[One Shot] On The Job
Title: On The Job
Author: keeconk
Characters Koyama-centric
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 5,459
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine and the story is solely fantasy, totally has nothing to do with the real life persons.
Warnings: Minor violence. Maybe language. But I guess that's all about it.
A.N.: Made for sanjihan for 2011 je_otherworlds.
Summary: Koyama Keichiro, an Assistant Inspector was working on a case that had been a major threat for Tokyo Metropolis; many had gone missing from the law enforcement and an underground organisation was suspected to be behind all these disappearances.
----
Gripping tightly to the torchlight, the only source of light that helped him through the night, Koyama cursed as he turned into the alley; his jacket was doing nothing particular to keep him warm. The rain was light, but the wind wasn’t really friendly that night, making him regretting wasting his time doing his hair earlier on. The sole of his leather shoes splashed drops of water from the puddles that he stepped on as he kept on walking on that wet road, and the hems of his grey pants were drenched as he went deeper.
“Do you see anything?” said the other line of his wireless in-ear headset.
“Nothing… it’s dark. I can barely see anything,” Koyama answered.
He loosened his tie with eyes piercing into the darkness, trying to see more of the dark alley he was walking in; his gun was kept close underneath his torch light so that he would have a clear vision of what to shoot if it was necessary. He gulped heavily in the daunting silence, his heart beating hard in anticipation of what might or might not come.
Koyama stopped when his eyes caught a moving figure not far from him, his hands almost frantically yet firmly swayed around so that he would be able to see what it was that moved. He could feel a drop of water ghosting down his cheek, the cold water sending shivers through his spine, somehow putting his nerves more on edge.
“Who’s there?!” he shouted, making sure that he was ready to either run forward to chase this person… or run away as far as possible.
Silence. No answer was heard and the only noise he managed to hear was the pouring rain hitting the hard surface of the road.
Stepping back slowly, he gripped his gun tighter as he pointed his torchlight at every possible direction in front of him, desperately trying to see something. As the rain became heavier, Koyama contemplated heading back to the van, knowing that he probably wouldn’t find anything at all there even if he stayed longer.
“There’s no one here,” he finally said into his headset, straightening his body up as he put his gun into the back of his pants, slipping it in just enough to keep it there. “Shige, I’m going back to the van,” he added.
“Roger that,” the younger man replied.
Koyama turned his body away, putting a hand into his pants pocket while he took his tie off with the other. He was tired, and he hadn’t slept for two days. Rain wasn’t exactly his thing, not that he minded, but too much water around meant more laundry to wash. If only he had the time to actually do so.
Sighing, he leisurely walked back towards the place where Shige had parked their van. The alley was long and the rain was still just as heavy, and he dragged his legs as he walked, even when all he wanted was a good shower and a warm bed. His back muscles had started to ache from sleeping on the van’s seat for the past two weeks, and their sleepless hunting nights had become regular.
Before he managed to reach the turn to the main road where the van was, he heard the sound of someone splashing puddles behind him. Koyama instantly reached out for his gun as he turned his body around, getting ready to face whoever it was - unable to catch a clear vision of this moving figure.
“Never turn your back to your enemy is what they always say~,” a playful yet intimidating voice spoke up from the darkness, putting Koyama on alert.
He pulled his gun out, but he knew that there was not much he could do with gun and a torch, when everything was dark and rainy. The voice was familiar, extremely familiar, and he wished his partner were there with him to help him out. The only protection he had was the gun in his hand.
“Miss me?”
Almost in an instant, Koyama saw the rain around him moving in a circular motion, caging him like a prisoner. He had been in such situation before, and he didn’t like it. Frightened, Koyama tried to escape, but the rain turned into something different, transforming itself into something that Koyama believed was water current - trapping him inside a stream orb. When he felt his body being lifted into the air as the ball rose, he desperately tried to find an opening for him to escape.
“Let me down, Tegoshi!!” he shouted, struggling as the ball started to fill with water, drowning him inside.
“It won’t be fun if I let you down~,” a slim man showed up in the dark, a sly smile on his face. “Besides, the night is in my favour so it’d be such a waste.”
Struggling with all the water that started to choke him, Koyama tried to swim away so he could get some air (if that was even the correct term to describe it). His breath was running out and his clothes felt heavier the longer he was confined in that ball. He saw bubbles leaving his mouth as he was desperate to free himself, but the rain was on Tegoshi’s side and there was no soil around them - only concrete road and tall old buildings.
Just as he thought Tegoshi was successfully drowning him, Koyama felt the water begin to heat up, burning his skin. He squirmed about, unable to scream and unable to understand what the hell just happened, his wireless headset sparking a jolt of fire from the combination of water pressure and steaming hot temperatures, cutting off his only communication device. He thought he was going to die.
…at least until the orb suddenly burst.
His body fell down to the ground, hitting the hard road. He was soaked, panting desperately for air and trying his best to move away from Tegoshi, who was just a few feet away from him. His instincts were telling him that he needed to stay alive - if not, all the hard work he had been investing in this case would become a waste.
“Sorry about that, Kei-chan. I hope I didn’t burn you,” a hand pulled Koyama up by his arm. His head was dizzy but he knew well who this person was so he couldn’t help the smile on his face.
“Thanks, Shige. Next time I would prefer a lukewarm bath,” Koyama mumbled half protesting, regaining his strength almost right away while crawling to Kato’s back.
“Tsk, tsk. And the watchdog came. No fun,” Tegoshi commented, clearly not happy that his little game was forced to come to an end.
Koyama sat back as he watched Kato step forward, the younger man taking his coat off before then folding his sleeves up. There was clearly tension between the two of them, the sense of rivalry building up in the air as their eyes locked with each other’s. It might be raining and Tegoshi seemed to have Mother Nature on his side, but Koyama knew well that Kato didn’t need anything to be in his favour to even Tegoshi out.
“Well, I wasn’t done with burning your hair the last time we met, so I thought I might as well finish it off this time. I noticed you got your hairstyle changed into something shorter. Wanna try bald? I heard it’s the trend right now~,” Kato spoke up, lifting a hand up, a fire bolt spewing out from his palm.
Tegoshi pierced his eyes, the puddles around him quivering as sign that Kato’s little comment had hit the mark, pushing all of his buttons. Koyama knew Tegoshi’s character a little bit too well; profiling him based on his background was the first thing that he did when he was assigned to this case. Tegoshi was competitive, hating to lose a fight, and he despised any one that could match him - in this case, Kato might be a little bit better than he.
“It’s your lucky night, Kato. My order was to kill Koyama when he’s all alone and I am not allowed to fight you unless I was ordered otherwise,” said Tegoshi.
