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Preys	By : kamorgana Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 5568 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don�t own Rurouni Kenshin. The characters belong to Watsuki, but the plots, ideas, OCs and text are *mine*.
Preys
Chapter 18: Mayor problems

It was lunchtime. Tokio was eating a sandwich alone in her office. Sanosuke, Tsunan and Aoshi had gone to the hospital to visit Misao and Enishi, who had been there since after the morning briefing. Saitoh had left, too, probably to do some errands on his own. She had preferred to stay, reading the different reports they had written and preparing a strategy to face Kondo, who was still �in a meeting�, according to his secretary. The short press conference she had had to give just before had been tiring, and the fact that she had said very little had decupled the aggressiveness of the journalists. She needed to rest her nerves. She lifted her face from Tsunan�s report as she felt a familiar presence near the door.
�Seijuro! What are you doing here?�
He gave her his trademark smile. �I had a meeting with your boss and since I was here, I decided to pay you a little visit on my way back.�
He sat in front of her, looking around her office. �It�s the first time that I come here,� he added. �You could do with an interior designer to take care of this place.�
�You came to discuss the decoration of my office?� she mocked.
�I came to talk about what happened yesterday. And to ask if you�re fine.�
�I�m fine,� she answered, gratefully. �And as for yesterday�I can�t discuss the whole case with you, you know.�
�Your team prevented him to kill. That�s a progress.�
�It�s a �could do better� mention on the school report, isn�t it? It�s MY office, Seijuro,� she then warned, as he grimaced at her lighting a cigarette. �Smoking area, sorry.�
�You�re killing yourself, you know.�
She lifted a brow, warningly.
�Ok, Ok, I give up on this. And no, I�m not here to be picky. The important thing is that there�s no other victim. I�m just sorry for your subordinate. How is she doing?�
�She�s been lucky, considering the circumstances.�
�I suppose that you won�t tell me more? My meeting was about some boring administrative decisions, but there is obviously something going on about the Slayer. Kondo refused to answer me.�
Tokio couldn�t help to frown. �Something�s going on upstairs?�
�I think so. Hijikata and another detective interrupted us, and they were all trying to hide their eagerness at wishing my swift departure. Don�t you know?�
�Who was the other one?�
�I never saw him before. Not very tall, but thin, long hair, small glasses and a moustache.�
�Takeda�oh, shit,� she muttered.
She was so evidently pissed off that he didn�t object when, after stubbing her half-smoked cigarette nervously, she lit another one.
�I think that I know what�s going on, but I can�t tell you, sorry. And thank you for the tip,� she added with a smile. �It�s nice to know that I can count on you.�
�Oh, you know that? So why didn�t you call me last night?�
She stared at him, rattled. �Why didn�t I?�
�You could have come to my place. You can, still. You�ll be safe there.�
She shook her head. �Seijuro, I don�t want my friends to get involved. And do you imagine the media? It�s really not the moment to have them intrude my privacy. Or yours, with the elections coming soon.�
�I can make them shut up, if necessary.�
�Listen, I�m very grateful for your concern. But I can get all the protection I need from the police forces.�
�And will you?�
�Like they�ll give me the choice,� she sighed.
�My offer is still available, if you change your mind at some point. Or will it create complications in your privacy to stay at your ex�s place?� he added, teasing her again. �Really not the moment? That is intriguing��
�I recollect telling you that it was none of your business,� she scolded, falsely serious. This was the price to pay for refusing to follow his advice, but also showed that he respected her decision and wouldn�t try to convince her further, unlike a certain someone. �Will you ever stop?�
Her phone started to ring.
�I�m going,� he announced, standing up. �I may have some advice to ask you on another matter, but it�s too early to tell.�
�Call me then, and don�t worry about the Slayer. Next time we get him.�
***
Going out of Tokio�s office, Hiko noticed simultaneously that he didn�t close the door completely when he entered, and that there was somebody in the main room.
�Detective Saitoh,� he began, putting on his politician jolly face.
