Cleansing The Darkness

by Tailsgfriend

Based off of the anime Descendants of Darkness Makoto is one of the best Shinigami, though without a partner. One case ends up changing his life. In a small fishing town called Iwatobi, people have been murdered before their due time, their death staged to look like a suicide. Makoto joins Rin and Sousuke to solve the case, though a raven haired teen begins to complicate things.

In the Ministry of Hades, an institution that handles the matters relating to the world of the dead, there is a part of the Judgement Bureau called the Summons Section. Here is where Guardians of Death, also known as Shinigami, guide lost souls that wander the mortal world and investigate cases where souls arrive before their due time. Surprisingly enough there are an abundance of cases where people arrive to the world of the dead before they were meant to due to mysterious, supernatural events.

The Shinigami in this bureau have many powers to keep themselves safe, some defensive and some offensive. One of the most significant and useful powers Shinigami have is to be able to call Shikigami, mythical creatures that help assist in battle, though it is rare to have to use them. Only when faced with a dangerous enemy is it necessary to use the power of these creatures.

Sadly enough, danger is unavoidable in most of the cases Shinigami have to handle.

Makoto walked down the long halls of the Summons Section. There was a whole other realm for the dead, and a special section of it was dedicated to the Ministry of Hades, providing the institution where they would work and a comfortable place for them to live and rest, though a Shinigami didn't have a lot of time to rest. It was shocking, but the realm was beautiful, one that almost mirrored the real world, except it was always in a constant summer with beautiful Sakura trees and flowers around. It was peaceful, Makoto supposed it had to be in order for the Shinigami to stay sane, their line of work was not easy nor pleasant all the time.

The olive haired Shinigami had been called into his boss, Chief Sasabe's, office to receive orders for a new case. This was always a constant flow, going on a case, finishing, filling out the paperwork for it, and then the cycle started over again. It was draining, even though every case was different, and it was always difficult.

Despite how much danger he had been through, Makoto only ever had to use his Shikigami a handful of times, which was good since they tended to do a lot of property damage that the division had to pay for. Makoto had been a Shinigami for sixty years, enough time to know what to do and have enough experience with this, but still despite the years behind him he had yet to become numb to it. Sadly enough, even though this was a routine to the Shinigamis, none of them seemed to become numb to the lives lost during a case, and for Makoto, every case haunted him. Every life lost was another nightmare, another tear shed. His coworker and friend, Rin, suggested that Makoto was too soft for this job, and Makoto couldn't help but agree a little, even if it was meant as a joke.

Somehow, Chief Sasabe was convinced Makoto was one of their best in the bureau. Makoto had shown up successful in a majority of the cases he worked on, despite the emotional damage he may have suffered. Even without a partner, Makoto was still sent on cases.

All Shinigamis are supposed to have a partner to work with, one that will balance them out and prevent them from causing any trouble on cases. Makoto had actually had a couple partners, the most recent was Rin. None of them had stayed long, Makoto had the worst luck with partners and they'd always decide this job wasn't cut out for them or find a new partner they preferred. It wasn't that they didn't think Makoto was great, it was just that they didn't have the connection and balance needed and Makoto would always push them towards the ones who were better suited for them. He wouldn't keep someone from reaching their full potential, even if it meant they had to leave him. Rin was no different. The red headed Shinigami had stayed as Makoto's partner for five years, the two worked well together, though not perfect. Still, they were friends and got along so for a while it worked. When Sousuke joined the Bureau Makoto saw how the two connected. As a result Makoto convinced them as well as Chief Sasabe that the two would be better partners than Makoto and Rin could ever be. Makoto had never connected like the two had and he saw how not only they would balance each other out, but how they were also falling for each other. Makoto didn't want to get in the middle of that.

He was glad to find Rin and Sousuke so happy, he had put on a smiling face for the two even if he wasn't as happy as he led on. Makoto didn't want to damper his friends' moods with his jealousy. He would keep his want to find a connection with someone, like they found with each other, to himself, it was best that way. Makoto wasn't going to burden anyone with his negative emotions.

