Silence stirs in the ADA break room. A silver spoon taps against a ceramic mug. Yosano gently swirls the cup of coffee, raising it to her lips and quietly taking a sip. Her cool tone eyes watch around the room. The white cabinets offset only by a small, wooden table and a vertical window. Outside is the bustle of the city, but in here it's only fingers tapping against the counter and a pen gliding over paper. She turns to where her coworkers stand, Rei across from her and Kunikida by the table.

"Why don't we just move it around? It's not like it's that strict anyway," she says about the delegation they were discussing previously. "That or we just tell them to screw off with the investments," she nonchalantly shrugs. It's of course that time of the year when they have to sort out all their business talks and deals. Not her favorite thing to deal with by any means, but it's what they have to do.

Rei stops her fingers against the acrylic counter. It is quite the dilemma they made for themselves, though at the time they had no idea of the new settlements being reached. "If they're willing to give us more funding, we should take it, but we're booked for all of next week, and the week after too."

Kunikida frowns as he flips through his notes. "I thought we had space left on the calendar."

"That's for walk-ins though," Rei tells him. "We need to have at least one agent here at all times."

"So this leaves us?" the doctor brings them back to the original point.

Kunikida folds his arms and taps his foot, carefully deliberating it over in his head. "We'll extend our hours until we've filled their requests, starting next week. Our profits have increased these past few months, so it won't make a major impact as far as cuts go. We're going to need people to stay later on the weekends too."

Yosano nods, agreeing with his proposal. "I can stay for whatever time I'm not with patients."

"I can too," Rei chimes in.

"Good, I'll be here too." Kunikida jots it all in his notebook then looks back at them. "I'll set up a meeting tomorrow to notify everyone. We also need to make plans for the new budget."

New budget? Now that's some news. Budget talks are the most "exciting" of their business talks because, well, money. "Employee bonuses?" Yosano suggests. If they spend around the same amount as last year, that should leave a decent chunk of cash for everyone.

"Employee vacations?" Rei adds. It would be nice to take more trips or be able to travel around more. She shifts the weight of her feet and glances up at the old, faulty, ceiling panels. They look like they could fall out at any time. "How about some new lights?"

Kunikida nods as he writes down their requests, then puts his notebook away. They talk a little more to flesh out the plans, then each head back to their own work. Rei and Yosano go to the main room, Yosano going there to get Ranpo for their field work, Rei more so for paperwork, while Kunikida goes up to the next floor to speak to President Fukuzawa.

Rei sits back down at her desk and continues on with what she was doing before: typing up correspondences and writing reports. It gets a bit tedious this time of year; with the weather picking up, more and more people are out walking around. Mainly it's just finalizing papers to be sent to the archives and following on the leads for their cases this week. Nothing much really, just a couple of storefront robberies and domestic disputes between parties.

"Hey Rei," a voice calls from across the room.

The agent looks up to see two familiar women walking toward her. She smiles and waves at them, then checks the time on her computer. Shit, she didn't even realize it's almost time to go. They decided to go ahead and close up a little early today; it's been slower than normal, plus it gives them time to prepare for what's to come. "Hey guys," she greets as they get to her. "How's it going?"

"Pretty alright," Haruno says. "We mainly spent the day doing inventory since it's that time of year and all." She raises her brows and gives the agent one of those tried looks. Yes, they are all plenty aware of what time of year it is. "You should've seen Kunikida's face when we told him all the items were in their proper places. He wasn't even that happy at Christmas." They all laugh because it's so on brand. "So, what'd you guys talk about?"

"Scheduling mainly," the agent says in a monotone voice. "It seems that there were some conflicts with a couple arrangements we made months ago, so we're all going to need to put in more hours soon." She says the last part in an apologetic manner, knowing her friends are going to groan. "Oh, but we're doing budget talks tomorrow!" A bright smile dashes on her face, sure that they'll enjoy the news.

"Riveting," Naomi says, totally without a single drop of sarcasm in her voice. She walks over to the other side of the desk and starts playing around with Rei's things. "Say, Haruno and I were thinking of hitting up a local concert next week if you'd like to go. Tickets are super cheap and you can get them at the door."

