Rakutsu waited inside the garage of a fairly innocent brick and cement building.
"Ruri, I want you to take the front of the apartment."
"Yes, sir."
"Be careful not to raise too much of a havoc," Burrakku said on the other side of the phone, "couple of neighbours already heard the gun shots."
"Don't worry," he said, "the media will cover up these things anyway. Last time it was reported as a bank robbery."
"But a sex trafficking ring in a warehouse, that's-"
"Quiet," Rakutsu said, effectively shutting Leo up, and he leaned back against the garage door, "Ruri San, we'll be going in three minutes and come back in three." He paused, "If you lose ground," he said more gently, "don't stop. Keep going. You're free to fire. None of those nonsense rules apply anymore."
"Yes sir." She said. But it was going to be a little hard to undo the work of three years under the police academy. They had had to train with batons when their opponents had guns. Traditional Japanese policy. But this was real life, and when kids came into the question policy was greatly ignored.
Even now Ruri had trouble understanding that.
Not that Rakutsu was any different- given the fact that he'd neglected to even mention the sting to Faltsu, going so far as to give her a day off- meant that some emotion was filtering out his decisions too.
And that wasn't a good thing.
"Inspector Burrakku," Rakustu whispered, partly to raise himself out of his own thoughts, "please cover for me-"
"Aye, aye- captain-"
The garage was such that Rakutsu didn't have trouble covering himself even as he shot in broad daylight, low enough to make him knock his head against the steel uplifted garage door multiple times as he pointed at pinpricks of nothing in the distance, deafening bullets coming from isolated copper roofs and copious stone walls
"It's no good," he ended up saying, "they can't be seen- I'm coming out."
"Superintendent-"
The line broke. Rakutsu heaved the garage door open, a task that caused sweat to drop down in rivulets behind his back, hands so wet he almost caught them slipping-
Only for a bullet to zip straight through and narrowly escape his head.
"Superintendent-" a voice broke out from the phone, barely audible, "you're here?"
Rakutsu nearly let go of the stupid revolver. "Officer Faitsu San," he said, "what are you doing here?"
Faitsu let out a harsh and shaky breath.
"The children," she said without pausing, "they're here. I found them. They're here with me."
Rakutsu was never religious. But now he found himself uttering a quick and short prayer. So much for trying to at least contain the chaos.
The most infamous sex trafficking ring in Gangnam, Korea, specialised in variety. These hidden side businesses of the rich executives of Gangnam were overlooked for many years for the sake of Korea's continued economic prosperity.
Faitsu has long known that Japan would be heading in the same direction, given the diplomatic relations between gangsters in Japan and Korea- and Moon Sung and Emiko's appearance in the closed-up basement of a supposed factory warehouse only solidified that fact.
Two of seventeen children, according to Emiko's mumbled words another school bus had intercepted theirs, stopping them.
The bus driver claimed that the "bus wasn't working properly", and they were children, what could they understand? Several black jeeps crawled across the deserted bus stop like spiders, skidding and jittering. Emiko was jolted awake from her small nap.
The children happily stumbled out of the school bus and into the large private cars. Before three hours had passed some of them had already been shown up to their first clients. The police couldn't find them. Or at least, they didn't bother to. They had money in their pockets.
Faitsu could hardly see straight from the rage she'd built up in her body at this point. There was no outlet to this kind of rage. It would build and build. It seethed quietly and doused entire forest fires.
It caused rains.
The basement they were in hardly allowed sunlight. Faitsu shuffled in the darkness and patted Emiko's feet so they could keep still. She motioned for Emiko to 'shush' using her finger, while Moon Sung lied crawling on the basement floor, not daring to look up.
"Look at the other basement," a ruddy voice snapped from the other side of the door, "and take a box."
A shadow on the wall as the man literally pulled up an Mk- seventeen, sleek black military rifle with obnoxious tapered ends, and fuck, where did they even get these things? What kind of a black market did they have, to be getting military grade rifles. Faitsu didn't even have her gun right now.
Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and Emiko shuffled uneasily- poor girl, and fear settled into Faitsu's bones as she realised that if they were found now, she wouldn't be able to do anything.
The footsteps came closer and please, please, please don't come any closer, please just leave us alone for the time being and-
Faitsu couldn't even breath through her prayers in case they heared. But-
Rakutsu. She could call Rakutsu.
