If one were to measure all the choices in the world, perhaps one of the heaviest man should ever make was whether to face the truth or to keep living in delusion. It was only a simple matter of choosing one between two roads, but the consequence lying in wait at the end of each way could be fulfillment or regret. Of course, most of the times it would be easier to delude oneself since the truth was often far too painful to bear. Some people even said if we kept believing in lies as truth, eventually they would become the truth, as well.

"…-chan…"

I had been asking the same question to myself for these past six months. Should I keep pretending that this delusion was true or should I delve further until I saw the truth with my own eyes? Over and over again, I thought and thought about it but never found any answer. I felt so afraid of my belief to be betrayed. I felt like my ability to judge was clouded. This was the first time my mind was so muddled that I couldn't determine which one was right and which one was wrong.

But no more.

"Dai-chan!"

Satsuki's voice burst through the speaker of the ear-set I was wearing as though trying to slap me awake. My ear drum were buzzing; I didn't find that particularly amusing as I wasn't asleep in the very least, but before I could put my complaints into words, she already started to blabber her mouth off as usual.

"Dai-chan, are you listening to me? Why didn't you answer my call? Is your ear-set broken?"

"Be quiet, Satsuki. You're hurting my ears," I clicked my tongue at her nonstop babbles.

"It's your fault for not answering, even if I've called you many times already," she replied in a pouting voice that I could imagine her puckering those lips into an ugly mug. However, it was before long that the tone of her voice changed completely. "…Dai-chan, are you okay?"

Such questioning and worried words were no longer unfamiliar to me. I had lost count of how many times I'd heard this concerned tone of hers ever since we were both tiny brats, and I wondered why she hadn't gotten tired of getting dismissed repeatedly whenever she said something like that.

"Aren't you noisy? If I'm not, I wouldn't be standing here right now," once again I clicked my tongue, "Aren't I the one who first told you guys about those criminals' plan in the first place?"

"Well, that's true, but…"

There were doubts hanging heavily in the way she said it. I didn't have to be a psychic to know what was going on in that head of hers and I could already imagine what she was about to say after this.

"Look, Satsuki…" I let out a long sigh, "If I'm not determined to do this, I would never have told you guys anything about it. Heck, I might've been a lump of flesh right now in the morgue, waiting for you guys to do your autopsy on me along with that guy. But I'm here right now, aren't I? Isn't that enough of a proof?"

"…You're right…" with her voice beginning to lighten up, she answered in agreement despite the brief pause. She let out a small laugh afterwards and continued in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, Dai-chan. I guess I'm just overthinking it. I'm glad that you're here with us…"

There was nothing I could say to that…or rather, there was no need for me to say anything. The harbor was already visible up ahead and somewhere inside, Kise was waiting for me. Strangely enough, this time I didn't feel any sort of impatience, let alone anxiety. I was as eager as ever to find him, but at the same time I felt calm. "No matter for what reason, accomplishing this mission must come first", I thought, because otherwise there wouldn't be any point in him giving me a second chance. The others might think that he had some sort of ulterior motive in mind when he revealed this plan to me, but my guts said he didn't.

So with this thought in mind, I took my first step in the past six months towards the place where it all happened that night.

Yeah… I finally returned.

"Aomine. Aomine, where is your position right now?"

Replacing Satsuki's, the evil glasses' voice now called me through the ear-set. The harbor had several entrances on different sides and according to the plan, we agreed to approach the target from multiple directions in order to limit their options of escape. At this moment, this guy and his squad must already arrive at their designated position.

"About 20 meter to Alpha," I replied briefly, mentioning the code for the back entrance where I was assigned to, "Nothing suspicious so far."

"I see. I am already at Delta with the first squad. The others should arrive shortly, as well," said him through the ear-set, followed by a light chuckle, "But still… I'm honestly very concerned since you insist on taking the back door by yourself. Are you really going to be alright, Aomine?"

"If you don't actually mean it, you shouldn't say anything."

"That's mean. Am I not allowed to worry over my own subordinate?" once again, he replied with a chuckle in that Kansai dialect of his, "I know you work better when you're alone, but don't you think they would expect interruptions to come from the back entrance and tighten their guards in that area particularly?"

"Then one person would be better for the job," I said while leaping over a short fence after crossing the street, "They would easily notice an entire squad even before you get there."

"You do have a point. Well then… We'll leave Alpha to you. Good luck."

The call was cut. For the time being, all I heard from the small device stuck in my ear were the others confirming positions with Satsuki acting as the navigator from a control unit parked further away from the harbor. They all seemed to have arrived at the designated positions, so it wouldn't be long until the mission was officially launched.

But no matter. In the first place, it wouldn't apply to me and even if it did, they should've known that I wasn't going to follow it to every little detail.

