Speech = ``…. ´´
Thoughts = …..
Radio = […]
ºº
ºº
ºº
ºº
It was early in the morning when the plane landed. She could still see the effects the rain that had fell from the sky by the storm had on the landing track, and even though it had been a while since it had stopped it was enough for the scent to remain and fill the air around her with that refreshing smell of clean air that one would scarcely find in such polluted area.
Its humid touch brushing against her skin like a soft, wet blanket she did not know needed until that point.
It helped clear out ideas…., put things into place….
The darkness that had been so prominent during her travel was also gone..., nothing but an almost apparent tender blue sky and bright sun laid before her, with only one or two straggling clouds in the vicinity that were swiftly been pushed away as warm beams of light casted their unseen eyes on her.
As if illuminating her path...
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, humming at the thought before tossing it away.
Many of the passengers had barely managed to get enough if any sleep thanks to the storm, dragging their feet through the ground as they tried to maintain their groggy eyes open so that they wold not fall to the ground asleep, becoming unmovable displays of shame...
She saw them stumble multiple times as they tried to gather their belongings, tried been the key word as she quickly walked pass them with her things in tow…
Fools indeed, they should have at least tried to drug themselves into a stupor if it was so damn hard to fall asleep. It wasn't like the company did not warrant such offers after such events.
Even more so during such hectic seasons…., her grip over her book tightened.
A sigh left through her lips as she viewed for one last time those poor foolish, groaning souls...one of them failing to natch one of their bags in time and falling to the ground by inertia as a result…
A small pang of dissatisfaction flared in her chest before she snuffed it out as quickly as it had appeared as she glanced the small book in her grasp.
Her eyes finding more amusement in the ink stained pages rather than the image of the man failing miserably to stand up on its own from the ground while the rest of the passengers merely ignored him or were not aware of their fellows peril as they continued their on their way….
A bitter smirk warped around the edges of her lips.
No, she doubted it…..such thoughts were nothing but wishful thinking, like viewing the cold, rusted edges of the cogs of an old machine….hoping for it to not fall apart every four minutes, yet forcing it further and further...
Lazily she look up from her lecture, feeling the cold winds of morning brushing against her face once more in some sort of silent greetment, playing with loose strands of hair…., but not managing to leave it in complete disorder as they would usually do.
She would not have minded though...
Her eyes then trailed over the translucent, brief forms of the droplets of water sliding down the roof of the airports open parking lot, forcing the people over the passer-by to shield themselves from this unexpected leftover.
It should have been impossible, yet she managed to see the light pierce through their round, humid forms each time they reached her eye level..., time slowing down to a crawl with each occurrence before reality forced its will upon her a few seconds later and the objects of her entertainment became nothing but splashes on the ground…
If she did not have anything else to do she could have stayed right there and there, counting them all until the air dried up and the ground cracked. She was sure she would not miss one...
Vermouth had called it a "hyper focus tick"….
Gin nothing but a cheap cheat…..
She closed the small book she had been holding and with a quick flip of her wrist she placed it back into her carry-on, alongside two black suitcases and her purple bag pack she had been carrying before she started moving forward.
Her eyes frowned for a split second as she felt a sour taste in her mouth, thoughts quickly passing by in her head before she methodically put them in distinct, neat sections like one would do to a bunch of files.
Why was she thinking about those two? A second passed, then another as she received no answer whatsoever.
She shook her head. Well…, it didn't matter in the end. She was well past holding onto the opinions of others...especially those that did not deserve such attention.
She yawned softly as she stepped outside the airport into the asphalt..., rubbing her eyes with the sleeve that had yet to be drenched in water by any leaks sliding down the rooftops as she pushed the image of those two outside her focus. Her thoughts slowly derailed towards the silence of her phone, the object who had remained strangely inert all this time...
Protocol dictated that communications should be short and one direction only, with a spam of calls been left between five to nine days in between for security measures. Lesser probability of been tracked and identified as-well as maximizing the quality of the message led to better results on the line.
And yet…., she had yet to hear any news pertaining her new assignment. The ghost of a frown appeared in her face, not out of worry as an out-looker could had thought…., but actually genuine amusement.
