The Letter

The opened blinds hurt Yako's eyes. She refused to get up from bed.

Recalling her conversation with Ishigaki, she groaned and reluctantly rose to a seated position. She wiped the sand from her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms to the ceiling.

Slipping her feet to the floor, she touched the cold hardwood and flinched. It was always difficult to leave the warmth of her bed for the cold days outside. Yako sighed and quickly ran around her room collecting the clothes she would wear for the day. Sprinting into her bathroom she turned on her shower, making the water scorching hot. Jumping into the shower, she let out a sigh of relief. Warmth.

After completing her morning ritual, Yako stepped into her room and decided it was time for her to clean. Making her bed, collecting the cloths scattered around her apartment, and vacuuming only took so much time in the small apartment. Debating on whether to eat now or later was the biggest internal problem Yako thought she would have today, not that she would ever refuse a meal any time of day.

Looking through her fridge took very little time and she scarfed down any food she found in sight. Thinking more time had passed than really had, she finally resolved to go down and pay a visit to her mailbox.

Walking down the stairs as slowly as possible, Yako hoped part of her conversation with Ishigaki didn't happen. If he really is stuck in some remote part of an island, then maybe I should take someone with me. Ishigaki sure won't be happy to see an extra person, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Now the only question was who should I ask?

Godai was a definite no, mostly because of his reaction to anything involving mysteries and the fact that Neuro was back at the office and that didn't help her case much. Her mother was off in some part of the amazon again and probably couldn't be reached. Then there was the option of asking Neuro, but he would most likely kill her after the way she treated him on the plane.

The only person left on the list who had any idea of what a mystery entitled was Higuchi and she had no way of contacting him. Guess this is harder than I thought.

By the time she had realized she had no one to bring with her, Yako had made it to her mailbox in the lobby. As she went to open it she heard the door behind her open.

"Hello Yako, how are you today? I haven't seen you around much these days. You must be so busy with that detective agency of yours."

"Hello Mrs. Nakamura, it's nice to see you again." The old woman has always been kind to Yako, so Yako found it hard to be rude to the old woman. Yako remembered how Mrs. Nakamura sat her down once and voluntarily explained her life story. That was the one day Yako would never forget, it was the day Neuro had left.

Mrs. Nakamura saw her come home weeping and called her into her apartment. She sat her down in the kitchen and made her a cup of tea. She had left the room for a moment and then returned with a box in hand. In the box were photographs of her and her husband when they were younger.

Yako still remembered what Mrs. Nakamura said that day.

You weep like you've lost a great love, one you may never find again. Love is difficult to find in the beginning and to lose your love so young is a shame. I remember when I was younger and my husband passed away. I wept not for his soul, but the love that both of us lost that day. I cannot tell you it will get better, but look to the future, child, and one day you may find a love to replace the one you lost.

What if I don't want to replace it? What do I do then?

Yako returned from her memories and sighed. She had forgotten why she had come down to the lobby until she saw the mailbox.

"Sorry Mrs. Nakamura, but I have some things to take care of. Is there something you needed help with?"

"Not me, but you look like you need help. Is everything alright with you?"

"Yes," a smile crossed her lips as she remembered the kindness Mrs. Nakamura always showed her. "I'm truly sorry for rushing you, but I have to go now." Yako opened her mailbox and grabbed everything inside, "see you soon Mrs. Nakamura." Yako, unable to let Mrs. Nakamura finish, sprinted out of the lobby and out the door.

"Goodbye Yako and good luck." A smirk adorned Mrs. Nakamura's face as she saw a little of herself in the girl.

By the time Yako had caught her breathe she reached the end of the block. Guess I can't go back now, might as well get some coffee.

Once at the café, she placed her order and chose a seat in the terrace. As she stared out into the distance she took the time to notice the weather. The trees were green, flowers were budding, and birds were flying around. Spring was turning into summer, but the wind still had some chill to it. Yako had always preferred spring to any other season because it reminded her of her childhood. She found comfort in the air that surrounded spring and often wanted to visit a region where it was spring all the time, not that it was realistic, but a girl could dream.

Looking down she went through her pile of mail and saw an envelope without a return address. Yako immediately recalled her conversation with Ishigaki. A nervous feeling passed through her and with all the courage she could muster, she opened the envelope. Inside she found three pieces of paper, two were first class plane tickets to Chichi-jima and the other was a hand written letter.

Dear Ms. Katsuragi,

I would like to hire you for a job. I know you've spoken to Jun Ishigaki and I would like nothing more than for you to accept my proposition. I know this is short notice, so to better accommodate you I have sent two plane tickets, one for yourself and the other for that interesting assistant of yours. The pair of you seem like the prefect pair to solve the mystery that is going on around my home. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the circumstances until you arrive, but if you choose to accept, I will be prepared to offer you double what I promised Jun Ishigaki. I know you won't be disappointed and so, I await your arrival with a childish enthusiasm.

Yours truly,

Jinsei Tanaka

A chill ran down Yako's back… her assistant? She hadn't had an assistant since Neuro. Could he be referring to Neuro? No way! That's impossible! 3 years have passed since then. The man couldn't have remembered Neuro. But if it wasn't Neuro, then who? Another sigh escaped Yako lips, she would have to speak to Neuro. And by speak, she meant beg. After finishing her coffee, Yako sulked the entire way to her/Neuro's office.

Yako stared up at the building and the life she voluntarily left behind. A feeling of dread passed over her as she thought of the reaction she would get from Neuro. With a deep breath and all the courage she could find within herself she opened the door and walked up the stairs. She turned the corner to the second floor and came face to face with Godai.

"Good to see you again Godai, how have you been?" A smile adorned her face as she looked at her old friend.

"Hey Yako, where have you been? Neuro murmured something about you being a coward. I told him he was wrong, but you haven't been at the office for a week. Is something wrong?"

"No. I guess I've come back to prove Neuro that he's wrong."

"Good, show that monster who's the boss."

With a nod Godai hurried down the stairs and out the building.

Great, he knows I'm going to get it and wants to be as far away as possible, some friend.

Turning to go down the hallway, the same feeling of nervousness passed through Yako. She could never understand what she was afraid of when it came to Neuro. No matter how much he tortured her, she was never really hurt. The only real pain Neuro had caused was inadvertent and couldn't really be considered his fault. Unless it's my brain and had a really bad day and then decided to blurt everything out without thinking. As Yako came face to face with the door that separated Neuro and her, all those feeling disappeared and she felt oddly calm. Her hand on the door knob and with a final mental push, she opened the door and looked straight into the eyes of the person she hoped would forgive her.