A Darker Path

TheReaperCometh

Chapter 9

"Remains to be seen"

POV Karasuma

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Right after Nagisa raced out the door, I ungraciously passed out against the wall after reading the email from director Shinji. Luckily, I woke up just a few minutes later, albeit with a splitting headache. I look at my phone: 5:32 a.m.

Unfortunately, there's no way I'll be able intercept Nagisa before he reaches his house, in my current state. He's probably walking through the front door right this moment, about to witness the result of the most atrocious and irredeemable side humanity has to offer.

Takaoka, that bastard...it can't be sheer coincidence that he happened to break out of his imprisonment last night, mere hours before everything went to shit.

Nagisa... as if his situation wasn't shitty enough already.

I clench my fists and grit my teeth. In desperate need of an outlet for my frustration, I lash out at the wall with my fist, punching a hole through it.

I've failed so many people, so many times recently.

I feel the vicious voice from earlier begin to surface from deep within my subconscious again, echoing and overlapping with itself in a cacophony of white noise.

This is not helping me get over my headache.

I stagger upstairs and hop in a cold shower - a jolt to my nervous system which my body loathes, but my mind graciously appreciates. The admonishing voices recede back in my mind, leaving only silence. Finally.

I leave the shower feeling renewed and refreshed, and dress into my suit and tie. I smack my lips and grimace at how dry and stale my breath is: the putrid stench of a late night drinker. Just another one of many reasons I've always avoided alcohol. I rinse my mouth quickly with mouthwash.

I look at my watch. 5:42.

Meeting starts in 18 minutes. Despite nobody being in the house, I surreptitiously walk down the stairs: perhaps as a subconscious effort to suppress the throbbing in my temples.

I slip on my shoes and head out to my car. I pull out of the garage, and just as I reach the end of my driveway, my foot, as though with a mind of its own, slams into the brakes. I look both ways.

The left leads to Nagisa's house. The right, leads to work.

Bakama Shinji's message was urgent; and anything regarding Takaoka is the apogee of my concerns right now.

But Nagisa… I need to be there for him. He needs support. And I don't know how long this conference will be: I want to visit my students at the hospital as early as they'll accept visitors.

I'm a very decisive person. But in this moment, I can't help but dither.

I look at the clock. 5:45. Dammit, come on Karasuma. At this rate, I won't have time to do either.

I startle as an abnormally large crow lands on my hood. When it notices me watching it, it tilts its head to the side and opens its beak wide to emit a shrill squawk. It then turns and flies away, leaving behind a single dark feather. Compelled by some strange impulse, I reach out my window to pick it up, only to have a sudden wind carry it tantalizingly out of reach. I follow its ethereal form gently glide through the air down my street, in the direction of Nagisa's house.

I'm not a particularly superstitious person, but I'd be a fool to ignore a sign like that.

I haven't been there for my students when they've needed me most. I won't continue to fail them.

I take out my phone and send a reply to Director Shinji.

'Won't be at the meeting in time. Something urgent came up. Start without me. Will be there as soon as I can'

Send.

I take my foot off the brake and drive off in the direction of Nagisa's house. After a couple minutes, I notice a crow roosting on top of a streetlight. Based on its size, I think it's the same one that landed on my hood.

A pit forms in my stomach. The sinister voice returns.

You won't get there in time… you will continue to fail your students, until they either hate you, or die.

I shake my head. I'll be there. No matter what happens, I'll help Nagisa through this. I'll help all my students through this.

We'll see. But do you really think they'll exculpate you, after you sent them down such a tragic path? You don't actually THINK things can return to the way they were, do you? There's already blood on your hands, and even if it washes away, there'll always be a stain.

Before I can reply, the voice disappears again.

My eyes widen as I jerk the wheel, having almost missed the turn. Thankfully there were no other cars on the road. I let out a long sigh of relief. I pull into a divot in the road and park along the curb next to a mailbox. I take my hands off the wheel and rub my eyes forcefully.

In all my years since I got my license, I've never let myself become distracted while driving. I take my hands away from my eyes, gazing tiredly out the windshield.

Thats when my vision focuses on a captivating scene about a half mile down the empty road.

