touchedgod
in
damned
DAY 59: CAFETERIA
Billy surfaced into wakefulness. Sleep receded like an inky tide, and it didn't say anything to him before it was gone. His dreams had been nothing but the sensation of water, rocking him restlessly in his bottle. There seemed to be an ocean beyond his confines, but he couldn't see it and couldn't reach it. He pawed at the glass, but any progress
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He shrugged, gave Byrne a sympathetic smile, and then downed a large spoonful of gruel. "Anyway--" Niikura swallowed. "--Faraday-san, I was wonderin' if I could talk to ya about somethin' concerning Badd-san. Y'see, a mutual acquaintance of ours, Gant...-san, told me a kinda interestin' story yesterday about Badd-san bein' some kinda vigilante." A short laugh. "I know you two go way back, so I was wonderin' if ya knew anything about it. 'S my policy to not trust stories like that unless more than one person confirms it, y'know?"
Okay, so much for not being up front about his intentions. But at least he'd phrased it less suspiciously than he could have.
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Byrne had to throw a hand over his mouth to keep from gagging at the sight of it. Here was this kid with a big smile on his face as he, without complaint, without the slightest change in expression, chewed up that rotting slop and those maggot guts. MAGGOT. GUTS. The horror! Niikura was too young to be undergoing such cruel and unusual punishment! Byrne wanted to rip that bowl away from the kid to prevent him from eating any more. If not for his health's sake, then for the prosecutor's own sanity!
...Fortunately, Niikura was able to provide him with a distraction from the incredibly disgusting act he was witnessing here. Unfortunately, it was in the way of a very inconvenient and troubling question.
Gant told him about the Yatagarasu?
First of all, how did Gant know about it? And second of all, why did he tell Niikura? And only about Badd? Byrne's eyes showed a hint of recognition at that word vigilante, but otherwise he had no other external reaction at the kid's question. "Peculiar," he answered after a moment's pause, keeping his mouth covered (honestly not to hide any changes in expression, j-just that food was seriously gross okay). "I know Badd better than anybody and he's not into that. Why would Gant suggest that?" He gave the kid a confused look that was, well, half honest. He wasn't confused about Badd being a vigilante, but he was confused over why Niikura had obtained that information. Why would Gant, a respected detective, be a snitch to this kid? What did he have to gain?
Maybe it was useless to lie; Badd did say the whole Yatagarasu thing was old news by now. But it might be safer to feign innocence for now. Might be.
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"I dunno. I thought it was pretty odd myself, knowin' the guy. Seemed to really not like those types of people when I first met him. But...heh, it was a pretty relevant story to my interests since I'm also 'that type of person', if y'know what I mean, so I'm guessin' maybe that's why?" It was a fairly sterile version of events, but then, Byrne didn't need to know that Badd had snitched on Gant who was now snitching on Badd.
"But from the sounds of things, he wasn't tellin' the truth?" Niikura frowned. "Kind of a funny thing to make up, if ya ask me."
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Ignoring it, he was ignoring it now. B-besides, the topic at hand was much more startling than the food, anyway. Also, Niikura's easy admission there definitely piqued the prosecutor's curiosity. "So wait, you say you're 'that type of person'?" Funny how he was just going to admit that outright...seemed a little suspicious, didn't it? If it was true, what was Niikura doing as a vigilante, and why? And if Gant knew about it, too, then that would give him a reason for telling Niikura about the Yatagarasu, right? Sort of?
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He was assuming that he held the truth, but that was the point: he wasn't interested in actually hearing that Gant was right or wrong. Byrne's reactions (or lack thereof, even) would tell him enough, or, he certainly thought they would; Niikura prided himself on his ability to read people even when they thought they had him fooled.
"And aye, ya heard me right the first time. I'm 'that type of person'--or, I was back home." He watched Byrne for a few seconds. "You're probably wonderin' why I told ya that so easily, 'cause those kinds of activities shouldn't be admitted to so hastily, right? And it could be an easy thing to make up too, so the burden of proof is on me."
He stopped to eat another bite of breakfast. "Sorry, Faraday-san, I'm going to have to just ask ya to believe me. No one I know from home's here, so I can't direct ya elsewhere, and all the hard evidence I could use is tainted by some fake me. I told ya only because it was related to the reason that Gant-san told me about Badd-san; leavin' that fact out would mean that I wouldn't have an answer for ya." Niikura shrugged. "And I figured ya were the kind of person who could keep a secret, knowin' someone similar and all."
Man, he was walking on thin ice here.
