CHAPTER TWO:
No matter how many times he had scrubbed himself while taking a shower over the past few days, getting rid of Duo’s touch and scent from his body had been next to impossible. Heero had noticed that Duo’s brand of ‘healing’ had also caused the cut beneath his jaw to become nearly invisible. Of course, remembering those lips upon his skin only sent his cheeks and his entire body flushing with heat but it was quickly masked with welcome anger at the remark that Duo had made soon after.
/“Your blood is not worth being stained on Reiki.”/
That son of a bitch!
“Nice to see you too, Yuy,” Kazuya stated lightly as he held up his folder away from the fist that had pounded the table. “You let him get away, didn’t you?” he observed dryly.
Flustered a little at being caught off guard, Heero shook his head rapidly, smiling wanly as he met the sharp gaze of his superior officer. “No…no sir…”
“Your gun wasn’t found and you applied for another one, right?” Kazuya continued relentlessly. “You never did give us a concrete reason for its sudden disappearance, did you, Yuy?”
It was taking all of his effort to keep his gaze trained on Kazuya’s cool brown ones, but Heero managed somehow. “As I stated in the report, sir, I was accosted by a gang without my knowledge…”
“As a police officer, isn’t it your duty to be aware of your surroundings at all times, Yuy?”
“Yes, sir. I know…”
“Then it was rather pathetic of you to allow a bunch of high school kids to take away your gun from you, isn’t it? The next thing you know they’ll be stealing your badge!”
Heero could feel his cheeks darkening as Kazuya deliberately raised his voice causing the other officers to snicker or laugh softly at his observations. Heero knew he wasn’t that popular and hadn’t gone out of his way to make a lot of friends in the precinct, but he would be damned if he was going to be made into a laughing stock by this stuck-up asshole.
“I realize I was at fault, sir,” he replied coolly with as much politeness as he could muster. “I will be more careful next time…”
“If there will be a next time, Yuy,” Kazuya retorted with a smirk. “Word has it that Zeman’s not very pleased with your ‘heroics’. Maybe you’ll finally be sent to the division you are most needed in…day patrol.”
Kazuya’s mocking laughter echoed within Heero’s head like an incessant drum roll. He cursed softly and tried to focus his attention on the computer screen before him, telling himself that the other snickers were not directed towards him as well. He allowed himself to daydream about the positive reactions he would receive the day he did bring Duo to justice. Then he would have the last laugh and possibly have Zeman fire Kazuya and his sidekick Mitsuomi.
Yeah, so why didn’t you let Zeman know that you had seen him? A voice taunted within his mind.
Oh, and I guess I should just say that I saw a guy with long hair and violet eyes and he goes by the name of Duo. Yeah, way to go, Detective Heero Yuy, that’s definitely a lot to go by.
He sighed softly and tapped his pen restlessly upon the desk. He had tried to look up all individuals who go by the name of ‘Duo’ and had given up on that after seeing only three such names show up in the records. Two were deceased and the only survivor belonged to a hardware store within the city limits. Besides, the name ‘Duo’ could only be a nickname and if that was the case, Heero knew that he had his work cut out for him.
What about the katana?
His brows furrowed into a light frown as he found himself scribbling out the words ‘Reiki’ on his notepad. But…what did it mean? Was Reiki just a nickname he had given to the sword as well? That seemed highly unlikely, considering how much contempt Duo had expressed in his voice when speaking about Heero’s blood staining it. Whatever the case may be, this Reiki was quite an important piece of evidence and if he could get some background on the weapon, it would, perhaps, shed more light on why Duo insisted on using it.
Divine Angel of Justice, hmm? Heero thought with a rueful smile as he got to his feet and shrugged into his jacket. We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?
The rains had finally stopped sometime earlier in the week but it still didn’t stop gray clouds from hovering over the city like an ominous omen. The latest killings had put the city in a state of extreme caution and anyone could sense the uneasiness and tension in the air. At least in the daytime, things were a bit manageable, but at night…it was a whole other story all together. Many nightclubs were beginning to close a bit earlier than normal and most of the well-known gangs had been put on high alert and for good reason too. No one wanted to be on the next hit list of the mysterious murderer.
“Hey, Mister Toudou,” Heero greeted amiably as he picked up the usual morning paper and a cup of steaming hot coffee from the vendor behind the stand. It was no surprise to see the headline ‘Six Found Decapitated in City Limits – Manhunt Continues’ blaring from most of the magazines and newspapers and for a brief moment, Heero felt a bit smug at having met the man behind them
face-to-face…even though it wasn’t in the way he would have liked.
He cursed at the memory of Duo’s lips upon his and resisted the urge to caress them again gently. He had found himself doing that a lot lately and he hated himself for being powerless to resist it. With more vehemence than necessary, Heero flipped a page over to read more into the story when something blue and red flashed before his eyes. He blinked and lowered the paper quickly, staring ahead as if wondering if he was actually seeing things or not. But there was no denying the shocking hair color of the boy standing before him on the sidewalk.
Ren!
