The pan hissed, a tempting, smoky scent of chicken rice and omelet lingered in the small apartment, inviting the other residents to a lovely meal after another tiring day of work.
"I'm home." Sayo exclaimed in a weary tone, tossed her coat over the next best chair and slumped onto the couch with a sigh.
"Welcome home." Tatsumi hummed, cautiously transporting the second omelet onto its plate over the small mound of chicken rice. "How's your day been?"
"Terrible. Just terrible."
"So the same, as per usual."
Sayo furrowed her brow at that response. "What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed.
"Nothing. Go on."
"Ieyasu's not been here, right?"
"Not that I knew, no." Tatsumi returned to cracking yet another three eggs for the last omelet.
"The report on the recent disappearances, which I was working on, got rejected by my boss. But a day later, today, Fuka writes almost the exact same thing as me, just worse and she gets the pass. This sleazy, fat son of a maggot-eating whore." Her fist repeatedly hammered into the nearby pillow.
"Let's calm down first, alright? I don't know much about journalism but maybe you could look at how your colleagues write and put some of theirs into your style."
Sayo glared daggers at him. "Why would I? She merely wrote Night Raid this, Night Raid that… Can someone for the love of god just kill these terrorists so that I don't need to write about them anymore?!"
"Maybe that's something your boss likes to-"
Eyes rolled. "Do I really need to spell it out to you? I thought connecting the dots is your job."
The pan started hissing in the back. "I'm a peasant, not a psychic. So yeah, go on."
"Bitch's been wearing stockings and a garter belt recently with that short skirt and heels." She snorted.
He could swear he heard this one a few days ago already. The realization hit him now. "Wait, you think-"
"Yes, exactly. Even heard her moan in his office. They've been fucking on the job a bunch of times. Just yesterday again as a matter of fact."
"That's crazy. You should be able to report this." Tatsumi returned as he put on the finishing touches on their dinner.
"Oh c'mon. Internal affairs isn't gonna get themselves involved over some random slut spreading her legs for her superior. They go on about moral decency and whatnot, but they don't fucking care. If depraved shite like this really bothered them, they'd probably have to take a good look in the mirror. Most of 'em are probably friends with each other anyway, so they cover for each other." Sayo exhaled a deep sigh.
"It shouldn't be like this. The one who writes best should get the pass, not… not whatever this is."
"Then I'd be writing most columns and everyone else would be sittin' on the road."
Tatsumi bit on his tongue. Her straight face clearly indicated that she was dead serious. Just let her have her five minutes. After these were over, she'd go back to a more bearable mood. Usually, at the very least.
"How about we have something to eat first?" He offered with an appeasing smile almost beckoning her to the table.
"Yeah… I'm starving." Her lips curled up when she glanced down at her omelet, her name written in thin strokes of ketchup and the bits of broccoli next to it. "That's really cute."
"I got the idea from the vice-captain's wife. She also does that." Tatsumi placed down the other plates, glanced at the door once more before sitting down. "Think we can sta-"
"I'm back!" The upbeat tone in Ieyasu's voice already indicated how his day had gone. He must've passed the examination with flying colors. Granted, even if he had botched the entire thing, he'd probably have the exact same outlook. "Smells good in here. Ah, bro cooked. Nice."
Ieyasu joined them on the table and indulged right away. "Hmmm, delicious." His compliment was muffled by the unchewed rice still in his mouth. "Ya never gon' guess what's happened today. Ima tell ya. So we've done this evaluation for Sergeant rank. And I absolutely killed it. I even caught Goutetsu crackin' a smile."
"The jerk's capable of that?" Sayo questioned, eyeing him incredulously after that statement.
"I think he's a softie underneath after all."
"Yeah, he's pretty chill when he's not busy, you know, making your life miserable." Tatsumi concurred. "No, really. You know after that… little argument with the other recruits, he pulled me to the side and I was absolutely ready to get kicked out of the army. But Goutetsu was totally calm about it. Even gave me some advice for the future."
"'Little argument'..." She merely shook her head at that outrageous understatement. "May I remind you that you mauled half a dozen recruits and nearly turned one of them into a cripple for life?"
Tatsumi averted his shut eyes. "Look, I'm not proud of that and I'm sorry, but they crossed the line. I might have overreacted a bit in hindsight." Pain still pulsed viciously through his busted knuckles each time he dared attempt a fist. The left was even worse. The highly unpleasant, searing sensation kept him close company throughout all of his waking hours, never ceased to remind him of last night's events raging vividly across his mind again like the roaring inferno and the howling thunder that accompanied them.