Sadly for Makoto, there weren't many people becoming Shinigamis, so finding a partner to connect with was easier said than done. Makoto had too much work to fret over his lack of a partner, though, so it didn't affect him too much luckily.

Speaking of work, Makoto found himself already outside Chief Sasabe's office. He took a deep breath and walked inside, it wasn't that Chief Sasabe was the problem, the chief was really kind to him and the other Shinigamis, it just was that Makoto was always nervous to get a case, he had worries to what would happen in the end… If it would turn out good or bad… And how many lives would be lost.

When Makoto entered the room he saw Chief Sasabe at his desk, he had been reading a file but looked up when Makoto entered, his features looked strained as if he had previously been focusing hard on the file in front of him. Makoto could only guess this meant whatever case he was getting was going to be difficult.

"Good Afternoon, Makoto. I need you to join Rin and Sousuke on a case… They have been working on this for a couple days and there's still little to no leads." Sasabe said, getting straight to the point and folding his hands out in front of him. Makoto chewed his lip and ran a hand through his messy olive hair, he was wearing black pants and a plaid button up shirt, like usual going for a casual look that was also appropriate for work. Since Shinigami's didn't age, Makoto was still in his twenty one year old body, forever stuck that way.

"So you're hoping I can help them find something to help us out?" Makoto asked, not liking the fact that he had to go try and help find clues for a seemingly dead end case. He had attempted cases like this before, where there were no lead, and a majority of them were left unsolved. If little clues are found in the beginning, it usually means that the killer will continue to be precise and leave barely any evidence. It just ended up a guessing game.

"With more minds working on the case we're more likely to solve it… There's been six murders already… four girls and two boys, all in a small fishing town called Iwatobi. The only pattern in the cases are that they were young, found underneath a Sakura tree, and we have reason to believe they were all under a spell that turned them into living dolls… Doing whatever the killer wanted them to do. All the deaths were what seemed to be suicides, but since it was before their due time and their names appeared in the Ministry of Hades we know something else is behind it." Sasabe said. The Ministry only got the names of those who died due to unnatural causes, things that weren't supposed to happen. When people died not according to fate the Summons Section would be told so they could investigate the cause of it. Murder by any other human was considered natural and according to fate, it was only when the supernatural and magic were involved that it wasn't.

Chief Sasabe slid over the file that was in front of him so Makoto could see it. With some hesitance Makoto took it and looked at the picture of all the dead, like said they were all found under Sakura trees and they all had seemingly committed suicide through various methods. Each one had a haunting cold gaze in their eyes… And as disturbing as it was, Makoto was reminded why he was a Shinigami. He had a passion and need to help people, even if he was emotionally weak, he was convinced to help as many people as he could and he would take his job seriously. Makoto wanted to make the evil people who did these sort of things pay, he wanted justice.

"It's completely random, the victims look nothing like each other… Which makes the killer all the more dangerous with little pattern. It looks like this is just for enjoyment…" Makoto said with disgust, not only would this case most likely not be solved, but it'd be even more disturbing. Makoto couldn't imagine killing for fun. It was just… So evil and impure.

"That's what we believe." Sasabe said with a nod and sigh. He handed over money for food and a business card for an inn. Makoto assumed Rin and Sousuke were staying there, some cases required Shinigami to have to stay overnight at the place of investigation and they were given a budget for food while they were there. It was company policy.

"You should get going now, Rin and Sousuke already know that you're assisting on the case. Try to talk to locals as well, I'm sure you can get more information from them then those two could." Sasabe said, knowing Rin and Sousuke weren't always the best at conversing. While Rin got overemotional, Sousuke could just be hostile. Makoto on the other hand was charming and didn't mind talking to people, most were nice and helpful. The thing that was kind of hard to him was lying about what he was in order for Shinigami to stay hidden. In some cases it was allowed to tell someone, for example if someone's life was on the line and they needed to trust the Shinigami. But if Makoto was afraid of being caught, he could always go invisible so people couldn't see them…Though it wasn't always helpful since then Makoto could only observe and take action if no one else was around.

