Broken

It was a beautiful day, one that more socially active teenagers would use to hang out with their friends, perhaps spend time with that special someone, or maybe they would spend it with their family and enjoy Inaba's few attractions together. Not Naoto Shirogane though. She wasn't even meant to be here. She lived with her grandfather in another town, where the little dealings of a tiny town like Inaba shouldn't have mattered to her.

But here she was, and the worst part? She wasn't even working on the case. She was sitting at a table and waiting.

Naoto Shirogane waited at their table. She waited as the minutes passed by into hours. She ordered herself a salad and quietly ate alone, absentmindedly eating her bland assortment of vegetables and fruit, wishing it was something else, anything else, as long as it was made by him.

The only constants around her were the passing of people, the excited chatter of this or that. Nothing substantial. Nothing of importance. Just the walls of Junes and the flow of the people.

There was no smug smirk to hate. No wryly grin to dissect. No flirtatious wink to be seen and ignored.

Not a lock of silver hair around her.

It was unlike Narukami to miss their date, though Naoto chastised herself at the near baseless claim. She hardly knew him, what little she did know could have been lies and fabrications. Most likely were lies and fabrications.

Narukami held information she needed, and their inability to see each other meant that the afternoon was wasted. By the time the sun began to set, Naoto was already on her way back to her apartment to study her notes. She did what she did every night before she knew that man. She buried herself in her work, submerging herself in it and focusing only on the papers and information in front of her.

But it wasn't as easy as it used to be. His eyes gazed into her own. His hands stroked hers. His voice danced in her head, echoing through her skull.

That silver haired bastard plagued her thoughts for the duration of the night until she finally fell asleep.

"Why was I not informed about this development?" Naoto demanded.

Ryotaro Dojima sighed and rubbed his forehead with one hand. The blue haired detective had stomped her way over to him and slammed a paper onto his desk. He glanced at it, but all he needed to see was the name on it to know what the paper, and Shirogane's anger, were about.

"Shirogane, we've been through this. The higher ups don't see any basis for your theory that the rash of disappearances has a connection to the murders in April. You were assigned to-"

"Dojima-san, as I have stated previously, I believe there is a connection. The disappearances began mere days after Saki Konishi's own disappearance and ensuing death. Yukiko Amagi, who attended the same school as Konishi, vanished without a trace, only to be found several days later with self-insisted amnesia and confusion about her whereabouts. Then, after appearing on television, Kanji Tatsumi, another attendee of Konishi's school, vanished as well, only to reappear half a week later. Now-"

"Then why are they still alive?" And there lied the immediate riddle Naoto was determined to solve. Dojima rested his elbows on his desk and interlocked his fingers. He glared at Shirogane for a moment, his stare not dulled by age, only sharpened by it.

Naoto would not falter though. She stood her ground and met the stare with her own. "Perhaps if I had more help from the Inaba police force, we could explain this enigma."

"You're here to help us, not the other way around." Naoto was about to throw the statement back at his face, but the older man rested his hands on the table and shook his head as he leaned back. A heavy, exasperated sigh came out of his mouth as he sat. "But I'm starting to think you're right. There might be a connection after all." He took a moment to scan the room. Naoto recognized the dull glimmer in his eyes. It reminded her of her grandfather. Dojima's mind was sharp, and he knew this riddle was built on lies, truths, and half-truths. It made trusting others all the more difficult.

She could relate.

"Not everyone here is so open minded, though. Look, others may disagree about it, Shirogane, but I say follow your gut. If you see a lead here, follow it. I wish you the best of luck, honestly." He spoke with bluntly and plainly, no longer arguing against her. In response, she nodded her thanks. For all of Dojima's rough edges, she found him to be one of the better authority figures Inaba had to offer so far. He was at least willing to give her a chance to see her suspicious through. The old detective rose out of his chair, grabbing his coat and swinging it over his shoulder. "Adachi! Come on, we're heading out!"

