"...ane...Akane."
"Mmm..."
"Hey..."
A large hand brushed across Akane's forehead, fingers gently pushing back some of her short bangs.
The Inspector attempted to open her eyes slowly. However, Akane could hardly manage the strength to do so. She felt utterly exhausted. Never before in her life had opening her eyes been such a task for her.
It took some hard blinks and patience before Akane finally gathered up the energy needed to awaken herself to the world outside her subconscious. At last, the Inspector's eyelids parted and her vision restored. As she did so, a blindingly bright light pierced into her hazel spheres causing her to wince.
One thought came to the woman's mind as she waited for her eyesight to adjust to the surroundings and brightness of the world.
Where...am I...?
Akane could barely even process such a small thought. Even thinking for a mere moment was almost too difficult a task due to how physically taxed she was. Her entire body had little to no strength in it. Any feeling in her limbs seemed to be completely numb as well. One thing did stick out to her however as she tried to move her arms around a bit, in an attempt of waking her body up a bit faster. For whatever reason, her skin felt...drenched. It was moist and her face felt like it was burning. Had she been sweating?
"Nghh..."
Every few seconds, Akane felt her bodily functions finally return to her, her mind becoming a bit more attuned and sharp the more she forced herself. Before long, the detective was able to completely awaken and take in where she was.
Many questions were still buzzing about in her brain. Akane paused herself from thinking on them so she could get a grasp on the situation. So she began glancing around the room.
It appeared as if she were in an apartment, though it wasn't her own. The layout and furniture were quite different from what Akane remembered. The room she sat in was a living room with a large black couch (which is where she was) and two lounge chairs. A coffee table with a cup of tea atop it was spread out just a few feet from her. A large TV was also on display further from said coffee table. Across the room, Akane also took notice of a desk with framed pictures sitting on it. Though from where the Inspector sat, it was impossible to make out what the pictures were. This only served to confirm it most certainly wasn't where she lived. The young woman hardly ever had any framed pictures put out in her living space, much less that many.
"This definitely isn't my place..." Akane frowned deeply, concerned by how confused she was. How had she gotten there? Wait, no, that wasn't the most important question to be asking at the current moment.
A sudden flood of memories came flowing back to Akane like a terrifying hurricane that swirled around in the depths of her mind. Akane groaned loudly and grabbed her head as she re-lived witnessing Kougami Shinya being killed in front of her followed by a cold-looking Mika talking down to her and a disturbingly happy Kasei pointing a dominator at her back.
Akane began breathing heavily as she ran through each one of the memories, one by one, trying to make some sense out of it all. Her body began to sweat harder than before as she thought over it. However, the images that kept playing in her head like a movie were the most horrible thing she'd ever been through. It made Tsunemori's stomach churn violently at trying to recall all of it.
Still, she powered through it despite herself. Perhaps if the detective remembered everything, she'd receive an answer as to where she was and why.
Images of herself shrieking at Mika followed by Ginoza shouting back at her with emotion equaling her own despair. Kasei telling her to come with her. Akane giving in and going down to the PSB to have her brain be cut out and transported into the Sibyl system. Piece by piece, the memories all came together to form one giant puzzle.
That's right. The last thing I remember is falling unconscious, because the Chief was preparing to remove my brain. Akane rubbed her temple painfully, the side of her head throbbing terribly, I shouldn't even still be in my own body. So then why...
All of a sudden, Akane was torn away from her thoughts as her stomach churned again- this time being enough to make her insides flow upwards. The Inspector gripped hold of her mouth. Her body collapsing into itself, Tsunemori tried to breath calmly so as not get sick all over the floor. As she did so, she recalled another memory. One that wasn't as terrible as all the others.
Now that I think about it...Just before I lost consciousness...
Unknown to Akane, the figure of a tall male was suddenly before her. He addressed her and when he wasn't answered, the male kneeled down in front of the couch. Despite how close the two were now, Akane remained lost in thought and unaware of the person only a few feet from herself.
I got to see him again...I got to see...Without realizing it herself, Akane's eyes turned upwards, falling upon the man in front of her. In her eyes reflected an all too familiar face.
In utter awe at the sight before her, Akane could only manage to mumble his name,
"...Kougami."
There in front of her was the man who had been killed right in front of her only a few hours ago. What should have been torn up pieces of flesh and human matter on the street was now here, completely whole and perfectly alive again. Peering at her with the same typical stoic face and captivating cool blue eyes as he always had.
"Hey..." His deep voice spread throughout Tsunemori's ears pleasantly. She felt it had been decades since she'd last heard it.
Akane swallowed a large lump that had formed in her throat. The intense nausea she had been feeling a moment ago had completely dissolved at the sight of the former Enforcer. Her eyes tingled with dampness as the brunette gathered up the courage to respond back,
"H-hello..." Her response felt like the most awkward one she'd ever managed to give Shinya in the years that she'd known him.