I can see a car parked in the middle of the intersection, with all its doors swung open. But there's also a group of people in the street. Was there an accident? No. There's no other car in the vicinity.

They're... fighting? Or at least, they were fighting, and it's just wrapping up now. I count six people, four of whom are on the ground. Only one, a man in an expensive grey suit, is left standing, dragging a limp figure towards the vehicle.

Two familiar colors flash out at me.

Two heads, one red and one blue.

One on the ground, and one being dragged away.

My heart skips a beat. It's them.

See, what did I tell you? You'll always be too late.

The guilty voice states with a condescending tone.

Rage swells inside of me and I push the car door open so forcefully it flies off the hinges, clattering noisily against the pavement.

I leap out and race towards my imperiled students, pumping my legs as hard as possible.

I see Nagisa being heaved into the backseat of the vehicle. He's completely unmoving. I can't tell if he's knocked out or…

No. These men wouldn't go through the trouble of taking corpses with them. They must want them alive.

One of the bastards is strangling Karma, which inspires me to push my legs even harder.

My blood is boiling.

Do they not know what these boys have been through?!

Not only that, but the fact that four of them ganged up on two high schoolers infuriates me even more.

What cowardice.

Although seeing two of them crudely disposed of on the ground tells me this dastardly tactic was somewhat warranted, and a sense of pride swells within me for Nagisa and Karma's handiwork.

But it's not enough to quell my hatred.

I'll kill them.

The ugly mother fucker on top of Karma looks up at me in confusion as he hears my footsteps approaching.

After a devastating windup, I swing my leg at an incredible speed, like a battle-axe, hoping to cleave right through him. As my foot slams into his side, a crude cracking of bone erupts from the man's ribcage. I lift up at the end of the kick's arc, launching the large man through the air.

That felt good.

Karma begins to gasp for air immediately, an alarmed and oxygen-deprived expression on his face.

He rolls off his back on his hands and knees and takes in laboured breaths.

"Ouchie…" The large man cries out childishly, clutching his side. He slowly rises to his feet nonetheless.

He regards me with contempt, but I level a much more sinister stare his way, and his angry front quickly degrades to fear.

Still, to be able to get up immediately after I had just delivered what was possibly my strongest kick ever is nearly unfathomable. I notice slight swelling and bruising on his brutish face, and a slight limp on his left leg. My kick to his ribs could not have attenuated his leg. I glance down at Karma and grab him by the back of his shirt and heft him to his feet.

His face is equally brutalized. I'm impressed Karma was actually able to inflict noticeable damage on such a powerful opponent.

With laboured breaths, he looks up at me. I know he can't speak right now. But his eyes convey his gratitude.

"You fought well. Now rest. I'll take care of the rest" I tell him reassuringly. He nods slowly and slumps back to the ground.

"Nagisa…" he chokes out. This small expenditure of air sends him into a coughing fit, his body mercilessly reminding him of how he can't afford to waste oxygen.

My eyes travel past the gorilla man and land upon a sagacious looking old man, who returns my gaze with a hint of amusement in his eyes. My eyes fall upon his cane, with a glistening blade protruding from the end, dripping with a suspicious looking liquid. Glancing at Nagisa, I see he's definitely alive - but dazed, and slipping in and out of consciousness right now. I narrow my eyes at the old man.

"Is it lethal?"

He gives me an inquisitive look, as if not understanding my question at first. He then chuckles.

"Hoho, straight to the point I see? Mr. No-nonsense, skip-the-pleasantries Karasuma. Yes, I've heard much about you from our employer. No, it's not lethal. Lucky for you, our boss wants the boys alive."

Well that's some good news. I relax a little.

"Who the hell are you? Who hired you?" I hiss.

The old man laughs again.

"Well, I can answer one of those questions." He motions to the large man standing before me.

"That there is Curtis. He's a bit slow, if you know what I mean. Really closer to a primate than a man."

Then he motions to an incapacitated fellow on the ground wearing a horrendous yellow suit, stained with blood. He has a horribly beaten face, making the discernment of his facial features nearly impossible. His left arm is bent at a sickening angle.