Was this what they meant with 'deja vu'?
"They deserved it though. Some of 'em still cringe a lil' bit, every time I drop your name. It's kinda funny to be honest." Ieyasu snickered mischievously, all while stuffing himself with the delicious meal in front of him.
For a second, Tatsumi thought he was talking about the rapists and not the recruits.
"But wait a minute. I remember you were shocked for the rest of the day. I even heard him scream insults at you." Sayo pointed out.
"Just an act. So-"
"So that the others wouldn't start disrespecting him. Got you."
"And how's your guys' day been?" Ieyasu asked.
"It's been good." She replied with slightly higher pitch. Tatsumi furrowed his brow at that.
"And yours?"
"Well… It's been my first day off this month, so yeah it's been good. By the way, the vice-captain has invited me to dinner with his family. Would you guys like to join?"
Before either of them responded, they both merely gave each other revealing, long glances. "Sure, why not?" Sayo answered.
Tatsumi's brow furrowed. "You got plans, don't you?"
"Why would we have-"
"I'm not stupid. I do this for a living. Connecting the dots and all." He sent a slight wink Sayo's way. "You want to go out together?"
"Yeah kinda, bro." Ieyasu admitted with a cheeky grin.
"What do you mean 'kinda'? We're goin' out on Friday night."
"Ya heard her."
"At least we now know who's wearing the pants." Tatsumi snickered.
"I wouldn't be so sure 'bout that. But seriously, how is it ya got nothin' goin' on, bro? Ya gotta be kiddin' me! What happened with Seryu or Leone? I thought ya were about to hit home? For god's sake…" Ieyasu shot back with an impish grin.
"You know, one of dad's quotes went like this: 'Don't make honey where you make money.' And I guess he's kinda right. That'd be super weird having that at work. And Seryu… She's more like a sister to me, if anything."
"Do yourself a favor and don't say that when she's around." Sayo advised before taking another bite.
"Nah, there's nothing between us except work. It's all she cares about. As for Leone… we just bump into each other occasionally and when we do she gets me to pay for her booze every time. She's probably got some other poor guy on the hook when it's not me."
"Aight, fair. But surely, there's gotta be some girl for ya when you're out there, doing your rounds. Ain't no way, no woman in this beautiful city would wanna go out with ya."
The closest he's gotten to a romantic encounter were the many prostitutes roaming the streets in desperate search of clients, if they weren't lying in a pool of their own blood, horribly mutilated. Tatsumi heaved out a long sigh. Probably not a fact for the dinner table. "I mean, it'd be nice, but look… I barely have time for you guys. What makes you think I've got time to go out with someone?"
"Goddamnit, bro! It's not like you're workin' round the clock like some machine. Ya need to live a lil' too. Ya gotta watch out or you're gonna be old and lonely before ya know it."
"It's not that simple, Ieyasu." Sayo stepped in and glanced over to Tatsumi, noticing the slight frown indicative of his waning patience. "Just give him some time. It seems that he's married to his job right now. And that's alright. That's what we came here to do in the first place."
"I keep forgettin'. The city's starts feelin' more and more like home every day." Ieyasu admitted. "But trust the process. The further I go, the more gold we're gonna be swimmin' in. And I plan to go all the way."
Sayo merely chuckled at that. Previously, she had always done so derisively but these days it came off as genuine. With each passing day, the undeterred belief he had in himself, which she had always construed as the arrogance of an unwitting fool, was spreading onto her as well. Because Ieyasu had already started delivering on his ambitious promises. If one could do it, achieve the rank of 'General' from the status of a mere peasant, it surely had to be Ieyasu.
"Thank god the Capital's there or all these animals from the west would try to pillage the villages."
Tatsumi cocked his head back at that claim. "You mean the same Capital that's charging a king's ransom from said villages, ours included?"
"Yeah, but someone's gotta pay for the army, you know. And like I just said, it's not like the army's just there for show. Most of it goes into defending the nation from invaders that would like to see our nation destroyed." Ieyasu shoveled another spoonful down the limitless maw he called his throat. "And would ya please stop starin' at me like I just said somethin' crazy?"
"Don't know about that… What you're saying sounds fair, but I always felt rather threatened instead of protected." Tatsumi added in a skeptic tone. "Where was the army when the pack of winter wolves tried to attack our livestock? Or when, you know, that huge dragon-looking thing nearly burned down the village? It even killed a bunch of people before WE killed it. In the end, we've always had to take care of that stuff ourselves."
