The silence enveloping Yagami Detective Agency was a welcome change from the chaos of the last few weeks, and Yagami was finally beginning to allow himself to relax the tension out of his muscles. Despite the results of Ayabe's trial, having proven without a shadow of a doubt that Detective Kuroiwa was the infamous enigma previously known as only "The Mole," and was the one responsible for Shintani's murder, Yagami had still been worried about repercussions from higher-ups implicated in AD-9's corruption. Two weeks had passed since the trial, yet there had been no word from members of Yagami's inner circle about any plans for revenge from disgruntled AD-9 supporters, which finally made Yagami wonder if he was being paranoid in expecting retaliation after so many reputations had already been ruined because of the AD-9 ordeal. Anyone who dared to brave an attack against Yagami now after his tremendous involvement in the unmasking of Kuroiwa would all but be signing their own death warrants as even Kamurocho PD wouldn't be able to deny the connection between an attack on Yagami and the transgressions of the AD-9 research scandal.
Besides that, despite protests from Yagami that the action was unnecessary, the Kamurocho PD had issued units of officers to patrol the vicinity of Yagami Detective Agency hourly to ensure Yagami's safety. Initially, Yagami hadn't been sold on the idea of having people who had just a few weeks prior had blind loyalty for "The Hero of the Kamurocho PD," Kuroiwa. However, two weeks after Ayabe's trial and the revelation of The Mole's true identity and Kuroiwa's subsequent demise, Yagami was finding himself pleasantly surprised with the results of the hourly patrols. He wasn't entirely sure if it was a placebo effect but knowing that he wasn't the only one concerned about his safety made it a bit easier to fall asleep at whatever odd hour he managed to find time to rest.
Coincidentally, the time was 8:55 at night, and Yagami was sure that a patrol would be passing through the area within minutes to ensure his safety. Yagami could have done without the constant feeling of being watched, yet he was glad that for once, relatively friendly eyes were staking out his place of business.
At just past 9 p.m., Yagami allowed himself to kick back from his desk, finally closing the case file for a recent stalking case that he had been pouring over for the better part of the evening. He reached across his desk and grabbed his cigarette pack from where he'd discarded it after his last smoking break, pulling one of the few remaining smokes out of the pack and lighting it before inhaling a long, drawn out drag of smoke. Weariness pulled at his muscles, making him slip down ever so slightly in his office chair, closing his eyes momentarily as he exhaled smoke. Admittedly, he was exhausted. Kaito had come by early in the morning to compare notes on the stalking case they were investigating, and Yagami had been working incessantly ever since.
It was earlier than he normally felt like crashing, but Yagami could feel his eyes closing against his will, and he figured that he still hadn't entirely recovered from the injuries incurred during his fight with Kuroiwa. The doctor had advised him to avoid heavy physical activity for at least a few weeks and to visit the hospital immediately if he experienced a loss of appetite. Of course, Yagami had immediately defied the Doctor's orders by getting into a fight with Honda of the Keihin Four. In addition to that, he had been neglecting proper nutrition due to spells of nausea and loss of appetite that accompanied the concussion he'd sustained after the bridge collapsed at the ADDC. Apparently, falling from high heights and landing on a moving car weren't exactly gentle to the human body. Who knew?
After a moment of consideration, Yagami realized that it was probably to be expected that he be drained, both physically and mentally. Physically, he had been through hell, fighting many ferocious opponents, sometimes more than once, in quick succession. Mentally, two of his friends had been shot and Matsugane, someone Yagami viewed as a father figure, had been murdered at the hands of Kuroiwa. Yeah, considering what he had gone through in recent weeks, maybe it was a wonder that he was even conscious at all.
With that revelation, Yagami took a final huff of his cigarette before putting out the flame and discarding the bud. Forcing himself to move from his desk, he drug himself over to the orange leather couch situated in the center of his office and collapsed onto the cushions, not even bothering to remove his shoes or kill the lights. Instead, he closed his eyes and within moments, fell into a deep sleep.
