Things Lost in the Fire

Chapter Twenty-One

Word Count: 5,124

Rating/Warnings/ Summary: Same as chapter one

Author's Note: I was able to use a couple of the flashbacks for this part, which I'm grateful for. I didn't want all of that to go to waste.

Twenty-One

Shin folded his arms over his chest, his mouth set in a thin line. It wasn't like he was an idiot, he knew the job he'd taken on meant risks, and he did one of the more dangerous parts of it, infiltrating criminal organizations and pretending to be one of them. Retaliation for that could mean death, if he even survived them finding out in the first place.

Still, he accepted the risk. He knew he could die, and he was okay with that. He didn't do it because of his father—that was what Toma thought, but he was wrong—but Shin had his reasons. He'd worked hard to get to where he was, and he wasn't about to quit.

This case shouldn't be that different. He wasn't easily intimidated, none of them were, but they weren't dealing with yakuza in-fighting or a high profile murder this time. This wasn't even their first serial killer.

It was the first that had gone after one of their own.

Kent was a mess, and it didn't even stop there. This guy wanted them all dead. Was it really about Waka, then, not Kent? Or was it just because they worked with him?

Shin didn't want to believe Kent was right about that. None of them wanted to hear they were targets, too, though they also weren't stupid. The fire yesterday showed them that this guy could get close to them without their notice. If he could do that, then all of them were still in danger now.

That made Shin's need to do something about this, now, that much worse. He wasn't about to sit around here waiting for this guy to pick them off.

"There is more," Kent said. Ikki and Toma frowned. Ukyo winced. "Shin, the headmaster. Was he at work on Friday?"

"No," Shin answered, not sure what Kent was getting at. He thought it was someone in the department, didn't he? Was he going to tell them to stop looking into the headmaster, too? "That was why I hadn't finished with him. He's conveniently out of town, right when she goes missing and turns up injured? I didn't like it. I still don't, even if we're probably looking at someone else for this."

Kokoa shuddered. "I don't—that wasn't—I don't think... I should know, but I don't."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, and I don't think you're wrong," Kent said. He faced Shin again. "He may be missing for other reasons."

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Shin demanded. Not that it was impossible, he knew it wasn't, and so did the others. Toma swore under his breath, and even Ikki looked worried. "When did you come up with this idea, anyway? Just now?"

"Last night, not long before I... before I went into the fugue," Kent answered. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Ukyo, would you have Makato check the photos you gave him against ones of Taniguchi?"

Ukyo nodded. "I'll do that now. It won't take me long."

"Wait," Kent said, stopping him before he could leave. "If that thought is right... we may be looking at more in the recent fires with ties to someone on the task force in some way, most likely to me, but not necessarily... and the fact that most of them remain unidentified..."

"You think this guy targeted criminals for the fires?" Ikki asked, frowning. "It would make them even less likely to be identified in some sense, since their friends and family aren't likely to cooperate with us or even report them missing, but that doesn't fit with the other known victims."

"I may be wrong," Kent said. "It is only a half-formed theory, after all, with little proof, but... his work in Tokyo seems to have a different purpose. When he hunted in Kyoto, he didn't want to be caught. Now, though... he's taking dangerous risks. Yesterday's fire was almost like... a tantrum thrown by a child who didn't get his way."

"Because he didn't kill you," the woman said, and Kent looked at her with a frown. "He told me you were dead. He believed he killed you when he killed your parents. He said... he wanted to ask you why you lied to me about my parents' death because you knew he'd killed them... but he couldn't ask you because he'd killed you. I didn't want to believe him, but he... he also said... he didn't to break you like he wanted, regretted not getting a second round..."

"You're sure about that?" Toma asked. "This guy really thought Kent was dead all this time?"

Shin folded his arms over his chest. She'd obviously gotten more back, and no one bothered to say anything about it. Had that come last night, too? And, what, she sat on it until now? Even if she thought she was protecting Kent, that didn't make it better.