The man turned to him and Hiko could have sworn that in spite of his cold appearance, he was hostile. Saitoh just nodded to him, before taking a drag on his cigarette.
That was bad. Tokio had paid particular attention to hide their past relationship, as she would have been suspected of earning her promotion because of it. He agreed with her on that, he knew too well how the system worked. And for what Hiko himself had witnessed when they had interrogated him after Tsubame�s death, she had sure been elliptical when she told him that she didn�t get along with Saitoh. If the latter had heard part of their conversation, she might have problems.
�What earned us the honor of your visit?� the cop finally asked.
There was a definite irony in his tone and Hiko realized with surprise that not only Saitoh was hostile, but that his hostility was also directed at him, personally, not at his public persona. He had noticed his uneasiness and wanted to exploit it. Hiko smiled inwardly. If he thought that he was going to impress him, the Wolf was in for a surprise. The guy had an unnerving quality, in that superior, self-satisfied attitude. He deserved a little lesson.
�I came about the Slayer case. But I guess you heard that,� he retorted cynically.
�No, not that,� Saitoh answered with a knowing, dirty smirk.
�Spying on one�s superior isn�t part of a cop�s attributions, is it?�
�Intervening into police matters isn�t a prerogative of civilians, either.�
Saitoh�s tone had been as suave as Hiko�s, yet there was a warning in his cold amber gaze. The mayor frowned. If Saitoh didn�t hear him questioning Tokio about the case, his last remark and hostility made no sense, unless�
To Saitoh�s surprise, the other man suddenly gave him a meaningful smile. His deep black eyes were still deadly serious, though.
�As you surely heard, too, Takagi-san is a good friend of mine and I�m concerned whenever she could be hurt. But well, I�ll leave her�safety to you, unless she is.�
Saitoh glared at him, scornfully. �Her safety isn�t your business.�
Hiko shrugged, his smile turning ironic. �It was a pleasure to talk to you, Detective. I�m sure that the Slayer won�t escape you next time,� he added graciously before leaving.
Closing the door behind him, Hiko didn�t bother to hide a satisfied expression. Really not the moment, indeed, Tokio.
***
Saitoh crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. His first judgment had been right. The man was a pompous buffoon. A nosy, pompous buffoon. Who the hell he thought he was, to intervene in his business. Saitoh was infuriated, yet he didn�t know if it was because he had let the guy play on his nerves, or because he had kept enough self-control not to punch his surgically enhanced moronic face.
She came out of her office, her teacup in hands, and raised her brows in surprise as she spotted him.
�Already back?�
�So it seems,� he answered coldly.
�A new problem?�
She was pouring herself some tea, and gave him a cautious look over her shoulder.
�No.� Just an old, pompous problem, he wanted to add, and miraculously managed not to.
�I hope so,� she went on dubiously, �because I have other bad news. I�ve had a hint on who might be in charge of the investigation on Enishi.�
�It seems that our Mayor is twisting his policy of not intervening into the investigation.�
�How do you�? You saw him.� Was that connected to his obvious bad mood, she wondered. She hoped that Hiko didn�t tease him about Shishio�s escape.
�I came back just as he left,� he shrugged.
She turned to him and after drinking a sip of the hot beverage, got her lighter and pack from her jacket pocket.
�He dropped by after seeing Kondo. And no, he didn�t change his attitude. He agreed to stay out of the case and to be consulted only before we go public with something. He just noticed that something was going on there and he wanted to warn me. I guess he found it weird that I wasn�t upstairs, too.�
�And?�
�Hijikata and Takeda were there.�
They shared a knowing look, which Saitoh broke off immediately, reporting his attention to the burning tip of his cigarette.
�And you deduced that he�s in charge.�
�That makes sense. With what Hiko-san saw, I mean, not with the situation. I can�t believe that Kondo lets Takeda investigate on somebody from the section.�
�The chief of police doesn�t have anything to say when it comes to internal affairs,� objected Saitoh.