"Are you all right, Akane?" Kougami's voice sounded much gentler then she recalled whenever he had addressed her. That wasn't the only surprise though. A second later, much to her own surprise, the raven haired man's hand found its way to her cheek before cupping it carefully. Shinya's thin eyebrows furrowed together, showing an unusual amount of concern than normal for him, "I could hear you moaning from the other room, you know..."
Akane couldn't think of anything else to say other than, "I'm...sorry?"
Kougami's frown deepened as the tips of his fingers traced up and down Akane's warm face, "Don't know why you're apologizing. It just..." Without warning, Shinya stopped caressing her cheek and stood up. He then placed himself oddly close to her on the couch. Now only a mere inches from her, Kou extended his arm around the back of the couch then surrounded her shoulder in what seemed like an embrace of sorts, "To be honest, it scared the holy hell out of me. Thought I'd have to run you to the hospital."
Akane cocked a brow at him. The hospital? Strange. She had never known Kougami to be so paranoid.
"Um..." The Inspector tried to silently increase the distance between their bodies, feeling quite uncomfortable at the new development. To mask her actions, Akane decided to voice one of the burning questions that was pounding away at her brain, "Can you...explain why I was...well, I guess, sleeping here?"
Kougami also cocked a brow. Akane couldn't dare look him in the eye. Instead, she kept her sight on her feet, awaiting an answer in unnerving silence. She had so many questions to voice but wanted to keep it simple for now.
After what seemed like forever, Kou finally spoke up,
"Uh, well...I found you asleep when I got home from work."
Akane perked up, still confused. She brought her eyes back up to match his, "Wait, work?"
Kougami slowly nodded, equally befuddled, "Yeah...from the PSB. Work ended early because the case was solved." Concern swiftly returned to the latent criminals face, "Are you positive you're okay, Akane?"
"I...I think I'm just a little...distraught, that's all." Akane fell silent and began holding her forehead again. Kougami saw this and was just about to reach up and feel her forehead but was interrupted by what sounded like a knock from a door in another part of the apartment.
Akane looked to Kougami in wonder whereas he seemed completely unfazed. He stood up and began walking towards the doorway leading to another room,
"Think that's Gino. He called when you were asleep. Said he was gonna stop by."
With that little explanation, Kou left the room. A few moments later, he returned with Ginoza in toe. However, the moment Akane saw Gino, she noticed something also unusual about him. The taller male's hair was much longer than she recalled. Part of his hair was tied back like the typical ponytail, but still a good amount of it fell back against his neck, extending down to just above his shoulders.
"Hey there, Tsunemori." Gino greeted, his normal kind smile directed at her as he took a seat on one of the chairs across from the couch. Meanwhile, Kougami returned to his previous seat.
"Hello, Ginoza..." Akane's voice trailed off uncomfortably.
Gino's smile thinned at this. Soon, much like Kougami, his expression became bitter with worry.
"Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Akane tried to force a small smile and shook her head while thinking to herself, Right now, that's exactly how I feel.
"She's been a little out of it since she woke up from her nap." Kougami chimed in, glancing at the woman at his side, "Honestly, you've never seemed so...distracted after waking up like this, Akane."
All the Inspector could manage was an, "Eh?"
"Didn't you mention on the way in that she had been moaning in her sleep?" Gino addressed.
Kougami nodded before turning his full attention back on Tsunemori. The Enforcer brushed more of her bangs away again, "Yeah. It must have been one hell of a nightmare to make you wake up so confused like this. That, and you don't usually toss and turn in your sleep like that."
Something clicked in the back of the Inspector's mind, but it went unnoticed by Akane right off.
Nightmare...?
Both men's eyes widened when they saw Akane's face turn even whiter.
Gino nearly jumped out of his seat, his green eyes flaming with panic, "Tsunemori...?"
Kougami began running his hand up and down the Inspector's back, "Hey, are you feeling sick again?"
Akane shook her head as her brain tried to process what she'd just heard. A moment later, her lips opened without thinking,
"Everything that happened last night...was all...a nightmare...?"
The image of Kougami exploded flashed brightly in Akane's mind.
Tears began welling up in the corner of her eyes. Again, Akane covered her mouth with a hand.
"I'll get her some water. Look after her for a minute, Gino." Kou spoke seriously as he nearly flew off towards the kitchen.
Ginoza glanced in the direction his best friend disappeared to before focusing his attention back onto Akane, "Tsunemori, if you don't mind my asking this, but..." When her eyes met with his own, Gino bent a little forwards and clenched his hands together, "Would you mind telling me about your dream? Kougami was right when he said you seemed out of it. Judging by the look on your face right now, I think I may have an idea as to what made that dream a...nightmare for you."
"You do...?" Akane was surprised. How could he tell?
"It had something to do with Kougami, right? If I had to place my guess..." Gino brought a finger to his lips as if in deep thought for a minute before pointing the same finger back at her, "Something horrible happened to him in it, right?"
Akane nodded strongly, wiping the tears from her eyes, "That's...exactly it. How did you know, Ginoza?"
