Title: Meet Again

Summary: A slip-up during an arrest resulted in a chance meeting. Now, Akane must make a choice: her happiness or her justice.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Pairing: Kougane

Warning: Post-series; OoC-ness

Beta'd by Lightning515

Birthday fic for mangaaddict26.

Meet Again

Crime Coefficient is over 227. Target for enforcement action. Enforcement mode is Non-Lethal Paralyzer. Aim calmly and disable the target.

"He's getting away!"

"After him! Don't let him get away!"

Before she even finished her own orders, her legs had already begun to move, taking off after the latent criminal. As she ran, reassured by the sounds of two sets of footsteps behind her, Inspector Tsunemori Akane briefly ran through the details of the current case at hand in her head.

Sakata Yoshimune, 27, was an outstanding engineer at Saitou Corporations. It was three days ago when Unit 1 received the orders to inspect Saitou Corporations. It was, at first glance, a routine inspection, and the unit carried out the mission as such. However, as the inspection continued deeper, the unit found the corporation stranger and stranger. Despite their Psycho-Passes being in the acceptable range, there was an atmosphere there that Akane simply couldn't shake off. Upon further investigation, they had found that the employees' Psycho-Passes all shot into the dangerous range at a certain time every day, without fail. Furthermore, the one employee whose Psycho-Pass was the first to rise and reach the dangerous range was the same person every single day―Sakata Yoshimune. Unit 1 requested Sakata Yoshimune to be brought in for questioning, only for the man to flee right before the arrest. Akane had ordered the team to split up; she would go with Enforcers Yayoi and Ginoza to chase after Sakata, while recently appointed Inspector Shimotsuki would stay with the other two Enforcers at Saitou Corporations, making sure that no one left the building without undergoing questioning.

"Tch." Akane cursed softly under her breath as she pushed herself further in order to catch up to the suspect. "Split up and surround him. If possible, capture him alive."

"If not?" Yayoi made herself ask, despite knowing what the Inspector's answer would be.

Akane narrowed her eyes, never slowing down in her footsteps. "…Let your Dominators do their job."

"…Understood, Inspector Tsunemori." Ginoza replied dutifully.

"Good…" Akane murmured. "Now… split!"

Yayoi took a left turn immediately, while Ginoza made for the right. Akane headed on straight, her eyes trained on the suspect still desperately fleeing in front of her. Keeping a tight grip on her Dominator, she ran. 'If he was here and they were still working as a team, then… the criminal would have been caught by now…' Akane thought. Then, as if her own thoughts shocked her, she shook her head violently, before a gleam of determination crept in her eyes. 'No… I can't keep relying on them… I'll do this on my own!'

Akane sped up, calling after the fleeing suspect, "Sakata Yoshimune! This is the MWPSB! Stop!" She skidded to a stop as Sakata stopped in front of her―he had no choice; it was a dead-end ahead. "Sakata Yoshimune. This is the MWPSB. You have nowhere else to run; give in now!" Sakata gasped harshly for breath in front of Akane, eyes darting around frantically as he searched for a way out. "Give up! There's no way out!" Akane repeated, hopefully for the last time as she kept her Dominator trained on the suspect. She preferred to have her suspects surrender willingly to taking them down with her Dominator, but if he continued to resist arrest, Akane knew she would have no choice but to shoot. Sakata was getting more desperate by the seconds; that much was clear.

So desperate, he turned to desperate measures.

Akane's eyes widened as Sakata turned, the blueprints flashing in her mind again.

The 'dead-end' they were in wasn't simply a dead-end. While Akane was blocking the only way in, the path wasn't the only way out. The dead-end actually overlooked one of the rivers that ran through downtown. Instead of a solid wall at the end of the alley, there was a railing instead, so that one could safely view the river running below.

'He's going to jump…?! It's a good three-storey drop into the river!' Akane couldn't stop the panic coursing through her as she forced her body to move forward. Releasing a hand from her Dominator (keeping a tight grip on it with her other hand), she reached out for Sakata to stop him, only for the man to grab her outstretched arm. 'N-No…!' Akane grimaced, mentally preparing herself as Sakata used her own momentum against her, throwing her over the railing instead. Unable to grab the railing in time, Akane fell, but even then, her grip on her Dominator was firm. With a look of determination, she aimed her Dominator at Sakata, the UI flashing in her vision, turning her eyes a bright blue.

Crime Coefficient is 327. Target's Threat Judgment has been updated. Enforcement mode is Lethal Paralyzer. Aim calmly and take out the target.

