Liability and Its Pledge
Summary: Kari Yagami suppressed the burning itch to remind him of his place as an Enforcer, of his place below her, as she told him sharply to stop undermining her authority. In this world, Yukimura Seiichi is a hunting-dog for criminals and Kari Yagami his owner – can this constellation only result in an imbalance of power or balanced distribution of responsibility? Psycho-Pass Universe.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Characters Featured: Kari Yagami, Yukimura Seiichi, Tezuka Kunimtisu, Shiraishi Kuranosuke and Daisuke Motomiya.
Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis and Digimon. And, also not Psycho-Pass.
1: The New Green-Eyed Inspector
Kari Yagami woke up disorientated, bound to a chair.
Where am I?
She struggled against the ropes that bound her to the chair and chafed her wrists, but when she could do nothing against them, she gritted her teeth.
"Hello Inspector."
Her eyes widened.
"Yukimura-san...?"
Yukimura Seiichi smiled menacingly. He lifted and pointed his Dominator at her.
When she stood in front of the Public Safety Bureau building that was like a skyscraper with its height and width but definitely more intimidating and impressive than one because of the symbolic weight it carried, she felt uneasy. The crest of the MWBSP (Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau), two snakes coiled around a scale, only intensified the impression of the building. Now she finally realized the crushing weight of her responsibility as an Inspector who had to protect the city and arrest criminals.
Nevertheless, she steeled herself and walked into the building that was guarded by drones.
The corridors of the building were polished and blank, the sharp lines of its architecture making the place look strict and severe, even more so than it already was. Kari greeted some of the officers she met in the corridor with a nervous nod but did not receive a greeting in return from everyone, which made her wonder if it was written all over her face that she was a newbie. She hadn't felt this nervous in a long time, not since the final exam of the Sybil System.
Suddenly the lack of acknowledgement made her feel weak, even though she knew that she musn't. She musn't be weak. She had to follow her brother's footprints and make him proud.
Reminding herself once again of why she was here, she stepped into the office of Division 4. Her team was different from what she had expected: her co-workers were all male and attractive, attractive enough to turn a woman into latent criminal. Kari was not a young woman, who cared about the looks of a person but the men in this room gave her no choice but do so.
"G-good afternoon! My name is Kari Yagami! I'm the new inspector!" Kari introduced herself, feeling stupid because of her nervousness.
However, at first, only the young man with glasses sitting at one of the two desk that would allow him a perfect overview of the office lifted his head to acknowledge her – her superior. The Inspector of Division 4. He stood up to greet Kari with welcoming expression, even though there was no smile on his handsome face.
"Good afternoon, Kari Yagami. I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu, the primary Inspector of Division 4. I hereby welcome you as our new member," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake, and Kari hurried over to him to shake it. His handgrip was strong and resolute– just the exact impression Inspector Tezuka was making on her.
"Tha-thank you very much!"
"Oh, so she is the new Inspector. Quite a cutie, isn't she?" A deep, sandy voice spoke up – it belonged to the redhead with googles on his head, sitting at one of the computers lined up at the wall. He was wearing the googles outside a swimming pool and in combination with a suit as if it was most normal thing in the world. Maybe he was a fanatic swim-fan? An ace in swimming?
Kari, eager to make a good impression and get along with her new colleges, strode over to him to introduce herself happily.
"It's very nice to make your acquaintance! May I know your name?" Kari said, holding her hand out for him to shake.
The redhead grinned with slightly stained teeth. "I'm Daisuke Motomiya. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kari! Can I call you 'Kari'?"
He took her hand into both of his larger, tan ones, which she found quite attractive, and he seemed intent on keeping her hand prisoner rather than shaking it.
Kari couldn't help but to blush. "If you want to, please go ahead, Motomiya-san."
"Geez, don't be so stiff and polite around me!" Daisuke told her, slapping her above her bum to help her to loosen up and it made her stumble forward in shock, earning him a hard smack across the back of his head by someone else, namely his silver-haired college.
"Daisuke," the silver-haired collegue reprimanded. "Don't be rude! Call her 'Inspector' and refrain from touching her inappropriately!" The young man who had stepped in was even better looking than Daisuke, his features were sharper and more refined than the redhead's. He had dark eyes, and silver hair that was spiked at the back of his hair but softer at the front. Like everyone here, he also wore a dark suit that was chic and formal, appropriate for their occupation. Their occupation as hunting dogs for criminals.
He seemed irritated when he scolded Daisuke, but when he turned his attention on her, he was smiling at her like a good soul, which she actually appreciated, even though she did not like the sudden change of his temperament; it made him seem two-faced.
"Good afternoon, Inspector. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure you're a wonderful addition to our team. I'm Shiraishi Kuranosuke. Please, don't hesitate to ask me if you've any questions." He extended his hand to her first like Inspector Tezuka, which Kari also appreciated.
"A wonderful addition to our team, huh?" Someone mocked. Kari glanced up from their hands to the bluenette, who was from her point of view sitting behind Shiraishi, and lounging with his arms behind his head on his black leather computer chair. "I strongly doubt that…more like she will be a wonderful burden. Someone as insecure and green-eyed as her will be eaten here or during a case."
