Disclaimer: Psycho Pass and the characters don't belong to me. They belong to Gen Urobuchi.
So this was an idea I got while thinking up various headcanons regarding Akane. This was one of my personal favorite headcanons, so I decided to turn it into a fic.
EDIT**: So, I realized AFTER the fact that Kou's hospitalized right after Yuki's death. Which means, I messed up the facts in this fic with Kou being back at work a week later (I know he got released early from the hospital in the anime but Im not sure how long his stay actually was), so all I can say is...screw the rules, I'm a fanfic writer (some of you may or may not get what I'm referring to here).
I let her die without doing anything.
I let her die without doing anything.
I was right there. If I could have just thrown the Dominator down and used that rifle instead, Yuki would still be...
"Tsunemori."
A deep male voice broke the Inspector known as Akane Tsunemori out of her daydream. The pale-skinned female turned around in her chair so she could face the person who had just called out to her. Putting on a brave front, the twenty-year old forced a smile at the man with glasses who stood there with his arms crossed,
"Sorry, Ginoza. What was that?"
The man known as Nobuchika Ginoza; also an Inspector and Akane's superior; simply frowned down at the girl without response. An awkward few seconds passed before the man turned, waving a hand while mumbling under his breath, "Never mind. Back to work."
Akane just blinked as she watched the older man walk away, wondering if she had angered him again. Though that wouldn't surprise her if she had, since that's all she ever seemed to do when it came to that him.
I was thinking about it again. I can't allow myself to keep getting distracted like this.
One thing had been buzzing about in Akane's mind for the last week, and it hadn't disappeared from her conscious, not even once. Not when she was awake, nor when she slept. No matter what she did, one memory stuck like the strongest of glue in her mind without mercy. It had been torturing her like mad, so it was a shock to her that her crime coefficient hadn't gotten any worst because of it. Even so, that didn't change the fact that the emotional scars she received seven days ago were still wide open and fresh. Akane knew they weren't going to close anytime soon either.
"I'm taking my lunch." Yayoi Kunizuka said from across the room before leaving.
A few seconds later, Akane heard the other two Enforcers on the team: Kagari Shuusei and Tomomi Masaoka also stated they were taking their lunch. Between her thoughts, the young detective heard Gino give them the okay to go.
Perhaps she should take her lunch. Maybe it would give her a little more room to breath. Maybe food would help take her mind off these horrible thoughts, even if only for a mere second.
...I let Yuki die.
No...of course not. How foolish of her to think that she could escape it. Lunch would be no different then what she was doing right now: sitting at her desk, staring blankly at the holo screen of her computer. Still, she had to do SOMETHING. If she didn't, though her hue wouldn't darken, she was sure she'd go mad.
Just at the moment, almost as if he had read her mind, Enforcer Shinya Kougami who still remained at his desk turned his head in Akane's direction, "Maybe you should take your lunch as well, Inspector."
Tsunemori just stared blankly at the handsome hunting dog, not really sure how to respond. However, before she could say anything, Gino chimed in with a stern tone, "Go. It's obvious you need some break time. Now get out of here and I don't want to see you back until that clock hits 1:30."
Without argument, Akane grabbed her things and headed out the office door. All the while, the eyes of Kougami and Ginoza never leaving Akane's depressed figure.
Huh? Where am I?
Akane looked around, a little confused. She had just been heading to the PSB's cafeteria, and yet; judging by the dimly lit and unrecognizable surroundings, the woman was sure she wasn't in the bureau anymore. What was even more odd was how pitch dark it was. Akane looked down at her watch to see the time read 12:55. It was still early noon, so why the hell was it as black as nighttime?
"How did I even get here..."
The brunette tried walking a few steps in hopes her confusion would be lessened. After several minutes of nonstop walking, the girl's efforts unfortunately proved fruitless.
But wait.