Protocol was important, yes…., but she knew that most of the time exceptions were made. There was always something that drove the agents to break it, no matter where they stood; the field or logistics.
There was something about speaking between two beings in utter calmness after a wet-job that always draw attention. Her free hand slowly rubbed the location were the tool was kipped, vaguely sensing its shape under the cloth.
It sounded…...tedious
She pushed those thoughts aside. Besides, been left in the dark was not something new to her..., not at all, but the lack of actual work, of a human voice coming out of that metallic contraction when it was clear she had done what was asked by a while left her always….puzzled.
There was always something to do, someone to take care of...or just a plain, boring retell of her status to the faceless operators behind the line.
Was it because she had left sooner than expected? Or something else….
The wheels of her carry-on creaked as they passed over a bump in the smooth ground. If that was the case then perhaps it would not be as bad as it could be, no more missions meant that she could actually pass the time doing her secondary task.
Or as the others called, her "sanctioned hobby"….
How long it lasted depended on how long it took Vermouth to take notice of her absence without permission, or the others lack of competence spawn out in latching her to another task a grunt could do.
She took a deep breath.
Yes, she was looking for a long and calm stop…..
With that thought settled, she silently started maneuvering through the ever growing crowd…., her senses working over time as they tried to blur out their faces and tone down their voices to scrap. Her body twisting to the side and then the other in her endeavor so that her luggage would not slam against their bodies and spilled out its contents on the ground...
A task far easier said than done when presented with the living tide of bodies pressed against her most of the time..
A cold shudder ran down her back as she felt the hand of a man graving her shoulder when he bumped into her, words of apology lost to her as he was drag away back into the tide. Her throat clogged with either repugnance or shame over how she could not avoid that distressing feeling of tightness in her chest as she strode through them.
The events of the past were long buried, yet they had left scars….
In a sense, it was surprising how they resisted her attempts to brush them off her psyche like stains over a table.
How troublesome….
She did not know why, but for a moment she remained still as she stood over one of the many rain pools left behind by the storm, her eyes glaring down at the unsteady reflection projected by the watery surface, shock waves spreading all over as the people around her stepped on it in their haste.
There was no trace of the dark clothed, pale enforcer..but rather a gorgeous, healthy looking damsel. It was more than just a change of aesthetics, her silvery wild hair had been replaced by a bright golden mane that barely reached her shoulder plates, a soft pair of sapphires had replaced those cold and emotionless eyes she was so used to see, and her skin had gained as much color as it seemed soft for the touch.
There was no sign of the large trench coat nor the wide black shaded hat she wore as a regular basis, instead she was wearing sleeveless beige vest with a large v cut in the middle of her chest that hugged her body tightly, which made the white undershirt look better than it should.
A thin purple necktie ran across a generous bust before it disappeared under the vest, her hands remaining hidden by a pair of riding black gloves and the small red cowboy hat in her head gave her the appearance of the typical foreign beauty in look of adventures in the nation of the rising sun.
There was no coldness, no frigid posture, no haughty mood around her... just a wordless grace with each step she took in this skin….
It almost felt magical.
"This was your magnum opus my dear, to see how you emulated after me brought so much pride..."
The words echoed swiftly in her ears, as if they were been whispered right next to her.
She brushed aside a loose strand of her hair that was tickling her eyes. Vermouth had taught her much, that was out of the question, it would have been strange for her not to pick up a few things here and there about her style, even if the two were built completely different.
Had different mindsets…
The mental image of a bear in a tuxedo and a lioness in sheep´s clothing did not go unnoticed. Different indeed…, perhaps too different…
Slowly a stoic expression robbed any amusement that could have come out of it, yet her eyes showed a strange glint over them.
Everyone could wear a mask, but such art... was something more profound and complicated than just placing soft skin tight rubber over ones face and then discarding it like a piece of lint or a cup of a bottle once its purpose was fulfilled.
No…, there was something greater than could not be seeing from an outsiders view. Only a fellow artist could do so, see it…. and even feel the conflicting ideas that arouse in perfect syn crony.