Kari was startled at the malicious comment about her usefulness in this team. She wanted to reprimand him, to say something, to say anything back but couldn't. Her tongue was useless in her mouth and her vocal cords had frozen up in her throat.
When the young man, who had made the snarky remark, turned around to face her, Kari was taken back by his piercing beauty. His beautiful features were so sharp and defined as if they had been drawn by an animation program. He was so beautiful that he must've been a hologram because no one could look this perfect! His face was lean, framed perfectly by hair that was blue and wavy, and cut to his jawline, the most suitable length for his face-type. Like the others, he was also wearing a suit, of course, but his was a cross of black and midnight blue unlike the pure black color of the others.
"Yukimura!" Shiraishi grabbed her offender by his collar and yanked him out of his chair to snap at him. "How dare you to say something so rude to our new Inspector! Apologize to her! Immediately."
"Why should I? I didn't say anything wrong. She still has to prove herself here, no matter how much you two cuddle her."
"I'm going to hit you for that," Shiraishi growled.
Yukimura only smirked at the threat of violence. "Showing your true colors, aren't we, Enforcer Shiraishi?"
"Shi-Shiraishi-san!" Kari intervened, separating the two grown-up man before they could really resort into a fist-fight, putting her hands on Yukimura's toned shoulders to gently push him back into the chair. "Please, don't be angry. I'm perfectly fine! I'm sure Yukimura-san didn't mean it."
After she had ensured that Shiraishi had stepped away from Yukimura, she smiled brightly at Yukimura as if by doing so she could make up for his meanness, as if it had been her fault, and as if she could make him change his impression about her.
"Hello Yukimura-san, I'm so happy to make your acquaintance," she said, giving him the same treatment as the others, holding out her hand as well, even as he eyed her with an unfriendly gaze. Just when she thought he was going to ignore her greeting for the sake of embarrassing her, he smirked like a shark and lifted his hand to grip hers. His grip was gentle, so that was not what threw her off. What shocked her was when he brought up her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, the kiss just a touch louder than appropriate.
"Of course, Inspector."
Kari froze, suddenly unable to breathe. He had just kissed her hand. It was so old-fashioned and intimate, and so inappropriate.
He released her hand and rose from his chair to his full height, so that he was staring down at her smilingly, and she was looking at his shoulder. "Does the kiss of a latent criminal scare you this much, Inspector?" He taunted her, and she was unable to reply.
Truth to be told, it was too much for her. Far too much. Her first day was already too much.
Only when Inspector Tezuka cleared his throat behind a loose fist, everyone detangled from each other and straightened their back expect for Kari.
"Making jokes to get along with each other is a good thing, but please keep it within limits. That also applies to you, Yukimura," he chastised them and they looked remorseful. The authority Tezuka held over them was amazing.
"Yes, sir. We're sorry," they said with a low bow to Tezuka, then Kari.
"This is amazing, Tezuka-san," Kari stated. "They're all respecting you deeply."
"Yes, you've to keep Enforcers on a leash and make sure they don't step out of bounds." Tezuka's expression suddenly darkened, and worried Kari.
"Tezuka-san…"
Suddenly the alarm sounded.
"Elevated stress in area 11!" A female inhuman sounding voice came from the loudspeakers.
"Division 4, please hurry to the mentioned area."
Tezuka's demeanor changed in a blink, "Let's go everyone!"
"Yes, sir!" They all replied and hurried out of the room to get to area 11.
All expect for Kari, who stopped Yukimura by calling him.
"Please, wait!"
He stopped and waited but looked down at her with an unkind expression.
"I would like to know your name, please."
His full name and from himself.
For a moment, he made the impression as if he wouldn't tell her but then he said, "Yukimura. Yukimura Seiichi."
They were sitting in the MWBSP truck, a paddy wagon that would take them to the crime scene.
The air inside was oppressive while it was dark and raining outside.
During the ride, Tezuka revealed the information about the criminal subject on his wristcom to them, "Nobura Okura, 39 years old, banker. According to the data, he has also been using incompatible drugs. He was flagged by a street scanner that told him to take therapy but he refused and ran. His Psycho-Pass is forest green."
Kari had listened carefully but when he was done, she kept on digging for more information on her wristcom. According to the files, Okura was a problematic individual. Raised by a woman with a clouded Psycho-Pass. Single, even though he was already in his forties. Yet, he was registered on various online dating sites. Watches hardcore pornographic content. Kari frowned. Not good. The clues were subtle or not so subtle but there was a possibility that he was misogynist.
"He should've gone into therapy while he still had the chance," Daisuke commented.
"People never know when it's too late to seek help," Yukimura responded coolly, sitting next to him at a good distance with crossed arms and legs.
Kari paused her activity and pondered about Yukimura words as she sat between her superior and Enforcer Daisuke. The generalized statements of a person revealed more about themselves than they might expect.
Tezuka added, "Unfortunately, Okura has also taken a hostage. According to witnesses, it's a young woman."
