InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Smirking Revenge ❯ Into the Light ( Chapter 32 )

Love's Smirking Revenge

- Chapter Thirty-Three -

Into the Light

The inmates of Cell Block 4 were unusually quiet. They weren't typically a rowdy bunch, but this was a different kind of quiet. There was a noticeable stillness in the air; it lingered, hanging about the way it only does when a life has been prematurely extinguished.

Detective Takahashi could feel their eyes on him, narrowed in quiet speculation as he passed them by. His destination was cell 9, former residence of Yoshi Ishii. The body was still inside, splayed out on the floor while the Coroner did his inspection.

“What've you got?” he asked, stepping into the narrow space.

The Coroner was a middle aged bean pole with a terrible combover. He glanced up as Takahashi entered, eyeballed him from behind his thick glasses and dismissed him with an indifferent shake of his head.

Gesturing to the large blood stain covering the right half of Ishii's prison jumper, he explained, “I found a single stab wound on his chest, just under his left arm.”

To illustrate, he pulled away a section of the polyester blue jumper and pointed to the small red wound at its centre.

“My guess is the weapon slipped between the ribs and went just far enough to perforate the lung. From there, he asphyxiated on the blood.”

“So whoever did this caught him by surprise… Either that or it was someone he trusted enough to let his guard down. Ishii wasn't stupid. He knew how to watch his back.”

The Coroner shrugged in passive agreement.

Inuyasha's mind was already churning out theories as he took a tour of the cell and tried to stage the scene. It could've been just your typical inmate rivalry, but it was too much of a coincidence for his liking. Besides, Ishii didn't have a bunk mate which meant that his suspect pool was anyone and everyone with access to Cell Block 4.

Given what Ishii knew, Kagome's theory was starting to make a lot of sense. It was easy enough to stage a hit and make it look like a prison rivalry gone bad. Making his way further into the cell, he nodded at the discarded toothbrush on the floor. It was covered in blood and one end had been neatly filed into a sharp point.

“This the murder weapon?”

The Coroner nodded distractedly and wrestled with slipping Ishii's body into the body bag.

“Seems like it. It's the only thing we found in here that fits the size of the entry wound. You can bag it. I'm done here, anyway.”

Inuyasha sealed the toothbrush in an evidence bag and held it up to the dim florescent light. It wasn't much to go on, but maybe they'd get lucky with a fingerprint or blood. It hadn't been cleaned so chances were good there was at least some trace left on it.

Feeling eyes on him, he lowered the toothbrush and glanced down at the Coroner. The man was crouched down and thoroughly engrossed with the task of packing up his tools. He wasn't the source of the hairs suddenly standing up on the nape of his neck. Looking across the hall, he met the gaze of the inmate in Cell 12. He stood with his arms hanging lazily through the bars and was watching them carefully. He didn't blink, didn't move, just stared.

Takahashi tucked the shank in his pocket and wondered what god was smiling down on him today. If luck was on his side, they wouldn't need to worry about forensics. Sidestepping the Coroner, he strode across the narrow cement corridor and stood just out of arm's reach.

“What's your name?”

The inmate held his gaze and remained silent.

“If you saw somethin' I could make it worth your while to share it.”

“You got nuthin' I want.”

The inmate pulled away from the bars, found his bed and stretched out across it with his hands behind his head.

“What are you in for?” Takahashi tried again.

“Robbery, murder, the usual.”

“If you saw something it could shave some years off your sentence.”

The man smirked at that. “Not likely. I'm here on a life sentence. A year or two don't mean much when I'm looking at 25.”

“We can negotiate some privileges for you - extra TV time, more time in the yard.”

“If I talk to you, I won't live long enough to enjoy them.”

“You seem pretty certain about that.”

The inmate shrugged as if this were common knowledge and Inuyasha's brow furrowed.

“So what are you tellin' me?”

“I ain't told you nuthin'!” He sat up, stone-faced, and glared at him from his bunk.

“All I know's that if randoms are walkin' in here and killin' inmates, you've got some piss poor security. Might wanna look into it.”

Momentarily caught off guard, Inuyasha had to work to keep his expression neutral. An inside job? Was it even possible? Who'd risk a career over taking out a guy like Ishii? And who the hell wanted him dead bad enough to make it happen?

“Who worked this block last night?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“Why take my word for it? I could be lyin' through my teeth,” the inmate scoffed.

“Because you've got no reason to lie to me and they've got every reason.”