"We did question Waka about that," Ikki said. "Or at least I did. The media coverage was conflicting at best, and he could have done that intentionally. Even if he didn't, think about the reaction the officers at the fire had to seeing Ken there. And those two thought he was dead, too. It's entirely possible that the only people that knew Ken was still alive were the five of us and his therapist. She happened to have been handpicked by Waka."

Ukyo shook his head. "All the people in the hospital—"

"They wouldn't let me see him," she said. "They wouldn't even admit he was there. Maybe he wasn't. I only got the information from the news, but... they weren't telling anyone anything, wouldn't allow me to leave a card just in case he was there and wasn't able to see anyone, no flowers or anything."

"Well, part of that would have been the burns and the risk of infection, but Ukyo meant that the staff knew about Ken's survival."

"We pulled him out because those idiots wanted to put him in a psych ward," Ikki said. Kent winced, lowering his head. "And I don't know what strings Waka pulled to do that, but he was really angry when I told him about it. I wouldn't be surprised if people lost jobs over it."

"Why would they put him in a psych ward?" Mine asked. "I mean, he's rude, but he's not crazy."

Kent pinched his nose. "They said I was... violent when I had nightmares. I could never remember the nightmares before, but if they were anything like what I experienced last night, I can see why I might have tried to fight them."

Ikki shook his head. "From what I've seen of your nightmares, they were still out of line. And who the hell wouldn't be scared to wake up to a bunch of orderlies holding them down to sedate them?"

"Like the vision arc," Orion said, biting his lip. "That was scary. Was it really like that for Kent? They hurt him like those guys did you on the show?"

"No," Kent said at the same time as Ikki said, "Yes."

"And then, of course, she gave me her number and told me to call her later," Ikki said, shaking his head. "Right in front of her boyfriend, which usually means trouble, but this one... I don't know. I think he wanted me to call her."

He looked over at Ken, frowning. That wasn't right. He hadn't even gotten an annoyed 'Ikkyu.' He should have had that if not a whole lecture on why he did not need to hear of Ikki's romantic exploits or some comment about the changing roles and social dynamics, but all he got was silence. He'd tried to get used to that when Ken was unconscious more than he was awake and never did.

Ken could get quiet when he was thinking, but these days, even thinking seemed to be dangerous. Ken's head was a dark place these days, not that anyone could blame him for that. He was in constant pain with those burns and his leg, and every day he had to wake up in this place, which was depressing as hell. Because of Ken's burns and the possibility of infection, he couldn't have much of anything around him, no flowers and few decorations. As far as Ikki knew, he was still the only one of them that came to visit—he'd never run into any of the others but then Shin and Toma were both undercover again.

"Ken?"

"The nightmare last night was so severe they were forced to restrain and sedate me," Ken whispered, his eyes on his hands. "I do not remember the dream, but I... I remember that."

Ikki winced. He'd done an arc like that one the show, where he was having psychic visions in his dreams, and they were horrifying—though all done in other scenes he didn't see—but even just acting out the part where the orderlies held him down and sedated him was unsettling and he knew it was an act. Still, they'd been big—chosen for physical size, not acting ability—and he'd still ended up a bit bruised.

That was fake, though. Ken was living this nightmare.

"I imagine my arms would be covered in bruises if they were not scarred," Ken said, his eyes still on his hands. "I find myself... more sore than I was yesterday on waking."

Ikki winced. That better be wrong. He was going to have a word with the doctor after this, he swore it. And it wouldn't be a kind one.

"Look, it's going to be rough for a while, but you're getting better. You can't rush it. You went through a lot in that fire."

"I need to leave this hospital."

"You will. It will just take some time."

"No, Ikkyu, not in time. Now," Ken said. "I overheard them talking. They... they want to move me to the psychiatric ward."

