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— Intentions —
32# - Matter of Irony
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"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
― Erica Jong
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— A. Misaki
Climbing the stairs two by two, I reached in no time the third floor.
My heart was pounding in my chest, thickly echoing in my ears as I stepped ahead. Opening every single doors on my way, they only opened on regular guest rooms. The phone in my hand began to vibrate once, the screen flashing an incoming text.
'Where are you?'
Wanting to reply, I tried to unlock Yukimura's phone, but chances were against me when I eyed the code pin screen come up.
Sighing, I put the phone into my bag before bolting for the several rooms left to open. In a flurry, I reached the end of the left wing corridor without any luck and rushed to the right wing one. All the door still opened without efforts.
What was there in the third floor that shouldn't be seen then?
My breathing coming out ragged from all the running, I leaned against the wall to recover.
I must've missed something crucial but what would it be?
My mind did a full rewind, recalling me of bits I had missed. I quickly stood back up, making my way back to the staircase. Facing the stair was a huge painting of a lavish room, furnished identically to the guest rooms in here.
Being a fine adept of action and police movies, I tried all the tricks on the painting, whether it was pushing it out of the way, or toying with the frame... Nothing happened. Taking a step back, I eyed once more the painting, noticing some dissimilarities.
The bed wasn't right against the walls' corner unlike in the rooms here.
I leapt to the room located right at the left corner of the painting. Now that I thought about it, it appeared to be smaller than all the others rooms. Circling the one-person bed, it felt strangely misplaced.
I braced myself, tightly holding onto the headboard before pulling it with all my weight. The timbered floor creaked along with the heavy carpet straining underneath.
But nevertheless, when I glanced up and found a large and squared hole in the wall...
I was damn satisfied.
"Don't move," came a cold whisper. The scent of refined cologne wafted to me and I slowly closed my eyes, my heart falling in my chest with dread.
Adrian.
―
"So, I'm guessing you're one of the Walker's."
I kept my face void of any emotions. "No, I'm not. Why would I be?"
"They are the only one who could have been looking for my dead father."
The slight hitch in his voice when he spoke the word 'dead' didn't go unnoticed.
"Why would they?"
Adrian sipped his glass of cold water.
"Because he wants him dead. And so do you."
The news was literally a ray of hope. "No, I need him alive. I want him alive and I know he is alive."
Although my voice was firm and coated with certainty, I was two inches away from begging him to let me see that person. He would solve everything; the fear in Takumi's heart, his predicament, and our relationship.
At this point, I was ready for anything. I needed to bring his father to Court as soon as I could, even though I knew I'd never be in time to Takumi's trial. But that didn't matter, because Adrian was way too skeptical about my background, about what I needed from him. He outright ignored my plea.
"Where is Yukimura?"
"Where is your father?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work this way, Ms. Ayuzawa."
"Well? It sounds like we've covered everything we needed to," I replied with mock finality. Standing up, I started making my way towards the front door. Obviously, I was stopped by two gentlemen before I could make it to the foyer. Turning around, Adrian was already up, standing feet away from me before he carefully worded out my wish.
"He's alive."
I smiled.
"That's all I needed to know," I said. And then, sharp knocks resounded on the main door.
"Police department. Please, open the door."
No one shifted the slightest inside the house, but Adrian's gaze on me expectedly narrowed.
"What did you do?" He quietly hissed, his hands clenching.
I shouted a short "Of course," before lowering my voice back. "You were on record all along," I gestured to the little pencil recorder pinned on my blouse's pocket. Thank Aoi for all these little gadgets he gave me. "They must have issued a search warrant by now, I think you should answer the door."
He swiftly moved along, crossing me with hostility to get the door. I rose on my feet, spotting Hinata, talking on the phone among the police squad.
"Gentlemen, what can I do for you?" Adrian's voice was all polite edges.
The Blue uniform-clad men briefly showed their badges. "Officer Renate and Officer Shintani. May we enter?"
Though all niceties, the tense atmosphere was speaking loud enough to know it was no usual routine. Hinata terminated his phone-call with a warning "Thank you for the quick work." A nod our way. "The search warrant is issued and signed."
Adrian reluctantly let them in.
If only I had known what would happen in the next three hours, maybe I'd have reconsidered planning all this setup.
Was ignorance bliss? I'd never know.
The several policemen lost no time coming through the estate, turning it upside down without any remorse. Adrian silently watched over the team wrecking his house, his lips thinly pressed together. I also went upstairs to open the closet where Yukimura was locked in, and I was glad enough that Hinata was the one following me. Else, I'd certainly have some retribution over my dubious behavior. Hinata simply frowned before dismissing me with a shrug.
The secret passage I had discovered earlier hadn't led to the missing person, but it hinted at all other resources the estate hid away in its old splendor. Obviously, the latest heir had renovated some part of the mansion. Blueprints, temporary mapping and the technical team; every inch of each room, walls and ceiling were looked upon.
And eventually, they found him in another basement. Underground.
Old but almost healthy; a recovering patient. He had fractured limbs... And the cause was all too clear to everyone. It was hardly a matter of incidental car crash. No, it was worse than that, and we all knew it. Someone had requested for his death and his son had done everything to keep him away from harm. He made up a death certificate in his father's name, forever planning to hide his existence away from the Walkers.
The pale skinned elderly was wheeled to the main house in a movable chair, alive and breathing. His eyes repeatedly blinked, unaccustomed to the shine of the sunrays.
"Mr. Dean," I nodded politely as he was whisked away to his son. He greeted me with a short nod nonetheless.