Rei raises her brow for a second, then nods. "Yeah, sweet, I'm totally there." She gets up from her chair and starts packing up her things.

Naomi turns to Haruno with widened eyes. Her mouth is drawn tight as she stares at her partner in a silent conversation. She nods her head violently, signaling her to make the move. Haruno stares back at her with equal determination, shaking her head, begging her friend not to do this. Naomi sighs and rolls her eyes. Some things you just have to do yourself. "So, you up for hanging out now?"

Rei clips her bag shut and looks up at them. "Now, now?"

"Or whene –" Haruno starts.

"Yeah. Can you?" Naomi finishes.

Rei looks between the two of them, wondering what's going on. "Um, I'd love to, but I have a family thing."

"That's –"

"Isn't your mom out of town for a showcase?" Naomi moves closer to her. She tilts her head up expectantly, a certain hunger in her eyes.

The agent switches from the prosecutor to the jury. Haruno looks nervous as all hell. She's huddled up, staring at them with fidgeting hands. It's like a kid watching her parents fight. Rei turns back to Naomi. "I can hang out with my dad, can't I?"

The two clerks share a look between each other. Rei lifts her bag over her shoulder and pushes in her chair. "Is something going on here?" Neither of her friends says anything. "Okay then," she tugs on her strap, "I'll catch you guys later?"

"Sounds great!" Haruno says excitedly. Naomi nods. Rei grabs the last couple of files off her desk and waves them goodbye.

The office door closes and Naomi immediately turns to her coworker. "So I'm not the only one. You thought that was weird too, right?"

Haruno looks back at the door, then to her friend again. "I think you're looking into it too much."

"Oh come on dude! She totally dodged the question. Hanging out with her dad? Since when has she ever been keen on spending more time with him?"

"Maybe they're secretly really close," the brown haired clerk offers. Her coworker simply stares at her with a deadpan "quit your bullshit" look. Haruno steps back and shakes her head anxiously. "Naomi, we really shouldn't be doing this."

"So you think it's suspicious too then?" Naomi presses her further. "Come on, did you see how much of a hurry she was in to get out of here? She's in her own head so often, and you've even said that sometimes she doesn't get back to your building until wayyy into the night."

The brown haired woman sighs; her friend can be so stubborn sometimes, actually, all the time. "She was probably in a hurry because you were interrogating her. And we've known Rei for almost two years now, she's always been like that, and the whole getting home late thing, I don't know, maybe she just like going for walks at night." The black haired clerk stares at her. "Fine, I don't really have an excuse for that one, but she's our friend and we're supposed to trust her. She doesn't go poking around in our business."

Naomi puts a hand on her hip as she gazes at the barren landscape of the detective's desk. "That's because we have nothing to hide."

"And you think she does?"

"Don't you want to know? Think about it. Her day to day is almost pathetically boring, that means this has to be something big. I wouldn't be surprised if she's secretly a stripper."

Haruno rolls her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure the woman who dresses like a 1950s office assistant is a stripper." She glances around at the desk too. A couple of papers, a mug, pens, pictures of the three of them, it is all a bit curious. "She lives a private life. We all do. Well, except for you."

Naomi frowns and sticks her tongue out. Haruno ignores her and gets her bag. She waves her bye and walks out of the office, leaving the skeptical clerk to herself. Naomi looks out around the room and sighs. Well, it doesn't matter if she's suspicious anyway, it's not she can do anything about this. Haruno's probably right; she's getting too worked up over nothing.

The clerk grabs her bag and leaves the office too. She walks out into the hall, then hears something down the corridor. "Yes sir, I'll read over them tonight." It's Rei. She quickly hides in the shadow by the stairwell and waits for her friend to come into view.

Rei gets to the stairs and looks around. She thought she heard something. Oh well. She shrugs and puts the papers back in her bag. Naomi watches from the corner as the detective walks down the stairs.

She's not actually going to, is she? No, it's wrong. Secrets or no secrets, Rei is her friend. This is a violation of their friendship. She shouldn't do it. The clerk's ears perk up as she hears the front door of the building close. She jumps and leaps down the stairs like an Olympian, descending four floors in a matter of seconds.