A sudden flood of water streamed towards Koyama and Kato, pushing the two of them backwards once it hit them. Koyama’s back was slammed to the nearest wall almost instantly, unable to see what was going on as water kept streaming at him.
“Fuck! He’s gone,” Kato groaned when the water disappeared, the rain stopping to reveal the moonlight while showing them an empty alley - not a single trace of Tegoshi was left.
------
Koyama knew his boss well, almost as well as he knew Kato. When the muscular man sat still at his desk, staring at both of them, Koyama knew that they might just have gotten themselves into trouble.
“Two weeks, gentlemen. I would love to remind you that you both were gone for two weeks, only to come back with nothing,” their boss spoke, leaning back into his sophisticated leather chair. “Well, maybe with bruises on Koyama’s face. And look at the two of you, such a mess.”
“We did our best, Sir,” Kato replied, smiling awkwardly.
“Who told you that you could leave Koyama on the field all by himself?” their boss retorted.
“That… well… he insisted, Sir.”
“I d-did insist on it, Sir. Shig--, I mean Kato, has nothing to do with it,” Koyama added.
Without saying a thing, their boss, Yamashita, sighed. His eyes left the men to focus on his computer; the well-built man finally picked up the abandoned coffee and sipped it. “Well, what’s done is done. You may leave. I want results in a week.”
Reluctantly, Koyama nodded, taking Kato by the arm and dragging him out of their boss’ office.
It was hectic there in the station. People were busy with both their paper work and rushing off to the crime scene for some investigation. Koyama certainly didn’t miss the hectic metropolis. Sighing heavily as he walked to his long-neglected desk, he tried to repeat the events from the night before in his head, desperately wanting to know what he did wrong other than deciding to go alone.
“I told you the alley was to your disadvantage. Yamashita-san has been telling you about not going on the field when it’s to your disadvantage,” Kato commented, sitting at the desk opposite Koyama’s.
“I know. I made a mistake, I admit it,” Koyama sighed again, resting his chin on his palm and leaning on his desk.
“But just so you know, it’s not your fault that you can only control the earth. It’s just the way it was since you were born,” Kato pointed out.
“I never said that it was my fault, Shige.”
Rolling his eyes at the older detective, Kato stood up, his hand resting on his hips as he looked down at Koyama. “You not saying it doesn’t mean you’re not thinking about it,” he pointed out. “I’ll get us some coffee before we leave.”
Koyama just sat there, watching his partner make his way to the pantry for coffee, sighing.
------
Sighing, he stared at the screens before him, his legs crossed on his seat and the coffee in his hands turning cold. He took a glance at Kato, who was just a step away from him; the younger man seemed to be concentrating deeply, the big headphones on his ears a barrier to their interaction. Koyama didn't mind long spying hours, but he would love to have someone to talk to while he was at it.
“Shige, did you hear anything?” he spoke up finally.
There was only silence.
Frowning, Koyama leaned forward; a hand took one of the earphones and lifted it up as he cleared his throat. “Kato Shigeaki, did you hear anything?!?!?!” he repeated, this time loudly and directly in Kato’s ear.
The said man jumped in his seat, blinking in shock as he dropped his pen and grabbed onto the nearest object he could find as if his dear life depended on it. When he realised what just happened, Kato turned his head to Koyama - glaring at the older man.
“Are you trying to kill me, Kei-chan?!” Kato exclaimed disapprovingly.
“You weren’t answering my question,” Koyama replied with a small, satisfied smile, sipping his half-cold coffee.
“You could have patted me or something instead!”
Laughing, Koyama put his coffee down, being careful that it was far from all those electronic devices that Kato had installed inside the van. Koyama had never been good with gadgets, so he would rather let Kato deal with it, deciding on which ones to get, even though Koyama was his senior.
“So, what did you hear?”
“Nothing much. Random hookers talking about lipsticks, drunk guy hitting on them, and…” Kato paused, somewhat frowning as he tried to listen to his headphones. “…and I guess someone has to be on the field right now,” he said, standing up while putting his headphones down - hands reaching out for his gun and torchlight.
“Copy that, partner. I’ll be here with my not-so-tasty coffee,” Koyama straightened up, getting ready to deal with the electronics equipment.
“No, buddy. We both need to be on the field,” Kato corrected him.
“Eh…? But Yamashita-san said…”
“I heard the sound of those metal round bells, Kei-chan,” Kato stared at him seriously. “Unless you want me to die, you better come with me.”
Stiffening on the spot, Koyama gulped. He stood up slowly as he hesitantly grabbed his own gun and torchlight. “Do you think we can win?”
“Do you think we have a choice?”
“Well…”
“Find Nishikido’s base or our badges will be our souvenir for Yamashita-san the first thing in the morning,” said Kato firmly.
Koyama knew better than anyone else in the metropolis that there wouldn’t be any hope in solving this case unless they got to the bottom of it. They couldn’t afford losing more law enforcement or military personnel because the more they kept on disappearing, the more that underground organisation would be stronger.
He didn’t particularly like what they were about to face; his head was low and he found it hard to keep up with Kato, who was already walking ahead of him, passing all those hookers and the drunk man that the young guy had mentioned earlier. It was late at night, dark, but not enough that they would need their torchlight.
His spine tingled in the most unpleasant manner when a sound of metal round bells was heard as Kato and he stepped into an empty park. The lights weren’t poor, but he couldn’t find the exact location of the owner of these bells. He knew these bells a little bit too well, maybe better than anyone that was ever involved in this case did.
“Looking for me, gentlemen?”
Kato turned around, pushing Koyama gently aside as he stepped forward - his cat-like eyes were pierced to the dim park, knowing very well who was talking to them. “Show yourself!” the younger man spoke loudly.
“I’m not hiding or anything. I’m not Tegoshi. Hide and seek isn’t really my thing.”
The two of them gripped their guns tighter as they discovered a man sitting leisurely on one of the benches. His hair was cherry red while his clothes were casual yet distinct, and Koyama noticed a very familiar pair of metal round bells that were attached on his belt.
He knew those bells really well - simply for the fact that he gave them to that guy.
“Long time no see, Kei-chan,” the cherry-headed guy stood up, and his face was clearly seen under the bright park lights - that one discrete smile was the first thing that Koyama took notice of.
“Massu…” he mumbled.
Koyama felt his chest tighten with memories of his police academic years flashing before his eyes. He remembered those days really well, those days when the person standing before the two of them was just a kouhai that lived just opposite his room back in the dorm.
“We know you’re not alone, Masuda! Where is Nishikido? Are you meeting him here?” Kato spoke up.