"Because as long as I've known you, there's only one thing in this world that can cause you to become so emotional as what you just were." Gino nodded his neck at the doorway to the kitchen, "...That thing being the idiot in there getting you a drink. Honestly, I still don't completely understand why you're so damn infatuated with him."
Akane's cheeks began burning at Nobuchika's choice of words. She was about to protest but when she noticed how calm Gino was, she decided to let it go and ask about it another time.
"Anyways, back to the nightmare."
"Do you...really want to hear about it? It seemed so long and even I don't understand it, and..."
"Tsunemori, my colleague is sitting here in front of me, looking absolutely lost at what's going on with tears in her eyes. I can't simply ignore that." Gino's earlier smile returned to his face and grew warmer, "Besides that, you've helped me out plenty of times. Just think of it as me returning the favor. No need to hold back."
Akane nodded and decided to give it a try. For the next several long minutes, she told Ginoza everything. At the end of it all, the long haired male sat in silence, his eyes shut as he pondered it all quietly to himself. It was about that time when Kougami returned with a tray of drinks in addition to some food.
"Sorry that took so long." Kougami sat a cup of coffee and a plate of omurice in front of Akane. When he noticed Gino in thought and Akane looking like a lost puppy, he couldn't help but ask, "Did I miss something?"
"No," Gino came out of his thoughts and reached for his own cup. After taking a small sip, he lifted the cup in Kougami's direction, "This isn't as terrible as I expected. Good work for once."
"Shouldn't have expected you to be grateful," Kougami sighed sarcastically as he sat back down, rolling his eyes, "If you don't like it, you don't have to drink it, you know."
"I could pour it on a certain fool's head. Then I'd most certainly be putting this drink to good use."
"What?"
Gino took another sip, smirking behind the cup, "Nothing at all. You're hearing things, Kougami. Perhaps it's time to get your hearing checked."
Akane watched the two go back and forth as she ate her small meal. She was hungrier than she'd realized and before Akane knew it, she had eaten every grain of rice on the plate. Kougami saw this and turned to her with a relieved grin,
"Feeling better after eating?"
Akane nodded, returning the smile, "Yes. It was very good. Thank you, Kougami."
"I'm glad." Suddenly, Kougami's smiled warmed into one that was new for Akane. His eyes stared down at her, more softly tenderly then what she remembered whenever he looked at her before.
Akane felt something stir within her upon catching his eye but was soon snapped out of it when Gino spoke up again,
"By the way, Tsunemori. I've been thinking it all over- everything you told me in regards to your dream. I noticed something that may clear up some of your confusion, hopefully."
Akane nodded firmly, desperate to know what Gino would say.
Kougami, who had just realized what went on while he was in the kitchen, watched Nobu carefully, "Care to share with the class then, Gino?"
"Don't rush me, dammit." Gino scowled. He cleared his throat and began laying everything out for Akane, "You mentioned in your dream you were in the middle of arresting Kougami when he was suddenly shot by a dominator set on lethal eliminator, correct?"
Akane nodded, her face saddening a bit. Kougami glanced at her as Gino continued,
"You also said...Kougami pushed you out of the way and that's when the dominator fired, right?"
"Yes."
Gino's expression turned into one Akane couldn't place. He then asked a question more baffling then the look on his face.
"In that case, do you remember how it really happened then?"
Akane was more confused then ever, "What are you talking about Ginoza?" The Inspector looked frantically between Gino and Kou, "What do you mean by 'really happened'?"
Kougami suddenly came to a realization and then leaned back in his seat, tired himself, "I see now. No wonder you're confused."
Akane wanted to scream out her previous question.
Gino could see Akane becoming restless and decided to explain, finally revealing to Akane what the puzzle she had put together really meant, "Everything that happened in your dream, up until the moment Kougami pushed you out of the way- It all really happened, Tsunemori. Exactly as you said."
Akane blinked several times, unable to respond. Kougami then chimed in with his own explanation,
"Yeah, from what it sounds like, your dream was nearly identical to what happened four years ago."
Akane felt her heart drop.
Four...years ago?
Ginoza ran fingers through his hair, brushing some straying hairs out of his eyes before he continued, "Four years ago, Kougami returned to Japan, claiming he was going to expose the truth about Sibyl. The moment he entered the country, division 1 immediately got word of a street scanner spotting him. You ran off on your own and tried to arrest Kougami. Soon after, Chief Kasei approached and stopped you. Division 1 was called for backup and surrounded the area so Kougami wouldn't flee."
Kougami nodded at Gino and took over the role of explaining for the next portion, "After Gino arrived on scene, Kasei suddenly agreed to allow you to arrest me. So you and I went to the transport vehicle she had provided for us. And just as I was getting in the car, you suddenly stopped, let go of my shoulder, spun around and..." Shinya fell silent as he thought back to what happened next. His expression darkened considerably as pain filled his ocean blue eyes.
