Past Disaster:
A/N: I'm sorry to say, but this is a short chapter. I tried to fine ways of making this longer, but I couldn't without taking from the next chapter. As a bonus, I'll try to have 26 up before the New Year.
Chapter 25: A Crushing and Confused Heart
Past:
Amber, wearing a blue school uniform, traveled into the future to see what lies ahead. Contractors were still around, but like last time, word was spreading that the real stars were going to reappear. She made a trip down Shinjuku, wanting to see her son again, and wondered if it was the right thing to do.
Her heart ached every time she thought about him. He was like a drug that she couldn't get over, and she needed to be close to him, or gaze upon his very being.
She reached Shinjuku moments later to head towards Misuzu's apartment. She came to a halt, as she spotted her son leaning against the bridge railing while his neighbors threw a party at his apartment complex.
She noticed an iPod in his hands, meaning that her message had been delivered to him. Her heart began to pound in her chest, wanting to go walk towards him. This was probably her last time she would get to talk with him.
She began heading in his direction, stretching out her hand for him, but she held her ground as she noticed a young girl approaching him. The girl had on a tight light blue shirt, blue mini-skirt, and black nylons with a pink wool newsboy hat slanted sideways. She looked beautiful, making Amber wonder if they were something.
They talked to each other, having Amber watch curiously. After for what seemed like minutes, they leaned into each other and kissed.
Amber smiled; pleased to see her son had found someone special. She decided to depart the area to leave them alone.
She continued walking around the streets, taking in the warm night air while gazing up at the fake stars. It seemed peaceful, but there was trouble brewing. The fight with the Syndicate was far from over in this time, and in the future.
Amber came to a still, as she noticed Yin standing nearby.
"Amber," she said.
"Hello again, Yin," replied Amber. "Thank you for everything that you have done for me." Yin nodded. "There's one more request I wish to ask of you."
"Hei. You want to know where he is, right?"
"If you don't mind. I need to see him again. To explain why I did it. Why I left him behind and never told him about Harry."
Yin stood in silence for a second, and then nodded.
Xxx
Amber headed for the batting cages where Hei and Kirihara Misaki had spent a date. She rode the J.R line, wishing it would go faster. To her, it was like riding on the back of a slug. The tension and emotion that was building inside her felt like it was going to explode in one burst. She hadn't felt like this in years. The first time she had experienced these feelings was before turning into a Contractor, and then meeting Hei.
It was tormenting, but also blissful, and she wished she would have these feelings forever. It seemed so irrational before, but now it felt so right. Alas, her time on this world was growing short, and she would be gone from it.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, she reached her destination. Amber exited the train, descended the stairs, and headed to where Hei was.
It had been so long for her since she had been in Hei's presence, and it would soon end. However, it was only a limited time, and she knew his heart belonged to another now.
Amber knew what she was feeling towards the detective woman was jealousy. She tried to bury it, believing that that was irrational since she couldn't be with him, but it still hurt more than what words could explain.
She came to the batting cages, noticing it was empty, and believing she had missed her chance. She thought about turning back the clock to see him, but her time was running short as it was.
Perhaps this was her fate.
Amber continued heading down the street, but then came to a stop, and turned her head to her right. She spotted Hei gazing up at the stars as he had while holding Bai. Her heart began to pound heavily against her chest, wondering if she should say anything.
Amber opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. She took in a deep breath, swallowing all her fears, and opened her mouth again.
Present:
Marcile stood before Naoyasu with Matsumoto and Saitou next to him. Naoyasu sat forward in his chair, looking at Marcile and Saitou displeased concerning his daughter. Marcile wouldn't be surprised if he got fired for his actions. How was he supposed to know Commander Kirihara would be peeved?
As Marcile thought about it, if he were to have a daughter some day, he too would be extremely ticked off at the news.
"Why didn't you come to me first, Detective Yuusuke," he said. "Why did you contact Detective Fukazawa first?"
