POISON & MEAT - PROLOGUE / ?? [REITA/KAI]
Title: Poison & Meat
Chapter: 0 - Prologue
Chapter Title: Truth
Author: luna_no_koibito
Genre: AU, Drama, Action, Angst, Romance, Crack
Warnings: Cursing, MenxMen, Violence
Rating: PG - 13
Pairing: Reita / Kai (main), others discovered as we go ...
Bands & Artists: The GazettE, Alice Nine, SCREW, Gackt, Miyavi, lots of female artists, and more.
Disclaimer: Just need your faces darlings, my fingers will type the rest ..._〆(・∀・＠)
Comment: Toni Morrison once said "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." That's what I am trying to do.
Summary: Akira Kaumi (GazettE's Reita) is a detective of the Tokyo Criminal Investigation Bureau. In his mere two years of work, everything, criminals and victims alike, have all acted according to standard protocol and deduction, until the day he received an anonymous phone-call which will change his life and the one of many others.
Poison & Meat
Case - 0 - Truth
Just two hour into his journey and Akira had been nothing but stuck in the unsettling midst of crawling cars, trucks and vans, helplessly stretching out towards infinity and most likely beyond. And out of these godforsaken two hours, ten were the minutes he could have accounted for "actual" driving, and roughly thirty the ones he had left before diving off the brim of his own sanity.
There were at least another five hours left to go and Akira was clenching the steering-wheel so tensely, he felt like he could have taken the whole rental apart with one vexed pull at it. Admitting to himself that the idea of destroying shit that didn't belong to him was beginning to feel rather appealing, he tried to come back to his senses and resumed the depressing browsing of his surroundings. Three seconds later the blond had quickly abandoned the revolting scenery, opting instead for systematically hitting his forehead, hard, on the steering-wheel for a good couple of times.
Then, deciding it best to avoid "sight-seeing" from that moment on forth, Akira promptly pulled up the hood of the convertible. Yet, just as the hood came closing down, it dawned on him that there was absolutely no point in driving a convertible with a raised hood on a sunny day. Hmn. Now feeling borderline claustrophobic, he snappily punched the steering-wheel in frustration at the fact that he knew he wasn't going to pull the hood down again, at least not yet, because Akira had this little issue unwanted attention. He loathed it and a guy who randomly pulled up his hood on a sunny day and then pulled it down three seconds later, was doomed to receive plenty attention when stuck in traffic. O how he hated cars, o so damn much. Maybe he'd write a haiku about it.
And to think that his Honda VRF was sitting at home, all alone, unfortunately unable to handle freakishly big luggages, or any sort luggage at that matter. His poor-poor baby, he'd have to make it up to "her" somehow, because this was the type of journey which "she" was more suited for. That palpable sense of freedom, that body-on-body contact, the risky maneuvers, as well as the easy-breezy cruising. Furthermore, generally speaking, riding a motorbike always almost instantly "justified" recklessness, solitude and to a certain extent, disorder. It was as if the person who invented motorbikes had had him on mind.
♫Ah maiagare, chigireta hane hirogete ... ♫
“Hello?”
“Detective Kamui?”
“Yes, may I know who is speaking?”
“There is a bomb in the building. It is somewhere on the twelfth floor and you have two options. You can either play hero by finding it and disarming it, or evacuate the premises. To you the choice. You have ten minutes starting now”
♫... Kizutsuita te wo nobase
kodou ga …♫
How, he had no idea, but he had forgotten he even possessed a cell-phone. Or rather, he wished he could have forgotten he had a cell-phone, the mere sound of which, lately had turned to be rather nerve-wracking, and all-in-all somewhat exhausting as well. Ever since he had receive that still anonymous call, a week ago now, it was beginning to feel as if his phone had become more dangerous than his own gun.
Motionless, he kept staring at his still ringing cellphone and this time not only his hands, but his entire body turned tense. As he tried his very best to keep his composure, he strongly braced himself and reached for the ringing object. Then, after reading the name of the caller, he closed his eyes in relief for a second, while he picked the call.
“Kazu-nii-” calmly answered the blond, but was swiftly interrupted by the slightly irked voice of his elder brother.
“Oi! What took you so long to answer the phone? You got me worried ...”
“You worry too much nii ...” Akira promptly brushed off. Had Kazuo known just how really on edge he had been because of this very call, Akira suspected that the elder would have found a way to teleport himself at his present location. He did however worry way too much.
“Hmpf. Are you on your way? You were supposed to call me before leav-”
“Sorry I forgot ...” swiftly and apologetically cut off the blond “I think I'm about to exit Kanto though, so I might be there in another five, five and half hours, but you know how it is, it's busy as hell, and I am seriously about to lose it.”
“Ah, well, we are all waiting for you alive over here, so stay cool and focused Akira, alright?” serenely replied the elder.
“I'll be fine don't worry. Greet everyone for me”
“You do that yourself when you get here, and I mean it, cool down!”
“Hai hai hai, bye now”
“Mm, Bye”
He swore, It was just as if he had three parents, in fact, Kazuo was probably more oppressive than their actual parents, whom were the emblems of easy-going. Though there was a legitimate reason for his obsessive concern, they were now both adults, and he truly ought to have moved on from that one incident already. But who was Akira to tell people how to deal with their issues? Especially now that he had a particularly noisy one. Perhaps, it was time he momentarily figured out a different way to keep in contact, until he caught his anonymous caller.
Or perhaps, he should just keep his cellphone on silent.
P∞O∞I∞S∞O∞N
It was inexcusably aggravating. No physically healthy person ought to have been in and out of hospitals like they did; like he did. But Kazuki was his best friend, his brother from another mother, his closest thing to a family. Yes, regrettably, the older boy was currently, the only person he could truly rely on.
Life isn't exactly looking up, when the only person you can rely on is a junkie, is it now?