Shinya sighed heavily and reached out to grab Akane's right hand. He gripped it tightly, but Akane felt no pressure from his own hand at all.
"U-um...Kougami?"
"I'll continue," Gino let out a sigh of his own when he noticed Kougami's face pointed downwards, his bangs covering his face, "As he just said, you spun around and that's when the dominator was fired by Inspector Shimotsuki. Only unlike in your dream, Kougami wasn't the one who was shot."
Akane looked over to her hand that was still being clenched with Kougami's. Along with feeling no pressure, she also didn't receive any warmth from his hand or experience any pain from his grip as it increased. After a few seconds of staring at her unusually pale hand, Akane suddenly remembered. She then turned to Gino, in which, he nodded.
"That's right. Kougami wasn't shot by the dominator, but you were."
At that moment, Akane's mind flew back to four years ago, just as Gino and Kougami had explained,
"Aghhhhhh...! AGHHH-"
Akane Tsunemori was doubled over on the ground, blood pouring from the place that her right arm used to be. The amount of stress her entire body was under was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. It had only taken a second. Just one quick pull of a dominator's trigger before a maddening pressure filled her entire shoulder. That very pressure soon spread throughout the inside of the rest of Akane's arm, down to the very tips of her fingers. Before the detective knew it, her arm imploded; the skin tearing from the seams as bone and veins combusted outward, eventually blowing her entire arm out of existence.
Kougami stood behind his former boss, a look of unparalleled horror written upon his pale face. The fugitive could barely believe what had just happened.
The last thing he recalled was complimenting Akane on how much she'd grown since the last time they had met. Before he could finish, Akane screamed at him to get back before spinning around and throwing out her arms as if to use her entire body as a shield. Right after, a rain of blood spilled out of Akane's right shoulder, her arm disappearing in the midst of all the chaos.
In front of the Inspector was a woman with long hair tied to the side, someone unfamiliar to Shinya that he had never seen before. Judging by her suit and dominator in hand though, it was clear she worked for the PSB. That, however, didn't concern Kougami right now.
"Akane-" The former Enforcer ignored said woman's earlier orders not to do anything reckless and rushed to her side. The moment he caught a glimpse of her injury up close, Kougami's instincts he'd developed while working with the guerilla troop back on Shambala Float kicked in. The spiky haired male jumped up and shouted to the one person he could count on listening to him at this current moment, "Gino, get one of the first aid kits from the car!"
Ginoza, who was still frozen as stiff as a statue, twitched at his best friend's shouting. He looked over at the other cop car that was there- the very same that Akane was originally going to use to escort Kougami before Kasei showed up. Remembering each MWPSB's cars had a small medical supply stored in a compartment on the side of the vehicle, the long haired man rushed as fast as he could to get the medical treatment. Gino opened the small door on the car, practically tore the first aid kid out of the now open space, and made a B-line for Kougami and Akane.
Just before Nobuchika reached his friends, the Inspector who had shot Akane screeched out at him,
"Don't you dare take another step, Enforcer Ginoza!"
Gino clenched his teeth together in fury as his green eyes burned holes in the woman referred to as Shimotsuki Mika who was now pointing her dominator at him. A moment later, she returned the dominator's aim back at the spot Akane and Kougami resided in.
Kougami had an arm around Akane's trembling shoulders while his free hand was being gripped powerfully by Akane's only remaining hand. Like Gino, he was glaring daggers at the Inspector who had caused Tsunemori such agony. When Mika didn't remove the gun's aim, Shinya spoke out in an infuriated growl,
"Back when I worked for the bureau, we never went around shooting our fellow Inspectors."
Kou's eyes were piercing with what looked to be blue flames in his eyes. If looks could kill, certainly the man's face would be enough to take out Mika with one look. Despite this, the girl didn't so much as budge at the looks of anger being directed at her.
"...Looks like it isn't just Sibyl that's changed over the years in this forsaken country."
In response, Mika snorted back at him with a look like that of a human watching an insect beneath their foot, "A psychopath like you could never understand, so I won't even bother trying to explain to him. Besides..." Shimotsuki's chocolate colored eyes wondered over to Akane who was still unable to speak from the pain. The look in Mika's eyes darkened immensely, "She just got what she deserved for aiding a criminal. Tsunemori-senpai should just be thankful the Chief didn't order her death for her betrayal."
Kougami wanted to charge directly at the so called 'Inspector' with all his rage, but he resisted. The rebel had made a promise to Akane to not do anything reckless or get himself killed. Not only that, but given her current state, Shinya didn't want to add any more stress to the brunette than what she was already feeling. This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed someone he cared about getting a limb blown off. During his time overseas, the middle aged male had seen all that and more. Still, he had never desired to see Tsunemori go through such trauma. If there was one person in his life Kou had never wanted to put in this situation, it was her. Akane may have not realized it, and even he wouldn't admit it to himself so easily, but Inspector Tsunemori was precious to him.
For Kougami, she was...irreplaceable.
