The Hell's Spot - Chapter 11 + Epilogue
Title: The Hell's Spot (chapter 10)
Translated by: miriadel_87 & harin91
Group: Arashi (mainly)
Pairing: Ohmiya, Matsumiya, Toma/OC, hinted Sakumoto
Other JE boys: Toma, Jin and Ryo
Type: multi-chapter
Genre: AU, noir, crime story, angst
Story rating: R
Disclaimers: don't own Arashi or other JE boys... sadly.
Summary: "The Hell's Spot is not a common nightclub, Nino".
Notes: I think this is one of my best works. Thanks to all my friend that supported me while I was writing and to all the Italian readers. Secial thanks to jinnypazza82 , vampiretta87 and, of course, miriadel_87 .
And also: I drew the inspiration for this ff from Murakami Haruki's book "Dance! Dance! Dance!".
Previous chapters: Prologue + Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9 Ch10
Chapter 11.
For two days, Ohno forced him not to leave home.
He made sure to send Toma to Nino’s study to collect the mail and tidy up, rather than letting Kazunari get up from the bed.
He said that Kazunari was tired, that the fact that he fainted so frequently wasn’t normal, and that it was useless to try to avoid the discussion.
-You’re even losing out your health, for this case...- protested the artist.
Kazunari didn’t answer, he simply avoided watching the telephone, with the doctor’s number written on a post-it on the same bedside table. Just when he was about to reach the solution... almost there...
-Why cases have always to be something so personal for you?- asked Satoshi, sitting on the mattress. He was worried, Nino could see it, but...
-You can’t understand, my love...- Nino murmured.
Satoshi lowered his gaze.
-Yeah, I can’t. But tell me how I can protect you, then? You come back home at impossibly late times, you’re always somewhere else, and recently a stranger took you home, unconscious, at 7 in the morning! How can I continue to let you do this? Didn’t we promise?- said Ohno, voice low and tired.
Nino brought him closer on the bed, and kissed him sweetly, caressing his hair. They stayed like that for long, without speaking.
-I don’t want to make you worry anymore. But I can’t give up either, now that I’m so close to the solution...- he explained.
Satoshi sighed and was forced to kiss him again.
-This case isn’t an ordinary one anymore... I’m involved, do you understand? A person, a friend of mine... he died. And it’s my fault. This is why I just can’t give up. I’m asking you to trust me, at least this one last time- he said, caressing his boyfriend’s face sweetly.
-I love you, Toshi-chan. Without you I just... can’t go on. Don’t make me give up, ‘cause... you know that for you... I would. But I don’t want, now...-.
Ohno sighed again, then he smiled and gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead.
-My little detective...- he whispered.
Nino returned the smile, then he asked: -Do you trust me, my love?-.
Ohno nodded, convinced, then leaned his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.
It was raining.
Like that May morning when Lilith’s body was found... like the day the case started. It was raining.
The living room’s windows were striped by the unceasing flow of the strong rain, the garden was filled of large puddles on which drops were falling hard. The silence which reigned in the house permitted him to hear the continuous sound.
The room, even if silent, was filled: Kazunari and Ohno sat on the two armchairs, Masaki and Toma on the couch.
A strange, very strange meeting, at that hour. It was almost 3 in the morning.
At the doorbell’s ring, Ohno went opening.
-Please, come in...- murmured at Arashi, getting his umbrella.
Sho smiled at the artist and bowed his head gently. He entered the room and gave a black binder to Kazunari.
-This is all I could recover from the archive Haruko left. There is nothing important, but maybe you could use it...- he explained, sitting on the third armchair.
-Haruko?- asked Masaki.
-The woman who died at Sheraton- explained briefly Toma.
Ohno returned to his armchair, smiling to Nino.
The detective sighed. He would had preferred to receive everyone of them in private, maybe at his study. Mary would have been busy giving appointments to all of them so that they couldn’t overlap and receiving them at the arrive, in front of the door with the frosted glass.
But he couldn’t do this to Satoshi... he had promised not to hide anything to him anymore and that he wasn’t going anywhere for that week (which was way more tiresome).
-You’ll get fat, if you always sit on that armchair- Toma had joked, some days before.
-Go die- had been the answer.
He wanted to go on, to bring that case to an end.
-...and for this, I need your help. You have to tell me everything you know- started the detective, looking at them one by one.
Toma was leaning on the armrest, wearing a white shirt, with brown pants. He was studying his expression and, he noticed immediately, Arashi’s one.
Masaki was sitting with his back straight and was torturing his hands. He wore a red polo with blue borders, and black pants with lots of pockets. He seemed a lot nervous, but even concentrated and decided, in a sincere way. Like only he could be.