“You don't have to do that you know? … I will … eventually ...” tiredly spoke Kazuki, who kept silently staring at every move of the younger, while laying listless on his sick-bed.
True. Yutaka didn't have to pack up the other's belongings. But he had already, and he was, for the third time in a row now, because he wanted to be out of that place as soon as possibly conceivable. He knew that if he had left matters into Kazuki's hands, they'd probably be leaving on the following day.
Not bothering to say anything in reply to his friend, Yutaka hurriedly finished folding the last of Kazuki's belongings into his duffle bag, carelessly shoved in his toiletries, and anything else of the elder that was laying around. Once he'd zipped the bag, he then dropped himself on the first available chair, and began to slowly rub his face into both of his hands.
“Yuu is definitely not going to like this, is he? ...” sarcastically commented the elder, lightly laughing to himself “have you spoken to him today?” he then inquired, but once again the long pony-tailed boy didn't offer any reply, as he kept his head immobile behind his joint hands, his featured rigid, and staring forward.
Yutaka was trying his very best not to lash at Kazuki, because the truth was that he was at the limit of his patience, and he was sick and tired of having to continuously run to hospitals, panicking, in the way he had for the past year and a half.
“So ...” resumed the laying brunette “Are we just gonna remain silent in each other's presence?” he questioned, staring at the seated boy, whom then steadily raised his gaze towards his friend, keeping silent for a few more seconds.
“You want to talk?” he then inquired in an annoyed condescending tone, as the other merely looked on “Well then, how about you tell me why are you trying to make my life more fucked than what it already is? Uh?” angrily inquired the brunette “You weren't planning to wake up from this one, were you?” he then added, and this time it was Kazuki's gaze to wander off, after which he silently turned away to face the ceiling, while the other bitterly smirked “guess we can remain silent now”.
Getting up to his feet, Yutaka picked up Kazuki's duffle bag, and directed himself towards the room's entrance “I have a session in an hour, so hurry the fuck up” he collectedly announced, after which he walked out, and leaned against the wall next to the door, absently staring up at the corridor’s light.
He really was tired. So fucking tired and pained. But Kazuki was his family, and this was what family did, right? It was, what families were supposed to do.
Or was it?
∞&∞M∞E∞A∞T∞
“Took you long enough lil bro ...” nonchalantly observed Kazuo, as he held the front door open for Akira to make his triumphant entrance “... seriously, kaachan and touchan would have done it faster!” laughed out the elder, while the younger kept silent, hauling his luggage in and sending the other the nastiest of looks.
“I'm happy to see you too Kazu-nii !...” sarcastically asserted Akira, while removing his shoes at the genkan “... so happy, I almost forgot to bring the sake you love o-so-much!” he added in cynic excitement, at which the elder merely looked back with the feign perplexed expression of someone who was looking at an insane person “Why do you think I had to carry a whole luggage uh? Had it been for me, I wouldn't have brought anything bigger than a backpack, which, would have allowed me travel on my Honda!” genuinely complained the blond, as the other sympathetically patted him on the shoulder.
“How about flying? Or wait, what's that extremely fast thing we have here in Japan? ...” playfully wondered the elder “O, yeah! The bullet-train! How about that one? In fact, even a stinking bus would have spared you the nightmare of driving a car ...” coolly pointed out the elder, while locking the door.
“I couldn't take any public means of transportation, don't ask why” quickly brushed off the younger “But, did you listen to a single word I said?!” he then swiftly added “Be grateful, you good for nothing pastor!”
“Hmpf! I have no other one but my lord Jesus Christ to be grateful to ...” snobbishly replied the elder “But wait until Shin sees yo-” he attempted but he was roughly cut off by the sudden appearance of the boy in question.
“Uncle Akiraaa!” excitedly screamed the voice of his six year old nephew. The little boy had made a speedy bee-line straight to him, and suddenly stopping at the edge of the genkan, he made a giant leap and hug-attacked his uncle, shoving his father to the side in the process “I thought you were never going to come!!” enthusiastically shouted the younger.
Akira smugly grinned at his brother, whom rolled his eyes, and stayed arms in arms leaning on his front door. Placing the younger back on his two fit, the Akira then stooped to get on the same level with the boy.
“I said I was going to come right?” Akira confidently asked, at which the boy eagerly nodded in agreement “well then, you can safely bet all your old toys, and the new ones I brought, that I'll always keep my word” haughtily smiled the blond, while the younger's eyes gradually widened.
“You brought me new toys?!” loudly inquired the boy, while jumping up and down in an almost scary hyperactive way “Letmesee letmesee letmesee!!” eagerly requested the boy, assaulting his uncle, as his father smiled while shaking his head and rolling his brother's luggage inside “Pleeeeeeaseeeeee!”
“You are going to make my own child hate me ...” Kazuo pointed out in feign desperation, as he disappeared in the opposite direction from where his wife finally made her appearance.
“And isn't it all fine and well” she pointed out, happily walking towards her brother-in-law, all the time visibly massaging the lower part of her stomach, while smiling at the other in an implying way.
“Is that what I think it is? ...” inquired Akira with polite caution as he kept amusingly glancing between her still flat belly and the complacent look on her face.
“Yessir! Number two is finally coming along!” she eagerly replied.
“Congratulations Ayu-nee!” he heartily uttered, while hugging her “How far along are you? Why hasn't anyone told me anything?”
“I'm at three months ...” she promptly replied “and the thing is that nothing is really sure until you get around two, three, months. So I went for a check up two weeks ago, everything went fine, and given that you were coming soon anyways, we decided to let you deduce it for yourself, mr. detective” she proudly explained “but enough about me, how are you? ...” genuinely asked the woman, as the blond calmly sighed, taking an unusual moment to reply at the most usual of rhetoric questions.
“I ...”