"That's Harold. Your blue haired student really did a number on him, I tell you. He's a real dangerous one!" He adds with a laugh, reaching behind his back and patting an incoherent Nagisa on the head.

My eyes widen.

Nagisa did that?

I look between the demented form of Harold and Nagisa's small and unintimidating stature.

I feel satisfied, yet also a little disconcerted at the same time.

I think Nagisa is the single most equally impressive and terrifying person I've ever met. Who'd have thought that underneath the reserved, affable, and affectionate personality, lies the dichotomizing split personality of a ruthless and talented assassin.

"As for me," The old man continues: "who I am isn't important. I was hoping to avoid coming into contact with you tonight, as it seems your reputation precedes you."

He stands up and walks over until he's side by side with Curtis. The gargantuan is breathing heavily, still clutching his side.

"But it seems you leave us no choice. Unless of course, you would be willing to allow us to go, with the boys in tow. I think it would make things easier for all parties present, what say you?"

I blink.

Is he serious?

"That better be rhetorical, or your poor attempt at a joke"

The old man sighs.

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't go for it. But can't blame me for trying, eh? I just wanna get home as quick as possible and rest these weary bones"

"Play time again, boss?" Curtis speaks up.

"Hrm? Er, yes Curtis, but make let's make it quick, alright? Karasuma doesn't wanna play and I'm getting tired."

I've never encountered such eccentric hitmen before.

"I'll give you one more chance. Give me the boys and leave now…" I spit out

The old man raises a bushy eyebrow: "orrrr… what?"

"Or, I kill you. Either way, myself and the two boys are leaving here alive. Whether you get to as well is entirely up to you" I say as coldly as possible.

Curtis frowns.

The old man laughs and spits my words back at me: "That better be rhetorical, or your poor attempt at a joke."

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't go for it. But you can't blame me for trying" I mock.

The old man chuckles and levels his cane my way. His face turns serious.

"Enough! Let us break this loop of deja-vu and let our bodies decide our fates, hmm?"

Curtis, unable to contain his rambunctious vim, charges at me. The old man is just as surprised as I am to see the simpleton race towards me, giggling childishly.

I'm sick of him already, and my agitation which had just been starting to subside returns violently. Right now I want nothing more than to see every bone in this ape-man's body broken. He throws a heavily telegraphed haymaker my way, made even more deadly by a brass knuckle. I easily bob under it.

Weaving to the side, I bob back up and drive my heel into the titan's knee. He lets out a wail and comes crashing down to one knee.

I grab the back of his head, pulling his thick skull down whilst driving my knee upwards into his jaw. A splatter of warm blood explodes from his mouth and a few golden teeth fly out. He nearly bit the entire tip of his tongue clean off.

I bring my knee back down and am about to bring it back up, when suddenly I notice the old man's movements.

He closes the gap between us surprisingly quick for someone who just wants to 'rest his weary bones'. My eyes widen as I instinctively arc my body to the side and suck in my gut as far as possible to dodge his vicious thrust. It slices clean through the midriff of my suit. I felt no prick, so assume I'm okay. I start to lift my leg to throw a kick at the old man's head when suddenly I can't lift my leg anymore. I shoot a look behind me and see Curtis has seized my leg with both of his meaty hands. I thought he was knocked out.

I try to wrench my leg free with two violent jerks, but it's no use. He's got it in a secure vice grip, his abnormally large hands clasped around my entire shin. The old man pivots around, and with a graceful spin sends another thrust my way.

"Great work Curtis, hold 'im still!"

Time slows down for me as the snake lunges for my chest with hungry eyes.

Shit.

I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable feeling of the snake's fang sinking into my flesh.

But it never comes.

I hear the old man gasp in surprise, and I open my eyes to see Karma tackling him to the ground. The old man loses his grip on his cane and the tow of them tumble to the ground in an unseemly pile. The two start to grapple, which would normally result in a swift and easy win for Karma, but he's exhausted, so the two begin to struggle against each other evenly, rolling around on the ground fighting for the top position.