Satoshi was staring at the table, wearing his favourite t-shirt with lots of stains of colour on it, and simple jeans. His nose was stained in light blue, memory of the panel he had been painting that morning, but he was so cute with that on his face that Nino voluntarily forgot to tell him to go wash it away.
Finally Sho. He was fully dressed in black, like Kage did. He wore a simple cotton t-shirt and elegant pants. He was smiling at him, like always.
-I’ll tell you everything that happened that night at The Hell’s Spot...- said Nino slowly.
-I was in there early and asked Notte and Dark...-
-Who’re they?- asked Satoshi, raising his gaze from the table.
-The two bartenders...- said Masaki, and restrained himself from continuing. The sentence remained, from the tone he used, pending. What could he have added? “The two bartenders... left”?
Nino nodded, then continued.
-...I asked them to let me inspect the counter. So I started doing the same movements Kage did and... suddenly I felt... I re-lived some moments of that night, the night of his death. It’s difficult to explain, but it was like fainting. It happened a few times, while I was doing the same things Kage did-.
Nobody talked and Masaki stopped torturing his own hands, starting to do the same with his t-shirt, crumpling it while gazing at Nino.
-I understood that Jun had drunk from glass with something like a strange drug in it, maybe something that blocks movements for a while... and that he knew what he was doing and also who sent him that glass. And I felt him being carried to the green-doored room...- he added, sighing.
The unfocused images printed in his memories were disturbing his own thoughts. They were fast and inaccurate.
-So...- continued Sho, as if changing turns with Nino: -Nino touched the green door and then he fainted-.
Nino nodded and closed his eyes.
Those horrible images and those sensations returned on the surface, while he was remembering.
-Jun was killed by the same person who killed Lilith, and for the same reason. And it does have something to do with the prostitution thing. I know nothing more than this... but the murderer is, without doubts, in the green-doored room- he affirmed.
-Masaki, maybe... you know who he is?- asked the detective.
Hearing his name, Aiba shook a little and nodded lightly.
-Koko told me about him, once... his nickname is “Boss”. He has never been seen at the club, but he seems a person of influence and... mysterious. All the customers of a certain level know him, due to debts or dirty affairs. He is a specialist- he said slowly.
Sho shook his head and sighed.
-What could he have against two people who did prostitution? And, in the end... they both had already stopped...- then he started, and Nino the same.
-And if he was one of their customers? Maybe he was taking revenge of the sudden stop of their “activity”...- murmured the detective, thoughtful.
Toma bit his lip and said: -It seems a possible hypothesis, even if it doesn’t fully convince me... can we discover the entire list of the two’s customers?-.
-We can’t, unfortunately...- Nino sighed again: -I didn’t find out anything from Kage, and...- he gestured towards the binder: -Even Lilith didn’t note the names or the nicknames of her clients-.
There was a pause, then Sho snapped.
-Of course! Jun knew what would have come if he drank from the glass, didn’t he? Maybe that was the standard procedure to meet Boss... this may be the prove to the fact that Boss was his customer!- he exclaimed.
-And for Lilith? We can’t completely sure...- murmured Toma, sceptical.
The silence returned and, beyond the windows, the rain continued to fall.
-If I...- murmured Ohno, his head low: -If I had... if I had been Jun... I wouldn’t have drunk from that glass-.
Toma smiled and nodded, like he was thinking that it was an obvious thing, but Nino... Nino reflected on it. He wouldn’t have drunk. He should not have... done it.
In that moment the detective’s phone went off, and he answered.
-Hello? ...yes... what??? Sure, I’m coming. Stay still!- he exclaimed, standing up apruptly.
Ohno did the same, frightened. Then he gazed at his boyfriend with reproach.
-They were Notte and Dark, they found the same glass as the last time on the counter... filled. Sho, Masa... we need to go- Nino explained, taking the umbrella.
-Kazu! You promised me not...- started Ohno, but the detective silenced his boyfriend with a quick kiss.
-Sorry, my love. I promised, it’s true. But this time, you’ll see... I’ll solve everything. And then we’ll have an entire week or more to spend together cuddling up, you’re in?- asked, smiling.
Ohno sighed, the nodded, kissing him again.
-Remember this...- the artist whispered at his ear: -I wouldn’t have drunk...-.
They took the car and Toma followed them until they reached the first station, then they separated.
-Be careful, don’t make risky moves. See you later- he said, winking.
-Later?- asked Masaki, surprised.
-It’s our plan… now I’ll tell you everything…- said Nino, smiling.
Aiba got off at the following stop.
It was ten minutes to 4 and the streets were desert. Sho drove carefully, while the windscreen wipers swept away the last raindrops. The storm was coming to an end.
-Can… can I ask you a question?- said Arashi, suddenly.
-Sure- Kazunari consented, with a smile.
-Well, what… what did you exactly see… in the green-doored room?- asked the journalist, slowly.
