"Finally! A break away from the city! Just what we needed!" Elaine exclaimed as she laid down on the grass, looking up at the starry night sky.
"I agree. There's nothing more relaxing for our line of work than the great outdoors of the countryside." Sig said, who was drawing something in his sketch pad.
"You know what would be even more relaxing? Playing a children's card game."
"Draggarh, have you been watching Yu-Gi-Oh again?" Viluke asked, staring at Kishor who pulled out a deck of cards from his coat pocket.
"Actually, he's been watching a parody version of it on YouTube though it's spoken in English..." Sig answered Viluke.
"Wait, so then how does he know what they're saying?" She asked, confused.
"They recently installed a translator into videos that allows languages to be rewritten and understandable in captions..." Sig explained, but then sighed shortly after. "But it's still a work in progress..."
"So who wants to shout out what they do and make over-exaggerated poses when playing?" Kishor asked, jumping up to his feet.
Sig, Viluke, and Elaine all looked at each other then at Kishor.
"No." They replied curtly.
"You guys are messed up!" Kishor frowned as the three laughed at him.
Kanata, who sat further away from the group, giggled quietly herself. Returning her gaze up to the clear sky full of shining stars, her smile faded away.
It's...really been that long, huh?
Months have passed since she awoke in the hospital and most of it was spent reintegrating into society and also rebuilding back her life. Since she was presumed dead for many years now, Kanata had to update her records and physical status for the hospitals. Of course, she was also the surviving victim of a serial killer and her kidnappers who tore her away from her family. Justice needed to be served for what they did to her.
The court system required that she stayed in the city for the time being, seeing as how she was an important piece in convicting the criminals. The government paid for her living quarters which was a small apartment with nothing fancy and a small amount of money to purchase food and other basic necessity. Enough to survive before the trials.
But she couldn't have gotten through these days alone. No, she had help. These people, the ones who saved her, became her friends in the lonely city. They treated her like they knew her for years. Whenever they were not on duty, since they were a part of the law enforcement, they would take her out to eat or explore the city. It was nice having such great company at the time she needed it the most.
Still, as much as she liked being with them, Kanata knew this place was not her home. She wanted to go back to where she really belonged: Alongside her husband, Sojiro, and her daughter, Konata, who she hasn't seen in years. Kanata still couldn't believe she was alive. It was just like Kishor said before: An angel must have been watching over her.
"By the way, where is Stennin? I thought he said he was coming..." Elaine asked.
"He said he had some errands to run first." Viluke told her.
Ravi Stennin. The boss of this group. Kanata became more acquainted with the man as he aided her during the conviction of criminals. The man was balanced between being serious and acting friendly. He could change personalities within seconds which she soon discovered throughout the times they have had to work alongside each other during the trials whenever he was needed for direct intervention in the court.
The men were sentenced, obviously found guilty with evidence and testimony. They would not be getting out of prison for a long time. Except for the one man named 'Reynold' who had a shorter sentence time than the others. Ravi probably made a deal with him to testify against his own friends. At any rate, their evil did not go unpunished.
Now all that was left to do was go home. Which was pretty much impossible at this point. The government paid only for her accommodations and food, but anything beyond that, she had to get on her own. That meant getting a job; something she has never done in years. While she was glad to be alive after all these years, it killed her inside knowing she still wouldn't be able to see her family any time soon.
"What's on your mind, Miss Kanata?"
Turning her attention to the voice, she saw that it was Sig who was now sitting alongside her. Looking over to the other three, she saw that Viluke and Kishor were playing their card game with Elaine watching them.
"Just thinking..." She said, returning her eyes back up to the sky.
"You know we're always here to lend an ear if you need one..." He said.
Kanata's smile resurfaced again. These people were so kind to her.
"I was just thinking about how long I've been here...Everything that was stopping me from going home is now out of the way and yet...I still can't go." She said, her smile turning wry.
"I see...The system pays for your apartment, but they can't afford you a ticket back to Kasukabe."
She nodded her head.
"That's unfortunate, but don't lose hope."
Kanata looked at Sig.
"That's what we humans are best at. We're always down on our luck, but we keep on going. Our greatest strength is our tenacity. So...Keep your head up, Kanata. You look better with a smile of happiness and hope on your face than one filled with pain and sorrow."
"He's right, ya know."
She looked to see Elaine, Viluke, and Kishor staring at the two with smiles on their faces.
"In our line of work, we have to stay strong to save and protect the lives of the innocent." Elaine said.
"It's not always easy because the things we see aren't meant to be seen everyday as a normal occurrence." Viluke continued.
"But we do what we have to do. We keep going...no matter what." Kishor finished with his signature grin and thumbs up.
Sig got up and stood alongside his friends, looking down at Kanata.
"That's what you have to do too, Miss Kanata. Be strong, not just for yourself, but for your family as well. And if you think you're alone, you are terribly wrong."
He extended his hand out towards her.
"If you ever feel a moment of waver or hesitation, remember us. Remember that we're here for you...Miss Kanata."
Kanata could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she took his hand and was pulled up on her feet. What did she deserve to receive such kindness from these people who she barely knew personally?
"I hope I'm not interrupting, but what's going on here?"
Everyone turned to see Ravi Stennin standing with his arms crossed and a gentle smile at the scene unfolded before him.
"Captain Stennin!"
"Asgrimur, Draggarh, front and center." He ordered.
The two quickly moved and stood at attention in front of Ravi.
"Miss Kanata?" He leaned to the side see the petite, long-haired woman. "Would you kindly stand in front of them?"
"U-um...Okay..." She nodded her head, wondering what was going on as she wiped the water off her eyes.
Standing in front of Kishor and Sig who were still as a pencil.
"Miss Kanata, for the past few months, you were kept in this city for several reasons. One, your records in the health department had to be re-updated due to being filed as deceased. Two, you were crucial testimony in convicting the serial killer Andou Faralon and your kidnappers who took you away from your family. And finally three, coming back to society amongst people."
Ravi reached into his pockets and pulled out three pieces of paper. But they weren't any just any ordinary paper pieces...
"These are train tickets on the next stop to Kasukabe, Saitama."
Kanata gasped, widening her eyes as the water that had disappeared from her eyes resurfaced. She knew what this meant...
"Congratulations, Miss Kanata...You're going home."
I pulled this out of my arse. But at least it was better than having no chapter at all! Like I've said before, there will be another time for a revision...later. Now, back to business. I'd like to take this time to thank my reviewers who were kind enough to give my story a chance despite the amount of original characters in here. These people are:
Konata Fan
NoZones
Flygon Master
Gonstika
You guys are incredibly awesome, I love ya'll. See you next time.