It wasn't just the surroundings that had changed. Akane stopped walking and stared at her feet. She knew she had been on her way to lunch when she suddenly ended up in this place. Other than that though...the Inspector had no recollection of anything else. Specifically what thoughts she had been having the moment prior to ending up in wherever she stood now.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something very important..." Akane thought aloud, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was positive something had slipped her mind. But just what on earth was it? Could it have been about a case? Or perhaps something had happened with one of the other Division one members? No, no, that didn't feel right. Just what the hell had she been thinking? What couldn't she remember? The frustration of not being able to recall anything combined with the fact that she had no idea where she was was just enough to make the normally calm girl a little bit shaken.
Still, this was no time to be freaking out. Akane tried to take deep breaths in an effort to keep her calm. She knew from her experience as a detective that fear was something she could never let her rule her. If it did, she was sure to get hurt or worst out in the field. That's something Shinya Kougami had taught her when she had first joined the MWPSB.
"I just need to keep my breathing steady and not let this situation rule me. Maybe if I try calling-" Akane lifted her arm to take a look at her watch. However, what she saw on her wrist was not what she expected. A sticky crimson clung to her in various spots all up and down her arm. She wasn't sure where it had come from or why it was there. Even so, it didn't take the female long to identify what it was, because the smell made it quite obvious. After all, she knew this retched smell all too well now.
Blood.
As if she had been hit by an invisible force, Akane fell a few steps backwards; only to be startled by a sudden splashing sound each time her foot moved. The woman froze, trying to get a good look around her. It was so dark though. However, she knew a pool was surrounding her up to her knees. Akane could feel the liquid sinking into her shoes, sticking to her legs and thighs without warning. It was becoming progressively harder to remain calm now, but she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her now. If there was one thing she was proud of when it came to her occupation as a detective, it was her strong mental health. Although she was certain of one thing: Akane knew was that she had to get out of this place, and fast.
Struggling against the thick waters around her, Akane tried to move forward. The smell grew thicker and thicker the farther she went. Eventually, it became too much for the woman to bear. Akane stopped to catch her breath but nearly gagged when she caught a big whiff. She covered her mouth, suppressing the urge to vomit right there.
"D-Damn it..." Akane shut her eyes and began rubbing away at them. The smell was so powerful that it not only burned her mouth and nose, but her eyes as well. Almost like two hot knives sticking straight into her sockets. Akane kept her eyes shut for a moment in hopes the burning sensation would stop. After a few more breaths, the girl opened her eyes which were suddenly hit with a near blinding light, which made the burning twice as bad. It took a minute, but after her hazel orbs adjusted; Akane was able to clearly see what was around her. Like she had though from the smell and similar feeling; the amateur detective stood in not a pool, but more accurately speaking, an ocean of blood.
"W-What's going on?" Akane stumbled in shock as she looked from her blood-covered limbs down into the endless red before her. She wasn't sure what was worst: the sight or the smell. Either way, Akane couldn't take anymore. Turning around with the idea of going back the way she came, Tsunemori made a move to start running. However, just before she could raise her leg, a familiar voice echoed from behind her.
"Where are you going, Akane?"
The twenty-year old immediately halted. She knew that voice. It was a voice she had been hearing ever since her high school days. It was also a voice that, now, was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Slowly turning around; a lump forming in her throat as she spun, Akane felt her heartbeat slow down when a figure of a thin girl with beautiful wavy orange hair came into view.
"Y-Yuki?" Akane choked, now more confused then ever.
There her best friend of several years stood, in nothing more than her nightgown with her hair drenched down her shoulders. For some reason, Yuki didn't seem the least bit frightened by where they were nor did she seem confused or surprised that Akane was standing in this strange place with her. It was odd for the girl to be so calm, as Akane always knew her friend to be the more emotional type when it came to dark places or being lost.
"What are you doing here, Yuki?" Akane asked, forcing a small smile as she reached out to touch the young woman.
