Chapter 2- The Oracle
A/N: The title of this chapter is a reference to episode 1 of Psycho-Pass when Masaoka calls Sibyl an 'Oracle' and that her will must be done as she is 'justice.' Remember, reviews are loved! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Psycho-Pass.
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"And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death."
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"You know how Kougami is; why did you send him to collect her soul?"
A slight chuckle emerged from the darkness. "He has always been a flighty soul. Too reckless, too kind… too human. But, your actions are even more surprising, Makishima. Are you truly questioning the Oracle? You've always carried out every order without a second glance."
"Is it not in our nature to question? I've grown tired of this never-ending monotony. When you are the harbinger of death nothing—neither disease, or age, or pain—stimulates the soul. This life is too comfortable. Isn't there something in living dangerously?"
"Quoting human literature again? Well, I wouldn't say I am surprised. You and Kougami have more similarities than either of you would like to admit. As for living dangerously… aren't you referring to the life of every human? Every breath, every second of wasted existence comes as a surprise. Life is uncertain. Death is final. They don't know when it will happen, when death comes at the hands of the gods and their souls are ushered back into the steady river of time. But, where does that leave us, the gods of death cursed to walk for eternity?"
"…I thought the Oracle herself would know the answer."
"I do. But, what do you think, Makishima?"
The god in question paused, staring down at the pit the raven-haired man had fallen through moments before. "I think… the answer would destroy both the human world and the realm of the gods."
The orange-haired profiler gazed dangerously in the brunette's direction, fists clenched. Before Akane could stammer out an explanation, a video game console collided with the back of the man's head.
"That glare doesn't suit you. I brought your DS on the off chance you'd have one of your 'episodes.' I'm glad I did." The usually stoic profiler turned away from the pair to gaze out the window. Rain had started to pour from the sky, breaking the heavy silence with its rhythmic taps.
Kagari huffed, blushing as he flipped open the console, ignoring the rest of the occupants of the car. Up-beat music filled the vehicle as Kagari hummed along, fingers mashing against the buttons. All signs of anger washed away from his face as he smiled, looking down at his little virtual farm. The newly-minted detective breathed in a sigh of relief. Confrontation was not her strong suit.
"Kunizuka-san, you're really great!" She smiled widely at the cerulean-eyed woman.
Yayoi didn't respond, instead, returning to her guitar magazine.
"That's Yayoi-san for you! She is a profiler, after all. Of course she'd know how to handle a whining brat like Kagari." Shion declared.
"H-hey, I'm not that bad, am I?" Shusei looked up from his video game, a fake look of hurt on his face.
"Well…"
"I swear you are all children…" Ginoza muttered under his breath, straining to see in the sudden downpour. Lightning flashed against the dark clouds, lighting up certain parts of the road. The wind roared, rocking the pine trees that dotted the small road.
"Shit!" He cursed as a flash of lightning struck the side of the road, causing him to swerve to avoid it. A loud crack erupted from the sky as a tree came crashing down. The dark-haired detective pressed on the breaks to no avail; coupled with the heavy rain and swerving, the SUV's breaks had jammed. He cursed again as the side of the car rammed into the fallen tree trunk, shaking glass and rain into the vehicle. Smoke poured from the hood of the SUV as the team fled from the metal death trap.
"I-Is everyone alright?" Ginoza questioned, mentally counting every head. He frowned immediately. Including himself there were only six people outside the wreckage of the car.
"Where's Tsunemori? Kagari, you were sitting right next to her, where is she?"
"Don't look at me! She was taking off her seatbelt when I last saw her!"
Six pairs of eyes darted towards the car. The brunette was still in her seat, eyes twisted shut.
Voices swam beneath her conscience as she was engulfed in darkness.
"What do you mean she's not breathing?!"
"I don't know, Gino! I swear she was fine when I left the car."
"Move over, I'll do CPR."
"Kunizuka-san, that's—"
"I'm sorry I have to do this." A dark, unfamiliar voice invaded her conscience as she struggled to open her eyes.
"Who are you?" She strained to speak, her voice echoing in the emptiness.
"My name doesn't matter. The Oracle has deemed it your time to die. I'll make this as painless as possible."
"Wait—I made a promise… I promised everyone I would find Sasayama's murderer. Please, just let me complete this case." She begged.
The figure that was once shadowed stepped forward, allowing her to see his face. The man had dark, messy hair and steel gray eyes. He looked almost apologetic, wings folded behind him.
"You are—"
"A god of death. I was told to collect your soul. However, this… arrangement doesn't break any set rules. I'll let you do this, Akane Tsunemori. But, I promise, once you find the murderer I will take your soul."
The honey-eyed woman groaned, clutching at her head. Bandages were wrapped around her forehead and an IV ran down the side of her arm. She bolted up in the bed, wincing at the bright fluorescent lights.
"Hey, looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally awake!" Kagari chuckled, moving from the comfy armchair to sit on the side of her bed.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. And, it's partly my fault you nearly died; I should have made sure you were out of the car—"
"It's fine, Kagari-kun. Really. I'm not mad at you." She gave him a small smile, feeling the spindles of sleep manifest behind her eyes.
"Ah, that's a relief! I hate to be in people's debt! Anyway, the team has been taking shifts to watch over you. Everyone else is already at the crime scene but it was Ginoza's turn to check on you next so he'll probably be around soon."
"Thank you, Kagari-kun. I'm still tired so do you mind if—"
"Of course not! I've been playing Harvest Moon while I was waiting for you to wake up. I'm sure waiting a few more hours with my game won't kill me!"
