PREYS
by Kamorgana
Preys
Disclaimer: Characters
not mine, only the plot, and I'm not making money
with it.
Preys
Chapter 15:
Counterstrike
Stopping her car in front of her house, Tokio didn't get off
immediately.
She crossed her arms on the wheel, her head resting on it. What was
happening to her? She was behaving like a fool. They only slept
together.
Nothing else. She did that dozens of times. Why couldn't she get over
it?
If she had to develop feelings for a fling, he was the last one..She
froze
at her own thoughts.
No, no, no.
She DIDN'T.
She didn't even like him..She hated him. He hated her, anyway. Oh, now
she
sounded like an angsty teenager. What an improvement.
She got off the car, slammed the door, and walked quickly to the gate,
putting in her gestures the determination her will lacked of.
***
"You didn't have to stay."
Saitoh was glaring at Shinomori. The doctor had just finished his
treatment. His shoulder would be sore for a while and he had needed a
few
stitches on top of his forehead.
"I'm your partner for now."
Saitoh smirked, sarcasm filling his voice. "I had no idea that you hid
a
caring nature behind this layer of ice, Shinomori.."
Saitoh's cell phone began to ring loudly. He had forgotten to cut the
power, and shrugged at the disapproving shriek of the nurse. He frowned
as
he saw the blinking name on the screen.
"Saitoh here.."
Aoshi tensed as the cop's face took an intense, almost wild expression.
"Don't stay there," he ordered harshly, jumping off the examination
table
and grabbing his holster.
"No, you can't be sure, so just do what I told you..." he went on,
hurrying
out of the room, not paying attention to Aoshi, who sighed and
followed. He
had the car keys.
***
When they arrived, she was waiting in front of the gate, smoking.
Several
cigarette butts were tossed on the sidewalk around her.
"I called the precinct and the forensics," she announced. "They should
be
here soon."
Aoshi and Saitoh shared a meaningful glance. She was too composed, her
voice lacking her usual energy.
"Where is she?"
"In the living." She had a little laugh. "You were right, Aoshi. They
did
take the press conference as a provocation. I'm showing you the way."
"I know it," objected Aoshi.
"I'm fine," she threw nonchalantly over her shoulder, already walking
towards the house.
The men exchanged another glance before following her.
The living was facing the main entry, the glass doors were opened and
the
body facing them. It was on a white leather armchair, no blood was
staining
it. The face of the woman was completely white, with already faint
shades
of green. The smell reached their noses in the hall, nauseating odor of
decomposition. It was Komagata Yumi. She had her throat cut, the wide,
black-red line more obvious on the white of the furniture. Her head was
half tossed back, her opened, empty eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"I didn't touch anything. I saw her and called."
Sirens. They had arrived.
"Get out of here," ordered sternly Saitoh.
"I said I was.."
"Tokio-chan? Oh, my God, are you OK?" Megumi rushed in.
"Yes, thank you."
Megumi widened her eyes at her unemotional tone. Aoshi shook his head
warningly.
"I don't need you here to examine the body, wait outside," said finally
the
doctor, her tone soft but authoritative.
"OK.."
Saitoh frowned as she exited obediently.
***
One hour later, Aoshi and Saitoh spotted her near the gate. She was
smoking
again, indifferent to everything, watching the ballet of the precinct
cops
and forensics searching for clues in the garden and the house, and was
nodding from time to time, distractedly, to the blond inspector who had
already been on the Sanjo crime scene.
"Where are the others?" mumbled Saitoh. "They should know by now."
Aoshi nodded. He had personally called Kitaoka, but Makimachi wasn't
answering. Was she too busy calming Yukishiro down? He might have been
upset at Shishio's escaping.
"Oh, hi, Detective Saitoh. I was asking for some precisions.." The boy
was
staring eagerly at him.
He answered icily. " We take care of that. Your job is to help with the
search. If you want to ask some questions, go to the neighbors."
Aoshi glanced at Tokio, expecting her to soothe the young man's
disappointment. As she didn't, he stepped in.
"It would be a great help to us. I'm sure you understand that this
event is
an internal matter, Inspector.."
"Tsukayama," he provided, smiling again proudly. "I'll do my best."
These young cops were so easy to manipulate. "I'm sure of it."
Saitoh's scornful gaze followed him as he left them, running. "Takani
is
almost done. The blues will stay for about two hours afterwards."
"You can sleep at my place," proposed Aoshi.
She shook her head. "I can sleep here."
"Tokio, they're after you." Shinomori was talking to her as if she was
a
little child.
