3:14 AM. Naoto Shirogane awoke from her sleep to find her cell phone ringing. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she picked it up and yawned, "Naoto speaking."
"Hey, Naoto-kun…" Kanji was on the other end, his voice sounding pained. "I really hate to be the one to give you the bad news, but… Souji-senpai's back in Inaba."
Startled from her sleep, Naoto asked, "How exactly is that bad news, Kanji? You mentioned you'd been wanting to see him again." She was genuinely confused, at least until the next part.
Kanji sighed. "If Senpai bein' back was the only news, it would be good. Naoto, Senpai's dyin'."
The detective could feel her eyes nearly bugging out of her head at the words. "WHAT? What's going on, Kanji-kun? Tell me now!"
"Apparently Senpai picked up a bad sickness. He's been in Tokyo Memorial Hospital for the last half a year, but his condition never got any better. He decided to get transferred here, spend his last days in Inaba." The normally tough Kanji sounded like he was about to break down, and Naoto felt just about the same way.
Her voice shook as Naoto said softly, "I understand. I'm on my way right now." Hanging up the phone, she got dressed and went downstairs to find Yakushiji exercising in the Shirogane estate's gym. "Yakushiji, I have a favor I need to ask of you."
Stopping his routine, the secretary asked, "What is it, Naoto-sama? And why are you up so early?" His questions died at the look of pain in Naoto's eyes.
"Souji-senpai, the man you met when posing as the Phantom Thief, is back in Inaba. He's sick, and dying. I have to see him." The small young lady's voice was filled with pain as she spoke the words, not wanting to believe they were true. "Please, Yakushiji."
Nodding, the man headed toward the garage as he said, "Of course, Naoto-sama. I cannot refuse a request such as this."
It didn't take long for them to reach Inaba Municipal Hospital, and as Naoto got out of the car she said, "I'll call you when I'm ready to be picked up." Yakushiji nodded and drove away, leaving the detective girl to enter the hospital. As per usual it was busy, and Naoto didn't waste any time in going to the front desk. "What room is Souji Seta in?" She asked bluntly.
The receptionist looked over the patient rosters before saying, "Souji Seta… Room 216. I know his chart says he's always open for visits, but it is really early…" She didn't get to finish her sentence, as Naoto had already left.
Upon reaching Souji's room, the blue-haired girl opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped in. "Souji-kun?" She whispered, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep.
"Nao-chan…" The voice that reached her ears was so unlike the voice she was used to that she thought she might have entered the wrong room at first. Souji's voice was weak and raspy, as if he hadn't had anything to drink for days, and the moonlight coming in through the window illuminated his gesture for her to approach. "Why are you here, Nao-chan?"
"I came to see you. Kanji told me you were here." To her surprise, Souji had a towel draped over his face, concealing it from view. "Hold on, Souji-kun, let me remove this…" As she reached for the towel, he grasped her wrist in one skeletally-thin hand, making her shriek in fear. "S-Souji-kun, what happened to you?"
"It's my punishment." Souji rasped behind the towel. "I abandoned all of you, and I ended up with this disease as punishment… You shouldn't be here, Nao-chan. You shouldn't see me like this. I'm not the man you used to know." His voice seemed to grow weaker at the words.
Naoto cradled his emaciated hand in both of hers, tears filling her eyes. "Don't say that, Souji-kun. Just because you're sick doesn't change how I feel." She raised his hand to her cheek, holding it against her skin. "I love you, Souji-kun."
Souji shuddered under her touch, pulling his hand free from her grasp. "No more, Nao-chan. I only have one more favor to ask of you before I go." The girl shivered at the implications.
"Ask, Souji-kun. I'll do anything for you." Was her soft response.
A hacking cough racked Souji's frame before he made his request. "Nao-chan… Shirogane-san… Forget me. Forget us."