"C-coming, sir!" Adachi, on the other hand, was a more confusing case. He ran over, nearly tripping over the smooth, tile floor. "Whoa! I-I'm okay." He walked over to Naoto as Dojima began to head for the exit. "Oh, hey Shirogane-kun!" Her cobalt eyes sharpened, obviously annoyed by the slip of the tongue. "Er, sorry, Shirogane-san. Heh. Whoops. It's just, I'm not really used to referring to someone so young with-"

"It is quite alright, Adachi." The bluette turned away and began to leave. She took the paper with her, which Adachi must have noticed.

"Oh, you're looking into Rise Kujikawa's disappearance? You know, its kind of funny, I was there when she got kidnapped!" Naoto came to a halt, she turned to face the young man with a raised brow.

"Oh, well, not funny HAHA!" He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly trying to laugh off the awkward tension. "That came out wrong! Sorry! I mean, I was outside the place when she supposedly vanished. I even arrested this one guy, and I really thought I had the murderer."

"I heard. He was merely a member of the paparazzi, correct?" Naoto questioned.

Adachi sighed while he nodded his head, and his arms fell to his side in a defeated huff. "I really thought I had him too. The kids and I cornered him, and then they all rushed him, and I even got to cuff him and be all, 'We'll hear your story down at the station!' I've always wanted to say-"

"Wait. Kids? What kids?" Naoto quickly asked, stepping closer.

"Oh, uhh...Just some kids from Yasogami High? Oh! They're Dojima's nephew's friends! Yeah, I was tailing them for Dojima cause they've been asking a lot of questions and even his nephew's been kind of suspi-"

"Adachi! Stop running your mouth and move it!"

"Oh! Shoot! Coming sir! Bye, Shirogane!" Adachi stuttered, before running after the old detective..

Naoto barely registered his leaving though. Her mind was heavy in thought. Why were they there? Dojima asked Adachi to follow them? Asking questions about the case? There was only one likely reason he would have done that. If he believed they and the murders/ disappearances were somehow connected. It makes sense, in a way. Her investigation showed Tatsumi and Amagi were commonly seen with Narukami and his friends now, not to mention the group was present at Tatsumi's house before his own disappearance.

Naoto turned on her heel after Dojima and Adachi. As she ran, she noticed the sun's ray shine through a nearby window. She observed that the sun was setting outside...

About now, she and Narukami would have been leaving each other's side, ending their date.

But if Narukami was waiting at their table for her today, he would just have to keep waiting. There was work to be done and she didn't need him to waste her time.

"Huh? When did my nephew get here? Just a few months ago, I think."

"And you picked him up at the station, correct? You didn't meet him in a location in between?"

"Yeah. I saw him get off the train myself."

"And then you went straight home, yes?"

"... What are you imply, Shirogane?"

"I am merely, as you put it, 'following my gut.'"

"Follow it all you want. Just stay the hell away from my family."

Naoto scolded herself for replaying the memory over again. She had to confront Dojima-san, she did not apologize for her decision to pursue the truth. She did regret her inability to confront the older man with more tact. Surely the older man had seen the obvious connections linking his nephew to the Inaba murders and missing students, but he must have hesitated confronting his nephew about it. After all, the sacrifices one makes for their family...

Regardless, Naoto was not a detective to make friends. She was a detective to unravel the dark mysteries and riddles the world hid from the public eye. If Yu Narukami was somehow involved in the recent, strange crimes of Inaba, she would find out in due time.

In all honesty, Naoto was hesitant to accuse Narukami of being the murderer, no matter what tiny, immature part of her still wanted that to be possible. No, it was just too unlikely for Narukami to be the killer. True, the deaths started when he arrived, but that was just it. They were too close. How could Narukami have gotten off the train, picked up directly from the station by Dojima, and then kill Mayumi Yamano? Not to mention how he killed her without leaving any marks and carried her body on top of the roof...

Unless Dojima helped him. It would explain-

She killed that thought quickly. Paranoia and caution were separated by a thin line, she reminded herself. She exhaled a breath she hadn't realize she was holding, before continuing the original train of thought.