“Masuda? What happened to Massu, Shige?” Masuda tilted his head, his eyebrows raised questioningly.
“Massu is dead. The moment you betrayed us, you were dead to me,” growled Kato.
Masuda just smiled, almost in an innocent manner like he always did, which Koyama knew would only piss Kato off even more. This man wasn’t just an enemy. He wasn’t Tegoshi, who was already a target since the very beginning. Koyama knew that he would be one of those few people that still had problems letting go - accepting the fact that Masuda was no longer part of their team but was now an enemy.
“Tell us where Nishikido is, Massu,” Koyama said at the end, finding the courage to put aside his personal feelings and just do his job.
“Well, I knew that he was on his way, but I guess that obviously has changed now that the two of you are here,” Masuda answered casually.
Koyama failed to see it coming, and it took him by surprise when he heard a gunshot, no, two shots being fired. He turned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of Kato firing his gun towards Masuda. Panic rushed over him, his head turned back to their enemy almost right away, wanting to make sure that it wasn’t just his imagination.
Yet… there Masuda stood proudly with a smile behind a soil wall, something that only Masuda could do. Koyama was sure it could only be Masuda. The other man wasn’t only good at controlling the earth, but also better at physical combat. His body was almost as muscular as Yamashita’s, and both Koyama and Kato knew that they wouldn’t stand a change if they were to face him alone.
“That wasn’t really nice, Shige,” Masuda commented, the thick tall wall before him slowly gliding down back to the earth, the soil once again becoming one with the rest of the park ground. “Are you gonna burn my hair like you did to Tegoshi a while ago now?”
“I can do just that if you really want it,” Kato glared at him, throwing his gun aside because he knew it was no use for him to keep holding on to it.
“I would take that as a challenge then~.”
Before they knew it, the ground that they were standing on started to shake, hills of soil shooting up to the air suddenly, separating Koyama from Kato. Koyama ducked down, holding onto the ground that was moving, trying his best to lock his vision on Shige.
It was hard to see in such a dark condition, especially when he knew that Masuda was purposely separating them because the two of them together would just be too much for the earth bender to handle.
“Kei-chan, do something!!!” he heard Shige shout at him when he lost sight of the younger guy.
“Like what?!”
“I don’t know! ANYTHING!”
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep his mind clear because it would be the only way he could save the two of them. Masuda’s ground maze was exceptional; anyone could easily be distracted and get lost once he reconstructed the landscape. But Koyama knew that he could do this.
Raising both of his hands forward, he opened his eyes and concentrated on the direction where he believed Masuda was, his hands somehow shaking. He had only this one shot before the soil he was standing on starting to move again, so without hesitation Koyama screamed, “Reconstruct!”
In that instant, the bewildering earth maze collapsed before his very own eyes, revealing Masuda, who looked pretty surprised at what just happened. Though much to Koyama’s surprise, Masuda wasn’t alone this time. Someone else was there with him, holding a clearly struggling Kato in his hands.
“You forgot that this shitty detective controls earth too, Masuda,” said the newcomer with a very distinct accent, his bloodshot eyes on Koyama.
“Oh, right. My bad, Nishikido-san.”
He wasn’t a big guy, pretty small in fact. But he, or Nishikido as they knew him, was one of those people that no one in the metropolis would dare to face.
Kato was on his knees, his hands bent behind his back with Nishikido holding them down. There were sparks of fire coming out of Kato’s hands, desperately trying to attack Nishikido; but it was a useless effort, because the underground organisation leader controlled the same element as Kato and was used to the pain of being burned.
“Tell that boss of yours that I got one of his favourite detectives in custody until he agrees to join me,” Nishikido smirked in a commanding manner.
With that, Nishikido threw a huge fireball towards Koyama, and disappeared along with Masuda and Kato when Koyama managed to dodge the attack and stand up properly.
------
Koyama was usually seen as very patient detective. He took his time in analysing his leads and hints, and he didn’t like to make a move in such a rush. But this was different. It was different if the hostage was someone that he didn’t know, the ticking clock getting on his nerves more than usual because it was Kato, and Kato was his dear partner.
The man sitting beside Koyama tapped his finger on the steering wheel of the black car; his face was grim in concentration as he watched over the warehouse not far from where he had parked the car. Yamashita might be young, but Koyama knew that he was capable of anything and he deserved his rank more than anyone else.
“Yamashita-san… mind if I ask you a question?” Koyama broke the silence.
“Sure.”
“Why is Nishikido so interested in getting you into his organisation?”
The higher-ranking man sighed, leaning back in the driver’s seat with his eyes still staring out of the car at the warehouse that they had been observing for a while now. “We were childhood friends,” the Inspector answered.
“Eeehhh?” Koyama blinked.
Yamashita turned his head to Koyama, his eyes half lidded, and he seemed to expect that kind of answer. A soft chuckle escaped from his lips as his head shook in a gentle manner, almost as if he was trying to assure his assistant inspector that it wasn’t really much of a big deal.
“Don’t worry. It was a long time ago,” the somewhat younger man assured Koyama.
Nodding, more towards himself than anyone else, Koyama circled his vision back to the warehouse. He knew that if Yamashita ever agreed to join Nishikido, it might be the end of the metropolis. He didn’t even dare to imagine any further.
He sat up when he saw a movement nearby, and his hand almost automatically nudged Yamashita’s arm as he straightened his own body up in his seat. Dropping the conversation they had earlier, he automatically reached for his gun when he saw that it was Tegoshi walking into the warehouse.
When he got the signal from Yamashita, he slowly got out of the car, eyes watching closely his boss’ movement to make sure that he was doing everything according to plan. They had snipers all around the place and now all he had to do was get Kato out of there alive.
Slowly and carefully, he walked towards the side door of the warehouse, watching Yamashita’s position on the other side of the warehouse out of the corner of his eye. Once he made sure the other was already in position, he slowly opened the rusty steel door, taking a peak at what was happening inside.
He gulped as he saw Kato on a wooden chair right in the middle of the big, poorly lighted warehouse, all tied up. Not far from Kato, he could clearly see three familiar figures standing in a circle, having a somewhat serious conversation.
“I know that you guys are surrounding us!” Nishikido suddenly exclaimed loudly, much to Koyama’s shock.
Confused, he reached for his wireless headset. “Sir, what should we do?” he asked Yamashita, who was in the other line.
There was a long silence before an answer came to him, as Koyama’s legs fidgeted. They had only one shot at this and it really made Koyama feel uneasy. “I’m coming in. Make sure you’re ready with your gun,” Yamashita said at the end.
