[A collab fic between me and CrimsonSkyTamer. Rhea Aru and Jirou Matsumoto belong to her, everyone else belongs to me. Wooo]
"Is everyone clear on this?" The SWAT member leading the operation, a well-built male by the name of Jirou Matsumoto glanced around at his team...and the two teenagers with them.
Leaning against the side of a police car was a young male teenager dressed in a black button-up and a pair of dark blue jeans., a .44 Magnum clearly visible in his hands His messy raven-coloured hair was tousled, even as he fixed his cold brown gaze on Matsumoto, clearly an indication that the man should proceed with his briefing.
Kazuki Kagome, Super High School Level Private Eye.
An unofficial member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department - for now - and one of the world's most infamous detectives. Operating primarily on instinct and emotions, there was never a single case that he could not solve, especially with his wide range of underworld contacts.
Masumoto's gaze travelled to the teenaged girl in a white jacket, black button-up and a white skirt - the only female in the entire attack team, not including the medical personel - standing next to the Private Eye, a .44 Desert Eagle in her hands. Her long white hair was waving in the cold night breeze, and she stood out a lot compared to the members of his team, who were dressed entirely in black. Her unmoving crimson gaze fixed on his men one by one, and even from the front, he could see his men stiffed slightly as the weight of her gaze rested on them.
Rhea Aru, Super High School Level Inquisitor.
Despite being the "gem" of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, she was known mostly by name, for she preferred to monitor cases from the back. Combining the roles of an information specialist, detective and an interrogator, she rarely ever makes personal visits on a case, unless it was really serious. Unlike Kazuki, she worked based on logic and data - to her, anything else was irrelavant and invalid.
It wasn't well known, but recently, these two teenagers had began to work together for a case. And that case was the very reason why Matsumoto and his team were gathered here today.
"Before we begin..." The SWAT leader let his voice trail off as he stared pointedly at the girl, only to be met by an equally cold stare. "Your jacket," he briefly explains, "white stands out too much in a dark mansion."
For it was a mansion that they were about to invade. The mansion that was the home of large, intimidating Inoue family.
He didn't know how those two teenagers managed to get agreement from the top brass to allow an elite SWAT team to storm into the Inoue residence, or why they even needed an elite SWAT team to storm into the Inoue residence, but he was given orders from the top to storm the Inoue residence.
And because orders were orders, his team would storm the Inoue residence with those two teenagers.
"He's right, you know." The deep gravelly voice of the Private Eye was quiet, his statement meant solely for the ears of the girl standing next to him. "White stands out too much in a dark mansion. Though you should probably know that by now."
The Inquisitor huffed quietly, but removed her pristine white jacket accordingly, before opening the door of a police car and placing the jacket inside. "Make sure it stays clean and that I get it back later," she orders the officer in the car, before shutting the door.
"Happy now?" She mutters out of the corner of her mouth even as she watched the SWAT men check their equipment, even though her voice and expression betrayed nothing.
Others would probably have thought that she was annoyed, but he knew better. They had been anticipating this day - the day when they would finally solve all the mysteries of this case.
"Here are your communicators." One of the SWAT soldiers said crisply, having approached the duo with two small earpieces with mikes attached in his hand. "You are to remain in contact with base at all times; reports should be made every ten minutes, even if it's just a one-liner stating that you're perfectly fine. Understood?"
With a shrug, the Private Eye picks one of the earpieces and puts it on, before turning on the device. The Inquisitor does the same, choosing to ignore the soldier's words.
"Testing - can everyone hear me?"
The voice of the SWAT team's leader, Jirou Matsumoto, came out of the earpiece covered in a bit of static. A chorus of "Yes" follows along the channel, and the operation officially begins.
The team splits up, with Kazuki and Aru going together...for now. The SWAT men were to take as many of the family into custody as they could, with minimal kills, while the duty of finding the head of the family, Inoue Kenta, went to Kazuki and Aru.
At the first intersection in the hallways, the duo split, with Kazuki going left and Aru going right.
It seems like forever to Kazuki, travelling along a dark hallway, the fear, anticipation and adrenaline coursing through his veins but with nothing opposing him. There wasn't even a trap.
Just what was this madness?
Right...left...left...center...right... The corridors were endless, at least until he reached a dead end. That was what it seemed like, at least. After all, there was nothing except for the occasional candelabra on the wall...
Or was there?
Keeping his .44 Magnum trained on the wall directly in front of him, Kazuki went over to the candelabra; raising his left hand, he grabbed the candelabra and tugged it, hard.