Just as Akane's fingertips came into touching range with Yuki's arm, the woman's voice stopped Akane in her tracks, "Where were you going just now?"
"Huh?"
Yuki's head lowered enough so that her bangs were falling over her eyes, hiding her expression from the Inspector. For some reason, the beautiful woman began scratching away at her throat with the tips of her nails as if she had an overwhelming itch that she couldn't bare any longer. This action kept up for the three minutes it was silent between the two. Akane standing there in awe while Yuki just scraped away at her bare neck. It was odd to Akane. Just how bad could that itch be? She had been scratching for so long now, and the motion seemed to be getting faster and harder with each second that passed.
Soon, the young Inspector couldn't take watching this anymore, and spoke out, "Yuki, I don't think you should be scratching like that. Did you get some of the blood on you?" When Yuki didn't respond, Akane decided to take matters into her own hands. As such, the girl grabbed Yuki's arms and forcibly tore her hands away from her neck that now had red marks on it from all the attention it had just got. Akane took hold of her best friend's wrist and turned, determined to still get out of this hell, no matter what it took.
However, Yuki didn't seem to agree with Akane's idea, because despite the fact that her friend was trying to walk her out of this place; the orange-haired beauty stood firm, refusing to move and still saying nothing.
"Yuki? What are you doing?" Akane asked, looking back at her who seemed to still be hiding her face behind her long, wavy bangs. The detective couldn't understand what Yuki was thinking. In the past, sure, there had been times when Akane didn't quite follow Yuki's mindset or the things that she did, but now it was especially unsettling. Here they stood, in an unfamiliar place; a place that would make any normal citizen's hue cloud to the darkest of colors within one minute of being in there. Of course Akane was able to keep calm for the moment, because she had begun to get used to being in dark, scary places thanks to her job. Yet Yuki, a perfectly normal person, remained still like a doll. There was a moment when Akane thought that maybe her friend was just so ruled by fear, that she couldn't move, but...there seemed to be more to it than that. Ever since she had appeared, Yuki had been acting...strange.
"Hey..." Akane let go of Yuki's hand and leaned in, trying to get a look at her face. Just as the brunette was getting within seeing range, Yuki's lips finally parted,
"You were going to leave me here all alone."
"Huh?" Akane jumped, startled by the sudden comment. Sweating a bit, Akane let out an awkward laugh as she rose one of her small eyebrows, "What are you saying? Of course I wasn't-"
"You were!"
Akane froze, her eyes widening greatly from the shout. She had never heard Yuki scream that loud before.
At least...she didn't think she had.
...Had she...?
"HELP ME...AKANE!"
Time seemed to stop right there. Grabbing her head, Akane's face fell a great deal. She could feel her heart racing now. Beads of cold sweat were streaming down her cheeks as her breathing labored. One of the hands on her head moved down to one of her ears, covering it as her entire body began trembling like mad.
"W-What was that...?"
Something was forming in Akane's mind right then. The picture was very blurry, and surrounded by what almost seemed like a white mist. Akane shut her eyes, hoping to make the picture clearer. She saw...Yuki. Wearing the same clothes she was at this very moment, only...her expression. The horrified look on her face. Her mouth was wide open and crying out. Akane shut her eyes even tighter which caused another blur to become a little clearer. There was...someone beside Yuki. A...person. Specifically a man in white. He was holding something to what appeared to be Yuki's neck. Just as the image was becoming completely clear, Akane eyes snapped open when she felt a horribly strong force grab hold of her.
The Inspector's hazel eyes shot open only to see Yuki standing within only a few inches of Akane. Before she could say anything or even jump back, Yuki's hand gripped onto Akane's arm and hard. So hard that Akane could feel Yuki's fingers making imprints on her skin. The force only got more worst by the minute. Soon it became so bad that the strong-willed female couldn't take any more.
"Y-Yuki...stop it. You're hurting-" Akane lifted her head to glance up at Yuki. Only the sight she was enough to turn her stomach a hundred times over.