The thrill of being someone else, the liberating sensation of not been subjected any longer to the chains woven through flesh and bone, the spans of terror and glee when tested by others and the numbness brought by the haggard voice of reality at the back of her head telling her she was deluding herself...
That she had taught her…..
But she wanted more…., a wish that turned into a mad craving when the tethers of her sanity threatened to shatter under her feet. She could still hear the cracks below her skin...
So she turned the lie into a reality.
A warm sensation stirred up inside her as the fingers of her free hand slowly graced her chiseled skin before ending up over those crimson and desirable lips, rubbing the leathery material against them.
She did not needed to look back at her reflection to notice the way they had morphed into the slightest of up strokes.
Moscow could not do that, she was too cold to even break that everlasting frown in her features, too much time living in darkness to know the heat of the sun. To break free...
A sigh slipped by her lips as she shook her head internally, it did not matter for she was now no more her true self, replaced by what it could have been, the more up beat other side that lived in the light; Jessica Rose, the foreign detective star that had taken the world by storm with pure efficiency and ruthlessness.
A strange pride swelled in her chest as she continued her path, not minding the looks she earned from those who did repair in her presence, though by the way they glared at her some of them did seem to recognize her.
"Why would they not notice? Your presence burns brighter than the starlight..."
She could not avoid but hum in satisfaction as the words stroke a cord within her, like the soothing touch of an old acquaintance that had been lost to time. She was tempted to rise her free hand and salute them back, perhaps even grant them a coy smile as she passed by…, but her muscles still felt a little too rigid, too stiff for her taste when she tried...
A pity, it seemed that she needed a bit more time before her transformation settled and could act a bit more naturally…
That was one of the prices she had to pay each time she shed her skin for another...like lightning coming down through the darkest of horizons before the thunder dutifully followed through...
"Remember my dear, in this game called life we play, the brighter the light, the greater its shadow..the more you stick to one character the less you can recognize your original self ."
Her eyes frowned, chewing her lips as she growled to to one in particular, the words tasting foul in her mouth yet such bitter taste not taking away any of its veracity. Even if it mostly depended where one stood when asked to look at oneself.
That did not meant it sometimes did not sound like she was chiding her for her own desires...
A tired sigh left her lips….. She rose her free arm into the air and started waving it back and forth, hoping to catch the attention of a taxi while she glared at the silver clock hands moving below the rusted gold plating of the clock, the hands pointing at a pair of engraved clouds with a sun shyly hiding between them. It was seven in the morning.
Luckily she caught the eye of one of the drivers and as made their way towards her she pulled her hat forward down to avoid the new found strength of the wind from reaping it away from her grip and carry it away into the air. The car pulled over soon after, the driver got out and went to help her load things.
An unnecessary gesture, though one she did not deter him from, it would have been more of a hazel if she had.
``Good evening miss´´ The old man tipped his hat at her, in a type of warm welcome while he smiled at her, though almost revealing his large bald head in the process. Curiously he did not seemed to be much older than his fifties.
Too much stress in his line of work, or just bad genetic makeup perhaps? Anyway such details would be lost to her soon enough, he did not warrant the need to be known as anything else as "the driver".
``Where to?´´
``Beika city, Hyde town...specifically the Hyde city hotel in the Beika ward….´´ She dryly instructed the man as she took a quick glance at her clock. She counted it would take them at lest a quarter of an hour to reach it from the airport without any traffic whatsoever, a full hour if not.
She had already done that trip before…
``The Hyde city hotel..eh? Its a rather good choice, the Beika Museum is rather close and it has a good sight over the city´´
Moscow would have ignored the man, Jessica Rose instead welcome it...though with scarce emotion.
``Indeed…., you can even see the Touto Tower from there´´ She said with fake enthusiasm as she stepped inside the vehicle.
``How are you miss?´´ The man asked as he finally closed the cars suit case with her belongings before moving towards the front and placing his hands over the steering wheel.
``Fine, could be better though….´´ It was no a lie, the way the plane had been rock back and forth had similar to the ways Vermouth tried to put her asleep the first time she stood with her until she felt asleep.