"Satsuki, is the access to the cargo area still the same as before?" I asked her, pressing my back against the wall right next to the gate of the harbor's back entrance. Due to the confidentiality of the plan, we didn't inform anyone, not even the management of the harbor, that we were about to raid this place tonight. Surely, there would be securities and other employees wandering inside and it couldn't be any less chaotic when the squads entered from all directions. Plus, I didn't know how many of them actually cooperated with the smugglers or were under influence of the yakuza, so probably it would be best to treat everyone as enemies.

"There is no change made to the layout of the harbor these past six months, so it should remain the same."

"Great. Then, I'm off."

"Off? What do you— D-Dai-chan, what are you doing?! We haven't started yet!"

Ignoring her calls, I slipped through the back gate and easily passed through a small security post where a guard was sleeping soundly on his chair. I could hear the others, especially that noisy guy Wakamatsu, shouting through the ear-set and told me to return to my first post that I decided to lower the volume to minimum in order to avoid distraction. In front of me was the warehouse area, and as I hid behind one of the buildings, I could see several people wandering at the other side.

Must be the harbor staffs…or at least they look like harbor staffs.

There were about five people out there; all males and were wearing the same uniform. It seemed that they were those working the night shift and I doubted they had relations to the yakuza, let alone knowing about the smuggling plan. However, I had my hunch said otherwise, even though I had no proof of it.

"Excuse me," I left my hiding place and casually approached the two guys standing closest to the warehouse. Both turned at me almost at the same time, obviously surprised, and it didn't take long for the other three guys nearby to notice my arrival, as well. Nevertheless, I continued my original intention. "I apologize for the sudden visit. I am a detective from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. If you don't mind, may I please ask—"

I ducked quickly and shifted aside. A slashing sound echoed in my right ear and from the corner of my eyes, I could see a thin metal object cutting through empty air where my head previously was. Almost immediately, the two guys I was talking to just now stepped up towards me, raising their fists in a follow-up to the failed surprise attack their fellow tried behind my back.

"Oi, oi, I only want to ask you guys for directions…" I clicked my tongue while avoiding their punches, "I guess you leave me with no choice. Don't blame me if you lose a tooth or two."

With that said, I launched a full roundhouse kick to one of them, right on the face. As soon as my foot landed back on the ground, I blocked the attack from the second guy, avoiding another slash from the man with the knife and socked him in the guts that he doubled over, dropping his weapon which I quickly kicked away as far as possible. This left only one of them to be taken care of and since he was alone, I could easily put him down with a hit on his nape, hard enough to have him unconscious for awhile without harming his life. However, it was at that moment I saw the other two guys nearby were running towards us; both of them bringing some sort of metal object like a club.

Man… This could be bad.

At the same time, I noticed someone calling my name through the ear-set. I raised the volume a bit more, still having my eyes fixed on the two guys coming, and soon afterwards Ryou's voice burst through the speaker.

"Aomine-san!"

"Ah? What is it, Ryou? I'm really busy over here," I told him bluntly. But even without his explanation, I could already guess more or less the situation he was in. "Say, aren't those gunshots I hear from your side?"

"Yes! Wakamatsu-san and I are taking the Beta route. The yakuza prepared a group of gunmen over here, just like what Imayoshi-san's informant said."

"…Is that so?"

As I said this, the two guys eventually reached my place and swung theirs clubs towards me. Looking at it up close, those things were pretty long and thick. Certainly, my skull would be instantly crushed if they beat me up with those.

"Ryou, how long will it take you to reach the target?" I asked him through the ear-set. One of the clubs swung right next to my head and when I tried to dodge, the other nearly hit me on the chest.

"I'm sorry but I can't say for sure!" he replied in a voice that sounded more like a yell due to the blaring gunshots around him, "But as I understand, Susa-san's team would be there in five minutes."

If I managed to get rid of these guys, I would be there in less than five since my starting point was closest to the target, but that was exactly the problem. The long range of the clubs made it difficult to get close to them and I really didn't want to use my gun unless it was an emergency.

At that moment, one of them swung his weapon towards me and I quickly ducked down. The metal club smacked a wooden box piled up nearby instead and destroyed it into nothing more than a lump of broken wood pieces in a mere second. As I rolled away to avoid the bursting splinters, an idea popped up in my head.

That's right. I could do that.

I rolled aside once again, barely avoiding the other guy to smash me in the ribs with his club. At that moment, I saw the guy who just destroyed the wooden box preparing to swing his weapon again so without wasting any second, I immediately stood up, launched myself to his backside and kicked him real hard the moment he lifted the metal club. In the blink of an eye, he lost his balance and ended up tumbling forward, hitting the head of his friend in the process.

"Sorry, guys. Now go get some sleep," I elbowed him hard in the face while he was still stunned by what he just did.