Yu Narukami was linked to the case. Somehow. She just needed to know how, and to do that, she needed info on the man himself.

So she waited outside of Yasogami High, a reasonable distance away to observe those leaving the school without making her presence obvious. She stood within a nearby restaurant, gazing out the window as her coffee cooled on her table. She absentmindedly stirred her drink as she watched for them. It wasn't difficult to spot the particular group of students. Yukiko Amagi and Chie Satonaka were blatant indicators of the group, to say nothing of Narukami's unusual silver hair tone.

The group was leaving Yasogami in a tightly packed unit, moving with obvious purpose and urgency. The only way they could have stood out more is if they were outright running, yelling at the top of their lungs. Regardless of their lack of subtly, Naoto tailed them, finishing her drink and leaving the exact payment for it on the table.

The group had begun picking up speed as soon as they could. They were now making a quick dash towards their location, occasionally walking around anyone else in their way, or grunting something to the others. Naoto wished she could get closer to hear what they were talking about, but she had to maintain a safe distance to ensure her cover was not blown. Nevertheless, the detective was able to match the group's speed with a near perfect ratio, rarely moving too fast or too slow, always maintaining roughly the same distance.

Where are you going, Narukami? She wondered. You have to be going somewhere. Time is of the essence, why else run? So where? Are you going to meet your accomplice? Perhaps to where Rise Kujikawa is being kept? Or perhaps...The Junes' electronics store? Why? What are you thinking, Narukami? The five entered the store and blue haired detective was quick to pursue them, entering in a few seconds after them. She was now close enough to hear them, though it wasn't perfectly clear. Naoto dashed behind a shelf, hiding her presence from the five. In a rare moment of gratitude, she was glad she was so small. It made hiding all the easier.

"Looks like the close is clear," the... Hanamura(?) boy mumbled.

"Alright, let's get going then! What are we doing just standing here for?!" The loud, angry voice belonged to Kanji Tatsumi, no doubt about that.

"Careful, Kanji-kun. Last time you rushed in you were hurt. You were lucky I was there to treat your wound." The polite and proper voice belonged to Yukiko Amagi, Naoto mentally noted.

"Go easy on him, Yukiko. It was the dude's first time. Probably just excited to pop his cherry," the Hanamura boy joked.

Naoto felt her cheeks flush at the perverted joke. She rolled her eyes in disgust as she thought, No wonder Narukami surrounds himself with these imbeciles.

"Ugh! Gross, Yosuke! Gah, that's worse than the joke you sent me last night!" Obviously feminine, with a sharper and more passionate tone than Amagi's, meaning it was most likely the other girl in the group, Chie Satonaka.

That last one student, Yu Narukami, was unusually silent. Satonaka and Hanamura continued to bicker with one another, Amagi trying in vain to resolve the petty arguing.

"Calm down, everyone." Wait. That couldn't have been Narukami, at least, it wasn't Narukami she knew of. It was respectable, subdued, even stoic, with an air of charisma and authority. These were all traits that the silverette lacked. But there was no denying this speaker had his voice, but the inflection, the tone, the pitch, everything about his way of speaking seemed off. "We need to work together and keep our cool. There's no room for mistakes or jokes this time."

"R-right, Narukami..."

"Okay, Partner..."

"It's alright, guys. Everything will be okay. Come on. Let's go get Rise."

What? Naoto fought the urge to come out of her hiding place to confront the group. She chose to instead wait and see if they would lead her to the missing idol instead, but to her confusion they didn't make a move. She heard nothing from them, only silence.

They aren't talking, they aren't moving. Why? What are they doing?

Naoto decided to take a risk and peek out from behind her cover, and, to her utter shock, there was no one there. They were gone, without a single trace. She hadn't heard any footsteps or the the sound of a door moving, nor did she see anyone else in the store besides herself. They were just gone! The usually reserved detective was utterly baffled as she scanned the electronic's store.

Yu Narukami and his friends had vanished.