With just a tinge of hesitation, Akane squeezed the trigger.

The flash of blue light bursting from her Dominator was the last thing she knew; the frantic calls of her name from above drowned out by the roar of the river raging around her as she faded into unconsciousness.

A pounding headache was the first thing she registered when she awoke. With a quiet groan, she slipped a hand from underneath the covers, raising it towards her head, only for that hand to be gently grasped in a bigger, warmer hand.

"Don't… your head's injured." A voice spoke.

'…I… I know that voice…' She thought.

"…Akane…?"

The inspector blearily opened her eyes to meet steel grey ones. "Kougami… san…?" She breathed. "Where…" Akane trailed off, barely able to finish her question before breaking into a series of harsh coughs. She heard the former-Enforcer's voice calling out to her, but she couldn't answer. "Wa… Water…" Akane managed to whisper between coughs. A pair of strong arms reached around her body to help her sit up, before a cup was pressed to her lips.

"Slowly… Just sip at it." Kougami instructed, gently tipping the cup to pour the cool liquid into her mouth before putting the cup down on a nearby table when she was done.

"Where am I and how did I get her…?" Akane questioned, after she was seated comfortably.

"My hideout," Kougami replied, pulling a chair over beside the bed. "I happened to be in the area, close to the river. I found you unconscious on the riverbed." His eyes flickered with an emotion that Akane couldn't read as the memories of him finding the brunette flashed in his head. The raven decided against telling Akane that she wasn't breathing when he first found her and instead continued, "You must have hit your head when you were in the river; you have a bruise on the back of your head―that reminds me; full name, occupation, family, date."

"I don't have a concussion, Kougami-san…" Akane sighed.

"Humor me." He answered, giving her a stern stare. Akane sighed and finally relented, complying with his request. Kougami nodded, satisfied with her answers, and returned to the original conversation. "Your communicator was destroyed in the water, and your Dominator isn't functioning." Kougami said, gesturing roughly to the enforcement tool sitting on the table behind him. "You might have hit it in the river. In any case, I found you and brought you here, seeing as I can't exactly go around bringing you to a hospital―Inspector or not, they'll arrest you on the spot if they see you with me."

Akane nodded as she slowly digested the information, her mind clearing up after the experience. "Thank you, Kougami-san. You saved my life again."

"It's nothing." Kougami replied smoothly, waving a hand dismissively before returning his attention to the brunette. "What were you doing in a river in the first place?"

The inspector gave a strained smile as she replied, "I was chasing a suspect. I thought he was going to jump, but he threw me over instead. I still got him though."

"Why were you alone?" Kougami pressed, his eyes narrowed with just a tinge of anger flashing within.

"I ordered us to split up; the suspect's Crime Coefficient was in the dangerous levels. I couldn't let him get away." Akane replied levelly, unfazed by the raven's harsh tone. "In any case, thank you again for saving me, Kougami-san. I'm afraid I'll have to head back now. It'll be troublesome if I go missing for too long and they begin to suspect me." The brunette moved to get off the bed, but paused at the sight of sleeves covering her hands. 'Did I shrink lately…? No, wait, my clothes fit me perfectly…' Akane's face was getting redder and redder by the minute. All her discipline as an Inspector left her as she squeaked out, "K-Kougami-san…? W-What happened to my clothes…?"

A very faint dash of pink colored the former-Enforcer's cheeks as he glanced away. "You were utterly drenched when I found you and I couldn't let you stay in those clothes―forget a cold, you were cold enough to catch hypothermia―so I had to change them. S-Sorry…"

Akane was well aware of the implications in the raven's words, subconsciously noting that Kougami was just as embarrassed as her, but was much better at hiding it. Her face was now impossibly red and she toyed with the idea of burying herself under the covers and never showing herself again. But she knew that couldn't happen, so she forced herself to ask, "U-Umm… W-Where are my clothes n-now…?"

"Foot of the bed." Kougami replied quickly. "I-I'll just let you… change."

The former-Enforcer dodged out of the room, quickly shutting the door behind him. Akane sat on the bed in utter mortification for quite some time before she finally managed to push away her embarrassment for a few minutes to change out of what were undeniably Kougami Shinya's clothes and back into her own suit.

"W-Well, I'll be going now." Akane spoke as firmly as she could in the doorway of Kougami's 'hideout'―an old, abandoned apartment, really―as the former-Enforcer stood a few steps away. Both still had a faint blush coloring their faces, but neither wished to talk about it. "Thank you for all your help." The brunette gave a bow before turning on her heels, walking out into the hallways.

