NOTE: Sorry this took so long! I was really worried about writing this because it's hard to get the hang of the Nagano Trio's personalities, so sorry in advance if they seem OOC! Also, there's not much suspense at all... I tried to add suspense but the Nagano Trio are really smart, so I can't really see them being troubled about what the paper might mean, or whatever else... Not to mention the fact that this culprit was trying to get the deed done as soon as possible, so if they didn't hurry, Yui will die...
Anyway, after a lot of editing and rewriting, I finally did a draft that I'm more or less satisfied with, so I hope you'll enjoy it too! And I like reading reviews, so if possible, please leave a review! ^_^
"And this was all that was left at the scene?" Morofushi said.
"That's what I said! Go clean your ears or something!" Kansuke snapped.
"Calm down, Kansuke-kun. Irritation will get us nowhere." Morofushi replied calmly, though he could feel the slightest bit of panic creeping up on him as well, before turning his gaze to the paper. "Still, if this was all that was left, then we do not have much to go on with." He stared at the words on it, bringing his hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "Attack as fiercely as Fire… Part of the Fuurinkazan, the art of war as advocated by Sun Tzu… If I remember, the Fuurinkazan case was a few months ago, correct? It's quite possible that this might be related to that case. Since there were a number of perpetrators, it would not be surprising to consider that they had more outside of those who have been caught, and are now seeking revenge for that."
"More like to finish what they started. Uehara was taken…" The fury in Kansuke's eye was barely hidden as he turned to face Morofushi. "…to complete the Fuurinkazan strategy!"
"What do mean by that, Kansuke-kun?"
"Back then, 5 people, including Kai-san, were killed based on the Fuurinkazan. The only one they didn't manage to do because it was stopped by us was Fire." Morofushi looked to the paper in his hands.
"I see. That would certainly explain the message on the paper. But why Yui-san? If I remember correctly, the target of the thwarted plan was Tatsuo Akira-san, was it not?"
"Yeah, it was. Excluding Kai-san, the rest of the victims were from the two feuding families, the Tatsuo Family and the Torada Family. But after that case, both families began taking security measures."
"Which would make it hard for anyone to target anyone from those families." Morofushi finished. "That leaves Yui-san, who was the wife of Torada Yoshiro-san, as the only other person who is related to either of the two families." Kansuke nodded.
"Exactly." He walked towards Morofushi's car. "We're going back to that place. If they really are related to the Fuurinkazan case, then they'd bring her there to complete the Fuurinkazan. At the very same place where it was started." Morofushi nodded in understanding as he joined Kansuke in the car.
"That sounds possible. In that case, let us hurry there."
"I've called for a search to be conducted within this area." Morofushi said as they got out of the car. The sky was already darkening overhead, making Kansuke curse under his breath. By nightfall, the darkness would add on to the difficulty of locating Yui, and the more time they waste, the less chance there is of Yui being alive.
"Screw this, I don't have time for this!" He growled as he made his way towards the forest. "I'm going to search for her!"
"Kansuke-kun, it's better to wait for the search party to arrive rather than go off on our own."
"Shut up, Koumei! I'm not going to sit here and do nothing until they come!"
"Kansuke-kun, the last time you went off on your own, you nearly lost your life. Haven't you learnt your le-" Kansuke shot a glare back at him, though Morofushi was so used to it that he didn't even flinch.
"Well, I'm not dead, am I?" He challenged. "Listen here, Koumei, normally, I'd agree with you on that. Back then, it cost me an eye and a leg, and nearly my life. It cost you your position. It cost her her job. But if I don't go this time, it's going to cost her her life, and I'm not going to let that happen, even if I have to lose another eye and leg!" He walked away, making it clear to Morofushi that he had no intentions of listening to him any further. To his surprise, however, he heard footsteps catching up to him and turned to see Morofushi following him. Noticing his stare, Morofushi met his gaze steadily.
"You've never been one to openly admit something like that before, so I know how much you care for Yui-san, but you're not the only one who cares about her. I'm coming with you, if only to stop you from doing anything reckless." Kansuke just made a small sound of displeasure and looked away.
"Suit yourself, Koumei." Their surroundings were silent, except for the sound of dried leaves beneath their feet with every step they took. "Still, it's eerily quiet. Just can't help but have a bad feeling about this place." Not to mention I keep thinking of that cursed dream for some reason… As if on cue, he seemed to hear her bloodcurdling scream echoing in his head again. "Damn it! Shut up already!"
"I don't believe I said anything at all, Kansuke-kun."
"Shut it, Koumei! I wasn't talking about you." He snapped to the other inspector, but Morofushi seemed to be staring at something in the distance instead.
"Kansuke-kun, look." Following the direction Morofushi was pointing towards, Kansuke could barely make out the shape of something that clearly wasn't a tree in the forest a distance away. Next to the said shape, there was what seemed to be a human, moving around in the darkness.
"Is that…a human?" They continued to observe silently as there was a rough scratching sound and a small orange light appeared in the figure's hand. To their surprise, the figure flung the light at something, and all of a sudden, a wall of flames appeared. Though they were temporarily stunned by what they had witnessed, they were alert enough to catch the sight of the figure running away.
"Koumei, you go chase that guy! I'll go check out the fire!" Kansuke commanded as both of them split up accordingly. While making his way there as fast as he could, Kansuke also called the fire department, just in case. When he got there, he dropped his crutch in shock, for before him, the sight of a burning cabin greeted him, flames devouring anything they come across.