Ikki balled up a fist. "That's ridiculous. You're not crazy. You're... you lived through hell not that long ago—"

"Ikkyu—"

"Yes, terrible pun, I know, but Ken, you are not crazy. You're hurt. That's different. You... you have every right to be the way you are right now. You almost died. Your parents did die. Having nightmares about that would be perfectly normal, and I am going to go find that idiot that wants to—"

"I am not an emotional person by nature," Ken said. "And these... outbursts are... not like me. I do feel out of control. And... afraid. I am gripped by a terror I can't... it's completely irrational. No logic or reason can stop these moods, and I feel like... like I am... I hate this. And the part of me that is rational and calm... if they put me in the psychiatric ward—"

"Not going to happen," Ikki said. He knew that couldn't be allowed. It wasn't right, but if anyone heard that about Ken, he'd lose all credibility as a forensics expert and a researcher, and in that case, Ikki should just put Ken out of his misery. He wouldn't, but Ken saw himself as nothing more than a mathematician. He didn't see his value as a person, only as a researcher, and that would be lost if word got out about this. It didn't matter that Ken had valid reasons for being how he was right now. They'd see his trauma as a reason to dismiss his work.

Ikki would not let that happen. "Trust me, I will get you out of here before that happens. You're not crazy. You're not dangerous. You're just... hurting."

Ken sighed. "There is a very irrational part of me that thinks the dreams are something important that I have to remember, but my own mind seems to rebel against knowing what is in them. I do not understand."

"Well, your overly rational side might think there's no reason you can't handle remembering how exactly your mom died, but your emotional side—which does exist—doesn't want that memory," Ikki said. "And I can't blame it for that. I know, even with as angry as I still am with my parents, if I saw that... It would affect me. You loved your parents—don't look at me like that. Your family was odd, but there was love there. I saw it. It was weird and unconventional, but your parents loved you and you loved them right back. It wasn't like television or movies or even what you've seen of the others—I mean, Shin and Toma's parents are kind of dysfunctional, too, but in a completely different way. That doesn't make your family any less important to you. It just means... you showed your love in other ways. It was still there. God, Ken, just thinking about the way they spoke about you... honest but so proud... they loved you."

Ken lowered his head. "I got them killed. How is that love?"

Ikki winced, moving to comfort his friend. "You did not get them killed. You are not to blame for this. It's not your fault."

He put his hand on Ken's shoulder. Ken jerked away from him with a scream, startling Ikki into silence.

"Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry. I forgot about the burns, but—"

"No. You don't—it's not—I can feel... It's not... It doesn't make sense... It's not... she was already dead..." Ken curled up against himself, shuddering. "There's no one... he couldn't... Don't touch me. Just... don't touch me."

"Okay," Ikki said, wincing. He wouldn't do that again, he knew better, with all the pain Ken was in, but he had wanted to help. He saw someone in the doorway and grimaced. "We're fine. He's fine. Just leave him alone for a while."

The nurse didn't look convinced, and Ikki knew this was not good.

"I need your help with something."

Waka looked up from the stack of folders on his desk, and Ikki wondered for a minute if he'd picked a really bad time or if this would be a welcome interruption. He had no idea how Waka felt about paperwork. No one around here was brave enough to ask, though if Ken wasn't in the hospital, they might have gotten him to do it. They could usually get him to ask the questions the others were too afraid to ask. Ken had a healthy respect for Waka, it wasn't that he didn't, but he was also not half as intimidated as the rest of them were and saw no logical reason to be so afraid.

After all, Waka would never kill anyone useful, right?

"I am listening."

"I need to move Ken out of the facility he's in. Today, preferably, and I'd just use my money to make that happen, but the bank's got a rule and put the money under a twenty-four hour hold, and while I know it's a lot of money, it's still annoying, so I thought you could cut through some of the red tape like you always do."

Waka folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. "And why, exactly, do we need to move Kent?"

