Only yours

Near to reach

At Tokyo airport, I was overcome by another strange feeling. Something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My motivation for the gala tonight was limited. Massaru was already waiting for me, and it was good to see him again after such a long time.

"Hello, boss. How was your flight?" he greeted me.

"Same as always. Take me home first. Is there anything I should know?" I asked as we walked to the car.

He shook his head. As long as there was no bad news, it was good news.
I took a shower first to rinse off the stresses and strains of the journey. So tonight I would see her again. I looked in the mirror and started to shave. Then there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Diamond? Are you going to be long? We need to talk," Kunzite called through the closed door.

I rolled my eyes, I urgently needed to change the security code for the front door. It felt like half of Tokyo already knew it.
"Give me five minutes."

I wrapped a towel around my hips and joined him in the hallway. "What's up?"

"He's here. In Tokyo. Haruka saw him half an hour ago near the station," Kunzite said with a serious face.

"And where is he now?" I growled tensely.
"In hiding again. But Massaru has assigned all available men to the search."

My eyes wandered to the clock. The gala would start in two hours. No one would notice if we were slightly late.

"I'll just get ready quickly. Before I go to the gala, I'll personally drive around a few places where I think he might be. We have to catch him now. He can't keep making a fool of us."
Kunzite nodded. "I agree with you. We can split up, then we'll get through faster. I'll tell Kaori to wait at the gala."

I chose a white suit with a black tie and matching black cufflinks. Kunzite sat in front of the laptop in my office. The best way to pass waiting time was to work.

"Anything interesting?" I asked as I approached him.
"No, I was just looking something up. Now to your plan. Which places do you want to check out?"
I pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and started writing down all the places here in Tokyo that Sapphire and I had a connection to. Eight places, four for each.

"Do you want to take the top or the bottom?" I asked Kunzite and slipped him the piece of paper. With a deft movement, he tore the note in half and kept the bottom half.
"I hope you have enough cash with you. Just contact the bosses of these clubs and give them what they need," I said curtly.

Kuzite now looked at his part of the list and understood what that meant, they were shady clubs where we used to hang out to provoke father.

"So we'll meet at the gala right away?" he asked.
"Yes, although I'd prefer to catch the lunatic first."

Massaru looked at me skeptically when I handed him the note.
"Before we leave for the gala, we'll check out these places."
"I can also send someone from the search parties there," he suggested.
"No. I'll have to do that myself."

The unease inside me grew. He was here, close enough to touch and yet nowhere to be found. That was driving me crazy again. It was time to put an end to his game of hide and seek.

"Massaru, is the area around the gala secure?" I asked as we made our way to the last of my locations.
"Of course, boss. We've got 10 bodyguards undercover, keeping an eye on Ms. Tsukino. And another eight are securing the outside area under Haruka's supervision."
"Why isn't Haruka inside with her?"
"Boss, Haruka is in charge of the operation. How is she supposed to coordinate everything from inside?"