In the daylight, the boy looked like any other teenager heading off to school. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white dress-shirt that was not tucked in. A black backpack hung over his left shoulder and as the lights changed to green; he shifted it to his right and began to cross the street casually. Heero’s first instinct had been to call out his name, but he had a feeling that it would be best to tail the younger guy for a while. If he was lucky, Ren would lead him right to Duo’s hideout.
Feeling his heart pounding hard within his chest, Heero patted his pocket gently and confirming that his new weapon was intact, he began to walk after the unsuspecting teen at a rather safe distance. He glanced at his watch for a moment, aware that he still had to be back at the station in less than an hour. Hopefully, this ‘chase’ wouldn’t take too long.
However, and much to Heero’s chagrin, Ren seemed like he had no plans to rush off to any place in particular. He made several stops at a candy store, a gaming store and even had the time to stop at an arcade. Heero watched as the boy talked with a few of his peers before making a sudden detour off the main road and into an alley. Heero waited for a few minutes before heading in the same direction. Assuming the alley would lead him through another set of abandoned buildings, he was surprised to find himself between even more shops and residential homes. A few children, dirty and dressed in nothing more than rags peered at him through windows and corners with curiosity. It was as if they had never seen any other human being, besides the ones they were forced to live with everyday, coming down this path before.
Christ! He had no idea there were slums like this in the city. The air was putrid with rotten and overripe fruit and boiled vegetables – a smell that churned Heero’s stomach with each step he took. He could still see Ren walking ahead of him but suddenly a ball came bouncing out of nowhere causing Heero to step back to prevent it from hitting him.
“Sorry, mister,” came the soft whimper as the owner of the ball, a small boy of eight or nine, picked it up and disappeared into another building.
Heero lifted his head to continue his search and cursed softly as Ren’s telltale hair was no longer to be seen. In that brief instant, he had lost the only link to Duo.
“Fuck!” He ran restless fingers through his hair and decided he would have to end his pursuit for the day. At least he had an idea of where to search for now and he would continue when his shift was over.
Within the building, the young boy held the ball within his hands and eyed the man standing before him.
“Did I do good, Duo?” he asked shyly.
He was rewarded with a wide grin and a ruffle of his dirty blond locks before feeling the cold coin pressed within his palm.
“You did great, Sammy,” Duo praised as his eyes continued to watch the retreating figure of the police officer. “You did great.”
“Reiki?”
“Yes, Reiki,” Heero repeated as he reluctantly accepted the heavy box, nearly buckling under its weight as he staggered towards the garage to dump it on the ground unceremoniously.
“Damn it, be careful, Heero! Those contain fragile items!” The dark-haired man jumped out of the truck and walked towards the box with a look of concern on his features. He opened it up slowly and eyed its contents, ignoring the glare of impatience he was beginning to receive from his guest. “You’re lucky nothing’s broken…”
“Are you going to help me out here, Wufei?” Heero interrupted. “I need to know…”
“Look, Heero,” Wufei Chang replied with a wave of his hand and a light frown of consternation on his features. “There are a million and one katanas out there with different names, makes and histories behind them. Now, if I was to sit down to analyze every single one that has crossed my path since the day I was born, we would never finish this case of yours.”
“So in other words, ‘Reiki’ rings no bell?”
“None whatsoever…hand me that box next to you.”
Heero did as he was told, albeit mechanically, for his mind was still filled with a million and one questions which needed to be answered soon or he was sure he’d go mad.
“It was very long,” he continued quietly as if speaking more to himself than to his friend of over five years. “I mean, it didn’t look like something anyone could just handle easily. He must be an expert…”
“No kidding,” Wufei commented dryly as he placed yet another box above another. “A guy that can take off six heads in the space of five minutes without taking a breather? Now, that’s talent my friend.”
“Killing people isn’t a talent, Wufei,” Heero said flatly. “That’s murder.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” The Chinese man shrugged lightly and straightened up. He stretched his arms over his head, revealing a lithe body that showed that he was quite fit and disciplined. “Perhaps he sees himself as an arm of justice…”
“There’s that word again,” Heero cried out with a shake of his head. “Zeman said the same thing - that Duo might be…”
“Duo?”
Heero felt his cheeks flush at the slip. “Eh…well…”
“Wait a second,” Wufei folded his arms before his chest and eyed his police friend with a small and wry grin. “You and this Duo person had that close of an encounter and you didn’t tell your boss?”
“What the hell am I supposed to say?” Heero defended himself quickly. He was unaware he was beginning to speak in a harsh whisper as he stepped closer to his friend. “I can’t just tell them that I let Duo slip from my grasp.” Neither can I tell them that he made me come in my pants. “And besides, I don’t really have much to convict him or anything. He might not even be the one for all we know.”
“Sure. Right,” Wufei snickered and turned away to continue with his task of removing the boxes from the truck. “Don’t let me get in the way of your investigation, buddy, but just know that you are treading on dangerous ground if you are hoarding information from your superior officers.”
An image of Kazuya’s smirking visage filled Heero’s mind and he growled softly. “Don’t I know it.”
“I’ll help you with the katana,” Wufei said after a few minutes of back breaking work. “If I can get myself organized tonight, I will take a look through my files to find out what I can come up with.”