The two of them were now lying motionless on the ground, along with three others who attacked me previously. Now that I'd taken care of this, I took a brief look around to check my surroundings. There didn't seem to be anymore suspicious people lurking around for the time being and from where I stood, I could already see the pier where the smuggling was about to take place in 30 more minutes, just like what happened half a year ago.

…Finally…

I took a step forward, and another one, and another one. On and on until my body started running full speed towards the pier standing in front of me. I would end everything tonight, a thought rose into my mind. This entire smuggling case, the yakuza, and him… I wouldn't let even one single problem left unsolved. Tonight, everything must come to an end.

Just you wait, Kise. I'll find you. I will come and find you for sure. And this time, I will take you home with me.

I touched the small object tucked safely in my vest pocket. However, at that moment a voice called my name through the ear-set.

"Aomine."

It was Imayoshi.

"What is it?" I asked him without slowing down. Only a bit more and I would reach that pier. There were a lot of big containers around, so it was only a matter of finding one suitable for hiding.

"Aomine, turn back now."

"Huh? Are you stupid? The target's right in front of—"

"Turn back now. This is an order."

I stopped in my tracks. He didn't usually use those words when speaking to me, even when I totally ignored his instructions, and as though he had just read through my mind, he spoke again through the speaker.

"It was a trap," he said, "We were made to dispatch our squads here while they searched for our control unit. Everyone, including Momoi, has been taken hostage right now."

Right after he said this, a blow struck me hard on the head. My sight began to blur; the ear-set falling to the ground and bounced away. As I fell crashing to the hard concrete, the last thing I saw was the sight of the pier a little bit further away, but no matter how hard I wished to reach that place, darkness took my consciousness away and the sight disappeared from my eyes.

"Aomine-cchi is…a detective?"

"Yeah. Is something wrong with that?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing."

"…Your face says otherwise, though."

"No, no, it's not like that. I was just thinking, that's all."

"And? What were you thinking just now?"

"I thought… If Aomine-cchi is a detective, then you will protect me if I'm ever in danger, right?"

My head was throbbing. On the side of my face, I could feel something wet trickling down occasionally. When I first opened my eyes I couldn't help but wonder what it was, but all of my thoughts quickly gather all at once the moment a sharp pain ran through my head when I attempted to lift my face.

Dammit, they got me!

I cursed silently under my breath, noticing that both of my hands were bound behind my back. My gun and ear-set were also taken. Plus, I was gagged. The place I was in seemed like a warehouse although it didn't have a lot of lights, but fortunately enough, after my eyes had gotten more used to the dim surroundings I could get a better view of what was around me.

And I was stunned.

…?! Kise!

Without thinking about anything else, I jumped up and ran to his side. It was only that moment I noticed whoever it was who brought me here was apparently nice enough not to tie my legs, but even that relief flashed by in an instant the moment I had a closer look on the blond guy lying there on the floor, half surrounded by piles of boxes and packages. On his skins were countless bruises; cuts deep and shallow drawing blood out of his body. Parts of his clothes were torn apart and his hair was a complete mess. Just like me, he was bound and gagged even though he was already in such condition.

Had my mouth not been plugged shut like this, probably I would've screamed his name out. It was a struggle to keep my cool down and I was so frustrated that I couldn't even call out to him. Impatiently, I squirmed both of my wrists in hope it would loosen the knot, while at the same time my eyes were frantically looking around for anything I could use to cut the rope. There was a broken, unused metal container sitting in the corner which opened side looked sharp enough to cut something with a little effort, so I ran there and began to grind the rope binding my hands against the container's side. Eventually, I managed to break free and without wasting another second, I tore off the gag on my mouth and returned to his side.

"Kise. Kise, wake up!"

His eyes remained closed even after I untied him and lightly slapped his cheek repeatedly, although I did feel much better after knowing that he was still alive. He was warm, and if I were to look closely, it wouldn't be hard to notice his faint breaths. But still, it just meant that his injuries were bad enough to make him unconscious. It might turn out real bad if he didn't get help as soon as possible.

And yet we're stuck here in this goddamn warehouse.

I clicked my tongue and slammed my fist to the floor. It was at that moment I heard noises coming from outside and I couldn't help but try to look for a way to find out what was going on out there. On the wall next to where we were was an opened window, about three meters above the ground, and right below were piles of boxes. It didn't take me even ten seconds to reach the top-most box and carefully peeked through the opening, but the moment I laid my eyes on what was happening out there, I felt as though every single cell in my body was frozen for a second.

Anchored at the pier was a large cargo ship, and around it were at least 50 people. About ten of them were loading dozens of boxes into the ship with a small group of five men in nice clothes were watching the progress from the sideline. Meanwhile, the rest of them were divided into two groups; one equipped with firearms while the others were made to stay still under surveillance of the armed. This second group, however, were more than familiar to me. If anything, we were supposed to stop these guys together from loading those boxes into the ship.