"That's bad," Daisuke drawled but he sounded more like he was talking about a particularly difficult level of a game than the life of a human being. Kari was appalled at his lack of compassion with the young woman but then she remembered that there must've been a reason why he was a latent criminal.
"I'll now assign the teams we'll split up into."
Kari immediately lowered her arm to listen attentively.
"Shiraishi will come with me while Yukimura and Motomiya will assist Insector Yagami, understood?" Tezuka said.
Kari expected Yukimura to downright refuse the order but he didn't even battle an eyelid as he complied obediently, "Yes, yes."
Daisuke was overjoyed unlike Yukimura, of course, "Yay, I get to be in the same team as Kari-chan! Let's do a good job together!"
Kari smiled. "Yes, let's do a good job together."
Yukimura, however, only shook his head with a patronizing chuckle to which Daisuke naturally reacted angrily and asked him if he had a problem. The Enforcer, who had antagonized Daisuke, denied it, but it was obvious that he did not like their arrangement, which made Kari unhappy, even though she tried to fight the feeling. For unknown reasons, she wanted Yukimura to acknowledge her, and it had to be him.
"Inspector Yagami," Tezuka addressed her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.
"Yes!"
"I'm sorry that you've such an unpleasant case on your first day. If possible I would've liked to show you the ropes gradually but I'm afraid now it won't be possible anymore."
"No, Inspector Tezuka. It's an honor. Gathering some real-life experiences sounds much better than learning the ropes gradually."
Back then, Kari hadn't thought how green-eyed and naïve her words had sounded, and she had not seen the kind of judgmental looks the Enforcers have given her. Now that she thought back about it, she just felt a little ashamed of herself.
There was a strange look in Tezuka's hazel eyes but Kari contributed it to the reflection of light on his glasses.
"The Enforcers have a good instinct and plenty of experiences under their belt when it comes to dealing with criminals. You can trust their judgement but you'll also have to make yours, understood?" Tezuka told her.
"Yes," she responded.
"And, the responsibility for their actions will be taken by you," Tezuka added.
That was unfortunately what she was afraid of, even though she tried to fight that feeling.
"You think you're so much better than me, don't you?" Okura Nobura pounded a half-naked woman with his bare fists into the wooden floor of the ratty apartment he had escaped into. He had been referring to his looks that were below average with statement that was poised as a question. His face was pudgy and the lower part of it basically shapeless because of the fat that had accumulated there, no one would like such a face, not even the one to whom such a face belonged to. Apparently Sybil had decided to dislike his face as well. "You women are all the same! Narcistic bitches who only care about the looks of a man! You don't care about their inner qualities at all!"
Yes, if allowing one's inferior complex drive one into beating up a woman counted as inner qualities, then it was probably a good thing that women nowadays didn't seek those "inner qualities" of a man.
The woman protected only by her underwear was covered by bruises but that did not seem to trigger any compassion or mercy in the man because when he was done, he just salivated and grinned gleefully.
"But I want you. I've always wanted to sleep with a pretty woman like you, not just a 2D copy."
Outside it was just warm enough to not to freeze to death in a simple suit with skirt and stockings but still cold enough to feel the nick of the chill. Their breath wasn't fogging but it should've according to Kari. And, it was only autumn, the end of September.
They retrieved their Dominators, guns governed by the Sybil System, able to read an individual's Psycho-Pass and conduct judgement according. When Kari removed a Dominator from its holder, a robotic female voice spoke up, "User authentication: Inspector Kari Yagami. Affiliation: Public Safety Bureau, Crminal Investigation Department. Dominator usage approval confirmed. You're a valid user."
The voice could've only been heard by the wielder of the Dominator and while it had freaked her out at first, she had gotten used to it during her training.
The first mode of the Dominator was Non-Lethal paralyzer, where a ray of energy of electromagnetic waves was fired at the target and knocked them out, similar to an electric stun gun. The paralyzer mode would only knock them out because the target could still be saved according to the Sybil System's judgement. The second mode was Lethal Eliminator, where the target would be killed – in a gruesome fashion according to the manual, and it could only be used on targets whose Crime Coefficient exceeded 300. Those were no longer needed by society.
Those were some of the essential basics she had learned during her training.
She and the two Enforcers Tezuka had partnered her up with were still standing in front of the shady area 11 that was a replica of China Town. Tezuka and Shiraishi had already disappeared into that area in search for the criminal, on the other hand.
"You know how to use a Dominator, do you, Inspector?" Yukimura asked her with unkindness in his dark eyes again as she seemed to be afraid of the Dominator, a weapon that determined the life of a human being and with that their value.
"Yes, of course, I received training on it after all."
"Good. I hope that you'll be able to shoot if the situation requires it."
"Of course, I'll be…," she sounded so unsure of herself again and she was afraid that her insecurity would break her neck one day.
Yukimura eyed her briefly, then said, "Well, of course, we'll do our best, so that you don't have to shoot, but who knows? With you as a newbie Inspector, I just don't have such a good feeling."