"Because I didn't want to concern you, sir," said Saitou at attention.
"Concern me? She's my daughter, Detective. I care about her well being as much as you do." Naoyasu looked over at Marcile. "And you! You're off duty for the week! What was the reason for you to go check on her?"
"Saitou-san asked me to, sir," replied Marcile, gulping.
"I don't care if that big moron asked you to go pick up a burger from McDoness for him. Next time, let me know what you're doing."
"Sorry, sir."
Commander Kirihara sighed, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Did you find anything that suggests who kidnapped Detective Kirihara?"
"No, but I have a theory, sir. Pandora."
"Pa—Pandora? What would they want with her?"
"I don't know, sir, but I thought it would be best if we asked Pandora a few questions on the matter."
Naoyasu's right eyelid rose at his comment.
"Ask Pandora a few questions?" he questioned, sounding like a broken record. "That's a highly unlikely thing since Pandora has their own laws. Misaki had a hard time getting a private discussion with Schrader in the past. You think it's possible just to drive up to the front gate and say, 'Hello, we're here to talk with your superiors about a missing police officer.' I think not, Detective. You should be grateful that you haven't been let go from this department since it was Iasi who hired you."
"Yes, sir."
The phone on Naoyasu's desk rang. He frowned at it, picked it up and said, "This is Commander Kirihara." He paused as he listened to the person on the other line. "Pa—Pandora? What may I…? You wish to speak with him! May I ask why?" He paused again. "Understood. I'll send him over with the Section-Chief. They should arrive within the hour."
Naoyasu hung up the phone and looked up at Marcile smiling with his hands laced together.
"Looks like you get your wish, Detective Fukazawa," he continued saying. "You and Section-Chief Matsumoto are to head over to Pandora right now."
"Eh? But why?" asked Marcile.
"I would like to know myself, but they wouldn't tell me."
"Request permission to go along," said Saitou.
"Request denied. I think they would have denied Matsumoto going if Marcile had his own license."
"Eh?" muttered Marcile.
xxxx
Matsumoto and Marcile drove towards Hell's Gate with Marcile gazing at the city. As they drew closer, he noticed residence were minor in the area. He found it creepy here and didn't blame the people of Tokyo avoiding the vicinity.
"You ever been in Pandora?" Marcile asked.
"Once, and that was five years ago," replied Matsumoto, keeping his eyes on the road.
"The… Tokyo Explosion?" Marcile questioned, looking back at Matsumoto startled.
"Ah, and that wasn't fun." Matsumoto frowned.
"I would imagine not. Just hearing about it on the news the next day sent chills down my spine, and I wasn't even in high school yet."
"Tell me about it. It only feels like yesterday Saitou and me were charging into this place to save Misaki."
"What was she doing there anyways?"
"Trying to gather information about South America's Gate, but she got caught up in more than she could handle at the time."
The fence line that kept the citizens out came into view. It seemed the city beyond it looked to be a desolate place and far creepier than he had seen before. He'd hate to see what lay behind the gate.
"We're here," said Matsumoto, a shiver escaping through his voice.
Marcile looked towards Pandora, as the guards waved them through the fenced-gate. Marcile awed at the size of the place. They drove up a service ramp, turned a corner, and passed through the gate leading inside it.
They pulled into the parking lot, and as Matsumoto parked his car, they were met by a platoon holding rifles at the ready. Matsumoto and Marcile exited the vehicle looking nervous.
The platoon leader stepped before Matsumoto and said, "I'm Lieutenant Dan, and I'll be your escort."
The Foreign Affair members were surrounded and then ushered to follow the platoon's lead. They entered the main building, Marcile was amazed at how brightly lit the place was after coming in from dismal atmosphere, and stepped before a security checkpoint where Matsumoto and Marcile gave up their firearms.