Nino sighed. He had expected it.
He leaned his hand on the journalist’s shoulder and looked at him.
Sho understood immediately, sighing.
-That filthy bastard…- he hissed.
Nino nodded: -Yeah. And now… let’s avenge Jun-.
As soon as they entered the club, the lights were off and the door of the storage room was open, lightening the counter. Dark and Notte were waiting behind it and sighed when they saw them.
When he took sight of that scene, Nino was overcome again by the same sensation he had felt in the vivid memories of few evenings before… what Jun had felt.
-Where was it left?- asked Nino.
-On a table, I found it while I was tidying up after the closing- Jin explained.
He pointed at a table against the wall, in the rear. Now the glass, identical to Kage’s one, was on the counter.
Sho put a hand on his shoulder to make him turn to look at him: -What are you planning to do?-.
-I don’t know…- Nino said slowly -If he’s here… it means someone has an appointment with Boss, but… who?- he wondered.
He looked at the two bartenders who returned the worried look.
-What the hell are you talking about?- asked then Notte, folding his arms on his chest.
It couldn’t be them. But then, who? Who knew the glass had been there? Was it possible that one of the customers, the person Boss wanted, had forgot the glass there. No, very unlikely…
-Notte, Dark. You can go home- he said then, smiling at both of them.
The bartenders collected their things and went away, while Sho and Nino brought the glass in the storage room. The neon light, the bench, the lockers. Other memories, someone else’s memories.
-Someone must enter the green door…- he murmured, lost in his thoughts.
Sho shook his head.
-You can’t do this to your boyfriend. It’s dangerous, ok? Because of all he could do to you. Besides, we don’t even know who was this glass for… How could he know that we are here, now? What connections have we got with him?- asked Arashi.
-Well, we are here now. And, as I said before, he’s expecting someone to enter that room. And I need to do it, to put an end to this case- said Nino.
Sho was ready to retaliate, but the detective stopped him.
-You know the plan, don’t you? You can’t waste time here. You have to go-.
-I won’t go! How could I leave you alone and let you drink that?- protested the journalist.
Nino smiled and nodded.
-Yes, this is the plan. Now go get the others. Be careful to keep on track- he said.
-Kazunari…- Sho tried to scold him, but he couldn’t.
Once he remained alone in the room, once the Hell’s Spot was pitch black… he sat on the bench, just like he had done few evenings before.
He took the glass in his hands, weighed it and looked at the moving liquid for a while.
“You’re risking to go against who’s playing the game”.
He closed his eyes.
“If I had… if I had been Jun… I wouldn’t have drunk from that glass”.
Of course… now he understood.
“I wouldn’t have drunk…”.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed, in a completely dark room.
A shiver went down his back while he realised which room it was. The green door...
He couldn’t see much, the only source of light was far from him, and he didn’t know exactly what it was... a yellowish stripe, maybe projected on the wall.
The air didn’t have any smell and was strangely cold.
He thought to be alone, but... he couldn’t swear.
And he wasn’t, in fact.
-Are you awake?- someone asked.
The voice was coming from his right, quite close to him. He knew it.
He couldn’t move or reply, obviously.
-Finally we meet, Ninomiya Kazunari...- said again that voice, with irony.
He heard the sound of some steps on the floor, then a light turned on in the room. It was dim, but it allowed him to see the man who talked, who now was approaching the bed.
-Since we’ve never been formally introduced, but I know your name, I suppose I should introduce myself: Kitagawa. Also known as... Boss-.
Nino said nothing, he just stared at him, expressionless.
-You’re cool-headed, even if the situation is not good for you. Congratulations- the man smiled, horribly. -And now, to the explanations-.
Boss sat on the bed, by his right side.
-I know everything you managed to find out about me, and I perfectly know that you’re a detective, working on Lilith’s case. It’s only fair to answer some questions that have remained unsolved, right? Well... Lilith and Kage died for the same reason, but, at the same time, for different reasons... Lilith had to die. Kage had not, but I needed him. What for?- he asked, the smile still on his lips.
Nino was starting to understand.
-To reach you, of course. Both of them led a life with shameful depravity, so they deserved a punishment. In this club, I’m the law. And I decide who can or can’t work. I didn’t appreciate their decision to stop their activities for futile reasons, such simple people like them. Lilith died because of her disobedience, in the hope that it would serve as a warning to others who, like her, tried to get out from their “class”… Kage died because you arrived at the club and were using him. I silenced him and, at the same time, I make the necessary tracks for you. It was fun- he said.
He laughed slightly.
Nino didn’t move, even if those words disgusted him.
Everything Jun had had to suffer, it was all his fault… if only he had understood it sooner…
-In brief, if you were born as scum you’ll die as scum. And those like you, along with your friends of the police, are scum. So you won’t mind dying, will you?- Kitagawa added, standing up and turning around the bed. He stopped in front of him.