It was nerve-wracking for Koyama, but he knew if he really wanted to get a step closer to a promotion, he should trust Yamashita’s instinct and just go to it. So with that, he opened the door wider, spotting almost right away his inspector’s figure on the other side of the warehouse.
There was a distinct smell, the reek of rusty steel in his nose almost right away as he stepped into the big brace building. The atmosphere wasn’t something that Koyama was fond of, but he had learned to deal with it because it just came with the territory as a detective.
“Pi~,” Nishikido said, with an amused grin.
“Ryo,” the Inspector replied, but in a much flatter tone.
“Finally decided to have a little reunion with me?”
“Not in a million years, Ryo. Not my cup of tea,” Yamashita smiled.
“Oh that’s too bad. Then I have to finish you off.”
It happened so fast that Koyama had to find a safe spot almost right away. Fireballs started to fly towards Yamashita from Nishikido’s palm, the dim building suddenly filled with bright fire orbs in the wings. It was chaotic because Yamashita dodged all those balls with ease. He moved to the other side of the room with the speed of light, and occasionally floating in the air. Air, the element that Yamashita knew how to control.
Even though he was distracted for a second there, Koyama finally remembered the main reason he was there. Kato. Right, he had to save his partner. Shifting his eyes to the tied male in the middle of the open room, Koyama gulped as he tried to see what Tegoshi and Masuda were doing in the meantime.
It was relieving a bit when he saw Tegoshi was eagerly helping Nishikido in attacking Yamashita, trying to attack him with streams of water from the big container at the corner of the building, as Yamashita was still faster than the two of them combined.
The only problem that he had was that Masuda was right beside the unconscious Kato, standing delightfully by the hostage.
“Want this person beside me, Kei-chan?” Masuda suddenly turned to him, smiling at the detective.
“Let him go,” Koyama said firmly.
“I can’t do that, Kei-chan. My loyalty is not with you,” Masuda said calmly.
“I don’t think you even have any, Massu,” said the detective.
Putting his gun up, Koyama skilfully directed it in Masuda’s direction, knowing that the two of them were at a disadvantage with the place they were in. He knew that if they were strong enough, they could force the earth to break through the concrete floor, but neither of them were capable enough to do so.
“Let’s do it fair and square, Kei-chan. No weapons. Barehanded,” the younger man suggested, almost too casually.
Koyama gulped, remembering how good Masuda was at bare hand combat. He glanced over at his boss, who hadn’t been doing anything much but avoiding Nishikido and Tegoshi’s attacks, his feet barely touching the ground. Pursing his lips tight, he started to think that he might as well do this now.
He took off his suit, untying his tie right after - getting ready to face Masuda. It was nerve-wrecking for him, but he knew that he had no other choice. He was about to get ready to bend his knees but before he knew it, a punch already landed on his face.
Coughing as he felt his body being pushed backwards by the punch’s impact, Koyama felt his vision shaking. He stumbled upon his legs as he tried to balance out his body. His mind tried to think of a trick he could use to win over Masuda, but the other man was so fast that Koyama was taken aback as another attack landed in his stomach.
Koyama fell completely to the ground; his head was making him dizzy and he couldn’t see his surroundings well and everything was doubled.
Suddenly he heard a loud “bang!,” and slowly increasing temperature suddenly rose up drastically. He tried his best to push himself up. The room was flaming orange and the smoke started to fill his lungs, making him cough from both his hurting stomach and difficulty breathing.
A hand grabbed him, dragging him away from the centre of the warehouse. He couldn’t see who it was but he could still see the chair where Kato had been sitting, though not a slight body part of the younger guy was seen, so he assumed that it was Kato who was dragging him away to the door.
“Shige, you’re conscious?!” he turned his head, only to be surprised that it wasn’t Kato, but Masuda.
He thought that would be it. Nishikido might have already defeated his boss and now he was taken to their base because they lost the battle. He wriggled hard, trying to escape from Masuda’s grip, but his muscles’ power was clearly a lot less than the shorter man’s.
“Sorry about the punches, Kei-chan. Just be still for now, will you?” Masuda gripped Koyama’s arm hard to make him stop moving.
The man’s statement confused Koyama greatly. He wasn’t sure if Masuda meant what he said or if he was just playing around with Koyama. It shocked him even further when Yamashita and Kato greeted him, Kato holding onto their boss’ shoulder. But Koyama wasn’t alone; Kato looked just as surprised when Masuda let Koyama go and walked towards Yamashita casually.
“…What a waste, Masuda…” Yamashita mumbled un-amusedly.
“I can’t help it. Your order was clear. Can hurt, don’t kill,” Masuda answered. “Shige gained consciousness and he just suddenly blew the whole place up with his fire. Kei-chan could have died if I left him behind.”
“What’s going on, Boss?” Kato frowned, clearly not liking the way the two of them talked so casually.
Koyama nodded, agreeing with Kato. He walked over to his partner and helped him to stand on the ground, eyes then shifting back to his boss and Masuda - questions plastered all over his face. “Something sounds fishy,” Koyama added.
“I sent him on an undercover task,” Yamashita said at the end. “You guys weren’t supposed to know.”
The two detectives exchanged looks before shooting their boss a fierce glare. “What if I shot him yesterday and he died, Yamashita-san!!!” Kato protested.
------
A week had passed since the warehouse incident and Koyama was back to work again. The wound on the corner of his eyes had started to heal up even though he had to put a bandage over it, and Kato had come back with his usual snarky, yet intelligent remarks.
The underground organisation case was put on hold for a week, but now the two detectives had to get back right to it and find a way to bring Nishikido down. From what Koyama had gathered from his reliable sources, the organisation leader and his right hand man, Tegoshi, had already started to operate like normal and there was a rumour of another missing officer, being predicted that this disappearance might have something to do with Nishikido recruiting a new member.
But Koyama knew that it wasn’t necessarily bad news for him, because the rest of the day was going well.
He couldn’t stop smiling as he observed the desk next to Kato’s. It had been a while since it was just the two of them, and now he felt like his team was finally complete. His smile got even bigger when he saw a very familiar tiny pig plush was placed on the desk.
“Kei-chan, you look freaky smiling like an idiot like that,” Kato commented.
“I can’t help it. Our team is complete~,” he grinned widely.
A habitual, somewhat creepy giggle escaped from the person sitting beside Kato. His cherry red hair was something refreshing to see in a very hectic and monotone metropolis, and Koyama couldn’t deny how much he was really happy with what he was seeing. And that colourful parka instead of a suit over the white shirt and the silver coloured tie this person was wearing definitely were among what Koyama had been missing for a while now.
“Welcome back, Massu,” Koyama said with a smile at the end. “Let’s finish this case off together.”