A tingle ran up his spine. His instincts were buzzing on high alert. There was more to this, much more. What wasn't he seeing?

The inmate stood and grabbed a wad of toilet paper from the roll sitting on the floor. He gestured that he wanted a pen and Takahashi tossed one to him through the bars. It was completely against protocol, but the guy didn't look suicidal and at this point he was well beyond caring about protocol.

The man took a few minutes to scribble a note and then tossed the pen back to him. The toilet paper he wadded up and tossed outside his cell onto the floor.

“A little present for you and your shit eatin' friends,” he shouted and then chuckled as he flushed the toilet. Takahashi lifted a brow at the display and hid a smirk. This guy was almost as good as he was.

Playing along with the show, he kicked the wad with his shoe and loudly snapped on a latex glove.

“You're a friggin' moron, son. You can bet your ass I'll take this down to the lab and have them test it for every drug imaginable.”

He grabbed an empty evidence bag from Ishii's cell and quickly slipped the toilet paper inside.

“Fuck you!”

The inmate was watching him like a hawk from his bunk and gave him a nod as he passed. Takahashi shook his head and stalked down the corridor to the exit.

“Enjoy solitary you dumb shit!” he called back over his shoulder, slamming the heavy iron door behind him.

It was impossible to know who he could trust anymore. He glanced from one corrections officer to the next with a guarded look. It could be any one of them. The thought of taking down one of his own made him sick, but he'd go where the evidence led him - even if it was to his own front door.

Tucking the evidence bag with the inmate's message into his pocket, he started for the evidence lab to check in the shank. He'd barely gone two steps into the gallery when Kouga sidled up to him wearing his trademark cocky grin.

“Heya, Mutt!”

“What do you want?” he snarled, eager to get away.

“I had to see it for myself.”

“See what?”

Kouga crossed his arms and his grin widened.

“Well one of my boys called me and said you were down here, lookin' like Susie fucking Sunshine. I figure there's only one way that could happen.”

Inuyasha's expression darkened and Kouga laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they walked.

“Fair warning, mutt - don't fuck it up this time. You break her heart again and you just know she'll come running to me in search of a shoulder to cry on. Of course, being the nice guy that I am I'll be only too happy to help.”

Yeah, he knew that alright. There wasn't a chance in hell he was going to do anything to jeopardize this, especially now that he'd finally got her back. His life was finally, finally coming together. He wasn't gonna let that go without a fight.

He gave Kouga a cool stare and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. I got shit to do. Get out of my way.”

Kouga stepped back with his hands up and smiled.

“Whatever you say. Catch ya later, Mutt!”

He waited until Kouga had sauntered down the stairs to the lobby before taking a detour into the men's room. Kicking the stall door shut behind him, he fished the inmate's note out of his pocket and opened it. All it read was - Tomorrow. 11 AM.

Exhaling the breath he'd been holding, he tossed the note into the toilet and flushed it down.

xXx

The subway car coasted into Tochomae Station and came to an easy stop. Around her people shuffled by, moving in and out of the large double doors that led to the platform. There were many interesting characters who found their way onto the Tokyo subways - business men, old women, students in uniform, Goth kids and Lolita girls - but she was only interested in one.

Rin discretely watched the man standing behind her in the mirror next to the door. No one touched him as they crowded into the car. Not a single brush, jolt or `sumimasen' was sent his way. It was as though they instinctively knew who he was. He didn't need to work to dominate a room. His very presence dominated it for him.

That was how it was the first time he entered the Café. She'd been in the back room removing a rack of cookies from the oven. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, became charged and heavy. Thinking it strange, she set down her tray and walked out into the café to find him settling down into a chair.

At first she'd thought it was ridiculous. This one man couldn't possibly be the reason for the strange feeling taking hold in her chest, but there was no one else around. The moment he noticed her and lifted his eyes to meet hers she knew there could be no other cause. He was that great force, unstoppable, uncompromising, like a tidal wave crashing against the shore.

A part of her was scared of him and wanted to scurry back into the kitchen. A different part of her was captivated and unendingly curious about what sort of man possessed the power to bring an entire room to a standstill. Hardly thinking, she'd grabbed a pot of coffee and their best cup and walked it over to him.

From that small interaction, she now found herself riding the same train with this enigmatic stranger, having just left his apartment mere moments before. He'd been waiting for her in the living room when she'd come down the stairs. When he'd broken away from staring out at the city to look at her, she'd felt her stomach flutter.

“Do you still wish to leave?”