“Thanks,” Heero replied with a smile of absolute gratitude. “I know this isn’t the way you planned to begin your new life here in suburbia.” He eyed the quiet street warily, noticing that only a few lights were on in some of the houses.
“It’s the only thing I can find that’s close to the university,” Wufei said with a light shrug as he kicked a small box towards the garage. “Apartments are way too expensive for me. I’m just a professor for crying out loud.”
Heero laughed softly. “The youngest one I know.”
“And the smartest one too,” the dark-haired man added with a smirk. “Now, let’s finish this stuff and go grab a few beers, okay?”
“Now that’s the best thing I’ve heard you say all day.”
A week went by and Heero grew incredibly frustrated. Not only had Duo’s rampage stopped but Zeman had decided to load him up with paperwork, forcing him to remain behind his desk.
It now seemed that all plans to discover Duo’s hideout would have to wait for a few more days.
Friday night and the city was relatively back to normal. Although many nightclubs were still wary about remaining open too late, they were spurred by the continuous influx of customers and party revelers that still patronized their business.
Alex Conseco also known as Big Daddy was the proud owner of the hottest strip joint in the city. His hefty six foot, three hundred pound frame was enough to send most of his competition running for the hills. He was always dressed in black, his head clean shaven with a rather strange black tattoo etched upon it. Dark glasses covered his eyes at all times and his silk black goatee was a trademark to his larger-than-life persona. Expensive necklaces and rings, worth millions, adorned his fat neck, chubby fingers and wrists. He made no apologies for his lifestyle – where women, booze and drugs took top priority. Tonight, his club ‘The Cheetah’, was swinging with a few celebrities making their appearances. He stepped out of the black limousine flanked by two scantily-clad women who made it known that they were his ‘bitches’ for the night. Camera flashbulbs and lights went crazy as the paparazzi noticed his arrival. He grinned and waved, showing pearly whites to the screaming crowd of onlookers. Tonight was the big one and he was going to make at least five million in cash with all the illegal dealings that awaited him inside.
But first, he had to obey nature’s call. After all, filling oneself with expensive bottles of vodka and whiskey was enough to make one’s bladder cry out for help. Excusing himself from the ladies and the throng of fans that had come up to talk to him, he made his way towards the restroom – his private restroom of course.
He gave a curt nod to the bodyguard standing at the top of the stairs, whistling beneath his breath as he stepped into the elevator that would take him to the second floor. He dabbed his face with a silk handkerchief, already sweating from the short climb up the stairs.
“Gotta get a quick fix,” he muttered to himself as he reached into his pocket for the small black pill box. He popped two white pills into his mouth, nodding softly to himself as he chewed quickly. The rush would begin in a few seconds – that heady sensation of being taken for the ride of your life would settle in and he would become the king of his domain again.
As the elevator doors opened, Big Daddy was so busy stuffing the pill box back into his jacket that he failed to notice the staggering figure moving towards him until the dull thud of the body falling to the floor had him lifting his head in alarm. For a moment, he was unsure of what his eyes were seeing, but as the dark pool of blood began to spread all over the carpet, it dawned on him that one of his trusted bodyguards had been killed.
“Fuck! Fuck!” He muttered as he began to punch the buttons to take him back to ground level again. His eyes were wide with fear and panic, realizing that whoever the killer was, he or she had had no problems finding their way up here without rousing suspicion. He could hear the steady footsteps approaching and try as he might, he just couldn’t seem to find the right buttons to push. Of course, it didn’t help that the dead body lying on the floor was in the way of the doors closing completely.
The footsteps stopped and Big Daddy held his breath, now remembering that he did have a method of defending himself in times like these. He reached into his back pocket to bring out the small hand gun. Being in this kind of business meant risking your neck a lot of times and today would be no different. He was going to pump the asshole’s body full of lead if he dared make one move towards him. Cold sweat poured down his face in torrents, his hands trembling slightly on the gun as he tried to control his rapidly beating heart. He could feel something damp between his legs and he didn’t need to look to know that he had relieved himself in fear.
“Wha…what’s that matter, huh?” he suddenly cried out as the silence became too much for him to bear. “Come on over here and get some! Come’re you son-of-a-bitch!”
He took a frantic step forward and fired – once, twice, but he still wasn’t fast enough. For a moment, all he could make out of his attacker was a dizzying blur of brown hair, wild violet eyes and the gleam of a deadly blade before the cool steel made quick work of his neck, effectively cutting off his scream of terror. Dark red blood, almost black, splattered against the plain walls and upon the killer’s face like morbid markings of the damned. He stared dispassionately at the head which now lay at an angle on the floor for a long minute before taking another step forward.
“Retribution for watching her die and doing nothing to stop it,” the man muttered softly as he pierced the katana into what was once Big Daddy’s heart before walking out of the elevator with slow but measured steps.
The sirens were beginning to go off and he could hear the sounds of running footsteps coming up the stairs. Hardly waiting to see the newcomers, he leapt out of the narrow window and landed on the ground with a soft grunt before disappearing into the shadows of the night like he belonged.
As usual, he had left nothing at the crime scene but a lingering smell of victory.
Next Chapter
Gundam Wing Fiction
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