-After all, now that you know everything… you’ll wish to be dead. Everything that happened is your fault. And the fact that you are really, really stupid… has been proved by your recent actions: even if you knew, you drank from that glass- he said, laughing.
-You’re a failure as a detective- he slowly whispered, leaning over him.
Nino looked at him amusedly and returned the smile.
A strong click echoed in the silence of the room.
Kitagawa opened his eyes wide and sucked in a breath.
-And you…- Nino smiled, pointing the gun at the man’s chest -You’re too full of yourself, old chap-.
The door flung open in that instant and the policemen burst into the room, along with Toma and Sho. Kitagawa was tied up, while he stared incredulously at the tip of Nino’s gun.
-How…?-
-I look a lot more stupid than I am, it seems. I didn’t drink from any glass. And Kage is avenged- explained the detective with a smile, getting up from the bed.
-Bang!- he exclaimed then, waving the gun in his hand.
The policemen took away the culprit and finished inspecting the room. Toma went back to the headquarters and left Joker, Cute and Arashi alone in the club. The electric lights were on and the place didn’t seem so grim and mysterious anymore.
-This will be the end of the club, won’t it?- asked Sho.
-I suppose so…- Nino sighed -As soon as everybody knows that the police got in here, nobody will come anymore. I feel a bit sorry for Notte and Dark… but maybe it’s better this way-.
-If I were you, I wouldn’t be so worried…- murmured Aiba with a strange smile on his lips, feigning innocence.
Nino shook his head and smiled.
The case was solved.
Now he could go back to his princess and take her out to celebrate.
Epilogue.
Dear Joker,
Due to the recent events, it has been decided to close “The Hell's Spot”, of which You have been a highly regarded customer.
As a substitution, a new “Hell's Spot” has already been opened.
Hoping You will choose to carry on being our customer, we attach the instruction to reach us.
The opening party is fixed on date ***.
Best regards.
Obviously, the letter wasn't signed.
He smiled, putting it down on his office desk. His usual office, with the frosted glass door.
Two months had passed since the case conclusion.
He lighted a cigarette and offered one to his guest, who however refused.
-What are you going to do?- asked then Sho, standing to reach the window and trying, vainly, to open it.
-Regard The Hell's Spot, you mean?- he said.
Sho nodded, giving up on the window.
-Cute and Koko decided to reopen it and Dark and Notte have already accepted to be the bartenders. I've taken a peek at the preparations and, well... it's the same as before. Aside from the fact that now it’s... better hidden- explained Nino.
-I meant... will you go?- asked Sho again, sitting down on the armchair.
Nino leaned against the back of his chair and raised his gaze on the ceiling.
Would he return there?
Nothing has changed so much from the start: he had his office, his absent-minded artist, his car and his cigarettes, he still thought he had a secretary - Mary.
Toma was still passing him some cases, which recently were a lot... too much boring.
Arashi or, better said, Sakurai Sho, had become his friend and he had tied up again with his middle school classmate Aiba Masaki, Cute.
On Saturday he would stop to buy beautiful white flowers and take them to the cemetery, leaning them on Haruko and Jun's tombs. They, he knew... they were still a wound that was hard to heal. Kazunari had never found out: if the culprit and his men were arrested, would he succeed in expiate all of his faults?
-Stop tormenting yourself...- Sho scolded him, taking off his glasses.
Glasses that one day... were Kage's.
-It wasn’t your fault at all. If you go on thinking about it, it'd be like letting Boss win- said the journalist.
Nino started, surprised, and watched his friend, then smiled.
-I don't find a reason to come back to The Hell's Spot, after all... the case was solved some time ago...- he murmured.
Sho stood up like he wanted to go away.
-And what if I invited you?- he asked.
-I would kindly accept- he answered. Sho laughed.
-Bring Satoshi, too... it's possible to take outsiders- Arashi said, before leaving.
Kazunari smiled again.
In his mind he saw the flowers on the clear marble of Kage's tomb.
I would never stop searching for you... 'cause we're friends.
He put out his cigarette and waited for the next phone call.
The end.
A/N: THIS TOOK SOOOOO LONG. I know. But I wanted absolutely to finish it before my leaving for Japan.
Lot of things occurred since the last post of HS, bad and good things... and I had no time to translate the fanfiction.
Then, with the great help of Miriadel (I love you, SCIGHE), we finally managed to post the last part. I'm sorry for the ones that waited for so long... and I hope some of you are stalking my journal 'cause, due to lack of time, I'm not going to spam it in other fict communities >__<
I'm very sorry!
I hope you'd like it anyway!
I don't think I will translate soon another long fict... this one took us so long I'm not so motivated as before.