It was such a simple question coming from anyone but him. Pausing behind his sofa, she ran her hands across the butter soft leather before shaking her head.

“I'd like to stay a little while longer, if that's okay.”

He acquiesced with a nod and went about collecting his wallet and keys from the side table.

“I have business to attend to in Akasaka. Will you be needing to buy clothes?”

With a glance down at the simple belted white dress she wore, she nodded. It was her only change of clothes apart from the ones she'd worn at the club and she didn't have any interest in wearing those again.

He shrugged into his jacket and gave her an expectant look. Catching his drift, she made for the hall closet to grab her jacket and purse.

Not a word about the previous night had been uttered in the time since they'd left and she was certain it never would be. Behind her, he retrieved his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket and answered it with a simple “Is it finished?” She watched his face carefully as he listened to the response on the other end. No flicker of emotion crossed it, even when he lowered the phone from his ear and snapped it shut. She turned to face him, her brow lifted in surprise.

“Business?” she asked, more than a little curious.

His eyes darted to the subway map overhead while he tucked the phone into his jacket. The next stop was Shinjuku, 2 minutes out.

“We're getting out at the next station,” he said quietly. His hand wrapped around her upper arm and he discretely manoeuvred her closer to the door.

“But Akasaka's still four stops away…” she protested. “Are we going somewhere else?”

“Ask questions later,” he instructed as the train coasted to a halt.

The moment the doors hissed open he pushed her onto the platform and half-dragged her up the first flight of stairs and through the ticket gate. The pressure of his fingers around her arm was bordering on painful and she struggled to keep pace as he guided her to the stairs heading to the street level.

“What's going on?” she demanded, digging in her heels. He turned on her, his face awash with frustration. Suddenly his eyes darted to the ceiling overhead and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

“Earthquake!” someone called out from below as if they didn't already know.

They were a frequent occurrence in Tokyo but this one was stronger than most. She wobbled unsteadily in her heeled boots as dust began to fall from the ceiling above their heads. A creak and groan followed by a solid crash indicated that a ceiling tile had fallen somewhere behind them. She ducked her head beneath her arms as more dust filled the air. A few women screamed as the intensity of the shaking increased, many of them crouched low to the ground for safety.

Another crack sounded, this time above her. She felt herself being jerked suddenly forward and her body met the solid wall of his chest. He lifted his jacket over them, shielding her from the falling ceiling and the shower of chalky dust. She held tight to him, this unmovable force, and let him protect her while the world shook all around them. Despite what had happened the night before there was one truth she could not deny - around him she felt safe.

She lifted her eyes to find him watching her, his expression one she hadn't seen on him before.

“Are you injured?”

She shook her head, mute, and noticed how close his lips were to hers. He noticed too and stood taller, taking a long moment to study the ceiling above their heads. It appeared sound enough to appease him and he gave a reassuring nod.

As the tremors began to subside, he nudged her towards the stairs and followed her up them to the street above. The city above was bright and busy. A few people looked shaken and some glass from broken windows littered the streets, but otherwise everything was normal.

Exhaling a heavy sigh of relief, she turned to the man who'd saved her, yet again, and watched him shake the chalky dust from his jacket. Realizing that it wouldn't come clean easily, he instead draped it over his arm and surveyed the street.

“Back there… You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?” she asked, drawing close.

He gave her a speculative look before turning his attention to the street. Taxi cabs were already congesting the thoroughfare, packed with stranded commuters. Tokyo traffic was fickle at the best of times. After an earthquake, it was a nightmare.

“The trains will not be running,” he deduced with a glance down the darkened subway stairs. “We'll go on foot from here. I'll escort you to the shopping district and you can get back yourself from there. This is the number for my chauffeur, call it and he will pick you up whenever you are ready.”

Rin accepted the business card from him and tucked it into her purse without looking at it.

“Wait…” she protested as he started off down the street. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“I… I don't want to be alone right now. I really hate earthquakes. There's always aftershocks when they're that big,” she confessed, keeping her eyes on the spotted pavement.

She knew how ridiculous it sounded and loathed the thought of tagging along at his side like a lost puppy, but it was preferable to the alternative. She'd be a basket case the rest of the day without the quiet reassurance of his presence.

He reluctantly consented with a nod of his head.

“You may accompany me, but you will have to entertain yourself.”

Rin nodded readily and smiled, thankful that he hadn't turned her down.

“So what do you do exactly?” she wondered, falling in step beside him.

