Chapter 79: Like a Felon

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Saena would have more opportunity to shine as a lawyer.

Tadashi stuffed the DVD resting on the seat beside him into his jacket pocket and stepped out of the car. Once inside the club, he dropped the gift bags on the table and slid into the chair opposite his friend.

"Aww, thanks, buddy. I feel so loved," Sota joked, hoping to lighten the mood. Tadashi responded with a grunt. Sota took a drag of his cigarette and blew out the smoke before focusing on the contents in the bags.

Tadashi reached for the bottle of warm sake and poured himself a cup, downing it in seconds.

Sota paused in his perusal of the bags, cocked his brow, and watched his friend pour himself another cup of the alcohol. Tadashi had a ridiculously high tolerance for alcohol so his attempt at drinking himself into a stupor was futile. Sota knew his friend was regretting what happened to the girl even if it was an unexpected freak accident.

They thought they were in the clear after Kimiko's very public apology. She would leave peacefully and all would be right in the world. Judging from the two gift bags in front of him, Sota had an uneasy feeling that it wouldn't have been that simple. As usual, Tadashi was blaming himself for the outcome of tonight's event. The plan was simple. Play off the girl's paranoia and convince her that someone was always watching. In turn, she would keep a low profile and accept defeat. The girl was more disturbed than anyone could have anticipated. This incident was just one more thing his friend probably felt he needed to atone for.

Tadashi could feel his friend's scrutiny on him as he took another shot. He sighed and leaned back against the chair. "Ok, out with it," he said gesturing with his hands for Sota to spit out whatever he was thinking. "It seems you have something to say."

"You don't have to take all the blame for this one. What happened to that girl is not your fault. If Yashiro-san had not reacted as he did, two innocent lives maybe even three would have been ruined judging on how close the American was standing next to your kids."

Tadashi deflated. There was no use telling him that. He would take the blame for this one. It was by pure luck that Tadashi's actions did not lead to the harm of his daughter. He would have never forgiven himself if his presence in her life had caused her injury.

Sota decided to just let his friend be and turned his attention back to the bags and read the cards that came with them. One claimed to be from her boyfriend and the other from Kimiko. Since the writing appeared to be printed by the same shop, there wasn't much to glean from them.

"Don't mix them up," Tadashi prompted. He wanted to make sure he knew which box was which even though they looked identical.

Sota asked the nearest hostess to bring him a marker and removed each box one at a time, labeling them properly with their corresponding cards. He opened the boxes and took a cursory look at the chocolates inside and noted that the molds differed in appearance between the boxes. Sota picked up a piece of chocolate from the box he identified as Morizum. Binging it close to his face, he inspected the candy meticulously looking for some sign of tampering. Even sniffing it warranted no clues. It looked and smelled fine.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," Tadashi warned. "How long do you think it would take to run an analysis?"

"My guy should be here with his equipment soon. Do you think they were laced with something?"

"I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and she did mean to walk away after apologizing. Ren-kun said he didn't send Kyoko any gifts today so someone is using his name to send her gifts. The fact that Morizumi-san's ex-manager delivered the gift couldn't be coincidental. Then again this was not the first time she had delivered gifts," Tadashi grumbled, still peeved at himself for not suspecting the delivery woman as a threat.

"Spectre is working on gathering everything he can find on her. He would need a day or two to put together a report," Sota informed him taking a sip of his cup. He told Tadashi about the exchange he witnessed earlier between Kimiko and a female employee. He wasn't one hundred percent that it was the same woman since he only saw them from a distance.

Tadashi's phone rang as they continued to retell their run-ins with the woman. His eyes went wide as he looked at the caller ID. Sota stopped talking and leaned in curiously to see who was calling. Tadashi scowled at him and rose from the table to find a quieter spot to answer the call. He inhaled deeply and pressed the talk button.

"Morimoto speaking?" he said, all business.

"What happened? The girl has not returned my call!" Saena's cool voice came across his receiver.

"She's fine. The Morizumi girl tried to hurt her but instead, she was the one injured in the process," Morimoto tried his best to explain what had happened.

"I can barely hear you. Why is the music so loud? Turn it down!" Saena demanded. Tadashi could picture the Mogami river running deep between her brows right now.

"Are you seriously in a nightclub right now?" Saena asked, reprimanding him when she heard two flirty hostesses pass calling him by name.

Tadashi cleared his throat embarrassed. This hallway leading to the restrooms was clearly not the right place to hold this conversation. "I'm conducting some business here. I should have more information for you in the morning. I will call your office for an appointment. Ok bye-bye!" He hung up quickly as another woman approached.