What the hell?! They got the entire team?!

Everyone was all there. Even Satsuki and the other guys in the control unit who were supposed to back us up from a considerable distance were also caught. With those guys pointing their guns at them, not even that Imayoshi could move a muscle lest there would be victims from our side. They were left with no choice but to submit, unless an opportunity presented itself to turn the tides.

"…-cchi…"

A weak voice called out to me. At first, I thought I was just hearing things and remained fixated on the situation outside. However, when the same voice called my name once again, I finally came to it and involuntarily turned towards the direction of the source.

"…-cchi… Ao…mine-cchi…"

I jumped down the pile of boxes and ran towards him. Still lying on the cold floor without moving a finger, only his eyes were looking at me with the lids half-closed; his lips chanting my names like a spell until I finally reached his side.

"Kise! Kise, you okay?" I brushed the side of his face, returning his call in order to keep his consciousness from drifting away once again, "What happened?"

"Sorry… Aomine-cchi, I'm sorry…"

"What happened?" I repeated my question, "What's actually going on? And more importantly, why are you in this state?"

"They…found out…" his small voices whispered through his bleeding lips, "They knew…that I revealed the smuggling plan to you."

In the mafia's world, no matter where it was, punishment was dire particularly for traitors. It might've been better to be executed on the spot rather than going through their unimaginable tortures. Since Kise was with them, there was no way he didn't know about what kind of punishment they would impose on him for his betrayal.

Then why are you still doing this?

I was about to ask him that, but right before I uttered those words, I decided to hold myself back. He already went that far despite knowing very well what kind of risk waiting for him. He was determined enough to do that, and the least I could do was not to question his decision. Plus, right now I couldn't think only for my personal problems. The entire team had been captured by the enemies and I myself had lost ways to contact them, not to mention that I had been stripped completely off my weapons.

However, the mission had not been aborted. If anything, now was the only time I could act using whatever methods I found suitable without having to consult with anyone beforehand. Any kind of questions I had for Kise could wait until the both of us had gotten out of this situation.

"…Say, Kise… Do you think you can move?" I asked him. He looked at me for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

"I…don't know. I haven't tried yet…" a smile was drawn on his beaten face, "But I think…it should be okay…maybe…"

He grimaced as he squirmed on the floor. Just by looking, I could already imagine how much pain he was feeling right now and even with my support, it took awhile until he could stand properly on his own two feet. Well, at least it didn't seem like he had any broken bones. For now, that was good enough.

"We need something to defend ourselves," I said while looking around, "But on second thought, maybe it would be best if we try to get out of here first."

My sight was locked on the only door at the other end of the warehouse. It was shut tight, but there might be a way to open it if we looked hard enough. However, as though he was capable of reading my mind, Kise stopped me just when I was about to take my first step.

"No, wait," he said, wiping the traces of blood from his mouth, "Let's not go that way, Aomine-cchi."

"It's the only way out," I replied, "We couldn't possibly jump from that window since all of them are there. The door's the only choice…unless you're saying they set up some boobie trap on it."

Kise remained silent, but the way he shifted his gaze aside was more than enough of a confirmation for me. Well, in the first place it was pretty weird to only tie my hands up since they should've known it wouldn't be that hard for me to break free. It wasn't a surprise to know if they had other things up their sleeves.

"…It's a punishment…for me," he muttered under his breath, "They said they would keep the both of us here so we could spend our 'last time' together while they went ahead with the smuggling. And after they were done, they said they would kill you in front of my eyes. Only after that would they proceed with my death sentence."

"Well, it would only become a punishment if we fail to escape before they finish loading all of the packages into the ship," I told him casually, "You said the door is equipped with a boobie trap, right? How exactly does it work?"

"…? I don't…know exactly. I only heard them talking that there is some sort of explosive that would blow up if we try to open the door from inside," Kise replied despite the questioning look in his face, "But what good will it do to us even if you know that now?"

"Plenty. So the bomb will only blow up if we open it from inside, right? Now listen here and do as I say…"

I whispered some instructions to him and not long afterwards, we were already hiding behind the pile of boxes a bit further away from the door; Kise on the right and I on the left. We both threw a medium-sized scrap of metal plate towards the door, deliberately making such a loud noise when the two objects slammed against it in order to alert the guards outside. And just as I expected, it didn't take long for the door to slowly swing open.

Two men carefully stepped into the warehouse; each bringing a rifle. Their eyes were wary as they looked around and of course, the both of them were startled when they realized that neither me nor Kise were visible in sight.

"Where did they go?! Don't tell me they've escaped!" said one of them.

"Idiot, of course not. We've been guarding the only exit all the time," the other snorted as he scolded his fellow, "They must be hiding somewhere in here. Find them."

They came further in, and when I felt the moment was right, I gave a signal to Kise. He made a small nod before returning his stare towards the two guys. And the next second, he let himself fell to the floor with a thud to surprise the guards.