It was a long moment before he answered, “Investments.”

oOo

The first place they stopped at was an auto parts store, oddly enough. He instructed her to wait outside while he went in to have a brief chat with the owner. She watched the comings and goings of the neighbourhood, conscious of all the double looks and stares she was getting.

Suddenly feeling self conscious, she glanced down at her outfit expecting there to be some large stain or hole through her white dress. Apart from a bit of chalk dust on her denim jacket and boots, she looked perfectly normal. She glanced up in time to see a young boy staring at her as he cycled by and she glared at him.

“Stupid jerk,” she muttered, crossing her arms.

“Did you say something?”

Startled, she looked back to find Sesshomaru watching her. She hadn't heard him leave the shop, but was relieved that his business was over so quickly.

“Uh… no!” she answered quickly. “Where to next?”

He nodded down the street and she followed him to a clothing store a few blocks away. It was the same routine at the second place. She waited outside and received stares and glares from every direction while he conducted business with the owner.

Annoyed by the sudden onslaught of unwanted attention, she decided to browse through the store. He was nowhere to be found inside, so she took her time sifting through the selection of printed t-shirts and spring dresses they had on display.

The sales girl was kind enough to help her and she eventually chose a purple t-shirt with a cute character on it, a flowery summer dress, and a pair of tights. Satisfied, she made her way to the register to pay.

“Did you feel that earthquake earlier?” the sales girl asked, her forehead creasing into a worried frown.

Rin nodded and glanced uneasily at the street beyond the shop window.

“Yeah... We were in the subway when it happened. They're always so scary! I hate them!”

“Me too. Alright, so the total is 1 man, 5 sen en.”

Rin fished her wallet out of her purse just as he appeared from the back room. A young man followed him, lingering a few paces behind. He was tall and lanky but the way he slouched when he walked made him appear much shorter. He kept his eyes on the floor and his hands in his pockets.

Sesshomaru stopped behind her and gestured to the door, “Time to go.”

“Okay! Almost done.” Turning back to the sales girl she offered her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry! How much was it again?”

The girl blanched and her eyes quickly darted between her and Sesshomaru. She hesitated with her hands still mid-way through packing her clothes into the bag.

“Today, it's free,” the young man interjected, suddenly stepping forward. He gave a nod in Sesshomaru's direction and then held out the bag of clothes to Rin.

“But…” she tried to object, holding out her money.

“Just take it and go. Please.”

His eyes were pleading with her and so she reluctantly accepted the bag from him.

“Th-thank you,” she muttered, looking between him and the sales girl with a thoroughly confused expression. Neither seemed able to meet her eye. Feeling uneasy about the entire situation, she tucked her wallet back into her purse and followed Sesshomaru out the door.

“What happened in there?” she asked as he continued down the sidewalk to their next destination.

“It's nothing to be concerned about,” he answered cryptically.

Rin stared down at the bright red bag swinging from her fingers and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. The way they'd both looked at her the moment they realized she was with him...it was like they were terrified. She glanced up at his broad shoulders and straight back and wondered what kind of business he had with these companies, exactly.

She was still considering this as he came to a stop at their next destination. It was a traditional style sushi restaurant. The sign on the door said they were closed until lunch, but he disregarded it and pushed the sliding door open. Ducking beneath the curtain hanging in the door, he entered and left it open for her.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, inviting her to sit at the bar.

She hadn't eaten any breakfast before they left. The adrenaline rush from the earthquake had kept her hunger at bay for a while, but at the mention of food it suddenly came to life with a roar. She nodded hesitantly and motioned to the door.

“But the sign said they were closed…”

He didn't seem the least bit troubled by this and it was then that she noticed there were already other customers inside with them. She could hear them now, discussing things in quiet voices in the private booths. Relaxing against the bar, she smiled with relief and picked up a menu.

“I may be a while,” he said quietly before departing.

She nodded in agreement and watched him disappear through another set of curtained doors at the opposite end of the restaurant. She eagerly thumbed through the menu and read the daily special. When she was ready to order, she glanced up to find a young woman staring at her intently, her pen already poised and ready over her notepad.

“I'd like to have the lunch set please. It looks delicious!”

The woman made a quick note and asked what she wanted to drink.

“Just tea is fine,” she answered with a smile. The woman didn't return it and quickly turned heel, disappearing into the back room.

Rin rested her chin on her hand while she waited and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. The small green light on the display blinked up at her, notifying her that she'd missed a call. Surprised, she flipped it open and stared blankly at the number on her caller display. She didn't recognize it and they hadn't bothered to leave a message.