Ikki grimaced. "They want to move him to the psychiatric ward."

"What?" Waka might not have moved, but he was angry. Ikki knew him well enough to be sure of that, even if his voice had only altered slightly. He was furious.

"His nightmares are bad, and they had to restrain him," Ikki said. "But even if they did—and I don't think that they should have had to, but I wasn't there, so I can't be sure—they're medical professionals. He's got burns all over his arms and back, what did they think would happen if they touched him?"

"You experienced this reaction for yourself?"

Ikki sighed. "I tried to reassure him, touched his shoulder, and he... overreacted, but that doesn't mean he needs to be locked up. They can't do that to him. He's not insane or dangerous. He's not. Ken is... He's traumatized. He was almost killed in a fire that did kill his parents, and his mom died right in front of him. He has a right to be messed up about it, even if he's not usually that emotional. And that shouldn't mean anything to them because they don't even know him as the logical robot Shin thinks he is."

"Agreed."

"And if they lock him in a psych ward, his reputation as a forensics expert and a researcher—"

"You do not have to tell me what will happen to that," Waka said. "Do you know the full state of his physical wounds?"

Ikki grimaced. "His leg's still bad enough I don't think they'd release him. He can't walk on his own, and with all the stairs in his place, he'd have problems, but then again... he could probably live in the basement with the lab for a while. Aside from getting in and out of the house, he'd manage well enough down there. I don't know that he's ready to be out of a hospital completely, but if they put him in that other ward—"

"No, that cannot happen," Waka said. He rose. "If the hospital staff believes this is necessary, other facilities may feel so as well."

"I know, but we can at least delay it for a bit. Ken's not crazy. He's not a danger to anyone. He doesn't deserve this, and they're just going to make him worse by holding him down and sedating him or locking him up."

Waka nodded. "I will arrange to have him transferred to a rehabilitation center that will focus on restoring his mobility so that he can return home. However, these other issues will need to be addressed."

Ikki nodded. "I know. Ken's not really big on therapy, not that kind, but if we get someone who specializes in trauma like this, it would be better than letting them lock him away and assign whoever they please to him. He's not a typical patient. He's... I think this is going to be even harder for him because he's not used to dealing with his emotions. He buries them or ignores them, focusing on what can be proven and making decisions based on logic even when they go against everything he feels."

"That is not always true. We have all observed him making decisions based on instinct, something he's developed here, working for the police, as well as having a better understanding of killer's motives that someone so completely out of touch with his emotions should have."

"I know Ken feels stuff," Ikki said. "I'm not saying he doesn't. He... he even admitted to me that his dreams terrify him. At the same time, he seems to think there's something there he needs to remember and I just... does he really have to know what it was like when his mom died? Why does he have to have that memory? He's suffered enough."

Waka reached over to adjust the frame on his photograph, one of the six of them outside the courthouse after their first conviction. Toma was giving Shin bunny ears while he glowered at the camera, Ukyo looked uncomfortable to be on that end of the lens. Ikki had managed to get Ken to give him a fist bump right before the flash, and Waka was standing in the back, a small smile on his face.

"It feels insufficient," Waka said, and Ikki frowned at his words. He didn't really mean Ken should suffer more, did he? Waka turned back to him. "You and the others have arrested or incapacitated an entire yakuza family—a small one, but a family nevertheless—and yet it does not feel like enough."

"I think we'd all like to get our hands on the one who actually set that bomb and make him suffer a very slow, very painful death," Ikki admitted. "As long as they keep sticking to their story of all of them did it, this is the best we can do."

Waka nodded.

"Is something going on we should know about?"

"The superintendent has disbanded the task force," Waka said. "That was my call to make, not his, but he seems to think that Kent's injuries and my refusal to replace him mean that we cannot continue."

Ikki grimaced. "Can he actually do that? I thought the decision to form the task force came from someone higher up. And—no. Just... No. I am not going back to being their glorified poster boy. I refuse."

