"Please Akashi-san, you need to help us. The police have even given up, I just want my baby back."
The man stared out his window and then turned to face his partner in crime, "What do you think?"
"Don't be an asshole, Seijuro. Help the poor lady."
The man by the window turned to face his partner and gave a charming smile, "Well, if Tetsuya says to help then I must comply."
Akashi sat down in front of the lady and asked her to repeat her story with as much detail as possible.
"My son, Atsushi, was playing on the shore of the beach when he suddenly disappeared. I filed a missing persons report right away but the police said there was no way to find him. They checked the shores for a body over the past couple of days and they've asked for witnesses but nothing has happened. It's been a week! My son is alive, I know he is."
"How can you be so sure? Could be dead."
"Seijuro!" Kuroko exclaimed from his chair, staring daggers at his partner, "Rude."
The redhead promptly apologized and motioned for the lady to continue. The lady brought out her cell phone and played a recorded message.
"If you want to see your son alive, get Akashi Seijuro. Let him hear this message. A storm is coming."
The voice was distorted to make it unrecognizable, but Akashi listened attentively. The redhead nodded in deep thought and then spoke,
"Alright, I'll take your case. Take me to the beach."
The beach was quiet as the weather had gotten slightly colder throughout the week. Kuroko trailed close behind Akashi as they searched up and down the beach. The redhead turned to face his partner, "Stay with me, please."
"I'm trying to keep up, you just walk too fast." The blue haired boy muttered.
"There," Akashi said while pointing at a couple of rocks, "Tell me what you see, Tetsuya."
Kuroko squinted, "Large rocks by the shore?"
The redhead stared down at his partner with a blank expression, "Is that it?"
"Listen, not everyone has a Sherlock brain like you, ok? Fuck off." The blue haired boy said, "Just explain what you see."
"There's blood. Dried up but it's blood. You see the tiny barnacles clinging onto the rock, I assume Atsushi or our culprit cut his fingers while struggling. Luckily the tides haven't been high, we can get something from the blood."
The blood turned out to be the child's blood. The child's blood and some sort of residue. While Akashi analyzed the contents of the blood at the lab, Kuroko did his best to aid his partner.
They had been working together for years. Kuroko now nearing his mid-thirties had come to accept his profound affection for the brilliant private investigator and although Akashi never voiced his own feelings aloud, the blue haired boy understood that he cared.
Akashi on the other hand, was a workaholic. The redhead never stopped working but when Kuroko had become his partner in investigation, Akashi felt his soul was grounded. The private investigator knew that without Kuroko, he would quickly fall apart and he swore he would do anything to keep the blue haired boy safe.
They knew they were soulmates of some sort. Both understanding that the matching tally marks on their backs had some sort of meaning. Although they didn't have their past memories, they both got a matching tattoo alongside their other tally marks to remind each other of their strong partnership.
"Kadupul." The redhead mumbled.
"Pardon?" Kuroko asked while moving closer to see what Akashi had in his microscope slide.
He's close. Akashi thought, so close. His hair smells like orange blossoms and rain.
"The flower." The redhead muttered, still slightly in a daze while thinking about his partner. Kuroko frowned a little,
"You're going to have to be more specific, Seijuro."
"The residue mixed with the blood is pollen from a Kadupul flower. Also known as the most expensive flower; some people cultivate it here in Japan and call it 'beauty under the moon' and sell it. Though I'm sure it got here illegally considering it doesn't originate anywhere near here. Luckily for us there's only 3 places that cultivate these flowers. Judging by the proximity to the beach, I can narrow that down to 2 locations. The residue of the culprit mixed in Atsushi's blood also shows signs of other flora in the area. Seeing as one location is in the middle of the city and the other is a bit further in a grassy area, we can assume our culprit is working at the latter. Get your coat, we're solving this case. And call Shintaro for backup."
Kuroko grinned, "Do I ever tell you that you're magnificent?"
"All the time but tell me more."
"You're magnificent."
The two investigators called Shintaro's police division for backup as they travelled to the warehouse. Before they entered the building, the redhead glanced at Kuroko and muttered a small, "Stay with me, please."
Kuroko gripped the pistol in his hands firmly, "Always."
The group invaded the warehouse and saw rows and rows of controlled environments to cultivate the flower. Five men looked up in shock and began firing at the police division. Akashi moved swiftly for cover and watched as Kuroko shot with precise aim, hitting 2 of the men.
When the police had cleared the building and arrested the men, they noticed a cage at the back of the warehouse with a couple of children, including the purple haired boy, Atsushi.
"It's alright. We're here to help you." Kuroko said sweetly as he wrapped the kids in blankets.