“Wonder if it was a wrong number?”

Sighing, she snapped her phone shut and deposited it back into her purse. The girl returned looking as serious as before, bearing her tea and lunch set on a tray. She set it down in front of her and quickly left.

Rin eyed the small feast before her, snapped a quick photo with the camera on her phone, and then eagerly dug in. The miso was steaming and delicious and the maguro was some of the freshest she'd ever tasted.

She happily preoccupied herself with eating for a while, but eventually boredom set in again and she began tuning her ears to the conversations around her. From what she could gather there were two groups of patrons, one in the private booth behind her and another in the large, private room at the opposite end of the restaurant.

The group in the private room were loud and boisterous, sounding as though they'd already started drinking even though it was barely 11 o'clock. The group behind her spoke in hushed tones, sounding far more serious than their companions. She wasn't overly interested in what they were saying. It mostly sounded like dry business talk. That was, until she heard his name.

Setting down her chopsticks, she picked up her cup of tea and pretended to take a long sip as she strained her ears to listen.

“Kobayashi had him killed.”

“When?”

“This mornin'. Had someone on the inside.”

A mutter made its way around the table and Rin set down her tea. She remembered back to their subway trip and the brief phone call he'd taken. Was it possible that he…? No. She shook her head, refusing to believe it. It was ridiculous! He owned a gun, but a lot of people had them for protection. That didn't mean he was a killer!

Convinced she'd simply heard wrong, Rin resumed her lunch but couldn't shake her curiosity. Before long her ears were tuned once more to the conversation taking place behind her.

“He's making the rounds today. Teramoto-san's been shitting his pants all morning.”

“What's he got to hide?”

“Didn't you know? He's been doing favours for Inagawa-kai.”

A mutter of understanding circled the table.

“Does he have a death wish?” one of them remarked bluntly.

“The economy's bad and he got desperate. Kobayashi showing up here today's really bad timing. He might've been able to hide it better if he'd been given another couple of weeks but he's gonna figure it out.”

“Shit… That dumb sonofabitch. He could've gone to anyone but Inagawa-kai. Everyone knows they've got a history.”

Another mutter of agreement and Rin felt her lunch harden into a ball at the bottom of her stomach. Suddenly the looks she'd been getting all day and the abrupt change of heart by the store clerk made a lot of sense. These people were terrified of him because they had every right to be. When he'd told her he did investments, he'd conveniently left out the part about being a loan shark and collector.

Even worse, if he had a history with Inagawa-kai, that could only mean one thing - he was yakuza too.

The cop who'd come to question her at VOSS had asked about yakuza. He thought she might have known someone connected to them, someone who might have been behind the arson. At the time she'd told him no, but now...

She sucked in a ragged breath and lifted a trembling hand to her lips. What if he was involved? Panic took a sudden vicious hold in her chest and refused to be shaken free. Terrified of what he might do, and of what he'd already done, she quickly grabbed her things and bolted out the door. She didn't know where she was going to go, and she didn't care. At this point, the only thing that mattered was getting as far away from him as possible.

She was still hurriedly pulling her coat over her shoulders when her phone buzzed in her purse. Flipping it open she pressed it to her ear and muttered a distracted, “Hello?”

The man on the other end of the line discretely cleared his throat.

“I'm sorry to disturb you. Is this Ms. Rin Takeda?”

“This isn't a good time. If you're selling something-”

“I'm calling on behalf of your brother.”

Her feet came to a sudden halt on the sidewalk and the world stopped along with them. She simply stood there, numb, while her brain tried to wrap itself around the words she'd just heard.

When her lungs were finally able to draw breath and feeling returned to her limbs, she managed a strangled, “What?”

The answer came from the other end of the line, punctuated and businesslike, “I have a message from your brother. He's alive and he wants to meet.”

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to send me messages asking if I was okay. It was truly touching to see how many people care about me out there in the great wide internet :) You guys are awesome. Rest assured, I am safe and sound here in Japan. Things are still not so great up north, but everyone is pitching in and helping out the best they can. 

I am so sorry for the wait on this chapter. It's extra long though so I hope that sort of makes up for it? Maybe? As you can see, things are getting interesting between Rin and Sesshomaru. What will she do now that she knows who and what he is, I wonder? Hmmmm....

Stay tuned for the next chapter and thank you for reading!

Cheers,

Langus