"The army ain't meant for that type of stuff. We're there to keep the villages from being pillaged by enemy armies. The rest is up to the villages, because we can't be everywhere at once and spare resources for the frontlines."
"Fair, but then why are we being made to pay for security that we don't get anyway? I only ever saw them when they came to collect the taxes." The officer responded.
"You dense or something?" Ieyasu shot back. "If the army wasn't there, ya would notice. We're puttin' our lives on the line so there ain't no enemy armies razin' our villages or other invaders in the city."
Before he could retaliate, Sayo intervened. "What he meant to say was that we should contribute our fair share, since they are fighting to keep us safe. After all, soldiers also need to live off something. And most of the time, people don't see you do your work either, so it's harder for them to appreciate it."
"Yeah, no need to tell me a third time. I heard you the first time." The officer sighed. "Speaking of appreciation, I'm also going to get my paycheck this week." Tatsumi added.
"Nice. It better be worth all your bitchin' and moanin'." Ieyasu chuckled.
"What do you mean? I haven't even talked about my job for a week or so because I know you guys don't like to hear about it."
"Yeah, 'cause once ya get goin' ya never stop. And what's so terrible about it anyway, bro?" The imperial soldier scoffed, mouth stuffed plenty with food of course. "Ya gotta walk your patrols, beat up a bunch of petty crooks and drag their asses behind bars. Doesn't sound that horrible to my ears. And it's not like the city's havin' lots of crime anyway. The real problems are outside the walls."
Green eyes blinked rapidly. Strangled the fork in his hand until his aching knuckles turned white. "Yeah? So I'm only making up all these violent gangs, serial killers, rapists and dead bodies in my head. That it?" Tatsumi tried to keep his voice from rising in a vain attempt.
"Nah, but you're probably exaggeratin' it without noticing. The news says it's at an all time-low."
Two pairs of eyes were trained on Sayo. She slowly swallowed a spoon of chicken rice, withstanding Tatsumi's slight glare before she turned to the young man next to her. "That's correct."
"See? Ain't that bad."
"Don't trust your lying eyes. Got it." Tatsumi scowled. Half his portion still remained but by now any semblance of appetite had deserted him. How he'd love to head back out into the safe night and deal with all these crooks that don't exist and solve all these murders that weren't supposed to be real. As if his face wasn't already enough substantial evidence concerning his daily truth.
Insults, threats, spit, violence, death, and some more violence.
No, it's all in your head, Tatsumi.
And maybe it was. Perhaps, all the after hours and sleep deficit were finally catching up to him. Maybe he was way too emotionally caught up in his work. After all, these things he experiences on the daily couldn't possibly be true if some third-rate journalist decreed it from the comfort of his desk. Usually, the newspaper has been relatively reliable on most issues but on the uncomfortable topic of crime, they were in direct opposition with reality. And opposing reality was a losing game. For reality would strike back inevitably and without mercy.
The vice-captain's words echoed in his mind once more.
What's true and what is, weren't always the same.
But if even the things he experienced with all of his six senses weren't supposed to be true, then what was? Nothing was true at that point. Maybe he was reading way too much into that. Maybe that was just a one off mistake. It had to be. Someone doing terrible research or something along those lines. That was the only reasonable explanation. The only 'charitable' one at the very least.
"Nobody's saying your job ain't hard but it's not as terrible as you keep making it out to be." Sayo offered with an uncharacteristically diplomatic smile.
Tatsumi nodded incessantly, as though he'd agree staunchly with the accusation. He bit down hard on his lip as he slowly slid his plate away. Each additional word spoken only served as water poured onto a grease fire raging inside a burning pan. Ieyasu's ketchup-stained lips moved but no words crossed over into Tatsumi's hearing.
"What?"
"You still eatin' that?" Ieyasu already had a hand on said plate.
"No, you can have it." He slowly rose to his sore feet. His first glance lingered on the wooden door leading out into the stairwell and by extension, a desperately needed breath of fresh air. Noises of choking down remaining food filled the small room, turning increasingly unpleasant with each passing second he stared at that shut door. If it wasn't his own, he'd have kicked it in faster than they do during their raids whenever someone was either suspected or accused of a 'severe' crime such as offending His Majesty.
Ieyasu ceased shovelling rice down his throat. "Ya goin' somewhere? Expectin' trouble?"
"Yeah… I got work." Tatsumi responded after a brief pause as he slung his katana behind his back.