But maybe there will soon be other posts, so... se you! Ja ne!
Translated by: miriadel_87 & harin91
Group: Arashi (mainly)
Pairing: Ohmiya, Matsumiya, Toma/OC, hinted Sakumoto
Other JE boys: Toma, Jin and Ryo
Type: multi-chapter
Genre: AU, noir, crime story, angst
Story rating: R
Disclaimers: don't own Arashi or other JE boys... sadly.
Summary: "The Hell's Spot is not a common nightclub, Nino".
Notes: I think this is one of my best works. Thanks to all my friend that supported me while I was writing and to all the Italian readers. Secial thanks to jinnypazza82 , vampiretta87 and, of course, miriadel_87 .
And also: I drew the inspiration for this ff from Murakami Haruki's book "Dance! Dance! Dance!".
Previous chapters: Prologue + Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9 Ch10
Chapter 11.
For two days, Ohno forced him not to leave home.
He made sure to send Toma to Nino’s study to collect the mail and tidy up, rather than letting Kazunari get up from the bed.
He said that Kazunari was tired, that the fact that he fainted so frequently wasn’t normal, and that it was useless to try to avoid the discussion.
-You’re even losing out your health, for this case...- protested the artist.
Kazunari didn’t answer, he simply avoided watching the telephone, with the doctor’s number written on a post-it on the same bedside table. Just when he was about to reach the solution... almost there...
-Why cases have always to be something so personal for you?- asked Satoshi, sitting on the mattress. He was worried, Nino could see it, but...
-You can’t understand, my love...- Nino murmured.
Satoshi lowered his gaze.
-Yeah, I can’t. But tell me how I can protect you, then? You come back home at impossibly late times, you’re always somewhere else, and recently a stranger took you home, unconscious, at 7 in the morning! How can I continue to let you do this? Didn’t we promise?- said Ohno, voice low and tired.
Nino brought him closer on the bed, and kissed him sweetly, caressing his hair. They stayed like that for long, without speaking.
-I don’t want to make you worry anymore. But I can’t give up either, now that I’m so close to the solution...- he explained.
Satoshi sighed and was forced to kiss him again.
-This case isn’t an ordinary one anymore... I’m involved, do you understand? A person, a friend of mine... he died. And it’s my fault. This is why I just can’t give up. I’m asking you to trust me, at least this one last time- he said, caressing his boyfriend’s face sweetly.
-I love you, Toshi-chan. Without you I just... can’t go on. Don’t make me give up, ‘cause... you know that for you... I would. But I don’t want, now...-.
Ohno sighed again, then he smiled and gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead.
-My little detective...- he whispered.
Nino returned the smile, then he asked: -Do you trust me, my love?-.
Ohno nodded, convinced, then leaned his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.
It was raining.
Like that May morning when Lilith’s body was found... like the day the case started. It was raining.
The living room’s windows were striped by the unceasing flow of the strong rain, the garden was filled of large puddles on which drops were falling hard. The silence which reigned in the house permitted him to hear the continuous sound.
The room, even if silent, was filled: Kazunari and Ohno sat on the two armchairs, Masaki and Toma on the couch.
A strange, very strange meeting, at that hour. It was almost 3 in the morning.
At the doorbell’s ring, Ohno went opening.
-Please, come in...- murmured at Arashi, getting his umbrella.
Sho smiled at the artist and bowed his head gently. He entered the room and gave a black binder to Kazunari.
-This is all I could recover from the archive Haruko left. There is nothing important, but maybe you could use it...- he explained, sitting on the third armchair.
-Haruko?- asked Masaki.
-The woman who died at Sheraton- explained briefly Toma.
Ohno returned to his armchair, smiling to Nino.
The detective sighed. He would had preferred to receive everyone of them in private, maybe at his study. Mary would have been busy giving appointments to all of them so that they couldn’t overlap and receiving them at the arrive, in front of the door with the frosted glass.
But he couldn’t do this to Satoshi... he had promised not to hide anything to him anymore and that he wasn’t going anywhere for that week (which was way more tiresome).
-You’ll get fat, if you always sit on that armchair- Toma had joked, some days before.
-Go die- had been the answer.
He wanted to go on, to bring that case to an end.
-...and for this, I need your help. You have to tell me everything you know- started the detective, looking at them one by one.
Toma was leaning on the armrest, wearing a white shirt, with brown pants. He was studying his expression and, he noticed immediately, Arashi’s one.
Masaki was sitting with his back straight and was torturing his hands. He wore a red polo with blue borders, and black pants with lots of pockets. He seemed a lot nervous, but even concentrated and decided, in a sincere way. Like only he could be.
Satoshi was staring at the table, wearing his favourite t-shirt with lots of stains of colour on it, and simple jeans. His nose was stained in light blue, memory of the panel he had been painting that morning, but he was so cute with that on his face that Nino voluntarily forgot to tell him to go wash it away.
