So this was how the world ended. Yusuke buried his face in his hands, but no tears came. He had known in his head that this happiness could not last, that he was a schoolboy and Sae was a sophisticated attorney who had held the world in the palm of her hand. But that happiness had been so seductive that he had allowed himself to forget. And now she was gone and there was only a hollow emptiness where his heart had been.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there staring before the study door opened and Sensei approached. His face had pulled into a frown, and his eyes were soft. "Well, Ms. Niijima certainly left in a great hurry." He stopped to stand before Yusuke. "Oh, my poor boy. What happened to you?"

Yusuke looked up at him. For once, the traitorous voice in his heart was silent. He had doubted Sensei and dreamed of his independence because Sae had taught him to dream. But Sae was gone and Sensei was still here. Sensei needed him. "She doesn't want me anymore. You were right, and I was wrong. Oh, Sensei…"

"There, there. She always was fickle and cruel. Women often are." He patted Yusuke on the shoulder. "May your humble teacher offer you some advice? The trick is to throw yourself right back into your work. And with the exhibit so close, I can't have you wallowing in heartbreak. I need your skill."

Yusuke blinked. Paint? Now? He felt as if some part of his heart had left with Sae and carried all his artistic skill away. "How can I paint when I'm like this?"

"You simply need the proper inspiration. What about your earlier idea of painting the perfect woman? I admit I had my doubts, but it is a classic subject."

He had almost forgotten the idea. When he had fallen in love, he had discarded the idea of mythical perfection in favor of a real woman with all her scars and flaws. The ideal had seemed childish instead of noble. "You really think that will work?"

"Why not? If it was good enough for the masters, it's good enough for you." He paused, thinking. "I think it's time that I stopped treating you like a child. If you're old enough to get your heart broken, then you're old enough to paint a nude."

Heat spread across Yusuke's cheeks. Nudes had always seemed to be something that other, more worldly artists did. He couldn't imagine a stranger exposing the most intimate parts of themselves to him of all people. Sae had made it sound like part of her lovers' games. He had imagined in the dark of night seeing her and painting her as her former boyfriend had done, but asking had seemed impossible. "I don't know. I wouldn't even know how to find someone."

"Oh, there are any number of models eager for the exposure. Pardon the pun." He chuckled. "And quite willing to soothe your heartbreak afterwords if you take my meaning. You've been used, Yusuke. You may as well use back."

Yusuke stared back at him. Was this all that the world came down to? People using each other for glory and pleasure and then throwing each other away? Were his notions of decency as faulty as his notions of love? It shouldn't be so. And yet, and yet… "I place myself at your direction as always, Sensei."

"Excellent!" Sensei clapped his hands together. "I'll bring the car around, and we'll go to an agency that I know."

Fifteen minutes later they were stuck in the grind of Shibuya traffic, and Yusuke had a knot in his stomach. This was a foolish idea. No woman in her right mind would pose for him. He would be a blushing and stammering mess at best. If only-

Then he saw her: a flash of blonde hair amid a sea of black. Natural blonde too, not dyed like the boy next to her. Regular, aesthetically pleasing features. The sort of girl in every other painting in his art books. And if she lacked the curious magnetism that had made Sae beautiful to him, perhaps that was all to the good. There was no telling where a magnet could lead you. But this girl who was just exotic enough would allow him to create the kind of art Sensei and the rest of the world expected him to create. "Her," he murmured. "That's my model. Excuse me, Sensei."

He opened the car door and was out on the sidewalk before Sensei could say anything. He walked briskly toward the unknown girl. She wore a Shujin uniform, like Makoto. No, he would not think of any Niijima. They were his past. This girl was his future.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Yusuke blinked. The boy with the dyed hair stood right in front of him. "Sorry?"

"Don't give me that crap! You've been following us for half a block. Are you some kind of pervert stalker?"

Pervert stalker? Yusuke couldn't help himself. He laughed. Despite what Sensei said, carnal desire had vanished from his heart. "No, nothing of the kind. I'm an artist, and I wanted her to be the model for my new art piece."

The two stared at him but the girl recovered first. "Modeling? I mean, I've done some, but never for an artist."

"Then you would already have more experience than most." He fished his card case from his pocket and handed her one. "My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, apprentice of the great artist Madarame."

"Madarame? Isn't that the guy N-"

He was cut off by the girl elbowing him in the ribs. "Madarame? I've seen him on TV." A shadow passed over her face. "I might take you up on this offer. I've always wanted to see what Madarame was like. And who knows, maybe my friends and I can do something for you."

Yusuke frowned. "Your friends? I admit male nudes might be intriguing, but it's not what I'm looking for at the moment."

"Nude?" She paled. "I don't know about that. "

"I knew you were a pervert."

