Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act IX, Vacations and Sensations ❯ Chapter 4

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Warnings and Disclaimers: Yet again it is my duty to inform you that I'm not Sanami Matoh, I'm not making any money off of this, and I don't own FAKE. Oh yeah, be prepared for some serious lemons kids. They're on vacation after all.
 
They found Rose and JJ sipping tea and eating muffins, the inn owner bustling over them with motherly concern. She beamed at Ryo and Dee as they sat down.
“No problems with the storm, boys?” she asked chipperly.
“We slept through most of the thunder,” Ryo answered with a smile. “Did the power go out? All the clocks…”
“Yes, but only for about thirty seconds. The generators kicked in after that. Remarkable things. Everything's electric these days and those contraptions were made to power this place at full occupancy for two weeks. We need them more in the summer months than now. A big storm rolls in and people just can't live without their air conditioning, heaven forbid they open a window,” she gave them a small laugh and beamed at them again with her matron's smile. “Are you boys hungry?”
“Absolutely,” Dee said brightly.
“Would you like the same brunch you had yesterday?” she asked.
“That would be perfect,” Dee said and dropped her a wink. “And such a cute waitress too.”
She twittered girlishly and brushed her hand across Dee's shoulder.
“Oh Mr. Laytner, I'll get you your coffee.”
“Thank you,” he answered with a wide smile.
Ryo chuckled and poured himself a mug of tea, breathing the thick scent in as he lifted it up. JJ was scowling at Dee and Dee frowned.
“What?”
“I can't believe you're acting like that,” JJ said. “I'm sitting right here.”
Dee barked laughter and JJ grinned at him before he started pulling his muffin apart again. Rose glanced around the table and shook his head.
“What am I doing here?”
“My sentiments exactly,” Dee said. “Why don't you leave?”
Ryo shot him an annoyed glance and turned back to Rose.
“JJ said you'd found something out, sir.”
“Yes,” Rose said with a small sigh. “Then you left me here with him for the last twenty minutes.”
Dee chuckled and happily took the cup of steaming coffee that the smiling inn keeper handed to him before she bustled off to the next table.
“I checked, Renard Henry is still in jail, or more accurately in an asylum located just north of London. He apparently isn't responding well to treatment and keeps raving about seeing his dead daughter.”
Dee's mouth thinned but he remained silent.
“I did speak to the local authorities, and…” Rose's voice faded and he sighed heavily. “There's been a recent increase in violent homicides in the area. All of the victims had Japanese heritage.”
The silence was palpable at the table as Rose took another deep breath.
“There have also been some remarkable similarities between these crimes and those perpetrated by Renard Henry. The last victim was found floating in the lake, wearing a red dress.”
Dee frowned and lit another cigarette as he leaned back in his seat. Ryo was blankly staring at the table and sipping his tea, as though this were simply any other breakfast for him. Dee winced a little as he realized that this was pretty typical for them, and he felt both sad and sickened.
“So, a copycat?” JJ said finally.
“So it would seem,” Rose said softly as he pulled the top of his muffin off. “It's enough to make me nervous. I think you should leave, Ryo.”
Ryo's eyes slid up to him and Ryo shrugged a little before he glanced at Dee. Dee stared back and then he grinned.
“Nah, we're staying.”
Ryo smiled and sipped his tea as he picked up the newspaper from the table and began to read the front page. Rose scowled at them and shook his head.
“You need to take this seriously,” he said lowly. “Whatever's going on here, these people aren't going out of their way to be open about it. It's barely made the news and no one wants to talk about it.”
“That's not surprising,” Ryo said. “We hadn't heard anything about the other murders when we came here the first time. This place is built on keeping your mouth shut and attracting tourists. They aren't going to advertise that there's a killer on the loose.”
Elizabeth Jens returned and set two plates down in front of Dee and Ryo, the food steaming and warm and cooked to perfection. Dee dug in immediately and gave Elizabeth a pleased smile. She smiled back and her eyes slid to JJ and Rose.
“Are you gentlemen sure that I can't tempt you with something more than that?”
 