“It was a fairly minor explosion. Nobody could have died from this ...” observed his partner, thoroughly analyzing the area “It destroyed great part of this office, but it appears to have made no serious damage to the structure itself. We'll still have to hear what the bomb squad and the engineers have to say about it, but ... I'd safely say that the building won't collapse” he expressed, as Akira merely nodded in agreement.
“So obviously the purpose of the attack wasn't to destroy the building, nor mass murder ... ” Akira calmly observed while taking pictures of the scene “I'd also rule out terrorism, sadly enough, it is not in their style …” he added, while taking a picture of the spot where the explosive was likely to have been placed “... now, we just have to figure out who this person his and what was this person's real target ...”
“Yeah ...” agreed his partner “... as well as how did this person know your number, or where to find you ...” he then pointed out, as a female officer walked up to them, before the blond could reply anything else.
“Detectives, your presence is being requested on the fourth floor ...” she announced “The corpse of a woman was found”. The two detective silently looked at each other in concern in reply to the information just given. A corpse was nothing to be surprised about in their profession, but a seemingly random one was.
Thus, as the two detectives made their way down to the fourth floor, Akira mentally revisited their actions before the happening. Soon after he ended the phone anonymous call, he had called for reinforcements, quickly briefing them with the situation at hand. Then he had informed one of the security guards, while pulling the alarm on the floor and instructed him to inform the entire building through speakers following evacuation procedures. He then took three guards with him all to the way to the twelfth floor, and they began to call out for people to evacuate, while the remaining guards did the same form the eleventh floor downwards.
Five minutes later the building and its surrounding were swarming with law enforcement agents of multiple departments, who were helping with the evacuation, and placing people in safety zones. Akira was still shouting for people, with the security guards and his partner whom had joined him. Hearing no more replies, and receiving the confirmation that nobody was reporting colleagues or friends missing, and that all floors were cleared, they finally all evacuated.
Thirty seconds later, the explosion.
“I thought everyone was evacuated, nobody replied to our calls, and nobody reported anybody missing ...” Akira pointed out in concern, at a male officer, whom was waiting for them on the forth floor.
“Yes detective ...” replied the police officer, beginning to walk towards the room where the body was found. As they walked, Akira had a rather ominous feeling of the place where they were headed for, since he walked in the same direction every morning, for the past month. In the same way he was going to, when he received the call just before he could enter the building. “... from the looks of it, she was stabbed, most likely during the evacuation process. The body was then dragged into the back ...” informed the officer, as a pair of feet laying on the ground were beginning to come into sight “... the killer wrote a message and left it on on her”
“You didn't have to lead her on …?” his partner read out loud, as the blond silently stared transfixed at the body laying lifeless before him “Do we know who she is? ...” he then inquired as he took pictures of the scene.
“We are looking for people, who frequented this cafè, and asking them to come and see if they can identify the body ...” informed the officer, whom perhaps noticing the distraught expression on Akira's face then mindlessly inquired “... did you know her detective?”
“I ...”
“Akira? ...”
“Y-yes?” confusingly responded the blond, distractedly massaging his eyes.
“Are you ... alright? I lost you for a bit there ...” gingerly informed the woman, with a rather concerned look on her mature features.
“Uncle! Uncle! The toys! The toys! The toooooooyyyyyyys!” Shin stressed out, jumping and pulling on his uncle's jacket.
“Not now mister!” admonished his mother, at which words the boy reluctantly stopped bouncing, and displayed a rather bitter looking frown “Let your uncle have a second to recollect himself, then you can talk toys all you want”
“Okay …” sadly replied the boy, as he disappointedly dragged himself into the living room.
“Children ...” serenely remarked the blond, but the woman still looked at him with the same concerned look “Am I staying in my room? ...” he swiftly inquired, as to not fall back into the previous question.
“Yeah. Actually, you are going to have to share it with someone else, whom has also been dying to see you ...” she kindly informed.
“Who?” he curiously inquired, as he began to walk into said direction
“You'll find out soon won't you?”
“You, my brother, in fact my entire family and the never-ending veils of mystery” resignedly sighed the blond, proceeding with his walk “I'm firmly beginning to believe that it is because of this family that I just ended up becoming a detective” he then playfully remarked.
“Akira?” she then suddenly called, as the other turned around “You know you can talk to Kazuo, for any issue you have. Even with me if you want … You know that, right?” seriously questioned the woman, at whom Akira genuinely smiled in reply, after which he resumed his walk toward his room.
Akira was truly glad he had his family and he was grateful they all cared for him in the way they did. However, sometimes, he wished they didn't, because then they would not try to put their nose into potentially harmful situation. Akira had no idea how serious a situation he currently found himself in, reason why he avoided every public means of transportation, to avoid the possible involvement of anyone else. So why had his boss called on Kazuo?
Just, how was he supposed to protect those whom he loved by exposing them to the same unknown danger he currently was in.
P∞O∞I∞S∞O∞N
A new day with the same old probabilities of a new criminal with the same old crime. The motives, the evidence and the cruelty were a constant variable, but his job was and would always remain the same; uncover the truth, while catching the bad guy, and that he had been doing for the past nine years, relentlessly and thoroughly.
Sure there had been a couple of unsolved cases, escaped criminals and hard losses, but it was all part of the job, he himself had signed up for it, and wasn't looking for annulment either. His methods had been many a times described as too logical, devoid of emotions, and he'd often reply to them that “I'm not Sonny Crockett, and this isn't Miami Vice”. Emotions, the surest and quickest way to get oneself off track, or worst, killed on the job.
It wasn't like he didn't know how to feel for others, that, even for himself, had resulted to be impossible. He just made a perfectly clear cut between work and private life. Some found it really hard to do, and people wrongly assumed that all his experience on the job had turned him into a dick. Experience on the job had made him stronger, life itself was what turned him into a dick, and that was about it.
For the past nine years detective Takanori Matsumoto had been on top of things, took no shit, and was always punctual at work. However, like for everything in life, there is always a first time.