Flames licked at his body, searing his clothing and skin, yet he barely noticed. Instead, his attention was locked on the scene being carried out before him. Shinpei Okubo, the client whom he had recently gotten acquitted from a murder charge, stood over his live-in girlfriend, Emi Teresawa, as he stabbed her in the stomach for the umpteenth time. Blood—belonging to Emi—streamed down his face and fell in droplets onto his white t-shirt, mixing in with the splatters already adorning the drenched fabric. Obubo paid him no mind, instead continuing to stab Emi mercilessly with eyes narrowed and a psychotic gleam that caused them to reflect the light of the rapidly magnifying inferno.
Yagami had lost count after the eighth stab wound or had simply stopped wanting to keep up with the atrocity happening right before his eyes. He had tried to move, desperate to stop the merciless crime occurring before him, but he was frozen in place, unable to force his limbs to carry him forward. He was left powerless, unable to shift his gaze from the carnage and unable to stop the murder he was being forced to bear witness to. After what had to have been the fifteenth or so stab to Emi's by now long deceased corpse, Okubo seemed to come back to himself, dropping the knife beside his murdered girlfriend. Yagami could smell the scent of too much booze radiating from Okubo's person all the way from his position on the other side of the burning apartment, even stronger than the dizzying scents of smoke and blood that mingled together in a thick fog and made breathing difficult.
As Yagami watched, his face frozen in horror, notably the only part of his body able to move at all, Okubo slowly turned to him, seemingly just becoming aware that there had been a witness to his nefarious deed. He met Yagami's terrified gaze with his own matching look of terror. He mouthed words that Yagami was unable to hear over the roar of the flames and the blood pounding in his ears. With all attention focused on straining to hear what Okubo was trying to say, Yagami failed to notice as Emi's bloodied corpse moved from its resting place on the floor and shifted into position behind him.
His cue that something was amiss came only after Okubo's terrified gaze moved to something Yagami couldn't see, seemingly directly behind him. With shaking hands, Okubo raised his hand and pointed in Yagami's general direction, and finally, Yagami realized that he could control his limbs. Slowly, he turned to face the direction that Okubo was pointing and immediately, a silent scream caught in his throat. Emi's mutilated corpse stood behind him, blood spewing from the multiple stab wounds punctuating her small frame. Emi, sweet, sweet Emi, smiled at Yagami with a vile expression, before holding up the very knife she had been killed with, the blade still dripping with fresh blood.
Before Yagami could move, she rushed at him with the knife outstretched, impaling him through the stomach with the blade.
"You're the reason I'm dead."
Yagami awoke with a start, jolting off the couch and onto his feet faster than he had ever moved in his life, which was a feat of its own. His hand flew to chest, pressing down on the overactive muscle as it beat erratically. If he didn't know better, he would swear that he was having a heart attack, but he knew that a panic attack was the more likely alternative. Forcing himself to take shaky breaths, Yagami collapsed back onto the couch, holding his head in his hands as he attempted to regulate his erratic breathing. Just as he was beginning to breathe normally again, a loud voice rang out from outside the building, scaring Yagami all over again.
"Excuse me, Yagami-san. This is the captain of the hourly police patrol unit dispatched to guard the premises. As we were making our rounds around the area, we noticed a strange figure crouching on the edge of the roof. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that he's a member of the Kamurocho burglary ring. From what we can see, he's wearing a Jester's mask and denim jacket. We have aim locked on him."
What the hell is Sugiura doing here? Not having more time to ponder, Yagami jumped off the couch once again, running to the window and swiftly rolling up the blinds, managing to force open the window just in time to hear Sugiura's response to the officers drawing their weapons.
"Hey, why the fuck are you aiming at me? I'm just standing here! I'm not even armed!"
Shit better get down there before they shoot him again. Yagami thought, bolting out the door and down the stairs. He was met by a small patrol of three officers, each with a gun drawn and aimed at the roof of Building One.
"Wow, stand down. It's okay, he's a friend of mine." Yagami said, forcing his voice to be as calm as possible. He had to admit that seeing guns pointed at Sugiura made him tense as it brought back the uncomfortable memory of having Kuroiwa's gun pointed at him as he tried to protect Shono, the star witness and perpetrator of much of of AD-9's atrocities. The captain of the patrol unit brought him back to the present with a taken aback glare.
"You're friends with a member of the Kamurocho burglary ring?" The officer questioned, disdain for Sugiura clearly audible in his voice.
