[ashes]
Summary: In which Shusei Kagari says his final goodbyes to the only people he called family. Set after episode 16. Kagari-centric
"Even if it was only for a little while... I'm glad I met all of you."
It is funny, he thinks, how much he misses them.
He misses the smell of Kougami's cigarettes. He misses Yayoi's blunt comments and even all the times when she hit him in the head with a rolled up magazine. He misses the old man's stories and how they'd share alcohol together on the rare nights they had off. He misses Shion's jokes and how she sometimes let him wear her lab coat so he could pretend to be smarter for just a little while. He even misses Gino's stupid glasses (in which he would tease him to no end about the man's near obsessive use of them— even though his vision was perfectly fine) that he constantly cleaned whenever he was stressed.
And, he missed Akane Tsunemori. The barely minted Inspector who had gone from a naive little girl with dreams of grandeur to a brave friend he would have followed into the very pits of Hell.
(But, if he was honest, he'd have to say he missed all of them equally.)
He says goodbye to Kougami first.
The raven-haired man is sitting on the couch in his room, eyes darting across the case files marked 'Shougo Makishima.' He lets out a frustrated growl before throwing the papers onto the glass desk, hands already reaching for his third cigarette of the night.
"Hey, Ko-chan..." He starts, wishing more than anything that the Enforcer could see him.
"You shouldn't smoke so much, ya know! If something happened to you, I don't think the Unit could handle it. So stay healthy, alright! You can come visit me later... a long, long time from now." Kagari smiles his usual lopsided grin, but even he can't shake the tears trailing down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry I left so suddenly, Ko-chan. You can have whatever's on my desk, alright? Even my jellybean jar! You got to keep it safe though, Gino always tried to take it away 'cause it was a 'distraction.' Anyway, sorry that I can't stay longer. I'll see ya later... Shinya."
(Just as he lights his cigarette, he feels the faint warmth of a hand on his shoulder.)
Yayoi is next.
The girl is flipping through a guitar magazine in her room, laying on her bed lazily. Her hair was down as she absentmindedly curled her finger around a lock of hair.
"You could be such a jerk sometimes, Kunizuka. But, I know you did it because you didn't want me to get in more trouble. I mean, you never hit me in the head that hard!" He jokes, moving to sit on the edge of her bed.
"Anyway, don't be too sad, alright? I know you don't show emotion very often, but don't bottle it all in. Your hue will get even cloudier. Talk to Shion instead. You two deserve to be happy."
He pauses, hazel orbs trained to the woman's face. For a moment, Yayoi thinks she can see the familiar outline of a certain orange-haired Enforcer, but shakes her head, returning her gaze to the magazine.
"Bye, Yayoi... make sure whoever replaces me doesn't give Akane-chan too much trouble!" He waves one final time before disappearing completely.
(Suddenly, there are tears in her cobalt orbs.)
The old man was nursing his third bottle of gin. There is a slight flush to his cheeks as he downs another glass.
"To Kagari-kun." He says to no one in particular, setting out a second shot glass. He pours the amber liquid into the cup before settling back into the chair, letting out a pained laugh.
"Hey old man... I appreciate the gesture and all but ghosts can't drink. What a waste now that I have all this free time!" Kagari says, moving to sit in the chair opposite of the brown-haired Enforcer.
"You were like a father to me, ya know. I can't remember my real family... I think all the tests in the therapy facilities really fried my brain." He chuckles, resting his head against the wooden table.
"Anyway, you're not allowed to visit me just yet. If you die now I won't forgive you. Stay strong, Masaoka-san. I know you went through a lot, but that doesn't mean you can give up!" The orange-haired youth stands up, stuffing his hands in his pocket before giving a wide grin.
"Didn't you say that you wanted nothing more than to have grandchildren? Gino-san is such a stick in the mud that it'll probably be awhile until that happens. So live. Live to see your wish come true. Bye, Pops..."
(When the Enforcer wakes up the next morning, he finds the glass to be empty. He smiles.)
Shion is asleep on the couch in the computer-analysis room. Kagari rolls his eyes, plopping down on the glass table. He watches as the blonde mumbles in her sleep, red dress becoming wrinkled due to her tossing and turning.