Before Makoto left the room he made a small bow to Sasabe and then left, putting the money and card for the inn in his pocket before transporting himself to Iwatobi in the human realm. Another perk of being a Shinigami was that he could teleport himself anywhere he wanted on Earth. It made things easier on his part.

Makoto found himself on a side walk, he was invisible right now so no one could see him as he got there. The first thing Makoto noticed was the sound of waves and the smell of the ocean. He looked over his shoulder to find that close to the side walk was a beach, the sun was setting casting an orange glow onto the water. Despite his fear of the ocean, that strangely followed him all the way to death, Makoto found the sight beautiful.

He turned to look around himself, the town didn't look all that special, its buildings were older and almost looked run down. As Makoto walked around town he saw only a small number of people outside, either going home or working. It was hard to imagine that in a small town like this there could be a murderer and no leads. He just hoped things weren't going to get too bad here, if he was lucky the case would be cut short so Makoto didn't have to witness any more death. The most haunting part of the job was to not solve a case and let people die… Everyone would say it wasn't your fault, but you knew that it happened because you couldn't stop it.

Makoto kept walking around, he knew he should probably go to the hotel to see Rin and Sousuke first, but maybe by getting acquainted with the town he could pick up on some sort of lead. As he walked down the small paved roads, Makoto saw a raven haired boy leave an alley way. It was already dark out, and the boy looked too young to be out on his own. Makoto chewed his lip slightly, barely even hesitating to speak up.

"Hey kid, shouldn't you be at your house right now?" Makoto asked, looking at the kid in front of him. The said kid looked up to Makoto, his silky raven hair falling into his face slightly and bright, ocean blue eyes staring up to him. Makoto's own eyes widened slightly as he stared at the captivating boy in front of him, there was just something about him that felt different, and he was beautiful. Even in the dark Makoto could make out his pale skin and features. The boy wore a navy sweatshirt and tan capris, along with blue converse. He looked like a preteen up close and his face seemed to hold an almost curious, nervous expression.

"I was just swimming... I'm going home now…" The boy said after a moment, his voice quiet. Makoto could tell he wasn't lying, his hair was dripping wet and small streams of water were falling down his face and neck, soaking up into his sweater as they did. Makoto sighed at the boy's innocence.

"You shouldn't be out alone right now… you could get hurt. Let me walk you home." Makoto said, the kid shouldn't be outside at night, especially not without his parents. There was a killer on the loose, even if the town didn't know it. Makoto was sure Rin and Sousuke could wait while he got this kid home safely. The boy chewed his lip but made a small nod, starting to walk down the sidewalk to where Makoto assumed was his house. Makoto wasn't sure if he should be happy the boy so easily trusted him or more worried about it. It was obvious though how shy the boy was and Makoto didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so he decided to fill up the silence.

"My name is Makoto." He introduced himself, feeling that would be the best way to start up a conversation. The boy looked at Makoto with brilliant blue eyes that shone with curiosity, Makoto felt as if they could look right through him.

"I've never seen you around here before, Makoto." The boy added at the end, as if testing out the name. Makoto couldn't help but like the way the boy said his name, how the sounds escaped his lips, his voice was smooth and adorable…. Though Makoto had to shake off that thought, he wasn't supposed to be admiring this boy and he had been presented with a question that if he didn't answer he would seem all the more suspicious. Makoto moved a hand to rub the back of his neck, his olive hair tickling it slightly as he did.

"I'm on a small vacation. I wanted to go to a small town where I could just relax." Makoto lied, tilting his head and offering a small smile as he did. The boy stared at Makoto for a couple moments before looking away, leaving a couple moments of silence. Makoto's smile faltered and he returned his hand to his side, for a moment he was worried the boy didn't believe him. Makoto never had run into a point where someone didn't believe his lie, he always made sure to make the lie sound realistic, but for whatever reason the boy next to him seemed skeptical and suspicious.