For a moment, nothing happened. For a moment, he thought that he had gotten it wrong...until the candelabra shifted slightly in his hands.
The wall began to sink into the floor, revealing another dark and endless corridor. Without a word, the Private Eye entered the next corridor, with his retreating figure soon swallowed by the thick darkness.
"This is Kazuki. I'm entering the heart of the mansion now."
The hallway soon branched out into a brightly lit room...not good. Not good at all. Aru could see several people inside the room, and all of them were armed.
She takes a cautious step backward, only to feel the barrel of a gun at the back of her head.
...shit!
"You'd best move quietly, Inquisitor. Or your brains will be splattering the wall faster then you can even cry out." The low growl was harsh. "Now, drop the gun."
Even though she didn't want to, she dropped the Eagle and almost immediately, it was kicked away from her. She couldn't take any unecessary risks - not now.
"Move it." The order is given, and she walks forward, into the room.
Her eyes take a few seconds to adjust to the lighting, but she feels rather then sees the gazes of the people in the room on her.
They're all prominent members of the Inoue family...no doubt gathering a resistance.
"A little too young to be a cop, aren't you, girly?" One of the men jeers, but she did not deign to reply him.
Her calculating gaze takes in their appearances, their weapons, the state of the room - everything. Naturally, everyone in that room was armed, except for her, and she was outnumbered twenty to one.
Definitely not the best odds, but she had to survive.
She needed him, just like he needed her.
She couldn't fail him.
"Inoue Kenta." His voice echoes around the richly furnished office, even as his brown gaze fixes on the man in the leather armchair before him. "You have one minute to tell me what you did to Inoue Arata, before I kill you."
Kazuki wasn't joking. The .44 Magnum was aimed straight at the man - the shot would not miss, and it wouldn't take more then two more shots maximum to finish the guy off. But before that, he wanted answers.
"60...59...58..." Even as the Private Eye began the countdown, his only reply was a small cryptic smile from the head of the Inoue family.
An opponent is only ever truly dangerous when they have nothing to lose, yet everything to gain. That was the situation she was in right now. Aru no longer cared whether her twenty opponents could be brought in alive - all that mattered was that she get out of the room alive.
She waited for a moment that seemed to never come, for a moment when all attention was focused away from her. That moment finally came in the form of an arguement between two of the Inoues in the room - in that second, she had disarmed the person keeping her captive by kicking him before grabbing his gun. A single shot to his head took care of the rest.
Of course, this drew all attention to her, but by then, she was already moving - darting around the room with her destination being the door, Aru fired the semi-automatic at her opponents.
Bullets and blood sprayed across the room. Just as she was about to reach the door, a single click informs the Inquisitor of the worst.
She didn't pause long enough for it to be called a moment of hesitation, but it was enough for the remaining people still alive and able to use a gun. Seven bullets were fired almost instantaneously, aiming right for her.
Three of them missed, with two of them sinking into her left lung. One more hit her left shoulder, while the final one grazed her right temple.
All of a sudden, blood was spilling and covering the floor; its rich metallic tang was filling the air. All eyes in the room was directed to the window as it shattered out of the blue, with a strong heat wave entering the room - a fire had started on the upper levels.
It was only afterward that they would realise the Inquisitor had vanished in the commotion, leaving nothing but a trail of blood that could not be seen on the already-bloodstained floor.
"Kazuki-! We've lost contact with Aru-"
The words coming through his earpiece were lost as Kazuki almost dropped his gun in shock.
How could this be? It wasn't possible...she couldn't have...
Ignoring the smirk on Inoue Kenta's face, the Private Eye ran out of the room, firing at anyone who stood in his way.
Nothing else mattered - he had to find her, and fast.
By the time he found her, he knew that it was too late. But he didn't want to believe it. Deep in the back of his mind, he knew, he knew what happened. And he didn't like it. Muttering "she's okay, she's okay, she's okay" under his breath over and over again, Kazuki eventually finds Aru.
The first thing he notices is the smell of blood. Of course, blood was everywhere by now. But as he got away from the Inoues, shouldn't there not be blood...? If there is, then...
The second thing Kazuki notices is the blood. Eyes widening, he snaps his head to the source of the smell, having found it. And he gasps. Kazuki doesn't ever gasp.
He finally notices the body of Rhea Aru sitting on the floor, back against the dark wall of the mansion (were those bloodstains on the wall?), in a puddle of dark blood that still seemed to be wet. Her long white hair had long since been dyed red, even as the puddle of blood continued spreading. Her glazed crimson eyes roll over to the private eye, as Kazuki approaches her.