Author: keeconk
Characters Koyama-centric
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 5,459
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine and the story is solely fantasy, totally has nothing to do with the real life persons.
Warnings: Minor violence. Maybe language. But I guess that's all about it.
A.N.: Made for sanjihan for 2011 je_otherworlds.
Summary: Koyama Keichiro, an Assistant Inspector was working on a case that had been a major threat for Tokyo Metropolis; many had gone missing from the law enforcement and an underground organisation was suspected to be behind all these disappearances.
----
Gripping tightly to the torchlight, the only source of light that helped him through the night, Koyama cursed as he turned into the alley; his jacket was doing nothing particular to keep him warm. The rain was light, but the wind wasn’t really friendly that night, making him regretting wasting his time doing his hair earlier on. The sole of his leather shoes splashed drops of water from the puddles that he stepped on as he kept on walking on that wet road, and the hems of his grey pants were drenched as he went deeper.
“Do you see anything?” said the other line of his wireless in-ear headset.
“Nothing… it’s dark. I can barely see anything,” Koyama answered.
He loosened his tie with eyes piercing into the darkness, trying to see more of the dark alley he was walking in; his gun was kept close underneath his torch light so that he would have a clear vision of what to shoot if it was necessary. He gulped heavily in the daunting silence, his heart beating hard in anticipation of what might or might not come.
Koyama stopped when his eyes caught a moving figure not far from him, his hands almost frantically yet firmly swayed around so that he would be able to see what it was that moved. He could feel a drop of water ghosting down his cheek, the cold water sending shivers through his spine, somehow putting his nerves more on edge.
“Who’s there?!” he shouted, making sure that he was ready to either run forward to chase this person… or run away as far as possible.
Silence. No answer was heard and the only noise he managed to hear was the pouring rain hitting the hard surface of the road.
Stepping back slowly, he gripped his gun tighter as he pointed his torchlight at every possible direction in front of him, desperately trying to see something. As the rain became heavier, Koyama contemplated heading back to the van, knowing that he probably wouldn’t find anything at all there even if he stayed longer.
“There’s no one here,” he finally said into his headset, straightening his body up as he put his gun into the back of his pants, slipping it in just enough to keep it there. “Shige, I’m going back to the van,” he added.
“Roger that,” the younger man replied.
Koyama turned his body away, putting a hand into his pants pocket while he took his tie off with the other. He was tired, and he hadn’t slept for two days. Rain wasn’t exactly his thing, not that he minded, but too much water around meant more laundry to wash. If only he had the time to actually do so.
Sighing, he leisurely walked back towards the place where Shige had parked their van. The alley was long and the rain was still just as heavy, and he dragged his legs as he walked, even when all he wanted was a good shower and a warm bed. His back muscles had started to ache from sleeping on the van’s seat for the past two weeks, and their sleepless hunting nights had become regular.
Before he managed to reach the turn to the main road where the van was, he heard the sound of someone splashing puddles behind him. Koyama instantly reached out for his gun as he turned his body around, getting ready to face whoever it was - unable to catch a clear vision of this moving figure.
“Never turn your back to your enemy is what they always say~,” a playful yet intimidating voice spoke up from the darkness, putting Koyama on alert.
He pulled his gun out, but he knew that there was not much he could do with gun and a torch, when everything was dark and rainy. The voice was familiar, extremely familiar, and he wished his partner were there with him to help him out. The only protection he had was the gun in his hand.
“Miss me?”
Almost in an instant, Koyama saw the rain around him moving in a circular motion, caging him like a prisoner. He had been in such situation before, and he didn’t like it. Frightened, Koyama tried to escape, but the rain turned into something different, transforming itself into something that Koyama believed was water current - trapping him inside a stream orb. When he felt his body being lifted into the air as the ball rose, he desperately tried to find an opening for him to escape.
“Let me down, Tegoshi!!” he shouted, struggling as the ball started to fill with water, drowning him inside.
“It won’t be fun if I let you down~,” a slim man showed up in the dark, a sly smile on his face. “Besides, the night is in my favour so it’d be such a waste.”
Struggling with all the water that started to choke him, Koyama tried to swim away so he could get some air (if that was even the correct term to describe it). His breath was running out and his clothes felt heavier the longer he was confined in that ball. He saw bubbles leaving his mouth as he was desperate to free himself, but the rain was on Tegoshi’s side and there was no soil around them - only concrete road and tall old buildings.
Just as he thought Tegoshi was successfully drowning him, Koyama felt the water begin to heat up, burning his skin. He squirmed about, unable to scream and unable to understand what the hell just happened, his wireless headset sparking a jolt of fire from the combination of water pressure and steaming hot temperatures, cutting off his only communication device. He thought he was going to die.
…at least until the orb suddenly burst.
His body fell down to the ground, hitting the hard road. He was soaked, panting desperately for air and trying his best to move away from Tegoshi, who was just a few feet away from him. His instincts were telling him that he needed to stay alive - if not, all the hard work he had been investing in this case would become a waste.
“Sorry about that, Kei-chan. I hope I didn’t burn you,” a hand pulled Koyama up by his arm. His head was dizzy but he knew well who this person was so he couldn’t help the smile on his face.
“Thanks, Shige. Next time I would prefer a lukewarm bath,” Koyama mumbled half protesting, regaining his strength almost right away while crawling to Kato’s back.
“Tsk, tsk. And the watchdog came. No fun,” Tegoshi commented, clearly not happy that his little game was forced to come to an end.
Koyama sat back as he watched Kato step forward, the younger man taking his coat off before then folding his sleeves up. There was clearly tension between the two of them, the sense of rivalry building up in the air as their eyes locked with each other’s. It might be raining and Tegoshi seemed to have Mother Nature on his side, but Koyama knew well that Kato didn’t need anything to be in his favour to even Tegoshi out.
“Well, I wasn’t done with burning your hair the last time we met, so I thought I might as well finish it off this time. I noticed you got your hairstyle changed into something shorter. Wanna try bald? I heard it’s the trend right now~,” Kato spoke up, lifting a hand up, a fire bolt spewing out from his palm.
Tegoshi pierced his eyes, the puddles around him quivering as sign that Kato’s little comment had hit the mark, pushing all of his buttons. Koyama knew Tegoshi’s character a little bit too well; profiling him based on his background was the first thing that he did when he was assigned to this case. Tegoshi was competitive, hating to lose a fight, and he despised any one that could match him - in this case, Kato might be a little bit better than he.
“It’s your lucky night, Kato. My order was to kill Koyama when he’s all alone and I am not allowed to fight you unless I was ordered otherwise,” said Tegoshi.