"..Okay." The boy said after a moment, letting Makoto's worry come to an end so he could relax.

"You chose a boring town to be in though…. And, I'm Haruka Nanase. Call me Haru though." The raven haired boy introduced himself. Makoto couldn't stop a chuckle to escape his mouth as the boy mentioned how boring the town was, not being able to disagree.

"It's nice to meet you Haru." Makoto said, the name felt natural as it escaped his lips and Makoto couldn't help but wonder why. He had never known anyone with that name before, so there was no reason for if to feel so right to say the name. Shaking off the thought, Makoto decided to create a new topic of conversation. He didn't want to focus on the unknown feeling or reasons behind it.

"So, you said you were swimming earlier… Do you like swimming a lot?" Makoto asked. Despite having a fear of the water, Makoto used to swim when he was alive and he actually enjoyed it. The olive haired Shinigami noticed Haru perk up at the mention of swimming, a small light in his eyes and spark in his features became present as he looked up to Makoto and nodded.

"I love water… I wish I could be in it all the time." Haru said, almost as if it was normal or a logical thing. Makoto gave a warm laugh at that and smiled kindly at Haru, he found it cute, the child like innocence Haru held, and it was even more adorable that he was so passionate about something as simple as water and swimming.

"I used to swim years ago… Eh, I used what I think you'd call it back stroke." Makoto said, smiling a bit and tilting his head to the side a little. He felt even more out of touch with the human culture now since he wasn't sure if his swim type was still called backstroke. It was hard to stay modern when every time Makoto went to earth it was solely for work. Luckily, Haru seemed to understand as he nodded as response.

"I only swim free." Haru's voice was determined as he said this. Makoto suppressed another small laugh, feeling as though if he did laugh the raven haired boy would get angry at him since he seemed so stubborn and serious about this.

Haruka stopped walking, Makoto almost stumbling into him as he realized. The olive haired Shinigami looked around and noticed them in front of a small house at the top of a small set of stairs. The house, like the rest of the town, looked old. Even if it was in good condition it had a more traditional style, one floor with only a couple windows on the outside, the walls painted a pale tan. All the lights were off in the house, which made Makoto wonder if Haru's parents were home or even awake right now.

"This is where you live…?" Makoto asked, looking down at the boy. Haru made a small nod, his eyes fixated on the house. Makoto frowned slightly as he rubbed his chin, he had a bad feeling about this and he didn't want to leave the boy without knowing his parents were home and he'd be looked after, but before he could even stop to ask Haru if his parents were home the raven haired teen was walking up the stairs to go to his house. Makoto scrambled to speak up and make sure Haru would be okay.

"Haru, wait..!" Makoto said, getting the raven haired teen to turn around and give him a confused look. Makoto made a small sigh, deciding against asking if his parents were home. He didn't want to be an annoyance and he had to get to work and find Rin and Sousuke before they started to worry about him. Makoto noticed Haru's expression getting almost impatient, as if waiting for Makoto to press on and say something. With some hesitance, Makoto spoke up.

"Just…Stay safe… And don't stay out alone at night, okay?" His voice was kind as he spoke, but held a tone of worry in it. Makoto didn't want Haru to end up a victim in this case and he felt strangely protective of the boy. Something was just different about him.

Haru made a small nod, a silent promise to do as told, before walking up the steps and going into his house. Once the raven haired boy disappeared from Makoto's sight and was safely inside, Makoto went to walk off. He couldn't waste more time, so he went to the inn that he got a card for. It wasn't anything too special and seemed on the smaller side. When Makoto entered there was an older girl at the front desk, her hair was pinned up in a bun and though she had tired eyes, she wore a kind smile on her face.

"Excuse me miss, I was supposed to meet two friends here, both guys, one with red hair and the other taller with black hair." Makoto said as he walked up to the desk, he was just hoping that the two had told someone that they were waiting for Makoto, or at the very least that the lady knew who they were.

