Chapter 10: The Feeling

While Fred was right when he said Tadashi had nothing to worry about. But still, Tadasih didn't feel safe.

It had been about three days since the Silent Sparrow job, and the cops hadn't come busting down Tadashi's door… yet.

He had been scared of going outside of the house. Every time somebody looked at him, he felt as though they knew who he was and what he had done, their gaze like knives stabbing at his soul.

Another thing, he didn't want to leave the house in fear of Aunt Cass discovering his money. Sure, she never had a reason for searching his room, but Tadashi thought better safe than sorry.

But, he needed to leave today. He needed to see Hiro.

Tadashi threw on his white SFIT T-shirt, blue jeans, a black jacket, and his San Fransokyo Ninjas baseball cap, and made his way downstairs. It was a pretty regular day for Aunt Cass in the café. There were only about three or four people in the café.

As Tadashi made his way downstairs, he could hear the sound of the TV. There was a small flat screen which was mounted above the window next to the door. Surprise surprise, the news was on. Tadashi was pretty sure everybody in the city had the news on their TV.

They all wanted to know more about the robbery.

"Today, we were informed by the SFPD that the investigation of the robbery of the Silent Sparrow Repository is being led by Detective Robert Callaghan," the anchorman said. "Callaghan, coming from Los Angeles, specializes in bank robberies. He's been at the job for thirty years, and has assured the city that he will find the thieves responsible for the Silent Sparrow robbery."

"Do you think they'll catch them?" Aunt Cass asked, causing Tadashi to jump. She was behind the counter watching the TV like Tadashi.

"Who, the robbers?" Tadashi asked, trying to seem like he knew little as possible about the robbery.

"Yeah. "I've heard a lot about this Callaghan guy. He's on a lot of the cop shows I watch."

"Really? What do know about him?" Tadashi felt like that seemed a bit too suspicious, but he wanted to know more about this detective.

"Well, there's never been a case he couldn't solve-"

Great.

"-and he lives in Los Angeles. It's kind of weird actually. I'm not sure why he would come all the way up here for something like this. In LA, he must have tons of cases to keep him busy."

That was weird. They hadn't stolen much from the repository, and it was all stolen from a minor repository. Why would Callaghan have come so far for something so minor?

"Well," Tadashi said, "with a resume like that, i'm sure he'll catch them."

"Yeah, probably. Are you going out?"

"I'm gonna go visit Hiro," he replied as he walked closer to the exit. He was relieved that the conversation about the robbery was over.

"Oh can you say hi to him for me. It's been so long since i've been able to see him."

"Of course." Tadashi kissed his aunt on the cheek and walked out the front door to get to his moped.

He wondered what Hiro would have to say about the robbery. And then fear struck him.

Hiro was smart. Hiro could put two and two together. Hiro could easily figure out that it was Tadashi and his friends behind the robbery.


Callaghan had taken one of the empty office spaces to use for his work. He was going to be staying in town to investigate the robbery, and he needed a work space. He was practically running the police department now, due to the fact that he outranked everyone there, and he had them all working on finding out the identities of the robbers.

Callaghan sat at his desk typing away at his computer, trying to find out more about the weapons the robbers had used. The officers who had been pursuing the thieves had their cruisers turned to rust just from one shot of some sort of chemical based weapon, and Callaghan aimed to find out where tech like that was available.

Then Gerson entered the room.

"There's this thing called knocking," Callaghan said his gaze still fixed on the computer screen.

"Yeah, well not when the door's wide open," Gerson replied as he walked into the room with a file in his hand.

Gerson didn't like Callaghan. He didn't like how he had just showed up and had taken over the investigation. But according to Gerson's boss, he had to do what Callaghan said. And he had.

"I assume you're here because you have something for me."

"As a matter of fact I do." Gerson slapped the file on Callaghan's desk, in which Callaghan picked it up and began analyzing it. "The gun had two serial numbers. One was in Japanese and the other in English. It first belonged to a Masaru Moto. He was a Japanese soldier in World War 2, so he's dead… of old age of course."