Soft snoring immediately followed his reply. He laughed, ruffling her hair. "Heh, Akane-chan's a cutie when she's asleep! So, I guess it could be worse. I'd rather be here than inspecting a dead body!"
Settling back into the green armchair, the profiler turned on his DS, smiling. "Now, which bachelorette should I marry?"
Ginoza dialed Kagari's cell phone number for the thirteenth time. As the twelve times before, it went straight to voice mail. "Yo, this is Shusei! Sorry I can't come to the phone right now but if you leave a message I'll—"
The raven-haired detective hit end call, stuffing his cellphone back into his pocket. "That damn idiot… he never turns on his phone."
"Is something wrong, Ginoza-san?" Choe questioned, typing away at his laptop.
"It's nothing. Have you gone through the victim's phone records?"
"Yes. There seems to be an unknown number that contacted him both the day before his death and a few minutes after."
"Sounds like someone trying to cover his tracks. Calling after the victim is dead is a good way to keep yourself from being suspected." Yayoi chimed in, flipping through the case files.
"Choe, do you think you could trace the number?"
The man paused from his typing to look over the computer screen. "I'll try. Whoever did this went through a lot of hassle to hide himself. He went through at least a hundred IP addresses. I can find the point of origin, but it may take some time."
The man sighed, flipping through the victim's file. "Alright. In the meantime, Kunizuka, what have you gathered from the way the victim was murdered?"
"The profile isn't complete since Kagari isn't here but, from what I could tell, the murderer is definitely male. The force needed to rip out someone's heart and the fact the body was moved from where the murder took place leads me to think that whoever did this is physically fit. He was also able to place the body in a well-known park during the day without anyone seeing him. And, because of this, I believe the perpetrator to be someone who can blend in. He probably seems very normal, perhaps even attractive since we know from the other murders, he was able to charm his way into the other victim's house seeing as there was no signs of forced entry or signs that the victims fought back."
"I'm no profiler, Yayoi-san, but couldn't it be that the murderer knows all the victims? It would explain how he got into the other victims' homes so easily. And why there were never any signs of a struggle."
"I thought that at too, Masaoka-san. But, if you lay out the seven cases," Yayoi brought out a large map, putting it on the metal table and grabbing a sharpie, "they are not confined to one district. And, if you connect the dots, they form a shape."
She traced the seven markers, allowing the rest of the team to see it.
"That looks like… a wing."
"Yes. Whoever is killing these people thinks he is some sort of vigilante, or worse. A god."
When Akane woke up the room was dark. The lights had been turned down and the long window showed a moonless sky.
"Kagari-kun? Ginoza?" She questioned, struggling to make out the figure in the corner.
"My name is Shinya Kougami. From now on I'll follow you. I can promise you won't die until you catch the murderer."
"…So, it wasn't a dream."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather… calm. Does none of this frighten you?"
She shook her head, laughing. "Kougami-san, I was exposed to some of the most graphic, terrifying cases in my studies to be a detective. You're probably the least scary thing I've had to deal with all week!"
"I see. Do you—"
The door to the hospital room opened up as the team filed in, a basket of fruit in Shion's arms.
"Akane-chan! I'm sorry I wasn't able to visit earlier but the whole team chipped in to get you a gift. I hope you like fruit." The blonde computer analyst placed the basket on the table, smiling.
"Thank you, everyone. Hopefully I'll be released soon so I can help you with the case." She glanced at the dark-haired man in the corner. No one noticed Kougami even when he walked right in front of the team and faded through the door.
"You don't need to push yourself, Akane-chan! Just make sure you're all better by the time you come back!"
"Don't worry, Kagari-kun. I'm not generally a reckless person. Although, I still can't believe it. My first day as a detective and I nearly died."
"Heh, missy, you should have seen my first day on the job! When I first started I was shot three times in the chest. We had surrounded a rumored drug dealer's home and he came out shooting. Trust me, if you survive the first day you'll be fine." Masaoka laughed, nudging Ginoza's arm.
"What? Oh, Tsunemori, just focus on getting well. You inhaled a lot of smoke and hit your head pretty hard. I don't need a liability on the team, understand?"
"Y-yes, Ginoza-san. I'll prove that I am ready to be a real detective!"
"Hey, Gino, she sounds just like you when you first started. So full of promise and spirit… what happened?" Masaoka teased, patting the man on the shoulder.
He swatted his hand away, frowning. "Whatever. It's time we get back to the crime scene. I expect to see you back on your feet and on the case soon, Tsunemori."
Kagari groaned at the prospect of work, but filed out of the room with everyone else. As he closed the door he looked back one last time. His eyes widened considerably.
"Hey, Gino, was there anyone besides us in the room?"
"What are you talking about?"
I-It's nothing, never mind. I just thought I saw someone in the corner. Guess I just need to get some sleep!" He laughed, brushing off the thought.
"Shinya Kougami, your fate has already been twisted beyond repair. I wonder what memories lay just beneath the surface? Will you too find out the horrible origin of our existence? If so, you may just replace me one day." Sibyl laughed loudly, a twisted dichotomy of voices that eventually faded into a whimper.
A/N: Yay for Brave New World quotes! Anyway, I hope it's obvious that this AU takes place in our present day. And I'm a huge fan of Harvest Moon so I couldn't help but add it :3 Kagari seems like the type to play videogames like that XD Ooh, and why did Kagari see Kougami? All the questions…
I'll see you guys in Chapter 3!
-Isis