The surviving men were interrogated and charged for illegal transport of flora and the kidnappings of several children. Akashi stared at the culprits from the other side of the interrogation room and mumbled to himself,
"Why kidnap the kids when they have a successful cultivation business? Why put themselves at such unnecessary risk? They needed the kids for something, they're just not telling us."
One of the men looked up and glared at the double sided mirror in the interrogation room. He stared past Shintaro, almost as if he was trying to look at Akashi. The man laughed,
"Akashi Seijuro, I know you're there. I have a message for you: the storm is coming. Those kidnapped kids were for you, it was to get your attention so he can play with you."
The redhead frowned and barged into the interrogation room. He grabbed the man by the collar and demanded an explanation, "Who put you up to this? Tell me!"
Kuroko ran in after his partner and grabbed Akashi to stop him from punching the other man. The handcuffed man simply laughed and didn't speak again.
The case was closed.
But Akashi felt tense. Something is coming...something...what did I miss?
Kuroko was cooking dinner in their shared apartment but even the blue haired boy understood that his partner was constantly on edge ever since that case. He did his best to calm Akashi, but the redhead buried himself in his thoughts.
The blue haired boy placed a small plate of pasta in front of Akashi on his desk and then turned to sit on the couch. Akashi's hand shot out and grabbed Kuroko's,
"Stay with me, please." He said with his teeth clenched, almost as if he thought Kuroko would vanish.
Kuroko slowly sat down beside the redhead and whispered, "Of course."
They ate in silence.
The next case that came in was even more bizarre. A bouquet of flowers arrived at Akashi and Kuroko's apartment. The redhead had told the blue haired boy not to touch it as they both noticed a Kadupul flower in the bouquet. Akashi observed the bouquet from afar to classify what flowers composed the bouquet and if there were signs of any danger.
Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus… What's the correlation? None of these come from the same place. Why do I feel so uneasy?
"Tetsuya," Akashi started while backing away from the bouquet, "call Shintaro and stay close."
The blue haired boy nodded and went to fetch his cellphone. They waited for Midorima to arrive. Midorima took apart the bouquet carefully after confirming there wasn't a bomb. In the middle of the bouquet, there was a small piece of paper that read,
The storm is coming. Poor Akashi Seijuro is getting cornered. You can't save everyone. What will you do when the flowers die? Give up. It'll make your life easier. Remember your mistake in 2008.
Midorima looked at the investigator with curious eyes, "Any idea what this means?"
Akashi laughed to himself, "Yes. You should remember too, Shintaro. It was the case that brought me to you. My first official case. In a way...it is my case.."
"Ah…" Midorima looked uncomfortable, "He's back."
The redhead nodded solemnly, "There's so much work to do. I must do some investigating."
Akashi quickly exited the room and left Kuroko and Midorima alone by the front door. The blue haired boy hadn't known his partner back in 2008, in fact, he's pretty sure Akashi was only nineteen years old at the time.
"Um, Midorima-san? What happened in 2008?" Kuroko asked.
The officer sighed, "Akashi has always been a smartass, as you can tell. He was just much more public about it back in the day. When Akashi was a teenager, he used to write a lot of books or guides. Most about psychology and understanding how to read people. The boy who can magically read your mind. The boy who can take one look at you and know everything. During that time, there was this serial killer that we couldn't catch. We called the killer "Queen of the Night" after the Kadupul flower. The killer always left those flowers on the eyes of his victims. Akashi went on TV for an interview one time and a reporter asked if Akashi understood the psychology of serial killers, specifically the Queen of the Night. Akashi called the killer a coward on television, a scared child wanting the attention of being caught."
Kuroko listened attentively, the worry growing at the pit of his stomach. He felt like he knew what was going to happen next. Midorima continued,
"Everyone Akashi loved was killed that night. His mother, father, sister, his entire family. And on their eyes were the flowers. After that, he came to me wanting to help with cases. All he wanted was to help catch criminals. You should've seen him back then, so young, desperate, ruined… Then you came along."
"Me?"
Midorima nodded, "Yes, you. He's much more...stable now. Honestly, a couple years back before he met you, we were starting to wonder if he would become a killer himself. He had no control. Take care of him, Kuroko."
They stood in silence for a bit until Midorima excused himself with the bouquet of flowers to investigate for more evidence. Kuroko slowly walked to the redhead's room and lightly knocked on the door. When there was no response, the blue haired boy peeked his head into the room.
Akashi stood by the window, deep in thought. The redhead held a small notebook in his hand and a pen in the other. The blue haired boy approached and gently touched his partner's arm. The investigator didn't move but he allowed Kuroko to hold him tight in an embrace.
Kuroko grabbed the notebook and took a look at what Akashi had written in his notebook.
Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus. Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus.
Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus.