"Father," Adrian worded, kneeling down. His hands came to cup his father's ones. "Please, stay within the house. It is still unsafe outside. They cannot ask of you to leave the estate."
"Adrian." The old man's voice rang with an authority untouched by his frail body. "It's high time for me to step back into the world, I believe."
Adrian wanted to reply, probably to deny his father's will, but the elder man held his hand up, reducing him to silence. The policeman ushered him to the main room.
"Mrs. Ayuzawa," Adrian finally glared at me as we were left alone for privacy. "I'm not pleased with your proceeding. But you've won. Matters are now slipping through my hands." He looked somber. "Keep an eye on my father."
A pang of guilt threaded my heart.
"I will not deceive you."
My own words struck a chord in me; a reminder of the promise I had made to Takumi. I would not deceive him either. But if I had thought a little longer about where it would lead me, maybe I'd have not been so adamant about it.
Perhaps I should've had considered my family, my situation and whatnots then. They'd be rattled by my next circumstances. I should have had figured out that leaving Suzuna alone to pay for her school fees would only bring her many woes. That my mother still needed me. And Nero... Who would feed him? But in the little time I had to act, only one thing came to my mind.
And it was the safety of that pair of emeralds I treasured so much.
If only I knew...
Maybe I wouldn't have had pulled the trigger, then.
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— U. Takumi
I stared at the time clock plastered on the opposite wall behind the bars. Kept in custody until the Judges' decision would be announced, I awfully felt the weight of time on my shoulder.
How many hours had passed already?
I lost concept of time; lost myself in my mind as I blankly stared ahead. My life had never been mapped out so clearly in my head, right now.
Jail.
How could it be more monotonous than a sickening routine? Something grey and colorless. A blatant contrast to the recent days I walked through in her company.
Ayuzawa Misaki, was it?
How I fell so hard in love was still a mystery. Why do people even fall in love? I bitterly chuckled, the irony of a journalist in jail thinking about the idea of love coming out as such a silly fact. It made me smile.
And when I smiled, my thoughts always drifted to her.
Because she was the one who made me smile so much lately, after all. So I thought of her. Of us. Obviously, as I'd rot in here, I'd be unable to keep her away from the lucky man who would put a ring on her finger.
She might be in love with me, but I wasn't that naive. She'd visit often at first, then work would drown out her time, and before she knew it, there would be a gap.
A year.
Time.
Five years.
Distance.
And I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.
The smile still lingered on my lips, but it uncomfortably stretched my skin, my lips hurting from the tight pull. It was pointless to hope she'd stay true to me, especially when Gerald was the one toying with my future. Who was I kidding, anyway? I'd never dare let her be unhappy for long years. Who knew who I'd become in the next few years in here?
Maybe I'd go insane or hollow.
I shook my head, clearing the pessimistic thoughts away. Thinking about it was the first step into depression, huh?
Glaring up at the clock, I finally turned my gaze away. My limbs were taut, and as I stretched wide around, my gaze fell on the people surrounding me. An old lady in the corner of the room, a bulky man sitting on the floor near the cell's door; they looked awfully bored.
I held no judgements whatsoever because I could tell my own expression was somewhat similar to theirs.
A bunch of teenagers were quietly whispering somewhere in between, plotting some excuses to get out of here. I had to give them credits, they had a colorful imagination. A pity they weren't bright enough to figure out that their ideas were way too far-fetched.
"I should join the Army or whatever. I'm sure they'd let a young man like me go there. I mean, look at me," the teenager boy whispered to his mate.
"You're not stupid, bro." The other boy replied back. "But I heard it was pretty strict. What if you get killed? At least you get free food in here."
"And a bed to sleep," another one retorted. The former only scoffed at his friends.
"Hell no, I want some honor. Hell, my parents are going to get me out of here anyway, just watch."
They frowned. "Lucky bastard."
Before the boy could answer, some footsteps from the corridor loudly came our way, making all conversations die down. Everybody peered up from whatever they've been doing, but I just kept my gaze on the concrete floor.
The telltale policeman's shoes were followed by faint steps.
"Stay in here until you get called up by your lawyer," he said without contempt for anybody else. No voice answered back, but the door to the cell opened with a sharp creak, making me wince.
When it closed back and the clicks of the officer's shoes faded away, only silence filled back the cell. I glanced up, spotting a lean and sharply dressed woman, her back facing me. Cobalt blue. That was the suit she wore this morning.
"...Misaki?" I uttered confusedly.
The woman slowly turned around, on her tiptoes.
Ambers.
I was lost for words.
"Ah, Takumi," Misaki murmured sheepishly, her eyes looking anywhere but at me.
Her hands were shaking, and she quickly hid them behind her when she noticed my staring. With a forced grin on her lips, she straightened herself. Her jaw was set tight, and she was biting the inside of her cheeks.
"And here I wished you wouldn't look up and recognize me," she said lightly, as if she was joking around in a pub instead of a custody cell. A shaky exhale left her lips when I didn't answer.
"Well, your prince is finally here to rescue the princess." A dry laugh followed. "But it seems like he miscalculated the whole saving process," she finished lamely, flopping down on the bench, feet away from me.
A long sigh escaped her lips, and she burried her face in her palms.
My heart only kept falling deeper into my chest.
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Author's note:
What's going on!? Tun-dun~ I can only ask of you to stay tuned for next update! :D
I'm sorry for the long update, by the way ^^' It's now getting all clearer to me ;D !
Expect next update in a week or two :) !
Much LOVE!