"Huh? You said you were free?" Sayo pointed out.
"Something came up just now. I need to get going." He couldn't be bothered to put any effort into this obvious lie. "I got it wrong. I still got the night shift today."
"Watch out, bro. Night Raid's gonna be roamin' the streets by now." His cautious words were interrupted by another bite. "Aren't you guys responsible for catchin' these damned terrorists? How is it y'all ain't gotten them behind bars yet?"
"Good luck with that, bro. We can barely keep up with your average crooks. You know, the ones that don't exist apparently." Tatsumi snorted in an almost bitter tone. Once more, his glance briefly lingered on calloused knuckles turned black and blue.
"For god's sake, do ya really gotta be such a crybaby about it? Maybe the Imperial army should step in if you guys ain't up for the task."
Green eyes twitched violently. "Crybaby? I've seen more corpses the last two weeks than you have in your entire life. I bet you. The gang boss who had a kitchen knife rammed in his back. Ms. Horimiya, who has been turned into a chandelier or whatever it's called after her husband beat her half dead or the three prostitutes that had their throats cut and their fingers hacked-"
"Tatsumi, please! I don't wanna hear about it. I wanna sleep at night for god's sake." Sayo reprimanded him.
"Go on. How many?" Tatsumi insisted with a piercing glare that only his suspects had been on the receiving end of. "I'm all ears. And spare me the political bullshit."
Ieyasu folded his arms and scowled. "Man, just shut up. It ain't funny. We're all doin' our part to keep this great place as safe and prosperous as is. If ya can't take it, just quit and do something else that doesn't make ya wanna ball your eyes out all day long and dump your shitty mood on us. Fuck's sake."
The officer inhaled deeply as though he was readying a massive counter punch. And he was going to hit back. Hard. Even if he was hitting a brick wall at this point.
Must've thought he's super tough and manly now all of a sudden just because he had climbed a rank or two up the paygrade. Running around the barracks? Crawling through the mud? Not to take away from his achievements but… an ape could accomplish as much. Tatsumi was one of these apes too after all.
Ieyasu would be bitching and moaning every chance he got, if put in Tatsumi's scorched leather boots, grating against his ankles for most of his eventful days.
He was going to unleash all these unrestrained thoughts, yet the building lump in his throat stopped him from doing so, accompanied by a spreading numbness and a mounting unease simultaneously. His body already retreated on its own, inching ever closer to its way out the door.
Outside, he just wanted to get out.
Out into the safe night, miraculously kept free from crime and evil. Grabbing his temples, he exhaled deeply, the other hand already twisted the door knob. "I gotta get going." Before either of the two could respond, the door slammed shut.
The freezing gusts of wind swept any of his remaining fatigue aside. It was supposed to be his day off. His well-earned break after everything he had endured this month. And yet, there he stood, heeding his self-imposed call for duty. Already, his head ran through several rough estimates as to how this night was going to look like. And it wasn't pretty.
Why couldn't he just march back inside and endure the evening with his friends like he was supposed to?
Tatsumi never realized how he could miss something he disliked, so terribly.
He had his work cut out for him. That wasn't even a lie. And he had to do it quickly. No amount of denial could change that fact. This was his battle to fight and his alone. A mere thought of the starving guillotine that was his Captain sufficed to get the anger pumping through his veins again. But he was only making all of this up. Of course he was.
He had come to rest on a nearby bench. Didn't even make it past half a minute. Back to his feet again. Racing and pacing.
Thin air. Thin and thinner with each moment slipping past. Exhale, inhale. Rinse and repeat.
If his mind did the walking, he'd be running and jumping around the block, reluctantly breaking down door after door. Round after round, pausing only briefly to do the exact same around another block. He'd have figured that the recent murders would still stick around, lying in wait in some dark alley of his brain only to jump him like a group of violent thugs.
Part of him still retraced the past few minutes. Now was not the time for that.
The police killer was sure to strike again eventually. He had to. At the very least, that would help prove Ren's innocence. Wait, no. Impostor. Or whatever it was called in detectivespeak. Although, more often than not, they'd just refer to these types as desperate attention whores or whatever other insult happened to be the flavor of the day at the department. That'd certainly be an argument with which Ogre would happily stroll into his closing time to the next best brothel any day of the week. Son of a bitch.