Suddenly, I feel my leg being lifted and I'm pushed forward. Off balance, I turn around and hit Curtis on the top of his head with my fist. My strike didn't seem to inflict that much damage, and my back quickly becomes mercilessly acquainted with the pavement. Curtis releases my leg and tries to get on top of me, but I swiftly retract my legs, so that my feet are pressed against Curtis' body. With a grunt, I exert my leg muscles as hard as I can, pushing Curtis' hefty mass off of me. He must weigh close to 300 pounds.

Following the momentum of my legs kicking up in the air, I spring myself up off my back and land on my feet, a move I vividly remember watching jackie-chan do many times in awe as a kid. Curtis starts to get back up, but I kick my leg upwards before he can get to his feet, slamming into his jaw once more.

I can almost feel the cracks form in his shattered jaw against the top of my foot, as his head snaps upwards and he falls backwards. His head rolls to the side, mouth agape with a steady trickle of blood pouring out of his nearly severed tongue. He's out cold.

I turn lethargically to Karma. He's back on his feet, but looks completely spent. The old man is pressing him, and Karma is barely keeping up. Seems the old man reclaimed his trick weapon.

With weary eyes, I take note for the first time how misleading the old man's appearance is. He has such a soft demeanour and friendly voice, like the narrator of a children's book - but like Nagisa, underneath the elaborate facade, is an equally sophisticated killer. His movements are practiced and fluid, betraying his age. He uses his momentum well, and a single misstep against his calculated strikes would result in immediate defeat. Every strike comes within centimetres of Karma, and I find it miraculous he hasn't been lacerated yet. Neither of them take note of my approach, completely enthralled in their duel. I watch the old man's movements a little longer to get a feel for his movements, like a child watching the movement of a jump rope in anticipation, getting a feeling for the rope's timing and waiting for the perfect moment to jump into the fray.

The moment arises and I jump in, seizing the old man's extended wrist as he thrusts what would've been an inescapable strike to Karma had I not intercepted. The old man's eyes widen in surprise but quickly shut in agony as I snap his wrist back with ease. He releases his cane, which begins to fall to the ground.

I catch it in midair, and with a swift motion, I swing the blade and cut the old man's leg.

The old man's knees wobble and he takes a few trembling steps backwards before collapsing to the ground, grasping at his chest as the poison begins to take effect.

"Y-you…" He manages to croak out in a raspy voice, before closing his eyes. His breathing slows, and a peculiar smile graces his lips as he succumbs to the toxins.

Karma falls to the ground, unconscious. Luckily I noticed him teetering, and was able to catch him in time and set him down gently before he concussed himself against the pavement. It seems he had been cut by the cane more than once, as I notice several graze marks. His adrenaline must have fueled his coherence just long enough to see his fight through. I smile down at him admirably.

I take a look around me.

What a shit show. I pull out my phone, which now has a narrow crack marring its screen. 2 notifications from Director Shinji. I have neither the energy nor the desire to address him right now. I'm sure he'll be cross with me later, but he'll surely understand. I dial 911 and call the police, giving a brief description of who I am and the incident that just occurred. The operator tells me the nearest police officers are 13 km away, currently apprehending a pair of cat burglars. I tell her to hurry up in the most patient voice I can muster, reiterating once more that many people here are critically injured. She apologizes, explaining that most of the police force is spread thin, what with all the kerfuffle last evening. The next closest unit she can dispatch is 21 km away, with an ETA of 7 minutes. She assures me that an ambulance should be arriving around the same time as well. I thank her for her time and hang up.

Taking a deep breath I walk over to our assailants' vehicle, which upon closer inspection I realize is almost identical to my own. I open the driver's door, stepping over a weeping man curled up on the pavement, clutching at his eyes in pain.

Time for some answers.

I begin foraging through the glove compartment in hopes of finding something that will give me a clue regarding the identity of whoever it is that wants Karma and Nagisa both alive.

I find a vial of a suspicious purple liquid, presumably and almost assuredly the poison coating the old man's cane. It has a small label on its lid, listing a number of chemical compounds. I'm no chemist, but I'm sure this'll help the doctors create an antivenom to counter its effects. I'll have one of my liaisons from work analyze the substance, and maybe tell me when/where it had been produced.