The shuffling stopped, Emiko nearly squeezing into herself in the corner when, "Nothing to see here." One of the men growled, "time we went back."
"I thought we heard something-'
Faitsu had to keep calm. She covered her mouth with her hand in case any sound escaped and-
"What's that?!"
No. No.
She forgot to turn off her phone.
Several other feet- several more plodding footsteps.
It was supposed to be gentle, the beeping. But it just got louder and louder, the ID showing 'Superintendent'.
They've heard.
By the time Faitsu turned it off it was already too late.
She doesn't want to die like this. No, please, go back.
She didn't even want to leave any of them and- Emiko must've heard her thoughts because she clung on to her so tight that Faitsu didn't even have feeling in her hands anymore. They were clammy and numb. Her heart threatened to fall out of her ribcage.
Someone knocked into the basement door with the end of their rifle. "They're here."
"Oh-"
Emiko, small child as she was, clearly knew how to stay silent. She didn't say a word, but her eyes were watery. And still. Faitsu wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she couldn't save them.
"Come on," a voice said, disturbingly soft, "you're here now, are you, Moon Sung? Come out now. We're not going to hurt you." Faitsu jolted as he banged his hand against the door, again and again. "That stupid bitch. I'm going to cut her neck off with a chainsaw. Roki!" He said, "Come here!"
Together the two of them smashed the door open with a solid kick. The small opening in the basement, barred by a few pieces of wood, was small enough for Emiko to squeeze through after Moon Sung.
Judging by the location of the phone call, Rakutsu was probably somewhere around here, how, though, Faitsu didn't know. But it was enough. They would be safe. And that was always enough.
"Go on," Faitsu whispered, a little more harshly than intended, when Moon Sung lingered for a brief second- "go on!"
This was bad. The footsteps came closer. And there was the rotten smell of that old... that old basement, from before. The tulips. A sweet scent lingering in between the scent of old flesh.
The tulips.
Specks of black dusted her vision, and Faitsu dropped to the ground with a thud, a pressure on her shoulders.
It smelled like a different kind of drug. If only she could've told this to her Superintendent. He would know what to do with it.
And then- his voice- alarmed, pained, frustrated-
She was imagining stuff, right? It was the psychedelic drug, making her envision her innermost desires. That's how it worked, why Rakutsu was there. But where was everybody else?
She was pulled up from the ground, but her legs were jelly, pulling her down to the ground like weights-
"Let's get you out of here," Rakutsu said. But his voice sounded different. Hurt. Faitsu tried to sort through the words. Only when she dropped to the ground a second time did she spread her fingers around the shirt seeping red with warm blood.
Disoriented as she was, Faitsu still let out a sob.
Rakutsu shook his head for her to stay silent, the roles were reversed. They were in a small alleyway now, thatched roofs with streams of sunlight glinting against the metal. Rakutsu collapsed with his head against a worn wall with splashes of spray paint.
"You're hurt-" Faitsu managed.
"I'm not," he said, "it's just a cut." The way he said those words made Faitsu believe them. After a small panting breath and a pause he said, "They should be gone by now." He flinched, groaning as he again hobbled up from the ground, "Come on-"
"I'm not," Faitsu said, eyes glimmering, "you're hurt. I'll slow you down."
"I'm not in the mood to fight with you right now-" Rakutsu snapped before she could say anything. "Hold on," he said, and- against her deepest wishes, Faitsu used his shoulder for support, wrapping her arms around his neck to stand up. "We have help. It's just the street around the corner."
Rakutsu still had his strength. Thank goodness. Maybe the cut wasn't so bad after all? Faitsu would never be able to forgive herself if it was. And, thankfully- there was no-one here, the streets were isolated apart from a small corner shop. And the white ambulance parked delicately against a corner.
"See?" Rakutsu said, a weak smile pulls at his lips, "I told you it was just around the corner-"
Then, for no reason at all maybe, he pulled her in an embrace. His body felt like home. Like the sofa you curled into when you're really sad or your favourite comforter in the rainy season. Too bad it didn't last that long.
Because Rakutsu's literally taken a hit for her.
