Cops
Opening the door of her apartment, Ami saw her colleague, Detective Tadashi Hamada was there. What could have possibly brought Tadashi over to her place? Either way, the case they were working on was important, so it could be work related.
"Could I come in?" Tadashi peered around the doorway.
Ami nodded, closed smile on her face. "Yeah, right this way…"
The case dealt with a murder attempt victim named Daniel Hendricks, the soon to be State Senator. The leads everyone got at San Fransokyo Police Department was getting somewhere. They almost found the one who almost killed Hendricks.
"We went over the gun serial number of the bullet Zack analyzed, he finally found out who the gun belongs to."
Her brow furrowed. "Couldn't you have just told me this over the phone?"
"Well, yeah, I thought that…" He looked away, stammering.
Ami breathed. Tadashi wasn't one for small talk, though things had been getting awkward between them lately.
She sighed. "Hamada, if you got something to say, say it now."
Tadashi breathed. "The gun belongs to the same man who killed your partner."
Her eyes widened.
Yumura.
He killed her partner, Malcolm Kennedy, and she swore herself she'd get him behind bars sooner or later.
And this was the perfect chance to do it.
She began to walk to her gun. Tadashi was soon in front of her.
"I know what you're thinking… I know I'm going against mandate by telling you first over Chief Willis, but I am telling you up front, Ami."
That was one of the rare times he called her by her first name.
"Don't do this."
She breathed, making sure Tadashi heard every word she said.
"First of all, it's Amelia."
She looked into his eyes.
"Second, they killed Kennedy in front of my eyes, Hamada. They killed my partner. You expect me to let them get away with that?"
"Walk away, Amelia."
Her brow narrowed further. It began to rain outside. The silence seemed to echo through out the walls.
"I've been working with you for three years, and I know this is killing you inside, day by day, but let it go."
He placed his other hand on her other shoulder.
"And if you don't care about that, then think about how this is going to affect the people that love you. Think about your parents. Think about Tom. Do you want to put them through that? Everyone at the station."
She breathed. This was the answer to all the questions and awkwardness the past few months. The reason why he was at her place instead of giving her a phone call.
"I've seen the way you look at me with those puppy dog eyes, Hamada. Your school boy crush on me's touching, but you know it'll never work out between us."
Dating between co-workers never usually ended well. He sighed, backing away from her as he circled himself.
"Fine."
He stopped and looked into her eyes.
"I love you."
Clapping thunder echoed through out the room.
"I love you, Amelia. There. I said it." His arms were in the air. "Happy now?"
He sighed in disbelief. "The sad thing is, it's your choice."
He walked closer to her.
"The way I see it, you choose to live this way. Unattached, unavailable. No commitment to anyone or anything but yourself. It couldn't possibly be your fault that you don't trust anybody enough to actually be your friend. Cutting yourself off from everyone, building walls around yourself all the time."
He shook his head. "You could be happy, Ami. You could be happy, but you're afraid. Afraid to get out of all that rage, all that sadness, but you choose to keep it."
Did he actually feel sorry for her?
"We've been through so much together, and even got to be friends despite our differences years ago I'll say it again, I love you, and if that means anything to you, if you care about me at all… As your colleague, as your friend… you won't be at Yumura's doorstep."
All this time, this was what he was feeling. Tadashi cared about her. He cared about her… so much. And she grew to care about him as well.
But Yumura was right in front of her.
And there was no way she was going to pass that up.
"He killed my partner, Hamada." She looked at him. "If you're gonna stop me, don't even bother try and get in my way."
Walking to the entrance, she opened the door of the apartment.
She nodded her head. "You know the way out."
"With holding evidence, lying to a superior officer?" breathed Heather Willis. "What you did dishonours this city and dishonours the badge. Not only are you off this investigation, I'm putting you both on administrative leave effective immediately."
Getting Yumura was a set up. She fell for their wild goose chase and she was on the verge of loosing her career.
Ami breathed. "Sir…"
"Don't you 'sir' me, Oshiro. You don't deserve to wear the uniform. Now you and Hanaka hand over your badges and guns."
Hanaka began to unlatch his gun belt.
The chief of police looked at Ami. "Detective Oshiro?"
She breathed.
What she did was unprofessional and amateur. It cost her her reputation, her career, her life…
She could have lost her life out there.
After what happened in the past few hours… maybe Tadashi was right.
She placed her badge on the chief's desk. "Keep it."
She began to walk to the door.
"I resign."
There was somewhere she had to be.
"Oshiro, what do you want?"
She was at the doorstep of Tadashi's apartment. Her hair was wet from the rain.
"Hamada, I…" She breathed. "Tadashi, I'm… I'm so sorry."
That was the first time she said his first name in a long time. She loved Tadashi. She was in love with Tadashi Hamada.
"Tadashi… I need you."
To say his name felt beautiful to her tongue. She felt his lips against hers. They were co-workers, but now that didn't matter. After all this time, she needed him, and she didn't know why she didn't realize that sooner.
He parted ways from their kiss. "Wait, wait, what happened?"
She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "They got away, and I didn't care…"
"When I went after Yumura, I almost fell off the ledge, and all I could think about was you."
When she closed her eyes… there was Tadashi. When everyone left her, he was still there. When the world was sceptical and grey, there was Tadashi, full of light and smiles.
He lost his parents. Of course he knew the pain she went through. He was suffering all this time, and she brushed it off aside.
Why didn't she see all this in the first place?
They saw each other's scars, and they were going to sooth each other's wounds.
She felt herself against the wall as their lips were against each other. Soon they were in his room, finding herself on his bed with him straddling her frame.
As they shed clothes, her top was off. He placed a hand over the scar in between her chest. It was from an assignment and she got stabbed by the attacker. She saw tears began to form in his eyes.
Looking into his eyes… he saw her.
Vulnerabilities and all, he accepted all of her. This was love. This was love.
Kiss after kiss, she realized they were just about naked.
As they made love in the night, she felt her heart coming whole again once more.