"Ex member," Yagami quickly corrected, straightening his posture to look more imposing as he stared down at the officer, who was a good few inches shorter than himself, "but that's a discussion for another day, isn't it? Regardless, I appreciate your concern, but I'll have to ask that you and your men stand down. He's not a threat."
"But he –"
Sensing what the officer was about to say, Yagami interjected quickly with "Is not a threat. He's no longer affiliated with the ring and has effectively gone rouge from that organization. He doesn't know anything about their current whereabouts so questioning him would be pointless."
Grudgingly, shooting a glare first at Yagami then up at Sugiura, the captain gave the command to the two other officers to holster their weapons. "If you say so, but he still looks mighty suspicious with that mask hiding his face. Why does he have to hide his identity if he's got nothing to hide?"
"Uh, it's called a fashion statement, dipshit. Clearly, that's not something you guys would know anything about." Sugiura interjected, gesturing vaguely at the officer's crumpled uniform.
"Hey," Yagami said, finally shifting his body to glare up at the roof, where Sugiura was perched on the metal fence, "shut your damn mouth before you give them more of a reason to bring you in."
"Whatever." Came Sugiura's obviously annoyed response as the boy disappeared, presumably searching for the ladder that led down to ground level.
"Well, as entertaining as this has been, it's late anyway. And frankly, we're exhausted with this constant patrolling the bosses have had us doing since shit went down with Detective Kuroiwa. We'll let him go this time, but if we get any reports about a kid wearing a jester's mask stealing from civilians, we'll be paying you a visit for information on his whereabouts."
"Sounds reasonable," Yagami said agreeably, "and, about those patrols – tell your superiors that they're unnecessary. It's been two weeks, and no one has tried to retaliate, and if they do, I think I can protect myself. No need to exhaust and put yourselves at risk."
"Hey, you're the one being protected, if you think it's unnecessary, you don't have to tell us twice. Hell, I'll be glad to not be leading twelve patrols a day. It's a lot of walking. I'll tell the bosses when we get back."
"Thanks for that. You guys have a good night. Be safe out there." Yagami said, nodding at each of the officers in turn before heading back inside the building. He sat on the stairs, waiting for Sugiura to make his appearance. It took a few moments for him to show, presumably because the officers had decided to overstay their welcome as they waited for him to do something suspicious. When Sugiura finally made his way into the building, he quickly removed his mask and stuffed it into his pocket before giving Yagami a small smirk.
"Hey, Yagami-san." he greeted conversationally, as if the entire altercation with the police had never happened.
"Don't 'hey' me," Yagami said, standing gingerly as a wave of vertigo made him unsteady on his feet, "What the hell was that out there? Why were you on the roof?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Sugiura questioned sarcastically, "I was just enjoying a nice midnight stroll and decided to stop and enjoy an eagle-eyed view of the cesspool that is Kamurocho. I hear it's quiet the tourist attraction."
"Cut the crap Sugiura, what the hell were you doing on my roof this late at night? If you needed something, why didn't you call or just come in? And I thought you were supposed to avoid heavy physical activity for at least a few more weeks, or did you forget about the bullet the doctors pulled out of you?"
"Wow, chill out Yagami-san. First of all, you're the last person who should be lecturing me about following the doctor's orders. Don't think I didn't see you stumble when you tried to stand up a second ago. Second, I may have been being an ass a minute ago, but I was telling the truth. I was just walking through the area and decided that we had shit we needed to discuss. But when I got here, I got distracted by how peaceful it is out here. It's kind of contradictory to how things have been in Kamurocho since the shit with AD-9 went down."
"Yeah, I know what you mean actually." Yagami said with a sigh, relenting as he moved closer to the railing, leaning against it in order to allow Sugiura to walk past him and up the staircase. He followed suit and closed the door behind him, allowing himself to drop heavily onto the couch. Sugiura was searching through the fridge when he turned to look at him, and Yagami rolled his eyes.
"You're getting too comfortable raiding my fridge. Is nothing sacred anymore?"
"Uh, after everything we've gone through together, I think we've passed the level where raiding your fridge is where you draw the line." Sugiura said, chuckling as he continued scouring the contents of the fridge. "Do you have anything you don't mind giving up in here? I'm starving. There's this soup stuff in Tupperware."
"Sure, knock yourself out. It probably needs to be eaten soon anyway, it's been a few days since Tomioka-san dropped it off."
