and poise which filled up the room with the magnanimity of her personality. After the meeting concluded, he helped the Li CEO in gathering her files when she posed a completely irrelevant question.
"How much do you hate the Miyagis?"
He was taken aback but the look of grim determination and hatred answered the question, earning a smile from her.
"I know what happened with your sister. And I know what Taiichi is capable of. He has walked long as a free man—time he came down."
Suzaku was now completely surprised. What interest would Yelan Li have in the Miyagis and him?
"It's personal for me too…I too have a score to settle with him. I will tell you later. But first, are you ready to avenge your sister?"
"Oh yes. I am ready."
Poor Karin! And damn that Ryuuga!
No wonder Syaoran is angry on that Miyagi crapball!
This chappie has focused more on the OCs but don't worry folks! From next chappie onwards, the MCs will feature more...the stage is set, after all!
Chapter 8: Tomoyo and Furball : Yes! Tomoyo enters the next chappie which will be a skip after a month. And what is that "little ball of fur"?
Stay Tuned!
"yay! finally...in the next chappie!"
"see tomo-chan..i keep my promises...hehe..."
"review review review people! I want my entry to be super grand! o my...gotta pack...all those clothes!"
*sweatdrop* "poor sakura..."
"didja say something?"
"no no, of course not..."
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see ya!
:)