"Hey Yuki!" Daisuke intervene, slapping him across his upper back. Was this his habit? "Stop putting Kari down!"
Yukimura glared at him for the smack, even though she doubted that it really hurt him. "I'm not putting her down; I'm just giving her helpful advises."
"They're not helpful at all, asshole! They're just putting her down and you're secretly enjoying it!" Daisuke snapped.
Yukimura was quiet but only for a moment before he sighed as if dealing with a particularly stupid classmate who couldn't even solve the easiest math equation. "Alright, alright, whatever you say, Motomiya. Now let's go, Inspector."
"Don't listen to him, Kari. Let's go together. Let that asshole go by him-"
However, as Yukimura lead the way, whether it was surprising or unsurprising Kari was already following him and not Daisuke.
"Hey wait for me, you two!"
Misogyny was an ugly thing. It drove a frightening amount of hatred and brutality against women for no reason at all or for the most unreasonable reasons just as illustrated in the case of Okura Nobura.
When he was done with her beaten her, he decided to engrave the world "slut" into her belly, causing her to howl with agony. Nevertheless, her screams were like sweet classical music to his ears, and his "artwork" brought him the greatest joy. The perfect word to describe the value of a woman.
Ah, he'd done such a good job.
"Motomya, you go this way where the small bridge is, and Inspector Yagami and I will go that way," Yukimura instructed as if he was the person of authority and not her. However, Kari was secretly glad that he did so because she did not know what to do; this was her first case, she had no practical experience at all, and felt like a child, who could not swim, but who was thrown into the ice-cold water.
"Kari is the Inspector, not you! Why should we follow your instructions."
Kari flinched at Daisuke's words because they were the truth.
Yukimura only smirked at his statement. "Fine, let's have it her way, then. Inspector, what should we do?"
"I-I think Yukimura-san's instruction are perfectly fine. We should do what he says," she stammered, unsure of herself.
"See?" He bragged smugly.
Daisuke was fuming. "Fine. But why should she go with you? If anything she should come with me!"
"If she went with you, she'd make it home with losing only both of her legs if she's lucky," Yukimura's jab was sharp and more than just sarcastic, bordering on malicious.
Kari inhaled sharply while Daisuke seemed to be hurt for once by Yukimura, which surprised her, considering the redhead's thick skin. Suddenly Kari wondered if this was who Yukimura was, someone who was made of only needles and acid.
"Yukimura-san, this is going too far," Kari admonished him but he didn't seem to listen or care.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry," he sounded totally unapologetic. "Let's go, we've lost enough time with this pointless argument anyway."
Yukimura headed into the direction he'd suggested and Kari was about to follow him when she caught the sight of Daisuke's crestfallen expression; he looked like he wanted to cry but at the same time his eyes were glistening with wistfulness, pleading her to go with him and not Yukimura. Kari almost wanted to indulge him because she felt that much pity for him, but in the end she didn't. She couldn't, even though she wanted to.
She had to go with Yukimura. There was something about him that drew her to him and made her feel incredibly safe, like when she had been with her older brother.
However, she wondered what would've had happened if she had gone with Daisuke instead.
She now wished that she had – it would've made her feel less guilty.
Kari was terrified, even though Yukimura was walking in front of her, basically guarding her by doing so. She was clutching the Dominator tightly in her hands but she couldn't stop shaking. She felt sick, this was completely different from the training she received; if she was shot or stabbed here, then she would die. A criminal could jump out of the shadows, grab her, drag her into-
She was snapped back to reality when Yukimura suddenly halted in front of her, holding out a hand, signaling her to stop, and she almost bumped into him.
When the coast was clear, he signaled her to keep going.
This was the worst, she thought. She was so scared that she might even shoot her own shadow.
A groan from behind caught her attention.
She jerked around and pointed the Dominator at the intruder. It was a homeless person, who had turned in his sleep.
"Crime Co-efficient: 60. No target for enforcement action. Trigger will be locked."
Kari exhaled after the Dominator's voice had spoken and lowered her gun.
"Inspector are you alright? Please don't pass out on me," Yukimura requested, but in that moment she was so startled by his voice that she aimed the Dominator at him in a split of a second.
"Crime Co-efficient: 200. An Enforcer registered at the Criminal Investigation Department. The target has Enforce at Will status. The safety will be released. Enforcement mode: Non-Lethal paralyzer, please aim calmly and subdue the target."
Even with the eerie blue light of the Dominator, Sybil's eyes, marking Yukimura as a target, his expression remained unfazed, unmoved, even though he looked frightening in that moment.
Kari gasped, jerking her Dominator sideways, out of Yukimura's face at once, her hands shaking.
He smiled patronizingly at her and took a few steps over to her. She'd never thought that his crime co-efficient would be so high, higher than the one of the homeless man from before. His smile was sharp, his teeth pearly. " What's wrong? Are you scared of me now - because of my crime co-efficient?"
"No, I'm not," she lied.
"Liar."
Time between them had frozen. She didn't know what he wanted to do to her now, she couldn't read him.