“Nakashima” he swiftly greeted once out of the elevator, glancing at the woman standing arms in arms gazing at her watch, while holding a folder under her arm. The woman, increased her step to keep up with the man, her face plastered with the most amused of grins.
“You are late” she observed in utmost delight “... never thought I'd live to see the day” she then serenely admitted, as the man merely continued his rushed walk down the corridors of the bureau.
“There's always a first and last time for everything, Mika” promptly replied the elder detective, this time using the woman's first name instead, which happened in very rare occasions. As he barged into his office, Mika kept herself leaning on the threshold, raising both her hands in sign of defeat, while the other quickly hung up his jacket, and began gathering documents from the table “Besides, we still have two minutes and forty-five seconds before the beginning of the briefing, so technically I am not late”
“I've always been against afternoon meetings anyways ...” voiced out the dark blond, as they composedly rushed out the office “Yet, I'd never miss a chance to see Miss Cyborg talk” she then playfully admitted.
“Women” flatly commented the other, as they waited on the elevator, while Nakashima lightly smirked as she opened her folder.
“Don't forget we have the rookie coming in tomorrow ...” she then pointed out.
“Amano Shinji, tomorrow 8 AM” he readily replied as they got into the elevator.
“Well, don't be late” satisfactorily expressed the woman, as she pushed the button for the first floor, while the other kept quiet. Sometimes, it was in people’s best interest, to just keep quiet.
Particularly when talking to women.
∞&∞M∞E∞A∞T∞
“So ...” began Kazuo, while customarily touching the tip of his beer with his brother, who was absently leaning on the balcony “... what was it that Takashi wanted?”
“I don't know” plainly replied the blond, keeping his gaze forward “He just welcomed me as I got into my room, we talked a little, and then agreed that we'd talk more later” added the blond, taking a sip of his own beer “not like i'm gonna tell you anything anyways ...”
“Ugh ...” disappointedly voiced out the elder, sounding very much like a grown up version of Shin “Common, why not?”
“Had he wanted to talk to you, he would have, that's why … Stop being nosy”
“I'm not being nosy … I'm just concerned”
“You can't save every soul father Kazuo”
“But you can uh, detective Kamui?” Akira kept silent “Sorry, that came out wrong” quickly apologized the elder.
He knew the other hadn't meant it, they were just having their usual stupid arguments in which one of them had to always have the last thing to say. Usual brothers routine. Yet, the elder hadn't been too far from the point and Akira knew very well that he couldn't save everyone, as a law enforcement officer, he knew casualties happened more often than not. However, two years on the job he had only had one casualty, and said casualty, he happened to know. But the worst part of it, was perhaps the fact that she had been used to get to him. She had died because of him, so strictly speaking, she wasn't a casualty.
But why him? Who the hell was this person? What in the world had Akira done, to the point that a girl he barely knew had to die?
Akira and his partner silently watched as homicide came in to take their own shots at the evidence, and just as his partner had suggested they should get going, his cellphone rang.
Caller unknown.
“Hello?” he sternly answered.
“Bravo detective.” amusingly replied the voice “You were able to safely evacuate everyone, though it seems you left one behind … but it is just one person, over hundreds, so it makes no difference does it?”
“What do you want from me? Who are you?” snappily replied the blond, trying his best to keep his cool.
“You didn't have to lead her on ...” simply replied the voice “Remember Akira, the truth will always set you free”
“What do you mean? … Hello? ... Hello?!”
“I know, I can be heavy sometimes” began the elder
“Sometimes?”
“Okay, most times” innocently corrected Kazuo “But I always mean well, and I really can't stop worrying about you. I've tried it. Didn't work. So you'll just have to deal with that” he genuinely and straightforwardly admitted “The sad part is that I know you are probably better off without my intrusions, you are a policeman for crying out loud!” he proudly pointed out, as the other smirked.
“You would have been one to, at a point ...” plainly observed the younger.
“That's besides the point. All I am trying to say, is that you'll always be my little brother. No matter what, and taking care of you, is what I'm supposed to do. Period” concluded the elder taking a sip of his beer “So … still up with meeting my friend tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that's fine”
“Good. You'll see, nothing is ever as bad as it seems ...”
“Nothing you say?”
“Nothing. Besides ...” affirmed the elder, while placing his hand on his brother's shoulder “One man's poison is another man's meat”
“Isn't it the other way round?” lightly laughed the younger, as he watched his brother walk in.
“Nope, I meant it as I said it, think about it” he precised while disappearing inside.
“Poison and meat ...” Akira lowly uttered to himself while taking another sip of his beer. Honestly, he had no idea what to think of the sentence, finding the secret meaning in the words of wannabe philosophers wasn't his forte. Finding the meaning in evidence however, another ball completely. That, he knew how to do, and knew it.
“...the truth will set me free uh?” he absently spoke thinking back at the last thing his unknown killer had told him. Then, taking the last sip remained in his bottle, he took a big breath and confidently looked around at his hometown from the balcony “... we'll see about that”
CASE - 1 - Old Habits
AN: This story had originally been written sometime last year but then I got a job, things became hectic and I couldn't even get on LJ anymore without feeling bad. Until it hit me yesterday. Day by day the will to write keeps itching in my fingers and it is a VERY BAD itch; so why not scratch it. I know that this will cause many to be sad or even angry at me not STICKING TO ONE FIC but I just can't. I can't m(_ _ )m. My brain doesn't allow me to, and to suffocate good ideas of plots, is another form of murder! So as my new front page says, I'll just be writing on a whim really I'll just be writing when I GET time … and whichever story will get to get a chapter next will be randomly up to my mood. I apologize for my selfishness, but I need to do this for myself, to keep my writing something I ENJOY doing and not something I MUST do. So, hoping you enjoyed this, I predict a few more chappies from this soon, just to keep it warm and then next … who knows … only one way to find out right?