She didn�t answer, blowing the smoke of her cigarette away, looking thoughtfully over the window.
�It smells bad,� she finally said.
�If you say so.�
She turned to him again, puzzled. He glanced away disdainfully. Why was he so cold, all of a sudden?
�What?� he asked, on a bored tone which didn�t hide an aggressive stance.
�Nothing. I�m going back to my office, but I�m sure that your bad mood will keep you in good company,� she spat haughtily.
She slammed the door behind her. Saitoh cursed between his teeth.
***
Tokio stepped out of her office only when she heard all the others coming back for the briefing.
She noticed that Saitoh was still in the same mood, and she knew Aoshi enough to realize that he was also in a bad one. Wonderful. Thankfully, Sagara was in great shape and Kitaoka less gloomy than in the morning. Makimachi was recovering and they were relieved that Enishi stayed with her. It had its effect on their condition.
Megumi arrived last and Tokio asked her to present the results of the autopsy to start the briefing.
�For those who were at Takagi-san�s place yesterday,� she started with a scolding look at Sagara and Kitaoka, �You already know that this body presents differences with the others.�
Oh, Meg, Tokio thought, you aren�t helping here. Kitaoka stiffened and Sagara�s enthusiasm immediately dampened. Great, now the whole team, or what was left of it, was grim. Just perfect.
�The victims were usually found at the place they were killed, yet it�s obvious that this one has been transported. There was no blood around.�
�Not even dripping from the wound?� Sano tried.
�If you have to interrupt me, stupid, make it for a reason. If you had been there, you would have *smelled*, at least, that she was killed some time ago.�
Sano shut up, pouting.
�Takani-sensei, would you please go on,� Tokio asked rather dryly, her eyes conveying a warning.
�Of course. So, while we�re there, we think she has been killed three weeks ago. It�s too early to date precisely, but we can extrapolate it by relying on the Slayers� schedule and the weather conditions, since she was not refrigerated. We will have a more precise date after further analysis.�
Megumi pinned different pictures on the wall. �From the way the wound has been inflicted and comparing to the other victims�, it�s the same weapon and this is the work of Shishio. Yet, unlike the previous ones, who have been sliced up more or less slowly, this cut on the throat is the only wound inflected to her. Lethal, she died on the spot and the pain must have been minimal. At least for that kind of death, of course. The other elements that we have: she had prints on her arms and body, Shishio�s, and another one which seems barely human. She showed no sign of starvation nor of abuses, there was half-digested food in her stomach. We can also conclude that she had sexual relations shortly before her death, obviously consensual, no bruises, no trace of excessive violence.�
She paused, closing her folder, fidgeting nervously with the elastic. �We didn�t examine her clothes yet, but there were stains on it and we hope to find something else than blood, that could indicate the location of her murder or the place where she had been kept in. That�s all we have for now.�
They stayed silent for several minutes. Tokio turned then to the profiler.
�Aoshi, do you have any ideas?�
�Shishio enjoys the pain he inflicts to his victims, as all sadists do. The unique wound leads me to think that he couldn�t bring himself to make her suffer. He obviously had to kill her, for some reason, but I doubt he enjoyed it. Do you think it�s possible to find enough residues to know whom she had an intercourse with?�
�After 20 days, it seems difficult. We are trying, though.�
�You don�t think that she slept with *him*, do you?� Sano exclaimed.
�Calm down, Sagara, it�s a likely option. She was hostile to us even after he tried to kill her, keep that in mind. So it�s possible that she had a relationship with him and he killed her afterwards. The other option is that she had another partner and he killed her out of jealousy. Anyway, the execution method shows a certain care for her,� Aoshi explained.
�Yes, he cared, that�s why she�s dead,� the ex-thug mocked.
�Sagara, these people don�t think like you and I,� Tokio intervened. �In his sick brain, a somewhat painless death is probably a sign of her special status to him, Aoshi is right.�
�I also think that he kept the body with him, during these three weeks,� the profiler completed.