Faitsu could scream. Or cry. But she wasn't able to do neither as Rakutsu was carried away in a stroller a few minutes after; bleeding uncontrollably. And all she knew was that she couldn't feel anymore if something happened to him. She would never see Justice the same way ever again, and she'd never be able to meet eyes with anyone ever again. She could never work in that place again.
It was because of her. It's all happened because of her.
It hurt too much to cry. So she didn't say anything, didn't do anything. Didn't move the way the paramedics told her to and only the smallest amount of relief filled her veins at the sedation. People came and went from her room, saying it was only a short while until the effects of the drug would wear off and she'll be able to talk- but Faitsu knew she'll never. If anything went wrong she wouldn't live anymore.
Slowly, the room came into view, white walls and threadbare ceiling, and the concerned voices of the rest of her teammates.
"I told you we should have told her," Burrakku said, with his usual whine, "now we'll have to deal with two invalids instead of one. Who's going to do all the work?"
"I thought Rakutsu San asked you not to come in here-" a gentle voice said, (Ruri?) "and that's not any of our business." A sigh. "Let them figure it out."
The fact that they were taking about him... he was alright. That sounded too good to be true. Faitsu wanted to jump like a maniac, and a manic happiness filled her chest. As she struggled to get up-
"Watch out a little-" Burrakku immediately reached out to steady her shoulders.
"Superintendent," she said, cheeks puffy and wet from all the huge dollops of tears spilled over them, "he's fine, right? He's fine?"
"Of course he's fine."
"No, he's dead in a ditch," Burrakku replied. "Sorry we had to tell you like this-"
Ruri covered her mouth to keep a smile from escaping. This was a series situation. "But you know you should still get some rest-"
And honestly. The hurt. The hurt that filled her chest. "I could kill him now." Faitsu said. She leapt up from the bed, ignoring the harsh sting of pain that shot through her limbs at the movement, "Where is he? I will kill him myself. He's definitely dead meat today."
"Hold on," Ruri said, clutching Faitsu's shoulder, "he's still in a lot of pain. And now might not be a good time-"
"Not to mention he didn't trust you enough to let you in on the plan in the first place," Burrakku said, shrugging, "everything's going wrong for him. I suggest you wait a little."
Wait, what?
What?
"What plan?"
Ruri started shaking her head at Burrakku, but the latter only straightened himself up.
"He didn't tell you we were going to bust a sex trafficking ring," he said, "because he didn't trust you enough not to mess things up. But you already have. So I'm just saying he might not be in the best mood right now."
"He didn't... trust me?" Her? After all he's been through with her?
"No, Faitsu San- that's not-"
"Then what about the rest of you;" Faitsu said, "what about Leo San and Ruri San. They all knew."
"To be fair," Burrakku said, "you haven't exactly proved you're trustworthy to him in the first place. See, that's what he told me but-"
But Rakutsu didn't tell it to her. That he didn't trust her. Because Faitsu was simply not worth it. Ever. And now that she thought about it the reason he took a bullet for her could've been because he didn't want any problems.
And now he was going to hate her a little bit more. About time she disappeared.
"Where is Chief?" Faitsu said. She did not know if she could muster up any more words; choked up as she was, chest heavy from any pent up feelings and frustration, a lock that refused to open. "Is he here?"
"Chief? He did say he'd come around to visit Superintendent-"
Faitsu ran out of the room before Ruri could quite finish her sentence.
"It's just really funny," Leo said. As a short nurse unwraps an IV pack from Rakutsu's bedside stand, forcing Rakutsu to keep his head in an uncomfortable forty-five degree angle, "I mean- the fact that it turned out this way-"
"You know I admire the way you dealt with this case in particular," a middle-aged man said, wrapped up in an old fashioned pea coat and observing Rakutsu with admiration, "although I admit I would've done the same-"
"Excuse me," Rakutsu said, "who are you? Do I even know you?"
"Inspector Looker," he said, bringing his chair forwards to shake his arm, "from second division."
Rakutsu observed the offered hand, only to look away with a small eyeroll. "Second division," he said, "so a good for nothing, then."
"You know I'd ask you not to talk about me that way-"
"He usually doesn't act like this," Leo offered quickly, "probably the pain killers, they've reduced the dosage-"
"Speaking about pain," Looker said, "you know I'm a bit curious why exactly- I mean I'm curious why you chose to throw yourself in danger that way. I mean, when we were together you never would've done something like this."