How long had it been? Ten? Twenty years?
A pang of pain crawled through her chest as flashes of that night started passing through her eyes, not one standing still, yet too long to not remember the words said, the touches held. She chewed her lips with apprehension.
It almost felt like yesterday….
``Long flight?´´ Asked the man, perhaps mistaking her pained look for something else, in response the man turned the radio on low, to which she was grateful. Immediately a series of voices started to echo within the cram space of the taxi.
She shook her head weakly, paying more attention at the brief fleeting forms of the people moving around them than the conversation, leaning comfortably against her seat. ``Not particularly...´´ She purred.
``I must admit that you speak rather well for a foreign..., miss. Been here before...?´´
``A few times, though I do travel the world for work I have made my nest here´´ It was not a lie, not completely. The organizations main hq were located in Japan, which allowed her to make her residence here be more of the permanent variety
But Jessica did not live here, not for nine years…., and not without reason.
That seemed to spark something in his eyes. ``I see…, then you could not have chosen a better time to arrive miss, it won't be long before the cherry blossoms bloom in full force, I bet it would be an unforgettable memory´´
Ah, spring was already here...wasn't it? Time does fly...
``True…, though for them to only stay like that for a few days is a pity….´´
He tilts his head to the side. ``Beauty fades…, that is why is beautiful´´
She leaned towards the window, one hand holding her head while she cocked her head towards the driver.``Did you know that is uncommon to find a poet as a taxi driver?´´
``Don't pay much heed to this old mans ravings, young miss...my kids surely don't´´ He jested loudly.
``I would not called them ravings, more lik-´´ Her words were interrupted as she felt something shake repeatedly in her pocket. With one hand she swiftly pulled out the flip phone and looked at the screen, her eyes narrowing in suspicion at the last four digits of the number that shone bright.
She did not need to be a psychic to know who was behind the number.
``Tsk..., you are surely stubborn….´´ She growled as she pulled away furiously the phone back into her pocket, deciding to ignore the constant ringing who seemed only to increase in frequency and intensity, as if she had realized she was aware.
``Is there a problem miss...´´
``No, just someone who doesn't get the hint...´´ She replied coldly as she heard the sound died out one more time.
The man could not help but chuckle as he sent her an amused glare through the rear view mirror.
``A love quarrel perhaps….?´´ He inquired.
...Love….?
``If you can love poison, then yes….´´ She spoke out, almost seething venomously, her change in tone making the driver flinch on the spot. She too was surprised with the way she had been carried away, though for a different reason...
``Ah...t-thats….not what I-... my apologies miss, it was not my intention to cause any discomfort. It surely must be a sore subject´´ Mumbled the taxi driver as some sort of half baked apology, his moves hastened by the awkwardness of the situation.
It wasn't long before she heard the sound of the ignition of the vehicle as it started moving from its location.
She shook her head, giving a soft pad in the back at the old man as she tried to sooth down his worries. Still anger remained within her like burning coals, not directed at his lack of luck about such matters, but rather her break of character.
She needed more time before the shape-shifters calls would not disturb her this much….
``Its nothing…., in the end it too shall pass away like a bad memory and nothing els-...´´
[The second coming of Sherlock Holmes, or Holmes apprentice is what the public has started calling this boy and we can surely see why!] The voice of a news announcers echoed freely through box, his enthusiasm cutting her off and putting a stop to their conversation as the two of them tried to focus on it.
[Just earlier today it was reported that a murder had occurred, the victim was the President Yamazaki of Yatsubishi Bank…., he was stabbed to death in a locked room in the second floor while he was a guest for the New year party celebrated at Takanori Sewas mansion. All the suspects were in the first floor when it happened]
[My oh my…., that sounds the start of an impossible mystery. The killer must have known the layout of the house and its inner workings to be able to pull something like that off...]
[Indeed, but fret not my friend for young Sinichi Kudo had been a guest of the party itself and did not waste a breath in finding out the culprit of this callous act]
[You speak about the boy with Tantei dreams?]
[Indeed, though he is no longer a boy, but rather a young promising man in the making..]