Out on the street, it's crowded as fuck. How the hell will she ever be able to find – There. Only one block away, it's an unmistakable head of mauve hair. Naomi snakes through the crowd, trying to keep close, but not too close. It's risky, it's dangerous. Her heart is racing. If she gets caught who knows what will happen.

It only gets more worrying the farther in she goes. This is nowhere near her apartment or her parents' house. The signs start appearing, the bridge comes overhead, they're getting closer to… the train station? Why would Rei need to go to the train station?

Rei gets to the street before the platform and turns around. Some people walk by, a couple bump into her, but there's nothing there that stands out. Huh. She turns back around; she could've sworn there was someone there. One… Two… Three… Four… She swings her head back again. Still nothing. She sighs and shakes it off. Maybe it's just in her head.

The train doors close and Noami's cautious as she checks around. She doesn't see Rei anywhere in the cabin and decides to take a seat. God, this spying thing is really grueling, not to mention heavy on her conscious. It's bad enough that she has to violate her friend's privacy, but she has to be vigilant about it too? The clerk sighs as she slumps into her seat. Why is she doing this?

It's not that she doesn't trust Rei, because she does, doesn't she? But being on this train, it's proof that something's going on. There's no way she would get on this line to visit her father. So then why? Why would she get on a line that extends so far out into the city?

Naomi watches carefully as people get on and off the train. She has to keep sharp no matter how worried she gets. But the farther they go, the harder it becomes. Stops roll by and she doesn't see her friend get off at any one of them. How far is she going? There's only a few left before they get into the truly nasty parts of town.

She taps her finger against the window and turns her head. A sharp gasp comes out. Propelling like a cheetah, the clerk launches herself through the incoming flux of passengers and straight out of the cabin. She lands on her feet as the doors close behind her, the wind picking up as the train barrels out of the station.

She looks around at the area she wound up in. There's not much here but the buildings and the platform. No one's even around as they've all walked away. She heads down the stairs and to the street. It's really desolate here, not so much with the buildings, but with the lack of people. Is she sure she got the right stop? It has to be. She clearly saw Rei on the platform. But where did she go?

A heavy creak comes from the side of the road. Naomi ducks and hides behind some garbage cans. Out of one of the buildings walks a figure in a long, black hood. What? Naomi creeps up closer to this person while still maintaining her distance. What in the world? Who is this? She keeps on their track, cautious to keep at least a block and a half between them.

When she looked out of the window, there were only three people who got out. A tall man, a fat man, and Rei. And there's no way that this is a guy. So… Naomi holds her breath. No. No way. But why? Why would Rei ever feel the need to –

It stops. Her sentence stops. Her thought stops. The scenery stops. No longer is it a couple of buildings along the street, but skyscrapers, tens of hundreds of skyscrapers. No. No. No. This is impossible. It can't be... But it has to be. A sea of obsidian where the sun doesn't reach. Mafia territory. She's in mafia territory.

This can't be right. This can't be right. I must have followed the wrong person. I must have made a mistake. But did I? How could I? She tosses her hands into her hair. This isn't real. This isn't happening. She stares at the figure barely visible in the distance. It's still going. It's still going. She can't follow. She can't go any farther.

But what if she's right? What if it is Rei? It can't be though. Why would Rei ever walk into mafia territory? She looks around frantically. What if there's something going on? What if she's in trouble? What if they're blackmailing her, or torturing her, or doing whatever creepy mafia shit they do to people? Her hands tremble as they scramble for her phone. I have to do something. I have to tell someone. She unlocks the screen and presses the button.

A gloved hand shoves against her mouth. Her muffled screams don't even reach to a foot out in front of herself. Darkness comes in the form of rough fabric. She kicks and screams and yells and… tired. She feels… tired… really… tired…

Loud music blares from the TV screen. Dazai leans back as he props his arm up from behind the couch. "This show is so stupid," he says as he grabs another handful of chips from the bowl. It's about some group of obnoxious teenagers trying to hit each other with paint to win prizes. Not only that, but they're all freakishly bad at it.