"A few days? What the hell, Yagami-san? Have you not been eating or something?" Sugiura questioned, placing the bowl of soup into the microwave before spinning around to face the detective.
"I went to Wild Jackson yesterday, but haven't really eaten since. Don't have much of an appetite with this concussion and all." Yagami admitted before gesturing vaguely towards his desk, "can you toss me the pack of cigs on my desk?"
Sugiura shook his head in disapproval, but did as he was asked, handing Yagami the half-empty pack of cancer sticks. "No wonder you got dizzy out there. You're not eating but you're still smoking?"
Yagami lit a smoke and laid his head against the back of the couch, allowing his eyes to slip shut as he inhaled a breath of smoke. "I don't see what your point is. I always smoke."
Sugiura was saved from having to answer as the microwave beeped, signalling that his soup had finished reheating. He took a seat in the chair directly opposite of Yagami, setting his bowl onto the wooden coffee table as he waited it for to cool. The detective opened his eyes only to put his cigarette out in the ash tray, and Sugiura wondered if maybe he hadn't been sleeping, either.
"Am I interrupting your beauty sleep or something, Yagami-san?" Sugiura questioned, attempting to use humor to mask his genuine concern.
"You're a little shit, Sugiura. You know that, right?" Yagami said, opening his eyes to glare in the boy's direction.
"Heh, funny. Emi used to call me a little shit, too." Sugiura admitted, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face. "She even gave me the same look when she said it."
"Huh? She didn't really seem like the type."
"She wasn't normally," Sugiura said, a distant look replacing the nostalgic smile. "but I brought it out in her."
Yagami nodded, closing his eyes again as Sugiura began eating his soup. After he finished, he sat the bowl in the sink and resumed his position in the chair across from Yagami, who hadn't moved from his slouched position since he'd started eating.
"Are you tired, Yagami-san?" he questioned, genuine worry coloring his words this time. He had never seen the detective seem so drained. "Because I can leave if you are. I just.. I just thought we needed to talk."
"Na, I'm fine. I was actually sleeping when the cops were trying to shoot your ass, but I don't want to go back to sleep just yet."
"Had a dream, huh?"
"Ha, more like a nightmare. It's funny, right before you showed up, I was dreaming about Emi-chan."
"No offense, but you look like shit. Must have been a pretty traumatizing dream."
"Yeah, you've got that right." Yagami agreed, content to leave the conversation at that. Sugiura however, was not.
"It was about her murder, right? About Okubo killing her, even though he's innocent. You still feel guilty." It wasn't a question.
Yagami's eyes snapped open and he stared at Sugiura with a shocked expression. "What the hell, how did you know that? Are you a mind reader suddenly?"
"Heh, I wish. You're just predictable Yagami-san."
"Bullshit. How did you know what I was dreaming about?"
"Fine, you got me. I know because I've had nightmares about Emi-chan's death too. Before we found out about the truth with Kuroiwa and Shono and all the AD-9 shit, I always blamed myself for not seeing the devil in disguise that was Okubo. I only met him in person one time, but I blamed myself for being so socially awkward that I didn't pay enough attention to him. I always thought that if I had realized that something was off about him, I could have warned Emi-chan and saved her." Sugiura paused, giving Yagami a bitter smile. "Don't get me wrong, I blamed you for getting him acquitted of Waku-san's murder in the first place, but the self-blame was still there.
"Huh, so you blamed yourself just as much as I blamed myself. I guess everyone has their scars. 'Defending a murderer? You're just as guilty as he is!' That cut deep, ya know? But at the time, you were just echoing what I was already thinking." Yagami admitted, immediately lighting up another cigarette and taking a long draw.
"Yeah, I know what I said hurt - I meant for it to. I wanted to make you feel every ounce of pain that my family was feeling because of you getting Okubo off the hook in the first place. I can't apologize now because at the time, I meant every word I said. But now, if it helps any, my feelings have changed. I mean, I used to hate you for everything Okubo's acquittal put my family through."
"I suppose I can't blame you for that," Yagami said, still taking periodic huffs of cigarette smoke. "I think that part of me hated myself too. I'd defended a murderer in court, at the cost of an innocent girl's life, for what? It really made me wonder where my morals laid. I guess that's why I kept running from the case for so long. I didn't want to have to face the fact that I was the reason she was dead. But you know, self-hatred wasn't the worse part of Okubo proving me wrong - you were."