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He stared at Niikura, eyebrow still raised. "Don't worry, I don't care if you tell anyone. Doesn't matter if it isn't true." He was careful to try to sound more unconcerned than defensive; the latter would make lying pointless. The raised eyebrow might send mixed signals, however, which was something he didn't notice until after he'd spoken. Ah, it could be taken as a sign of annoyance and not oh-god-you-figured-me-out, he supposed. Hoped.
Meanwhile, Niikura's explanation of his being a vigilante and all the suspicions that went with it was another story entirely. In fact, Byrne found himself relaxing a little at it (while averting eye contact for a moment because urgh he was eating that rotting pile of shit again whyyy). "Well... Whether you're being honest about the whole vigilante thing or not, just keep in mind that you're telling this to a prosecutor," he pointed out with a smile. It was more of a joke than a serious statement. C'mon, it wasn't like he could actually do any prosecuting while they were trapped in Landel's Hellhole. Heck, he bet that ten years in an L.A. prison was better than another day here!
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"Hah! Prosecutor, police officer...doesn't matter if ya can't catch me," he quipped in return, lips curling into a cross between a grin and a sneer. "And that's a challenge I'll gladly bring to the table. If we ever get out of here, you can join the laundry list of guys itchin' to take a crack at hauling me in."
And he, being Akumetsu, would meet his end on his own terms; he'd pick the one worthiest of bringing him to justice- none of them, if it came to that. Of course, this assumed that he would actually disregard "one man, one kill" when he finally killed Aguilar or Landel- or some worthy replacement. At the moment, he was convinced that he would, but one could never tell about those kinds of life-changing decisions.
"And ah, so it isn't true?" The teen laughed nonchalantly. Hm...this was taking quite a twist. Byrne's expression hadn't changed; he had played the game before. Think fast, Niikura. (Oh, bring it.) "My bad for jumpin' to conclusions like that; I just think the best of things too easily, y'know? Should've known...although, that clears things up, doesn't it? Why your police chief might tell me a lie like that." Niikura's face darkened. "'Cause there's somethin' else hidin' behind all this, huh. Somethin' far less innocent than mere vigilantism. Tryin' to throw me off Badd-san's trail, lookin' out for his man...makes more sense than someone just tryin' to connect two like souls to me."
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"Oh, I'd say Landel and Aguilar've already taken care of that for your laundry list, haven't they?" He chuckled. "Kind of a shame, I think you would've had an easier time in a regular prison than here." ...Ignoring the fact that being in a regular prison didn't save people like Badd from being taken here, of course.
Byrne's smile and overall better mood disappeared, however, when Niikura continued talking and delivered a new accusation. He was trying to make it sound like Badd was some kind of criminal scum now, was he? Byrne's immediate reaction was to rush to defend his partner's honor, but he recognized a second later that a response like that would be falling right into the kid's trap. So he would remain calm. "You have a funny habit of assuming things, don't you?" He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Tell me something. Why are you so sure Badd's a criminal? Couldn't Gant just be lying in order to create needless drama between you and Badd?" That wasn't what Byrne believed was going on here, but it could be a valid assumption when one didn't know anything otherwise.
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Well, there was only one thing to do: keep applying pressure and stay on the offensive. At worst, he would make himself a new enemy, and Niikura hardly cared if that happened; he would never work with an actual agent of the law.
"Assumin' things, huh?" He chuckled. "Well, when ya keep bein' all evasive like that, means I gotta do all the guess work myself, y'know? And I'm a man who's looked at the justice system and found it lackin'; of course I'm gonna expect the worst outta every cop or lawyer I meet. So I'm only throwin' out what seems logical to me.
"As for Gant-san...well. Why would your Chief of Police wanna stir up needless drama between some kid he barely even knows and one of his own? Think he's tryin' to get me to take Badd-san out or somethin' for great justice? I'll give ya a hint: he said nothin' like that, just told me a pret-ty interestin' story about three-legged birds and good intentions gone bad, pun not intended. So unless there's somethin' goin' on between the two of them that I don't know about, your hypothesis doesn't hold any water."
Niikura let the chair rock back onto two legs with a loud thump and let his elbows rest on the table, fingers steepled in front of him. "So! Tell me somethin', then. Why are ya so sure Badd-san ain't a criminal? 'Cause I haven't heard any evidence to the contrary yet."
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That was one of the reasons Byrne had decided to become Yatagarasu. If he and Badd didn't stick up for what was right, despite what the law said otherwise, who would?