There Yuki stood, the one hand still holding tightly onto Akane. The free one was back to clawing away at her neck. Not scratching this time, but clawing. Her nails seemed to be digging so deep into her her flesh, that skin was beginning to peal off with each stab. Blood seeped out through the openings made in her neck, making splashing sounds as they joined with the rest of the red pool around them. Yuki's hair still hung over her face, and the only thing Akane could see from her neck and above was the one lone eye that was glaring down at her through her bangs.
"Why, Akane?"
Said girl flinched, fear overcoming every other emotion she was feeling at long last. The unimaginable terror Akane continued to grow progressively worst as she was stared up at the person who was supposed to be her best friend. Suddenly, Yuki's grip became even more powerful, causing Akane to let out a shriek of pain.
Between the agonized moans, Akane begged, "W-What's gotten into you, Yuki...?"
A cracking sound echoed from in between Yuki's palm and Akane's wrist. The detective dropped to her knees, teeth clenched as tight as could be.
At last, Yuki released Akane's hand. However, the girl didn't look back up at Yuki. Instead she remained doubled over in pain while holding onto her arm that was now most likely broken down to the bone. As she laid there, Akane heard Yuki begin to slowly trail through the sea of blood around them, slowly and steadily. As she did, Yuki began mumbling something over and over, but her voice was so quiet that it made it impossible for Akane to make out.
"...ur fault..."
Akane glanced up weakly for a moment, wondering what Yuki looked like now. She was sure she honestly didn't want to know, but the detective needed to look anyways.
Suddenly, Yuki stopped pacing. Her back facing was facing Akane as her voice grew to its normal volume now, making it easy for Akane to hear what she had been mumbling before.
"It's all your fault."
Akane's glance became a full-blown stare now, her eyes locking onto Yuki's figure like a sniper gun and its target. Trembling eyes began to water a little as that disturbing voice shrieked in Akane's mind again.
"HELP ME...AKANE!"
Akane felt her heart jump in her chest. The voice in her mind had become even louder than it had before as well as clearer. The sound was so powerful that it felt like it was coming from right behind the female officer. It was obvious now that it was Yuki who was crying out in her head. But why? Did this have something to do with the memories she had lost when she entered this place? Why the hell couldn't she remember? What was going on? Why the hell was Yuki acting like-
Akane shot a look upward as her mind went to another time. Memories began to overflow like a waterfall in an instant as another voice joined Yuki inside the center of the frightened girl's mind.
"Not enough resolve; how very regrettable for you. Your failure has cost your friend's life."
Akane grabbed her head and began shaking her face, denying the man's voice that was scolding her. Though it didn't matter how much she tried to ignore the memories that were flying back to her now. The more Akane tried to unhear the words, the stronger her heart throbbed with a pain so great, it felt as if it would kill her at any moment.
"You've disappointed me, so I'll have to give you your punishment."
"...NO! AKANE...!"
Akane's face froze instantly as she felt a 'snap'. The next sentence that came next in Akane's flashback felt like a bullet directly shot into her pounding heart.
"Regret helplessness, Akane...and feel true despair."
"Listen to me." Came a growl that sounded almost demonic. Like Satan himself. This voice was enough to shatter Akane's flashback like fragile glass. The horrible sound was unlike anything Akane had heard before. There was no possible way it could be Yuki's voice, is what Tsunemori thought to herself as she gripped her chest out of anxiety.
...Perhaps not.
Akane felt a presence shadowing over her like a giant statue. The pressure from it alone was enough to send chills up Tsunemori's spine. Just as the twenty-year old began to lift her face to look up, she felt something splash against her face. A wet substance flowed down her cheek and dripped off the tip of her chin. A reflection soon appeared in Akane's brown orbs.