The Detective Prince squeezed the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated sigh. Her breath was heavy with mental and physical exhaustion. Her mind plagued with confusion and hypotheticals. If Narukami had somehow found a way to just... vanish as he and his friends did previously, would that have been how Narukami could have killed the announcer, Miss Yamano? If so, then he could very well have been the murderer. It was the perfect way to evade the police.

But that made no sense! People are not able to just vanish within a blink of an eye!

But she was sure they hadn't left the room. She had taken her eyes off of them, yes, but her hearing was sharp, and yet she had heard nothing! How could they have just vanished like that?! And Rise Kujikawa...

Naoto had been called and informed that she had returned home just moments ago. So did Narukami save her and previous victims? If he was saving them, why withhold information from the police? If he knew where to go, why not stop the disappearances all together?

There were too many damn questions! This case was only becoming more baffling the closer she examined it.

Which was why she was where she was. She stood outside of the Dojima Residence and awaited Narukami's return. She would have answers tonight, come hell or high water.

"Huh? Sweetie?"

About time. "Narukami." The tension and raw emotion behind her voice was evident. The silverette stared at her with a momentary look of surprise, before he masked it with his arrogance.

"Hey, beautiful. Sorry for missing our dates lately. Exams are coming up and-"

"Enough lies, Narukami!" She commanded, louder and more passionate than she had intended. She steeled herself and walked forward, purpose guiding every step. The taller man took a step back as she advanced closer and closer. "I have been accepting of your idiocy to a degree, more accepting of your obnoxious personality than I should be. I was guided by a desire to see this case closed and to be respected by my colleagues. That desire was the only reason I tolerated your arrogance and repulsive nature, but now Rise Kujikawa is missing and time is running out. I am done playing games and being fed hints and half-truths. I want answers, Narukami."

"Hey, wait a second, my Prince!" He held up his hands to try and touch the detective's shoulders, probably as some sort of sign of solidarity. Naoto smacked back of his hands away from her and continued to scowl at him. "Rise was found just a few hours ago! She's okay! So, you know... That's good, right, my Little Sapphire?" He smiled at her, but it only made Naoto more irritated.

She pushed her annoyance down, bottling it, controlling it, because there was more important things to note. He had fallen into her trap. "How could you possibly know that? I was only recently notified of Kujikawa being returned home. How could you, a high school student, possibly hear about it sooner than a detective working on the case?"

Narukami, to his credit, seemed to have saw her subtle accusation coming. "I was there when they found her. I saw Chie and Yukiko help her and walk her home."

But Naoto had gone over the supposed truths about Kujikawa's return. She quickly countered with, "Miss Kujikawa, when asked, answered that only Satonaka and Amagi were present when she was awake. There was no one else, but the three of them."

Narukami's face twitched. His mask held, but Naoto could still see the cracks. He hadn't been expecting her to be so thorough. He underestimated her, a common, and final mistake. He didn't say anything for a moment, which gave the detective her opening to continue.

"You obviously know more about this case than the the police do, Narukami. Why you insist on keeping it a secret implies you are either under threat to keep the truth hidden, or worse, you are merely selfish." She paused, allowing what she said to sink in. Perhaps to the average person he would have looked calm, but Naoto's senses were trained to notice the tiny micro-expressions he made. She could see the small cracks in his mask. He was avoiding her eyes, looking to the ground, or to the side, and his breathing had become more shallow, if only slightly. He was nervous.

"Or perhaps, you are the one kidnapping these people? Perhaps you are working alongside the murderer?" She wasn't sure if even she believed that or not. Did part of her truly still want Narukami to be a criminal? She scolded herself for her immaturity and focused on the task at hand. The true purpose of the accusation was to see how he reacted, to see if he hid behind another mask or showed his true self.

His eyes finally lost the shine to them, that slight, silver glow of confidence was gone. They became grey and sharp, like steel. "I am not a murderer, and I sure as hell don't kidnap people." He sounded angry. His smile, once wavering, was completely gone. His face was a mirror to her own; serious and quickly approaching furious.