[How time flies, eh Matsubishi? I use to recall when the boy caused a commotion back in his school days when he was almost run over by a truck when rescuing a stray cat from the street, its hard to imagine him chasing after criminals now. Did he found the culprit at the end?]
[He did, the one behind it all was no other than the very host himself! What a twist wouldn't you say!?]
She did not heard the response of the interlocutor as by that point the sound of the radio started to fade away, the barriers of her mind isolating their voices into a barely audible noise as she delved deeper and deeper in her thoughts.
A certain word having caught her attention at that point….
``Kudo….´´ The words left her lips before she even realized, those four words bringing forth a series of memories she had kept under lock for a long time, or she wanted to believe. Never at the front of her thoughts, yet always there...waiting for their time to come.
Warm and soft like the sun of morning beaming down on her….
Sharp and cold like the winds of winter brushing against her.….
``Aye…., that boy must be nuts to go from place to place finding dead bodies, but he seems to do magic with his words and solve anything that lays before him. He surely is the greatest thing that has happened to Japan in a long while´´
Said the driver with renew passion, as if not even a few minutes ago he had been even afraid of breathing in her near vicinity.
Cute…., but the best thing?
There were so many things wrong with that sentence that she did not know where to start. In fact, she had to fight down the urge to chuckle on the spot and draw unneeded attention, so she chose to pose with a stern frown in her face as she crossed her legs.
`` I did not know that the situation was so bad that the nation needed the sporadic appearances of a high school student to lift up their mood in a monthly basis´´
``No that's….., that's not what I meant´´ He replied. His words were slow, unsure even….
The ghost of a smile threatened to appear but she reined herself in. ...Where did all that confidence go, old man…? She leaned against her sear while she looked outside the window, her eyes taking furtive glances of the other vehicles on the road as they slowly became blur in her pupils.
``Then what is it?´´
For a moment he remained silent, the sound of the leather of the wheel creaking under his touch and his breathing been the only thing echoing inside the vehicle before he sighed.
``As you may already know crime has been running rampart for years…., one would think that after this long things would start taking a better turn. Things can only go from bad to worse for so long..., but alas that has not been the case...´´
She gave him a weak nod. She agreed with the mans statement even though what was been said was not a secret at all, but rather a mundane talk. Every day more and more crooks were coming out of the woodwork's, be it out of desperation or just rampant lunacy which led to a rather unstable sense of security for the common folk.
In fact, these last few years the crime levels had started to spike up. Slowly at first, but never slowing down. Japan had been by far the country more affected by it...
Why was this happening? She didn't know, though she could guess….
She wailed an arm to the side, the sound of leather creaking reaching her ears as she started flexing her fingers.
``That is indeed a problem, one born from years of misappropriations and bad decisions from both the elites and the management of law enforcement…, not that the local population increased lack of empathy and additional hours of work without appropriate payment have not part of it, but where this boy has anything to do about it I have yet to hear´´
``I will get to it in a minute..., it all started nine years ago with the Xoro…, no…Xodomon case..? ´´
``Solomon….´´ She corrected him.
`` Yes…, that one… ´´
The name of the case left her with no small feeling of deja-vu...
It wasn't part of her finest works, but it was the first one to have a whiplash in the international level for years to come that could put an earthquake to shame, it wasn't unheard of to heard about people bringing up the case to discus it here and there.
Catching crooks and even shooting them down with high caliber rounds when they got funny ideas was one thing..., reprehensible? Perhaps, but no one had bated an eye about it.., no one that mattered at least.
Jailing half of the police force of a prefecture was another thing entirely.
She sighed, growing tired while she leaned against the comfortable touch of her seat. Sometimes the cure could be worse than the decease…., especially when offered by a complete stranger.
How foolish they had been…., placing everything into two neat boxes to classify their reality to make their live's and choices far more easier.
Cops are just! Criminals are evil!
With such declaration it felt that the Kanto department values had been written by a child who had read too many books of heroism. How little did they know that they too, like their counterparts were just human beings.
Very capable of so much evil….