"Agh!"
The raven haired man was snapped out of his thoughts as Akane's screams grew louder and more pained. Kougami held her hand as it gripped his own tightly, "Hang in there, Akane. You can make it through this, okay? Just stay calm and breath." Shinya spoke as gently as he could.
With each passing second though, more blood drained from Akane's body. If the blood loss wasn't stopped soon, it would be prove fatal.
Kougami looked back at Mika who was taking steps closer towards them. The dominator was still ready to execute its next victim at a moment's notice.
Dammit, this couldn't be any worst...Kougami thought, struggling to come up with a way to improve the situation, This woman doesn't seem to give a damn about shooting a fellow Inspector. I doubt she'll even try to get Akane any help if she separates us. Kou frowned deeply as his glance fell back on Tsunemori, still writhing and hyperventilating from her body's shock, Still, I've already lost too many damn comrades to count. I can't lose her...not now. Not like this.
"I hope you're prepared to die, criminal scum." Mika wrapped her finger around her weapon's trigger.
Kougami swallowed. A drip of sweat streamed down his face, falling off his chin. He then very carefully turned his head just enough so Ginoza could catch a look at his face. Silently, he signed to his best friend a plan.
Ginoza stared at Kou a few moments before his brain clicked. When the Enforcer received what his friend was trying to tell him, he slowly nodded.
"Inspector Shimotsuki."
The freckled woman furrowed her brow at the hunting dog, "What is it?"
"With your permission, ma'am." Gino begun, his expression serious and unwavering, "I'd like to request an ambulance for the Inspector. As it stands, she is still a member of this division. I don't believe I've heard Chief Kasei order her dismissal or anything of the sort."
Mika glanced over at Kasei who stood a few feet away; a content smile on her face as if nothing had happened. The Inspector let out a low sigh, "Fine. Permission granted."
"Thank you. As for the criminal here..." Gino turned his eyes to Kougami who looked at him with a frustrated look. Gino's eyes thinned, "I'd like to get the other Enforcers over here. We'll hold him down so he doesn't try and run."
Mika began to grow suspicious and shook her head firmly, "Absolutely not. Knowing how a latent criminal is, and because you have history with this man, I cannot allow-"
Just then Kasei stepped up, her grin not the least bit faded, "It's all right, Inspector Shimotsuki. Let the man do as he requests."
Mika's eyes widened greatly, shocked by the suggestion, "B-but Chief..."
Kasei's eyes grew sharp and the corners of her mouth went further upward, "It's fine. I'll allow it."
Gino nodded gratefully to the Chief before making his way back to the rest of division 1 who stood in a small circle a few feet away from the scene. He then stopped before passing Kasei and turned to her, "I'd also like permission to access the other vehicle we brought here tonight. It may have better supplies to treat Tsunemori with until the ambulance arrives. Perhaps better than this mere first aid kid I grabbed." Gino held up the medical supply box he had grabbed a few minutes ago.
Kasei nodded and opened the holo screen on her wristwatch. After typing in something on the screen, she turned back to Ginoza, "Permission granted. You have access to the vehicle now."
"Thank you very much, Chief." Gino turned to walk back to the rest of his division without further delay.
Kasei looked over her shoulder as the tall Enforcer walked past, "Do hurry. It seems Tsunemori is bleeding out faster than I thought. We need to get that ambulance here as soon as possible." Though Kasei's words were those of concern, the tone in her voice was anything but. In fact, it sounded rather...happy.
Gino simply nodded as he walked away.
Once the hunting dog was out of earshot, Mika protested again. This time, she lowered her dominator so she could turn her full attention to her boss, "Chief, is this really okay? I mean, I think he might be..."
"As I already said, it's fine." Kasei kept her attention of the bent over Akane. She wasn't the least bit surprised by the short haired girl's actions. In fact, she almost expected it. For whatever reason, the already daring detective always seemed to take her recklessness to a new level when it came to Kougami Shinya. It was honestly quite amusing for the PSB head to watch. So much so, that her curiosity was quite peaked to see what she would try next. And like Mika, Kasei already knew Ginoza was up to something. It made no difference whatsoever though.
"He is a mere Enforcer, who could be shot and killed in a matter of seconds just like our fugitive here. And after the injury Inspector Tsunemori received, I doubt she'll be playing the role of shield anymore tonight." Kasei held back a chuckle and reassuringly patted the fateful Mika's shoulders, "Don't worry. No one can dare stand against the law or the system. Those who try to are sure to get what they deserve."
For the first time that night, a smile found itself to Shimotsuki's face. She nodded happily, complete faith in the words of her boss.
Just then, Ginoza returned. However, he stood alone, not one single other member of the division to be seen. Mika's smile immediately vanished at the sight.
"What the hell's going on, Enforcer? I thought you said you were going to have the rest of the Enforcers come over here to hold this scum down." Mika's eyes flashed at Kougami for a brief moment.