"Wai-" was all he heard her say before he hung up. He walked back over to Sota who smirked at him. Tadashi sent a quick text to his daughter, Please call your mother. She's worried. He felt so fatherly sending such a text.

"So how is your baby mama, Sae-chan, doing?" Sota asked, teasing his friend. He had glimpsed the caller ID before his friend could hide it.

"Please don't patronize me," Tadashi warned. He poured himself another cup of sake and gulped it down. "Can we go to the back there's something I want to take a look at?" He pulled out the DVD he received earlier from his jacket pocket. Sota nodded curiously.

They were greeted by the sound of gunfire and explosions filling the room as soon as they stepped inside Spectre's domain. Sota groaned. The punk was playing video games instead of working...again. The two men stepped up quietly behind the young man. Spectre was laughing maniacally into his headset as he trashed talked the enemy team. A sign that his team was dominating in whatever soldier sci-fi game he was playing.

"Oi!" Sota said, smacking Spectrr upside the head to get his attention. This caused Spectre's character to drop his guard and take a shot to the head.

"Damn, dude! You got me killed! Don't you know proper game etiquette, old man? I was about to surpass my kill count," Spectre grumbled rubbing the spot on his head where Sota hit him.

"What the hell am I paying you for? Anyway, you're making me look bad in front of our client," Sota scolded, trying to sound boss-like.

"I'm multitasking while my program runs in the background," Spectre explained. With a few strokes on the keyboard, he pulled up his business displays. "You see this screen right here. I created a program using a few known variables on that Yuri chick so now it's searching all my usual databases for me. It should be done in a couple of hours or less."

The two older men nodded their heads, impressed. "Can you put this on?" Tadashi asked, handing him the DVD. Spectre took the disc and inserted it into his drive. After a couple of clicks of his mouse, the high-resolution footage from a CCTV camera came on screen.

"This is the set of the Sacred Lotus," Tadashi murmured as he recognized the room from earlier. The decor, the writing desk, the damn oil lamps, all was as it seemed before the fire. After a few moments, the sound of footsteps and talking could be heard coming closer. Kimiko and Yuri were now clearly visible on the video as they stood towards the front of the room arguing. The glow of the soft lamps still lit in the room provided enough ambient lighting to leave no doubt who the two women were in the video. Even if their faces were hard to make out the clear use of names was damning enough. The video caught them admitting to the plans they had in store for Kyoko which made Tadashi's blood boil.

"Holy shit, man. This is all the evidence we need to put them away. Where did you get this?" Sota asked Tadashi once the video ended with everyone exiting a smoke-hazed room.

Tadashi told him he had not seen the contents of the disc until now. After leaving Kyoko safe with Ren and Yashiro in the parking lot of the set, he had headed to the Koenji Corporation. Katsumasa had called him while he was trying his hand at interrogating Yuri before the police showed up. He told Tadashi he had something very important to discuss regarding tonight's incident. It was during that quick exchange that Tadashi received the DVD. It turned out that Producer Kuresaki called the Koenji group to increase the security on the set as a result of the Heel Sibling reveal. They anticipated that they would have an increase of problems with the fans and media because of Kyoko's increased popularity. Katsumasa wasted no time protecting his investment. He had the forethought to hire a reputable security company to work tirelessly overnight to install hidden cameras though out the set. As soon as he received word on the incident, he had the security team pull up the footage in question. He was so shocked by the evidence recorded that he had to call Tadashi right away.

The sound of fireworks filled the room followed by a twinkling sound. Sota and Spectre were already accustomed to this man's unique ring tones. Tadashi pulled out his phone and answered it quickly. "Kyoko-chan, is everything okay?" he asked with a panicked voice without saying hello. "Yashiro-san?...Yes...yes...of course. I'll take care of it. I'll start making some calls...Ren-kun is talking to Takarada-san right now? Okay, I'll coordinate with him. Please try not to worry about your friend. I will help him. I'll call you soon. Bye-bye!"

"Is the Princess, alright?" Sota asked his face full of concern.

"Yes, she's fine, but the police took Yashiro-san in for further questioning. Do you think you can find out which station they're taking him to?" Tadashi asked turning to Spectre. He needed to call Lory.

Jiro sat on the little couch in the hospital room with his arm wrapped around his sleeping wife. He gazed at his daughter, covered in bandages as she slept. The sounds of the machines beeping around her were soothing, letting him know she was alive. The doctor said the next few days would be critical to her recovery. Contrary to what she looked like earlier she only suffered second-degree burns on her face and chest area. Her arms took the brunt of the fire and suffered deep partial burns. She would need reconstructive surgery and the doctor was confident that she would recover with physical therapy.