The circumstance that linked the perp and the victims was their mutual hatred for each other as of now. The odd one out was the girl. Unlike all the other ones, she survived. Where was the connection? How did this fit in with the pre-existing MO? Was he going to get useful information from her? How was he going to-
And then there was this series of severe fires last night. It had the scorched stench of arson all over it. How was he going to find any evidence in a scene reduced to pretty much nothing but ashes? And where was he supposed to even start? What kind of deranged fuck gets his kicks from burning down and murdering-
Slow it down, Tatsumi... Like his late evening stroll, this was going nowhere. Think straight for a second.
As far as the serial arsonist was concerned, he'd have to review the buildings he chose to burn down. Perhaps they're part of a bigger message or pattern, which could put him on his trail. Maybe he could catch him in the act before anyone else would get hurt. That would indeed be the best case scenario. And that was the problem. It was almost too good to be true.
Who was he going to fool? Right back to his desk the next day.
And the police killer was going to kill again. He got away with killing a dozen guards and for his troubles, someone else was sitting in custody for his murders, so why stop now? If the grudge theory was not totally off the mark, then he'll act on his hatred again.
At this point, his best chance was to put himself out there during the day and pray that he'd be the next target, so he could get his hands on the murdering bastard. This killer was not going to take the bait easily though. Despite his shamelessly blunt crimes, he probably had a tried and tested method, which enabled his running kill streak without ever getting caught.
Avoid colleagues? Certainly. Makes himself an 'easier' target. Crowds as well? On one hand a killer would usually want as few witnesses as possible, preferably none, except for the particularly depraved ones, the 'voyeurist pigs' as Ogre liked to call 'em. Or was it 'exhibitionist pigs'? No matter.
Being able to vanish among said crowd on the other. No. He'll definitely resort to the latter. The gut told him that this particular murderer prided himself on being able to pull all of this stuff off in broad daylight, among countless witnesses, right under the noses of the very people he loathed. Perhaps the fact that he's gotten away with murder so many times would embolden him. Make him sloppy.
The more he pondered on these two series of heinous crimes, the more he sensed an underlying familiarity among the two, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet.
But all was well in the great, magnificent Capital. Crime was supposed to be at an all time low after all. Tatsumi could merely scoff at the thought. He patrolled familiar streets once more. Just a few alleys up ahead, he beat ten young men half dead last night, some of them barely older than himself.
Hazy memories of the scene flashed up in front of his eyes throughout the day, yet they were all clad in some impenetrable veil. The head kick he took flush to the chin thundered against his skull. Screams dully roared in his head to the sight of broken bones. Punches bellowed in his ears. At this moment, all these flashes of violence seemed utterly foreign to Tatsumi, but the bruises, the aching sensation following his every step and the involuntary daydreaming were undeniable evidence that this had been his experience.
What good was he accomplishing here anyway? Should go back to the department and structure his thoughts and theories instead of fleeing from his own home. Was it still his home though if he spent more time at his desk than his own four walls? Whatever made Ieyasu feel like this place was their home, Tatsumi wasn't feeling it in the slightest. Not even for a second ever since they arrived. By now he'd start working the fields, tend to the livestock and help out the other villagers where he could instead of hounding after unhinged serial killers, tagging and bagging their victims or beating up some random wannabe thugs.
He was radically improving at his job with each shift but then why…
Why the hell did it feel so wrong?
How he'd love to lie down in the green grass, inhaling the pleasant scent of a warm summer night, letting the tender breeze caress his skin, only for him to fall asleep under the star-filled night sky. Mother and father must have already started working the fields, no doubt. To think that up until now, he viewed all of this as nothing more than a menial task at times.
The officer gazed up at the full-white moon. In for another restless night for certain.
"This city… Is this really where I belong?" Tatsumi muttered under his breath.
The moon cast its light upon the many rooftops of the urban section of the Capital. Nothing out of the ordinary. Wait… Either Tatsumi was actually starting to make things up or there was actually a person on the edge of the roof up ahead. Rubbed his eyes. No, there really was someone on the roof.
The obscured figure stepped forward.
"Don't!"
It happened in an instant.
The body crashed against the hard cobblestone ground, giving off the fatal sound of crushing bones. Tatsumi hurried over to the scene. It wasn't necessarily the deformed limbs, the blood or the wide-eyed stare right back at him that shocked him. Rather, who it was.
He sank to his knees alongside his heart, unable to avert his gaze. "Sawa…" He closed her brown eyes ever so gently. Tatsumi caressed the lifeless cheek. Slowly rose to his feet against the gravity of his emotions. A whirlwind of sorrow howled within, lit ablaze by subsequent anger.