"What about the second number?"

"That was when Moto's gun was taken by an American soldier by the name of Denis Gains, and he took it over to America with him. He of course needed a number on that thing."

"But he's dead as well."

"Yes. Of old age. We have our guys trying to locate his family, anybody who might have owned or know who owned the gun. The first guy we found is a grandson of sorts, but-"

"He died of old age."

"No. He died from a car crash. We're having trouble finding anyone else who could have owned the gun though."

Callaghan continued to read the file, and then he closed it and laid it on his desk. "Thank you Gerson. As you were."

Gerson rolled his eyes as he walked out of the room, leaving Callaghan by himself.

If Gains had any family left, they would've been found by now. Someone had that gun, and someone put it in the deposit box. Someone had ownership of the gun, and Callaghan was going to find out who it was.

He gave the grandson a second look. It turns out this man was the great grandson of Denis Gains. His name was Steven White. Callaghan skimmed through the papers about the car crash that he had died in about three years ago. If this man was dead, and he had ownership of the gun, then that means someone must've had it in their possession. Callaghan needed to searech through more of these files.

And search he did.


For once, there were no up tight nurses keeping Tadashi from seeing his brother.

Hiro still looked to be in the shape of health despite what the doctors had told him. But he knew that would only last for so long.

"Hey bonehead," Tadashi said as he walked into Hiro's hospital room with a smile.

"What's up?" Hiro said rather plainly. He was staring at the TV on the other side of the room

"What are you watching-" Tadashi's smile faded when he saw what Hiro was watching. Of course it was a news report on the robbery. Well, now Hiro was watching it, that probably means everyone else in the city has. It looked to be the same stuff the anchorman had been talking about when Tadashi was at the café.

"Oh yeah," Tadashi said like he was interested in the robbery. "I heard about this."

"Well I would assume you would have. It's been on every news station for days."

"Well, it's not the worse thing that's happened to this city."

"Did you know they were using chemical-based weapons?"

Shit.

"I… haven't really been paying attention to the story. Chemical-based weapons?" Tadashi wasn't sure what to do if Hiro link the tiniest thing from the robbery to Tadashi. His heart was racing.

"Yeah. They wrecked some cop cars with them. Honey Lemon probably wants to start a club with those guys." Hiro let out a chuckle.

Tadashi laughed as well, but in an awkward, way, where he had to laugh because the situation called for it. "Yeah. Probably. Do you think they can be caught?"

"Well, they got one of the greatest detectives in the state working the case, so I have no doubt in my mind that the police will find them."

Even Hiro thought that this Callaghan guy was going to catch them. Aunt Cass was an optimistic person. She had faith that they would be caught. But Hiro, he didn't just say things because he thought that they should happen. He knew what he was talking about, which worried Tadashi. He had felt safer in the back of that van than he did now.

"Eh, it'll probably work itself out," Tadashi said, trying to avoid talking about the robbery. "So how feelin'?"

"I'm fine… for now-"

"Hey, don't think like that. You're gonna be fine."

"I know… but what if i'm not-"

"You will." Tadashi didn't like Hiro talking about the robbery, but now he regretted bringing up Hiro's condition. "You can tell doctors know what they're doing when they get me away from all the important stuff as soon as possible."

Hiro let out a laugh. "I trust you more than I trust anyone else here."

Now Tadashi was laughing. "I'm not sure why. Remember when you were six, and I told you that you easily climb that tree-"

"And then I fell off and broke my arm. Yeah, that wasn't fun."

"No it was not. You didn't talk to me for a week."

"And then Aunt Cass locked us in the bedroom until I did."

"That wasn't fun either."

"Was she busy at the café again?"

"Yep. She told me to say hi."

"Is… is she doing alright?"

"She's doing fine Hiro. Don't worry, you know Aunt Cass. Nothing can keep her down for long."

Except the weight of the biggest bill i've ever seen.

"She's quite the character."

"She definitely is."

The two talked some more before Tadashi had to leave, and this time willingly. Did all the nurses have the day off? Anyway, Tadashi was making his way to his moped before he got a phone call from Aunt Cass.