"Oh, please, don't start that again." At least he got a reaction from
her.
Contained anger was flashing through her eyes. "They took what I said
as a
provocation and retaliated. They want to scare me and I won't let them.
I
won't leave my house."
"You're a moron," hissed Saitoh.
"Shut up!" she yelled, not paying attention to the amazed face of the
people around. Tokio could be stern, but she was rarely loosing her
temper.
"Tokio..enough." Shinomori didn't raise his voice, still she got quiet
immediately, her gaze dropping down. "You're in real danger. We
prevented
him to kill tonight, and we don't know how he'll react. Moreover,
Komagata
was not merely in your house. She was on YOUR armchair."
He heard Saitoh's swift intake of breath, felt the intense eyes fixed
on
his face, but kept on watching Tokio carefully. He didn't intend to
attract
her attention on it while she was in shock. Her stubbornness didn't
leave
him the choice, though.
"Coincidence," she mumbled finally. "It's just facing the main door."
Saitoh tightened his fists, trying to overcome the impulse to shake
some
sense into that foolish, stupid, dimwitted head of hers. He was about
to
snarl when Tsukayama came back, out of breath.
"There's another one..they just found a body behind the house..They
didn't
touch anything, as you said last time."
Tokio ran to the other side of the house, Saitoh and Aoshi on her
heels. A
group of blues was shushing, looking sadly at a limp form, half hidden
by a
pile of garbage. She ran faster. A cold hand crushed her heart as she
saw
who it was.
"Misao.."
Aoshi knelt to the body, looking nervously for a pulse..Next to her,
Saitoh
was glaring at the scene. She could feel his anger burning, she could
feel
Aoshi's concern..she was not feeling anything, how strange.
"There's no blood," she heard herself saying. Her voice sounded strange
too. She could have been commenting on the weather.
Saitoh gave her a look. He must have thought so too; he looked puzzled,
then disapproving.
"She's alive..her pulse is weak.."
The strange blur Tokio had been in opened like a veil. The sounds, the
color became more acute in a second.
"Get the medics here!" barked Saitoh.
She clenched her hands, fighting the nervous breakdown..she had a job
to
do. Her mind cleared. Where the hell was Enishi?
***
Hospital again. It was almost midnight, and they were gathered in a
smoking
lounge. Takagi was back to her former self, as she was glaring at
Sagara,
Kitaoka and Yukishiro. She had been out of herself with rage when they
had
arrived, exploding after their first explanations; it had improved
Saitoh's
mood. She had some vocabulary. She had calmed down after her outburst,
and
her phone conversation with Kondo; yet although she was now ready to
listen
to them, she was no less virulent.
"I made a mistake trusting you," she began sternly, addressing
Yukishiro.
"You are out of this case from now on. How could you leave her alone?"
He didn't answer. He was guilt itself, his eyes cast to the ground, his
head bowed.
"And you two, I'm getting really tired of people taking initiatives
behind
my back. Kitaoka, how come you didn't mention it to Aoshi when he
called
you?"
Shinomori had already reproached him with that as soon as Takagi had
finished yelling at them.
"Yukishiro, at what time did you leave the car?" she went on, not
waiting
for an answer.
"When Shinomori said Saitoh was after him. We were near, and I thought
that
I could trap him. I told her to stay in the car.." His voice was low
and
filled with self-loathing.
"She followed you?"
"I didn't pay attention. I was..focused on catching the bastard. I
phoned
her to have the direction of the pursuit, but she didn't answer and I
came
back, only to find my car empty. I looked around everywhere, for some
time,
then Tsunan called me to say that the operation was over. I told him
then,
and he came along with Sano to look for her.
"What time was it?"
"After nine.."
Saitoh snorted with disdain, and Tokio lost her calm again.
"I had you on the phone too, Kitaoka. You said that the four of you
were
together. It didn't come to your tiny brains to ask for help???? I
can't
believe it.."
A nurse showed up.
"Please, would you be quiet?"
"I'm quiet if I want to!" she snarled. However, the reaction of the
woman,
who had taken a step back carefully, seemed to appeal to her sense.
"I'm
sorry," she went on, calmly, with an apologetic gesture of the hand.
"I know that waiting can be upsetting. But please be careful."
Tokio shook her head as the woman left, turning to the three men again.
"Your attitudes have been completely irrational, particularly you,
Yukishiro. I can't understand why you didn't call for back up. Going
after
the suspect was not a miss. Looking for her alone was. And if it had
been
for only a few minutes! The two of you have even less excuses. I can
guess
that Yukishiro was psychologically instable, according to the
situation,
but you should have reacted differently. Your desire to cover your
friend
shouldn't have been at the price to delay an official search for Misao,
for
God sake!"