Much Love -LnK♥(~_^ )/-
Chapter: 0 - Prologue
Chapter Title: Truth
Author: luna_no_koibito
Genre: AU, Drama, Action, Angst, Romance, Crack
Warnings: Cursing, MenxMen, Violence
Rating: PG - 13
Pairing: Reita / Kai (main), others discovered as we go ...
Bands & Artists: The GazettE, Alice Nine, SCREW, Gackt, Miyavi, lots of female artists, and more.
Disclaimer: Just need your faces darlings, my fingers will type the rest ..._〆(・∀・＠)
Comment: Toni Morrison once said "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." That's what I am trying to do.
Summary: Akira Kaumi (GazettE's Reita) is a detective of the Tokyo Criminal Investigation Bureau. In his mere two years of work, everything, criminals and victims alike, have all acted according to standard protocol and deduction, until the day he received an anonymous phone-call which will change his life and the one of many others.
Poison & Meat
Case - 0 - Truth
Just two hour into his journey and Akira had been nothing but stuck in the unsettling midst of crawling cars, trucks and vans, helplessly stretching out towards infinity and most likely beyond. And out of these godforsaken two hours, ten were the minutes he could have accounted for "actual" driving, and roughly thirty the ones he had left before diving off the brim of his own sanity.
There were at least another five hours left to go and Akira was clenching the steering-wheel so tensely, he felt like he could have taken the whole rental apart with one vexed pull at it. Admitting to himself that the idea of destroying shit that didn't belong to him was beginning to feel rather appealing, he tried to come back to his senses and resumed the depressing browsing of his surroundings. Three seconds later the blond had quickly abandoned the revolting scenery, opting instead for systematically hitting his forehead, hard, on the steering-wheel for a good couple of times.
Then, deciding it best to avoid "sight-seeing" from that moment on forth, Akira promptly pulled up the hood of the convertible. Yet, just as the hood came closing down, it dawned on him that there was absolutely no point in driving a convertible with a raised hood on a sunny day. Hmn. Now feeling borderline claustrophobic, he snappily punched the steering-wheel in frustration at the fact that he knew he wasn't going to pull the hood down again, at least not yet, because Akira had this little issue unwanted attention. He loathed it and a guy who randomly pulled up his hood on a sunny day and then pulled it down three seconds later, was doomed to receive plenty attention when stuck in traffic. O how he hated cars, o so damn much. Maybe he'd write a haiku about it.
And to think that his Honda VRF was sitting at home, all alone, unfortunately unable to handle freakishly big luggages, or any sort luggage at that matter. His poor-poor baby, he'd have to make it up to "her" somehow, because this was the type of journey which "she" was more suited for. That palpable sense of freedom, that body-on-body contact, the risky maneuvers, as well as the easy-breezy cruising. Furthermore, generally speaking, riding a motorbike always almost instantly "justified" recklessness, solitude and to a certain extent, disorder. It was as if the person who invented motorbikes had had him on mind.
♫Ah maiagare, chigireta hane hirogete ... ♫
“Hello?”
“Detective Kamui?”
“Yes, may I know who is speaking?”
“There is a bomb in the building. It is somewhere on the twelfth floor and you have two options. You can either play hero by finding it and disarming it, or evacuate the premises. To you the choice. You have ten minutes starting now”
♫... Kizutsuita te wo nobase
kodou ga …♫
How, he had no idea, but he had forgotten he even possessed a cell-phone. Or rather, he wished he could have forgotten he had a cell-phone, the mere sound of which, lately had turned to be rather nerve-wracking, and all-in-all somewhat exhausting as well. Ever since he had receive that still anonymous call, a week ago now, it was beginning to feel as if his phone had become more dangerous than his own gun.
Motionless, he kept staring at his still ringing cellphone and this time not only his hands, but his entire body turned tense. As he tried his very best to keep his composure, he strongly braced himself and reached for the ringing object. Then, after reading the name of the caller, he closed his eyes in relief for a second, while he picked the call.
“Kazu-nii-” calmly answered the blond, but was swiftly interrupted by the slightly irked voice of his elder brother.
“Oi! What took you so long to answer the phone? You got me worried ...”
“You worry too much nii ...” Akira promptly brushed off. Had Kazuo known just how really on edge he had been because of this very call, Akira suspected that the elder would have found a way to teleport himself at his present location. He did however worry way too much.
“Hmpf. Are you on your way? You were supposed to call me before leav-”
“Sorry I forgot ...” swiftly and apologetically cut off the blond “I think I'm about to exit Kanto though, so I might be there in another five, five and half hours, but you know how it is, it's busy as hell, and I am seriously about to lose it.”
“Ah, well, we are all waiting for you alive over here, so stay cool and focused Akira, alright?” serenely replied the elder.
“I'll be fine don't worry. Greet everyone for me”
“You do that yourself when you get here, and I mean it, cool down!”
“Hai hai hai, bye now”
“Mm, Bye”
He swore, It was just as if he had three parents, in fact, Kazuo was probably more oppressive than their actual parents, whom were the emblems of easy-going. Though there was a legitimate reason for his obsessive concern, they were now both adults, and he truly ought to have moved on from that one incident already. But who was Akira to tell people how to deal with their issues? Especially now that he had a particularly noisy one. Perhaps, it was time he momentarily figured out a different way to keep in contact, until he caught his anonymous caller.
Or perhaps, he should just keep his cellphone on silent.
P∞O∞I∞S∞O∞N
It was inexcusably aggravating. No physically healthy person ought to have been in and out of hospitals like they did; like he did. But Kazuki was his best friend, his brother from another mother, his closest thing to a family. Yes, regrettably, the older boy was currently, the only person he could truly rely on.
Life isn't exactly looking up, when the only person you can rely on is a junkie, is it now?
“You don't have to do that you know? … I will … eventually ...” tiredly spoke Kazuki, who kept silently staring at every move of the younger, while laying listless on his sick-bed.