"Aru...?" Kazuki gets on his knees, looking at the girl, "No, no, don't- don't tell me you..."
He still couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. He sees the wounds, clear as day, but he won't believe it.
"...they got me." Aru whispers, hoarsely. "It's... too late."
'Not if I can help it,'' Kazuki thinks. Putting a finger over his ear, he speaks into his microphone.
"Hey, this is Kazuki, Aru's down! W- We need medical attention!" he shouts urgently, but Aru just shakes her head.
"Kazuki..." Aru mutters, shakily placing a hand on Kazuki's arm, "They won't get here in time. It's over..."
"No, no, no no..." Kazuki says, grabbing Aru's hand. A single tear rolls down his face. Kazuki doesn't cry. "No, don't do this... you're still alive, dammit! I won't let you die!"
"Did you fuckers hear me!?" Kazuki shouts into his mic, "We need medical attention and immediate extraction, goddammit!"
...though, static is Kazuki's only reply.
"Stop, Kazuki..." Aru says, gripping the hand tighter. "...thank you... but it's over... good luck, Private Eye..."
"What the hell are you saying!?" Kazuki shouts, sobbing. "No! C-Come on!"
Kazuki is about to pick up Aru, and run out of the house, but he notices her eyes struggling to stay open. The pain in her eyes. The tears coming out of her eyes. Had Aru ever cried? He didn't recall ever seeing her cry...until now.
"You gotta get back to the mission..." Aru makes an attempt to smile (fake. It was all fake. He could almost feel the pain...), looking into Kazuki's eyes. "You know why we're here. You have to find Arata... just...leave me here..."
"How the fuck am I supposed to do that without...?" Kazuki trails off, shaking his head. "Come on, you're gonna be okay, Aru... hang in there for me, okay? Come on, get up and fight this!"
"Hah..." Aru chuckles sadly. "You can't fight death, Kazuki. It's inevitable."
She coughs, and to his horror, Kazuki sees a trickle of blood running down the corner of her mouth. 'No, no, no...it can't be...'
"Aru- stay with me. Please!" This was the first time he had ever begged anyone, the first time he had never wanted someone to leave his side.
"Sorry...I've always known...that I would die on the field one day..." She gives him a small smile, before her features twisted into one of pain. "Still...I never expected...to leave before you...I'm sorry..."
Kazuki takes her hand in his, not caring that he was getting covered in blood - her blood. "Damn it...Aru...please, don't go..."
She squeezes his hand lightly, and with a small smile, says her final words.
"Forgive me...Kagome."
The Private Eye hears it not only from her mouth, but from his earpiece. 'Why now? Why now of all times?!'
Her hand goes slack in his, and he knows, with a sinking heart, that she's gone.
"Kazuki- Aru- both of you, come in! Report status now-" He couldn't care less. Nothing mattered anymore, now that she was gone.
Kazuki's hand slowly goes to his ear, turning off the earpiece. His hand then goes over his heart, as he looks down upon his fallen partner. He mutters a few words.
"...Of course." he whispers. "I... I'm sorry... I couldn't do anything. Rest in peace, Rhea."
He stays in the position for what felt like forever. The only thing that snapped him back to reality was the distant footsteps, running through the estate. Letting go of Aru's hand, he slowly gets up, turning to the footsteps. Reaching into his pocket, Kazuki takes out six .44 cartridges. He unholsters his revolver, flicking open the chambers. He glares towards the doorway, slowly loading the gun. The sixth round is loaded, and Kazuki closes the .44 Magnum, cocking the gun. Shouts are heard, as the other Inoues approach.
With a dead, emotionless look in his eyes, Kazuki raises the revolver towards the doorway.
'You'll pay. You'll all pay.'
The footsteps grow closer, as the sources make themselves known. Four members of the Yakuza family turn into the room, immediately spotting the private eye. Guns are raised, and as the gangsters are about to shoot, Kazuki shoots first. He squeezes the trigger, taking out the first Inoue. He pulls it again. Another down. Again and again Kazuki pulls the trigger, with each shot being a fatal one - not only to his opponents, but also to himself. With every shot he fired, something in him seemed to break, to shatter into countless infinite shards that would never again be pieced back together. It hurt, but he wasn't going to care. Not anymore.