Hands suddenly reached out from above Akane and grabbed hold of her face tightly, making any feeling the MWPSB worker had left in her body vanish within a millisecond. She could feel her face being pulled closer to whatever was holding her. What made things worst that; the closer she got, the smaller Akane's pupils became. All she could see was a mix of pale, crimson, and orange. It seemed as if they were all thrown together in some sort of blob form. However, when after her heartbeat calmed down after a few seconds, the girl's senses were finally able to catch up to her. Akane was able to finally make out what had growled like an animal and took hold of her.
...A small cracking sound echoed in the back of Akane's ear as her lips formed to make one word:
"Yuki."
The blob suddenly turned into the form of the Inspector's friend, but this time, her face was barely identifiable. Akane had no idea how it had happened but there were bruises and scrapes all over Yuki's body. Her hair was a wrangled mess. Tears of blood were flowing down Yuki's death-colored face. Through the red, you could barely make out her chocolate orbs that looked like nothing more than mere black dots now.
That wasn't even the worst of it.
Unable to speak, Akane's trembling eyes slowly made their way down to were the blood from Yuki's face seemed to be falling. Yuki's neck is where Akane's complete attention turned. It was horrible and utterly stomach churning to look at. There, in the middle of Yuki's once soft neck was a large gash that was stained with a fresher and redder tint of blood. To add to the disturbance, small moving objects seemed to be coming out from the gash. After a moment of observing, Akane could see that those 'objects' were actually maggots; and they were seeping out of the wound on Yuki's neck in hand fulls.
Akane slapped a hand over her mouth when she felt her throat burn with acid. A few of the maggots rained down and landed on Akane's shirt, making it all the harder to fight back the vomit her stomach desperately wanted to give up.
"Listen to me, I said." Yuki suddenly spoke, running her hands from Akane's cheeks down to the front of her slender neck. Firm fingers wrapped their way around Akane's skin. It was then that the Inspector's throat began to feel as if it was being forced to close in on itself. Air was completely shut off as the fingers and hands on Akane's neck gripped hard enough to make the girl gag.
The amateur detective's head fell backwards from the strangling. Akane's eyes were shaking in her sockets like crazy as her vision became terribly blurry and dark. All her senses except for sound seemed to fly away with the oxygen that she had just been breathing in a moment beforehand.
"It's your fault. It's your fault. It's all your fault."
Akane's eyes began rolling back in her head as she tried to choke out Yuki's name once more.
"Why, Akane? Why? Why didn't you-" Like before, Yuki's voice turned into that of a demon from hell, "...save me?"
A line of saliva leaked out from the corner of Akane's barely parted lips. Her pupils had completely disappeared now, leaving only the white around her eyes in sight.
"If only...if only I'd never met you. If only you hadn't joined the safety bureau!"
Akane's mouth twitched between the low gasps for air.
More tears of blood poured from Yuki's eyes as she began shaking her friend with her hands still holding onto Akane's neck, "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO DIE!"
Akane's eyes suddenly appeared when another flood of flashbacks poured into her mind.
-Flashback-
"The intelligence of science finally uncovered the secret of our souls. And our society has changed drastically because of it. Free will has been stripped from the equation."
"Shougo Makishima..." Akane glared up at the white-haired man standing on the platform above her. She kept the Dominator pointed on him, despite the fact that it refused to judge the serial murderer that currently had Yuki in his clutches.
"Let Yuki go!" The agent of Sibyl demanded once more.
Makishima shook his head as he displayed the knife in his free hand, the far away figure of Akane reflecting in the blade.
"As long as you're Sibyl's puppet, you can never experience judging someone by your own hands. That's the weight of decision and free will." Makishima nodded his head down to the object that had just been tossed at Akane's feet, "If you really want to end this, take up that weapon and shoot me."
There was a small amount of hesitation before Akane reached down and picked up the riffle. Her arm shook greatly when she tried to balance both guns in her arms, doing her best to point the barrels at Makishima's body.