"Who's tha— Oh, it's him," one of them said. Just as planned, they both turned towards Kise and approached him, examining his condition while talking between themselves. I waited a bit until they had their backs facing me, and then I crept up behind them, bringing along a wooden club and smashed them in the head one after the other.

"Uagh!"

"Argh!"

They both fell to the ground, hitting the dirty floor with a firm slam. As soon after the two guys were knocked out, Kise raised from his fake state of unconsciousness and looked at the unmoving bodies before him.

"…Aomine-cchi, did you kill them?"

"No way, idiot. I'm never gonna kill people," I retorted, "They'll be up and kicking soon, so let's tie them down quickly."

In addition to that, we also snatched their rifles, which were still full with ammos, thankfully. Now we finally had a weapon to defend ourselves, but the problem was how we could free Satsuki and the others while stopping the smuggling at the same time with only the two of us. We could just find a good hiding place and shoot them down one by one, but as long as they weren't completely incapacitated, there was a possibility that those guys would still pose a lot of troubles even when injured.

"Then isn't it easier to shut them down for real? That way, we would have less and less troubles to deal with," Kise suggested with a completely straight face. It was as if he didn't realize the meaning of his words, but of course there was no way he didn't know, which was why I almost couldn't believe him for saying such a thing so lightly.

"I told you, Kise, I'm never gonna kill people," I replied, looking straight at his eyes. Those golden spheres didn't waver, and I had known him well to understand it as a sign that he really meant to do it. "And that also applies to you. I don't want you to kill people, even if they're a bunch of criminals."

"But I have," still with the same firm tone, he returned my words easily. A thin smile was painted on his face as he looked at me. "Even before I met you, Aomine-cchi, I have taken the lives of many people, criminals or not. I am part of the yakuza after all."

It wasn't that I didn't expect to hear such an answer. When I decided to come here, I thought I had prepared myself to see his true self, but listening to him saying those words directly still sent a piercing pain to my heart. There was nothing I could say to that. Right now, the only option I had left was to completely accept the truth that he was in fact no different than all of those criminals I'd hunted and arrested since the moment I chose this line of work.

"…I see…" trying not to meet his eyes, I shifted my gaze aside, "I guess…that's how it is then."

Even if I didn't see his face, I could feel that he was smiling at me, smiling at the answer I gave to him as though trying to tell me not to trouble myself with his situation. He lightly tugged at my clothes, signaling that we moved on with what we were about to do, and just by looking at him I knew that he was asking me to let him do it for real.

"Let's go?" he asked casually, "Don't worry about me, Aomine-cchi. My hand is already dirty in the first place. One or ten more people wouldn't make any difference."

And with that, the two of us walked out of the warehouse, rifles in hand. We took a roundabout way to avoid being spotted by the yakuza members gathering at the pier, and when we were sure our current position was in their blind spot, Kise swiftly climbed to the top of a large container to get a comfortable place where he could shoot with ease. With a signal, he asked me who he should put down first, in which I responded by pointing at the guys guarding the captured squads.

And so he took aim, sending a loud and clear bang piercing through the silence of night.

The guard who was standing in front of Imayoshi fell down. Even from here, I could see blood bursting out of his head as his body slammed hard against the concrete. It was literally a clear head shot and I couldn't help but wonder if Kise had always had this much accuracy.

I thought Ryou's the only one here who could shoot so well from afar.

But it didn't stop there. Even before all the guys over there had time to react, Kise already aimed and shot at the other guy standing near the back row. It was only after that second shot that the yakuza broke into a clamor. The armed guys frantically tried to find the location of the sniper while the men in nice clothes began to panic, torn between two choices of running for their lives or stayed to ensure the loading process would be quickened. Now that they started to scatter around, this was a good chance for me to butt in.

I shot at the legs of the armed guy standing closest to me. As he fell tumbling to the ground, I quickly moved closer, hiding behind one container to the other until I finally got close enough to the entire gang. The guy I just shot were still rolling there right where he fell, so I sneaked towards him and knocked him out before taking away his rifle. Now the back side of the hostages' row was finally cleared, and since most of us were wearing the same uniform, it would be difficult for the yakuza to notice that I had quietly slipped into the groups, especially because they were currently still in disarray.

"Dai-cha—"

"Sssh! Quiet, Satsuki!" I hissed at her the moment she was about to utter my name. The other guys in the team almost spontaneously turned at me all at once, but fortunately they were quick to catch my signal and returned to their original position before any of the yakuza noticed my presence. The first person I freed was Ryou, and as soon as his bound came loose, I handed him the rifle I snatched from the guy I shot.

"Help me free, everyone. But do it quietly," I whispered an instruction to him, "Once we have enough people to fight back, you do your job as usual."