“They're still following us,” Dee grumbled irritably as he and Ryo wandered through the hotel, Rose and JJ trailing after them.
“What do you want me to do about it?” Ryo said tiredly.
“You were almost killed last time, Ryo,” Rose said angrily. “I don't understand how you can just ignore this.”
“Weren't you the one who was so game for catching the killer last time?” Dee snapped. “And don't tell us what to do. We're on vacation, you prick.”
“Don't start with me Laytner, don't think I won't crush you,” Rose growled. “You're both being reckless and stupid.”
“Hard to play the game when it's someone you know, isn't it?” Dee taunted. “I don't want anything to happen to Ryo anymore than you do, but we're not leaving like this. Whatever's going on here, it's obviously not something that's going to stop. It's important enough to this psycho that he brought the two of you here, you can't really think that he won't follow us back to America or wherever we go. I'd rather face it here.”
And on that pleasant note breakfast had ended. Dee and Ryo had aimlessly trekked through the hotel, the bleak rain still falling outside as the day wore on. Dee sighed and slid his arm around Ryo's waist, pulling him close as they paused to look out the window.
“You sure about staying?”
“Don't get cold feet on me now.”
“I worry about you.”
“Why are you so sure it's me this guy's after? If I recall correctly, you're the one who stopped Henry last time.”
“Well yeah…”
“So it would make sense to me that you'd be more of a target than me. You're the one that stopped things last time, he gets you, he excels past the original.”
Ryo turned to stare up at Dee.
“I worry about you.”
Dee sighed and he looked back out the window again. Both were quiet and the thunder rumbled overhead.
“So where do you want to go on our next vacation?” Dee asked suddenly. “I vote someplace sunny.”
“Rio?” Ryo asked coyly.
Dee laughed and his arm tightened for a moment before he released Ryo and they started back down the hallway again, their two shadows still following close.
“What do you think it would take to lose them?” Dee asked.
“How about some gunfire?” Ryo answered. “I could wing JJ easy.”
Dee choked on a loud snort of laughter and shook his head, a wide grin on his face.
“You know, I've said it before but I'll say it again. You don't look it, but you're a violent little bastard.”
Ryo smiled and pecked Dee's cheek.
“Only with you,” he said sweetly.
“Want to go to bed?” Dee asked softly as he brushed his lips across Ryo's ear. “We might be able to get some real alone time then.”
Ryo felt the familiar blush spread across his face but he nodded as Dee stood back up. Dee grinned and turned, his steps faster now as he headed for the stairs.
“We're going to our room,” he announced to JJ and Rose. “We'll be busy for a while and I'm fucking serious when I say do not fucking disturb us.”
Ryo shook his head, but smiled as they started up the stairs.
“WAIT!” JJ howled. “Dee-senpai! Noooo! Let's…let's go for a walk!”
“It's raining you twit,” Dee answered.
“We walked in the rain the last time we were here,” JJ said. “We went for supplies.”
Dee froze and blinked.
“Shit,” he said suddenly. “Supplies.”
“What?” Ryo asked with a frown.
“Remember, the dining room closes this afternoon until the weekend,” Dee said. “We were supposed to pick up some more groceries.”
“Oh,” Ryo said lowly. “Damn. That's right.”
He sighed and looked out into the storm.
“That's not going to be a pleasant walk,” he said tiredly.
“Well,” Dee said, pulling on a wide grin. “We obviously can't go. JJ and the Commissioner will just have to do it.”
“What?” JJ and Rose both snapped.
“Ryo and I can't go wandering around in the storm,” Dee said. “We're prime targets of a deranged serial killer. We'll just have to hole up here where it's safe and keep an eye on each other.”
Rose stared at him and then smirked.
“It would be bad strategy to keep you both together,” he said. “I've got a different solution.”
 
A steady stream of curses leaked out of Dee as he trudged through the rain, JJ happily bubbling next to him. He scowled and jammed his hand deeper into his jacket pocket, the other holding the umbrella firmly over his head. This sucked. Royally.
Ryo watched their forms disappear into the trees and he sighed heavily before he dropped his hand away from the curtain and turned back to the small room. Rose was flipping through the TV channels, his eyes boredly coursing over the blurry programs. The storm seemed to be wreaking havoc with the reception.
“You know, two people are missing to make this a real reunion,” Rose said suddenly.
“Hmm?” Ryo blinked and then nodded. “I know. I called them both earlier, but neither Bikky or Carol have seen anything strange. I told them both to be careful and keep an eye out.”
Rose nodded and continued to stare at the TV. Ryo sighed again and sat down on the bed. This wasn't how he had planned spending his vacation. He slid on his glasses and started reading. He suddenly wished it was a good enough book to keep his attention, but he kept finding himself staring off into space. He felt eyes resting on him and he glanced over at Rose.
“Something wrong, sir?”
“Just thinking,” Rose said. “Your partner, is he still a possessive dick?”
Ryo blinked and smiled slightly. “Why?”
“He didn't give me any warnings this time before he took off.”
Ryo shrugged. “Maybe he finally got the point that you're not interested anymore.”
Rose nodded. “We're never going to be friends, he and I. We're too alike.”
Ryo dropped his book and stared at Rose in open surprise. Rose chuckled and shrugged.
“I take it you've noticed,” he said.
“Y-yeah,” Ryo said shakily. “But Dee denies it with a vengeance.”
“He would,” Rose said boredly. “It's true though. We're very similar.”
Ryo smiled and nodded. Rose's eyes burned into him and the Commissioner took a deep breath.
“We're a lot alike, so I know that he's never going to stop loving you. You're with him forever. It'll kill him if something happens to you.”
Ryo nodded.
“I know.”
Rose sighed and his eyes drifted back to the television, apparently bored with the conversation now. A few minutes of silence passed and Rose sighed again.
“There's nothing on. Why don't we call for some tea and play some chess?”
Ryo shrugged and dropped his book back on the nightstand.
 
