The Fight

A week. That's the amount of time that passed since Yako had seen Neuro. Yako couldn't say she was one of those girls that got depressed quickly after arguing with her boyfriend, not that she considered Neuro her boyfriend, but she did feel quite sad. No, she couldn't imagine Neuro being kind and intimate with anyone, let alone her. That week was the longest week of Yako's life, and it was spent contemplating her relationship with Neuro.

I wonder if he'll let me work for The Office if I apologize.

Why should it matter? You left it where it is.

Yes, but if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been a part of it to begin with.

There I go again talking to myself. Yako brought her hands to her head and scratched her scalp vigorously. A cell phone ring called her back to reality, "Hello?"

"Yako, its Ishigaki I tried calling this past week, but no one answered. Is something wrong?"

Ishigaki hadn't spoken to Yako since Neuro left-hence, the call was a surprise. Yako vaguely recalled their last exchange and the only thing she could remember was the malice he showed her. His countenance was burned into Yako's memory.

"Ishigaki, it's so nice to hear from you. How have you been?" A fake tone resonated in her voice. She found it difficult to be real with him since their fight.

"No need to be like that Yako, I remember where we left off."

"Then I'm to assume this call is for business, not pleasure."

"Both actually. I know that we haven't talk in a while, but it has …"

"Been a while? 3 years seems like a while to you?" Yako was tired of people down playing the circumstances that made her lose control of her life. She was angry and tired of every single person who thought they could use her then throw her away. "I know it was difficult losing Sasazuka, but I lost him too. You made it seem like I was to blame for his death, because I brought him into all of this." By the time she had finished, she realized she had been yelling.

"I realized too late it wasn't your fault Yako. I was just angry that he let his emotions get the better of him. The guy was a statue most of time we worked together and the one time he allows himself to show his feelings, he gets killed! I was angry: first at you, then at him, and eventually at myself. It took me a long time to realize it was Sick's fault. I'm sorry I let myself blame everyone, but you can't possibly hold it against me for the rest of my life. I need your help now, Yako. I understand if you don't want to, but I really could use it." Ishigaki's sincerity cut Yako's resolve to bits. She felt his pain drip from his words.

A sigh escaped her lips, "I'm sorry too. If I had known what you went through, I would have tried to help more. In a way, I guess I blamed myself too. I understand where you're coming from. Do you think we can start over? Can we be friends again?"

"Yeah, I do," a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "I don't know what you've been up to, but I could use some help with a case I'm on."

"I'm not exactly working on cases anymore."

"Wait, you quit?"

"Not exactly, I'm not really sure myself. I don't know what I'd do with my life if I stopped solving mysteries."

"Yako, you can do anything you want. I know you're going to be great at anything you set your mind to. But, this case has me wrapped around its little finger, but if you don't want to help I won't force you. However, I know for a fact that it will intrigue you." Yako could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Well, you do make it sound extremely appealing. I don't have any other option, do I?"

"No, not really."

Both of them laughed at how well they knew each other. After three years, they still got along great. Yako thought of the memories they share and a small smile crossed her face. The time when she thought he liked her, the time when she actually liked him, even once when Akira thought she could try to get them together. God, I remember the fit Neuro threw that day, he looked like he wanted to kill Ishigaki. A thought passed through Yako's mind that made her uneasy and she quickly tried to change the conversation.

"Since I've already agreed to be part of this case, would you mind telling me what it's about?"

"Well if you can't wait any longer, I guess I'll have to spill the beans." A playful tone was quickly replaced by a serious pregnant silence. "The problem started in Tokyo. I was contacted by a man who offered to pay a plane ticket to get me on this island to solve a problem."

"And you just agreed, no questions asked? How much could he possibly have offered?"

"More than you can imagine, but that's not the strange part. The weird things started happening later, so let me finish my story. No more interruptions."

"Alright, go on."

"So, as I was staying. The guy offered and I accepted. So, the next day I found a first class ticket to Chichi-jima. Then, a big straight-faced man holding a sign saying my name says, 'The master is pleased you have decided to come.' At that point I thought that it was time to high tail it out of there, but then I reconsidered the money and thought what the heck. So I got driven to the bay and put on a boat. The ride wasn't so bad, only thirty minutes. The weird thing was, the island I was taken to, was Nakōdo-jima."

"Wait, the uninhabited Nakōdo-jima?"

"Yeah. So, the guy from the airport picks me up and takes me to this huge empty looking mansion. I swear it was out of those cliché mystery novels, the only difference was the fact that it wasn't raining when I got there. Anyway, I go inside and an old man is waiting at the stairs and he starts saying how nice it is to see me and how he has waited so long for my arrival."

"Sounds fishy," the story was starting to sound skeptically novel-esc for Yako's tastes.

"I know, but stop interrupting and I'll get to the interesting parts. The old man then tells me this unbelievable story about his family history and how he can't wait for me to get started on solving the mystery. He says he deposited the money then and the other half will be deposited once my job is done. So, I began as quickly as I could so I could leave just as fast. The strange things started happening then. I woke up one morning to find every piece of glass in my room broken, yet I didn't even hear anything the night before."

"Seems unlikely."

"I know, but it happened. The second night was even stranger. I woke up in the middle of the night to chanting in a language that didn't even sound Japanese. I get out of bed and try to follow the noise. It leads me through the forest and to a village. There, I see people dressed in ancient kimonos and it looks like they were performing some kind of a funeral ceremony."

"Maybe that's why they were chanting. Doesn't the priest usually chant a sutra or something?"

"Yeah, they do. But it seemed off for some reason. It didn't look like ones you see now, it looked like an ancient version of it. I've never seen something like that in my life."

"Alright, but what does this have to do with the old man's mystery?" A questioning Yako was becoming very alarmed by the almost hysteric tone Ishigaki was taking.

"This is the part you won't like. For me to tell you what the mystery is, you have to be hear in person to hear it."

"So, what you're saying is you can't tell me unless I go there first?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think I'll go? The story you just told me sounds so unimaginable, how do I know you didn't simply dream up the whole thing?"

"That's a risk you'll have to take."

Yako paused for a minute and thought of the Ishigaki she knew. She remembered how inclined to science and technology he was, she thought that this was a prank. Then she thought of his personality and decided he wasn't the kind of person to pull a prank in the first place. The only possible explanation that came to mind was that he truly believed everything he said which made her uneasy about his current state of mind.

Maybe it would be better if I go and bring him back. Who knows what kind of things he could have eaten on a supposedly uninhabited island.

"Alright, Ishigaki. I'll go."

"Really? You have no idea how much this means to me. I'll tell Jinsei you're coming." A relieved sigh escaped Ishigaki's lips, one that had Yako nervous about what she was to encounter on the island.

"Who's Jinsei?"

"Jinsei is the name of the old man who owns the mansion. He'll be happy to hear that you're coming."

"Ishigaki, when I get there I'll be expecting more answers. I still find these circumstances unsettling." A nervous feeling overcame Yako and she couldn't stop thinking of the foreseeable future. Of all the cases she had, she couldn't recall one that made her this anxious.

"Don't worry, Yako. I'm sure you're just overreacting. I presume you'll find a first class ticket to Chichi-jima in your mail tomorrow." A sure sounding voice echoed in the silence of doubt she felt. "Thank you Yako for everything. See you soon."

"See you Ishigaki." As Yako hung up the phone she couldn't shake the doubt she felt . If Ishigaki was correct and there was a ticket waiting for her tomorrow morning, she knew she would have some calls to make.