The youth laughs, reaching out to pet the woman's hair. "You're just like Ko-chan! I wonder why you guys won't just sleep in a bed..."
He tips his head to the ceiling, letting out a sigh. "I'm really going to miss all of your jokes. I hope Heaven has a sense of humor. I know I argued with you sometimes, but I always considered you a friend. Even if you did post that embarrassing picture of me on all HQ computers."
The boy stood up, grinning one last time. "Don't ever change, Shion. Continue to be yourself and I'm sure everything will turn out alright. Good luck with Yayoi; you two deserve all the happiness in the world. I'll see ya again... one day."
(When she wakes, her lab coat is draped over her lithe form. Tears fall from her amber eyes.)
Ginoza is easy to find. He sits at his desk, typing away even as the sun falls below the horizon. In the dark, the dim glow from the computer reveals the bags under his eyes.
"Hey, Gino-san! What are you doing here? You should go home and rest! You don't want to fall asleep on the keyboard—trust me, it isn't comfortable."
He casually sits on the edge of the man's desk, toying with the collar of his shirt. "Say, Ginoza… I'm sorry 'bout causing you so much trouble. I just wanted you to lighten up a bit. You were always so stuffy; I hope you can forgive me."
For a moment, the raven-haired Inspector turns to stare right at him. But, he eventually returns his gaze to the computer, fingers pressed against the keys. Kagari frowns, jumping off the desk.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll miss you, Ginoza. Try to have fun even when I'm not around, alright? And it wouldn't kill ya to smile… I'm glad I got to work under you, though. Good luck. Keep your hue clear. I'd hate if after I died you became an Enforcer. It's not fair if I don't get to tease you about it!"
He ruffles the man's dark locks, grinning widely. "See ya, Gino-san! Be careful out there and make sure you and Pops get along better. He would really like that…"
(Just on the edge of his periphery, Ginoza sees a flash of orange. There is a sudden weight against his head and he understands. Shusei Kagari is dead.)
"Stupid hunting dog… I would have liked it better if you had run away. You were always an idiot, Kagari… but, I'll miss you."
He finds it the hardest to say goodbye to Akane.
She is curled up on his couch, a single blue hairclip in her hands. He moves to sit next to her, placing a hand on the small of her back. He rubs in comforting circles even though he knows she can't feel it.
"So, Sibyl told you the truth, huh? I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise. I really didn't want to leave you guys…"
There are tears in his eyes and he furiously tries to wipe them away. "What am I doing? I'm leaving you guys and here I am, crying about it like some child…"
He turns his blurry amber orbs to the woman, not surprised to see that there are tears running down her cheeks as well.
"You shouldn't cry for a latent criminal, ya know. We're just hunting dogs. We can easily be replaced." The Enforcer says, ruffling her hair.
He pauses, letting out a small laugh. "Remember when you came over and I got really drunk? And you were totally fine, like you hadn't downed four glasses of wine! I had a lot of fun then… I'm sorry I didn't get to cook for you again. I would have made an even better dish.
Kagari feels a slight tug at his chest and lets out a sigh. He can feel himself fading, dissolving into nothingness, but there's so much he wants to say, so much he wants to do.
(But there's never enough time.)
"Looks like I gotta go, Akane-chan! I never did apologize for yelling at you at the cafeteria. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me; it was partly the reason I became a latent criminal. Anyway, I'll always be there to protect you, so don't be sad anymore. Besides, I'm sure we'll meet again someday! Until then…" He stands up, walking towards the door.
Through her haze of tears she swears she can see the visage of the orange-haired Enforcer. Akane blindly reaches out a hand, crying out, "Kagari!"
The man turns around, giving a large smile with tears in his eyes. He waves as he disappears out the door, "Bye, Akane!"
(The Inspector keeps the single hairclip with her from then on, tucked safely away in her pocket.)
Somewhere, Kagari smiles.
A/N: T-T Why did I write this?! I actually started crying while writing this. I don't have much to say other than I'll always miss Kagari…
-Isis