Over and over again, the names of the flowers covered the page of his notebook. The blue haired boy sighed and put the notebook down on Akashi's table. Kuroko brought his hand up to the redhead's cheek and turned Akashi's face to look at him.
Akashi's eyes were cloudy, completely lost to the thoughts in his brain. He stared straight ahead, almost as if the blue haired boy wasn't there.
"Hey…" Kuroko said softly, almost inaudible in the large room, "Seijuro, look at me."
Tetsuya...I can hear him. What do the flowers mean? What is the message? How do I find the Queen of the Night? Tetsuya...what do I do? What happens if I can't protect him? What if he gets hurt?
"Seijuro." Kuroko said more forcefully when he got no response from the redhead.
I have to protect him. I can't let anyone hurt Tetsuya. I have to find the killer. The flowers, what do they mean? Queen of the Night. The flowers. Tetsuya. A clue. I need a clue. I need more information. I need to be smarter.
"Seijuro!"
Why am I so stupid? Why can't I solve this case? He's just dangling right in front of me. The flowers. The Queen of the Night. Tetsuya. Something about the flowers. I need a clue. Why can't I do anything right? I'm useless. Absolutely useless.
Akashi's eyes widened as he felt himself being pulled out of his thoughts. He felt something pressing against his lips.
Soft.
His crimson eyes focused on his surroundings. He saw Kuroko's beautiful face close to his, his eyes closed, his blue hair falling out of place, his lips touching Akashi's. When Kuroko pulled away, he gave Akashi a small smile,
"There you are, Seijuro."
The phone rang. The blue haired boy let go of his partner and moved to pick up the phone. Akashi stood alone, stunned. Kuroko pressed speakerphone and answered the call,
"Kuroko Tetsuya, speaking."
"A storm is coming." A raspy voice echoed through the phone.
Akashi snapped out of his trance and hastily grabbed the phone, "Who are you?"
"You know who I am." The voice responded in a cool manner, "All you have to do is find me. How about I give you a little riddle? It won't be too hard, I know age is making you a bit slow."
The redhead frowned, "Quit the games, let's just finish this."
"Now, now. Let's not rush to your death so soon. I still want to have some fun with you. What was it again? A scared child wanting the attention of being caught? You're right, that's what I am. Here's your riddle: Out in the star lake, deep by the pits of hell. The marauders blow the reeds of war. Come to me where the earth meets heaven. Oh, and Akashi? Do bring Tetsuya, it'll be more fun. You should be able to figure it out in about a day. I'll be waiting."
The line went dead.
Akashi sat in his chair, his thoughts began racing for a solution. Kuroko was going to leave the redhead to his thoughts when he felt his partner grab his hand.
"Stay...please, if it's not too much trouble." Akashi said, a small plea in his voice. The unspoken words of love fluttered between them. The blue haired boy sat down, not pulling away his hand from Akashi's grasp, but also not holding tighter.
The serial killer was right. Akashi did figure out the riddle in less than a day. Kuroko was brewing coffee when the redhead yelled in his room.
The blue haired boy came running, "What is it, Seijuro?"
"It's Hakone shrine."
Kuroko raised an eyebrow, "How'd you come to that conclusion?"
"Star lake, he's referring to a crater lake and then beside the pits of hell, which is a volcano. Lake Ashi is known as a crater lake beside Mount Hakone."
"It could be any lake by any volcano, Seijuro. Aren't you jumping to conclusions?"
Akashi scoffed, "No! Listen. He said the marauders blow the reeds of war. Lake Ashi literally means the lake of reeds. Furthermore, marauders are pirates. Lake Ashi has a pirate ship cruise for tourists. And then the part where the earth meets heaven. That's the shrine. So what shrine is closest to Lake Ashi?"
The blue haired boy smiled, admiring the younger investigator's intellect, "Hakone shrine. You genius."
The redhead grabbed his things, "We gotta go, Tetsuya!"
"Wait!" Kuroko exclaimed, "We should call for backup."
Akashi grunted in frustration, "There's not enough time! I'm this close. We need to leave now!"
The blue haired boy shook his head, "Not until we call Midorima-san."
The investigator ignored Kuroko and left in a hurry before Kuroko could stop him. The blue haired boy dialed the officer quickly before running after his partner.
Akashi had arrived at Hakone shrine first. He felt bad for ditching Kuroko but the redhead wanted to finish this quickly, the uneasiness spreading through him. The longer this dragged out, the more worried Akashi became.
When he got to the shrine, there were still tourists here and there. If the serial killer was here, there was no way to tell. Akashi desperately looked around, the sun setting behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark figure walking towards the woods.
Akashi ran after the man.
