Hide was led to a fancy car, and led to sit in the back.
Where already sitting was a heavyset man wearing an elegant suit, of the kind millionaires wear in movies, with a scar above his right eyebrow, golden rings on each of his fingers and a big cigar in one hand.
The man took a drag of his cigar and slowly exhaled smoke into Hide's coughing face. "Let's talk."
"What is it, Kimura?" Mado Akira asked the man, settling into a seat across him.
The man, who was distracted by the fast running woman, wordlessly offered her a water bottle.
She shook her head, steadying her breath.
"Did you run here?" the man asked, incredulous.
"You said you may have found an important, time sensitive lead." The woman said, as if it explained everything. Maybe for such esteemed field investigators of the CCG it did.
A friend from the Interpol called back, apparently one of the names was mentioned in a case he helps coordinate build really recently, and I mean few hours ago recently.
The woman tensed immediately, her whole attention focused on him in a way that the man found too intense, as he showed her a picture, to get that stare on something other than him.
On the picture was a rather handsome man in a purple suit.
This is the guy Interpol was investigating, former rising star among the Yaks, until an investment meant to establish a money laundering business went wrong and from a future Boss, he went down, this time rising to a different role-as the manslayer of one of the bosses. He is all but known to be involved in many cases of disappearances where the police is certain won't be found alive-but never found any of the bodies."
"And he mentioned a name related to my case?"
"He was heard talking about one Gakudera Hayato, who was recently released from prison where he was convicted for armed robbery-the money was never found, but his accomplices were-all dead. between Gakudera unwilling to share and the mob boss angry at not getting a big cut, all the other participants of the robbery are dead, and both the law and the underworld certain the last member knows where the money is. Gakudera is also the cousin of your Nagachika Hideyoshi. Our manslayer was to expect Gakudera's cousin."
"But it would mean Nagachika is alive-" the woman exclaimed!
"Not for long. His boss is exactly the kind to have not only those who wronged him killed, but also those who helped him. Infamous for that behavior. If Nagachika is still alive somewhere, assuming it really is him they were talking about, he won't be for long."
Akira studied the photo of the killer as if burning the image into her mind, for all he knew should was. No matter how dangerous the man was, he probably didn't rate much compared to ghouls in a fight-then again, few things did.
"Do you have any idea where that man is? Where he can be found?"
"That's the thing- we don't! He tends to disappear often, and we have no clue where to. And it might be too late. For all we know he found where your boy is hidden, or maybe even hiding, and already has him."
Hours after his initial encounter with what must have been a yakuza Oyabun, a bruised, limping Hideyoshi was taken to an old construction project, what was supposed to be an apartment building, but never finished.
Upon reaching the sixth floor, he saw that he wasn't the only one 'entertained'.
There was another, a rather skiny looking, balding and glasses wearing man in his late forties, or so Nagachika guessed. The man was panicking and begging them to stop, o not do it. It sounded like they didn't do anything to him, yet.
"Now see here, Nagachika-kun, your cousin Gakudera was naughty", a man wearing an expansive purple business suit, rather than the cheap versions worn by the thugs around him started, "He should have shared his good fortune with us, as is proper, but nooo… he went and abandoned our agreement, spitting on my generosity, and even arranged for 'accidents' to happen to mutual friends I sent to talk sense into him."
"But I already told the guy with the expansive looking cigar in the car-I haven't been in contact with him for more than a decade, and was surprised to have him come to me. He just wanted some old thing he gave me before going to prison, and took some hidden key from it-I don't know what the key was for, I didn't even get a look at it. And I don't know where he went afterwards!"
"And maybe you are even right. I won't even be surprised if the scum actively lied to his cousin, as he did to the Boss, but someone needs o be punished, and while we don't know where he is, yet-we do have you-the millions he owes are no small sum.
"Millions?" Hide exclaimed.
"And not even in Yen! In western currency, American dollar even!"
"I hear ya, man, but I had nothing to do with it."
"Such misfortunes happen, yes, why that charming fellow over there", he pointed towards the other tied man a bit farther away," just happened to be our accountant, exactly when considerable sum of money, in Yen this time, disappeared, and some part of it we found in one of his suitcases, about to get to a plane to Europe. Why, what a coincidence!"
It was at that point, that the begging, which was steadily growing more frantic, became a sudden scream.
Glancing, the young man saw a bloody knife, and a stump on the right hand, with the pinky finger nearby, wrapped to not bleed on the floor.
"I'm from the CCG, man, they hunt down ghouls for a living, you know, they won't like you harming one of theirs, you hear what happens to Yaks that cross them-attacked by ghouls with CCG agents always getting there late." He tried to talk his way out of this mess, mentally cursing his cousin once again for ruining things.
The gangster frowned "Yes, well, you are not one of theirs anymore-after all, as far as they know, Nagachika Hideyoshi is missing in action, presumed dead. Even though here you are, there must quite a story there…
And it only makes your situation worse-you see, this building was part of a construction project, about six years ago-unfortunately, the head of the construction crew turned out to be a ghoul, and was executed. And your co-workers, pardon, former co-workers, didn't even bother looking for the money he took for the job, but haven't used yet. The money was lost, and so was the project, funded, incidentally, by yours truly."
"That really sucks. How about I'll go buy you a drink later, on me!"
The man laughed, and even some of the thugs smiled there for a moment.
"Nice try, real good. Unfortunately where you are going I won't be following." The expansive suit continued.
Those were malicious smiles, however.
"So what, you just going to kill me here?" Hide asked, heart beating fast, trying to think of a way to get out of this unforeseen complication.
"First we wait for the guys to finish with Rokudo-san here, and then work over your answers with a finely sharpened knife, to make sure we got it all. But afterwards? Well, I learned to keep ghouls in mind, in my plans", the man waved his left hand, where the middle finger was missing, "and they tend to visit this spot here, so don't worry, your colleagues won't know you lived longer than they anticipated. We keep coming here a week after leaving them a meal, and nothing remains. I almost wish you had your uniform-I bet ghouls love nothing more than ghoul cops for dinner."
'Think, Hide, think!' "Aren't you afraid that the ghouls will find you here one day, or come to you?"
"We have been doing it for over a year, without incident. Of course, we will finish the job before leaving-dead men tell no tales, after all-and with ghouls, better safe than sorry."
Author Notes: First of all, I want to thank all those who read reviewed.
This chapter serves mainly as exposition for what happened with Hide's kidnapping and why-a backgroun on the cousin, which I hope filled in the missing blanks, and set the stage for the next chapter-the rescue of the our 'rabbit whisperer'. Who do you think will get to him first? his ghoulfriends, or Akira? or maybe both?
Do you think I should have showed more of said events? maybe fleshbacked to the robbery itself? or is it good enough as it is?
as always suggestions and criticism are welcome.