"Huh, how so?" Sugiura questioned, shifting in his seat to lean closer to Yagami.
"Maybe not you specifically, but your family in general. It.. it reminded me too much of my parents." Yagami admitted, lowering his head to stare at the ground which had suddenly become much more interesting that Sugiura's face.
"What happened to your parents, Yagami-san?" Sugiura questioned without thinking, instantly regretting the question as Yagami raised his head again to look at him, a guarded look in his eyes. "I - I mean if it's not too much of a sore topic. You brought it up so —"
"No, it's okay," Yagami cut him off with a sigh. "My dad was a lawyer too. When I was fifteen, he defended a guy in court who was accused of raping and then strangling a teenage girl. He managed to get him acquitted of the crime, and understandably, the girl's family wasn't exactly pleased with that verdict."
"I take it they wanted revenge?"
"Yeah, you've got that right. I was at a friend's house for the night because I was angry with my parents for working odd hours - I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them. While I was gone, the girl's dad... murdered both of my parents and then hung himself in our house. I said some pretty harsh stuff to my parents the last time I spoke to them so that guilt's something I've carried with me for over twenty years. I always regretted that I wasn't home at the time - my dad taught me how to fight. I've always wondered that if maybe I could have protected them if I'd been home. That guilt exacerbated the guilt I felt for defending Okubo. It felt like I'd let down another family like I'd let down my own."
"Shit," Sugiura said, leaning back in his seat, his expression becoming pensive. "I wasn't expecting that. I've got no words other than I'm sorry you had to witness that especially when you were so young."
"Yeah, thanks for that. It was a long time ago."
"I guess after Okubo's trial you were afraid that you'd suffer a similar fate, huh? You thought me or my parents had some sort of vendetta against you?" Sugiura questioned knowingly.
"Something like that," Yagami agreed, leaving his position on the couch to rummage through the fridge for a bottle of bourbon. He found the sought after bottle and held it up so Sugiura could see. "you want a shot?"
"Sure, I'll bite. Grab me a glass."
Yagami returned to his position on the couch, setting the bottle of bourbon on the coffee table and sliding a shot glass across to Sugiura before taking a sip of his own. Sugiura took a tentative sip of the brown liquid, almost instantly dissolving into an intense coughing fit.
"Ugh, that shit's awful. I don't see how someone who's having a hard time keeping food down can drink this stuff."
Yagami smirked, draining his glass. "I've had years of practice. Not much phases me anymore."
"Well, drink up. I'm not finished talking."
"Yeah, I figured as much. So, what's next on the agenda?" Yagami questioned, already pouring himself another shot of bourbon. He'd need it if they continued on the current path of conversation for much longer.
"Well, I just wanted to clear the air about something. You said you were afraid that me or my family would retaliate against you for being Okubo's lawyer. I.. just thought it was best to be honest and say that yeah, I fantasized about killing you."
"Gee thanks Sugiura, that's comforting." Yagami said sarcastically, relaxing into the couch ever so slightly as the bourbon hit his system.
"Hey look, I figured you'd appreciate the honesty. But in the end, I realized that Emi wouldn't want me to turn into a murderer because of her. If she'd been there, it would have killed her all over again that I was even considering it. So, I decided that keeping tabs on you and making sure that you never stepped foot in a courtroom would be enough satisfaction for me."
"You would have gotten your wish. If I hadn't had to step up for Ayabe's trial, I doubt I wold have ever stepped foot in a courtroom, at least not as a lawyer, for as long as I lived. I fucking hate suits." Yagami joked, draining his second glass of bourbon before gesturing towards Sugiura's barely touched glass. "You better finish that, shit's expensive."
Sugiura grimaced before forcing himself to gulp down the last of his shot, once again being caught in an intense fit of coughing. Once the coughing fit had subsided, he turned met Yagami's gaze. "Getting back to it, I guess all of that hatred, for myself and you, is part of what inspired me to create the burglary ring. Yeah, I spew that shit about hating society and wanting to live for myself, but that's only the half of it. I wanted something else to focus on, other than all the hate that I was feeling. I figured that doing some good in the world, at the expense of the wicked as an added bonus, would give me the distraction I wanted. I got good at it, too. Even you could barely catch me, Yagami-san."