The rain was pounding down on them and Dee was cursing England and its stupid weather with every step. Not that the company was making things any better. JJ seemed intent on giving Dee every excuse to throttle him and leave the lifeless body laying out in the rain. Dee gritted his teeth as JJ crooned next to him. The dark haired detective lit a cigarette.
“Will you shut up already?” Dee snapped.
And amazingly, JJ did. Dee was surprised at the silence, but remained quiet as they continued to walk. Suddenly JJ sighed.
“Do you hate me Dee?”
“Huh?”
“You heard me senpai.”
“That's a stupid question JJ,” Dee said boredly. “Of course I don't hate you. You're a good cop, you're a good friend, and you're a good person. You just annoy the shit out of me sometimes,” Dee sighed and grinned at JJ. “Although, who doesn't?”
“Ryo?” JJ ventured.
“Are you kidding? Ryo can be obnoxious as hell. And stubborn,” Dee shook his head. “You'd swear the man was part mule.”
“That's why you love him though, isn't it?” JJ pressed.
Dee thought back to Ryo's face in another rain storm, Dee's gun drawn and pointed at his brown haired partner. He had already been in love with his partner then, but that stubborn refusal to back down from Dee, that had amazed him. Ryo was one of the few people that Dee had met who would stand their ground with him. It was a vital part of their relationship, they were equals.
“Partly,” Dee said with a smile.
They walked on in silence, but it was friendly now.
 
There was a quiet knock at the door and Ryo smiled at the bellhop who had carried their luggage up for them. He smiled tiredly back and wheeled in the cart.
“Here's your tea, Mrs. Jens said to bring it right up. Something about electricity and something else,” the kid said. “I don't know. I wasn't listening.”
Ryo laughed and handed him his tip.
“Thank you.”
He grinned back and retreated back out the door. Ryo poured the tea and sat back down across the board and stared down at the pieces. Rose was proving to be the master strategist that Ryo had always suspected him of being. They sipped their tea and Rose chuckled as Ryo's hand hovered indecisively over his pieces.
“Problem Detective?” Rose said with a small smirk.
“Just thinking sir,” Ryo said with a smile of his own.
 
“Damn this stupid shopping trip,” Dee growled. “What are we supposed to get anyway?”
“Huh?”
“What are we supposed to pick up?” Dee bit out, enunciating each word.
“I don't know.”
Dee stopped in the rain and turned to stare down at JJ.
“You don't have the list?”
“No,” JJ answered. “Don't you?”
“No,” Dee said flatly. “Well…fuck…let's go back and get it.”
Dee was cursing steadily as they turned back and started for the hotel.
 