"I convinced them.."uttered Enishi. "Sano was against."
"I followed you, man." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Isn't that touching?" Saitoh's voice was stinging with irony and
scorn.
"This is the most moronic behavior I've ever seen in my career. Quit,"
he
finished, menacingly.
"Saitoh, I don't think you're entitled to give your opinion, and nobody
asked for it. I agreed with Kondo to have a meeting tomorrow and decide
the
following of this matter, for them and for me."
"For you?" Enishi finally lifted his head.
She sighed, too exhausted now to lie. "Keeping you on the case was my
idea,
Enishi. Kondo was opposed even after I explained my view. So I made a
deal
with him: I decide, but he fires me if it has dire consequences." She
shrugged. "It may not go that far, still, I'm the boss, I'm responsible
for
your acts. That's the rule."
Enishi stood up, and stepped towards her. "It's not fair..I
disappointed
you..I didn't want you to.."
The doctor arrived at that precise moment. It was the same that
announced
Okita's death to them, and Saitoh noticed Takagi going a little paler.
Same
time, same place..
"Dr Oguni?" she asked, her lips trembling ever so faintly.
"Her life isn't in danger, I just had the results of her scan. She has
been
knocked out at the base of the skull, this can be very bad, but she has
been lucky. No broken bones, no internal damages. She has been tied up.
She
has marks on her wrists and ankles. Don't make this face, we found no
traces of abuse," he ended gently.
"Did she regain consciousness?" Everybody turned to Aoshi. He seemed
almost
impatient.
"She's stirring."
"Can we see her?" Sano's voice was hopeful.
"She's going to be confused and shocked. I don't know.."
"She'll need friendly presence," objected Aoshi. "And everybody here
has
been worried about her."
Saitoh raised a brow. Everybody? Was Shinomori loosing it too?
The old man hesitated. "Of course, I know your reputation,
Shinomori-san.
I'm not a psychologist myself. I guess that you can be careful that she
won't be upset."
"If you don't mind, maybe Aoshi could go now?" proposed Tokio. "So he
can
tell when she is ready to see us?"
Oguni nodded, and he led the tall man through the corridors.
***
Tokio left Misao's bedroom before the others, seizing the first pretext
she
could. She had barely been able to master her emotion at the poor,
shaken
face of the girl. Misao had taken part in too few field operations. She
was
less experienced than the others. Tokio felt so guilty to have teamed
her
with Enishi. Misao had every right to be mad at her, but she had
clutched
to her hand, seeking comfort, trying to smile as she noticed her
worry..Tokio was so ashamed of herself. Maybe Saitoh was right. She
wasn't
a cop. She didn't understand fully what taking such a risk could imply.
Being bold in court didn't have people being mugged. Did she take one
good
decision since this crisis had begun? No, no, and no.
She spotted Enishi, still sitting in the lounge, still looking
miserable.
To make things worse, she had released her fears, guilt and
frustrations on
him. He deserved to be scolded for what he did, but not to be yelled at
and
made responsible for the whole mess, which was the result of her own
misjudging.
She sat next to him. He bowed his head more, waiting for new reproaches.
"She asked where you were.she is worried about you. You should go and
see
her," she murmured.
His eyes lit for a second, before tarnishing. "It's my fault if she's
here."
"I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. You only made a mistake. I
should
have foreseen that. I made a wrong decision, and you and Misao had to
pay
the consequences."
"No. I betrayed your trust."
"I still trust you," she said simply. Her heart sank at the hopeful
gaze he
gave her. She didn't realize how much her opinion mattered to him until
that moment. "I won't let you work on that case anymore, I can't, for
your
sake too. But I still trust you."
"I was sure I could find her.that she was pursuing him too.I lost track
of
time..I didn't really believe that..until Tsunan called."
She patted motherly his hand. "I know. I know you did your best.
Listen,
we'll talk about all that later. Misao is alive, she's safe now, and
that's
all that matters."
He stood up, his expression more confident. "I heard about your place.
We
will take you to a safe one.."
"I already took dispositions for that, but thank you," she lied,
smiling,
thanking God he was too upset to notice it.
He nodded, and she watched him go away. She closed her eyes. She needed
to
escape. The recent hours she had spent on roller coasters, some times
managing to use her professional "automatic pilot" to keep her shocking
emotions at bay; some times witnessing herself, estranged to her mind,
unable to control the maelstrom..Talking with Misao and Enishi had her
sense and her sensibility slowly adjusting, realizing everything that
happened..driving her near the rupture point. She needed to rest
alone..these few minutes wouldn't be enough.