A sudden flood of water streamed towards Koyama and Kato, pushing the two of them backwards once it hit them. Koyama’s back was slammed to the nearest wall almost instantly, unable to see what was going on as water kept streaming at him.
“Fuck! He’s gone,” Kato groaned when the water disappeared, the rain stopping to reveal the moonlight while showing them an empty alley - not a single trace of Tegoshi was left.
------
Koyama knew his boss well, almost as well as he knew Kato. When the muscular man sat still at his desk, staring at both of them, Koyama knew that they might just have gotten themselves into trouble.
“Two weeks, gentlemen. I would love to remind you that you both were gone for two weeks, only to come back with nothing,” their boss spoke, leaning back into his sophisticated leather chair. “Well, maybe with bruises on Koyama’s face. And look at the two of you, such a mess.”
“We did our best, Sir,” Kato replied, smiling awkwardly.
“Who told you that you could leave Koyama on the field all by himself?” their boss retorted.
“That… well… he insisted, Sir.”
“I d-did insist on it, Sir. Shig--, I mean Kato, has nothing to do with it,” Koyama added.
Without saying a thing, their boss, Yamashita, sighed. His eyes left the men to focus on his computer; the well-built man finally picked up the abandoned coffee and sipped it. “Well, what’s done is done. You may leave. I want results in a week.”
Reluctantly, Koyama nodded, taking Kato by the arm and dragging him out of their boss’ office.
It was hectic there in the station. People were busy with both their paper work and rushing off to the crime scene for some investigation. Koyama certainly didn’t miss the hectic metropolis. Sighing heavily as he walked to his long-neglected desk, he tried to repeat the events from the night before in his head, desperately wanting to know what he did wrong other than deciding to go alone.
“I told you the alley was to your disadvantage. Yamashita-san has been telling you about not going on the field when it’s to your disadvantage,” Kato commented, sitting at the desk opposite Koyama’s.
“I know. I made a mistake, I admit it,” Koyama sighed again, resting his chin on his palm and leaning on his desk.
“But just so you know, it’s not your fault that you can only control the earth. It’s just the way it was since you were born,” Kato pointed out.
“I never said that it was my fault, Shige.”
Rolling his eyes at the older detective, Kato stood up, his hand resting on his hips as he looked down at Koyama. “You not saying it doesn’t mean you’re not thinking about it,” he pointed out. “I’ll get us some coffee before we leave.”
Koyama just sat there, watching his partner make his way to the pantry for coffee, sighing.
------
Sighing, he stared at the screens before him, his legs crossed on his seat and the coffee in his hands turning cold. He took a glance at Kato, who was just a step away from him; the younger man seemed to be concentrating deeply, the big headphones on his ears a barrier to their interaction. Koyama didn't mind long spying hours, but he would love to have someone to talk to while he was at it.
“Shige, did you hear anything?” he spoke up finally.
There was only silence.
Frowning, Koyama leaned forward; a hand took one of the earphones and lifted it up as he cleared his throat. “Kato Shigeaki, did you hear anything?!?!?!” he repeated, this time loudly and directly in Kato’s ear.
The said man jumped in his seat, blinking in shock as he dropped his pen and grabbed onto the nearest object he could find as if his dear life depended on it. When he realised what just happened, Kato turned his head to Koyama - glaring at the older man.
“Are you trying to kill me, Kei-chan?!” Kato exclaimed disapprovingly.
“You weren’t answering my question,” Koyama replied with a small, satisfied smile, sipping his half-cold coffee.
“You could have patted me or something instead!”
Laughing, Koyama put his coffee down, being careful that it was far from all those electronic devices that Kato had installed inside the van. Koyama had never been good with gadgets, so he would rather let Kato deal with it, deciding on which ones to get, even though Koyama was his senior.
“So, what did you hear?”
“Nothing much. Random hookers talking about lipsticks, drunk guy hitting on them, and…” Kato paused, somewhat frowning as he tried to listen to his headphones. “…and I guess someone has to be on the field right now,” he said, standing up while putting his headphones down - hands reaching out for his gun and torchlight.
“Copy that, partner. I’ll be here with my not-so-tasty coffee,” Koyama straightened up, getting ready to deal with the electronics equipment.
“No, buddy. We both need to be on the field,” Kato corrected him.
“Eh…? But Yamashita-san said…”
“I heard the sound of those metal round bells, Kei-chan,” Kato stared at him seriously. “Unless you want me to die, you better come with me.”
Stiffening on the spot, Koyama gulped. He stood up slowly as he hesitantly grabbed his own gun and torchlight. “Do you think we can win?”
“Do you think we have a choice?”
“Well…”
“Find Nishikido’s base or our badges will be our souvenir for Yamashita-san the first thing in the morning,” said Kato firmly.
Koyama knew better than anyone else in the metropolis that there wouldn’t be any hope in solving this case unless they got to the bottom of it. They couldn’t afford losing more law enforcement or military personnel because the more they kept on disappearing, the more that underground organisation would be stronger.
He didn’t particularly like what they were about to face; his head was low and he found it hard to keep up with Kato, who was already walking ahead of him, passing all those hookers and the drunk man that the young guy had mentioned earlier. It was late at night, dark, but not enough that they would need their torchlight.
His spine tingled in the most unpleasant manner when a sound of metal round bells was heard as Kato and he stepped into an empty park. The lights weren’t poor, but he couldn’t find the exact location of the owner of these bells. He knew these bells a little bit too well, maybe better than anyone that was ever involved in this case did.
“Looking for me, gentlemen?”
Kato turned around, pushing Koyama gently aside as he stepped forward - his cat-like eyes were pierced to the dim park, knowing very well who was talking to them. “Show yourself!” the younger man spoke loudly.
“I’m not hiding or anything. I’m not Tegoshi. Hide and seek isn’t really my thing.”
The two of them gripped their guns tighter as they discovered a man sitting leisurely on one of the benches. His hair was cherry red while his clothes were casual yet distinct, and Koyama noticed a very familiar pair of metal round bells that were attached on his belt.
He knew those bells really well - simply for the fact that he gave them to that guy.
“Long time no see, Kei-chan,” the cherry-headed guy stood up, and his face was clearly seen under the bright park lights - that one discrete smile was the first thing that Koyama took notice of.
“Massu…” he mumbled.
Koyama felt his chest tighten with memories of his police academic years flashing before his eyes. He remembered those days really well, those days when the person standing before the two of them was just a kouhai that lived just opposite his room back in the dorm.
“We know you’re not alone, Masuda! Where is Nishikido? Are you meeting him here?” Kato spoke up.