Many had discredited her words, but the truth remained there for those who wanted to see it. They were the only species in the animal world to cause pain for the thrill of it…..
They should have been prepared for….such eventuality.
And for someone as thorough and patient as the Shinigami had proven to be, to create such web of lies and control it must have been a walk in the park. Exploiting both the incompetence and naivety of those around him like one would do to clay or a bunch of starve touch children...
And yet that wasn't what had drove the attention of the journalist to prey on the case like starving hawks, no… there had already been times when the Yakuza had bought some of the authorities to make their operations more smoothly.
While terrible was not by any means catastrophic, corruption was the curse of civilization.
No, what had broke the camels back and lit the fires of the reformation was the fact that the corruption had not come from outside, but from within. That this supposed to be respectable man had tainted the corp and even convince many to join his ranks in such depravity….
Perhaps enticed by the idea of serving themselves rather than the populace who looked at them with either distrust or disrespect their mindset were warped by their boss sugar-coated promises, while those that knew kept quiet, digging their heads into the ground in fear of losing their jobs or the social uproar it would unleash.
This disregard for their sacred oaths to protect the innocent and what was right, while showing how easy decent men could become the very thing they swore to destroy had left tremors than even today she could feel…
She wondered what sort of thoughts had went through the heads of those that held no clue of what truly was going on until the curtain fell.
Were they ashamed, kneels down in the ground or their faces warped into cruel scowls seething with rage?
A little of both perhaps….?
She reached into one of her pockets…., pulling out a chromatic shaded lighter with a reverse cross embedded in its metallic surface before lighting a cigarette that had found its way into her fingers.
She took a moment to breathed out the smoke….
After the deed was done she had gained the congrats of the government, the sponsorship of several intelligence agencies and a permanent place in the black list in some of the Japanese law enforcement police stations.
No good deeds goes unpunished, eh?
She tapped the window with a playful touch…., using the mist of her breath to draw a smile over the cool surface.
``If I remember well wasn't the one responsible for it a young foreign detective at the age of nineteen? She busted a mayor frog ring in Kanto´s police force…, did she not? Instead of doing their duties they had created their own little kingdom here with none the wiser…´´
He did not answered right away, instead he hung his head low for a moment before he seemed to regain his composure and looked back at her, a stoic expression in his face.
``It seems that the stain has spilled out from our borders far and wide if you know about it, miss´´
She frowned, as she tilted her head to the side. She supposed that for people like him, what happened in the country should stay in the country…., a bit childish if someone asked her. She also did not overlook the emotions carried away when he spoke.
There was some bad blood there….
How entertaining...
``More than a stain…, I would call it a shocking new. Is not every day that you found out about a teenager crashing down an entire police department by themselves´´
``Yes…, and what good that did´´ He growled, stepping on the accelerator. Though whether it was out of an emotional response or overtake the truck that stood before them she did not know.
She puffed another trail of smoke before she leaned forward.
``And why would that be..?´´
He chewed his lips. ``My apologies, its just...I had a brother in the force. He was caught red handed alongside some of his friends in the investigation´´
...Family drama, eh?... Well, what were the odds she would catch the only taxi with a bone to pick with her? She pulled down the hat from her head and placed it over her lap.
``So you feel wronged by the detective´s actions that led to one of your family members imprisonment? Is that what you are trying to imply?´´
He did not rebuke at her in anger, but rather scoffed as it had been pretentious to affirm that.
``Wronged? No. Angry at how easily she put my life up down? Perhaps…., but what I feel is disappointment in myself that I did not notice it sooner´´
He rubbed the back of his head, his fingers tapping the wheel anxiously ``For gods sake…, how could my brother do be capable of such thing?´´
She fought down the urge to roll her eyes...
Wasn't that the mantra every person with close ties with the culprits say? That there was no way they could have been capable of such thing? That they could do no wrong? That it was clearly a mistake….?
It was tiring to hear the same shit every time…., but he could not say that as Jessica Rose right?
``You did what you could, having faith in your family is only natural for any sane minded individual. If they did what they did you are not the one to blame for their failings, it was they who failed you…, not the other way around´´
She brushed away the sting she felt in her heart, it was relatively far closer to home than she would have enjoyed.