�The partner put the body at her place,� Saitoh said, nodding towards Tokio. �You concluded that it was improbable for Shishio to be there��
�Now more than ever. Unless there are some other cadavers that we don�t know about, which I doubt strongly, he must be more than frustrated now. Killing Komagata obviously didn�t give him the usual satisfaction which he gets, and yesterday he failed. I repeat: Makimachi wouldn�t have made it alive if he had been there,� Aoshi stated.
�Two questions, then. Why did he ask the partner to get rid of the body, and can this lead him to change his schedule?� Saitoh thought aloud.
�Good questions, to which I have no sure answers. The schedule change seems unlikely; it would be the recognition that we influenced him. The blatant sign of his failure; and after last night his ego can�t afford it. He�s wounded, too?�
�I�m sure I hit the shoulder. With the way the alley was lit, I had no visibility to shoot his legs,� Saitoh muttered in answer to the profiler, annoyed at the memory. �I�m not sure that it�s enough to keep him paralyzed for long.�
�This is another factor, though. Of course, his desire for revenge can overwhelm him, but Shishio seems to be the calculating type of criminal, so again I�ll tend to say that he will stick to the original plan. When it comes to why he got rid of the body, maybe it had been his intention all along. It wasn�t frozen, which is the usual way chosen by killers wanting to keep their victims� bodies. And the location fits our theory on their modus operandi, too.�
�Couldn�t it be a move from the partner only?� Saitoh proposed.
�Not if he�s similar to Seta and devoted to Shishio. Otherwise, yes, it could, but I really lack references to profile the other�� Aoshi sank into a deep silence.
�Are the other prints the associate�s? That could be a start,� Sanosuke voiced.
�Honjo told us that half of Shishio�s face was burnt. Is it possible for his hand to have been burnt, too, deforming his fingerprints?�
Megumi answered Tsunan�s question with an approving nod. �I was going to point that out. It�s the most likely option. I think that the other was wearing gloves, or we would have found some prints at your place, Tokio.�
�Shishio knows that we�re after him, and willing to act in the light. They must be protecting the identity of the partner, who is in this case not on the run like him, but socially integrated. The shadow, like Seta was when he killed that prostitute to bury our suspicions during the first wave of crimes. Except that now they�re more aggressive towards us, it�s the same. While we�re running after Shishio, he can discreetly make other moves, like yesterday with Komagata and Makimachi,� Saitoh theorized.
�Err, I�m going to be called an idiot again, but isn�t that strange that he chose Honjo? I mean, she is a he, and Shishio always kills women. Or isn�t she technically a he anymore?�
�It isn�t stupid, Sagara. And no, Honjo isn�t technically a he anymore, as you put it.� Tokio smiled to him, thankful for his intervention. He knew how to relax the atmosphere, even with distasteful or heavy sense of humor. They needed it now.
�You made the mistake yourself, moron�like everybody did,� Saitoh added after a second of hesitation. �There�s nothing strange in the fact that Shishio was tricked into believing that she�s a woman.�
�She is, though, except for what his on her ID,� Tokio said calmly. �Maybe her former gender wouldn�t have an importance to him, even if he knew. I know that Aoshi has another interpretation, but Shishio lived with and obviously cared for an ex-prostitute. He surely isn�t a narrow-minded bigot.�
�I never profiled Shishio as a stalker,� Aoshi intervened. �At least not in the full meaning of the term. Seta was. He killed his victims in a place where they were particularly vulnerable. Like Yukishiro Tomoe, who wasn�t attacked at her flat near the police station, or during duty, but after her weekly training at the swimming pool she was going to, which was located in another precinct. Shishio seems to act more on the moment�s impulse. Something attracts him in a woman, a prostitute like Komagata was, and it�s enough for him.�
�About stalkers, we just went to Kamiya�s and the other places you�ve been on Monday. Jo-chan didn�t find your key holder, and no one there remembers a person with a suspicious attitude. We could check the security camera of the bar and saw nothing there. But the restaurant had destroyed theirs this morning. They don�t keep it more than three days. They said that they had watched it and found nothing suspect, but we couldn�t see it by ourselves, so��Sano reported.