The knock at the door startled Ryo out of his thoughts and he stood up quickly, his head suddenly spinning dangerously. He dropped back to his seat and pressed his hand to his head.
“Something wrong?” Rose asked.
“My head,” Ryo said.
The knock came again and Ryo stood back up, his vision clouding suddenly and his legs and arms tingling and distant. He crashed roughly to the floor and Rose cried out with surprise. The Commissioner leapt to his feet and then shook his head as a dark cloth darted over his vision. He took an unsteady step forward and then tumbled to his knees, his fingers digging into the carpet as he panted for breath. Ryo was trying to push himself up, his body stubbornly refusing to listen as his vision throbbed and pulsed.
The door clicked open and the young bell hop entered again. He looked around the room and then set down a full ice bucket, his eyes sparking as he stepped to them. He chuckled and crouched next to Ryo, his eyes skidding over to Rose.
“You're not the one I was expecting,” he said. “But this will work too. You can tell Detective Laytner he's got one hour to find his partner. This is great. It's just like before, I'll bet he's in town, isn't he? This is bloody brilliant. This is better than anything I could have ever set up on my own. Brilliant! One hour.”
He reached down and grabbed Ryo's arm and Ryo swung a slow fist at him. The kid laughed and dropped back onto the floor, rubbing at the cheek Ryo had barely managed to hit.
“Come on Detective, play your part. We've got to mark you up before your partner gets back.”
Ryo felt a low animal growl escape him and his shook his head as he struggled to push himself back to his feet. The kid laughed again and punched Ryo's temple, Ryo's head slamming hard back to the floor and bouncing high into the air. Ryo's eyes slid drunkenly closed and Rose pushed himself back to his feet. He made an unsteady lunge towards the kid, but he boredly stepped aside and Rose crashed back to the floor.
“One hour,” the young man said cheerfully as he pulled Ryo's arm around his shoulder and drug him out of the room.
The door slammed loudly shut and Rose struggled to push himself up and get to the phone. His head was screaming and his fingers were tingling and unresponsive.
“Dammit,” he panted. “Dammit, dammit, dammit…”
 
“Because Ryo's goddamn picky,” Dee said as they walked down the hallway. “He knows what he wants and I'm sure he made a list, so we'll just pick it up and walk into town. Christ JJ, stop bitching. You can just stay here if you want to.”
Dee unlocked the hotel room door and he immediately knew something was wrong. Something about the room was off.
“Ryo?” he murmured.
Then he spotted the Commissioner. Rose was panting heavily and was slumped against the nightstand, the phone clutched in one hand. His eyes were clenched shut and a short pocket knife was jammed in his leg.
“Shit,” Dee snapped. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
He and JJ rushed into the room, and Dee knew that Ryo wasn't there. There was no force on the Earth that could have made Ryo sit idly by while someone was hurt and bleeding. He ripped a pillow case off one of the pillows and yanked the knife out of Rose's leg, the blood dribbling slowly out as Dee jammed the pillow case down. Rose hissed with pain and his eyes opened to small slits.
“The phone's out,” he grunted. “He took Ryo…the tea…you have an hour…no…forty minutes…”
“What?” Dee asked, a slow seed of terror building in his stomach.
“The kid, the baggage kid, he took Ryo,” Rose said, his eyes trying to focus on Dee. “He said it was just like last time, he's got Ryo. You have to find them.”
Dee blinked and his mouth thinned to an angry line.
“Let's go,” he growled. “JJ, help him up.”
“What?” JJ said with surprise. “He needs medical attention Dee.”
“You think he's going to sit by and do nothing?” Dee asked. “No phones JJ, we're on our own.”
Rose nodded and he fumbled with the loose piece of fabric until it was tied around his leg. He hadn't had any choice, it was pain or pass out. He gritted his teeth as JJ and Dee helped to pull him to his feet. He tested his weight on the leg and then slung an arm around JJ's neck.
“Where do we start?”
“Like last time, huh?” Dee said. “Let's check downstairs.”
 
Ryo slumped against the bed, the floor hard against him as he leaned back. His head was bowed forward and his eyes closed, a tight gag tied in his mouth. A thick gash ran down his cheek and the kid had jammed a knife into his upper arm, the blood pouring hotly down his arm. His right hand had also been cut, and it throbbed dully as Ryo continued to work at the ropes that bound his wrists behind his back. The blood was actually helping the cords to stretch, but he tried not to think about that too much, and forced himself to keep focused. The kid kept talking, a long continuous stream of words in a low rasping breath.
He was going to be famous, world famous, everyone was going to know him. He had copied Henry's crimes perfectly, and in half the time. And now he was going to take care of all the old man's unfinished business. The kid giggled when he said that and waved the knife through the air.
“Even if he finds you in time,” he murmured to Ryo. “It won't matter.”
He pulled a gun out and waved it at Ryo.
“I'm done with my knife work, I'm not stupid like that old man. I'm going to shoot you both.”
He giggled again and Ryo's eyes shut tighter as he worked at the ropes some more. He could almost slip one hand free, that would be enough to push him to his feet, or rip off the gag. It would be enough for him to do something instead of sitting here waiting helplessly.
“Shoot you both,” the kid said in a sing-song voice. “Shoot you all.”
 