The bodies fall, and Kazuki's eyes stare forward. He walks over them, leaving the room. A look of pure hatred replacing his previous emotionless gaze, he walks through the house. One part of him is telling him, it's over. Get out. Leave. But another, the winning part, is telling him to make these sonsofbitches pay.
He continued on his killing spree, shooting any Inoue in his path, and simply pushing past the SWAT soldiers like they didn't exist. Reloading his gun, Kazuki finally reached the office where he knew Inoue Kenta was located. 'It's time to finish this.'
Gripping his revolver tightly, Kazuki kicks the door open with a shout. He enters the room, glancing around before finding the head of the family sitting at a desk across from him.
"You're back." Kenta says, chuckling. "I suppose you've found out, then?"
Kazuki's only response is to shoot a bullet right next to Kenta, purposely missing him. The man doesn't flinch, grinning instead.
"You motherfucker." Kazuki says, nothing but rage in his words. "You like doing this, don't you? You must think you're at the top of the fucking world. Head of the Inoue family, must be nice, huh?"
"You misunderstand, Kazuki. I am at the top of the world." Kenta replies with a smug smile. "And you must be here to bring me down, hm?"
"This has been a long time coming." Kazuki mutters, glaring into Kenta's eyes. "For years, I've wanted to take you down. And now, I finally will. You killed her. You killed Rhea. This has gone on for too long."
"Haha. Go ahead, Kazuki. Do it. Sorry about your girlfriend." Kenta says, leaning into the table. "Shoot me."
"Fuck you." Kazuki growls, looking through the revolver's sights, aimed right on Kenta's forehead. He doesn't hesitate any longer as he finally pulls the trigger. A loud gunshot explodes through the room, as the bullet fired flies towards its target. The cartridge pierces the skull of Inoue Kenta, blood splattering on the wall behind him. The now limp, lifeless body of the family head falls, as a thud is heard- the corpse connects with Kenta's desk.
'Finally.'
Kenta was dead. Kazuki holsters his weapon, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. Lighting a cigarette, Kazuki stares at the scene. Kenta's corpse, the man finally dead. His own blood painting the wall. Taking a puff of his smoke, Kazuki flips the body a middle finger, before turning to leave the office.
The Private Eye drops the lighted cigrette on the thick carpet in the room, not even bothering to stamp it out before leaving, heading back to the place where she was.
It still hurt, to see her dead. It's a pain that'll never be healed. A hole to never be filled. He was beginning to cope slightly, but he wouldn't ever be the same again. Kazuki walks over to the corpse, how much it hurt to believe Rhea'd been reduced to such a thing, and picks her up, bridal style.
He leaves the room, briefly noting the lack of gunshots. The battle was quieting down. Who's winning? The Inoues? The SWAT teams? Kazuki stepped over the bodies of both; walking over suits, and walking over armour. Kazuki finds the stairs, standing at the top. They led to the foyer, which was populated by a squad of soldiers, sweeping the area. Their eyes fall upon Kazuki, standing at the top of the stairs, holding Rhea. Immediately they knew, this was bad news. The duo's closeness had been obvious, and now that one was dead, they knew that Kazuki would never be the same.
"Kazuki..." one soldier calls out. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for your loss," another mutters.
"Yeah, I'm... I'm sorry..." a third soldier says.
The other soldiers give apologies as well, before standing in a formation. Five soldiers stood on one side, and another five stood across, forming a hallway from Kazuki's position to the door. Each soldier gave a salute.
Kazuki silently makes his way down the stairs. The only noise heard is his footsteps echoing through the estate, as he makes his way out of the house.
The quietness is replaced by sirens, and helicopters. Kazuki stands at the entrance of the Inoue House, surrounded by beautiful plantlife. Flowers and trees decorated the area, but it wasn't as if Kazuki would stop to smell the roses. Hanging his head low, he walks through the gravel pathway, opening the gate at the end. Kazuki finds himself near downtown Tokyo, with dozens of police vehicles on the street. Both police and news helicopters fly above, and all eyes are directed towards the private eye, holding Rhea's corpse.
Radios of nearby soldiers go off. "This is Firefox, we're pulling out. A fire's started in one of the upper levels, the place is done." It appeared to be the leader of the soldiers inside - Jirou Matsumoto.
Kazuki's eyes briefly turn, and see a few windows with fire and smoke inside. The cigarette. He started that fire. The fact barely registers, as he walks onto the sidewalk. Medics immediately run up to Kazuki, taking Rhea out of his arms. He makes no move to fight, letting his arms fall limp. Taking a shaky breath, Kazuki collapses to his knees, a tear rolling down his face.