"I would hardly assign you to such a role. You are far more valuable where you are. Rest assured I will not send you back to that, even if I can't assign you to cases as I would the task force."

Ikki nodded. He'd have to settle for that. "Do the others know?"

"Not yet. Shin and Toma are both out of contact at the moment, and Ukyo is away. I will tell them when they return." Waka paused. "I'd advise you not to tell Kent. Though I am certain he will eventually learn of it, he does not need to take on any extra guilt."

Though Ikki knew it wasn't his fault—Ken hadn't asked to be injured and was doing what he could to speed up his recovery, much to his doctors' annoyance—he also knew Kent would still blame himself.

"I won't tell him. I might give the superintendent a piece of my mind, but I won't tell Ken."

Waka smiled thinly. "Try not to get yourself fired. My influence only goes so far."

"The main thing that bothered me was that any credibility I had as a researcher would be gone if they put me in that ward, justified or not," Kent said, clearly uncomfortable, but then Toma couldn't blame him if the hospital staff had basically abused him in that state. They'd all seen how bad he looked, and touching Kent had set him off, but Ikki was right. It didn't make what they'd done okay.

"That's not right," Orion said. "You don't seem crazy to me."

"No? That is strange," Kent said. He grimaced, putting a hand to his stomach. Ikki reached into his coat and took out a small package of crackers, passing them to him.

Toma sighed. So much for progress. "Okay, I guess we should wait on discussing more until you're not going to puke on us again."

Kent waved away the crackers. "You don't need to stop for my sake. I won't pretend I'm fine, but I refuse to do nothing because of a couple pills."

"Ken's got a point. You're not going to make it worse one way or another by saying what you wanted to say. Whether he pukes again or not has nothing to with what's being said or even where we are," Ikki said. "It's the medication, and it can hit any time in the next three days or not at all."

"Ukyo can pass on that stuff to the skull guy," Shin said. "We don't have any other names or pictures to pass along, so he may as well go. Then we can move into a room with a screen like Toma wants and see whatever it was he thinks he's found."

Toma nodded. "And you may as well all come. I'd be asking you about it eventually, but I don't mind doing it all at once to save a bit of time."

"In that case, my lady, allow me," Ikki said, quickly picking Kokoa up out of her chair before anyone could protest. "We really don't need you making that leg of yours worse."

Kent watched them go with a frown, and Toma thought it was kind of funny because her brother had one, too. Shin shook his head, muttering to himself as he did. The girls got up and rushed over after them. Toma hung back, waiting for Kent.

"Why does Ikki always have to do that?" Orion asked. "She said I didn't have to worry about him, but he's always flirting with her."

Toma tried not to laugh. Had Orion missed that someone—Ikki, most likely—had dressed Kent and his sister alike today? It was pretty obvious to the rest of them. Even Shin probably knew, though he would ignore it, as usual. "He's doing it to get a rise out of someone."

"Ikkyu is quite childish," Kent said, getting to his feet. "It is best to ignore him, as I advised before."

Toma just smiled as he walked with them, taking up the rear in case Kent did get dizzy again and stumble, but he seemed to manage better than before, not even needing to stop and rest before reaching the other room. He faltered in the doorway, though that might well have to do with the fact that the only open seats were on either side of Kokoa. Ikki was really pushing it right now.

And he knew it, too, from that smirk.

Kent awkwardly took the spot Orion hadn't chosen, sitting as close to the end of the couch and away from her as possible, looking queasy again.

"So when exactly did this guy tell you all that about Kent?" Shin asked, shoving Toma toward the television. He grimaced, but he went over to prepare his files anyway. He'd been waiting for this all morning.

"Just before he did this," she said, lifting her arms, and Toma flinched. "I... He did ask me where Kent put the evidence, but I didn't even know what he was talking about."

"Neesan," Orion said with a wince. She reached over and combed his hair, trying to reassure him.