Ahh, but now he was just rambling to himself. Those thoughts probably showed through in his expression momentarily - a brief frown, some glint of resolve in his eyes. He forced himself to get back on topic and listened as Niikura went on to deliver his argument.
Another valid point. Was there something going on between Gant and Badd that Byrne didn't know about? Was there some sort of animosity the old detective just never bothered to bring up whenever they were together? Their dislike of von Karma had been mutual, and they'd gossiped about him before (and who the hell didn't, honestly?). But Gant...no, Byrne was drawing a blank. He'd always seen Gant and his partner Lana as respectable people who worked hard for justice. Then again, Byrne's place was the prosecutor's office, not the police station. He certainly was never in the right place to hear gossip about the other cops. This point would be difficult to counter.
Well, at least Niikura's last statement was an easy one to answer truthfully. Byrne took a second to think over Niikura's entire speech, and then smiled again once he'd found his answers.. "I have to admit, I don't know what's going on between Badd and Gant, but I guess it's time I start asking one or both of them now that this whole mess has come up, huh?" He chuckled. "But anyway... Are you sure you're not letting your prejudice against cops and lawyers get in the way of judging Badd fairly? I've known Badd for fifteen years, give or take. A hell of a long time to put up with a guy. I know him better than anybody. So if he ever tried to get into any vigilante business..." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "...Trust me, I'd know about it. Sooner or later, I'd find out."
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Time to review the facts: Byrne and Badd were close. Byrne seemed to have no idea of Gant's true character; he attributed that to a time difference, which could be irrelevant (--or it couldn't be, but he didn't have enough information to prove that yet). Gant had told him about Badd because Badd had told him about Gant that night long ago. According to Gant, Badd was a vigilante known as the Yatagarasu. Yatagarasu...why was that word so familiar the more he said it? He was missing something. There was something he was forgetting. Yatagarasu...not Samurai Blue, nope. The Yatagarasu was Badd. The three-legged crow that delivered...
Oh. Oh. Wait, he knew this. It was that girl. That one on the board! The one with the funny logo who was from LA, the one who'd gotten all that background help, the one who--Faraday. The Second Great Thief Yatagarasu Kay Faraday.
Man, that girl just left her footprints everywhere, didn't she? He'd only spoken to her once over the bulletin board, but she'd stuck in his memory because anyone talking about delivering justice to criminals caught his attention; that was just how things worked. Heroes were always mindful of each other, after all; they didn't want to impinge on each other's work and that kind of stuff.
And she'd been pretty ridiculous. It was hard to forget a thief who gave PSA's--
--Hold the phone. Faraday.
Okay, now things were interesting. Kay was the second, which meant that there had been a first. Given her last name...oh, now he had the bomb that he wanted. And he didn't even need to rely on Gant for this one! Slowly, the look of concentration on his face turned into a grin, a wide, toothy, slightly predatory grin that Akumetsu only acquired when he had his man within his sights.
"Hehe...he...hahahahahahaha!" Niikura threw back his head and laughed--not his usual soft chuckle, but the loud sort of laugh that verged on maniacal, the kind of laugh that villains laughed when they saw the end in sight and couldn't believe it. "Sheesh! He was lyin'! That whole damn time, tellin' me that kind of stupid story when the real one's in the same building...sittin' right in front of me! Man, that is just too funny--well played, Gant-san, well-played!" He wiped his eyes shakily as his sides continued to shake from laughter.
"Heh...Faraday-san, I gotta apologize...totally forgot...no way Badd-san could be the Yatagarasu...should tell ya that about a week ago, I met someone who...oohhhahahaha...called herself the Yatagarasu. Shouted it for all to hear all over the bulletin board...freakin' brilliant. Don't know how I forgot, just got caught up in the heat of the moment, y'know? Easily excited, bad habit, I know, gotta work on it..." He gripped the edge of the table to steady himself and took a deep breath.
"Guess ya might know her too: Kay Faraday."
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Hell. No. He was NOT about to drag Kay into this. The little brat, who did he think he was?
Byrne's face instantly darkened at the mention of his daughter's name. Yes, whether the prosecutor recognized it or not, Niikura had just attacked his biggest weak spot - and Byrne was not about to let it go lightly. Worse yet was knowing that the statement Kay had posted about the Yatagarasu on the bulletin board was most likely true. Knowing her as his daughter and remembering what Badd had told him about how she's been doing in recent years, including her taking on the name of Yatagarasu, this didn't come as a surprise.
Surprise or not, it didn't matter. Byrne was being backed into a corner now, and he was too distracted by his desire to protect his daughter to realize that. His composure was breaking.