The handsome male's lips curled up for just a moment, his yellow eyes darkening for a brief moment, ""Feel it. The importance of life resting gingerly against your fingertip."
"I'm warning you once last time! Let her go or I'll-"
"Kill me and for once in your life, lay claim to your own soul? That would be a rather ironic ending in its own way."
Akane shut her eyes tightly as she bent her finger back on the riffle, pulling the trigger. The gunshot rang out, ripping into Akane's eardrums. She carefully opened an eye to see if the shot had connected. It had not only missed, but completely shot away from Makishima.
The man stared down at Akane with a greatly disapproving look painted on his pale face, "Not enough resolve; how very regrettable for you. Your failure has cost your friend's life."
Yuki screamed as her head was suddenly yanked backwards, making her neck a complete target for Shougo's wrath.
Not knowing what else to do, Akane returned the Dominator's aim back to Makishima, "D-Don't! Please!"
Makishima lifted his knife to Yuki's throat, placing the blade right to where her jugular resided, ""You've disappointed me. So I have to give you your punishment."
Tears began forming in the corners of the usually so calm Inspector's eyes as her heart clenched in agony.
Between her own cries, Yuki mumbled Akane's name as she felt the blade sink a little further into her neck as she came face-to-face with her inevitable death.
Though his hands were on the body of the trembling woman in his grasp, Makishima's gaze stayed completely focused on Akane as he gripped the end of the knife firmly, ""Regret helplessness, Akane. And feel true despair." For a moment, the murderer shut his eyes calmly.
Akane felt her heartbeat cease as she screamed louder than she had ever done in her life, "YUKI, NOOO!"
Makishima lifted his head and opened his eyes. It was no sooner that the blade sliced right into Yuki's neck. The only thing Akane heard other than the sound of her own screech, was the skin on Yuki's neck violently ripping apart at the sides to the center.
A few moments later, the low echos of footsteps walking away and the dripping of blood were all that cried out in that dark, horrible room. The same room where Akane now sat on her knees, staring up at the corpse of her friend that hung right above her.
-End Flashback-
"...Yu...ki..." Akane choked out, still in said woman's grip. Tears streamed down the law-protector's cheeks while her eyes darkened in the very same despair Shougo Makishima himself had ordered her to feel on that horrible night that she recalled taking place only a week ago. The same night where Yuki, Akane's best friend of so many years, had perished horribly.
Without even a warning, Yuki released Akane from her hold; dropping her to the ground where she laid for the next minute or so as she tried to catch her breath. Once Akane had stopped coughing, she could hear Yuki trotting through the blood once again. As Funahara strolled, her arms hugged onto herself strongly.
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and crooked her head back in Akane's direction, "I don't understand, Akane. You were right there. You could have killed him. That man even threw you a rifle. But instead of shooting him, you dropped the gun after not even so much as a minute of holding it."
Akane's brown orbs became a miserable grey as Yuki's depressed face reflected in them, "Yuki, I..."
The frown on Yuki's lips flinched a moment before the corners of her mouth turned up. The deceased woman spun all the way around so that Akane could see the agonized and forced smile that she was wearing as more blood tears dripped down from the outside of her eyes that were no longer white, but pitch black instead.
"Did you hate me that much? Is that why you didn't do your job and protect me, Akane?"
Akane fell back a little, the obvious sadness on her face turning into a despair filled look of regret. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come. The Inspector was at an utter loss of what to say. Everything Yuki had told her was true. Why didn't she use the rifle to kill Makishima back then? If she had, Yuki would have survived. No one else would have had to become a victim of his crimes anymore. Maybe even Kougami would have gotten some closure, knowing the sick bastard who had been responsible for the death of his late best friend Sasayama was down in hell, suffering for his crimes. If Akane had just had better aim. If she had just let go of the Dominator and focused on shooting properly at Makishima, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
"If only you had gathered up enough resolve." Came a different voice from directly behind Akane.