The words immediately brought tears to Naoto's eyes as she whispered, "I'll do anything but that. You're the one man I've ever loved, the only one I ever will love. You're my Souji-kun. I won't just turn my back on you!" The habitual masculine disguise of her voice vanished, causing her pitch to rise as it always did when she was under great stress.
"Shirogane-san, it's my last request. Please grant it." Souji pleaded.
He was answered by Naoto drawing and cocking her revolver. "I'll never let you go, Souji-kun. Do you really intend to die?"
He nodded beneath the towel-mask. "I have days, at the most. I wanted to die in Inaba, the place I love the most."
"Then…" Tears began flowing down Naoto's face. "You'll die here in Inaba, Souji-kun. I'm going to put a bullet through your head, then put another one through mine. I'll never forget you; I'll die with you." Her breath caught in her throat as she pressed the barrel of the gun against his covered forehead.
"N-Nao-chan… Don't be stupid. You're a detective; people need you. Your grampa and Yakushiji need you. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Nanako… They all need you."
Naoto's voice was soft and determined as her finger rested on the trigger. "And I need you, Souji-kun. Without you, life isn't worth living. I'd rather die with you than live a living hell without you." They both heard the click as she began slowly drawing back the trigger. "Any last words, Souji-kun? Because I'll say mine now: I love you."
Unable to speak, Souji prepared himself for the feeling of Naoto's bullet piercing his skull. But it never came; instead, the door burst open and Yosuke exclaimed, "Naoto-kun, what the hell are you doing?" The group ran up and restrained the detective, who sobbed as she was forced away from Souji.
Kanji leaned down to Naoto and asked, "What the fuck was that about, Naoto-kun? Were you trying to kill him?"
Naoto's eyes met Kanji's fearlessly, all hesitation drained from her and replaced with conviction. "Yes. He wants to die, and I refuse to live without him. I'll shoot him, and then I'll shoot myself."
Yukiko gasped and snatched Naoto's gun away. "You'd kill the man you love? I thought you said you hoped he'd propose to you!" She was obviously shocked by her friend's blunt confession.
"Which path would you take?" The blue-haired girl asked icily. "End your life along with your lover's, or do as he says and forget you ever loved him at all?" Her voice was deathly cold and serious, but everyone could detect the love that still burned behind Naoto's words.
Chie turned to Souji and asked, "Souji-kun… Did you really…?"
He nodded beneath the towel covering his face. "I don't have long. All of you need to forget me, forget whatever feelings you may have had for me, before I leave this world."
Everyone froze at the words, and it was only with great strength that Rise was able to break the silence. "S-Souji-senpai!" She sniffled. "How do you expect us to do that? You're our leader! Without you, Inaba wouldn't even exist right now! Without you… I never would've met Kanji-kun!" The idol grabbed her delinquent love's arm and began sobbing, the blond teen embracing her tightly.
Yukiko looked to their bedridden friend and shook her head. "I'll never forget you, Souji-kun. I've been holding all of this inside because I didn't want to hurt you or Naoto-kun, but… I love you."
"You what?" Naoto stood, her face red with anger. "You'd use this situation to try to take him from me while I'm standing right here?" The detective lunged at Yukiko, grabbing the older girl and pinning her to the side of Souji's bed as she screamed. "Yukiko-senpai, I can't believe this! You… You… DIE!" With a sudden powerful gesture, Naoto slammed Yukiko's head against the metal on the side of the bed. The sound of bones cracking filled the room as the Amagi Inn heiress slumped, blood issuing from the wound on the back of her head.
Terrified by what they'd seen, Chie was the first of the group to speak. "N-Naoto-kun! What are you doing?"
In response, Naoto had picked up her revolver and aimed it at her friends. "Anyone else want to try and take Souji-kun away from me?" She asked, her breath coming in short gasps. "I don't care who you are. If anyone gets between us, you're dead. Souji-kun is MINE. He is my world! I will not live without him!" Her voice trembled as she shifted her aim between the other members of the investigation team.