Rei sits with her shoulder on his chest and her knees bent across his legs. "Why are you watching it?"

"I feel like watching it increases the chances that you'll put out."

Rei sighs into her hand. Yeah, of course. She has to wonder why she bothers to ask at this point. "I'm going to hit you."

Dazai turns to her with a smirk. "What if I –"

"Like it?" she finishes for him. He raises a brow and pouts his lip, surprised she knew exactly where he was going. Though, honestly, it's not all that surprising. She looks at him, now with a smirk on her face, then turns back around. "Yeah, nice one Osamu."

They sit back again and continue watching the show. Though not for long as a knock soon sounds on the door. They look at each other for a second before Dazai gets up. He's about two steps to the door when a storm of knocks pounds into it. He grits his teeth and turns back to Rei. "God dammit, it's Chuuya."

Rei gets up too and walks with him to answer the door. He opens it and nearly gets punched in the face. "What do you –"

Chuuya busts into the room like it's a government raid. "The ADA is here."

Both receiving parties are floored by the news. They stare with stunned expressions, not believing him. "What?"

"Outside, they're outside," the redhead says out of breath. "They're threatening to storm the building."

Dazai and Rei both look to the window, then back at him. She takes a step forward, trying to parse this out. "Who's with them?"

"Kouyou," Chuuya answers through his panic. "They say they're here for someone called Naomi."

Her heart stops on a dime. "Naomi?!" She blitzes past him to the door, only stopping at a skid when she reaches the hall. "Where is she?"

He looks from Dazai nervously on over to Rei. "She's in interrogation." There's a pause. "With Akutagawa."

"Akutagawa?!" Her eyes nearly fall out of her head. AKUTA-FUCKING-GAWA?! That is the worst person imaginable. She buries her hands in her hair and paces in the doorway. "Okay, okay. I think I have an idea." Both men turn to her. "Someone needs to go and get Naomi out. Bring her out with no handcuffs and no restraints. Once they see her, they'll be so relieved we can negotiate terms and we'll just leave." They look at each other and nod, agreeing with her plan. Rei grabs her stuff and heads for the door. "I'm going down too, just hold them off until I get there," she yells back as she runs out.

Chuuya turns to Dazai once the door closes. "I'll go down there with Kouyou. Someone needs to make sure this doesn't escalate out of control. The last thing we need is to have to pummel the agency out of existence." Dazai looks at him and nods, his head still in his hand. Chuuya goes and runs out the door. Dazai takes his phone out and makes a call.

Rei speeds down the hall and nearly crashes into the elevator. She stops herself by a hand and rapidly hammers the button on the panel. It doesn't make a difference. It doesn't make any difference. But she does it anyway. She presses that button. She presses that fucking button like she's getting a goddamn record in a Mario game.

The elevator doors open. Finally. And out walks a man. Out walks a man with a coldness she's never quite seen. It's not just cold, it's freezing. His foot makes contact with the carpet and the whole room stops. She stops, the doors stop, time stops. The only thing moving is him.

He walks out of the elevator and turns his head to her. Like chess, like mahjong, like any game of poker. His lightless eyes and straight black hair, they frame his face as if each individual strand was cut. A long, red scarf fitted around his neck. Even in the highest chaos, the world will freeze for him.

A flick of his hand and she can move again. Like pressing play on a remote, she can't stop her motion. Nearly falling into the elevator, she barely manages to balance on one foot. She leans against the cool, glass door, looking out into the strangely foreign foyer. He's heading down into the hallway, and somehow, somehow, she knows exactly how calm he is despite the fact she can't see his face. And, as the clock starts to click, then so too do the doors start to close.

Naomi sits tied up to a chair in some broke-ass looking dungeon. She squirms and worms and tries to wriggle her way out. It's no use though, she bites, and now she's stuck here with Japanese teen gothic. The metal table, the stiff wooden chair, concrete walls and a single light that's strung down from the ceiling. This place couldn't be more typical interrogation room if it tried.

"Armed detective agent," teen gothic says as he shines the light in her face.

"I'm not an agent, I'm a clerk," Naomi responds as she turns away from being blind. She shuts her eyes and huffs in contempt. She doesn't get why he's so intent on calling her that, or really even why he insists on speaking that way. It's so formal and awkward.