After they were fully searched, they were guided down a hallway for a few minutes, their shoes clanking off the smooth surface, before being gestured into a room. A desk stood in the middle where a Japanese man waited. He had dyed blond hair, dark eyes, and he wore a black suit with a red tie.
"Welcome to Pandora, gentlemen," said the suited man. "Please, have a seat." Marcile and Matsumoto took their seat across from him. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Hayabatsu Aoki."
"I am Section-Chief Matsumoto, and this is Detective Fukazawa Marcile, as I'm sure you already know. May I ask why you have asked to meet with my officer?"
Aoki sat still for a second before he started scratching at his right ear, and then said, "We are looking for young and intelligent men to fill in an opening here at Pandora. We've looked through your records, Detective Fukazawa, and you are more than qualified."
"So… this is an interview?" asked Marcile, as his right eyelid rose.
"Yes. We promise you full benefits, and we will even double the pay you're getting at the Foreign Affairs."
Marcile thought for a second, and then said, "Sorry, but I'll pass. Since I'm here, though, can I ask you a question?"
Aoki titled his head while his eyes rolled up slightly. It looked as if information was being downloaded into his brain.
"Eh, sure," he said, returning his attention towards Marcile.
"Do you know anything about Kirihara-san's disappearance from her apartment last night?"
Aoki stared at Marcile stupidly, and then began scratching at his ear again, causing Marcile to narrow his eyes at him peculiarly. He then scanned the top corners of the room, looking for anything out of place, and saw a small vent in the top right corner with a red light shining through it.
"No, we don't," he said. "Sorry to hear about that. May I ask why you had asked that question?"
"Just wondering if Pandora might have heard anything about it," said Marcile, staring back at Aoki. "Eh, is there something wrong with your right ear? You keep scratching at it."
"Eh? Err… I have a slight ear infection. I'll be fine though."
"Oh, that's good to know. Is there anything else you might have to offer me; a bigger paycheck, some clues or thoughts at perhaps who might have taken Kirihara-san?"
"I'm sorry, but no." Aoki shook his head.
"Then I think we're done."
Matsumoto and Marcile stood to leave with Aoki mirroring them.
"If you change your mind, Detective Fukazawa, don't hesitate to call us," said Aoki, as he handed over Pandora's number.
Marcile looked at it, and then back at Aoki to say, "Keep it."
Matsumoto and Marcile turned to leave with the platoon leading them back to the car. Once they were safely in it and out of Hell's Gate, Marcile breathed out easily.
"Surprised they asked to hire you?" Matsumoto asked.
"Not really," replied Marcile.
"So why didn't you take the offer?"
"From what I've heard about Pandora, they're more corrupt than what the Foreign Affairs are at the moment. But, I'm not concerned about that. That Aoki guy bugs me the most. Obviously he wasn't the one in control of Pandora since he was taking orders from someone speaking to him through an earpiece and watching us from a camera."
"What?"
xxxx
Eric stood before a screen that showed Marcile and Matsumoto's car driving away from Pandora. Next to him was Misaki cuffed to a chair. He had been watching Marcile's interview and giving Aoki instructions. Unfortunately, his plan had slightly bombed from Aoki messing with his ear. However, Eric's identity stayed intact.
"He's really smart," smiled Eric. "Smarter than you perhaps, Kirihara-san. He would make a great candidate for Pandora. With you and him on our side, we would be unstoppable."
"So you plan on hunting him down as well," said Misaki.
"In due time. For now, we're concentrating on your boyfriend. I do wonder why he believed we had something to do with your kidnapping."
Misaki knew Li had told him somehow of her disappearance. She was flabbergasted he would risk appearing before Marcile without being shot at, or had he shot at him. She didn't want to speak a word about it since it was her only entertainment seeing Eric's brain pondering on it.
"How do you plan on using me against BK201?" Misaki asked.
"You're the detective. I'm sure you can figure it out," he said, not looking at her.
Misaki had concluded that Eric would say something in that matter. However, she had already speculated Eric's intensions.