These animals had Sawa's blood on their hands, a girl that was barely Tatsumi's age. They had her blood on their hands!
Thin air. Had to remember just to breathe. His hand reached for the hilt of his katana. Should just march back into the pens and kill every single one of these raping bastards. It was what they deserved. A part of him seriously considered walking down this dark alley. Absolutely no one would mourn the loss of their lives. No one. They deserved to die!
Something incessantly roared at him from within to just give in and kill these depraved animals. It would be just! It would be what they deserved!
Tatsumi sucked in a long breath. All silent again. The internal screams vanished as abruptly they emerged alongside his murderous fantasy.
No.
Tatsumi was but a man. Had no right to take the life of another. He'd be no better than the scum he was seeing from the other side of those rusty bars.
In the end, reality always reasserted itself.
And all it took were a few steps in front of his door.
Crime at an all time low? Bullshit! Utter bullshit!
Shivering hand reached for his twitching temple. Stroked a strand of her raven hair out of her face, affectionately caressing her pale cheek once more. Tatsumi earnestly thought he had saved Sawa last night. He really did. But now…
Had to get her tagged and bagged.
He severely underestimated how much less unbearable it was rattling off said procedure with strangers. Could have loaded five big sacks full of bricks onto himself and the walk to the department still would have been much easier than carrying Sawa's light body the next several hundred meters.
She did not deserve this.
******
Falling back into his seat, a dim lamp lit Tatsumi's gloomy features as he buried his face in his hands again. Redirected his empty stare back onto the damned drawing board. Staring down his barely legible handwriting had not brought him any closer to solving anything. He had been trying for half an hour or even an hour perhaps, but no chance. Brain kept trailing off.
Tatsumi was bashing his skull against a brick wall at this point, but he had to keep going regardless. For if he didn't, more innocents would be in danger or worse.
"No rest for the wicked, huh?" A familiar voice greeted from behind.
"Vice-captain!" Tatsumi turned around and saluted. "I can explain-"
"Tsk, why am I not surprised…" Hachirō merely shook his head. "Probably shouldn't ask, but what the hell are ya doin' here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tatsumi returned. "Wait, why are you still here?"
"Believe it or not, even I work extra hours every once in a blue moon."
The joke missed its intended result. The younger officer merely nodded and returned his attention back to whatever he stared at previously. Tatsumi slumped back into his seat again. Buried his face in his hands again. A brief glance already told the older man all he needed to know. "Was on an evening stroll, when I picked up a body. Sawa threw herself off a roof."
"Oh, damn… I'm sorry."
Tatsumi balled up his right fist. "Fucking animals. They raped Sawa the night before. Ten of 'em. Whatever sentence the judge is gonna give 'em, it's too good for them." Paced back and forth again. "Goddamnit." Banged his fist against the table.
"And what's that over there?" The vice-captain inquired with a skeptic gaze.
"Cop killer on the left. Serial arsonist on the right. Take your pick." He glanced at his colleague. "Oh sorry. Must've left my manners at the door. I'm sure you want to go home to your family. Please don't let me keep you here. I'll just… try to figure stuff out."
Hachirō returned Tatsumi's weary stare with his own. He did not want to remain any more than he had to. It was written all over the rings under his eyes, slightly magnified by his glasses. A soft sigh left his lips, followed by a cheeky, almost stupid grin. "What kinda comrade would I be if I left ya hangin' now? C'mon, let's crack these two nuts together or at least as far as we can."
"Thanks. And sorry for dragging you into this. I should-"
"Don't mention it. We're in this together, evil never sleeps and all that. But that doesn't mean that I don't. You and I for that matter. If you'll excuse me…" Hachirō lit a cigarette right away and offered the opened pack to his colleague. He hesitated for a moment. Was he even allowed to smoke at his age? Who cared? The vice–captain certainly didn't and right now, he could use something, anything to get him to relax.
Tatsumi slowly pulled out a cigarette and had the vice-captain light it for him. Cramped up the sleeves of his white shirt. "Never smoked before." He took a small drag, resulting in an involuntary cough. "Now I know why…"
"Eh, it ain't that terrible if ya get used to it."
"They said the same about this job or whatever this shit is supposed to be." He remarked in a sarcastic tone.
"Why don't ya do the same then? Why don't ya call it a day, go back home and spend some time with your friends? Instead of ya know, actin' like ya had to hold the fort all by yourself."