Finally Sho. He was fully dressed in black, like Kage did. He wore a simple cotton t-shirt and elegant pants. He was smiling at him, like always.
-I’ll tell you everything that happened that night at The Hell’s Spot...- said Nino slowly.
-I was in there early and asked Notte and Dark...-
-Who’re they?- asked Satoshi, raising his gaze from the table.
-The two bartenders...- said Masaki, and restrained himself from continuing. The sentence remained, from the tone he used, pending. What could he have added? “The two bartenders... left”?
Nino nodded, then continued.
-...I asked them to let me inspect the counter. So I started doing the same movements Kage did and... suddenly I felt... I re-lived some moments of that night, the night of his death. It’s difficult to explain, but it was like fainting. It happened a few times, while I was doing the same things Kage did-.
Nobody talked and Masaki stopped torturing his own hands, starting to do the same with his t-shirt, crumpling it while gazing at Nino.
-I understood that Jun had drunk from glass with something like a strange drug in it, maybe something that blocks movements for a while... and that he knew what he was doing and also who sent him that glass. And I felt him being carried to the green-doored room...- he added, sighing.
The unfocused images printed in his memories were disturbing his own thoughts. They were fast and inaccurate.
-So...- continued Sho, as if changing turns with Nino: -Nino touched the green door and then he fainted-.
Nino nodded and closed his eyes.
Those horrible images and those sensations returned on the surface, while he was remembering.
-Jun was killed by the same person who killed Lilith, and for the same reason. And it does have something to do with the prostitution thing. I know nothing more than this... but the murderer is, without doubts, in the green-doored room- he affirmed.
-Masaki, maybe... you know who he is?- asked the detective.
Hearing his name, Aiba shook a little and nodded lightly.
-Koko told me about him, once... his nickname is “Boss”. He has never been seen at the club, but he seems a person of influence and... mysterious. All the customers of a certain level know him, due to debts or dirty affairs. He is a specialist- he said slowly.
Sho shook his head and sighed.
-What could he have against two people who did prostitution? And, in the end... they both had already stopped...- then he started, and Nino the same.
-And if he was one of their customers? Maybe he was taking revenge of the sudden stop of their “activity”...- murmured the detective, thoughtful.
Toma bit his lip and said: -It seems a possible hypothesis, even if it doesn’t fully convince me... can we discover the entire list of the two’s customers?-.
-We can’t, unfortunately...- Nino sighed again: -I didn’t find out anything from Kage, and...- he gestured towards the binder: -Even Lilith didn’t note the names or the nicknames of her clients-.
There was a pause, then Sho snapped.
-Of course! Jun knew what would have come if he drank from the glass, didn’t he? Maybe that was the standard procedure to meet Boss... this may be the prove to the fact that Boss was his customer!- he exclaimed.
-And for Lilith? We can’t completely sure...- murmured Toma, sceptical.
The silence returned and, beyond the windows, the rain continued to fall.
-If I...- murmured Ohno, his head low: -If I had... if I had been Jun... I wouldn’t have drunk from that glass-.
Toma smiled and nodded, like he was thinking that it was an obvious thing, but Nino... Nino reflected on it. He wouldn’t have drunk. He should not have... done it.
In that moment the detective’s phone went off, and he answered.
-Hello? ...yes... what??? Sure, I’m coming. Stay still!- he exclaimed, standing up apruptly.
Ohno did the same, frightened. Then he gazed at his boyfriend with reproach.
-They were Notte and Dark, they found the same glass as the last time on the counter... filled. Sho, Masa... we need to go- Nino explained, taking the umbrella.
-Kazu! You promised me not...- started Ohno, but the detective silenced his boyfriend with a quick kiss.
-Sorry, my love. I promised, it’s true. But this time, you’ll see... I’ll solve everything. And then we’ll have an entire week or more to spend together cuddling up, you’re in?- asked, smiling.
Ohno sighed, the nodded, kissing him again.
-Remember this...- the artist whispered at his ear: -I wouldn’t have drunk...-.
They took the car and Toma followed them until they reached the first station, then they separated.
-Be careful, don’t make risky moves. See you later- he said, winking.
-Later?- asked Masaki, surprised.
-It’s our plan… now I’ll tell you everything…- said Nino, smiling.
Aiba got off at the following stop.
It was ten minutes to 4 and the streets were desert. Sho drove carefully, while the windscreen wipers swept away the last raindrops. The storm was coming to an end.
-Can… can I ask you a question?- said Arashi, suddenly.
-Sure- Kazunari consented, with a smile.
-Well, what… what did you exactly see… in the green-doored room?- asked the journalist, slowly.
Nino sighed. He had expected it.
