Comfortable Killers
Summary: AU Kagari is a serial killer, hunted by none other than Japan's top detective, Akane Tsunemori. Their game of cat and mouse could only end in tragedy…
A/N: Hello everyone! Here's another AU of these loveable dorks. It's about Shusei snapping and going on a rampage or something. I don't know why I keep writing about these two, it's just their relationship was so tragic and I want to explore their dynamics a bit more.
-We arrogantly grew our roots into the floor-
Justice was hard to define. For Akane, it was a strict set of laws that protected the innocent. Any that deviated from the rules were criminals. Shusei Kagari was (would be) no different.
…
"Looks like the kid was a trouble maker. He started off with petty vandalisms, burned his neighbor's car, stuff like that. He eventually became a serial arsonist, setting off fires in suspected criminal's homes. It eventually led to murder. The press calls him a vigilante." Kougami Shinya took a drag of his cigarette, shuffling through the case files.
"Such a dramatic jump! Petty fires to murders? Did you find anything that could have triggered this behavior?"
"Yes. In 2008 the killer accused of his parents' murders was set free. There wasn't enough solid evidence to convict him of the crime. Turns out, the court got it wrong. A string of home robberies and murders piled up in the Tokyo region. They caught the guy red-handed, a plastic bag wrapped around his victim's head. But, the man managed to escape."
"A-are you serious?"
Kougami nodded. "Kagari tracked him down before we could. His body was found in a ditch a couple months ago. He's apparently the first of his victims."
"So what type of victims does Kagari go after?"
"Only the worst. So far he's killed three rapists, one pedophile, and five serial killers."
"I can see why the community would champion him as a vigilante. But, he's a murderer; he has no right to end these people's lives."
The woman stared at the picture of the killer, eyes alight with fury. Her Justice was strong, set in stone, like an oak tree in a storm. Her resolve would not waver.
…
-The roots spread until they reach an end-
"I didn't think Japan's top detective would be so cute."
"Shut up and drop the weapon."
"This old thing? It's not even loaded." He exposes the barrel, yellow bullets falling out of the hand-gun. They echo against the metal floor, startling both of them.
"Whoops, my mistake. Sorry about that." Kagari threw the gun to the ground, kicking the weapon to the detective.
"Shusei Kagari you're under arrest, for the murders of nine people." The woman reaches for her handcuffs, laughter erupting from the man.
"Those people were vermin. Don't get me wrong, I have no delusions of grandeur, no illusions of innocence; my hands are covered in blood. But, someone's got to do it."
"That's what the Justice systems for. They would eventually be caught and tried for their crimes."
"How long would that take, detective? How many more would die? There's blood on your hands too. All the cases you've never solved, all the people you didn't save in time, their deaths are on you."
"W-what do you mean?"
"I'm saying that doing nothing, prancing around, pretending to catch real criminals, giving them a slap on the wrist and letting them go on their merry way is doing nothing to save society. I don't regret my actions. But, do you?" He walks calmly to the girl, hands held up high.
"In my eyes, you're the same as them. What makes you better than me? Why is my Justice wrong?" He glared at the girl, eyes narrowed in anger.
"Murder is murder. The mad ravings of a supposed vigilante don't hold water." The orange-haired man smirks, fingers clenching into a fist.
"This is why they always tell you to come with backup, detective." He knocks the gun out of her hand. It slides on the metal ground, away from the pair. The man runs from the abandoned warehouse, turning back to look at the girl.
"See ya, Inspector. I promise an even better game next time!"
…
This game of cat and mouse goes on for years. Neither wants to give up. The conversations grow longer, the questions more complex, and the feelings swim beneath anger, hatred, contempt, understanding, pity. It eventually becomes hope (something that never should have existed). It feels as if the game could go on forever. But, nothing lasts that long, whether it's a flower in a vase or a rose encased in resin, everything eventually fades away.
Both had forgotten why they were chasing each other to begin with.
…
-The lonely tree freezes in the cold-
Crimson pours from the wound, gun still smoking in her shaking hands. He clutches at his chest, topaz eyes fluttering close. Falling to the floor, the girl rushes to him, surprised to feel tears running down her cheek.
"Heh, you're a tough one, aren't you, detective? Well, I'm glad it was you. I don't know when my honest attempts at cleaning up the world turned me into a monster but I'm glad you stopped me before I killed an innocent." His breaths come in slow, shallow gasps. Akane applies pressure to the wound, screaming for the rest of the team to get paramedics. Time slows down, burning the memories into her skull (into her very being). She cries as the killer lets out a pitiful laugh, reaching for the gun.
"I'm so forgetful sometimes. The gun really wasn't loaded this time." He musters up enough strength to pull the trigger.
Nothing happens.
"You wanted me to kill you? Why? Weren't you supposed to show me Justice?"
"I got so tired, detective. I was tired of the murders, the screams, the blood. I hope you can forgive me. I grew tired of this heartless world. It's an ugly, beautiful, savage thing. But, I could only see the grotesque."
Blood poured into his lungs, invading his throat. He choked up blood, looking into the detective's watery hazel eyes. Tears drip onto his cheek, reminding him of a day long ago, when he stood in the rain, waiting to hear that his parents were ok, and it was some elaborate joke. It couldn't be their bodies—he had just spoken to them that morning and… and, the rain continued to pour from the heavens, soaking the boy.
"Good-bye, detective."
"My name's Akane Tsunemori!"
He gives another smile. "Good-bye, Akane-chan… I have to go for a while. I see my parents and they are waving and smiling at me. They're telling me it's time to go home. I'm so tired. Promise me you'll be here when I wake up."
His eyes grow heavy and for a second he sees a flash of what his life could have been, a life where he wasn't a monster and he could love this beautiful, crying girl. It's enough, he thinks, for all he's done, that God would still give him this little gift. And at the end of his life, the world doesn't seem all that ugly…
"I promise, Shusei."
The man dies with a soft smile on his face.
-But a sapling emerges from the snow, come spring-