Another drag. Disgusting. Why was the vice-captain willingly subjecting his lungs to this? Tatsumi merely shook his head and let out another cloud of fumes. "I don't know. It's… we got into an argument over politics. It got heated and I was this close to flying off the handle, so I just ran out I guess."
He merely furrowed a brow. "That it?"
"What would you do if someone walked up to you and told you that our job is easy, that you're making up all the crooks, the rapists and the serial killers in your head and then for your troubles the guy has the nerve to call you 'whiny'. But he never spent a day in your shoes."
"Look… people talk a lot when the day's long. Especially about stuff they don't know jack about. Ya need to learn to not let that get to ya."
"I really don't care about politics. It's not my business and I don't know jack about it. They do their job and I do mine. But if someone tells me the shit I see on the daily with my own two eyes isn't real and that I should pipe down because it doesn't fit into their worldview or whatever, then I do get kinda mad. Fuck's sake…I mean it'd be ok if it was a colleague but-"
"You just need to switch off when that happens. Before you say stuff that you shouldn't say."
"With all due respect, vice-captain, they are my childhood friends. I should be able to tell them what's on my mind. Even if it gets a bit rough."
"Some words can cut just as deep as your katana, Tatsumi." Hachirō exhaled another thick cloud of smoke.
"So I'm supposed to shut up to not upset them? Is that it?"
"Not really, but ya could save yourself some unnecessary trouble if ya did. Ya know how the sayin' goes 'Talk is silver. Silence is golden'."
Tatsumi merely let out a defeated sigh, helplessness evident in his emerald green eyes. "Even my friends?"
"I know this ain't gonna be easy for ya, because you're a man that wears his heart on his sleeve but give it a try. It helped me dance around quite a few unpleasant conversations." He paused and grabbed the next best ashtray he could get his hands on. "Anyway, let's get to work."
Tatsumi clicked his tongue. "Right. Gave this some thought on my way here, before… The gist of it is this: Targets were almost exclusively city guards or officers."
The vice-captain raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"
"The only victim that was not police or a guard was the girl. Failed to kill her. She's currently being hospitalized as we speak." The younger officer tipped off the ash on his cigarette and took another brief drag. "Would have died if the current suspect didn't help me rush to said hospital. Unlike all the 'supportive' bystanders." Nearly slammed the remaining stub into the ashtray, ground it against the transparent glass as the bizarre scene replayed itself in his brain for what must've been the fiftieth time by now.
"Somehow she must've known about his grudge, so he went to silence her. Otherwise there'd be no need for him to kill her. Ya sure, she ain't one of us?"
"Dead certain. No relation to us nor the killer as of now. The MO remained pretty much the same throughout. In broad daylight, with a dagger, mostly in the central areas of the district with countless potential witnesses. All of this suggests animosity particularly towards us. Most likely gets off on being able to kill our colleagues under our noses."
"And that's the point, ain't it? The many witnesses too. He wants his work noticed."
"Thought as much. That's why I'm going to put myself out there, draw him out and catch the bastard so that Ren can finally walk free again."
"Sounds good in theory, but ya only got two lil' problems with that."
Tatsumi's weary, slightly irate stare lingered on the vice-captain.
"Three, actually. First, your killer ain't been active ever since your guy got tossed behind bars. Second, even if he shows up, do ya think you'll be lucky when he swings his knife at ya on your what? Three hours of sleep. And lastly, even if ya do end up catching the killer, doesn't mean your guy's just gonna get the slip. Ya gotta prove that he did it and not Ren." Another fag had found its way into the right corner of Hachirō's mouth.
Once again, the vice-captain offered the pack and Tatsumi took it. Grabbed the lighter and exhaled deeply. Gaze hardened. "I'm going to. I have to."
"Gotta say though, ya took your game up a notch. Ya barely needed me."
"I usually just go with the most unhinged stuff my brain can cook up and more often than not it just happens to be spot on." He paused for another drag. His voice rose. "I mean… the heart doctor we busted last week at that fancy gathering with all these other rich people watching, Dr. Hirabayashi. I only met the man once at that point and that was with you. Hell, most of what I said was for shits and giggles. FOR FUN. Had no idea that the guy was a raging drug addict with a fucking god complex. How many did he kill with his syringe? Half a thousand? And all of that simply because he could."
"503 to be exact. All patients of his. But ya know what they say: 'Most truth is said in jest.'. Lord knows this one was quite a pain up the arse, 'cause we couldn't prove how he got all of his patients to die of heart failure. Most guys would've called it quits halfway through, but fortunately ya had the right idea and we made the good doctor crack. Your help's been invaluable."