�We�re stuck, unless your analysis gives us some new clues, Doc,� Tsunan finished.
Tokio stood up. �We know that Shinomori and Saitoh�s theory was right. We can set another trap next week, and until then we can work on what we have. With more digging we may find a new lead.�
�If he keeps the same schedule,� Saitoh objected again, with deliberate scorn.
Tokio contained a sharp response. He was exasperated at something yet she saw no reason that she should pay for it. She wasn�t going to let him unnerve her, and thus she ignored his remark.
�I�ll try to contact Kondo again about Yukishiro and his investigation,� she announced, nodding to Meg before leaving the room.
***
She had been in her office for half an hour when somebody knocked on the door.
�Come in!�
Sagara showed up.
�Yes?� she encouraged him, as he had sat down and seemed rather embarrassed.
�In fact, well, I was wondering if Tsunan and I would be in charge of your protection. It would be better, you see��
�What should I see?�
�Well, don�t get mad if I say something personal, but it�s no secret that you and Saitoh are, you know��
She paled. Oh, no, no. Did he talk about it? Had she been that wrong, assuming he wouldn�t? Was that why he was cold now, playing with her mind again?
��I don�t say hating each other, but not getting along. And he was in a bad mood this afternoon. You also must be still in shock after yesterday. Not that you don�t have any nerves!� he added quickly, �but I thought you would be more able to relax if you weren�t with somebody who criticizes you all the time, like he does. I know that Shinomori is your friend and would be there, but he didn�t sleep last night, while he was looking after Misao. So��
She contained a nervous laughter, rubbing her hands on her forehead. Oh, Gods. She raised her eyes to Sanosuke, and smiled. He was awkward, and had it all wrong�or didn�t he? Anyway, he was thoughtful and she appreciated that.
�Does Kitaoka know about this? You know, I�m tired and I�m not in the mood to go out and drink,� she explained. She was still reluctant to ask her team members to take on their free time to protect her, as if she was a weak little thing.
�We talked about it while going to the hospital.� He had more confidence now that it wasn�t about a private matter anymore. �And with Enishi, too. He�s concerned for your safety, and as he has to keep an eye on Misao, he wants to be sure that you are taken care of.�
�I didn�t intend to ask Saitoh, or Shinomori, anyway,� she admitted.
�Tsunan thought so. And as he said, if we don�t let stupid amateurs around our Misao, it�s not to let them around our boss. I know we screwed up, yesterday, but we won�t again, and we�ll do better than the precinct cops. So��
She nodded. �Thank you.�
He had this naughty, funny smile and added: �Don�t thank me. I can at last spend a night with you, boss!�
�Sagara!� she warned sternly.
He winked to her and left swiftly, knowing that he was in for a scolding otherwise.
She sighed, lit a cigarette, and tried to relax. The idea that her relationship with Saitoh could be discovered had scared the hell out of her. If Saitoh�s attitude showed that he changed his mind about them, maybe it was for the better. She had too much to lose.
To be continued.

Author�s notes:

Thanks to Mara and Firuze, as always, and to L.Sith, for the grammar check, their encouragement and comments!

Sano is more intuitive about people�s love life in the manga, but there, it�s about his close friends, whereas we�re talking about *Saitoh* here. I thought that the truth would never come to his mind (^-^) I see him as a very nice guy, a bit awkward when he shows it, as he plays the tough guy usually.

I hope that the scene between Tokio and Sano was OK. She is used to be in control of everything, and the invasion of her private life at work plus her need for bodyguards is making her feel very uncomfortable, hence her reaction here (^-^).

Next chapter: Tokio gets her backbone back concerning Saitoh�.more or less, while he �bonds� with Aoshi over some common problems. Dense people, sake, green tea and cigarettes.
- 17
- 18
- 19
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