"Oh, yes, you're friends are waiting for you, its room fourteen, up the stairs and to the left." She said, motioning over to the stairway next to her. Makoto made a small bow to her, giving her a quiet 'thank you' before going up the stairs, following her directions and going left. He was glad they were smart enough to mention him coming.

When Makoto got to the room he heard his friend's voices, it sounded as though they were bickering, though that wasn't anything new. The two tended to butt heads every once in a while. Makoto knocked on the door, shifting a bit as he waited for one of them to answer, part of hoped he wasn't interrupting something that he shouldn't be… If the two were discussing their relationship then Makoto definitely did not want to be there. Things tended to get dangerous when they had relationship problems. Luckily for Makoto, the door opened quickly and the two seemed fine.

"Took you long enough." Rin said as he moved away from the doorway so Makoto could enter. The olive haired Shinigami complied and went inside the room which held a small kitchen and two beds, the walls were covered in ocean inspired wall paper and it seemed to be the theme in the blue room. Behind him, Rin shut the door and walked over to a table that resided in the kitchen area.

"We were just talking about leads for the case." Sousuke informed, he was sat at the table already, leaning back against his chair and his arms crossed. They both looked tired and Makoto couldn't blame them, cases like this were draining. No leads and six dead.

"It sounds more like you were fighting." Makoto said as he walked over to the table and noticed all the notes surrounding them. Sousuke laughed while Rin just scoffed at it.

"Well, Sous suggested that the killer knows we're here… Which can't be because we've been careful at hiding ourselves!" Rin said and Sousuke shook his head.

"The killer has been leaving behind fake clues with his victim and leading us down the wrong path, making us believe he's at a certain location when it's abandoned or leaving a previous victims hair at the scene so we think we have a DNA sample…He's always one step ahead of us. There's no way he couldn't know." Sousuke said, flipping through some papers, they both were frustrated with this case, that was obvious, and Makoto really hoped he could find a way to help.

"Do you think maybe… He could've been hoping to get us here?" Makoto asked, Shinigamis weren't exactly a complete secret… So it was possible that someone was trying to lure them out for whatever reason. Rin's eyes narrowed.

"Then that's even more of a reason to catch the asshole." Rin's voice was sharp when he said that, Makoto didn't blame him, this only gave them more initiative to find this guy, but headstrong attitudes may cause mistakes in the case… Makoto hope they could keep it together.

"The places he led you to could actually mean something too... We can check them out tomorrow, for now you guys need to rest." Makoto said, knowing sleep would do the two other Shinigamis good. Rin let out a small sigh but nodded, walking over to on bed and motioning for Sousuke to follow. Makoto relaxed and just prayed the next day they would get some good news.

Sadly enough that didn't exactly happen.

The group decided to split up. Sousuke went to look at the three places that the killer left clues for while Makoto and Rin searched around town. It wasn't often that Makoto got to spend time with his old partner without Sousuke around. It was reminiscent to the days they worked together, except now Makoto knew Rin was as happy as he could be. He and Sousuke were perfect for each other.

As the two walked around town, Makoto looked around again at the scenery around them. The wind blew his already messy hair around and light shined against his tanned skin. Rin was walking alongside him, his arms up and folded behind his head. The redhead was wearing a black tank top and tan pants. They both tended to dress more casual, especially when they were out on cases. It helped them blend in. Rin sighed after they walked in silence for around ten minutes, he could never be one to deal with quiet and no conversation.

"Have they found you a new partner yet?" He asked, Makoto knew Rin had felt bad for leaving him to partner with Sousuke, but he had thought that the red head had figured out it was nothing to worry about… It turned out he still was worrying about it.

"No, they haven't… But it's okay." Makoto said, smiling to Rin and hoping to reassure him. When he looked at his friend's features he noticed Rin furrowing his brows and frowning, obviously not happy with what he said.