Cigarette smell.
"I thought you were gone," she mumbled, not opening her lids.
"Wishful thinking."
"Saitoh, I'm not exactly in the mood to play games now. So have your
fun,
and leave me alone."
From the tone of his voice, she knew he had lifted a brow.
"Fun?"
"Yes. I'm going to be blamed for what happened, fired maybe, so go
ahead,
enjoy...Tell me all that I did wrong..I won't spoil your little
triumph."
She was looking at him, now, sarcastic. He lost his ironic expression,
glaring at her, his features severe, cold flames in his eyes.
Aoshi stepped in the lounge. "I sent the others home. Makimachi is
still
confused and in pain, but she's already trying to remember. I'm staying
here. When she feels a little better, she'll tell me what happened.
Yukishiro told me you took some dispositions, concerning your safety?"
"She lied."
Tokio shot an indignant glance at him. He had SPIED on her conversation?
Annoyance flared briefly in Aoshi's eyes. "I would have asked Sagara or
Kitaoka to stay.."
"I'm taking her to a safe place, and I'll escort her to the office this
morning, before Kondo assigns somebody to her protection."
"It's not necessary and I don't want.."she broke off just in time. "You
of
all people", she was ready to say. Too revealing.
The two men didn't pay attention, too caught in a silent, almost
hostile
exchange.
"You'd rather have ME nursing Makimachi?" smirked Saitoh. "Or maybe
both of
us should go and leave her alone here?"
Though his face revealed nothing, Aoshi's tension switched subtly. " I
stay
here. You go."
The decision was taken. Tokio knew she didn't have enough will left to
oppose both of them. She had to keep her strength to stay even in front
of
Saitoh. She didn't want to collapse in front of him. So she just
nodded,
and followed him silently.
To be continued.
I'm sorry for the late update. I'm so busy, I won't be able to post
regularly for a while..(T-T) Hopefully it'll change in a few weeks.
This chapter is one I'm, for once, satisfied with, and I hope that you
liked it too.
I realized that I forgot to point the pairing problem; I thought I had
corrected it already. So, the canon ones are S/T and A/M (in process),
for
the rest it will probably end up as alternate, but not very developed.
Thanks to Mara, for her corrections on this chapter, her suggestions
and
encouragements! Thanks also to Firuze, for her support and help! I'd be
lost without you!
Mary-Ann: Merci! J'espere que tu aimeras aussi la suite (^-^).
L Sith: I'm glad you like it (^-^) About Kamatari, though he'll be more
in
comic situations in the next chapters, as in the manga I plan to show a
more serious side of his personality later.
SilverNimbus: Thank you (^-^) Though this fic is very far from being
flawless..I made the note about the pairings thanks to you, I didn't
realize that it needed to be clarified (^-^). I have a very soft spot
for
A/M. Although I think that E/M can work, no, he isn't in the picture
here
(K/K/E triangle). I hope you'll like the A/M interaction of the
following
chapters, but before there will be more Saitoh/Tokio(^-^)
Nova: Thank you for the compliments (^-^). About Kenshin here, you're
absolutely right. I believe that A/U doesn't allow to change the
characters
into somebody completely different..and that the changes have to be
justified. In this universe, Kenshin never got to meet Hiko, neither
Tomoe,
two people who have strongly influenced the man he became when we see
him
for the first time..this is why he's different here, as his history is
changed more than the other characters'. I already said it in chapter
4,
but Kenshin isn't the hero of this story, and he won't save the day in
the
end. I prefer to state it clearly again, I don't want Kenshin-fans to
be
disappointed or feel cheated to have spent time reading if they expect
something like this (^-^)
JadeGoddess: When? Not now, please bear with me (^-^). I hope that the
little surprise of the Slayers made up for the missed confrontation of
the
previous chapter.
FlameSolo: I hope that this one was too. Thank you (^-^)
Leila Winters: I was picturing their faces, too (^-^). As you see,
Aoshi
has some influence on Tokio..too bad, he hasn't the same way with
Saitoh.
One should never let the damn man see one's little weakness! Sorry for
taking so long to update.
Next chapter: Let's see. Tokio is near a nervous breakdown. Saitoh
isn't
very happy with her. They're alone for rest the night. I'm soooo
predictable (T-T). Not a PWP, though.
See you!
Kamorgana
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