"Ha, don't let that go to your head. I would have caught you if those planks hadn't slipped."
"Anyway, when I realized that Crow had it out for me and had switched up, I figured I had no better options than to team up with you. Like I said, I wanted to watch you and make sure you never stepped into a courtroom again, but I had an ulterior motive of just making you suffer. That's why I made sure that you were never able to forget what you'd done to Emi."
"Yeah, I noticed. Kaito-san was ready to kick your ass over your smart mouth comments." Yagami said, chuckling, before his expression turned somber. "but that was before we knew that you were Emi's little brother and that you had every right to be angry with me."
"Maybe, but I still shouldn't have been such a dick about it. Like I said before, I get swept up in my emotions sometimes, but I was really trying to be fair. Sorry if I did a shit job."
"Hey, don't worry about it now. You were just expressing your feelings in the only way you knew how. I don't blame you for it," Yagami reassured him, giving the younger man a small nod. "anyway, is there anything else that you wanted to talk to me about?"
"What happened at the hospital. You heard Emi-chan too, didn't you?" Sugiura questioned, leaning forward in his seat to lock eyes with Yagami, an intensity that hadn't been there a moment ago burning in the brown orbs. "I'm not fucking crazy."
"No, you're not. At least, if you are, I am too."
"Were you hearing her when you got really dazed after the bridge collapsed and the guards jumped us?"
"At first, no. I wasn't hearing her. I was seeing apparitions.. apparitions of the past. I saw Okubo finding Waku-san's corpse in his truck. When we entered the ADDC, I saw Emi-chan leading past me around the center as I investigated the murder."
"That... is some meta shit."
"Yeah, then after that.. her ghost or whatever the hell it was, approached me and told me to 'help Okubo-kun and my brother too.'"
"Huh? Emi-chan mentioned me to you?"
"Yeah, she did. She said you're stubborn but mean well."
"That.. sounds like Emi-chan." Sugiura said, leaning back in his seat with a small chuckle. "was that it? Did she say anything else?"
"No, she vanished right after that, and whatever that fog was lifted immediately after."
"Well, that's more than I was expecting. When I heard her, I couldn't really make out any words, but I know it was her voice. And it's still too weird to be a coincidence, right?"
"Dunno, but I didn't just hear her, I saw her too. I had just taken a pretty severe blow to the head, though."
"Are you religious, Yagami-san?"
"Not particularly. Why?"
"I'm not either. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that what we experienced was a religious experience. Since it happened, I've tried to explain it away, but I just can't. There aren't any other explanations."
"We could just be crazy."
"Heh, not anymore than usual I guess."
"Regardless, Emi-chan told me to 'help' you. I'm not sure exactly what she meant by that, but knowing you, she wanted me to make sure that you don't get into anything stupid, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do. No more vigilante shit. I mean that, Sugiura."
"Alright alright chill out Yagami-san. I'll be the most reformed, upstanding citizen Kamurocho has to offer, honest."
"Which isn't saying much considering the shit that goes on in this town, but nonetheless, it's good to hear that you plan on being compliant. Even if we're insane, if Emi-chan wanted me to keep your stubborn ass alive, then I'm making it my personal responsibility."
"Sounds good to me. I'll try my best to make the job easy for you."
"I sense bullshit," Yagami said, smirking affectionately, before his expression became somber. "speaking of Emi-chan, how did meeting Okubo-kun go?"
"We went to her grave together." Sugiura said, his normally neutral tone taking on a bitter note.
"You still sound bitter." Yagami observed
"I guess I still am," Sugiura admitted, wringing his hands together. "I spent three years spending all of my time hating him and wishing he was dead for what he did to my sister. It's hard to reconcile that he was innocent and isn't the one I should be mad at."
"Sounds like it didn't exactly go well."
"Actually, it was...freeing. For me, at least. I think Okubo realized that I still wasn't his biggest fan, but I think we both needed to to visit her grave to move on. Awkwardness aside, I don't regret it."
"That's good to hear. At least something positive came out of the experience."
"Yeah," Sugiura said, yawning as a sudden wave of exhaustion overtook him, making his head feel foggy and his bones tired. "I guess so."
"Getting tired?"