"No, I'm merely an artist seeking to overcome a profound disappointment." He looked again at their uniforms. Of course they would be skeptical after all that business with Kamoshida. He thought suddenly, unwillingly of Sae. He should have at least tried to convince her. Modeling should be an act of intimacy and trust, not something to be asked for on the street corner as if the models were food vendors. "You're more than welcome to bring your friends, and I promise I will take every care to make you feel safe." Sensei would have said that he was being overcautious, but he would keep his honor in this even if the rest of the world was fickle and cruel. "I have no prurient interest in you. I doubt I will have such interest for some time."

She thought. "Then I'll do it. My name is Ann Takamaki by the way. This is Ryuji. Maybe we can see each other soon."

"We got him!"

Sae let out a long breath. She had wanted to get as far away from organized crime as she could, but fate had pulled her back. Madarame had been as good as his word, and his records have let them to one Shuji Fujiwa, the owner of an import-export business with more wealth than taste. Rumored associate of half a dozen yakuza families and a persistent pain in the ass to everyone in the the organized crime investigation unit for the past twenty years. Her father included.

She took the warrant from her bag. "Yes you did. I'll want an interrogation room set up as soon as possible."

"Always business with you these days, Niijima," the officer on duty said. "I remember when you would get down in the dirt with us grunts and celebrate."

Sae grimaced. She had been a carefree, charming fool eager to be respected and loved by her colleagues. She gripped her cane. "And where did that get me? Set up the interrogation room, and I'll get started."

"So dutiful," her director said behind her.

Sae turned to find her director and Akechi. Akechi was engrossed in something on his phone. "The press is going to be all over this," her director continued. He frowned and looked at Akechi. "At this rate, you'll be stealing the poor boy's glory."

"Only doing my job, sir. Fujiwa could be our first real break in the mental shutdown case, and we can bring down major organized crime figures besides." And if it brought back some fraction of her old power, then she would be that much closer to having Yusuke back in her life.

Akechi looked up from her phone with a tired smile. "Oh, I never did it for the glory. Merely for the truth and seeing the corrupt get their just desserts. Sae has worked very hard on this case. Let her have a little recognition." His smile faded. "You do look tired, and I haven't seen Kitagawa lately. Is everything all right?"

"I assume he's working." And right now work was the only path back to him and her vengeance against Madarame. "I really do need to begin this interrogation as soon as possible."

"So you do," her director said. "Fujiwa's been taken to the secure interrogation unit."

Sae shivered. After the nerve gas attacks, the Ministry of Justice had authorized the special interrogation unit to help prevent further terrorist attacks. It was for those too dangerous to be interrogated normally. Not two-bit real businessmen. "Are we that worried about the yakuza?"

"A precaution, from what I've been told." He looked her up and down, taking in the scars and the cane. "You know how bold they've gotten these past three years. And Fujiwa had his fingers in a lot of pies."

"I see." There was something odd about that, but she wasn't paid to second-guess her superiors. "Thank you, sir."

She had been underground only a handful of times. If hell had existed, it would have been like this place. The lighting was harsh, and the walls and ceilings seemed to close in on her. A relic of the country's unfortunate past when someone could disappear for saying the wrong words and the police could do whatever they needed to make them stop. You could kill someone down here and the world above would be none the wiser. Her father would have hated this place. The Champion of Justice would have hated this place.

Sae grit her teeth. This place was her best hope of grinding Madarame into the dirt. If she were unsettled, imagine what Fujiwa felt. He was a soft man and would be easy to turn with fear as her ally. She would come back with a list full of names and leads, and then she would throw herself at Yusuke's feet and beg his forgiveness.

Fujiwa was even less impressive in person. His suit looked cheap and fit poorly. He ran a thick finger around his collar as she entered, and his eyes bulged ever so slightly. This weasel was what had escaped the law for so many years? It would have been funny if it weren't so infuriating.

Sae took her time with the camera check and the other pre-interrogation formalities. Fujiwa stared openly at her scars with visible, increasing agitation. Good. Her appearance was just one more card in her hand, and she intended to play them all. Finally, she opened her investigation notebook.

"Your missteps have finally caught up with the you, Fujiwa. Laundering money?" She shook her head. "And I know someone with your...taste doesn't buy original Madarames. Especially without shouting from the rooftops that you own one. So why don't you tell me why you needed all that money cleaned up and maybe you won't spend the whole rest of your life behind bars."

He laughed, nervous and broken. "You think I'm worried about prison? They'll kill me if I turn on them."

"The yakuza? They might. But we can kill just as well Fujiwa." She leaned forward in her seat. "Because that money you laundered? It's already paid for one man's death. Probably many more than that. That makes you eligible for the noose. Now, I don't think you came up with this plan on your own, but I'm happy to work with that theory unless you give me names."