True. Yutaka didn't have to pack up the other's belongings. But he had already, and he was, for the third time in a row now, because he wanted to be out of that place as soon as possibly conceivable. He knew that if he had left matters into Kazuki's hands, they'd probably be leaving on the following day.
Not bothering to say anything in reply to his friend, Yutaka hurriedly finished folding the last of Kazuki's belongings into his duffle bag, carelessly shoved in his toiletries, and anything else of the elder that was laying around. Once he'd zipped the bag, he then dropped himself on the first available chair, and began to slowly rub his face into both of his hands.
“Yuu is definitely not going to like this, is he? ...” sarcastically commented the elder, lightly laughing to himself “have you spoken to him today?” he then inquired, but once again the long pony-tailed boy didn't offer any reply, as he kept his head immobile behind his joint hands, his featured rigid, and staring forward.
Yutaka was trying his very best not to lash at Kazuki, because the truth was that he was at the limit of his patience, and he was sick and tired of having to continuously run to hospitals, panicking, in the way he had for the past year and a half.
“So ...” resumed the laying brunette “Are we just gonna remain silent in each other's presence?” he questioned, staring at the seated boy, whom then steadily raised his gaze towards his friend, keeping silent for a few more seconds.
“You want to talk?” he then inquired in an annoyed condescending tone, as the other merely looked on “Well then, how about you tell me why are you trying to make my life more fucked than what it already is? Uh?” angrily inquired the brunette “You weren't planning to wake up from this one, were you?” he then added, and this time it was Kazuki's gaze to wander off, after which he silently turned away to face the ceiling, while the other bitterly smirked “guess we can remain silent now”.
Getting up to his feet, Yutaka picked up Kazuki's duffle bag, and directed himself towards the room's entrance “I have a session in an hour, so hurry the fuck up” he collectedly announced, after which he walked out, and leaned against the wall next to the door, absently staring up at the corridor’s light.
He really was tired. So fucking tired and pained. But Kazuki was his family, and this was what family did, right? It was, what families were supposed to do.
Or was it?
∞&∞M∞E∞A∞T∞
“Took you long enough lil bro ...” nonchalantly observed Kazuo, as he held the front door open for Akira to make his triumphant entrance “... seriously, kaachan and touchan would have done it faster!” laughed out the elder, while the younger kept silent, hauling his luggage in and sending the other the nastiest of looks.
“I'm happy to see you too Kazu-nii !...” sarcastically asserted Akira, while removing his shoes at the genkan “... so happy, I almost forgot to bring the sake you love o-so-much!” he added in cynic excitement, at which the elder merely looked back with the feign perplexed expression of someone who was looking at an insane person “Why do you think I had to carry a whole luggage uh? Had it been for me, I wouldn't have brought anything bigger than a backpack, which, would have allowed me travel on my Honda!” genuinely complained the blond, as the other sympathetically patted him on the shoulder.
“How about flying? Or wait, what's that extremely fast thing we have here in Japan? ...” playfully wondered the elder “O, yeah! The bullet-train! How about that one? In fact, even a stinking bus would have spared you the nightmare of driving a car ...” coolly pointed out the elder, while locking the door.
“I couldn't take any public means of transportation, don't ask why” quickly brushed off the younger “But, did you listen to a single word I said?!” he then swiftly added “Be grateful, you good for nothing pastor!”
“Hmpf! I have no other one but my lord Jesus Christ to be grateful to ...” snobbishly replied the elder “But wait until Shin sees yo-” he attempted but he was roughly cut off by the sudden appearance of the boy in question.
“Uncle Akiraaa!” excitedly screamed the voice of his six year old nephew. The little boy had made a speedy bee-line straight to him, and suddenly stopping at the edge of the genkan, he made a giant leap and hug-attacked his uncle, shoving his father to the side in the process “I thought you were never going to come!!” enthusiastically shouted the younger.
Akira smugly grinned at his brother, whom rolled his eyes, and stayed arms in arms leaning on his front door. Placing the younger back on his two fit, the Akira then stooped to get on the same level with the boy.
“I said I was going to come right?” Akira confidently asked, at which the boy eagerly nodded in agreement “well then, you can safely bet all your old toys, and the new ones I brought, that I'll always keep my word” haughtily smiled the blond, while the younger's eyes gradually widened.
“You brought me new toys?!” loudly inquired the boy, while jumping up and down in an almost scary hyperactive way “Letmesee letmesee letmesee!!” eagerly requested the boy, assaulting his uncle, as his father smiled while shaking his head and rolling his brother's luggage inside “Pleeeeeeaseeeeee!”
“You are going to make my own child hate me ...” Kazuo pointed out in feign desperation, as he disappeared in the opposite direction from where his wife finally made her appearance.
“And isn't it all fine and well” she pointed out, happily walking towards her brother-in-law, all the time visibly massaging the lower part of her stomach, while smiling at the other in an implying way.
“Is that what I think it is? ...” inquired Akira with polite caution as he kept amusingly glancing between her still flat belly and the complacent look on her face.
“Yessir! Number two is finally coming along!” she eagerly replied.
“Congratulations Ayu-nee!” he heartily uttered, while hugging her “How far along are you? Why hasn't anyone told me anything?”
“I'm at three months ...” she promptly replied “and the thing is that nothing is really sure until you get around two, three, months. So I went for a check up two weeks ago, everything went fine, and given that you were coming soon anyways, we decided to let you deduce it for yourself, mr. detective” she proudly explained “but enough about me, how are you? ...” genuinely asked the woman, as the blond calmly sighed, taking an unusual moment to reply at the most usual of rhetoric questions.
“I ...”