He snarls, but relents anyway. "Armed detective clerk," he revises his statement. "Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my friend." She struggles again, fighting against the rope burn. "Where is she?"

His eyes light up, if that were possible. "Your friend?" He lowers the lamp and stands at the table across from her. "Tell me, who is this friend?"

"Let me go!" She yells as she tries the kick the chair up off the ground. "You know, my coworkers are going be here any second and they're going to kick your ass!"

He slams his hands onto the table, startling her into actually looking at him. He's starting to lose his patience. "Who is this friend?" he asks one more time in a growl.

Her eyes grow wide with fear as some kind of creature emerges from his coat. It's like black plasma in the form of a demon. It's got fangs and claws and. It's – It's a fucking monster! The beast, it takes up the entire wall, from ceiling to floor. Naomi cowers back in her chair, her life flashing before her eyes.

The door opens and the beast disappears. Almost in an instant, the entire demon goes back into his coat. The clerk breathes a deep sigh of relief and turns to see her hero. It's… some old dude. He's got gray hair and monocle, dressed in what she presumes to be dressy mafia clothes.

"Akutagawa," the old man says, "you are dismissed."

Teen gothic, or Akutagawa apparently, scowls and walks over to the man. "What do you mean I'm dismissed?"

The old man takes out his phone and shows him something. "You are dismissed."

Teen gothic stares at the device, then tosses his head to the side and walks away. The door shuts after him and Naomi lets out another calming breath. Whatever this old guy's going to do, it surely can't be worse than summoning Satan from his back, right?

She watches anxiously as he walks over and… unties her? Um, okay. She waits for the last of the ropes to be undone then – Nope! Not so fast. He grabs on and holds her by the shoulder, making sure she stays in place. She tries to kick and scream and flail her arms about, but clearly it's not working. The old man just keeps a hand on her shoulder and says something. "I'm going to escort you out to your group."

She stops what she's doing and looks at him, not sure if she heard that right. "If you come with me and walk along, we can get you there shortly." Holy shit, he's being serious. She just looks at him and nods, not sure what else to do. What the fuck? What's going on? They captured her, detained her for a while, and now they're just letting her go? God damn, has this been a weird day.

An old fashioned standoff on opposite ends of the street. On one side it's Tanizaki, Haruno, Kunikida, Yosano, and Kenji. And on the other, Kouyou and Chuuya. The temperate weather does little to quell the blood that's boiling under their skin. It's a classic battle, five on two. Both sides know how dangerous it is. The wanting to aggress while knowing what it can lead to. That doesn't matter. Tanizaki rolls up his sleeves. He's going in.

"Wait Tanizaki don't!"

All seven of them turn to see a woman running toward the agency side. She's shaky and out of breath. They all stare at her, watching as she stands with them. Her coworkers welcome her with open arms; they're glad to have another member on their side. Across the street, their eyes teem with anticipation.

"Sorry I'm late," she says to her friends. They pat her on the shoulder as she regains her composure. Once they're all set, they turn to face their adversaries together. Two pairs of sharp cut eyes glare at them. Cobras slithering in the grass, patient for the strike. Rei can feel the heat, not only from the mafiosos, but her own teammates as well. Where is Naomi? She bites her tongue. They're not going be to able to hold them off forever.

"Port Mafia," Kunikida steps forward. "This is your last chance." He takes out his notebook and a pen. Yosano swings her cleaver, Kenji grabs a lamppost, and Tanizaki's more than already unhinged. Oh no. Oh no.

Rei looks from them to the executives. They also have their abilities ready. Chuuya's hovering in the air with his arms crossed; Kouyou has her demon drawn. The agent clutches her sides. What's she going to do? What's she going to do?

"Naomi!"

Everyone drops what they're doing. From down the road comes a well-dressed young woman with long, black hair, and a likewise well-dressed older man. Hirotsu brings her out and stands with her in a line with the other mafia members.

The clerk's face turns ghost when she sees what's across from her. There, right there with all of them. How? Was she mistaken? Was the person in the hood not actually Rei? No, it had to be. But she's right there.