"They're on their way. They went to get the other medical supplies from the car." Ginoza's expression was a complete poker face- his true feelings hidden deep away where no one could see.
Mika's brow rose slightly, confused by his choice of words. Why did the entire rest of their division need to go get but a few small supplies? Something certainly felt off.
"...I see. And how long should we expect this to take, Ginoza?" Mika looked back at her boss who still seemed completely content just as before.
Gino pulled up his arm to look down at his watch. After a quick glance, he flashed as small smile, "As a matter of fact, Inspector...It looks like they're right on time."
Suddenly, the loud screeching of a high speeding vehicle could be heard coming towards their group as fast as it could. Kasei's smile finally disappeared and Mika froze solid where she stood. The two could only watch as a PSB van, one that had escorted the Enforcers to the scene earlier that night, practically flashed into existence right in front of Ginoza. The doors to the back opened and without a warning, Kougami picked Akane up and made a mad dash for the back. Once in, the door closed, and the door leading to the passenger side of the van opened.
Before climbing into the car, Gino's smile grew in size as he locked eyes with a distraught Mika and a deeply frowning Kasei,
"As you said Chief, we need to get Tsunemori some help as soon as possible. And given her injury, I doubt she'd last until an ambulance arrived." Ginoza's eyes went from a bright grass color to a deep piercing blazing emerald as his smile transformed into a dark, spiteful scowl, "And after what was witnessed tonight, I highly doubt you had any desire of actually saving her. I may be a hunting dog for the bureau but if there's one thing I won't forgive..."
Kasei eyes slightly twitched as Gino's glare practically stared right into her soul.
"...It's those who threaten my master."
At that, the car sped off at the speed of light; leaving a panicking Mika and an unhappy Kasei in its wake.
"I remember now..." Akane felt her right hand that was made of metal just like Ginoza's and traced its 'skin' up and down gently with her fingertips.
Gino nodded, "Right. After that, we took you to Shion as fast as we could. Kasei ordered for all of our arrests though, so we had to take her with us and flee. She stopped the bleeding and patched you up in the car as we fled. This was all this fool's idea..."
Kougami scratched his head, an odd sense of guilt rising in him, "Yeah, but it's thanks to you getting the rest of the division to help out that we were able to get away. Akane's well-being was top priority at the time, and you could see as well as I could that the Chief gave no cares about what happened to her."
Nobuchika turned his eyes towards the floor as he his mind too went back to that night, "I always had a sinking suspicion something wasn't quite right with the Chief. And by that point, it was also pretty clear our precious 'Sibyl' system wasn't all it seemed to be."
"I think...after we fled, I woke up some time later...in an old abandoned underground with no drones or cameras active." Akane tried her hardest to remember any more details about then. Slowly, everything was coming together at last.
Kougami patted her head gently, as if to help the woman beside him relax and not strain herself, "That's right. It was a place I had used to get to the old safe house Pops gave me the location for just before I set out to take down Makishima. Never thought it'd come in handy again after that, but sure enough..."
Crossing his arms, Gino leaned back in his seat as if to relax himself, "It did and some. Do you recall the rest of the story, Tsunemori?"
Akane thought hard for the next few minutes before looking up with her eyes no longer flushed with confusion, "Yes, I think so. After that, I told all of you what Sibyl really was. Kougami had some allies waiting outside Japan and he used an untraceable communication line to contact them. We worked together and...actually from there, my memory is still a bit hazy."
"That's fine. You remembered most of the important stuff." Gino uncrossed his arms, "Some time later, Sibyl was actually declared a threat by the people and was shut down, for good. I won't explain every single detail about what led to it but in the end, society's laws and rules reverted to what they were over a century ago. Now we judge criminals with a court and jury just as Dad used to talk about."
"Pops would be over the hill if he were alive now." Kougami smiled to himself, imagining the old man grinning from ear to ear and bragging about how much better than old times were in comparison to Sibyl's way of things.
"I'm sure he would be." Gino, too, couldn't hold back a smile as he thought back to his father. He then turned back to Tsunemori, wearing the same peaceful look, "Anyways, now here we are, four years after the fact."
Akane's eyes slowly fell down into her lap, where her hands rested. She then noticed something of interest wrapped around the third finger on her left hand. The Inspector lifted her hand to get a closer look. It was then Ginoza stood up, pulling Akane's attention to him and away from the item she wore.
"Well, I think I better be going. I just stopped by to drop something off for the next case."
Kougami also rose from his seat and began following Gino towards the door, "Thanks for that, by the way."
As the two disappeared from the room, Akane sat alone with her thoughts about all that she had heard and the nightmare she had experienced that felt more real than honestly what truth Ginoza and Kougami spoke of.
The brunette stared back down at the shimmering ring on her finger and then turned her eyes to one of the framed photos on the nearby table. She stood up and walked closer to it. What she saw in the picture warmed Akane's heart of any lingering dark feelings she had still been experienced due to her dream.
"See you later, Tsunemori!" Gino's voice screamed from the other room soon followed by the shutting of the front door.