The look on his face told me that he was about to bow down 900 and answered in a loud and clear "Yes, Sir!" as usual, but it appeared that this time his understanding of the situation won against his habit. There were around twenty of us, so untying each and every single person was sure to take a long time. While Kise kept shooting at them, I had wished that the yakuza wouldn't notice it until we had freed everyone, but it seemed that it simply wasn't possible for such a bold plan to go smoothly.

"Hey, you there! What are you doing?!"

Shit. They saw us.

At the very same time, Susa's hands were freed and he quickly stood, knocking out the man who saw us with a blow on the face using his elbow. We escaped the risk of getting shot by that guy, but through that action alone, we alerted the entire pier of our plan. It didn't take even five second for the rest of the armed guards to point their guns at us and once again we were thrown into a situation where moving even a finger could cost us our lives.

But we weren't alone.

A deafening boom suddenly blasted through our eardrums. The sudden force caused by the unknown explosion was strong enough to make every single person standing on that pier to be knocked out their feet, and when I lifted my face, the way between the pier and the ship had been blocked completely by fires and smokes. Indeed, among the compositions of the drug AS-1220 was a flammable material. Kise must've known this and fired his bullet at the pile of unloaded packages sitting on the way to the ship. Nevertheless, such unexpected turnout of event dumbfounded both the yakuza and us, but it was at that moment Imayoshi's voice rang clear.

"Now!" he shouted, and the previously incapacitated squad rose all at once, resuming the mission despite the complete change in the original plan. Gunshots echoed from all directions; cries and screams resounded throughout the pier as an all-out brawl was unavoidable. Holding the rifle I gave him before, Ryou found himself a good shooting spot and began to take down the yakuza one by one. Of course, he didn't kill them as Kise did, but at least now we were on even position with them.

"Dai-chan!" Satsuki called out to me from among the fighting men. As the only woman in the group, it was totally dangerous for her to get caught in this. She even almost got hit when she tried to run towards me and despite knowing full well the risks that came with her decision of choosing this job, she looked mighty scared right now that she was almost shaking. "Dai-chan, you're safe!"

"Well, of course. Who do you think I am?" I snorted at her. From the look in her eyes, she was ready to burst out crying at any moment, but as much as I felt bad for her, now was not the right time for that. And I was sure she knew this, as well. "Satsuki, could you do me a favor?"

"Calling for reinforcement, right?" she replied quickly as though capable of reading my mind, "I know. Once I get out of the harbor, it would be easy to call for backup."

"Right. We'll hold them down here, so be sure to do it quick," I told her. Afterwards, I looked at Ryou who had just shot down perhaps the third man in a row. His presence here was important, but we already more or less grabbed a hold of the situation. And so I yelled at him. "Ryou, go with Satsuki! Make sure she comes back here in once piece!"

Perhaps startled by the sudden command, he almost dropped his gun, but quickly responded in a loud and clear "Yes, Sir!". Before leaving with him, Satsuki once again glared intently at me in the eyes while grabbing my clothes.

"Dai-chan, you must not do reckless things, you hear me?"

And with that, she ran off with Ryou as a bodyguard.

Sending the only guy with sniping skill would be a big disadvantage for us, I realized this very well. Even now, there were already several victims on our side; some were shot, some were stabbed, some were beaten. Although I hadn't seen anyone of us having fatal injuries, the remaining members of the yakuza were fully armed, either with guns or knives. I considered myself lucky for only suffering from light slash wounds.

But still, I couldn't send her alone. It would be disastrous if she failed to call for reinforcement, or worse, caught once more as a hostage. Despite his looks, Ryou was pretty capable since he could eliminate the enemies before they even got to them. But more importantly…

I couldn't call myself a man if I send her to run off on her own in this kind of place.

The fires kept raging, heightening the temperature of the entire place while at the same time, it started to get difficult to breath due to all the smokes. Nevertheless, I returned and plunged myself into the brawl once again, making sure that we wouldn't lose the opportunity to shut these guys down after all this time. However, as I fought the remaining men, a familiar accented voice reached my ears

"Aah, so you're the one giving orders now, Aomine?" all of a sudden, Imayoshi who had been leading the squad fighting the yakuza guys commented on my actions when we incidentally encountered each other, "Not that I'm going to complain though. It is a good decision and you ARE the one who turns the tide."

"…What do you want?" obviously filled with suspicion, I returned his question. There was no way this guy would just talk to me about something so trivial without having any ulterior motive in mind.

"That's really mean. I really am complementing you, you know?" he said with a disappointed look. However, it wasn't until a second later that a thin smile was drawn on his face; his squinted eyes looking at me with a meaningful stare. "Well, I do have something to ask you, though."

"What is it now? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

"Yes, but… Is it really okay for you to be loitering around here right now?" he asked calmly. It seemed that he noticed I didn't get what he meant by that, so still wearing the same smile, he continued. "If you don't go now, it might be too late."