"Here's hound 3. I've found the target…along with the victim."
It was Daisuke's voice. It interrupted them as he communicated with them through their wristcoms.
"Roger. We'll be there. Give us the directions," Yukimura responded, speaking into the device on his wrist. Then, he signaled for Kari to follow him as Daisuke gave them their directions as if nothing had happened.
The criminal was in the open along with the female victim, crouching over her with a knife, his hand squeezing her breast, the sight grotesque and too much for Kari; she couldn't stomach it.
"Keep it down, Inspector," Yukimura admonished her while they hid in a corner of a brick wall from where the criminal couldn't see them.
"I will take care of it," Daisuke declared proudly through the headphones as he hid behind the criminal at a safe distance from where he simultaneously also shoot him with precision.
"Please do so," Yukimura told him.
Daisuke readied his Dominator and shot.
The electric burst of energy hit its mark and should've paralyzed, then knocked out the criminal but it didn't – probably because of the incompatible drugs he had taken.
The criminal snapped and let out a ferocious growl that frightened Kari deep into her core while Daisuke only clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Such a pest."
Then, he called over to them. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him!"
"No, don't!" Yukimura shouted in return but Daisuke had already lunged at him, ready for a fist fight.
"That idiot," Yukimura cursed under his breath.
Under ordinary circumstances, the criminal would've probably used the beaten and bloody hostage as a shield but he was too enraged about the fact that someone had tried to shoot him, to harm and wound him, so he apparently wanted to return the favor. When Daisuke had reached him, about to grab and simultaneously punch him, someone had snuck up behind him from the shadows – an accomplice.
He swung the wooden plank.
"DAVIS, LOOK OUT, BEHIND YOU!" Kari yelled at the top of her lungs, the dub version of his name that would allow her to pronounce it faster, but it was already too late.
And, hit Daisuke across the back of his head. The Enforcer went out like a light.
Kari screamed.
"You son of a bitch," Yukimura hissed under his breath and fired his Dominator with eerie calmness and preciseness, not shaking one bit, and thank god that shot worked on him, combusting him in an explosion of body parts, intestines, blood and bones – a horrifying sight.
An arm separated from its body landed with a dull thud in front of the woman, the victim, who promptly passed out from its sight.
However, her abductor and possibly rapist was still on his feet and free.
"Damn you," he cursed the MBWPSB officers.
"After him, Inspector!" Yukimura shouted at her but Kari couldn't move. She was frozen on her spot.
"Tsk," Yukimura clicked his tongue and pursued the criminal by himself, disappearing into the shadows.
It didn't take long for him to return, only that it wasn't him but the criminal with an old-fashioned gun, which he must've obtained through illegal manners. She had heard shots but no noises of pain, which meant that he didn't manage to shoot Yukimura and must've managed to lose the Enforcer, but when Okura spot her, Okura's expression was that of a beast's.
He charged at her – he was much bigger, and taller than her.
Kari was frozen.
Just when he was about to grab her, Inspector Tezuka got in the way and caught his arm, spinning him around, so that he could hook his strong arms under Okura's armpits.
"Shoot, Yagami!" He ordered her but Kari was unable to unfreeze from her traumatized state, the vivid image of a body swelling and exploding in front of her replaying in her mind.
"What are you doing, Yagami?!" She heard Yukimura's distinct yell from somewhere. "Shoot him!"
She didn't. She couldn't. The sight of a body, a human body exploding in graphic detail where its organs and muscles was still too much for her. Okura's intent to overpowering her. She couldn't handle it. Couldn't fight it. Couldn't shoot him.
Okura grinned darkly and broke free from Tezuka's grip with a burst of adrenaline and strength from drugs he had taken, running away again. Yukimura shot him but missed, the shot hitting nothing but an empty space.
The criminal ran into the shadowed path and returned, this time in a car. He and his accomplice must've planned this all in case of a failure. His hatred towards women drove him to going for Karirzh again but Tezuka got into the way again, pushing her out of the way, only to be hit instead.
His lifeless body hit the gray, rain-patterned pavement with the same dull thud as the severed limb from before. His blood pooled on the gray patterns.
"TEZUKA-SAN!" Kari screamed.
The car raced towards her again and this time it was Yukimura who yanked her out of the way by her elbow, and shot again. His expression was feral, thirsting for vengeance – the expression of a carnivore, a beast.
This time, he didn't miss. The entire car exploded.
The human body inside exploded along with the vehicle and it was no less bloody or graphic than the death of the criminal before, painting the metal and glass of the car crimson and beige before everything went up in flames.
Kari dropped to her knees after Yukimura released his grip on her elbow onto the dirty, wet pavement.
"Quite a wonderful mess you got us into, Inspector," his voice was sharp and accusing, putting the entire blame for what had happened on her, and the worst was that he was right doing so. She was at fault.
Then, he turned around and left. Left her behind like her brother had done so after he'd died during a case.
It didn't matter anyway because in the same moment Shiraishi arrived at the crime scene and dropped in front of her, gripping her shoulders and shaking her, his expression frantic. "Inspector! Inspector, what happened?! Why are Daisuke and Inspector Tezuka injured? Are you alright?"