A minute later, Kougami returned with a content smile on his face.
"You okay?" The 38 year old walked over to Akane who seemed to be staring intently at the picture she was holding in her hands. Her face was hidden behind her bangs, making it impossible to get a read on his former boss.
"I think talking about everything...really helped." Was all Akane mumbled as she continued to stare at the picture.
Kougami decided to look at the photo too and made his way over to her until he stood just behind the Inspector. Just like with Akane, the moment the picture caught his eye, Shinya's chest softened. In the photograph were Akane and him, dressed in formal clothes and standing next to one another. He wore a black suit, somewhat like the one he wore when he was an Enforcer, but far more...together and clean. Akane was gowned in a beautiful pure white dress and a veil pulled over her head. Akane's arms were wrapped around one of Kougami's, and both were smiling more happily then they had ever been known to by their colleagues. Honestly, it was a surprise to both of them that they were capable of such an expression, after all that had happened to them. Perhaps it was for that very reason though, that their faces appeared that way in the photograph.
Wrapping her arms around Akane's waist, Kougami brought her closer into a small embrace and placed his lips close to her ear, "That was two years ago now. Time flies, doesn't it."
Akane slowly nodded and brought a hand to her eyes to wipe away the dampness from the corners of her eyelid, "Yeah...It feels like just yesterday I was rushing to my first job as an Inspector."
Kougami's chuckle tickled against her ear as he thought back to the same time, "I think I recall a trembling small girl, drenched from the rain looking completely nervous and confused as Gino gave her her first orders."
Akane puffed her cheeks up and gave his arm a light smack at the tease, "Oh, please. Who wouldn't be nervous on a night like that?" Akane felt her smile fade into a somewhat fallen look as a thought crossed her mind, "...Still..."
"...Hmm?" Kougami tried to get a better look at his wife's face, concerned by her sudden trail-off.
"...Shinya." It was unusual for Akane to use his first name but since they'd married, she did it more frequently than what she used to.
"Yeah?"
Akane brought her arms up and latched onto his that were still wrapped around her. Without realizing it, tears streamed down the Inspector's red cheeks. Before long, her small fit of tears turned into an outright sobbing fit.
Kougami's face paled heavily, surprised and full of confusion at this. He tried to break away from their embrace to cup her face but Akane wouldn't budge. Her arms kept his bound to her, unwilling to let go or change position.
"A-Akane, hey..."
In between her sobs and gasps for breath, Akane forced out the words as best she could, "This is...going to be a weird question, but please...tell me..."
Kougami could only nod as he pulled her in closer, her face burying into his large muscular chest.
"How...How do I..." Akane gripped onto Shinya's shirt with both of her hands until her knuckles turned as white as they could manage. Tears fell harder as Tsunemori remembered the sight of his body exploding in front of her, "Are you...really here right now...?"
Kougami stroked the back of her head gently as he made an attempt to calm Akane down, "What do you mean?"
"So many times...after you had left Japan...you would still be right here with me, whenever I thought about you, despite you actually being far away...but..." Akane shut her eyes tightly, recalling back to the times when Kougami was still missing from their country, "Every time you were here...you weren't really. It was always...a hallucination. No matter what I did, or what I said, you were never actually..."
"Akane." Kougami's voice was unbelievably soothing to said female's ears as she tried to relax in his hold.
Eventually, her sobs died down but despair still gripped Akane tightly as she continued to think about the things she'd believed to be so real in her dream.
"I guess what I'm really trying to say, is..." Akane took a deep breath and pulled herself away from her husband's chest. She looked up at him with her tear stained eyes shimmering his reflection back at him, "Knowing how things always went in the past, it wouldn't surprise me if all this..." Akane looked down at her ring and then over to the photo from before, "...were really the dream."
Kougami remained silent, wanting her to get everything out before he spoke up.
Akane smiled bitterly to herself as she tried to laugh it off, "I mean, who's to say my brain isn't actually a part of Sibyl now...and maybe everything you and Gino told me and all these memories I have...maybe all of this is a dream of something I really wanted when I was alive. Or perhaps...four years hasn't actually passed and I'm still stuck back in that time, alone, drowning myself in some fake, virtual holo world, just forcing Sibyl to show me something that'll never happen."
"All right. I think I understand."
When she looked up, Kougami stared down at her with his normal poker face, completely as calm as could be and not the least bit weirded out but the sudden emotional trip she had just had. While it wasn't the first time she had wore her feelings on her sleeve in front of him, the brunette couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed now. Akane wasn't sure how to respond.
Then, Kougami took her hand and brought it up to his face. He placed her hand against his left cheek without saying a word. After a minute passed, the man asked her,
"Tell me, Akane...What do you feel right now?"
"Feel...?" Akane could feel the earlier confusion of that day quickly making its way back to her.
Kou nodded firmly, "Are you able to feel anything when you touch me?"