"It's not okay Makoto, you can't keep going on cases and carrying burdens alone… I know it's been affecting you, despite how much you try to hide it… And a partner can help with that." Rin said, his face forming into one of worry, exactly what he didn't want from his friends. Makoto never wanted to be a burden to them, he didn't want to give them any negative emotions like worry, sadness, or stress… That's why he always tried to be the best he could be and always tried to show he was happy.

"Rin, please don't worry about me… I can deal with all of this on my own and I can wait to get a partner..." Makoto said softly and by the look on Rin's face it seemed he still wasn't convinced, but Makoto was done talking about this. He didn't want to get upset and lash out at Rin for something that didn't involve him. He hated thinking about his lack of a partner and connection with someone, and he was scared he'd live in eternal loneliness, but he wouldn't tell Rin or anyone that. He wanted them to be happy, so Makoto decided to change the subject before things could get worse.

"How are you and Sousuke?" He asked, looking ahead of them. He knew this subject would be better suited and Rin would be glad to talk about it. Sousuke was Rin's light in the darkness. Rin seemed to take note of Makoto wanting to change the subject and despite his stubborn attitude, he dropped the subject. Makoto was thankful for that, he knew Rin didn't want to make him uncomfortable or upset.

"We're fine, still getting used to living together, but we're happy. I'm happy." Rin said, a smile forming across his face as he stared ahead of them, almost as if in thought. Makoto watched Rin turn back to him, with a new more mischievous look in his eyes.

"We need to get you in a relationship." He said with a toothy grin. Makoto's eyes widened and a blush spread across his cheeks at the embarrassing thought of his friends setting him up with someone.

"W-What?" He asked, shaking his head as if to say that wasn't a good idea. Rin just laughed.

"Yeah, I think that girl who handles our budget is pretty into you." The red head said. Makoto let out a whine, not enjoying the torture his friend was putting him through. Rin had already been down this road with Makoto multiple times before and each time he got the same answer. No, Makoto did not want to be set up with someone.

"Rin, you know I don't want a relationship right now, I'm too busy with work and it's just… Not the right time…" He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was waiting to find someone he had a connection with immediately… And for some odd reason his mind wandered back to Haru.

"Makoto, you've been saying that for years now… I think you'd really benefit from a relationship… Or at least getting out your frustrations by fucking someone." Rin replied bluntly and Makoto's cheeks grew an even darker shade of red.

"Rin!" He exclaimed, catching the attention of some people around them. Makoto, sadly, wasn't too surprised to hear his friend suggest that. He had before and before Sousuke came along that's what Rin did. Makoto was not like Rin though. He had slept with a couple people and couldn't stand the feeling afterwards. It felt wrong and gross to be with someone he didn't care for, so Makoto stopped and decided that he'd wait for someone he did care about…. Even if it was painstakingly difficult and depressing. At Makoto's outburst Rin broke into laughter, finding the whole ordeal and anguish of his good friend hilarious.

"Fine, fine, I'll drop the topic." Rin said and Makoto relaxed slightly. Even if that was something he had wanted, he wouldn't have involved his friends. It'd be too embarrassing and cause too much drama.

The two returned to having a silence between them as they walked. Makoto not wanting to have any more embarrassing conversations and Rin seeming too preoccupied in his own thoughts to notice. They reached a field that was lined with sakura trees, and even with this beautiful view, Makoto could feel himself growing more anxious. This was where all the bodies were found, each and every one was put in this field under a tree for the whole world to see.

"This is where it all was happening…" Rin said, even if he was stating the obvious something had to be said about the area filled with so much death. Rin's voice held a sadness as he spoke, even he was bothered by the strings of deaths that came along with their cases.

"It's strange… How something so beautiful can be so ominous…" Makoto replied, his voice soft as he did. He scanned the lines of sakura trees until something caught his eyes and he paused. There was a group of people around one, seeming to be looking at something on the ground. The olive haired Shinigami tensed as he watched some people crying while others staring in fear. Makoto knew this could only mean one thing and he found his legs carrying himself over before he could even process it.