She had scarcely took a step when Kougami called out behind her―"I'm leaving Japan."―and she stopped. Akane didn't dare to turn; her heart seemed to have stopped for a moment, and she was certainly she wouldn't be able to face the raven calmly.

"…I'm leaving Japan." Kougami repeated as he took a step forward, standing right behind the Inspector.

"I-I… I see." Akane replied calmly, barely managing to keep her composure at the sudden declaration. "That's a good decision. While I don't doubt Kougami-san's abilities, the extensiveness of the Sibyl System is still a rather big problem. Leaving Japan is probably better than dodging the system for the re―. Perhaps if the Sibyl System―"

"―You're rambling, Inspector." Kougami murmured, gently reaching out to turn the brunette towards him, unsurprised at the tears forming in those soft brown eyes. Akane tried to turn away, to wipe the tears away, but Kougami beat her to it, wiping away the tears with a thumb. "…I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I-I… I see." Akane repeated.

Kougami sighed; somewhat frustrated at the brunette's 'obliviousness'. He continued in a firm tone, "Come with me… Akane."

The brunette's eyes widened as she tilted her head upwards to face Kougami. She searched his eyes for any hints of lie, but she found none―the raven was completely serious and sincere in asking her to come along. 'I… I want to accept this… I really do―leaving Japan together; leaving everything behind―but…' Akane smiled faintly, "I'm sorry, but… I can't." Her eyes were soft, her gaze gentle as she continued, "There's still something I've yet to accomplish; I can't leave until that's done."

"…I see." Kougami murmured. "You're not going to be convinced otherwise, are you? You're stubborn like that…"

"Kougami… san…"

"…Be careful." Kougami continued quietly. "Don't be reckless. And…" Steel grey eyes softened. "…stay alive."

Akane smiled gently, beads tears forming at the edge of her eyes once more. "Hai, Kougami-san."

And, as he watched the retreating back of Tsunemori Akane, Kougami Shinya forced himself to stand still and not to go after the Inspector he had grown to care for.

Omake.

Akane closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through the open balcony―the same balcony she stood on as she read his farewell letter, a long time ago. In the past few years, that balcony had been her sanctuary, of sorts―it was the place she ran to whenever she needed to think or when she needed a breather.

It had been a month since she'd done it; since she'd accomplished what she set out to do years go―take down the Sibyl System. It had taken years of planning and careful deliberations before she finally decided to go through with it, and even then, the plan had taken years to accomplish. But she had finally done it; they were once again able to live on their own without the Sibyl System, just had they did decades ago. And now…

…Akane felt drained and empty.

Certainly, she was ecstatic that she accomplished her goal, but now that that was done, Akane felt that she'd just lost her purpose in life―no, that wasn't accurate; Akane knew, she had one more wish left, one last thing that she wanted, but… it was near impossible to come true.

The Inspector let out a sigh.

"You'll catch a cold like this." A voice spoke from behind her, before a coat was placed on her shoulders.

Akane caught sight of fur on the coat, and her eyes widened. He gaze shifted upwards slowly, and finally, chocolate brown met with steel grey. "Kou… gami… san…? H-How…"

"You'll have Shion to thank for that." The former-Enforcer replied. "Apparently, she had fun rewriting my records after the Sibyl System was taken down. There's also Gino's 'get your ass back here', but I figure that Shion's contribution is more important than his 'message'." Akane had not spoke at all throughout his brief explanation, merely staring at Kougami is partial-disbelief. The raven quietly wrapped his arms around the Inspector, drawing her close and breathing in her scent―something that he had missed over the years. "…Good job… Akane. You've done well."

And that was all it took for Akane to break down in his arms. All her stresses and fears for the past few years were finally released as she cried them out, clinging onto Kougami for support. The raven didn't utter a single word, silently supporting her as he buried his face in those soft brown locks.

Akane didn't know how long she cried, only that she was tired; so tired, but there was one last thing she needed to do.

And so, with a bright smile on her tired face, Akane glanced at Kougami and spoke, "Okaeri, Shinya-san."

"Tadaima, Akane."

Owari.

A/N: Well, this is more fantasy than realistic-y; just to satisfy my Kougane feels. Sorry for the OoC-ness; since this was set after canon, I based the characters on my interpretation of how they changed after the end of the series―Akane is more serious after she lost her faith in the system; while Kougami is more relaxed after he finally got rid of Makishima.

Thanks for reading as always! Ciao ciao~