“Masuda? What happened to Massu, Shige?” Masuda tilted his head, his eyebrows raised questioningly.
“Massu is dead. The moment you betrayed us, you were dead to me,” growled Kato.
Masuda just smiled, almost in an innocent manner like he always did, which Koyama knew would only piss Kato off even more. This man wasn’t just an enemy. He wasn’t Tegoshi, who was already a target since the very beginning. Koyama knew that he would be one of those few people that still had problems letting go - accepting the fact that Masuda was no longer part of their team but was now an enemy.
“Tell us where Nishikido is, Massu,” Koyama said at the end, finding the courage to put aside his personal feelings and just do his job.
“Well, I knew that he was on his way, but I guess that obviously has changed now that the two of you are here,” Masuda answered casually.
Koyama failed to see it coming, and it took him by surprise when he heard a gunshot, no, two shots being fired. He turned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of Kato firing his gun towards Masuda. Panic rushed over him, his head turned back to their enemy almost right away, wanting to make sure that it wasn’t just his imagination.
Yet… there Masuda stood proudly with a smile behind a soil wall, something that only Masuda could do. Koyama was sure it could only be Masuda. The other man wasn’t only good at controlling the earth, but also better at physical combat. His body was almost as muscular as Yamashita’s, and both Koyama and Kato knew that they wouldn’t stand a change if they were to face him alone.
“That wasn’t really nice, Shige,” Masuda commented, the thick tall wall before him slowly gliding down back to the earth, the soil once again becoming one with the rest of the park ground. “Are you gonna burn my hair like you did to Tegoshi a while ago now?”
“I can do just that if you really want it,” Kato glared at him, throwing his gun aside because he knew it was no use for him to keep holding on to it.
“I would take that as a challenge then~.”
Before they knew it, the ground that they were standing on started to shake, hills of soil shooting up to the air suddenly, separating Koyama from Kato. Koyama ducked down, holding onto the ground that was moving, trying his best to lock his vision on Shige.
It was hard to see in such a dark condition, especially when he knew that Masuda was purposely separating them because the two of them together would just be too much for the earth bender to handle.
“Kei-chan, do something!!!” he heard Shige shout at him when he lost sight of the younger guy.
“Like what?!”
“I don’t know! ANYTHING!”
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep his mind clear because it would be the only way he could save the two of them. Masuda’s ground maze was exceptional; anyone could easily be distracted and get lost once he reconstructed the landscape. But Koyama knew that he could do this.
Raising both of his hands forward, he opened his eyes and concentrated on the direction where he believed Masuda was, his hands somehow shaking. He had only this one shot before the soil he was standing on starting to move again, so without hesitation Koyama screamed, “Reconstruct!”
In that instant, the bewildering earth maze collapsed before his very own eyes, revealing Masuda, who looked pretty surprised at what just happened. Though much to Koyama’s surprise, Masuda wasn’t alone this time. Someone else was there with him, holding a clearly struggling Kato in his hands.
“You forgot that this shitty detective controls earth too, Masuda,” said the newcomer with a very distinct accent, his bloodshot eyes on Koyama.
“Oh, right. My bad, Nishikido-san.”
He wasn’t a big guy, pretty small in fact. But he, or Nishikido as they knew him, was one of those people that no one in the metropolis would dare to face.
Kato was on his knees, his hands bent behind his back with Nishikido holding them down. There were sparks of fire coming out of Kato’s hands, desperately trying to attack Nishikido; but it was a useless effort, because the underground organisation leader controlled the same element as Kato and was used to the pain of being burned.
“Tell that boss of yours that I got one of his favourite detectives in custody until he agrees to join me,” Nishikido smirked in a commanding manner.
With that, Nishikido threw a huge fireball towards Koyama, and disappeared along with Masuda and Kato when Koyama managed to dodge the attack and stand up properly.
------
Koyama was usually seen as very patient detective. He took his time in analysing his leads and hints, and he didn’t like to make a move in such a rush. But this was different. It was different if the hostage was someone that he didn’t know, the ticking clock getting on his nerves more than usual because it was Kato, and Kato was his dear partner.
The man sitting beside Koyama tapped his finger on the steering wheel of the black car; his face was grim in concentration as he watched over the warehouse not far from where he had parked the car. Yamashita might be young, but Koyama knew that he was capable of anything and he deserved his rank more than anyone else.
“Yamashita-san… mind if I ask you a question?” Koyama broke the silence.
“Sure.”
“Why is Nishikido so interested in getting you into his organisation?”
The higher-ranking man sighed, leaning back in the driver’s seat with his eyes still staring out of the car at the warehouse that they had been observing for a while now. “We were childhood friends,” the Inspector answered.
“Eeehhh?” Koyama blinked.
Yamashita turned his head to Koyama, his eyes half lidded, and he seemed to expect that kind of answer. A soft chuckle escaped from his lips as his head shook in a gentle manner, almost as if he was trying to assure his assistant inspector that it wasn’t really much of a big deal.
“Don’t worry. It was a long time ago,” the somewhat younger man assured Koyama.
Nodding, more towards himself than anyone else, Koyama circled his vision back to the warehouse. He knew that if Yamashita ever agreed to join Nishikido, it might be the end of the metropolis. He didn’t even dare to imagine any further.
He sat up when he saw a movement nearby, and his hand almost automatically nudged Yamashita’s arm as he straightened his own body up in his seat. Dropping the conversation they had earlier, he automatically reached for his gun when he saw that it was Tegoshi walking into the warehouse.
When he got the signal from Yamashita, he slowly got out of the car, eyes watching closely his boss’ movement to make sure that he was doing everything according to plan. They had snipers all around the place and now all he had to do was get Kato out of there alive.
Slowly and carefully, he walked towards the side door of the warehouse, watching Yamashita’s position on the other side of the warehouse out of the corner of his eye. Once he made sure the other was already in position, he slowly opened the rusty steel door, taking a peak at what was happening inside.
He gulped as he saw Kato on a wooden chair right in the middle of the big, poorly lighted warehouse, all tied up. Not far from Kato, he could clearly see three familiar figures standing in a circle, having a somewhat serious conversation.
“I know that you guys are surrounding us!” Nishikido suddenly exclaimed loudly, much to Koyama’s shock.
Confused, he reached for his wireless headset. “Sir, what should we do?” he asked Yamashita, who was in the other line.
There was a long silence before an answer came to him, as Koyama’s legs fidgeted. They had only one shot at this and it really made Koyama feel uneasy. “I’m coming in. Make sure you’re ready with your gun,” Yamashita said at the end.