"So you're not happy with accusing my partner? Now you've got to go dragging my daughter into this, too?" The smile on his face had been gone a long time ago, and it wasn't coming back with the rate things were going. "Sorry to disappoint you, but she's not the Yatagarasu either, no matter what she might have said otherwise. She's just a kid like you, trying to take on a bigger role than she can handle." He didn't like saying that about Kay, he didn't... But then again, the point of that statement wasn't to insult her, exactly. "Give it up, Niikura. You're starting to piss me off."
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First, though: reassurance. He hadn't introduced Kay into the conversation for the purpose of threatening the prosecutor, rather to build up to his next point. "Your daughter? I figured you two were related somehow, but heh, that makes things a lot clearer."
Niikura sighed and ran a hand through his hair apologetically. "Still, 'm not draggin' your daughter into this. I only bring her up 'cause she reminded me of somethin' very important: she called herself the 'second' Yatagarasu--which means there's a first, right? Even if she's not really the Yatagarasu, she's still tryin' to follow in someone's footsteps whether they want her to or not." He laughed. "And unless she's got some kinda family friend she really, really admires, more so than her own dad, the first has gotta be you, Faraday-san. So I'll agree with ya about Gant-san not speakin' the truth."
He looked aside at his breakfast again and shrugged. "'Course, now we're back to the question of why Gant-san would lie to me like that, but I can always ask him why on my own time." Casually spoken, but with Niikura, statements like that were actually neatly veiled threats.
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But if it had to be him or Badd in the snare? It was going to be him. Not to hog all the credit or any other selfish reason, but for protection and loyalty. Badd had suffered enough. Let Byrne be the one caught red-handed, so Badd didn't have to deal with the consequences. Byrne had been planning to do just that if Rell's accusation had been successful that day, anyway.
At first, he said nothing to Niikura's long-winded speech. Then, after a few moments, he relaxed and chuckled quietly to himself. "...I'll give you credit. You're more clever than you look." Or he was just damned lucky that Kay had been here to unintentionally inform him ahead of time. "Too bad you're so biased against us lawyers. You'd make a fine one."
Byrne sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, keeping his eyes locked on his opponent. A wide grin spread across his face; it was not his usual friendly smile. "Now, I'm curious. You're so persistent about this Yatagarasu, even going so far as to bring up my daughter. What for? So you can act all mighty and proud for figuring it out, or are you trying to be some badass guy who takes out big name criminals or something? Enlighten me." No, he wasn't going to admit right out that he'd been figured out. He would dance around it, not answer straight - Niikura was obviously a smart kid, he probably got it by now anyway. All Byrne wanted to know was what he planned to do with the information now that he (presumably) had it.
Oh, as unlikely as it was, it would be so damned hilarious if the kid wanted to take him out. Sorry, someone already beat you to it! Better luck next target.
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"Heh, I just wanted to know the truth, and when I want to know something, I'll pursue the matter until the end. That's just how I work, no different than" - Niikura gestured to Byrne - "ya lawyer types. Not gonna boast, 'cause I'll keep this to myself, and 'm not gonna try and take ya out either 'cause even though our methods are different, I think the same thing drives us forward; it ain't any use to take out people whose beliefs line up with yours."
He could probably skip the part about his natural urge to compile massive "files", so to speak, on any member of law enforcement he could find. Know thine enemy: even if they weren't corrupt, even if they were truly agents of justice, Niikura had to know everything. He'd treated Yamada and Bloody Mary no differently, gone through and sniffed out every little bit of information about them that he could find. Motivations, personal issues, past cases, frustrations...anything. Anything that he could use to move them as he wanted--or actually, to make sure that they wouldn't get in his way. The mental games he played to keep people on their toes and himself unassailable...if they ever escaped, he would have it all at his disposal; Niikura had never considered outright blackmail beneath him.
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(Byrne could also bring up the fact that he was technically dead already, so any amount of 'taking out' would be pointless too. But he didn't need to be giving the kid any ideas, did he?)
Anyway. So Niikura just wanted to know the truth, eh? Why was Byrne finding it hard to believe that? Ah well, there was something more bothersome about the kid's answer than that right now. "But do your beliefs line up with the Yatagarasu's?" The prosecutor-and-thief cocked an eyebrow, still grinning. "I haven't heard what you stand for, quite honestly, and I'm sure any well-meaning vigilante wouldn't like to have their reputation tarnished by being compared to one who isn't, y'know?" Especially if Niikura really 'took people out' like he kept claiming he did. The Yatagarasu didn't need to be lumped into the same category as a murderer.
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