Even with that, I still didn't understand what he was saying…until a sudden realization came crashing to me. I turned back and looked up at the top of a large container sitting there, and at that moment I felt like my heart stopped for a bit.

The blond hair that was supposed to be visible from here was no longer there.

From the distance I could hear the clamor at the pier dying down. Satsuki and Ryou must've managed to call on the reinforcement in time since I did hear the sound of sirens blaring to our directions awhile ago. Right now that place must be swarming with members of the force. It should be enough to prevent anyone from escaping. I could even see the cargo ship still sitting at the pier from here, so they should've successfully stopped the smuggling.

So that leaves only one more problem to take care of…

I had never been in this part of the harbor. Everything was quiet as a grave and the buildings, as well as the other equipment around here, were all worn down if not broken. It was when I accidentally came across the number of the dock that I remembered an article I read in the newspaper a few days ago. This was an older part of the harbor which would be torn down soon since it hadn't been used anymore.

Which led me to another of question of why Kise would come to this abandoned part.

When I saw that he was no longer at the spot where he was supposed to be, I ran to that place and found out that the only thing he left was the rifle. I thought I had lost him once again, but it was at that moment I noticed several dark red spots staining the ground. It seemed that blood had dripped out of his wounds and even though the stains were small and faint, I could trace it along and eventually reached this part of the harbor.

"Kise!" I yelled his name. In response, all I could hear was my own voice echoing back to me throughout the empty place. I clicked my tongue and slammed my fist against the wall on my side. Dozens of questions began to surface in my head. Why did he run away? Why did he leave the pier? Where did he plan to go with all of those injuries? Was he trying to escape from me again? The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I felt. If I were to be honest, I gathered the determination and came this far by believing that I would finally hear the truth from himself, and more importantly, to bring him back with me. If I lost him here… If he slipped through my fingers once again…

"Don't move."

My body froze at that second. It was a very familiar voice and I didn't even have to look back to know who was the owner. Even if I wanted to, I could clearly feel something was pressed against my back, a small yet powerful object that could blast a hole through my chest if he decided to pull the trigger. However, the voice then turned into a chuckle.

"Just kidding," Kise lowered his gun as I looked back at him, "You totally fell for it, didn't you, Aomine-cchi?"

"…Where did you get that?" ignoring his totally-not-funny-joke, I glared down at the small black gun on his hand. I was certain that when I found him in that warehouse, he didn't have anything on him aside of those tattered clothes he was wearing.

"This? One of the guy I shot had this, so I took it from him as I left," he replied casually, "Moreover, is everything okay over there? You look awful, Aomine-cchi."

"…I thought you ran away again," without beating around the bush I told him honestly, making him drew a thin smile as he answered to my remark.

"I'm not running away," he said in a calm voice, slightly looking down at the gun on his hand, "I promised that I would tell you everything if you can find me, and I'm not planning on going back on my own words. It's just that I feel that place isn't suitable for our, let us say, private talk."

He walked passed me, walking up a set of stairs to the second level of the abandoned dock. As I followed him closely, eventually we reached a spacious, completely opened place, probably used to be some sort of helipad. Kise continued walking to the very end of the area and right below him was no other than the sea itself. Waving as it was blown by the night wind, the golden strands of his hair stood in a perfect contrast with the pitch black background.

"So…" he turned to look at me, "What would you like to know, Aomine-cchi?"

"…Are you really one of them?"

There were actually so many questions I wanted to ask him. After that incident, I realized that since the beginning I never really knew anything about him. Perhaps I was too taken away by his pace, I didn't know, but it was true that I never once thought of asking him about his past. Even when I did think of asking him something related to that, I was always reminded of the miserable face he showed when we first met that I always ended up brushing aside the intention to ask. Now that everything had come to this, I wanted to know the truth, more than anything else. And as if he could read my mind, Kise only smiled after hearing my question.

"If you're putting it that way, then the answer is both 'yes' and 'no'," he replied, "Yes because for the past ten years I have been receiving orders to do all sorts of things from them. And No because I have never really become an official member. I'm not even tattooed, see?"

"Then why do you have to do what they told you?"

"I have…no other choice…" while lowering his gaze, Kise laughed bitterly, "My family couldn't pay their debt to the boss, so I was made to work for them until the boss says our debt has been repaid. When I was a kid, the jobs only revolved around helping out at the main house and such. But as I grow up…"

I was waiting for him to continue, but Kise remained silent. As he averted his gaze, I noticed that his fingers were gripping tight at the tip of his own clothes. This…must be what he meant when he said his hands were already dirty.

"But still, you're not one of them. You're just doing what they told you to do because you couldn't fight back," I told him. However, at my words Kise made a painful smile.