"Naoto-kun…" Yosuke whispered before stepping forward. "Everyone get out of here. I'm Souji's best friend; it's my job to make sure his girlfriend stays sane. Don't worry about me, just get out." He ignored the protests of his other friends, and eventually they had no choice but to leave. "Naoto-kun, why are you doing this? Do you think Souji would want you to kill us all?"
A strangled laugh escaped Naoto's throat as she aimed her gun at Yosuke. The sound was chilling; it reminded him far too much of Adachi. "You have no idea what it's like…" She whispered. "To rush to your lover's side when you hear something like this has happened, only to be told to leave and forget about him! You don't have a clue!" Her hands shook as she aimed, not out of hesitation but simply because her emotions were going haywire.
Yosuke had anticipated what would happen when he took another step toward Naoto, but he did it anyway. A moment later, his bleeding body hit the ground as a bullet impacted his chest. The detective smiled and turned back to Souji. "It's just us now, Souji-kun. We're all alone." She embraced her love tightly, hearing him struggle to breathe. "What's the matter, Souji-kun? Are you not happy to be with me?"
"Nao-chan, why? You killed Yukiko and Yosuke… Why would you do that?" With one thin hand, he pulled the towel off his face, revealing that his bones were clearly visible and his eyes had sunken into his head.
"I did it for you." She said, a giggle bursting forth from her lips. "We're going to spend our last moments together, Souji-kun. Just you and me…" He watched as Naoto kissed the barrel of her gun, then pressed it to his forehead again. "See you soon, Souji-kun."
Ryotaro Dojima and Yamato Shirogane were nearly to Souji's hospital room when they heard the loud report of a gunshot. Kicking open the door, Dojima aimed his handgun into the room only to find a blood-spattered Naoto standing over Souji's corpse, her gun still pressed to his forehead. "Shirogane-san, what have you-?"
"Dojima-san… And Grampa too…" The small girl turned to face them, covered in blood from the close-range headshot. "Heehee… Come to take me away?" She smiled, her breathing uneven as she looked the two older detectives in the eyes.
The elder Shirogane stepped forward and asked, "Why, Naoto? You told me you loved him. Why would you kill Seta-san?"
Naoto sat on the edge of the bed, beside Souji's lifeless body. She absently twirled her revolver between her fingers as she answered in a giddy voice, "He wanted me to forget him. He wanted me to stop loving him, and to forget we ever met. I couldn't do that." The love-crazed detective suddenly clasped her gun to her chest. "I swore I would die with him. I'd kill him, then kill myself. We'd meet on the other side, and be happy forever!" Raising her weapon, she watched as both Dojima and her grandfather stepped forward.
"Naoto, no!" The older man cried, his hand darting for his own gun.
"Goodbye, everyone!" The blue-haired girl said cheerfully as she placed her gun in her mouth. Before either of the detectives could react, she pulled the trigger and sent a spray of blood out behind her as the bullet ripped through the back of her head. Naoto's corpse fell on top of Souji's, blood leaking from her mouth as she honored her promise to die with him.
Three days later, the rain fell heavily over Inaba as a funeral was held. Yukiko and Yosuke were there, having been saved from their respective wounds by the doctors' quick efforts, and they along with everyone else were wearing black. Yakushiji and Yamato stood beside Dojima and Nanako, the small girl crying furiously as the services were conducted. Souji's parents, who had come down for the funeral, were sobbing as well, everyone watching as the single large coffin was lowered into the earth. Souji and Naoto's love had been immortalized by their sharing the same coffin, and the same headstone. As everyone else walked away, Dojima and Nanako stared at the memorial while Nanako asked, "Big Bro and Naoto-kun are really gone, aren't they?" Dojima only nodded and led his crying daughter away, leaving the white headstone alone in the rain.
Souji Seta and Naoto Shirogane
Died Nov. 9th, 2012
'Loved a year on this Earth,
Now loving forever in Heaven'