Tanizaki lunges forward. He's ready to take on the entire mafia to get her back. Kunikida and Kenji grab him by his chest to restrain him. He flails and kicks his legs around, only getting wilder as Naomi tries to reach out.

Rei walks to the front of the group and addresses the mafia members. "We'll make an agreement 50-50. Give her back to us and we'll leave, no strings attached." Her gaze locks with Chuuya's, locks with Kouyou's. She can see it in the woman's eyes, the venom that's there. The scarlet mistress, she wants to say something, but holds back her tongue.

"Deal," Chuuya says for their group. His eyes are still squarely on Rei. A conversation relays back and forth. She knows that they want, and maybe it's best to agree to it. She lowers her eyes and looks away. He then turns to Hirotsu and nods, prompting the older man to let go.

Naomi's released and runs straight into Tanizaki's arms. "Junichiro!"

"Naomi!" He catches her and picks her up in his embrace. The rest of the agency smiles at each other in relief, glad that this is all over with. They gather around in a group hug, with Yosano forcing Kunikida to join too. As they break apart to head on their way, Rei looks back one last time. Chuuya tips his hat at her, then the three of them turn and walk in the other direction.

It's late in the afternoon as the agency members head back into the main city. They're approaching the outer areas of Downtown while chatting with each other. Naomi walks with Tanizaki on one side and Haruno on the other, the former's arms wrapped tightly around her. "What were you doing out here?" he asks, dripping with concern.

She lifts her head up to him, not sure what to say. "I was – I was –" She glances at Rei who's talking to Kunikida. The image of her standing there flashes in her brain. "I don't know. I guess, I just must have gotten lost or something."

He sighs and hugs her again. "Just promise me you'll never do it again?"

"I promise." She smiles at him and Haruno, putting an arm around both of them. "Oh wait," she stops, remembering something. "I have to talk to Rei about this witness for a case tomorrow." She apologizes and bows out, jogging over to where Kunikida and Rei are. Naomi taps on the woman's shoulder and excuses for her to go. Kunikida waves them off, joining a conversation with the rest of the group.

Once they're enough behind everyone else, Naomi starts nailing it in. "I don't get it. You were there. You – I saw you walk into one of those buildings." Rei stares at her with a confused expression. "When you got off the train you put on this black robe." She ruffles around in the agent's bag. Searching for the cloak, all she finds are papers, pens, and a bunch of receipts. There is no hood. "I don't get it," she looks up at the agent in bewilderment. "I swear it was you."

Rei takes the clerk's hand out of her bag and addresses her in a completely austere manner. "Naomi, why were you out here?"

Naomi lowers her eyes to the ground, ashamed to admit what she did. "I was following you, or at least who I thought was you." She glances back up at the face of her friend. "I don't know why I did it."

Rei sighs and puts her hands on her shoulders. "Look, you are one of my closest friends, and I'm sorry this happened to you. But please, never follow me again." The tone in her eyes is dead serious, and it's something the clerk has never seen before.

The agent lets up on her shoulders and they walk side by side. "You're right when you say that I haven't been completely honest with you, there are things that I keep from both you and Haruno; but I need you to trust me when I say I have my reasons. It's not for my own amusement, or to keep you in the dark, or some mastermind scheme you may think I have. I do go into Downtown sometimes after work, and I'm sorry for acting weird, or suspicious, or whatever about it, but, quite frankly, it's none of your business. All you need to know is that you don't have to worry about it. I don't want to put you, or anyone else, in a situation like this ever again."

"I know," the clerk pouts. "I'm just nosy I guess. I just – The secrets, they got to me. But you're right, I should've trusted you. I was just worried that something bad was happening. I'm sorry for following you."

They smile at each other and hug it out. Rei puts her arm around Naomi's back and Naomi does the same to hers. They laugh about some TV show and make fun of it together, enjoying the company as they rejoin the rest of their group.

Maybe I'll try to have some fun here. Does anyone want to take a guess at what happens next, or maybe even how the story ends? I'd be curious to see what you guys think. Anyway, happy new years, and holidays, and all that jazz.