Most of the other stuff in the vehicle is typical stuff. A small handheld mirror, an empty bottle of tylenol, a kleenex box, and a pair of extravagant shades clipped to the driver's sun visor.

The last thing I check is the passenger sun visor. When I pull it down, a substantially filled envelope falls out on the seat. It reeks of under the table transaction. I tear it open and see a large sum of bills inside the envelope. I don't have time to count it all, but from thumbing through the wad of cash quickly it seems to be about $50,000. I scan the front of the envelope for a name or address, but it's completely blank. I reach for my phone again and climb out of the vehicle, moving to the front of the vehicle. I snap a picture of the license plate and send it to one of my colleagues, a real computer geek named Ottawa, asking him to run it through the system. Hopefully something will turn up and give us a lead.

I hear siren's approaching, a police car and an ambulance, as both vehicles come swerving around the corner, lights flashing. They come to a screeching stop, two officers and 3 paramedics climb out of their respective vehicles. Two paramedics quickly assess the situation and examine each of the wounded, then hastily rush back to the ambulance to get the stretcher and a defibrillator. They're yelling medical jargon to one another, and from this distance I can't hear everything they say, just bits and pieces like "internal bleeding" and "ruptured", as well as "prolapsed". I start to worry from all the serious terms, but I soon realized none of them were used in reference to Karma or Nagisa. Mainly the poor yellow man and Curtis. Meanwhile, the two officers and the third medic cautiously make their way towards me. I raise my hands in surrender to put them at ease.

I shoot a quick glance at Nagisa, sleeping soundly in the backseat. His breathing seems normal and he doesn't appear to be in any discomfort.

"I'm detective Shirabe, and this is lieutenant Toiwase. Are you the one who called 911, Mr… Karasuma, is it?" A slender man says in an accommodating tone.

"Yes, that's me."

The paramedic opens his mouth but I cut him off, thrusting the vial of poison towards him.

"Here, take this. It's the poison that was administered to the boy behind me, the red-haired boy over there, and the old man. I was assured that they weren't given lethal doses"

The medic examines the bottle with glaring curiosity before he nods his head determinately and heads back to confer with his co-workers. The detective clears his throat to regain my attention before continuing.

"Mr. Karasuma, where were you before you came upon the scene of the crime?"

I look at him with bewilderment, but before I can protest, he cuts me off.
"Relax, sir, we're just going to ask you a few simple, standard procedure witness questions, and your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. You should know how this works" he chuckles wistfully.

"Now, tell me where you were before you came across this…" he says as he motions towards our surroundings.

"I was at my house, a 5 minute drive from here that way". I tell him my address, and lieutenant Toiwase scribbles it down on a notepad.

"Okay, and why were you up at this hour, driving towards the crime scene?"

"I was headed to work."

"And where do you work?"

With a flick of my jacket I flash my special field agents badge clipped on my hip, as well as my gun holster.

"Can I see that for a moment?"

I unclip it from my waist and hand it to him.

Shirabe looks at it scrutinizingly, determining its authenticity. Satisfied, he nudges his partner in the shoulder telling him to write my badge number and ID down.

Shirabe motions to my empty gun holster.

"Where's your firearm right now?"

"At my house."

"Why isn't it with you?"

"I wasn't going to need it. I was just heading for a conference meeting with some colleagues and Director Shinji. I knew I wouldn't need my gun there" I casually toss in the director's name for added effect. The mention of the director however barely resonates with the detective.

"Yet you still brought your gun holster?" He presses.

"I always keep it attached to my belt, so when I put my belt on this morning it was already attached. I didn't think to remove it."

Shirabe nods understandingly. Then he asks the one question I was hoping he wouldn't

"If memory serves me, National Defense HQ is the complete opposite direction from here if your house is the starting point. Why were you headed this way?"

I can't go into detail right now. It would take too long and he probably wouldn't believe me. So I tell a quick lie. As long as it's somewhat believable, my credibility as a high ranking field agent should keep me in the clear.

"I was going to get my morning coffee."

"Where?"

I blurt out the nearest one that comes to mind.

"Starbucks".

The detective raises an eyebrow.

"I never would have taken you for a Starbucks kind of person. What were you going to order?" He asks without missing a beat.