He gave her a weak nod. ``I suppose that there is some truth in what you say…., that does not change the feeling of helplessness of just been a mere observer when I could have done more, much more. For him, and his victims...´´
``Is that so...?´´
He tilted his head to the side with a raise eyebrow. ``Don't you think the same, miss…?´´
She sighed, then took a deep breath. Eyes closing to avoid the trail of smoke to disturb those ice blue ponds.
This was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?
She draw a pair of crosses over the once smiling face….
``Do you want my unfiltered opinion, sir...?´´
His body stiffened at the cold tone of her words, a nervous chuckle soon came out from a pair of quivering lips as his eyes met her unblinking, sharp orbs through the rear view mirror.
Had he back down she would not have it against him, and yet….., the curiosity glowing within his eyes pushed him forward.
``I do…, if is not an inconvenience´´
``You are deluding yourself...´´
A second passed, then another before his eyes widened into comical proportions. ``What!?´´
``Helplessness? Do something more? You would only have hurt yourself…., no matter your intentions or efforts it would have ended in failure. You would have only added yourself to the mountain of corpses they had gathered after years of work...just like that´´ She said coldly, snapping her fingers at the end.
``But-´´ He tried to speak up, flustered by her reply ...but she did not care, cutting him off immediately.
``Tell me, had you discovered the truth…, what could you have done about it? Tell the corrupted police in hopes that when you do you find the sole pure soul that would listen to you? Confront your brother and beg him to stop?´´
Her eyes were burning two holes into his skull.
She hated it when she had to deal with this nonsensical, self-depredation of what ifs crossed their minds. Whats done was done, end of story. Even a rock would know the hopelessness of the situation.
She hoped that he could understand that much….
Sadly for her it seemed that her driver had other plans with the way he gritted his teeth.
``I refuse to accept that! Even if I could not do that….there could have been….something I could have done…, anything but keep my head down the dirt!´´
She stopped pacing the cigarette between her fingers, observing its half consumed form with dejection before crushing it until nothing but ashes fell down through her gloved fist.
``Is been a hero the only thing you think about? Have you stopped to consider for a moment that perhaps your obliviousness saved your life and your family from a cruel, bitter end?´´
She had the silent pleasure to see his face contort in a grimace as he realized what she was hinting at.
``My family? N-no….t-they would never dare! They would have targeted me and no one els-...´´
``Oh, by they would have….´´ She cut him off, a dangerous glint in her eyes. ``You see…, is not about who did it or why they did it…, but rather sending a message. Put a man to the stake and make his friends watch, burn a village and spare ten others to see its smoldering ruins...so on and so on...´´
He cursed under his breath.
She nodded, it seemed that he was getting the gist of it. ``Indeed, for crime lords to rule unopposed they must make their weight known to those that try to oppose them´´
``So they just go to terrorize the populace…?´´
`` Fear keeps the rest in line…, is crude and short term solution….but it works ever time. The feeling of having someone at your mercy is also very intoxicating…, no wonder they could not help themselves to take a taste of the forbidden fruit...´´
``Why are you telling me this….?´´
``I am merely stating that there are more important things in your life than asking yourself if you should have played hero…, your brother may no longer be part of your life, but you still have your wife and niece´´
There was a moment of eerie silence between the two, with only the of the engines and the cars in the highway to be heard over it.
``True, I was not always with the best rapport with my brother but I will not cry out anymore about spilled milk so..-wait! How do you knew about them!?´´
``I did not, you just told me. Though if you want a more appropriate explanation would be the fact that you have a ring in your index finger while also a pink cartoon character hanging from the rear-view with the words T.M. which I guess are the initials of Tamashiro Chika. Is that enough?´´
``Did I mumbled about my niece name without realizing it?´´
..No.. ``Yes...´´
``I-I.….see….´´
She paid little heed to the look of unrest in the old mans face as she picked out another cigarette and lit it.
``Now getting back at the public unrest…, did the reformation not lower the crime rate significantly? Or at least the rate of disappearances or just down right inefficiency of the police?´´
It wasn't much given the recent spike…, but at least it should have been noted. Should been the key word.