“It was a fairly minor explosion. Nobody could have died from this ...” observed his partner, thoroughly analyzing the area “It destroyed great part of this office, but it appears to have made no serious damage to the structure itself. We'll still have to hear what the bomb squad and the engineers have to say about it, but ... I'd safely say that the building won't collapse” he expressed, as Akira merely nodded in agreement.
“So obviously the purpose of the attack wasn't to destroy the building, nor mass murder ... ” Akira calmly observed while taking pictures of the scene “I'd also rule out terrorism, sadly enough, it is not in their style …” he added, while taking a picture of the spot where the explosive was likely to have been placed “... now, we just have to figure out who this person his and what was this person's real target ...”
“Yeah ...” agreed his partner “... as well as how did this person know your number, or where to find you ...” he then pointed out, as a female officer walked up to them, before the blond could reply anything else.
“Detectives, your presence is being requested on the fourth floor ...” she announced “The corpse of a woman was found”. The two detective silently looked at each other in concern in reply to the information just given. A corpse was nothing to be surprised about in their profession, but a seemingly random one was.
Thus, as the two detectives made their way down to the fourth floor, Akira mentally revisited their actions before the happening. Soon after he ended the phone anonymous call, he had called for reinforcements, quickly briefing them with the situation at hand. Then he had informed one of the security guards, while pulling the alarm on the floor and instructed him to inform the entire building through speakers following evacuation procedures. He then took three guards with him all to the way to the twelfth floor, and they began to call out for people to evacuate, while the remaining guards did the same form the eleventh floor downwards.
Five minutes later the building and its surrounding were swarming with law enforcement agents of multiple departments, who were helping with the evacuation, and placing people in safety zones. Akira was still shouting for people, with the security guards and his partner whom had joined him. Hearing no more replies, and receiving the confirmation that nobody was reporting colleagues or friends missing, and that all floors were cleared, they finally all evacuated.
Thirty seconds later, the explosion.
“I thought everyone was evacuated, nobody replied to our calls, and nobody reported anybody missing ...” Akira pointed out in concern, at a male officer, whom was waiting for them on the forth floor.
“Yes detective ...” replied the police officer, beginning to walk towards the room where the body was found. As they walked, Akira had a rather ominous feeling of the place where they were headed for, since he walked in the same direction every morning, for the past month. In the same way he was going to, when he received the call just before he could enter the building. “... from the looks of it, she was stabbed, most likely during the evacuation process. The body was then dragged into the back ...” informed the officer, as a pair of feet laying on the ground were beginning to come into sight “... the killer wrote a message and left it on on her”
“You didn't have to lead her on …?” his partner read out loud, as the blond silently stared transfixed at the body laying lifeless before him “Do we know who she is? ...” he then inquired as he took pictures of the scene.
“We are looking for people, who frequented this cafè, and asking them to come and see if they can identify the body ...” informed the officer, whom perhaps noticing the distraught expression on Akira's face then mindlessly inquired “... did you know her detective?”
“I ...”
“Akira? ...”
“Y-yes?” confusingly responded the blond, distractedly massaging his eyes.
“Are you ... alright? I lost you for a bit there ...” gingerly informed the woman, with a rather concerned look on her mature features.
“Uncle! Uncle! The toys! The toys! The toooooooyyyyyyys!” Shin stressed out, jumping and pulling on his uncle's jacket.
“Not now mister!” admonished his mother, at which words the boy reluctantly stopped bouncing, and displayed a rather bitter looking frown “Let your uncle have a second to recollect himself, then you can talk toys all you want”
“Okay …” sadly replied the boy, as he disappointedly dragged himself into the living room.
“Children ...” serenely remarked the blond, but the woman still looked at him with the same concerned look “Am I staying in my room? ...” he swiftly inquired, as to not fall back into the previous question.
“Yeah. Actually, you are going to have to share it with someone else, whom has also been dying to see you ...” she kindly informed.
“Who?” he curiously inquired, as he began to walk into said direction
“You'll find out soon won't you?”
“You, my brother, in fact my entire family and the never-ending veils of mystery” resignedly sighed the blond, proceeding with his walk “I'm firmly beginning to believe that it is because of this family that I just ended up becoming a detective” he then playfully remarked.
“Akira?” she then suddenly called, as the other turned around “You know you can talk to Kazuo, for any issue you have. Even with me if you want … You know that, right?” seriously questioned the woman, at whom Akira genuinely smiled in reply, after which he resumed his walk toward his room.
Akira was truly glad he had his family and he was grateful they all cared for him in the way they did. However, sometimes, he wished they didn't, because then they would not try to put their nose into potentially harmful situation. Akira had no idea how serious a situation he currently found himself in, reason why he avoided every public means of transportation, to avoid the possible involvement of anyone else. So why had his boss called on Kazuo?
Just, how was he supposed to protect those whom he loved by exposing them to the same unknown danger he currently was in.
P∞O∞I∞S∞O∞N
A new day with the same old probabilities of a new criminal with the same old crime. The motives, the evidence and the cruelty were a constant variable, but his job was and would always remain the same; uncover the truth, while catching the bad guy, and that he had been doing for the past nine years, relentlessly and thoroughly.
Sure there had been a couple of unsolved cases, escaped criminals and hard losses, but it was all part of the job, he himself had signed up for it, and wasn't looking for annulment either. His methods had been many a times described as too logical, devoid of emotions, and he'd often reply to them that “I'm not Sonny Crockett, and this isn't Miami Vice”. Emotions, the surest and quickest way to get oneself off track, or worst, killed on the job.
It wasn't like he didn't know how to feel for others, that, even for himself, had resulted to be impossible. He just made a perfectly clear cut between work and private life. Some found it really hard to do, and people wrongly assumed that all his experience on the job had turned him into a dick. Experience on the job had made him stronger, life itself was what turned him into a dick, and that was about it.
For the past nine years detective Takanori Matsumoto had been on top of things, took no shit, and was always punctual at work. However, like for everything in life, there is always a first time.