Jiro recalled the conversation he had with his cousin while Kimiko was in the emergency room. He was in control of all the legal affairs of the family and thought this should be handled by his firm. He wanted to charge the manager with assault with a deadly weapon. Jiro had talked his cousin out of taking such drastic actions. He didn't tell him, but Jiro was afraid it would all backfire on them if the truth came out. The guilt he felt at not recognizing the warning signs these past few days was overwhelming. Kimiko had to be a better actress than he gave her credit for if she had hidden her true nature all this time. It didn't matter anymore. She was still his beloved daughter, no matter her behavior. He just wanted to focus on taking care of her and being a better father. It was a good thing he had not started any new projects. It would cost some money to break the few contracts already signed, but nothing was holding him back in Japan. Maybe, he would look into moving to Korea. The country had many highly rated doctors that specialized in plastic surgery. He was sure he could find someone to help his daughter live a normal life again. Tadashi's threat to press charges against his daughter if Kyoko came to any harm by her hands had to be invalid now. Kimiko should be off the hook since technically it wasn't his daughter that was hurt. Surely the man was not so callous as to kick her when she was already down.

Yashiro sat in one of two chairs at the table in the small 2.5-meter square room. This was the real version of an interrogation room unlike those used on set where it was spacious to allow for crew and camera maneuvering. Reality hit him that this was not a movie. This room was used for thieves and murderers. He felt like one of those criminals right now. The walls were a drab cinder block of painted beige. There was nothing in the room except for the table, chairs, and phone. There was no two-way mirror on the wall as seen often in every movie featuring an interrogation room. He was now grateful for being able to eat one last delicious meal before he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life. It was short-lived, but he was happy to see Kanae's beautiful face one last time too. It was a good thing he hadn't entered a relationship with her. She had no business associating with a criminal like him.

Tired of sitting, Yashiro stood and paced the room. They had taken away his personal effects as soon as he checked into the building but not before he had managed to text Lory his location. Yashiro's thoughts wandered to how long he had been in the room. He had left his apartment without putting on his watch and there was no window or clock to give him some concept of time. One of the detectives led him to this room and asked if he would like something to drink. He locked Yashiro inside the room alone after he declined the offer. There were a lot of "If Only" scenarios running through his mind right now. The biggest one being the angle at which he kicked that lantern. If only he had timed it right, he could have used a different kick to send the light flying sideways rather than back.

"There's no point! You know very well that there was a high probability of missing had you gone that route," he scolded himself out loud and running a frustrated hand through his hair. How long do they plan to make me wait? What if they forgot I'm in here? At least criminals had companions. He might go mad from being locked in this tiny room. Yashiro moved to the door and jiggled on the handle. It was still locked. He started banging on the door. "Hey! Hey! Can anyone hear me?" he cried out. "Hello!" he called, continuing to knock on the door. After a minute of obnoxious banging someone finally opened the door.

"Hey, what's your problem?" the Detective growled. "People are trying to work properly here."

"I need the bathroom. You left me in here for god knows how many hours," Yashiro lied, hoping he could get a change of scenery.

The detective glanced at his watch. "It's barely been an hour. We're waiting for someone. He should be here soon."

"Really? It felt longer. Well now that I have you here, may I please use the restroom...um Detective..."

"Narimiya!" The detective supplied his last name. He waved Yashiro to follow him and waited outside for him to do his business. Though it was only an excuse to get out of that small dingy room, Yashiro found himself needing to use the bathroom. Not ready to give up his newfound freedom, he decided to wait until the detective became impatient. His reprieve lasted about five minutes when Narimiya came knocking. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands. Sighing, he opened the door to the scowling detective. Yashiro did his best not to laugh as he passed the man. When they returned to the room, a vaguely familiar man in a suit and the other detective was waiting inside.

Yashiro took his seat, sitting up straight. The moment of truth had come.

"I apologize for all of this, Yashiro-san," the man in the business suit spoke first. "My name is Hayashi Kento. I'm the legal representative for the Morizumi family."

Yashiro frowned, confused by the man's presence. He turned a questioning gaze towards the detectives staring at him blankly. He was no lawyer, but he was sure this was a clear violation of his rights. He had thought the man was the police commissioner or something. Now he remembered why the man looked so familiar. He was the spokesman outside of the hospital in the news broadcast. This was Yashiro's chance to get an update on Kimiko.

"Hayashi-san, can you tell me how Morizumi Kimiko-san is doing?" he asked. Did I kill her?