``Y-yes...but the people still held fear in their hearts over what took place. If it happened once what stops it from happening again?´´
That was his defense? Risible….
``And? Corruption is a flaw as old as time itself, no matter where you go... you will find traces of it somewhere else, not just here in Japan. Instead of whimpering about it, shouldn't the people tough up? It would be only rational...´´
A dry chuckle was her response.
``That would be the best thing, no? Sadly people don't tend to act rationally most of the time, emotions tend to get in the way, you know?´´ He replied sarcastically.
If he wanted to elicit some anger from her he was barking at the wrong direction.
``I figure, though I guess my expectations could not have been any lower….your fellow countrymen have managed to under perform. So where Kudo has anything to do with this?´´
``He is a breath of fresh air …, a young boy who with an unshakable will to do what is right and not what is easy...´´
...A fan, aren't you?... She thought with amusement. ``Really? What about the police? Aren't they part of the same box?´´
He shook his head``Not after the Solomon case, they tried to stir things up but it was not enough. Its funny, isn't it? Trust takes so long to built and yet it takes nothing to see it crumble´´
``…..´´
`` Before him there were not many things to be proud of, but now the people have a reason to cheer up. Not because he is paid to do it, nor has he swore an oath like the police, but because he wants to help...´´
Her phone started ringing again, she barely regarded it as she knew it was the same number from before.
``You make him sound more like a celebrity than a real detective…´´
``Well…, I suppose that some could see it that way´´
Still…, Kudo? To think that he of all people would become noteworthy in this way left her at odds. It was good that there was someone out there with a brain in this country full of fools who had difficulty to put two and two together…., but to think that he would drive out his obsession to the national radio….
He was either an idiot or starving attention fool…., perhaps both taking into account his family. Such long periods of time he had to spent in the care of their neighbor rather than his own parents.
Children tended to cry out for attention, more so when the so called children surpassed his fellows in anything he did. Smart, competent and skilled at everything the married pair and the elementary school threw at him.
Her eyes soften slightly for a moment. He must have been so bored…., that did not change what he truly was, nothing but a child who saw the world with a two lens glasses.
White or black….
He could try pass for the perfect role model citizen, he was smart enough to do so with flying colors…., but he was someone that could never stain his hands when it came to do the right thing, always obsessed in following a set of rules and principles born out of a book…
She sighs. And people said she was mental…..
She rubbed the back of her head before taking notice of the clock inside her phone. Throwing it inside her bag with distaste once it started ringing again.
Twenty or thirty minutes to arrive at their destination...
Though the possibility that she was wrong was still present in the equation, she had her doubts. Her first and last meaningful conversation with the brat had told her as much.
If she had her way his parents should have ripped away those foolish ideas of "Tantei" of his before it got this bad.…, yet again that was not her decision to make.
She gave the old man a shrug, folding the edges of her hat into different angles….enjoying the way the material creaked under her touch.
``He is not bad…., but he could be better´´ She answered simply.
That managed to rose and eyebrow from him. His eyes diverting from hers towards the rear-view before switching back as he steeled the wheel to the left. The vehicle finally entering the main highway.
``How so, if you wouldn't mind...?´´
Where to start?
``He is too childish...´´
``Oh? I must admit that I was not expecting that. I have a feeling that there is a story behind that...´´
And what a story it was...
ººº
ººº
ººº
ººº
ººº
-The fic is not dead, though I admit that I have not updated it for a while. I intend to remedy that though I have yet to formulate a plan to manage the other three in equal intervals of time.
º
-The other two chapters were divided in two between memory and the present, I intend to continue those transitions but I believe that from time to time I will give a complete chapter for one or the other so that I don't have to skip details.
º
-The reason why the OC is far more talkative now is because she dissociates from her real self each time she "transforms", allowing her to become a complete different person, leaving those burdens behind even though she retains those jaded memories. In fact, this will play a part later on as there will be times when both sides mix a bit; with Moscow becoming more warm and empathetic to those around her while Jesica growing more cynical and cruel.
º