Leo shuffled a little in his chair, raising an eyebrow. "Wait," he said, "you know him?"
"Of course!" Looker said, "We worked on the same team!"
"But he kept calling you a stranger"
"Painkillers probably," the nurse offered Leo a warm, peevish smile.
"We never worked on the same team." Rakutsu said, irritable. "Stop talking. Dead skin cells are coming out of your mouth."
"We did though," Looker spluttered, "and the Rakutsu I know would've never done something like this. I thought you were all about taking care of your body and everything? You don't even practise what you preach-"
"Yeah that's interesting to me too," Leo said, "I mean, Superintendent is kind of known for putting himself before others." He grinned at Rakutsu, "I wonder what happened to make him change his mind."
"Stop talking about me in the third person, please," he said, "I'm right here." He pointed to his ribcage, "And I'm an invalid." After a pause, because of course, he needed to act like he didn't care, Rakutsu said, "Where's crazy Nishigama San right now?"
Perfect timing. Faitsu ran into the room like a mini cyclone, displacing chairs and causing both men to clamber respectively away from Rakutsu's bedside, "you're really alright? You're not hurt?"
"He has a bullet wound-" Rakutsu threw Looker a dirty look, "-what?"
"I knew it," Faitsu said. Breath in. Breath out. Now's not the time to get angry. But why didn't he tell her in the first place? Why did he keep this from her? Did he think she was below him? "I am so angry at you."
"Feel free to be," Rakutsu said, haphazardly sitting back upright from the bed frame as the nurse finally finished her job and moved away, "I mean- as far as I know I'm supposed to be dead right now. You might as well be talking to a ghost."
Ghosts don't betray each other. But- "You know what you're right," Faitsu said, "I'm not trustworthy at all. At all. I'm glad we cleared that up so soon. And now I can actually know what you really look like."
Rakutsu stopped a little, his eyes subdued. "Well, I'm glad we've got that covered," he said, "you must really detest me if you're willing to say something like this on my deathbed."
"Yes I do," she said, "I hate you so much I could kill myself. Does that answer your question?"
"Sure it does," Rakutsu answered, not quite having the strength of voice to argue, "now stop being dramatic and sit down a little. You're out of breath."
"Seriously?" Looker said, "That's all the scolding she gets? And I'm the one who woke up at five am to be here- to see my ex Superintendent!"
And again, Rakutsu smiled, "I won't pretend to know you. But if you're willing to sit here and see my pretty face- I don't mind."
"Then I guess I'll be leaving," Looker said, "Leo San?"
"Let's talk outside," Leo said, "I guess I'll be going around- superintendent?"
"Oh please leave."
Leo turned around, waiting for the inspector in the brown coat to follow him outside.
Faitsu waited for the footsteps to recede into the distance. And then there was- silence.
"You know," Faitsu began after a pause, "I could forgive you. But on one condition."
"What's the condition?"
"Hug me," she said, folding into herself as she sat on the chair beside Rakutsu's bed, "Like you did that day. Or a few days before. Hug me so I can feel that you're okay."
Rakutsu observed her as if for the last time. "Okay," he said, "-but don't you think you're being just a tad bit overdramatic?"
"When are you going to-"
Rakutsu pulled her in and hugs her. It was an enclosed space that felt fascinating. How warm could it get? Faitsu could be there forever.
Only she was snatched away from her thoughts by the sound of a door opening as fast as it had closed.
"Faitsu Chan- so you're alright?"
"Tatsuya Kun-" and here she jumped up with an enthusiasm that could hardly be overlooked. Which was fine, right? They were friends. Friends didn't use honorifics with each other.
And yet Rakutsu found himself frowning stupidly.
"Oh and this is Inspector Tatsuya-"
"I know," he said, blinking, "the short guy."
Faitsu paused. Then turned wholly away from Rakutsu and towards the other. Not much of a great decision maker. "So? You said had something to tell me?"
"Yes," Tatsuya said, then in a whisper, "just not here-"
Rakutsu observed their conversation quietly. "Go on, then," he said, just when Faitsu glanced at him, "but I need Faitsu San to call the nurse again when I'm in my wheelchair."
"It's fine," Tatsuya said with that ever gentle smile of his, "I can wait. I'll wait for you outside. Call me when you're done."