"It's another one…" He said to Rin as he ran over to the crowd of people and weaved his way through, Rin followed close behind, telling people to back up so him and Makoto could see. Little questions were raised, luckily, but even if they had Rin usually carried around fake police badges so that he could get access to things average people wouldn't have been able to. The red head was a little too good at the lying game.

There was a dead boy on the ground, looking around eighteen. He had brown curly hair that was splayed across the ground. His brown eyes were still open, wide with fear and his hand was wrapped around scissors that were stabbed in his chest. Blood pooled around his shirt and sides, though surprisingly there wasn't as much on the ground around him. Makoto wasn't sure if this could've meant the body was moved, it would make a lot more sense since no one had seen the boy die.

The olive haired Shinigami frowned and leaned down, closing the boy's eyes. He wanted to show the dead respect still, even if he dealt with them all the time. After a moment, Makoto got up and looked around them, most of the people from before had left, having seen enough and not having any other reason to stay since 'cops' were there. The one thing that caught his eye was a boy by a sakura tree not too far off. Makoto squinted and at a closer look he saw familiar raven hair and blue eyes.

Haru's eyes seemed to catch his and he just blinked, keeping a stoic expression as he did so. Makoto sighed and walked over to the boy, trying to keep a calm demeanor about him even though he was worried and stressed. He didn't want a young boy like Haru to see something like this. Haru was innocent and this was just… evil and impure.

"You shouldn't be here Haru…" Makoto said with a sigh and grabbed onto Haru's wrist, intending to pull him away from the gruesome scene in front of the two. When Makoto touched Haru though, the boy tensed and then quickly pulled away, when Makoto looked at Haru he saw the boy's ocean blue eyes wide and shocked.

"…This wasn't a suicide…A-And… You're not what you said you are…" Haru said quietly and shakily. Makoto was barely able to process these words though because a certain red head began calling him over.

"Hold on a moment, don't leave this spot." Makoto said with a sigh as he walked over to Rin, wondering what the red head wanted from him, his face showed irritation rather than seriousness so Makoto could only guess it wasn't anything incredibly important.

"What is it?" Makoto asked as he looked at Rin. The red head crossed his arms.

"We're trying to solve this case, scolding some random kid for being here isn't going to help find out who's doing this." He spoke, Makoto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, Rin was right, yet at the same time, morally, Makoto felt as though he did what was right.

"I'm sure you two could handle it… I didn't want a kid to see something as gruesome as this…" Makoto said, looking over to where Haru had been and freezing seeing the other wasn't there. Finally, he realized what Haru had said and his eyes widened, feeling foolish for not having noticed before.

"…Rin, that kid knew." Makoto said quietly, Rin scoffed and put his hands on his hips.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Makoto. The olive haired Shinigami bit his lip and looked at the red head.

"He knew this was a murder…" Makoto whispered, no one had spoken of the murders in public, all the mortals were under the impression they were suicides, only the Shinigamis knew the truth… And now Haru. Rin's eyes widened slightly, him seeming to realize the same thing as Makoto. This could be a possible lead to find out what was happening.

"….I'm going to go find him." Makoto decided, his voice a bit rushed as he quickly went to walk off. Rin just made a small nod, knowing just as much as Makoto how important this was.

He didn't know how he would find Haru, he didn't know enough about the kid to be able to tell where he was, so he went to the first place he thought of, the raven haired teen's house. Sadly, his first idea didn't work out like he hoped, after calling for the boy and peeking in the windows he was met with darkness, no one was home.

Makoto remembered that Haru said he liked to swim, so maybe he could find the boy by a pool or beach… It was a small sense of hope and maybe while travelling to those areas he could see the boy, Iwatobi was in fact a small town, so there wasn't many areas to hide.

The olive haired Shinigami first went to the community pool, once again, no sign. With a sigh, he ran to the beach, he couldn't lose this lead. They needed it. They had nothing to go off of and if they continued the way they were, this case could go dead.