"You can't make this shit up." Tatsumi merely shook his head in disbelief, staring distantly at whatever he scribbled down at the chalkboard.
"Even for me, the guy's probably been one of the most deranged psychos I've had to deal with." Hachirō commented. Silence took hold within these cold and claustrophobic walls of the conference room. His colleague merely gave him a brief, incredulous stare, exhaling another cloud of fumes, followed by a slight cough.
"God, I hate this city."
"Eh, once ya get used to it, it ain't so bad. Look on the bright side. You're gettin' good at your job. You're gonna leave me in the dust sooner rather than later."
"Then why the hell does it feel so wrong?" Tatsumi questioned almost instantly. There it was again. His unnerved expression softened, giving way to what was lurking underneath. His eyes pleaded for support, sought after answers and yearned for something remotely close to 'hope'. The older officer folded his arms, inhaled deeply and returned his stare.
"I can't speak for ya, but for me, that 'wrong' feelin' never left, but I got good enough at ignorin' it for most of the time. It's really just a matter of gettin' used to it."
"I don't want to get used to this shite." Tatsumi growled.
"You're gonna. Whether you want to or not. Unless ya hand in your resignation letter soon. But then I'd be sad and lonely."
No offense to the man, but that would've been quite a tempting offer, if he wasn't in terrible need of money. Not for himself, but rather his village, the sole raison d'etre in this crime-ridden cesspool of a city.
No, he was deluding himself.
It wasn't just necessity that brought them here. It was also and perhaps mainly, the prospect of their own glory. Fantasies of fame and grandeur. Dreams of making a name for themselves. They and Tatsumi especially longed to achieve something meaningful, something that was not just working the fields day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, repeatedly citing their higher purpose to those around them and even more to themselves.
Careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
And they did. They were in the Capital now. They were far removed from their mundane, if not to say menial, unadventurous tasks of plowing, sowing and harvesting just like they had demanded.
To what end?
None of them were any closer to making a name for themselves. Neither had they garnered any substantial amount of gold nor done anything that seemed remotely 'meaningful'. Merely swapped the cows for crooks and the fertilizer for narcotics.
Tatsumi missed his village.
Tatsumi missed his friends.
Tatsumi missed his family.
Just like pride and envy, vanity too was a sin. Perhaps he was getting punished for it right now for all he knew.
They were in for it now. The unbearable embarrassment and debilitating shame he'd bring onto his family, if he returned with nothing to show for. Retreat was not an option. Now he had to step up and be a man to back up his mouth. There was no turning back. He was going to make a name for himself. One way or another.
"Don't you worry, vice-captain. I wouldn't dare." Tatsumi chuckled. "Who'd catch those thieves for you, if I actually resigned?"
"Oh, I dunno. Seryu's pretty fast too." The older man returned with a feisty grin, slightly obscured by the smoke streaming out from his mouth. "By the way, are your friends gonna be with us on Friday?"
"Eh, probably not. Apparently, they've already got plans."
"Ah, gotcha. Ya said that they've been gettin' closer lately."
Tatsumi shrugged. "Yeah, looks like I became the third wheel."
His colleague raised his voice. "Then why are you still sittin' here? At your age, you're supposed to go out with a pretty girl or something instead of ya know, wastin' away here with my old ass talkin' 'bout serial murder in the middle of the night. Socialize for god's sake!"
"It's not like I don't want to! It's just that…" Tatsumi hesitated to respond for a moment. "Thought I was good at that sort of thing. At least in my village I used to be. But here... It kinda feels like people just look right through you. No one really wants to talk to you, unless they have to offer some pleasantries for you and your family." He sighed. "You just don't know how to get something started. You're just trying to be nice and they look at you like you're some sort of creepy peasant!"
"Who's 'they'?"
"You know… most people around here. You see it in their eyes. And once they figure you're police it's over, man." Tatsumi put out his cigarette. "Anyway, about the serial arsonist… "
"Ya smell that?"
"What?"
"Smells kinda… burned."
"You sure it's not just the cigarettes?"
Tatsumi headed towards the door leading out of the department into the antechamber, greeted by an unpleasantly familiar sting in his eyes in tandem with a scorched stench, brought on by rapidly increasing amounts of black smoke invading the department. Dread crept up from within as his hand rested on the handle of the door.
He was received warmly by an encroaching inferno…
A/N: Kill the verdict
Hope you're enjoying the serial murder and everything else that is going on. You people make me sick. Stay comfy and have a lovely weekend.