He could've been asking a lifeless rag doll, she didn't react, couldn't react let alone respond at all.
It never stopped raining that night. But she never felt it.
She'd cried the entire night after her failure.
So, by the time she woke up, she felt like a wreck.
"Good morning. Your Psycho-Pass Hue today is powder blue!" Gato greeted her, sitting atop of her abdomen like a real cat would. "Enjoy today with that healthy mind of yours, nyan!"
Kari immediately buried herself under her blankets, wishing earth would swallow her up.
She dragged herself under the shower and felt a little better under the warm water that washed her anxiety of today's new shift at the CID away. She was afraid of facing Inspector Tezuka and Daisuke but mostly she was afraid of facing Yukimura, who would certainly slice off her head today, but then she reminded herself that she musn't be weak and steeled herself.
She'd to confront her failure, too, and it wasn't that she hated failure but rather she didn't know how to deal with it. Her brother would be so disappointed in her but then again who was she lying to? He probably wouldn't be. He was never disappointed in her no matter how often she'd failed in life, which wasn't significantly often fortunately, however. And she usually did not fail the most important tasks.
This was why yesterday's failure had hit her explicitly hard.
When she was done with showering, she'd changed into her work suit with skirt and black patent flats with thick but flat heels. She put on some make-up as well: mascara and lipstick, this time deciding on a colored one, pink, instead of a colorless one, hoping it would bring luck.
With a face covered by some make-up, she felt less bare and stronger, readier for work and headed out, bidding Gato a goodbye and telling it to take care of the apartment. After she'd left, the apartment disappeared as a hologram.
Unfortunately, she'd the 9 o'clock morning shift, so procrastination was not possible.
She wondered if it was her imagination but the others officers in the CID department seemed to be looking at her oddly, even whispering about her but maybe she was just imagining it.
The first place she visited was not the DIVISION 4 office but the lab where she could receive information about Inspector Tezuka's and Daisuke's condition, and she wanted to avoid Yukimura for a little longer anyway, however, no such luck.
Just as she had stepped in front of the entrance of the lab, Yukimura stepped out and saw her. His blue eyes were cold and dismissive as he stared down at her with his superior height that was almost six feet in comparison to her five feet five.
"G-good morning," Kari greeted him, her gaze downcast, even though she struggled to raise it.
"Ah," he replied after a moment of silence, then continued his way, his steps sounding heavy in her ears.
"Excuse me, is Analyst Inoe Yolei here?" Kari raised her voice slightly when she only saw monitors and a couch.
"Yes, that would be me!" A cheery voice piped up, and a lavender-head that looked pink in the light shot up.
A girl with round glasses and…a questionable fashion sense, a red dress shirt with pink flamingos (now really?), sat up from the couch and turned around to meet her.
"And, who are you?"
"I'm Kari Yagami. I've been assigned to the CID yesterday as the new Inspector."
"Oh, you're the new girl Yuki had just been talking about!" Yolei exclaimed. "You know he was quite angry, saying that you were the most incompetent Inspector he'd ever seen."
Kari tensed up. "He said that?"
"Yes, he did, but don't listen to him. Yuki can too harsh and overly strict sometimes. That's because he also has too high expectations of people because of who he used to be."
Because of who he used to be? Kari wondered, now intrigued.
"It's no wonder people can usually not fulfil them. There're few people who are as perfect as him."
However, upon seeing Kari's dejected expression, Yolei immediately said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make a secret jab at you or compare you to him! I just wanted to cheer you up but I'm not good with words as people say; I'm too blunt. But you know what: I don't agree with Yuki's judgement about you. I think you're a wonderful addition for the team. I'm sure that there's something only you can do for and teach the team."
"Only me?"
Yolei twinkled at her. "And, as a bonus, you're quite a beauty. No wonder, Daisuke swooned over you with starry eyes."
"Daisuke is well again?" Kari's mood immediately brightened at the news.
"Not exactly well but quite well considering his circumstances, I guess."
"I'm so happy!"
"Do you want to visit him?" Yolei inquired.
"Maybe…later. I'm not ready to face him, yet," Kari answered sadly.
"Alright buuuuut-" Yolei practically jumped off the couch and strode over her fast, pointing her index finger at her. "-Don't you dare to eat up all those steaks! Leave something for me!"
"I've no idea what you're talking about!" Kari said with a nervous chuckle.
"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean: the guys in your team are all to die for and that doesn't only apply to their looks. They also rugged and masculine. SO wonderful, ahhh those testosterone-laden packages," Yolei swooned dreamily.
Kari could only watch her, speechless.
"I've to say you're quite lucky, and I'm quite jealous of you," Yolei suddenly remarked.
"Ehm, why?"
"You're pretty and you work in the same team as Yuki. I'd die if I could work together with a man as attractive as him but what am I talking about? You must be so happy about this."
Kari chuckled nervously, holding up her hands. "I don't know about that. Yukimura-san doesn't seem to like me very much. And, I'm actually not looking for romance. I really just want to do my job well and I don't care about how my team-members look as long as I get along with them."