“Nakashima” he swiftly greeted once out of the elevator, glancing at the woman standing arms in arms gazing at her watch, while holding a folder under her arm. The woman, increased her step to keep up with the man, her face plastered with the most amused of grins.
“You are late” she observed in utmost delight “... never thought I'd live to see the day” she then serenely admitted, as the man merely continued his rushed walk down the corridors of the bureau.
“There's always a first and last time for everything, Mika” promptly replied the elder detective, this time using the woman's first name instead, which happened in very rare occasions. As he barged into his office, Mika kept herself leaning on the threshold, raising both her hands in sign of defeat, while the other quickly hung up his jacket, and began gathering documents from the table “Besides, we still have two minutes and forty-five seconds before the beginning of the briefing, so technically I am not late”
“I've always been against afternoon meetings anyways ...” voiced out the dark blond, as they composedly rushed out the office “Yet, I'd never miss a chance to see Miss Cyborg talk” she then playfully admitted.
“Women” flatly commented the other, as they waited on the elevator, while Nakashima lightly smirked as she opened her folder.
“Don't forget we have the rookie coming in tomorrow ...” she then pointed out.
“Amano Shinji, tomorrow 8 AM” he readily replied as they got into the elevator.
“Well, don't be late” satisfactorily expressed the woman, as she pushed the button for the first floor, while the other kept quiet. Sometimes, it was in people’s best interest, to just keep quiet.
Particularly when talking to women.
∞&∞M∞E∞A∞T∞
“So ...” began Kazuo, while customarily touching the tip of his beer with his brother, who was absently leaning on the balcony “... what was it that Takashi wanted?”
“I don't know” plainly replied the blond, keeping his gaze forward “He just welcomed me as I got into my room, we talked a little, and then agreed that we'd talk more later” added the blond, taking a sip of his own beer “not like i'm gonna tell you anything anyways ...”
“Ugh ...” disappointedly voiced out the elder, sounding very much like a grown up version of Shin “Common, why not?”
“Had he wanted to talk to you, he would have, that's why … Stop being nosy”
“I'm not being nosy … I'm just concerned”
“You can't save every soul father Kazuo”
“But you can uh, detective Kamui?” Akira kept silent “Sorry, that came out wrong” quickly apologized the elder.
He knew the other hadn't meant it, they were just having their usual stupid arguments in which one of them had to always have the last thing to say. Usual brothers routine. Yet, the elder hadn't been too far from the point and Akira knew very well that he couldn't save everyone, as a law enforcement officer, he knew casualties happened more often than not. However, two years on the job he had only had one casualty, and said casualty, he happened to know. But the worst part of it, was perhaps the fact that she had been used to get to him. She had died because of him, so strictly speaking, she wasn't a casualty.
But why him? Who the hell was this person? What in the world had Akira done, to the point that a girl he barely knew had to die?
Akira and his partner silently watched as homicide came in to take their own shots at the evidence, and just as his partner had suggested they should get going, his cellphone rang.
Caller unknown.
“Hello?” he sternly answered.
“Bravo detective.” amusingly replied the voice “You were able to safely evacuate everyone, though it seems you left one behind … but it is just one person, over hundreds, so it makes no difference does it?”
“What do you want from me? Who are you?” snappily replied the blond, trying his best to keep his cool.
“You didn't have to lead her on ...” simply replied the voice “Remember Akira, the truth will always set you free”
“What do you mean? … Hello? ... Hello?!”
“I know, I can be heavy sometimes” began the elder
“Sometimes?”
“Okay, most times” innocently corrected Kazuo “But I always mean well, and I really can't stop worrying about you. I've tried it. Didn't work. So you'll just have to deal with that” he genuinely and straightforwardly admitted “The sad part is that I know you are probably better off without my intrusions, you are a policeman for crying out loud!” he proudly pointed out, as the other smirked.
“You would have been one to, at a point ...” plainly observed the younger.
“That's besides the point. All I am trying to say, is that you'll always be my little brother. No matter what, and taking care of you, is what I'm supposed to do. Period” concluded the elder taking a sip of his beer “So … still up with meeting my friend tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that's fine”
“Good. You'll see, nothing is ever as bad as it seems ...”
“Nothing you say?”
“Nothing. Besides ...” affirmed the elder, while placing his hand on his brother's shoulder “One man's poison is another man's meat”
“Isn't it the other way round?” lightly laughed the younger, as he watched his brother walk in.
“Nope, I meant it as I said it, think about it” he precised while disappearing inside.
“Poison and meat ...” Akira lowly uttered to himself while taking another sip of his beer. Honestly, he had no idea what to think of the sentence, finding the secret meaning in the words of wannabe philosophers wasn't his forte. Finding the meaning in evidence however, another ball completely. That, he knew how to do, and knew it.
“...the truth will set me free uh?” he absently spoke thinking back at the last thing his unknown killer had told him. Then, taking the last sip remained in his bottle, he took a big breath and confidently looked around at his hometown from the balcony “... we'll see about that”
CASE - 1 - Old Habits
AN: This story had originally been written sometime last year but then I got a job, things became hectic and I couldn't even get on LJ anymore without feeling bad. Until it hit me yesterday. Day by day the will to write keeps itching in my fingers and it is a VERY BAD itch; so why not scratch it. I know that this will cause many to be sad or even angry at me not STICKING TO ONE FIC but I just can't. I can't m(_ _ )m. My brain doesn't allow me to, and to suffocate good ideas of plots, is another form of murder! So as my new front page says, I'll just be writing on a whim really I'll just be writing when I GET time … and whichever story will get to get a chapter next will be randomly up to my mood. I apologize for my selfishness, but I need to do this for myself, to keep my writing something I ENJOY doing and not something I MUST do. So, hoping you enjoyed this, I predict a few more chappies from this soon, just to keep it warm and then next … who knows … only one way to find out right?
Much Love -LnK♥(~_^ )/-