Luck finally seemed to be on his side as he saw a familiar head of raven hair at the beach. He let out a relieved breath as he quickly went over to the teen, when Haru noticed Makoto approaching him he seemed to tense.

"Don't try running." Makoto ordered, yet he knew how stubborn the teen seemed to already be, so he wasn't surprised when the boy began running. Due to his height and longer legs, Makoto quickly caught up, he grabbed onto Haru's wrist and pulled him to a stop, glaring at the boy in front of him. Running was usually a sign of some sort of guilt…

Haru tensed when grabbed and he tried to squirm away, Makoto let out a sigh, not letting go just yet.

"How do you know about the murders?" Makoto asked sternly. Haru shook his head quickly.

"L-Let go!" Haru yelled, continuing to squirm and not answering the question Makoto asked. Of course the boy would be difficult. Irritation coursed through him and he let out a huff.

"Haru, what do you know?" He asked as he stared at the boy in front of him, once again Haru was refusing to answer, only furthering Makoto's anger. He didn't understand what this boy was hiding or why… But he needed to know what it was, no matter what the consequences where.

"Answer me!" Makoto yelled, causing Haru to wince. Makoto glared at the boy, that was until he saw tears forming in the young boy's eyes… Then, Makoto began to feel guilty for getting so angry and raising his voice.

"I-I'll tell you everything… J-Just let me go…" Haru sniffled, the look in his eyes promising he wouldn't run away from Makoto. The olive haired Shinigami sighed, hesitantly letting go of the boy's hand, relieved he would finally get answers but feeling bad for how he had lost his temper. Once he was released, Haru held his arm close to his chest, trying to calm his shaking body before he spoke.

"…I know what you and your friends are… Y-You aren't alive… And you came here to find out about the murders…" Haru said quietly, Makoto tensed at the fact the boy knew about him, Rin, and Sousuke being Shinigamis… He didn't know how the boy could've figured it out, considering how secretive and careful they all were, yet somehow a young kid figured it out.

"How?" Makoto asked, his voice no longer holding anger but still stern so he could receive an answer from the boy. Haru seemed hesitant as he looked down at his shoes, his eyes still glistening.

"…I… I-I have a power… I think it can best be called by empathy... I can pick up on people's emotions and some of their thoughts… When I come into skin to skin contact with other people… I can feel their emotions and thoughts so much stronger…" Haru started, chewing his lip as he paused, his eyes finally looking up to Makoto. The olive haired teen ran a hand through his own hair, he knew there were humans with powers, though he never expected to run into one, let alone this young boy being one.

"I was at the murder…I-I went to each one…. They all have the same feeling for them… I-I knew somehow they were connected… Then when you grabbed my wrist… I learned what you were doing here…T-That you weren't really human…" Haru continued, his voice quiet. Makoto's eyes widened as he realized something, Haru was able to tell there was a connection between each murder…

Makoto knew it was wrong, but they needed leads and Haru…. Haru could help them find out who was doing this. If he picked up on thoughts, memories, and feelings, he could help them find the killer by seeing the last moments of each victim's life, he could see the murderer.

"….Haru… You do realize that your powers can really help us out here, right?" Makoto asked, he wasn't going to force Haru into anything, but he was hoping that Haru would agree to assist them for the greater good. The raven haired teen chewed his lip and made a tiny nod.

"…I do…" He said, his voice hesitant as he was obviously nervous and unsure about this.

"…I'll tell you everything Haru… Just please…. Help us with this case…You can help us find the killer and stop the murders…" Makoto said softly, just praying his words were convincing the young boy. There was a couple moments of silence between the two before Haru made a nervous swallow.

"….Okay….I…I'll help." Haru said finally. Makoto let out a breath of relief and smiled at the boy, the thankfulness showing in his eyes as he looked down at the teen.

"Alright… I guess I should fill you in on a little bit."