The Inspector jumped up and shot her gaze in the direction of the person who had just spoken to her. There, in the blood, stood Shougo Makishima. His white clothes surprisingly free of any stains from the crimson liquid at his feet, unlike Akane who couldn't help but be completely soaked in the bloody ocean.
"I told you before, Akane Tsunemori," Makishima began as he walked towards Akane's trembling figure. He kept his hands in his pockets and a smile upon his face as he inched closer, "Thanks to the Sibyl system, too many humans have lost their ability to make choices based on their own free will. No one makes decisions for themselves these days. They have no idea just how much of their soul has been stripped of them. Blinded by Sibyl's vision, everyone refuses to see the truth. Including an Inspector such as yourself."
Makishima was now within breathing distance of Akane, his face leaning down towards hers. Soon his nose was nearly touching Akane's. The smirk on the man's face grew in size as his yellow orbs matched with her hazel ones, "Following something so blindly, not seeing the truth that's laid out right before you...it's only a matter of time before you all pay for a world like that. Ironically enough, you have already seen what the cost could entail, and first-hand no less. It's almost laughable you claim yourself to be a detective; a person to pass judgement on latent criminals and the like, when you yourself cannot pass any form of judgement on anybody. There are no words to describe how pathetic you are."
Akane could feel Shougo's cold fingers gripping the tip of her chin which sent a chill directly up her tingling spine. She wanted to retort back at him, tell him how wrong he was. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Akane tried, she could think up no such argument. It was then that the detective felt her legs collapse into the ocean, almost as if she were in quick sand. However, Yuki and Makishima didn't sink. Akane alone continued to fall deeper and deeper into the blood as she listened to Makishima speak. All the while, Makishima stood over her, watching the troubled girl fall with a confident sneer as he continued on with his lecture of society.
"Shouldn't it be painfully clean now? That you are nothing more than a mere puppet for Sibyl's entertainment. You Inspectors label those Enforcers of yours as animals, dogs even. Perhaps it's more accurate to claim YOU as the hunting dog then that enforcer, Shinya Kougami..."
Just as Akane was neck-deep in the liquid, she spotted Yuki walking up and looking down at her from above. Just as one of Tsunemori's eyes were getting covered with red, Yuki mouthed something to her before she turned and began walking away. Akane forced a hand out of the thick blood for a moment, trying to gesture her friend to come back. Makishima replied with a swift stomp, forcing her arm back into the crimson with the rest of her body. As Akane completely drowned, she heard the serial murderer say one last thing,
"Continue to suffer in this endless ocean of the blood, Akane Tsunemori. The same blood you yourself caused to be spilled because you lacked the will to see the truth, as well as the proper resolve to make judgements for yourself. You can try and fight it all you like, but rest assured. You are eternally damned."
Just as Makishima's reflection from above the blood vanished, Akane heard "Farewell, Inspector." as her body sunk like a bolder.
I...can't breath.
It's dark.
...I can't even move any part of my body.
Akane felt as if her entire being was made of fragile glass and it was shattering at the very core. Was this her punishment for letting Yuki die? Being here in this godforsaken place, drowning forever and ever?
The brunette shut her eyes, letting a few teardrops escape. As she continued to sink, Akane saw Yuki's face playing like a broken record over and over in her mind. Soon, the Inspector was so far near the ocean's depth that her figure was fading completely. Just as the darkness completely overtook, Akane had one final thought as she gave into her fate,
I'm so sorry...Yuki.
"Akane...Hey Akane!"
"Try giving the little missy a nudge."
"...Wake up!"
A force smacked against Akane's back. The woman's eyes shot open immediately. To her surprise, she could actually see her surroundings again. It took a minute before the female's vision blurred and cleared, revealing to her that she was in the MWPSB's cafeteria.
What...?
Akane looked down to see that she was sitting at a table. On the tabletop sat a bowl of cold udon. The Inspector scratched her head, confused. What had she just been doing?