"But you saw him," Shin said, still watching her. "Can you describe him?"

She shook her head. Kent glanced at her and then spoke. "Unfortunately, it would seem that she saw the same thing that I did."

"You didn't mention seeing him," Shin said, clearly frustrated.

"I only did for a moment, and were it not for her statement, I would doubt the validity of my recollection. During most of our interaction, he was behind me, holding that torch to my skin. But when he killed my mother..."

Ikki flinched. "Ken, you don't have to—"

"I saw a mask, just as she did. I hadn't spoken of it, so I assume that our two separate memories are correct and it was not just a hallucination brought on by pain or confusion of the mind. He wore a demon mask, like those worn by ancient samurai. It obscured his face aside from his eyes."

She nodded, shivering. "They... it'll sound stupid, but... they were evil. Just... evil."

"Doesn't sound at all stupid to me, not given what we're dealing with," Toma said. He looked over to see Ukyo coming back into the room. "I had this thought last night after we went our separate ways, so I got the files and did a little work on them. So here's the message as it was left on Kent's voicemail."

"I've been watching you. I know where you eat, every day at that ugly little cafe. I know the path you'll take to walk home. I know. I know it all."

Kokoa tensed, grabbing hold of Kent's arm. Already tense, Kent flinched, but he covered her hand as she closed her eyes, her whispers full of fear and horror. "That was him. That voice. That's how he sounded... He spoke like that when he..."

Her brother wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her, but he didn't look much better than she did, scared as he was for her. Toma hated putting everyone through this, but he knew he couldn't stop here. This was too important.

"Kent?"

"No. Not when he spoke to me," Kent said. "He was... controlled. Angry, full of hate and intent to do harm, but not... that. Not... so clearly unbalanced. He seemed... sane. Just... evil, for lack of a better word."

Ukyo frowned. "We're not talking about two different people, are we? With a mask, that is possible, we all know that, but... could it be two people?"

Kent tensed. "I admit there was a side thought that I dismissed rather easily about twins. That was... If he was somehow controlling investigations here, how was he going so unnoticed in Kyoto? Was it possible he had a job in both departments? That didn't seem possible, not without two people or twins, but I didn't think much of the idea."

"That the one you figured would get the superintendent to lock you up as a crazy person?"

Kent blinked. "I said that?"

"Somewhere in the middle of your rambling theorizing, yes," Toma said. He saw Shin looking at him. "Hey, Ikki might have been having a side conversation about her teaching Kent to cook, but I was listening. Sometimes I get ideas of my own, and none of us wants to be completely dependent on Kent or Waka to solve any of our cases."

"True," Ikki said. "I did look into the headmaster's finances after everyone was settled again last night, but if Ken's theory about the fires is right, it wasn't worth much. I think the guy was headed for Shinano, but that doesn't mean anything."

"You could have mentioned that, too."

"I've been a little busy, Shin, and it may not matter anyway."

Toma figured Ikki had a point. He'd had Kent and Kokoa to take care of this morning, and before it would even have come up, Kent had told them their suspect was likely one of the victims.

"Toma," Kent said, looking like he really didn't want to say what he was about to say. "You didn't finish that recording, did you?"

"I think we all got the point," Shin said. "Or are you getting masochistic all of a sudden?"

Kent shook his head. "No, but... from what I remember... of the threats and the transcripts.. that one... there's laughter, too, isn't there?"

Toma nodded, letting the rest of it play, including the psychotic laughter at the end. He saw the looks on the others' faces and felt almost like he'd hurt everyone. Orion ducked his head into his sister's shirt, and she was hardly able to comfort him, shaking as she was, her grip on Kent's hand had to be painful. Ukyo winced, looking very much like a kicked puppy. Ikki shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the trio on the couch. Even Shin reacted as soon as he heard it, balling up a fist.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Toma said. "It's the same, isn't it?"