"Hmmmm," Yolei scrutinized her carefully. "You're just like Yuki in that aspect, I see. A workaholic who doesn't care about romance."
"Is he someone who doesn't care about romance?"
"Yeah, at least I've never seen him romantically interested in someone," Yolei lowered her voice. "-And just between us: even before he became an Enforcer, he seemed to never have a girlfriend or serious relationship before according to the data."
"Is that so?" Kari inquired, now curious.
"Absolutely. I've never seen him so interested in a girl before you came across either. You must've really gotten his attention."
"Yeah…his negative attention, all of it," Kari agreed, her voice humorless.
Yolei elbowed her in the side. "Don't be like this." Then, she grinned. "I actually think you two would make a cute couple. Should I play match-maker for you?"
Kari slapped her shoulder. "Don't joke like that, Inoe-san. Yukimura-san hates me."
"I doubt that. And, even if, don't you think that this would make your relationship all the spicier? They say getting under the covers with a guy you don't get along is the best after all. Have you ever tried hate-sex?"
Kari could only chuckle speechlessly at the Analyst's bluntness.
When she entered DIVISON 4 office, it seemed oddly empty with only Shiraishi and Yukimura covering their shifts. With only Shiraishi and Yukimura being able to cover their shift, she corrected herself guiltily. It was her fault that Inspector Tezuka and Enforcer Daisuke couldn't.
"Good morning," she greeted them, surprised to find Enforcer Shiraishi reading thick medical encyclopedias, and there was an empty tank filled with branches and leaves, an ideal household for something to live in it. Did Shiraishi have a pet or something? Yukimura, on the other hand, was lazily smoking a cigarette while watching something. She hadn't expected him to smoke. Wait - was this a tennis match he was watching? And, were those flowerpots on his desk? Was he into gardening?
The mystery about those two men grew and she couldn't make sense of it.
"Good morning, Inspector," Shiraishi greeted her back, sounding happy about her arrival, putting his heavy book down.
"You certainly took your sweet time at the lab, Inspector," Yukimura drawled, stubbing out his cigarette that wasn't even half-smoked.
She'd taken so long at the lab because Analyst Yolei had made her an offer she couldn't resist: a way to process yesterday's case and to prepare for the next one but she didn't tell Yukimura that.
She bowed to both of them instead.
"I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused yesterday! It was my fault that Inspector Tezuka got hurt."
"Inspector." It was Yukimura, and she instinctively tensed up.
"With all due respect, please resign from this job."
His request caused her heart to skip, and slip to the pit of her belly.
Shiraishi jumped to her defense. "How dare you, Yukimura?"
She ignored Yukimura and walked over to her desk, sitting down to start the paperwork. Even without anyone telling her she knew that she would've to file in a report about what had happened yesterday. Unfortunately, she couldn't concentrate on the document on the screen, waiting to be filled.
She moved back on the typist chair with wheels and sighed.
"Inspector."
It was Shiraishi, who was smiling gently at her, holding a cup of hot beverage in his hand.
"It's cocoa. It will help you to feel better."
Kari was touched by the gesture. "Thank you."
She took a sip, the hot cocoa boosting her mood with a rush of sugar, before she knew what happened she had already emptied the plastic cup.
"Inspector. You still haven't given me a response," Yukimura spoke up, pressing her.
"Yukimura, stop this already-"
"I'm sure she can talk for herself."
Unable to dispute this statement, Shiraishi stepped back, although visibly unwillingly.
When Shiraishi's tall, lean body no longer blocked her from Yukimura's view, Kari unconsciously crushed the empty plastic cup between her hands. "I can't resign. Unless Inspector Tezuka fires me, I can't resign."
"Why?"
She didn't answer, and oppressive silence filled the office.
Yukimura rose from his chair and approached her with his hands nonchalantly in his pockets, the sounds of his leather dress shoes just as oppressive as the silence, and though his steps were slow and unthreatening they caused her to tense up further and Shiraishi to move in front of her protectively.
"Get out of the way," he ordered Shiraishi.
"What are you going to do to her?" Shiraishi questioned him sharply.
"Nothing," Yukimura replied calmly.
"I don't believe you."
Yukimura's voice was just as calm as before but his eyes seemed to be able to stare Shiraishi down as if he was taller than him, even though they were the same height, "Do you really think I would ever hit an Inspector?"
"No," Shiraishi said surprisingly whereas Kari had flinched. "But I think you can do many bad things to her."
Yukimura sighed. "Get out of the way, Shiraishi. Playtime is over. If I do anything to her that she doesn't want, then it's her responsibility as an Inspector to put me in line."
Shiraishi's throat tightened, and then he was forced to swallow. He wordlessly stepped aside, knowing Yukimura was right.
"Inspector. May I speak to you in private?" Yukimura asked Kari politely and she dared to look up at him and see that his gaze was just a gaze, not a glare.
Kari exhaled quietly, knowing that she couldn't escape confrontation with him. "Yes…of course."