He's trying to trip me up. A classic trick investigators use to interrogate witnesses that could be potential suspects is to bombard them with seemingly trivial and meaningless questions and force people to elaborate on their answers more than they likely would've prepared for in advance if they were lying. Questions that have very simple, quick answers, like the ones he's asking right now, make people nervous, and are usually the ones that trip criminals up in their alibis.

"Dark roast, no sugar, two milks."

He continues asking me questions for a couple more minutes, things like what my relationship was with the victims, what I knew about the assailants, any contact information I have regarding family members of the two students.

Most of my answers consisted of short, uncooperative, "that's classified" type of responses, or along the lines of "I'm not at liberty to discuss that". I can tell my lame responses are frustrating Shirabe to no end, but he puts in an admirable effort to conceal it, his tone unreflecting of a single hint of negative emotions.

"Alright well that'll be all for now, Karasuma. Thank you for your time. I'll likely be in contact with you at some point over the next few days to clear some things up as I continue my investigation".

He nudges his partner, startling him from his scribbling of notes.

"Have a good day" Shirabe says as he climbs in his car and begins driving off, keeping his eyes locked on me the whole time.

I see the three paramedics close the doors of their ambulance, having successfully loaded all 5 people" They start getting into their vehicle and turn the engine on.

I race over to the driver's window and knock on the window with the back of my hand. The paramedic at the wheel noticeably jumps at the sound and frantically rolls down the window.

I flash him my federal badge, to which he shoots me a wide eyed quizzical look. I muster up my most authoritative voice.

"I'll be taking the two boys in my care, effective immediately."

"I'm not legally allowed to let you do that that, sir, -"

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I've been ordered to take both the boys back into protective care. It's not safe for them or anyone around them. Taking them to a public hospital could put everyone in danger. And it's your duty to save lives, isn't it?"

"W-well yes, but the boys are wounded and need to be treated at a hospital. I'm sorry but I can't let you take them under your-"

"Are their lives in jeopardy?" I interject.

He hesitates a moment. "No, but-"

"And they're in stable condition right?"

"For now, but one of they've both sustained moderate damage, and toxic residue is still present in their bloodstream."

"It's not lethal though, and my people can easily treat those things. One of my colleagues is currently working on a treatment for the poison and is preparing doctors of our own as we speak for their arrival, where we can treat them in a secure location that will ensure everyone's safety"

He goes silent, surely in a state of morale turmoil.

"I won't ask again. Open the back doors" I say sternly.

Finally the paramedic nods and slowly gets out of the ambulance, leading me to the back and opening the heavy doors. His two colleagues are already in the back, unstrapping the students from their stretchers. They each hand me one of them, and I sling each over one of my shoulders.

"Thanks for your cooperation"

The paramedic nods despondently, as though feeling guilty.

"You're doing the right thing. You're preventing a huge potential loss of life." I assure him.

He starts to shut the cumbersome doors again when suddenly my blood goes cold.

"Wait"

He stops just before they seal shut, leaving them slightly ajar, and looks back at me gingerly with a puzzled expression.

"Open it again" I order

He cooperates and unknowingly confirms that my eyes had not deceived me.

There are only two other people on stretchers.

I sporadically spin around and scan our immediate surrounding, and the spot where I had recalled him last falling. No trace of him.

"Sir?" The paramedic inquires.

"Where's the old man!?' I say, raising my voice, despite my best efforts to conceal my alarm.

"What old man?"

Shit. How did that geezer elude us? Where could he have gone? I remember striking him with his poisoned blade, it should be impossible for him to even be awake right now, let alone get up and sneak away right under our noses.

"Nevermind" I mutter through gritted teeth. I turn around and storm off, leaving a dumbfounded paramedic with a blank expression on his face.

I gently set both Nagisa and Karma in the backseat of my car and plop myself down behind the wheel. I look in the mirror and stare at the two boys' slumbering forms for a long while, trying to figure out the best course of action.

Of course the explanation I gave the paramedics was improvised, but in hindsight, it actually seems like the best thing to do. I'll have them safely treated under guarded supervision, and I can speak with the Director about the state of things.