His hand went to his throat, and he swallowed. "I...I..."

"My time is too valuable to waste with rambling. You had best decide now."

"It wasn't me! Kaneshiro said he could kill anyone and no one would be able to pin it on him. All I did was hide the money."

The world shifted. Sae gripped the table as the room filled with smoke. She could feel flames licking at her skin. Kaneshiro. Her mind recoiled. No, not him. Anyone but him. She wouldn't escape death a second time. Her breath came in quick gasps as Fujiwa became a charred corpse. Dad! Her mind scrambled for some purchase, but she felt as if she were trapped in a whirlpool where past and present mixed together.

A choking sound cut through the maelstrom and dragged her back to the interrogation room. Fujiwa clawed at his throat. He convulsed as his eyes rolled back in his head. Sae watched in exhausted, numb horror as blood trickled from his eyes and mouth. Instead of a ruined apartment, her mind filled with autopsy reports. Another one, said a whisper in the dark. "Help!" Her voice was a croak. It was already too late.

Half an hour later, she was huddled in her director's office, still shivering. He peered at her from across the desk, condescension and contempt plain on his face. "The official cause of death will be a heart attack. We will of course keep your name out of any inquiries."

Her grandmother had died of a heart attack. This wasn't one. She tried to make her voice even. It didn't work. "Before he died, Fujiwa pinned everything on Kaneshiro." She exhaled. The game truly was rigged against her. All those months of work, and she had been battling a foe that she never could have hoped to defeat all along. I'm sorry, Yusuke. "You'll have my notice of recusal on your desk in the morning."

"And why should you recuse yourself? There's no one in this office more passionate about this case than you."

Sae stared at him. "Sir! My history alone...no judge would allow it."

"It depends on the judge. We're all biased against cop-killers." He steepled his fingers. "No, Niijima, I think you're the only one who can take this case. You know Kaneshiro better than anyone: how he thinks, how he operates. Whether it's safe to proceed." His lips thinned. "Any prosecutor would kill for the chance that I'm giving you. Of course, if your health precludes it, I'm sure a suitable position could be found for you. Document review, perhaps."

Document review. A sinecure dangled only because he couldn't get rid of her outright. All those people who had thought she should have politely retired or worse were right after all. There was no place for a crippled husk of a lawyer in this world. But what choice did she have? She couldn't face Kaneshiro again. Not without going mad.

I can, said Leviathan's voice inside her head. Just like I could say what needed to be said to Yusuke. Let me in.

Sae's head snapped up. This part of her was darker, true, but it was still her, wasn't it? And stronger than her ordinary self. The only way she could not only survive Kaneshiro but get back Yusuke and the perks of fame and glory. The cold lump hardened around her heart. "Two months, no one month from now, and Kaneshiro will be at my mercy for once."

Her director smiled. "I'll hold you to that deadline."

Sae limped down the stairs. There was so much to be done. Warrants to be drawn up, low-level members of Kaneshiro's organization to be brought in for questioning. She wished she had old investigation notebook, but what was left of that had never been recovered. Oh well. She had rebuilt so much after the firebombing that reconstructing that would be nothing.

"Ms. Niijima? Please, you have to help me."

Sae turned. A Shujin student was rushing through the lobby towards her. Her eyes narrowed. The very same student that she had recruited to testify against Kamoshida before the Phantom Thieves debacle. "What do you want?"

She skidded to a stop in front of Sae. "My friend...she's been arrested for drug dealing, but a yakuza blackmailed her into doing it. You're a prosecutor. You can save her. "

The hair on Sae's neck stood on end. Blackmailing and enslaving children was Kaneshiro's signature, why she and her father had targeted him all those years ago. This could be the break she needed. She pulled the girl into a quiet corner of the lobby. "You came to the right person. Did your friend tell you the name of this yakuza?"

"No ma'am. She was scared out of her mind, afraid he would kill her."

Just like Fujiwa."I can't help your friend without a name. This isn't a bar fight that can go away with a few thousand yen and an apology. She has to do something for me if she wants me to intervene. A name."

"But she can't! She's going to have her life ruined and it isn't even her fault." She clawed at Sae's free arm. "Please, Ms. Niijima. I was ready to testify against Kamoshida for you. Doesn't that count for something?"

Sae yanked her arm away. "But you didn't. I don't make a habit of charity."

The girl's eyes were large and watery. "You're a prosecutor! Your job is to help people."

"No. You seem like a nice enough girl, so I'm going to let you in on a secret." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "No one in this office cares about justice. My job is to convict people. To win. You either help or you get out of the way."