"Kimi-chan is in recovery now. Thanks to you she would never be the same beautiful niece I once knew. I'll tell you right now we plan on pressing charges for aggravated assault. These detectives will be taking your statement. I will have justice for my niece," Kento threatened. The lawyer was kind of pissed that Yashiro turned out to be some handsome preppy looking guy. It would be difficult, but not impossible to get the public on kimi's side. There has to be some dirt I can dig up on him to use in court.

The detectives didn't look thrilled about the situation. They had taken his statement with the others at the location. All the other testimonies were the same. The guy had protected two actors and one actress from harm. In their eyes, it was an open and shut case. The girl was at fault and ultimately responsible for her injuries. Now, this fancy lawyer with all his connections turned up and thought he could tell them how to do their job.

Before the detectives could get started, there was a sharp knock at the door. A startlingly beautiful woman dressed in a black skirted suit opened the door immediately after knocking.

"Excuse me, can we help you? This room is in use at the moment," Kento announced stunned by the intrusion. He took a step back when the woman pinned him with her cold hard glare.

"Hayashi-san, I presume? You do know you are violating the rights of my client for detaining him like this. I want any information you have coerced from him stricken from the record," she demanded, taking a moment to stare down all three men. She moved towards the table and picked up the digital recorder, ignoring the men's protests. She checked the list to delete anything that may have been saved.

Before Kento could object, Detective Narimiya spoke, "Ma'am you came right on time. We haven't even started." She gave him a curt nod, handed her card to each of them, and made for the door.

"If you have any need of my client again, please go through the proper protocol and contact me at the office. Rest assured you will be hearing from me soon," she promised, gripping the doorknob. She turned back towards the men finding them reading her card, Mogami Saena, Senior Attorney, Viride General Law Office.

"Yashiro-san, please close your mouth and let's get going," she snapped, flicking her gaze towards a stupefied Yashiro. He got up quickly and followed her out of the room.

"Thank you for getting me out of there, Mogami-san," Yashiro said appreciatively when he finally caught up. She paused mid-stride to stare at him. The expression on her face was one of utter disappointment.

Yashiro yelped and bowed deeply in apology. He stayed in that position until she started walking away, then followed after her quickly. Kyoko-chan, I understand now. Your mother is truly intimidating.

After collecting his personal effects, Yashiro followed Saena out to the sitting area where he found it packed with his friends. A poorly disguised Ren, Kyoko, and Kanae stood as they approached. He couldn't decide whether to scowl or smile at them for their reckless behavior. He chose the latter, happy to see their faces again.

Kyoko, Ren, and Kanae bowed their thanks to Saena. The Mogami matriarch nodded and walked out.

Kanae rushed up and hugged him. Yashiro was stunned by her unexpected show of affection, especially in public. Before he could wrap his arms around her she pulled away and smacked him hard on his arm, then stomped out of the police station. Ren and Kyoko exchanged amused looks and bit back their laughter as Yashiro chased after her.

"I somehow feel like we just had a glimpse of how their relationship would be in the future," Ren told Kyoko, wrapping his arm over her shoulder as they followed them out. Kyoko giggled in agreement. That was Kanae's way of showing her affection.

Outside the police station, the group stood beside the large eye catching limo of the President. Kyoko and Ren sauntered up towards the group that now included Susumu and Tadashi. Tadashi had been filling him in on the latest information while they waited for Saena to bring Yashiro out.

"Now that my work here is done tonight, I'll be taking my leave. Susumu we're going home!" Saena ordered leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, dear," Susumu smiled, wrapping up his conversation with Tadashi and taking the offered DVD. If what Tadashi said was truly on it, the video would be crucial to winning the case. Susumu had a feeling that long nights awaited them. Everyone bowed their thanks to the lawyers before parting ways.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Yashiro-san. They didn't do anything to you in there, did they? You weren't harmed in any way?" Tadashi asked, inspecting Yashiro for any sign of abuse. It had taken them almost an hour to round up the cavalry. To some, it was probably nothing, but it was probably long enough to scar a man like Yashiro.

Kyoko gasped. She had not thought of the conditions Yashiro was faced with while behind bars. The guilt weighed heavily on her. It was her fault he had been in there in the first place. Is there something wrong with me? Why do girls always end up hating me?

"I'm so sorry!" Kyoko exclaimed, dropping into a dogeza on the dirty sidewalk.

"Kyoko-chan, please get off the ground. It's dirty and unnecessary," Yashiro pleaded. He looked to Ren to help him out. Ren reached down and helped his girlfriend up, dusting her off.

"It wasn't anything like you're thinking. I was just detained in a small room the whole time. Mogami-san walked in right before they were about to start questioning me," Yashiro assured her.