Kuroko arrived about ten minutes later, desperately searching for his partner. Midorima had informed the blue haired boy that help was on the way. The blue haired boy held his gun in his hand, the shrine was deserted now that it had gotten dark. Kuroko ran into the woods in search of Akashi.
"And so we finally meet, Akashi." The man said, gun in hand.
The redhead stood in a clearing of the woods in front of the serial killer, "Queen of the Night. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Please, call me Haizaki Shougo. Just Shougo is fine. And yes, I am a queen, aren't I? You should bow to me. I think I'd like to see you on your knees, begging."
Akashi ignored the man, "So...what, you're just going to shoot me? I'm defenseless, you might as well."
"Oh no, no." Haizaki said with a grin, "I gave you hints, Akashi. I'm surprised you haven't noticed. Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed now. Has old age really gotten to you?"
"I'm thirty-one, that's hardly old."
"I know how old you are. I know everything about you. I've been studying you, you see. For years and years and years and years and years…"
"Shut it."
Haizaki's smile grew wider, "I'll give you some time to figure out the big hint I gave you. It'll be more fun that way. After all, a child needs his fun, right?"
Akashi didn't peel his eyes away from the serial killer in front of him, but he lets his thoughts wander in search of a 'hint'. A few minutes passed. Kuroko sprinted through the forest and yelled out Akashi's name.
Haizaki chuckled, "The final act. It's coming to a crescendo. Do you really not know? I hope you liked my bouquet."
The bouquet. Again, something about the flowers. What were they? Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus... Akashi's heart raced. His brain worked overtime to find a pattern, a correlation, anything.
Kuroko ran towards the clearing in the forest and saw his partner's scarlet hair. Relief washed over the blue haired boy and then he tensed up when he saw the other man. Haizaki continued to taunt the private investigator.
"Are you really that stupid, Akashi? It's in the flowers, the name. I'm sure even you can figure it out. Although, I guess now it's too late."
The serial killer raised his gun and took aim. Kuroko did the same gripping the pistol until his knuckles turned white.
"Seijuro!" Kuroko screamed.
Kadupul, trillium, echinacea, roses, yarrow, orchids, osteospermum, ulex, saponaria, ursinia, kaffir lily, thunbergia, agapanthus… Kadapul, ulex, roses, orchids, saponaria, ursinia, yarrow, agapanthus, kaffir lily, osteospermum, thunbergia, echinacea, trillium.
Oh my god.
Kadapul, Ulex, Roses, Orchids, Kaffir lily, Osteospermum. KUROKO. Thunbergia, Echinacea, Trillium, Saponaria, Ursinia, Yarrow, Agapanthus. TETSUYA.
Two gunshots went off.
Akashi and Kuroko's memories returned to them but nothing could stop the bullets that were fired. A bullet shot straight through Haizaki's shoulder and the serial killer began to run deeper into the forest to get away. Kuroko yelled and fell to the ground as a bullet shot through his chest. Red eyes widened in horror as he turned to see his partner fall.
Police sirens were blaring back at the shrine but all Akashi could hear was his heart pounding in his chest as he saw his loved one bleed on the forest floor.
Akashi was in shock. His hands covered the wound in Kuroko's abdomen in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The redhead was frantic, not knowing what to do.
"Tetsuya, I have to...I have to get help. Somebody. Help." Akashi was ready to run to the police cars not too far from them but the blue haired boy's icy hands stopped him.
"Stay with me, please." Kuroko desperately pleaded, his bloody hands coming up to touch his partner's cheek.
Akashi cried out in pain. He screamed into the night while holding Kuroko. His tears couldn't stop anymore. Kuroko kept his eyes fixed on Akashi's.
"Seijuro...I'm scared."
The redhead shushed his lover and brushed his hair out of his face, "It's okay. I'm right here. You're going to be ok, Tetsuya. It's okay."
"I'm so cold."
"I know. You have to stay awake. Stay awake, Tetsuya."
"I like the way my name sounds on your lips." Kuroko said with a small laugh and then sputtered out droplets of blood.
Kuroko held Akashi's hand in his own and stared at the night sky, "My Seijuro. My stars. My ducky. I'm sorry...I'll see you again though, right?"
Akashi shook his head, "Stay, Tetsuya. Stay with me. Please stay."
Kuroko breathed his last on the forest floor. Akashi wished he had as well.
The case was closed.
Midorima had found Haizaki not too far, bleeding heavily from the gunshot wound which Kuroko had inflicted. The serial killer was detained and sentenced multiple lifetimes in prison. It had taken Akashi quite a lot of time to recover and in the end, he was never fully alright. But he continued to help with investigations whenever possible.
About five years later, Akashi had died after being caught in gunfire while attempting to uncover the illegal drug trade in Japan.