"I would've become one of them, Aomine-cchi," he said in a small voice, "There have been so many times when I thought I would give up and let myself fall completely into the darkness of the underworld. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life murdering people and doing all kinds of crimes anyway, I might as well become one of them. All I have to do is to pledge my loyalty to the boss. I'm sure that's what they want me to do since the beginning. But then… I met you…"

The golden spheres in his eyes met mine. I couldn't describe the look he had in it through words, but while I was still struggling with myself to decipher what he was hiding behind that gaze, he already continued.

"I thought someone like me is the lowest kind of person. I hated myself, and sometimes I wished that I could just disappear from this world," he said. There was a brief pause as he kept looking into my eyes, until he once again opened his lips with a soft voice. "…But you saved me…and gave me a place to live even. I had never met anyone who would treat me with such kindness, moreover because you were so sincere about it towards me who was a mere stranger. At that moment, it felt as if all thoughts in my mind vanished into thin air. I wanted to be with you; I wanted to live with you. Whenever we were together, I was always so happy that I couldn't think of anything else. I forgot who I was, where I came from, and what I have done in the past. My mind was filled only with thoughts about you. Now that I think about it, perhaps I have already fallen in love with you since the first time we met."

"…Then, Kise… Why did you return to their side?"

Finally, I found the perfect opportunity to ask him the question I'd been dying to know. Kise slightly lowered his gaze, drawing a thin smile with a pained look on his face.

"Because… It was just a delusion…the time we spent together that is," he answered bitterly, "When they found me and forced me to return by taking my family as hostages, I realized that no matter how hard I tried to be a part of your kind, bright world… I was, am, and will always remain a mere criminal from the underground. If anything, my presence by your side will only make you as dirty as me."

After saying this, he took a few steps forward, signaling that I opened my hands. And when I did, he put the small black gun he'd been holding on my palms.

"…What's this for?" I asked him.

"An evidence to arrest me," he replied calmly, "I have committed a lot of crimes in the past. It is time that I atone for my sins. I saw this gun was used to shoot one of your squad members during the fight. The forensic team only needs to match the ballistic marking. Furthermore, if my fingerprints are found on this gun, it should be enough of an evidence to arrest me officially."

"…?! Don't fuck with me, Kise! I didn't come here so I could arrest you like this!" hearing his last words, the last bit of patience I had left in me flew out of the window. In my head I understood clearly what he had done and what people like him had to face to repent for their crimes. But my heart simply couldn't accept it and brushed away all logics from my mind. "…I'm not giving you away to them. Not in a million years."

"But, Aomine-cchi—"

"Don't you remember, Kise?" I cut his words, "Back then, when you first found out that I'm working in the force, you asked me if I would protect you should you're ever in danger. Don't you still remember what my answer was?"

"…?!"

"That's right," with one hand I caressed the side of his face, "I told you…that even if I'm not a detective, I will still protect you no matter what."

I could hear a small gasp from him as he stood there without moving; eyes went wide in surprise. A drop of tears rolled down the side of his face, and I could see how he bit his lips in order to hold back cries. He understood very well what I meant, I knew he did. However, I would never expect that his next reaction would totally catch me off-guard.

"Aomine-cchi really is very kind…" he smiled as he spoke in shaking voice, "I must be the most fortunate person in this world for having met you. If there is god, I would like to thank him that I was given a chance to know the bliss of having lived by your side, even though only for a short time. I was truly, very happy then. However, there is one thing that I absolutely cannot allow no matter what…"

He wiped the tears away with the back of his hands and looked straight at me.

"…You throwing yourself into the darkness for my sake."

Before I could even open my mouth to answer, he swiftly snatched the gun away from me. With both hands gripping the handle, he pointed the small black hole right towards me.

"What are you—"

"If you won't arrest me, then I will turn myself in," he said firmly, "I will shoot you in the legs so you won't be able to run after me. After that, I will go to your friends and tell them I've shot you. They would definitely take me away since I have the evidence clearly in my hands."

I couldn't believe how quick he could change himself. Not even a minute ago, his voice was shaking and he was on the brink of tears, but now he talked in such a determined voice without leaving any trace of his vulnerable self. I was at complete loss of words. All I could do was to stare at him in disbelief, but at the last moments, I saw his lips drawn into a bitter smile once again as he looked at me with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, Aomine-cchi. I'm truly sorry…" he whispered, "I don't expect to earn your forgiveness this time, but I'd rather have you hate me forever than to see you plunging yourself into my dirty world."

"Kise—"

"I love you, Aomine-cchi. I really do. That's why… I'm sorry…"

A loud bang pierced through the blowing night breeze. I had closed my eyes in reflex, but even after seconds had passed, I didn't feel any pain on my body, not even in the slightest bit. However, as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Kise dropping the gun he was holding before his body effortlessly fell into my arms. And then I realized…how blood had dripped down his body, creating a small red pool on the ground.