But there's something I need to do first.

I turn the keys and the engine roars to life.

But rather than turning around and heading towards HQ, I continue driving forward.

To Nagisa's house.

I need to see his mother for myself.

I had dithered on whether or not I should inform the police or paramedics about Nagisa's mother's corpse, but ultimately came to the conclusion that it would do more harm than good. Detective Shirabe seems like a capable individual, and he could pose complications for me in the future. Last thing I need is to pique his interest and captivate his attention to the case wholeheartedly. And if there's any residue or signs of a tentacle monster, or serum, I can't risk letting this incident become a public affair.

My car comes to a stop right in front of Nagisa's house at the end of the driveway.

I take my hands off the wheel and glance back at Nagisa and Karma, still out like lights, their chests rising and falling with each shallow breath. I climb out of the car, leaving the engine running and the headlights on. I won't be long, all I want to do is perform my own preliminary assessment and then call HQ to retrieve the body, clean up the mess, and do an extensive autopsy. With a little luck, they'll find some traces of tentacle serum or some of the attacker's DNA.

I reach for the doorknob and pause for a minute.

I've seen my fair share of horrible, gory messes through my line of work. On a much grander scale.

But that doesn't mean it's now something I can jauntily walk into and not even bat an eye.

I open the door with an insidious creak, and step inside. All the lights are off as expected. I feel around the walls for a light switch but can't seem to find it. Seriously, no entrance light?

I take a few tentative steps forward through the darkness, and my toes hit a stiff object.

I know immediately what it is, a limb under the effect of rigor mortis. I reach around a corner with an arm into what I presume to be the kitchen, based on Karma's candid description.

I flick the lights on, and I immediately grimace.

It's just as awful as described, and it makes sense that Karma was so caught off guard and traumatized.

Blood everywhere, seemingly more than a single human body could've possible contained.

Exposed guts and innards, a horrifically maimed and demented corpse.

But other than a grimace, it elicits nothing from me.

Because the sad truth is, I've seen it all before.

In fact, I have no issue in approaching the body for closer inspection. The wound on her chest is, for lack of a better word, impressive. At first I thought someone had blasted her chest wide open with a shotgun, or something alike. But the way her ribs protrude outwards instead of inwards, indicates that it was actually just completely torn open. Something incredibly unstable and powerful must've done this.

Crouched low, deep in thought, I don't hear the creep of unsteady footfalls behind me.

Or the sharp inhale of oxygen, coming from a newly inconsolable boy.

But I do hear the sound of a body hitting the floor, and the jarring scream of uninhibited terror.

Or the sound of someone's final string of sanity, snapping violently, echoing around the room. A tear that will never be mended.

I jump up and whirl around to the broken student of mine, hyperventilating out of panic and disbelief, frantically clawing at the puddle of his mother's blood which surrounds him.

"M-m-mom…" His weak voice trails off, degrading into a fit of sobbing. Oddly enough, his gaze doesn't leave the remains of his mother.

I do what comes naturally, my body moving on its own accord.

I walk over to Nagisa and place myself obstructively between him and his mother, kneeling down into the puddle of blood. I feel strangely uncomfortable, as if I'm intruding upon an intimate reunion between mother and son. But he continues to stare right at my chest, as if staring through me, still looking at his mother.

I take his head into my arms and embrace him. He doesn't resist. In a situation for which words cannot hope to serve well, this is the only thing I can think of doing.

When suddenly, taken by surprise, I feel him go silent and his posture softens, no longer shaking. I release Nagisa and look at his face.

For I sensed the unfathomable amendment of his sanity. The final string of his sanity, which was so violently ripped apart, becomes connected once again.

But it isn't the same.

It wasn't a clean reconnection.

The two ends were superficially tied back together, leaving a weak, gnarled bulge at their junction.

A chill goes down my spine as a genuine smile graces the boy's soft complexion. His tears stop flowing, and in a hushed, relieved tone, he whispers:

"Hi mom. I'm home!"

A/N :O poor Nagisa, he's finally snapped. Sorry if that last bit was distastefully poetic for some of you, it's just how I felt like writing it lol.

Next chapter: Wait and find out!