He led her through the corridor of the CID department as she walked behind him, shielded by his tall frame as their colleges stole curious glances at them. How they must've looked together: a child and a parent. A child who was about to get scolded by its parent – it was so pathetic that she wanted to crawl somewhere.
But even though it was pathetic, she still had to keep her head high.
Before she knew what happened he'd eventually led them to an isolated corner with a cushioned green bench and a vending machine. Kari sat down unconsciously, and waited for his admonishment, but she only heard the sound of something dropping out of the vending machine instead, believing that he had gotten something for himself until something cold pressed against her cheekbone.
"Cold," Kari hissed.
"For you," he said, offering her a bottle of cold green tea.
"For me?"
He nodded in affirmation.
"Thank you very much," she voiced her gratitude and slowly took the bottle with both hands from him.
"That idiot should know that sugar only clouds the brain and dulls the senses. Totally unfitting for this job. Drink this to flush out the sugar out of your system. And, also put this against your eyes. They're swollen. They make it obvious that you didn't sleep well."
Kari first uncapped the bottle to take a gulp, then put it against her eyes as he'd suggested after she'd re-capped it, of course. "Ah, this feels good."
Then, she giggled. "With 'that idiot' did you mean Shiraishi-san?"
"Who else?"
She couldn't help but to giggle again.
The ice between them was broken.
He smiled faintly when she shyly glanced up at him.
"Even I am not made of spikes only."
She blushed because a similar thought had occurred to her. "I-I didn't think that."
"It's okay. Everyone compares me to a hedgehog or cactus anyway," he told her dryly.
Yeah, she wondered only why.
However, the humor was drained out of the situation when his expression darkened and he asked, "Will you tell me about why you decided to join the CID, Inspector Yagami?"
Her gaze lowered before it dulled. "It's because of my brother. He used to be an Enforcer in Odaiba but he was killed during a case. He died to protect innocents and civilians. I look up to him because of that, and I want to follow his footsteps but that's not the only reason why I decided to join the CID. When I was in high-school, our plane to Hokaido was hijacked when we were on a class-trip. We were supposed to be sold either as prostitutes or organ donors. However, it thank god never came that far. When we were on the truck to overseas, we were saved."
"By your brother?" Yukimura inquired.
"No," she said but with a smile. "But by the other Enforcers of his team. I still don't know who they are until today. My brother doesn't want me to know, but I'm sure they're great people, even if they're latent criminals. I mean we would've been dead or worse if it hadn't been for them. I owe them my life, and I want to follow their examples, and save lives just as they did. I know it's their job as an Enforcer and they don't have a choice but I still respect Enforcers greatly, you know? It's wrong to think of them as means to an end, or that they're just hunting dogs. They're human like you and me."
"They're latent criminals like me, Inspector," Yukimura contradicted her. "They're hungry for violence and thirsty for the suffering of others they consider weaker than them. That's why you shouldn't look up to them, it will cost you, Inspector."
She looked at him and met his eyes with a sincerity that stunned him. "I don't think so at all, Yukimura-san. I don't think that looking up at you will cost me. I think you're a great person. I mean you protected me the entire time during the case yesterday, didn't you? It takes a great deal of courage and sincerity to put your own life in danger for someone else; I respect that greatly."
Her honest eyes and her admiration of him were too much for him, he had to avert his gaze.
She continued, "I'm sure we'll be great partners if we work out our difficulties."
Yukimura breathed out a chuckle. "I wonder about that"
He stood up, his hands casually in his pant pockets, walking a few steps ahead.
"Inspector," he began.
"I still think you're green-eyed, and the most incompetent Inspector I've ever met – even for a newbie, but your reasons for joining the CID are more than convincing. Unlike you, I've seen people taking on positions of responsibility solely for fame and their own gain, and they give a damn about others. But you're different. It shows a great deal of character to truly want to protect people who are innocent. I changed my mind about you after all."
He turned around, his eyes slanted meeting hers. "I hope you'll continue to be our owner and work together with us."
He had extended his hand towards her for a handshake, for the first time.
Kari's ruby eyes lit up for the first time since she'd worked here. "Yes, of course!"
She lifted hers with enthusiasm and shook his, sealing their deal, a promise.
Yukimura smiled from under his bangs as he headed back to the office first, and Kari followed him, this time with a bounce in her step.
When they were back, Shiraishi was already awaiting them anxiously but then he became suspicious of Kari's sudden change of mood for the better, for the much better as she typed away her report.
He pushed the computer chair with wheels back with his heels, and whispered to Yukimura with a hand cupping his mouth, "Hey, what did you do to her? Why is she suddenly in such a good mood?"
Yukimura only smiled and didn't answer as if to say that it was a secret between them.
The glow of the screen was reflected in Kari's ruby eyes as she had to fill out a particularly important part of the report. As an Inspector she'd to look at herself with honest eyes and take the responsibility for especially her own failures.
The most outstanding member of the team during this case?
Enforcer YUKIMURA SEIICHI.
The most problematic member of the team during this case?
Inspector KARI YAGAMI.