And yet, even that seemed like a mask he hid behind.

"I am tired of the games and I am tired of tolerating your constant pestering, so I will give you an ultimatum. Tell me what is going on or our deal is forfeit. These 'dates' have been nothing more than a waste of time and time is something I never should have wasted, least of all with you." Naoto glared directly into Narukami's eyes with every word. She spoke slowly and clearly, not wanting a single word to be misunderstood or missed.

Her efforts seemed in vain after he had spoken. "So, what? We're just gonna break up unless I tell you everything I know about a murder mystery?" It almost sounded like a joke. The look on his face showed that he was deadly serious.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes or glare at him. Instead, she let out an exasperated sigh. "If that is how you wish to comprehend it, very well." She waited for an answer. He merely stared at the sidewalk in silence. She once thought the idea of a silent Narukami was a pleasant one. It wasn't. In the end, she turned and began to walk away. "Very well. Farewell, Narukami."

"The Midnight Channel." She halted her next step, standing with her back to him. He continued. "There's this thing called the Midnight Channel. Go home, unplug your
TV, and watch it at midnight exactly. Then come to our table tomorrow and meet me. We'll talk this out, Naoto."

"..."

"Please."

Begging, Narukami? That's not like you.

The blue haired detective continued her walk, soon turning a corner and leaving the silverette alone.

11:30 PM

The Midnight Channel? Naoto had heard the rumors during her investigation. Just an urban legend, all small towns had them. A baseless rumor, a superstition for children and teens to talk about. It couldn't have meant anything. It couldn't be real.

Even if it was, which it couldn't have been, why would Narukami want her to watch it? What could it possibly have anything to do with the cases? These questions wrestled in her mind as she squeezed the remote in her hand.

He is merely doing what he does best. Lying. This is merely another pathetic attempt to prologue our interaction, to try to somehow convince me to stay with him. That idiot! Why was he so pig-headed to see me again?

Maybe he really does care...? Naoto dropped the remote and felt her cheeks warm slightly. Where the hell did that come from? The very idea of Narukami having genuine feelings for me is as unlikely as it is repulsive. He doesn't know a single thing about me, he is merely looking for someone to play with. I have no time for dilly-dallying with such callow love affairs!

11:35 PM

Yu Narukami is, at worst, a selfish, abhorrent man with a lack of morality and delusions of grandeur. At best, he was merely a liar, but a liar was the worst thing for a seeker of truth, such as herself, to face.

Whatever his intentions were, whatever game he was playing, whatever role he had in this mystery, she would find out.

But on her terms. Not by playing with the hand he gave. She would forge her own path.

She left the remote on the floor and left to get ready for bed. Once she had changed, brushed her teeth, and turned off the lights, she laid on her bed with papers in hand.

She fell asleep reviewing the case, her mind focused on solving this riddle on her own.

11:40 PM

END

You know, I thought this chapter was going to be shorter. Hmph. Ah well. You guys seem to like longer chapters, just remember, this is an exception. Most chapters will be a bit shorter.

Anyways, yeah. Naoto and Yu 'broke up.' I hope I did a good job playing it out. Naoto's frustrations with the case and the fact that she knows Yu is lying (just not the specifics) pushed her to reject him completely, even refusing to try watching the Midnight Channel. She's more emotional than she'd like to admit, I think. As for Yu, well, the next one or two chapters will be focusing on HIS point of view instead of Naoto's.

My biggest struggle right now is deciding how much of the game's story to bring into this one. Do you guys want scenes of copy and pasted dialogue, spliced with Delinquent Yu's snarky thoughts? Or do you just want me to focus on the bits that stray from the games? Like next chapter, do you want it to focus on saving Rise and facing her and Teddie's Shadows, or do you want the plot to keep going forward with Yu and the others dealing with Mitsuo Kubo? Honestly, I'm leaning towards the latter, but I'm open to my readers' input.

Leave your thoughts in a review, if you want, I do read all of them and I love hearing your opinion. Have a wonderful day?