Chapter 10: Everything's is going to be just fine...and other lies

In the Armed Detective Agency, being almost death was not being injured at all. That was the magic of Yosan-sensei´s ability, it allowed her companions to be as brave as they had to, it made all sorts of missions possible, it made them strong, powerful beyond their limitations, invencible in their recklessness. Immune

What were bullets and bombs? What her knives and fists? What was bleeding or falling? What was danger when they had the cure? They were a small organization, and yet they managed to keep the city in balance. They were Yokohama´s insurance.

And then, when she died, they were vulnerable.

Nothing was the same after we killed Yosano-sensei.

Kyouka-chan and I intended to save her, that was our honest to God objective. As we ran towards the headquarters our minds raced, thinking of possible ways to save her. Getting in would be no problem, getting out would be impossible, the mere idea of betraying the Mafia was daunting, our resolve was stronger. We were stupid.

Kyouka-chan knew the building like the palm of her expert, scarred hand, and it was easy to get past the scarce security. Mori-san had just been cured, everyone was celebrating. At first it was so very easy that we were convinced of our ability to pull it off. The experienced assassin and the inexperienced spy, what could go wrong? Kyouka-chan kept eyeing her cellphone nervously, as if it were a bomb ready to blow off. She looked awfully worried; we, a pair of orphans with no clear allegiance, were about to betray a powerful criminal organization with influence all over the city, so I attributed her nervousness to that fact. She should've told me, I should've asked. We should've made a plan.

She told me they usually kept prisoners in a detached room on floor 5, so we raced up the stairs and, sure enough, there she was. Her clothes her dirty with blood and she was disheveled, but she broke into a toothy grin when she saw me approach.

"Atsushi-kun." She said. "Not missing any fingers, apparently."

"Yeah, I heal effectively."

"You shouldn't put yourself in situations where you have to. Getting caught by the mafia." She exhaled tirededly. "This kid." She was supposed to be scolding me, but she looked rather happy. "And who's your friend?"

"Right. Yosano-sensei, this is Kyouka-chan, she's an orphan just like me, but she was found by the Mafia and forced to work on some pretty nasty jobs."

"Forced is too strong of a word." Kyouka-chan was looking down. I looked at her. "She doesn't want to work here anymore." She looked terribly innocent for a murderer.

"Kyouka-chan, this is Yosano-sensei, the doctor at the Armed Detective Agency."

"Right, the one we're here to save."

"Huh?" Yosano sensei looked down at us. "You kids are here to save me? The only reason I'm here is that Mr. Kitty over there was unable to stay out of trouble."

"Then let's just save each other and run back to the Agency." I said.

I thought struck me then. They probably got Rampo-san, the super detective, on the case as soon as I went missing, the probably already knew who I was. Once we saved Yosano-sensei, we would be traitors to both the Detective Agency and the Mafia. Kyouka-chan and I would have to go on the run.

"How did you managed to break through the lock?" Yosano-sensei asked. "I've been trying for hours."

"I can break through all kinds of locks" answered Kyouka-chan, pulling a bobby pin off her hair.

If we manage to leave the building as quietly as we came in there'll be no trouble. But because faith knows no mercy, a loud siren began blasting as soon as Yosano sensei stepped out of the door. A tiger's hearing is sensitive, which means my hearing is sensitive, which means I fell to my knees and uselessly clutched my ears in a weak attempt to block out the noise.

Yosano-sensei pulled me up and Kyouka motioned for me to move.

We started running, but I was slowing us down in my daze. The alarm drilled into my head with increasing strength, and then, Kyouka stopped death on her tracks, her eyes filling with panic.

The phone was vibrating on her chest, creating small creases on her red riding-hood.

"No" she said softly at first, but then started shouting it. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" But she grabbed in with shaky hands, as if compelled by its ringing. The voice on the other side of the line was definitely Akutagawa-senpai, his message was definitely no good.

"We know you're on the building. Our prisoner is escaping. kill the doctor."

"I don't want to." said Kyouka, pulling the phone away from her ear slowly.

A smoky figure materialized behind her. It was a giant woman in a kimono holding a katana, her face hidden behind a mask. It looked like a ghost or a vengative angel, it looked dangerous.

"Run!" Shouted Kyouka. "Leave! Please run! Please!" She collapsed, sobbing, nothing like the doll-like girl I'd first met. I had to help her, I had to…

Yosano-sensei grabbed at my arm and pulled.

"We'll come back for her" She said as we ran, but it didn't sound convincing at all. She probably said it as much for me as for her.

Then I saw him. "Nakahara-san."

"What did you say?" She asked.

And then Nakahara-san stepped out of the shadows. "Why don't you hold the doctor down just long enough for Kyouka's Demon Snow to kill her. Atsushi-kun"

"You betrayed us." She said squeezing my arm harshly before letting it go. "We picked you up from the streets and you betrayed us." The shock in her eyes gave way to hatred and disgust. Did she finally see me for the terrible human being I was?

"I picked him up from the streets." Nakahara-san intervened. "He was never on your side."

Panic-spread all through my body. Would I have to fight Nakahara-san? Could I even do it?

Yosano-sensei turned away to leave, I grabbed at her wrist

"Sensei please wait." Maybe we could hold him back together.

"You…" she snapped back. And I could see it on her eyes. I could see my reflection, the way she saw me, I could see my miserable self and her pain and anger, and then I could see her shock and the blood spraying. I could almost see the members of the Agency frantically looking for her, then mourning her, breaking apart. I could almost see the rapture, the hole where Yosano-sensei should´ve been.

I could see her body growing limp and then falling, I could feel it were my hand and her wrist connected. A hero, a hardworking woman who'd dedicated her life to helping people, a strong person, an amazing human being, and then I could see her body land on the cold floor, her head separated from the rest, a dead body lying at the feet of Kyouka' s demon.

"Even for the Armed Detective Agency." Nakahara-san said. "Death is final."

Then Kyouka-chan herself stepped in.

"Seems like our plan worked Atsushi" her voice was cracking, but if Nakahara-san noticed, he gave no indication of it.

"Plan?" He asked.

"Atsushi and I saw her make a run for it. He wasn't sure he could take her on his own and I can't control Demon Snow myself." She came to stand beside me. "So we decided to play along with her until Akutagawa-senpai noticed and gave us an order."

"I see." He said. "You orphans make a fine team."

"Yeah." I answered, trying to sound energetic but failing miserably.

"Anyways." Nakahara-san didn't look bothered at all, even as blood started to pull under sensei. I looked at her expectantly, holding onto the hope of her managing to cure herself. This was the amazing Yosano-sensei, there were no wounds she couldn't heal.

"Did you learn anything about the brothers?" He asked, moving on as if nothing big had happened.

"Yeah. Some things."

"Good, because Mori-san is asking for you." The boss himself?

"They used a strange ability on me." Intervened Kyouka-chan, holding up one side of her white skirt. "I should go too, to report on what Atsushi didn't see."

"Sure." Nakahara-san lead us away. I grabbed on to Kyouka's shaky hand in an attempt to steady it, but mine weren't that firm either.

"I'm scared" She whispered so faintly that I could barely hear it.

"Don't worry." I said as much for her as for me. "Everything is going to be just fine." But it didn't sound so convincing, and it wasn't.

I looked back.

Kyouka's demon was gone… and Yosano-sensei was still death.

….

I absolutely hate myself for this.

And for what is to come.

-Shikakku