Like A Phantom Into the Silent Night
He drifted into the meadow, his footsteps as light as a ghost's – a spectral figure surrounded by a phantasmagorical display of shadows that danced from side to side. He stepped through the grass and raised his head mournfully to glance at the stars and the moon – the bloated moon, a soiled coin casting its dim glow across the field. A brilliant fireball filled the sky, streaking down through the atmosphere before burning up with a faint gasp. His eyes clenched shut, burned by the magnificent display; he seized something from his pocket and enclosed it into a tight fist.
An orchestra of cicadas and crickets filled the air with a vibrant noise – the music of the night. He relaxed slowly, and proceeded to his destination. His movements were slow yet delicate, and suggested some grace. He approached a boulder rising from the ground, a stately tablet of rock soaring up as majestically as a gothic cathedral. In front of it, he stood, and read the inscription.
In loving memory of Nakamori Ginzo.
He struggled to make the world a better place.
May he rest in peace forever.
His poker face stood, and he stood stoically in front of the gravestone. But deep in his mind, a memory awakened and swept him with the force of a hurricane.
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"Young master! Young master! Today may not be the best day for the heist!"
"Nonsense, Jii. The gemstone will only be in the courtyard until tomorrow."
"There is something wrong! Why is the gemstone in such an open space?"
"Perhaps Nakamori-keibu has decided to play some mind games with me."
He walked out the door, a confident smirk on his face.
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He read the headstones that surrounded him.
In loving memory of Shintaro Chaki. Rest in peace.
In loving memory of Takahashi Shinji. Rest in peace.
In loving memory of Tanaka Akira. Rest in peace.
There were twenty-five headstones in total.
Above, a shower of meteors was plummeting towards the earth – brilliant shafts of light burning through the sable sky. Through his heart. He writhed in agony as he glanced into the light-filled sky, as he glanced down at the gravestones, as he glanced into his hand at the radiant gem that lay nestled in his hand. He stood in the meadow, and he remembered … remembered more.
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He ran swiftly through the corridor, pursued by a hoard of policemen. He looked back and saw the furious faces of Nakamori-keibu and Saguru-tantei, saw the determined faces of the Task Force, and smirked. He had easily outsmarted the bumbling tactics of the inspector, yet again.
The mission was straightforward – so why did he feel so suspicious? Why did something sinister linger in the air? He needed only to enter the courtyard and take the gem. The courtyard was surrounded by balconies; he would easily escape after he captured the gem.
He dismissed his misgivings – after all, he needed the gemstone. There was perhaps a 33 chance that the stone was the stone that he so ardently pursued – the stone that would enable him to exact his revenge on the organization that had murdered his father. He would find the organization and destroy the gem … he relished the thought of smashing the dream that the organization most coveted in front of its watching eyes …
He broke through the darkness into the courtyard, dimly lit by the bloated moon.
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He glanced at a gravestone with a familiar name.
In loving memory of Saguru Hakuba. Rest in peace.
Tears welled up inside him, but Poker Face stood.
You too, Hakuba? Hakuba … damn you.
He continued to walk through the gravestones.
XXX
He saw the gemstone glistening in the moonlight. Forty yards away. He smirked. It would be a pinch.
Thirty yards.
Twenty yards.
He heard gunshots. He looked up. The balconies were lined with gun barrels, dozens of them. The ground around him was riddled with bullets. He looked back at the task force, thinking desperately. It was responding with weakening handgun fire.
Nobody gets hurt.
Pandora is twenty yards away.
Nobody gets hurt.
What do I do?
He glanced at the task force and the gem. A sliver of moonlight reflected off of the gem, beckoning him … tempting him … a slice of light in an ocean of darkness … he needed it …
He ran quickly for the gem.
Behind him, the gunfire died out …
No … It can't be …
Ten yards.
The barrels were pointed toward him …
Five yards.
A bullet glanced past him, ricocheting off the floor.
Three yards.
The ground around him was riddled with bullets.
There was a flash of white in front of him …
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"Jii …"
Why did you do it?
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"Young master…"
The old man shielded the body of the boy.
With a flurry of his cloak, he fell down.
"Young master … be careful …"
Another soul conquered by Pandora …
The meteors continued to fall …
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He walked down a small side path.
There was a specific grave that he was looking for …
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He felt the bullets enter his skin, piercing him. The fire burned like a thousand candles.
He looked down and saw his chest engulfed by a patch of red. He felt his body weaken …
A bullet hit the stand upon which the gem rested.
The gem fell down and landed in his palm.
He felt the life drain out of him …
The gem sparkled, erupting to life.
XXX
He stopped in front of a small grave.
XXX
He heard the gunfire stop. He looked up, and saw a hand pointing to something.
He traced the hand to the entrance of the courtyard, where he saw a girl enter.
As she stepped out of the shadows, he recognized her face, and stared in horror.
"Aoko … get back!" He heard the voice in his head. His mouth uttered nothing.
"Dad?" she questioned, confused. "Where are you? Dad?" She looked at him.
She gasped. She saw the bodies strewed across the floor, pierced mercilessly.
"Aoko!"
He heard the gunfire begin, heard the scream that pierced the air.
That pierced his heart …
"Aoko … run …"
As tears streamed down his face, he felt Pandora's tears fall on him.
The meteor shower ended.
The Poker Face shattered.
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In loving memory of Nakamori Aoko. Rest in peace.
He struggled to maintain his composure. Poker Face.
The meteor shower ebbed and stopped.
"Aoko …"
He placed the gem on the gravestone.
And brought his hand down with all his force.
Blood streamed from the wounds on his hand.
He continued to attack the gem with his hands.
He picked up Pandora and threw her onto the grave.
The stone shattered, scattering around the grave.
Shards of a broken gem …
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He pulled a white rose out of the air.
The white petals slowly became soaked with blood.
He allowed a tear to trickle down his face. One tear.
He laid the white rose onto the top of the grave.
He turned around, and walked into the shadows.
Seconds later he was gone. A silence hung in the air.
He had disappeared.
Like a phantom into the silent night.
Fin
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