"What's up Aunt Cass?" Tadashi answered.

"Hey, sweetie are you on your way home?" Cass said through the phone

"I'm just leaving the hospital."

"Well I just have the worse headache ever. Can you swing by the drug store and get me some ibuprofen on your way back, please?"

"Yeah sure, I can do that."

"Oh thank you Tadashi."

"Yeah no problem. I'll be home soon. Love you."

"Love you too."

Tadashi hung up the phone and began heading into town.


While the robbery had become the main focus of the San Fransokyo Police Department, Gerson still had to deal with lower level criminals. Like bot fighters for example. Callaghan was still in his office doing God knows what.

Gerson was escorting a well know bot fighter to the holding cell in the back of the station, like he had done a million times before.

"Come on man," the fighter complained as he was being pushed down the hallway. "I wasn't the only one betting. How come all them other chumps aren't with me?"

"Because I didn't see any of those other chumps betting," Gerson replied. "I saw you, however, accepting and giving money."

"That's bullshit man!"

"Yeah well so is having to deal with you punks, but here I am." Gerson reached the end of the hallway, and entered the room with the holding cell.

"Home sweet home," Gerson said as he threw the man into the cell.

"Dick," the fighter mumbled as he walked over to the bench in the cell.

"Thanks, I try."

"Sergeant Gerson," a voice said. Gerson turned to find an officer walking towards him. "Detective Callaghan wants you to double check the family of the man who held ownership of the stolen gun."

"Jesus Christ," Gerson mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he let out a sigh. "Tell him i'll get to it later."

The officer nodded, and walked away.

Gerson didn't like Callaghan one bit. He respected the hell out of him, but that didn't stop him from hating his guts. Gerson wasn't even sure if he was allowed to come up here out of the blue and take over like he did, but his boss thought thing that was strange was his arrival. He came well before the news had put out a story of the robbery, so how did he know it had occurred, and how did he get from LA to San Fransokyo so fast?

"Callaghan?" the fighter said from his cell. Gerson turned to face him.

"What?"

"Detective Callaghan. He's here?"

"He's… right down the hall. What it to ya?" Gerson asked suspiciously.

"You let the Yokai in here?"

"The Yokai?"

"That's his nickname."

"Who calls him that?"

"Any low life unfortunate enough to cross his path."

Gerson inched closer to the cell bars, interested in what this criminal had to say. "How do you know about that?"

"Every criminal the state knows who he is. Just hearing his name makes criminal underworlds turn the other way."

"Why would that be?"

"You ever heard of police brutality?"

"I have."

"Well he can do a lot worse to get what he needs. Guy leaves suspects half dead or more so."

"I'm pretty sure if he did any of that, he would've been stripped of that fancy badge of his by now."

"You cops are idiots," the fighter spat. "You're the ones who work with the guy and you don't know a thing about him. He can't get arrested or even fired 'cause he's got all these connections. Everybody he's ever worked for kisses his ass because of all the work he does, and the criminals are too scared to say anything. Guy's a fuckin' monster. And that's just comin' from a guy who's never bumped into him."

Gerson couldn't believe what he was hearing, but at the same time he could. Callaghan did seem like a dick. It wouldn't surprise him that he beat up criminals. It was that part about half dead that really got him. But the more that Gerson thought about it, the more he realized that it didn't matter.

"There are plenty of cops who do that kind of crap," Gerson told the criminal. Why was he even listening to trash like this? "Now just shut up and wait for someone to take you away."

As Gerson made his way towards the exit of the room, the fighter began speaking again.

"I can tell just from that conversation with the other guy that Callaghan's made everyone here his puppet. He's got his hand right up your-"

Gerson shut the door to the room and continued down the hallway. But he couldn't shake what that guy had told him about Callaghan. It probably wouldn't have bothered him if he didn't already think there was something off about Callaghan.

But, he still continued on what Callaghan had him doing. And as the rest of his day went on, one word stuck in his brain.