"Oi, little missy." Came a gruff man's voice.
Akane looked over to see Enforcers' Masaoka and Kagari standing there; some unusually concerned looks painted upon their faces.
"Eh?"
The orange-haired male pressed one of his hands to his boss's head, feeling for a temperature, "Geez, you okay, Akane? We were just coming in for our lunch break when we saw you sleeping at your table. Some of the other division officers were giving you some pretty freaked out looks so we decided to come over."
Akane's lips parted as if she were about to gasp silently.
"Not to mention you were talking and groaning an awful lot. You must have had one hell of a dream there, Inspector." Masaoka chimed in, taking the seat opposite to Akane's. When he noticed the girl's face fall, the older Enforcer smiled gently, "...Wanna talk about it?"
Kagari sat down in the seat right next to the distraught girl, "Yeah, I mean, it's no surprise you'd be having nightmares and stuff like that right now. After all, your friend did just kick the bu-"
"Oi!" Masaoka slammed his prosthetic hand onto the table, "Put a sock in it, would 'ya?"
Kagari sweat-dropped when he noticed his fellow hunting dog giving him such an angry glare; one in which made him recall the older man and Ginoza (who was always yelling at him) were blood related.
"Actually, if you both wouldn't mind, I think I'd rather be...left alone for the rest of my break." Akane mumbled, her face directed down at her lap, giving no indication that she had any desire to look either of them in the eye after they had heard her talking in her sleep.
Masaoka and Kagari exchanged somewhat distressed frowns before they stood up.
"If that's really what you want, Akane..." Kagari put his arms behind his head awkwardly before he began walking away, secretly wondering if he had made the cute officer feel even worst then before she had woken up from her nightmare.
Masaoka only took a few steps before stopping; his old eyes staring down at Akane's slumped over figure. It was rare for the ballsy Inspector to get down, but when she did; it was always hard on the Enforcer to see. Right now though, seemed to be one of the hardest times for Akane. It frustrated the detective that there was nothing he could do or say to cheer up the usually-so-innocent-and-bright girl.
Masaoka's eyes wandered away from Akane and caught sight of another figure just entering the cafeteria. His eyes flickered for a moment before they glanced back over to Tsunemori who had pulled her food bowl forward and begun poking at it with her chopsticks.
Maybe I can't do much for the missy...Masaoka began walking over to the figure of the person perfect for the job of consoling Akane, But he should be able to...
"Oi, Kou." Masaoka gestured at the raven-haired Enforcer who had just gotten in line for food.
"What's up, Pops." Kou turned, a cigarette resting his his mouth and arms crossed.
"I need you to do me a favor." Masaoka nodded his head in the direction of Akane's table, silently conveying his wish.
Shinya's ocean-colored orbs followed the nod. It didn't take long for the poker-face on the twenty-eight year old's face to fall completely into a deep frown.
Kou glanced back at Masaoka and nodded, "Got it." The man proceeded to walk away.
"She fell asleep at her table for a little bit. The Inspector seemed to have had a pretty messed up nightmare, I think." Masaoka noted, looking over his shoulder. When Kou looked back at him, Tomomi smiled painfully, "I didn't mention this to her but she was saying some pretty unnerving things during her sleep. Things like 'It's all my fault, Yuki' and 'Why didn't I just kill him when I had the chance'."
Kougami stared at Masaoka for a good minute before turning away and mumbling a quiet "...Okay." before walking away.
Masaoka watched Kou stand at Akane's table and the Inspector look at him. The smile on the Enforcer's face dropped before he shoved his hands in his pocket, "...Hopefully you can help her, Kou."
End ch 1
Author's Comments: So, this fic was originally supposed to only be a short, 4000 word fic. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. But it ended up being over 10,000 words so I'm splitting it up into 2 chapters. Leave a review and let me know if you guys would want ch 2.