'Rhea...'
He's soon brought back to his feet by a few soldiers. "Hey, we're gonna get you out of here, alright? Hang in there, Kazuki." one says. The private eye is put inside a police car...
The rest is a blur. Kazuki barely remembers anything. Days pass. One morning, he awakes in his apartment, watching the news as he eats breakfast, consisting of nothing more than a bowl of old, cheap cereal.
"The Inoue House went up in flames during the night two days ago, during an operation led by the Tokyo Police." the newscaster announces. "Shocking images may follow, viewer discretion is advised."
The footage changes to show Kazuki standing in front of the door, carrying Rhea in his arms. He almost drops the spoon, watching himself on the TV. He had tried not to think of that day too much, and this wasn't helping.
"SWAT teams, plus these two teenagers- Kazuki Kagome and Rhea Aru- were sent to storm the estate, attempting to take the Yakuza gangsters into custody. After firefighters arrived on the scene, one body was identified as Inoue Kenta, the head of the family. Only a few of the Inoues were taken alive- aside from them, they were all killed by the police." the woman continues.
Kazuki sighs. He gets up, turning off the TV. It's then he notices an envelope in front of his door. 'Mail...?'
The Private Eye walks over, opening it. A letter is inside.
"You are cordially invited to the funeral of Rhea Aru."
The days pass in a blink of an eye.
A few weeks later, Kazuki stands in front of his bedroom mirror, wearing a black suit. It's the day of Rhea's funeral. He isn't sure if he's ready. The past few weeks have been hard. He hasn't replied to any requests or emails, putting his work as a private eye on hold. The police have allowed him time to recover before sending him on anymore jobs. It wasn't as if he accepted the jobs, however. He couldn't think properly, couldn't function properly. Somehow, losing her was like losing his sense of self.
He felt like a former shell of what he once was. Death was indeed inevitable in their line, but that didn't mean that everyone was capable of accepting it and moving on.
He feels, more then sees, a person standing at his bedroom doorway. Turning to face the person with his cold eyes that betrayed nothing, Kazuki recognised him as Jirou Matsumoto, the leader of the SWAT team from that fateful night. He didn't question how the other had access to his apartment - just like how he hadn't questioned it when she entered his apartment for the first time despite him being in the possession of the sole pair of keys.
...ah, that was dumb. He shouldn't think - shouldn't feel - because he couldn't afford to break any more then he already had. Picking up the bouquet of red roses- he never realized his true feelings until it was too late- Kazuki follows Matsumoto out of the apartment and into the unmarked car outside.
The car ride to the venue is silent. Kazuki didn't want to talk, and the others respected his privacy.
He stared, unmoving, even as the coffin was brought in. It was a clear day, with a jewel-blue sky and just a hint of fluffy white clouds, totally contrasting with his feelings. The grief that he had finally managed to bury deep inside his soul threatened to overflow as he watched her colleagues go up one by one, eaching placing a single white rose in the coffin.
At last, it was his turn. He could feel all eyes on him - even though this was supposed to be a private affair, a few journalists had somehow managed to make their way in, even though they had their cameras taken away. Step. Step. Slowly, haltingly, he made his way to the front, before placing his bouquet of vivd red roses in the coffin. He could hear the murmurs, but he didn't care.
Why? Why didn't he realize his feelings earlier?
Why didn't he insist on entering the mansion together that night?
He would never know, but the guilt would remain with him for the rest of his life.
Kazuki watched as the coffin was lowered and the marble headstone was placed. 'White...at least they picked her favourite colour.' He stayed there, even as everyone else present left one by one, and sat there until it was dark.
He then walked over to the grave in silence, even as the cold night breeze ruffled his hair and tie. "Hey...I don't know if you can hear me, but I guess...it's worth a shot." Talking to a dead person was stupid, or at least, that was what he originally thought. Never had he understood why people went to talk to dead people...until the day he lost her.
"I can't go on. Not like this." The words came out haltingly - he knew she would have wanted him to go on, but he couldn't live without her. "I know you'll probably be disappointed in me, but honestly...I can't live without you. Nothing's the same. Without you, it seems as if I've lost everything - I exist, but I don't feel. Everything's just...dead."
He lets out a small laugh. "I'm a dead man walking, Rhea, and it's only a matter of time. So...forgive me, alright?"
With his master hand, he drew out a .44 Magnum from his pocket and pointed it at his temple - in the gun was a single bullet.
Bang.