“Dammit,” Dee grunted as they returned to the room.
They deposited Rose heavily on the bed and the Commissioner sighed and ran a hand across his face. The effects of the drug had already worn off, but he was still having trouble walking on his own. He slumped against the bed and Dee cursed again.
They had checked everywhere downstairs. They had tried the secret burial chamber that Henry had hidden all his victims in. It had been turned into a storage room, and was packed full of boxes and equipment, but no sign of Ryo. They had checked the lobby, but again, no clues.
Dee stormed through the room angrily. They were almost out of time. His teeth gritted angrily and he kicked the ice bucket sitting by the door. It tipped over and scattered across the room, water flooding out over the carpet. Dee cursed again and jumped back, angrily slamming his fist against the wall.
“What the fuck is this doing here?” he snapped.
“The kid brought it,” Rose said dully. “He set down there before he grabbed Ryo.”
Dee stared at the ice bucket and suddenly became silent.
“Ryo asked for ice,” Dee said flatly. “Henry was supposed to bring him some ice, to his room. But Carol was there, so he couldn't do it there…so he didn't bring the ice…”
Dee's eyes closed and he tried to focus his memory.
“We were on the second floor, but not this room, near here, I was in two…two-oh…207, and Ryo was in 206. Shit. That's just down the hall.”
“He could pull someone down there without attracting attention,” JJ said softly. “It's close and secure.”
“Shit,” Rose said flatly.
 
“Time's almost out,” the kid whispered, the excitement raw in his voice. “Are you nervous yet Detective?”
Ryo's head was still slumped against his chest and he kept his eyes closed. The ropes were almost free, he just needed a little more time. Suddenly the kid stiffened and smiled, the gun rising to point at the door. He knew every floorboard and creak of the hotel, and someone had just stopped outside the room. No, someones. Apparently they had managed to figure it out.
His smile grew dark and pleased. He wondered if they'd try and negotiate with him, that could be interesting. He wondered what they'd offer him. He'd let them bargain for a few more minutes, but whatever happened, he was going to shoot them all. The doorknob twisted slightly, someone testing the lock and the kid steadied the gun.
Ryo's eyes tightened.
Not yet, not yet, just give me one more damn minute…
The kid could imagine Dee bursting into the room, his eyes angry, maybe he'd have a gun too. But he wouldn't be fast enough. He'd get shot down and as he lay on the floor dead, the gun would arc through the air and explode the other detective's face open. The kid shivered in anticipation and stared expectantly at the door.
Suddenly, the balcony door exploded open and Dee leapt inside. The kid let out a startled cry and swung the gun through the air, Ryo springing up from the floor and slamming into him. The shot echoed loud and the bullet harmlessly pierced the ceiling. Dee roared with anger and sprang forward, pulling Ryo up, the gun away, and sharply kicking the prone young man on the floor in one fluid motion.
“You fucking dick!” Dee growled. “You want to be like Henry? Well why don't I give you the same treatment I gave to that dumb shit! You goddamn animal!”
Ryo ripped off the gag and rubbed at his wrists as Rose and JJ entered, a slightly annoyed look on Rose's face.
“Is this the same `self-defense' technique he used last time?” Rose asked flatly.
“Actually there aren't any handcuffs this time,” Ryo answered.
“Maybe we should stop him,” JJ said.
“In a minute,” Rose said as he examined Ryo's arm. “I promise.”
“Rat-bastard!”
 
Dee irritably smoked as Rose explained everything that had happened to the local authorities. Elizabeth Jens was shaking her head and rubbing her hands together in disbelief. JJ was trying to calm her down, but she didn't seem to want to be comforted.
“I hired him, it's all my fault. I used to tell him about what had happened here, he had just seemed so curious…”
Ryo's eyes were closed and an occasional wince passed across his face as the doctor wrapped his cuts in thick white bandages. He was exhausted, and he hoped that everyone would just leave them alone soon so he could get some rest.
“And that's everything,” Rose said finally, his eyes skidding across Dee and warning him to keep his mouth shut. “I think we're done here now.”
“Yes sir,” the officer said. “I'm very sorry about all this, we're thankful for everything that you've done.”
“Yes,” Rose said tiredly and turned to Mrs. Jens. “We'll need our rooms for another night.”
“Of course,” she sputtered. “Everything's on the house, I'll see that everything you need is sent up.”
“Thank you,” Rose said.
Dee held his hand out and pulled Ryo to his feet, Ryo giving him a tired smile. Dee smiled back and brushed his finger across the back of Ryo's hand.
“Let's get some sleep.”