Half expecting Rakutsu to come up with some strange remark, she quickly lead Tatsuya out of the room.
When she came back after a while Rakutsu had already managed to get himself into a wheelchair, and was staring plaintive at a plant in the corner. For some reason that look kind of scared her- it was like he was trying to be- nonchalant.
"I'll be going," Faitsu said, voice going super quiet before she even knew it, "I think Tatsuya Kun has to tell me something really important."
"Good luck," Rakutsu said, the odd sneer escaping from his voice, "I guess I'll be staying here on my own, then."
"Uh, yeah." Faitsu didn't want to leave him but the situation was more important so she said, "you know it's not like I dislike taking care of you but I will have to take a lot of time out of my schedule so-"
By the time she stopped talking Rakutsu was mysteriously quiet. After a pause he said, "Sure. Do whatever you want."
"I'm glad." She was sure Rakutsu would understand. But just as she turned to leave the glass-walled hallway Rakutsu began, almost as an afterthought-
"You see the thing about you is-" he muttered out of nowhere, "you're quite nice."
"Oh, thank you-"
But Rakutsu didn't quite let her finish there.
'You're nice," he continued, "but not too smart, or even beautiful. At the end of the day you're- kind of disposable. Now don't be too surprised if this guy- Tatsuya was it?- ends up leaving you."
Where was this even coming from? "You know," Faitsu paused, "you're a real asshole."
Rakutsu just shrugged. "I like telling things the way they are," he said, "not my fault if you can't take them."
"Good bye, Superintendent."
By the time she came back round to the hospital parking lot Tatsuya was already scrolling through his phone.
"So you're here," he said, "so I thought we could- Faitsu Chan? Are you crying?"
"No," Faitsu said, shocked. But then the tears dripped to her lips, wet and salty. When Faitsu touched her cheeks the wetness around them surprised her, "I think my eyes just itched a little. For no reason."
"Ah," Tatsuya paused. Out of words. "I guess we could first go around central park-"
"Just tell me," Faitsu said, she didn't want any more nonsense from Rakutsu, "what you wanted to say. I don't have time to go around."
"The drug you described earlier," Tatsuya said, "it's an incapacitating agent. Temporarily renders the user unconscious, and-"
"I know that much," Faitsu said- after all, she experienced it, "but what does that have to do with-"
"A few days ago," Tatsuya said, "a very large shipment of the drug from Hokkaido was halted by our team. Alder San- if you want to call him that really, our team leader- found out that the drugs were being shipped out from a particular place in the East coast."
"O-kay?"
"And we haven't found any of the corpses of the children in that east coast plane crash," Tatsuya said, eyes dark, different from the rest of his soft features, "not even Kim Je Yeon's daughter. You know, whose death was so very convenient."
Faitsu took a breath to take all this in. But then again, "He wouldn't do that. Not to his grand daughter."
"You don't know that," Tatsuya sighed, "the sex trafficking rings in the Maldives-"
"Well you need to be more specific," Faitsu said, Tatsuya was prone to going off on speculation sometimes, and if she needed to inform Rakutsu about it she needed facts, not to mention the fact that, "the district attorney may be a huge asshole. But he wouldn't do his grand daughter in like that. Not to a sex ring. That's disgusting."
"The clans have their own way of compensating for their debts," Tatsuya said, and true enough, when they working together in their team Faitsu did realise most of this together with him, "the district attorney was never in a good financial position- and you know I am trying to be specific here, but I really can't- not unless you-"
"Unless I what?"
"-join our team." Tatsuya said. He sighed, keeping his arms in his pockets. "We'd be together again. And no secrets kept."
And Faitsu did understand. The temptation. Just working together to catch all of those privileged bastards red-handed in their exploitation of little children, simply being heroes in a world of villains. Faitsu did understand that, but still, Rakutsu taught her everyday not to see the world in black and white. She couldn't miss that.
But the way he'd been treating her these days. The thought sent a painful squeeze through her heart.
"I'll think about it," Faitsu said, squeezing her fingers together, dried up and cold in the relentless winter, "just give Alder San my greetings."
For the first time, Tatsuya smiled without holding back.
"Will do," he said, giving her a warm pat on the back, "just take care of yourself, Faitsu Chan."
End
Thank you for reading. Take care of yourselves everyone. And stay tuned since the next chapter will answer a lot of questions!
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