It was nerve-wracking for Koyama, but he knew if he really wanted to get a step closer to a promotion, he should trust Yamashita’s instinct and just go to it. So with that, he opened the door wider, spotting almost right away his inspector’s figure on the other side of the warehouse.
There was a distinct smell, the reek of rusty steel in his nose almost right away as he stepped into the big brace building. The atmosphere wasn’t something that Koyama was fond of, but he had learned to deal with it because it just came with the territory as a detective.
“Pi~,” Nishikido said, with an amused grin.
“Ryo,” the Inspector replied, but in a much flatter tone.
“Finally decided to have a little reunion with me?”
“Not in a million years, Ryo. Not my cup of tea,” Yamashita smiled.
“Oh that’s too bad. Then I have to finish you off.”
It happened so fast that Koyama had to find a safe spot almost right away. Fireballs started to fly towards Yamashita from Nishikido’s palm, the dim building suddenly filled with bright fire orbs in the wings. It was chaotic because Yamashita dodged all those balls with ease. He moved to the other side of the room with the speed of light, and occasionally floating in the air. Air, the element that Yamashita knew how to control.
Even though he was distracted for a second there, Koyama finally remembered the main reason he was there. Kato. Right, he had to save his partner. Shifting his eyes to the tied male in the middle of the open room, Koyama gulped as he tried to see what Tegoshi and Masuda were doing in the meantime.
It was relieving a bit when he saw Tegoshi was eagerly helping Nishikido in attacking Yamashita, trying to attack him with streams of water from the big container at the corner of the building, as Yamashita was still faster than the two of them combined.
The only problem that he had was that Masuda was right beside the unconscious Kato, standing delightfully by the hostage.
“Want this person beside me, Kei-chan?” Masuda suddenly turned to him, smiling at the detective.
“Let him go,” Koyama said firmly.
“I can’t do that, Kei-chan. My loyalty is not with you,” Masuda said calmly.
“I don’t think you even have any, Massu,” said the detective.
Putting his gun up, Koyama skilfully directed it in Masuda’s direction, knowing that the two of them were at a disadvantage with the place they were in. He knew that if they were strong enough, they could force the earth to break through the concrete floor, but neither of them were capable enough to do so.
“Let’s do it fair and square, Kei-chan. No weapons. Barehanded,” the younger man suggested, almost too casually.
Koyama gulped, remembering how good Masuda was at bare hand combat. He glanced over at his boss, who hadn’t been doing anything much but avoiding Nishikido and Tegoshi’s attacks, his feet barely touching the ground. Pursing his lips tight, he started to think that he might as well do this now.
He took off his suit, untying his tie right after - getting ready to face Masuda. It was nerve-wrecking for him, but he knew that he had no other choice. He was about to get ready to bend his knees but before he knew it, a punch already landed on his face.
Coughing as he felt his body being pushed backwards by the punch’s impact, Koyama felt his vision shaking. He stumbled upon his legs as he tried to balance out his body. His mind tried to think of a trick he could use to win over Masuda, but the other man was so fast that Koyama was taken aback as another attack landed in his stomach.
Koyama fell completely to the ground; his head was making him dizzy and he couldn’t see his surroundings well and everything was doubled.
Suddenly he heard a loud “bang!,” and slowly increasing temperature suddenly rose up drastically. He tried his best to push himself up. The room was flaming orange and the smoke started to fill his lungs, making him cough from both his hurting stomach and difficulty breathing.
A hand grabbed him, dragging him away from the centre of the warehouse. He couldn’t see who it was but he could still see the chair where Kato had been sitting, though not a slight body part of the younger guy was seen, so he assumed that it was Kato who was dragging him away to the door.
“Shige, you’re conscious?!” he turned his head, only to be surprised that it wasn’t Kato, but Masuda.
He thought that would be it. Nishikido might have already defeated his boss and now he was taken to their base because they lost the battle. He wriggled hard, trying to escape from Masuda’s grip, but his muscles’ power was clearly a lot less than the shorter man’s.
“Sorry about the punches, Kei-chan. Just be still for now, will you?” Masuda gripped Koyama’s arm hard to make him stop moving.
The man’s statement confused Koyama greatly. He wasn’t sure if Masuda meant what he said or if he was just playing around with Koyama. It shocked him even further when Yamashita and Kato greeted him, Kato holding onto their boss’ shoulder. But Koyama wasn’t alone; Kato looked just as surprised when Masuda let Koyama go and walked towards Yamashita casually.
“…What a waste, Masuda…” Yamashita mumbled un-amusedly.
“I can’t help it. Your order was clear. Can hurt, don’t kill,” Masuda answered. “Shige gained consciousness and he just suddenly blew the whole place up with his fire. Kei-chan could have died if I left him behind.”
“What’s going on, Boss?” Kato frowned, clearly not liking the way the two of them talked so casually.
Koyama nodded, agreeing with Kato. He walked over to his partner and helped him to stand on the ground, eyes then shifting back to his boss and Masuda - questions plastered all over his face. “Something sounds fishy,” Koyama added.
“I sent him on an undercover task,” Yamashita said at the end. “You guys weren’t supposed to know.”
The two detectives exchanged looks before shooting their boss a fierce glare. “What if I shot him yesterday and he died, Yamashita-san!!!” Kato protested.
------
A week had passed since the warehouse incident and Koyama was back to work again. The wound on the corner of his eyes had started to heal up even though he had to put a bandage over it, and Kato had come back with his usual snarky, yet intelligent remarks.
The underground organisation case was put on hold for a week, but now the two detectives had to get back right to it and find a way to bring Nishikido down. From what Koyama had gathered from his reliable sources, the organisation leader and his right hand man, Tegoshi, had already started to operate like normal and there was a rumour of another missing officer, being predicted that this disappearance might have something to do with Nishikido recruiting a new member.
But Koyama knew that it wasn’t necessarily bad news for him, because the rest of the day was going well.
He couldn’t stop smiling as he observed the desk next to Kato’s. It had been a while since it was just the two of them, and now he felt like his team was finally complete. His smile got even bigger when he saw a very familiar tiny pig plush was placed on the desk.
“Kei-chan, you look freaky smiling like an idiot like that,” Kato commented.
“I can’t help it. Our team is complete~,” he grinned widely.
A habitual, somewhat creepy giggle escaped from the person sitting beside Kato. His cherry red hair was something refreshing to see in a very hectic and monotone metropolis, and Koyama couldn’t deny how much he was really happy with what he was seeing. And that colourful parka instead of a suit over the white shirt and the silver coloured tie this person was wearing definitely were among what Koyama had been missing for a while now.
“Welcome back, Massu,” Koyama said with a smile at the end. “Let’s finish this case off together.”