Yokai.


It was pouring rain when Tadashi arrived at the drugstore, so he had his hood on.

Tadashi wandered down the various aisles looking for ibuprofen for his aunt. Tadashi really hoped she hadn't been drinking again, because she never gets headaches any other way. What a bunch the Hamadas were. One with a heart condition, one drinking over said heart condition, and another who robs banks to help pay for the treatment for the heart condition.

He was still amazed how Hiro hadn't linked Honey Lemon to the chemical weapons. Hiro was smart, so it was shocking that this had just went over Hiro's head. Maybe all the meds he was on were making it hard for him to think clearly.

Tadashi scanned the shelf until his eyes fell upon a bottle of ibuprofen. Tadashi never liked using pills when he got a headache. He always believed in just resting it off.

He grabbed the bottle and began walking towards the checkout. Tadashi then reached into his pocket to grab his wallet, when he realized he didn't have it.

Damn it. He searched his jacket pockets, his back pockets, and even in his sleeves, but nothing. He wasn't planning on shopping when he left the house, so he probably hadn't brought it.

Well, Aunt Cass was gonna have to go without her pills, because Tadashi wasn't stealing these.

It went off in his head like a bomb,

Or was he?

Tadashi had a theory. A theory that would explain the strange feeling that he had been having ever since he joined Mr.S. It happened at the scrapyard with the Kinjus, and again when he and his friends were fleeing the Silent Sparrow Repository.

Tadashi looked to the exit of the drugstore. He could make it. The alarm gates would definately go off. But if he could get to his moped fast enough, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone chasing him.

Shoplifting was obviously a step down from bank robbery, but Tadashi still didn't feel to sure about this. But, while he was contradicting himself, he was making his way toward the exit. He had his hood on, and he was pretty sure the cameras in the store were fakes that were meant to scare shoplifters. But Tadashi was too smart for that.

As he was a mere ten inches away from the automatic doors, the alarm gates began to blare. Tadashi had always heard them go off when someone was trying to shoplift in stores, or when the clerk forgot to scan an item. But he had never been the cause of the alarms going off, and that was a much different experience.

The clerk leaned over the counter, her eyes fixed on Tadashi. She was probably thinking Tadashi had taken something by mistake, but when he kept walking, she started yelling.

"Sir!" she yelled. "Sir! If you have something you need to-"

The sound of the woman's screams became distant when Tadashi was halfway across the rain soaked parking lot. He turned to find a man coming out of the store. He was wearing the stores uniform, and he looked pissed.

"Hey!" he yelled at Tadashi. He began to run after Tadashi.

Tadashi turned and made a break for his moped, almost slipping on the slick pavement of the parking lot.

He jumped on his moped, turned the key, and it roared to life. The man was about ten feet behind Tadashi, but that distance grew when Tadashi revved up the engine and left him in the dust.

Then the feeling. It always came just after something like this happened, never before or during.

Tadashi sped through the streets like hell on wheels, earning several screams and complaints from pedestrians.

But now he knew. He knew what the feeling was.

There wasn't really a name for it, but now Tadashi knew what it was. It was a feeling that wouldn't make sense for Tadashi to have until he met Mr.S.

It wasn't fear, guilt, or even pride.

It was the feeling of getting away with something you know in your heart you shouldn't be doing.

It was a rush.


(A/N) And that's one more step to becoming a criminal. Have you guys ever had that rush of doing something when you're telling yourself with all your being not to do it? I sure have, and let me tell you it's amazing… uh… don't commit crimes kids. The more I look at what i've done to Tadashi, the more he reminds me of Walter White (Breaking Bad). An innocent guy on a path to becoming a hardened criminal to help his family. God I love it. Any how, i'm gonna be SUPER busy for the rest of the summer, so I don't know when i'll have time to write. I'm going camping again, I need to start getting my shit together for school (shudders at becoming a freshman), and when school starts, that really diminishes the time I get to write. I could cry you a river, but I won't, and i'll just say. thank you guys for reading, and, That's DaydreamDepartment out of your hair! )