"Is that true or are you just trying to make me feel better?" Kyoko asked sheepishly.

Yashiro chuckled. "It's the truth. I promise. Anyway, I think we should all get going before anyone spots us. Your disguises are terrible."

Tadashi kissed his daughter on the temple and said goodnight to everyone. He had driven himself separately from Sota's club. After talking to Lory, he called Saena asking for her help. It was difficult to make the call after the way he had hung up on her earlier. Thank goodness she didn't hold a grudge. It didn't surprise him that she was still at the office. Her work ethic had not changed after all this time.

The young adults climbed into the back of the limo that would take them home.

"That's surprising. I was half expecting to see the President back here," Yashiro commented as he settled next to Kanae. Ren and Kyoko took the seat opposite them. It was easy for Yashiro to pretend that they were returning from a double date rather than picking him up from jail. He told them about the Morizumi lawyer's threats about pressing charges against him and that Kimiko was recovering.

"Your mother showed up right on time. I have to admit she swooped in and commanded the room. Those men are probably still reeling from her intrusion. She was scary...I mean... she's very good at her job," Yashiro said, correcting himself. He shouldn't be bad-mouthing his savior after all.

Ren shuddered, "I'll second that. She is quite scary!"

Yashiro chuckled, "Just think, when you marry Kyoko-chan, she will become your mother-in-law." Ren groaned making everyone laugh. Kyoko blushed at how easily that was said and accepted.

"Mo! Mogami-sensei is a strong, intelligent, and independent woman. If she hadn't mistreated Kyoko, I would have admired her wholeheartedly. I don't know her full story so I should stop judging the woman, but she seems to be striving to make amends," Kanae added thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Moko-san!" Kyoko cried tearfully. She leaned over and tried to hug her best friend but Kanae held her away by the forehead.

Ren and Kyoko were conveniently dropped off at their apartment first. Ren couldn't resist giving his friend a teasing wink before closing the car door behind him.

…

Yashiro tried to make awkward small talk with Kanae. They talked about work, Kyoko and Ren, and the events of the day until they ran out of things to say.

"You didn't have to stick around, you know? I can understand if you would rather not get involved with someone as dangerous as me. I'm like a felon now," Yashiro confessed, filling in the quiet space.

Kanae snorted trying to contain her laughter but failed. She held her stomach as she laughed with relief. He was seriously such a dork sometimes. Once she was done laughing, she turned her body so she was facing his way and stared at him. The weak nervous smile he flashed her was so adorable.

"What part of you is dangerous?" she asked, trying hard to keep the laughter from her voice. The man before her was gentle yet strong. A dangerous man is selfish and doesn't put himself in harm's way to save his friends.

"Your actions saved our friends," Kanae assured him. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his. "You can feel as terrible as you want for hurting Morizumi-san, but that was an accident. A freak accident even. So stop blaming yourself. I'm just glad everyone I care about is okay thanks to you that makes you a hero in my book."

When the limo pulled up to Kanae's house, they walked hand in hand to her room on the side. Kanae stayed on high alert, looking out for her siblings. It was late so they should all be sleeping. At her door, she released his hand and said goodnight. She used her keycard to open the door and head inside. Yashiro reached for her hand before she could disappear inside and tugged her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned his head towards her part of the way and waited.

Kanae's heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she gazed into his eyes. She leaned into him, closing her eyes whiles eliminating the remaining gap between them. Yashiro took it as a sign of permission and kissed her softly. If he had to go to jail, he wanted to go with having kissed her at least once.

After a minute or two of kissing, Yashiro reluctantly broke away and was quite pleased with the expression on her face. "Sweet dreams Kotonami-san," he whispered, beaming with happiness.

Kanae was dazed by that incredible kiss, that all she could do was nod in return. She lingered at her doorstep watching Yashiro walk away. As if sensing her gaze, he turned and waved before ducking into the car.

With a sigh of contentment, Kanae closed the door behind her and switched on the light. The room erupted with cheers and congratulations on her first kiss. Her siblings, nieces, and nephews had witnessed their exchange at her open door. Her eldest brother held up his camera proudly.

"I caught it all on camera with the ambient lighting on the street providing the perfect backdrop," he boasted.

Kanae groaned in annoyance and headed straight for the bathroom, ignoring her family.

AN: Hi hi! Thanks for sticking with me. I apologize for the lack of RenKyo in this chapter. I decided to ride along with YukiNae (just made this up, maybe…XD) instead. I hope you enjoyed it!

Anyway, thank you for continuing to read and leaving me reviews. I truly appreciate your thoughts.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^