"Yeah. Was actually wondering if I could crash here tonight. I'll just sleep in the chair if you don't mind."
"Hell no," Yagami responded so quickly that Sugiura's eyes widened. "I'm not saying you can't stay, I'm saying you're not sleeping sitting up in the damn chair. You're still recovering from a gunshot wound. Trade places with me."
"Kaito-san's right. You really are too soft, Yagami-san," Sugiura said, shaking his head. "but thanks."
"Hey, you won't be saying I'm 'too soft' when you aren't having to have that incision restitched in some back alley joint. Now shut up and switch spots with me."
Sugiura did as instructed without putting up too much more of a fight, seemingly too physically exhausted to push the matter any further. Yagami shifted down into the chair as far as he could, kicking his legs up and laying them over the coffee table. Sugiura laid down on the couch, shifting onto his side to face Yagami.
"Hey, Yagami-san?"
"Hm?"
"I want to start joining you and Kaito-san on investigations."
"That's fine with me, I just can't promise that the pay will quite be what you were used to in the ring."
Sugiura barked out a laugh. "I don't really care about the money. I just feel like Emi-chan would want me to help you. Plus, it'd help you keep an eye on me and shit."
"You've got a point there." Yagami agreed, releasing a yawn of his own. "Now, is that the last thing you wanted to talk about, because I'm exhausted."
"Yep, I'm all out of material."
"In that case, I just wanted to say that overall, I'm glad we teamed up. You've become a surprisingly good friend."
"Thanks for that. I can't believe I'm saying this, but so have you, Yagami-san."
"Now that all that cheesy shit's out of the way, goodnight Sugiura."
Sugiura's eyes were already tightly shut, but Yagami could still hear the boy's soft reply of "Night Yagami-san." before he was out, with Yagami falling asleep not long after.
Yagami was awoken with a start when the door of Yagami Detective Agency was thrown open, emitting the burly ex-Yakuza that was Kaito into the building. The noise that the man in the flamboyant orange shirt made always seemed to be equal in measure to the noise he made wherever he went. Forcibly awakening a sleep-deprived detective seemed to be among his favorite pastimes.
"Hey Tak and oh shit, Sugiura's here too."
Yagami sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and running a hand though his mop of raven-colored hair. "What would I do without your keen observation skills, Kaito-san?" he said sarcastically, voice still husky from sleep.
"Eh, what can I say? Your life would be much more boring."
"Let's try not to wake up Sugiura, okay? Anyway, why are you here so early in the morning?"
"I came to discuss some new leads on the case we're investigating. Didn't realize you were running a hotel out of the office."
"I'm not. He came over to talk last night and ended up just crashing here."
"I've gotta admit, the kid looks kind of adorable when he's not being a little punk."
"I prefer little shit." Yagami supplied helpfully.
"Let's rewind to the part where Kaito-san said I was adorable." Sugiura said, sitting up on the couch with the biggest smirk Yagami had ever seen on his face. He patted down the fly-aways of his auburn hair, smirk somehow growing larger as Kaito stared at him with wide eyes.
"I thought you were asleep!" the ex-yakuza yelled, seemingly in disbelief that his loud proclamation of how adorable a sleeping Sugiura was had been heard.
"With that loud ass entrance? I don't think people on the other side of Kamurocho were able to sleep through that. You aren't nearly as stealthy as you'd like to believe, Kaito-san."
Spluttering, Kaito all but tackled Sugiura back down onto the couch, though still being gentle enough as to aggravate the bullet wound that was still healing on Sugiura's side, and immediately gripping the boy in a headlock, proceeded to give Sugiura the worst noogie of his life.
Yagami chuckled at the unlikely duo's antics, suddenly feeling a weight that he hadn't realized he'd still been carrying lift from his shoulders. Both men before him had been shot, receiving serious injuries that had made their prognosis uncertain, yet here they were, as jovial and as alive as ever. It finally hit Yagami like the most welcome truck.
The Mole was dead, they had won. No longer did the threat of finding one of his comrades dead in an alleyway with their eyes gouged out loom over the horizon like a thick fog of dread.
For at least a bit, they were safe, tucked away from the darkest that the city of Kamurocho had to offer. Together, alive, and joking like in a relaxed way they hadn't had the freedom to do in weeks without the constant fear that it would be their last words.
All was well.