He leaned his hand on the journalist’s shoulder and looked at him.
Sho understood immediately, sighing.
-That filthy bastard…- he hissed.
Nino nodded: -Yeah. And now… let’s avenge Jun-.
As soon as they entered the club, the lights were off and the door of the storage room was open, lightening the counter. Dark and Notte were waiting behind it and sighed when they saw them.
When he took sight of that scene, Nino was overcome again by the same sensation he had felt in the vivid memories of few evenings before… what Jun had felt.
-Where was it left?- asked Nino.
-On a table, I found it while I was tidying up after the closing- Jin explained.
He pointed at a table against the wall, in the rear. Now the glass, identical to Kage’s one, was on the counter.
Sho put a hand on his shoulder to make him turn to look at him: -What are you planning to do?-.
-I don’t know…- Nino said slowly -If he’s here… it means someone has an appointment with Boss, but… who?- he wondered.
He looked at the two bartenders who returned the worried look.
-What the hell are you talking about?- asked then Notte, folding his arms on his chest.
It couldn’t be them. But then, who? Who knew the glass had been there? Was it possible that one of the customers, the person Boss wanted, had forgot the glass there. No, very unlikely…
-Notte, Dark. You can go home- he said then, smiling at both of them.
The bartenders collected their things and went away, while Sho and Nino brought the glass in the storage room. The neon light, the bench, the lockers. Other memories, someone else’s memories.
-Someone must enter the green door…- he murmured, lost in his thoughts.
Sho shook his head.
-You can’t do this to your boyfriend. It’s dangerous, ok? Because of all he could do to you. Besides, we don’t even know who was this glass for… How could he know that we are here, now? What connections have we got with him?- asked Arashi.
-Well, we are here now. And, as I said before, he’s expecting someone to enter that room. And I need to do it, to put an end to this case- said Nino.
Sho was ready to retaliate, but the detective stopped him.
-You know the plan, don’t you? You can’t waste time here. You have to go-.
-I won’t go! How could I leave you alone and let you drink that?- protested the journalist.
Nino smiled and nodded.
-Yes, this is the plan. Now go get the others. Be careful to keep on track- he said.
-Kazunari…- Sho tried to scold him, but he couldn’t.
Once he remained alone in the room, once the Hell’s Spot was pitch black… he sat on the bench, just like he had done few evenings before.
He took the glass in his hands, weighed it and looked at the moving liquid for a while.
“You’re risking to go against who’s playing the game”.
He closed his eyes.
“If I had… if I had been Jun… I wouldn’t have drunk from that glass”.
Of course… now he understood.
“I wouldn’t have drunk…”.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed, in a completely dark room.
A shiver went down his back while he realised which room it was. The green door...
He couldn’t see much, the only source of light was far from him, and he didn’t know exactly what it was... a yellowish stripe, maybe projected on the wall.
The air didn’t have any smell and was strangely cold.
He thought to be alone, but... he couldn’t swear.
And he wasn’t, in fact.
-Are you awake?- someone asked.
The voice was coming from his right, quite close to him. He knew it.
He couldn’t move or reply, obviously.
-Finally we meet, Ninomiya Kazunari...- said again that voice, with irony.
He heard the sound of some steps on the floor, then a light turned on in the room. It was dim, but it allowed him to see the man who talked, who now was approaching the bed.
-Since we’ve never been formally introduced, but I know your name, I suppose I should introduce myself: Kitagawa. Also known as... Boss-.
Nino said nothing, he just stared at him, expressionless.
-You’re cool-headed, even if the situation is not good for you. Congratulations- the man smiled, horribly. -And now, to the explanations-.
Boss sat on the bed, by his right side.
-I know everything you managed to find out about me, and I perfectly know that you’re a detective, working on Lilith’s case. It’s only fair to answer some questions that have remained unsolved, right? Well... Lilith and Kage died for the same reason, but, at the same time, for different reasons... Lilith had to die. Kage had not, but I needed him. What for?- he asked, the smile still on his lips.
Nino was starting to understand.
-To reach you, of course. Both of them led a life with shameful depravity, so they deserved a punishment. In this club, I’m the law. And I decide who can or can’t work. I didn’t appreciate their decision to stop their activities for futile reasons, such simple people like them. Lilith died because of her disobedience, in the hope that it would serve as a warning to others who, like her, tried to get out from their “class”… Kage died because you arrived at the club and were using him. I silenced him and, at the same time, I make the necessary tracks for you. It was fun- he said.
He laughed slightly.
Nino didn’t move, even if those words disgusted him.
Everything Jun had had to suffer, it was all his fault… if only he had understood it sooner…
-In brief, if you were born as scum you’ll die as scum. And those like you, along with your friends of the police, are scum. So you won’t mind dying, will you?- Kitagawa added, standing up and turning around the bed. He stopped in front of him.