Akane carefully traced the tips of her fingers down from his cheek to the edge of his chin, "I...feel warmth. Or I guess, your skin feels warm."
Kougami nodded and then began to lean towards her, "All right, then tell me this."
His lips clashed with her own, a rush of burning heat spread throughout Akane's body the moment their mouths touched. After only a second, the kiss was broken and Kougami looked back at her, unfazed and serious,
"Now, what did you just feel? Did you experience anything just now?"
Akane was covering her lips with a hand as her cheeks burned a deep red. Inside her chest, her heart pounded madly with more force then it ever had in her entire life.
Again, it took a moment before Akane could answer. After she gathered her emotions, the Inspector spoke honestly,
"I...felt a stimulation of sorts. It...felt nice." Her cheeks deepened in color as she awkwardness filled Akane.
Like before, Kougami nodded in confirmation, "All right, good. One last question."
"This is turning into an interrogation, Kougami."
Shinya smirked at her choice of words and gave her cheek a light pinch with his fingers, "Trust me on this, okay 'Inspector'. I am one hell of a detective."
Akane smiled back, unable to contain her happiness at Kou referring to himself as a detective one again.
"Now then..." Kougami's hand gently settled against Akane's abdomen. The former Enforcer then mumbled softly, "What do you feel?"
Akane unthinkingly repeated his actions and placed her hands on top of Kou's where it rested on her. A few moments passed, the clock on the wall near them ticking over and over. After what seemed like forever, Tsunemori felt disappointment rise inside herself.
"I don't...feel any-"
Just then, Akane felt light pokes around inside the very spot Kougami's hand rested upon. It wasn't a stomach growl or anything of the sort. The Inspector felt around the same area again with her own hand. After a particularly hard poke, Akane remembered.
Her hazel eyes welled up again as she looked at Kougami who was responding with a knowing smile. Akane nearly collapsed into his arms as more tears fell down her face. Shinya stroked the center of her back tenderly,
"Do you see now, Akane? Does any of this feel like a hallucination? Does any of what you just experienced feel like one of Sibyl's virtual realities?
Akane was crying far too hard to respond to her husband. However, despite herself, she shook her head furiously as unimaginable warmth filled every part of her being.
"I'm here. Sibyl didn't kill either of us. You once said the law doesn't protect people; that it's the people who are the ones who protect the law. In that same sense, you protected both me and this country. You fought like hell to pull society up from the nightmare it had been in for so damn long, and at the end of everything..." Shinya pulled Akane just a slight amount away so he could cup her tear-stained face in his hands, "This is realty now. It isn't just a dream or a holo or some hallucination. After all you've been through, Akane, just remember..."
In said female's beautifully shimmering spheres reflected the face of the man she had cared about for so long, smiling back at her more lovingly they had ever had before.
"You're free."
Free from the pain and suffering at the hands of the Sibyl system and its rule. Free from the emptiness she felt inside every time she saw a latent criminal cruelly executed or arrested. Free from the hold of Akane's own sense of justice as it bound her like its prisoner. Free from watching the people she cared about die and leave her behind. Free from the burden of being one of the only three people in Japan who knew Sibyl's horrible secret, and being only able to sit and watch as society and its people had their souls torn away from them by the very 'law' they were supposed to protect. Most of all, Tsunemori Akane was free of the long haunting nightmare that she had been living in for nearly an entire decade before she finally awoke from it.
Kougami's smile softened as he held her, his eyes falling on another photograph placed on the opposite side of the table nearby. In it was a photo of the new life their unwavering love- the very same love that they had fought through hell and war to preserve- created. Though the tiny form was barely even recognizable with only a month having passed since its conception, the detectives already cared deeply for the child. And like the feelings Kougami and Akane held for each other over the course of the 11 years, the love for their new addition would only continue to grow with time.
Akane gripped around at the different parts of Kou's back as her mind was flooded with a mix of her horrible dream and the memories she held that were far kinder than what she could have ever imagined. At the end of it all, Akane could only think of one thing to say,
"I love you, Kougami."
Kou stroked the back of his wife's head as he leaned in to give another kiss, "Same to you...Inspector."
At that moment, Akane knew one truth, and one truth alone:
The long, painful path she had been walking...was finally at an end.
Author's Comments: Okay, so I'm aware at least a few people are gonna get mad at me for how this fic turned out. It went from Psycho Pass-ish despair to this, BUT...and while it is more than 100% impossible to actually occur in the series, I wanted to write something that gave Kougami and Akane the happy ending their deserved, while still making it as close to what the ending of Psycho Pass COULD be, as possible.
I also realize that many believe the idea of everything being a dream, a MAJOR cliche. I thought it fit in this case however (and if you don't like it, you don't have to read :P )
I just can't stand the idea of this ship sinking, but at the same time, I'm more than aware that it'll happen should the series ever continue. So this is a comfort of sorts. Hopefully some people liked it. I apologize for any misspellings, bad punctuation, OCCness, poor flow, and such.
Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!