Life of a Stray Fox

Chapter 35

I hung upside down from the ceiling of our hideout, Teams A and B having already left. I told Dazai I would be on call the second they needed me, but for now I just planned to stay here with Ari and Shion. Ranpo was slouched in a chair with his chin on a desk, "I have nothing to do~ I wanna go out~"
Yosano looked up from her book, "The mafia will snap your neck if you go out."
I glanced between them and then to Fukuzawa as he began to speak, "Nothing out of the ordinary on the security cameras?"
My ears instinctively swiveled towards the monitors with the view from the cameras. Yosano laid her book down, "So far, it's all boring."
Fukuzawa nodded, "This lecture hall has no regular entrances. The only way to storm this place would be through the unused underground railway tunnel. So if our enemies try to get in, they will be spotted by the security cameras there."
I hummed quietly and nodded from my still upside down position on the ceiling.
Yosano smirked and snickered, "Not to mention all those traps set along the railway. They can hardly attempt an invasion in this terrain... without a force of considerable size."
My eyes widened the slightest at her comment and I immediately looked down at Ari who was staring up at me with eyes just as wide as my own. We were both thinking of the same person from the Mafia who had that amount of power.
Ranpo huffed from below us, "War is so boring! I've exhausted my reserve of sweets in less than a day..."
I rolled my eyes at the pouting male and dropped from the ceiling, flipping midair so I landed on my feet. I smirked with my tails flicking behind me, "Maybe if you weren't such a piggy~"
He frowned at me while Ari and Yosano giggled quietly.
Ranpo grabbed the monitor and smiled brightly, "Let's play mahjong on this, Yosano!"
The woman's gaze turned predatory as she gazed at Ranpo, "Oh? On what stakes?"
Ranpo's smile evaporated from his face and his eyes opened wide, putting me on high alert.
Yosano noticed as well and stood up, "Is something wrong?"
Ranpo grabbed his hat quickly and put it on, "Director. We'd better summon the defense teams back."
Fukuzawa shut his book and looked over just as I moved towards Ranpo quickly. "Is the enemy here? How many?"
"One."
He flipped the monitor for us to see and Fukuzawa's face filled with dread while mine changed to a slight grin.
Chuuya Nakahara you crazy son of a bitch.
Chuuya smirked at the camera before it and another went out, the screens becoming static.
Yosano shouted, "Cameras 2 and 5 are down!"
Ari scoffed, anger filling the girl's face at the sight of the redhead. I tilted my head and followed after her as she made her way to the back corner of the room.
"Ari what's wrong? You saw Chuuya and got so angry."
The girl muttered, "After you died... he didn't have any time for me anymore. He abandoned me and left me after he promised to stay with me.  Mori tortured me... locked me up in a cage. I hate him for that."
My eyes filled with shock and most importantly, disappointment. "He... he left you?"
The girl nodded just as a few tears slipped from her eyes, anger starting to burn inside me.
My attention turned to the monitor as gun shots sounded from the speaker system. As suddenly as they started, they stopped and Chuuya's voice flooded the room. "Receiving an envoy with these little puppets? You're so undermanned I could cry. It's pitiful, detectives. Come out. Whoever's alive in there!"
Yosano and Ranpo looked nervous, but Ranpo still looked at Fukuzawa, "Director."
Before the old man gave the order, I was already loosening my tie and making my way into the railway tunnels that held Chuuya. My feet carried me quickly down the darkened tunnel, my ability allowing me to see through the darkness. Faint whistling was heading my way and I knew Chuuya was close. My pace quickened and before long, Chuuya and I were face to face.
He stared in slight surprise, "I wasn't expecting you to be here."
I placed a hand over my face and a dark laugh escaped me, "Oh yeah, and I wasn't expecting to find out that you abandoned Ariake after I kicked the bucket."
Chuuya froze, fear flashing through his eyes at my accusation. "I... I didn't mean too. You were dead... and I wasn't thinking straight."
A shudder ran down my spine and anger flooded my chest, "You promised her. Hell... you promised me you'd look out for her, but you lied to me."
Chuuya stepped back at my icy tone, trying to find an answer that would satisfy me but failing. "I'm sorry..."
I scoffed and raised a brow, "You shouldn't be apologizing to me."
My eyes flashed dangerously and I charged him.
"Kotori, what are you doing!?"
I lifted my foot up and kicked him in the chest, the force enough to make him fall on his backside and roll across the ground. I held my hands half open with my palms up, "Foxfire!"
Chuuya scrambled to his feet and watched me wearily, "Kotori, please! I'm not going to fight you!"
I paused, making it seem like I was thinking about what he had said before violet flames ignited in my palms anyway. My hands twitched, a snarl bubbling inside my throat.
After my training with Dazai, I could control my ability almost as good as I used to be able to in the Mafia. I took a threatening step towards the male, the flames growing larger. I flung my left hand forwards, a ball of fire careening through the air towards him. It curved at the last second, crashing into the tunnel wall right by his head. I fling my right hand forward as well, the other fireball doing the same as the first but instead it crashed into the wall on the other side of his head.
The redhead looked at me with awe and underlying fear, "You're controlling your abilities? That's amazing!"
My teeth clenched, this wasn't the reaction I wanted from him. I wanted him to be scared, angry even. But instead he just let me hit him.
I made my way towards him slowly, my head hung low and a growl emanating from my throat. I stopped just in front of the male, looking into his eyes with a harsh glare and unshed tears.
"How could you?"
His gaze dropped to the ground and I pulled my right hand back, my fingers twitching before I threw it forward and slapped Chuuya across the face, my claws scratching into his skin and drawing small droplets of blood.
As a stood there heaving large breaths, my anger subsided and only my disappointment remained. One tear rolled down my cheek, then two, then five... before long I sunk to my knees with tears flowing down my face and soaking my cheeks. I felt like this situation between Ari and Chuuya was my fault... and to an extent, it was. If I hadn't died... things would be so much different.
Chuuya crouched in front of me, lifting my face up so I was looking at him. "I'm so sorry... please Kotori, you have to believe me. I didn't mean for this to happen."
I reached up and ran my thumb across the scratches on his face, bloody droplets staining my thumb.
"I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did... I'm sorry."
Chuuya smiled softly at me before leaning in and pressing his lips onto mine, telling me I was forgiven.
Now if only Ari could forgive him...