-After all, now that you know everything… you’ll wish to be dead. Everything that happened is your fault. And the fact that you are really, really stupid… has been proved by your recent actions: even if you knew, you drank from that glass- he said, laughing.
-You’re a failure as a detective- he slowly whispered, leaning over him.
Nino looked at him amusedly and returned the smile.
A strong click echoed in the silence of the room.
Kitagawa opened his eyes wide and sucked in a breath.
-And you…- Nino smiled, pointing the gun at the man’s chest -You’re too full of yourself, old chap-.
The door flung open in that instant and the policemen burst into the room, along with Toma and Sho. Kitagawa was tied up, while he stared incredulously at the tip of Nino’s gun.
-How…?-
-I look a lot more stupid than I am, it seems. I didn’t drink from any glass. And Kage is avenged- explained the detective with a smile, getting up from the bed.
-Bang!- he exclaimed then, waving the gun in his hand.
The policemen took away the culprit and finished inspecting the room. Toma went back to the headquarters and left Joker, Cute and Arashi alone in the club. The electric lights were on and the place didn’t seem so grim and mysterious anymore.
-This will be the end of the club, won’t it?- asked Sho.
-I suppose so…- Nino sighed -As soon as everybody knows that the police got in here, nobody will come anymore. I feel a bit sorry for Notte and Dark… but maybe it’s better this way-.
-If I were you, I wouldn’t be so worried…- murmured Aiba with a strange smile on his lips, feigning innocence.
Nino shook his head and smiled.
The case was solved.
Now he could go back to his princess and take her out to celebrate.
Epilogue.
Dear Joker,
Due to the recent events, it has been decided to close “The Hell's Spot”, of which You have been a highly regarded customer.
As a substitution, a new “Hell's Spot” has already been opened.
Hoping You will choose to carry on being our customer, we attach the instruction to reach us.
The opening party is fixed on date ***.
Best regards.
Obviously, the letter wasn't signed.
He smiled, putting it down on his office desk. His usual office, with the frosted glass door.
Two months had passed since the case conclusion.
He lighted a cigarette and offered one to his guest, who however refused.
-What are you going to do?- asked then Sho, standing to reach the window and trying, vainly, to open it.
-Regard The Hell's Spot, you mean?- he said.
Sho nodded, giving up on the window.
-Cute and Koko decided to reopen it and Dark and Notte have already accepted to be the bartenders. I've taken a peek at the preparations and, well... it's the same as before. Aside from the fact that now it’s... better hidden- explained Nino.
-I meant... will you go?- asked Sho again, sitting down on the armchair.
Nino leaned against the back of his chair and raised his gaze on the ceiling.
Would he return there?
Nothing has changed so much from the start: he had his office, his absent-minded artist, his car and his cigarettes, he still thought he had a secretary - Mary.
Toma was still passing him some cases, which recently were a lot... too much boring.
Arashi or, better said, Sakurai Sho, had become his friend and he had tied up again with his middle school classmate Aiba Masaki, Cute.
On Saturday he would stop to buy beautiful white flowers and take them to the cemetery, leaning them on Haruko and Jun's tombs. They, he knew... they were still a wound that was hard to heal. Kazunari had never found out: if the culprit and his men were arrested, would he succeed in expiate all of his faults?
-Stop tormenting yourself...- Sho scolded him, taking off his glasses.
Glasses that one day... were Kage's.
-It wasn’t your fault at all. If you go on thinking about it, it'd be like letting Boss win- said the journalist.
Nino started, surprised, and watched his friend, then smiled.
-I don't find a reason to come back to The Hell's Spot, after all... the case was solved some time ago...- he murmured.
Sho stood up like he wanted to go away.
-And what if I invited you?- he asked.
-I would kindly accept- he answered. Sho laughed.
-Bring Satoshi, too... it's possible to take outsiders- Arashi said, before leaving.
Kazunari smiled again.
In his mind he saw the flowers on the clear marble of Kage's tomb.
I would never stop searching for you... 'cause we're friends.
He put out his cigarette and waited for the next phone call.
The end.
A/N: THIS TOOK SOOOOO LONG. I know. But I wanted absolutely to finish it before my leaving for Japan.
Lot of things occurred since the last post of HS, bad and good things... and I had no time to translate the fanfiction.
Then, with the great help of Miriadel (I love you, SCIGHE), we finally managed to post the last part. I'm sorry for the ones that waited for so long... and I hope some of you are stalking my journal 'cause, due to lack of time, I'm not going to spam it in other fict communities >__<
I'm very sorry!
I hope you'd like it anyway!
I don't think I will translate soon another long fict... this one took us so long I'm not so motivated as before.
But maybe there will soon be other posts, so... se you! Ja ne!