Chapter 9: Mosaic Memories

"Murder?" Kagami squeaked, squirming and holding down a wince at the pain shooting to his head.

Hanamiya raised an eyebrow. "You won't need that sword, Daiki-kun. I've got him."

Aomine only realised his hand was on his sword hilt when Hanamiya mentioned it, but he didn't remove it. "Get off him, Hanamiya."

Hanamiya shook his head. "You're the one you brought him to me, and now you want to let the criminal loose? We have to get him back to base."

"Brought me?" Kagami glared at Aomine, hurt and confused.

Aomine grit his teeth. "I didn't know the call was out for him! Fucking hell, Hanamiya, Kagami didn't kill anyone. The idiot runs away from goddamn puppies!"

"Oi!" Kagami grumbled but Aomine silenced him with a look.

"Aomine-kun is right," Riko walked up to them, and her eyes were cold. "Get your filthy hands off my pack member."

Hanamiya mock-frowned. "Sorry," he tapped his gun against Kagami's hair. "Orders, and I'll off anyone in the way of my arrest. Are you in my way? These bullets are silver coated, you know."

Kagami could feel the attention Hanamiya had on him had been slightly averted. Flashes of his combat lessons with the pack Beta flashed through his head.

Don't underestimate yourself, use whatever you have, Hyuuga had said after he had tripped Kagami with a swift sweep of his tail. Your most underutilised advantage is your tail. Might not be strong on its own, but it can do a damn lot.

Kagami grinned, and smacked his tail on Hanamiya's back as hard as he could. Hanamiya jerked, not injured but startled by the impact, and in that one second, Kagami twisted and bucked him off, landing a strong kick in the vampire's stomach and another to knock the weapon out of his hands.

"Kagami!" Riko grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Kagami's relief was short lived. Hanamiya recovered from the shock quickly, and his face changed from its sadistic smile to a scowl that made his dank eyes look greyer.

"You bitch," he snarled, and a silver knife flicked open in his hand. "Now I'm really killing you." He stiffened when he felt coldness against his neck. "That won't work on me, Daiki-kun."

Aomine grunted, keeping Mai-chan pressed against Hanamiya's skin. "Yeah, but it'll give you killer headache." Vampires could be beheaded, and the head re-joined and healed back in place. If the vampire didn't bleed to death first, of course. It was a terribly painful process.

"Siding with murderers?" Hanamiya sighed, pocketing his knife. "Your father would be disappointed."

"First I'm going to hear what my old man has to say about this," Aomine sheathed the blade. "And nobody is killing anyone."

"Party pooper," Hanamiya smiled at him dryly. "That werewolf's got to come though, he's the one your daddy wants."

Aomine looked over to where Riko was standing in front of Kagami. "It's okay, I'll take him. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"He isn't going anywhere," Riko growled but Aomine shook his head.

"You know we have the right to," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. What a right mess this is. "The least I can do is see to it myself."

"I'll be fine," Kagami patted Riko on the shoulder.

Riko's face scrunched up. "I'm grabbing Kuroko, and then I'm coming after you."

"Sure," Aomine smiled thinly. "I'll ask Mother to get some tea ready."

"As much as I like her, this is not funny-"

"I know it isn't," Aomine snapped, shooting Hanamiya a look as the man went to pick up his gun. "She's not in Tokyo anyway," he added in an offhand remark. "Look, it's the best I can do right now. You'll just have to trust me."

Kagami stepped away from her. "I trust him, and you trust me, right?"

Riko hesitated. "Fine, be careful. We'll be there soon."

Kagami nodded, walking over to Aomine. "Well, at least I get to see your house, right? Bet you're rich as hell."

Aomine snorted, placing his hand on Kagami's back to gently push him forwards. "Come on, let's just get this cleared up."

Hanamiya watched their interaction carefully, teeth flashing in a grin. Interesting.


Rich was an understatement. The house was more of an estate, larger than even the VLSA headquarters. Whereas VLSA HQ seemed to be inspired by Western architecture, this was a picture of traditional Japan tucked away into a corner of Tokyo's outskirts.

They walked through the gates, the only opening in the stone wall, and the area expanded into sprawling gardens and a scattering of small buildings, none taller than two storeys. Whitewashed walls and swooping rooves reminded Kagami of his Japanese history textbooks. He could very well imagine people practicing martial arts and archery in these gardens.

To be able to afford something like this in Tokyo, no matter how far from the metropolitan area, would mean the Aomines were swimming in money.

Kagami was assaulted with the smell of vampires, and as the sun set, the moving shadows soon started turning into figures walking and scrambling around the grounds. He felt eyes on them as Aomine came to a stop alongside him.

"Don't worry, Kagami, you're safe. Nobody will hurt you as long as you don't act violently." Aomine's voice wasn't as calming as it usually was, and Kagami felt his nerves on edge. A girl ran up to them, her strawberry hair familiar.

Hanamiya stepped up. "Momoi-san, I need to report to Hirohito-sama. We brought in the suspect."

Aomine scowled. "No, Satsuki, I need to have a few words with him first. This is ridiculous."

Momoi bit her lip, assessing Kagami who met her gaze equally. She noticed the obvious lack of any restraints, but also the lack of struggling. Sighing, she crossed her arms and opened her mouth when her eyes widened at something behind Aomine.

"The only one exchanging words will be Kagami Taiga and me."

Aomine stiffened at the voice and Kagami didn't feel exactly at ease hearing it either. They turned around to see a man walking towards them, around the same height as Kagami but seeming to tower above everyone else through pure aura. He was dressed in a traditional yukata, which would have looked out of place in any other setting but fit in perfectly with their surroundings.

He stopped about a foot away from Kagami. The light of the setting sun threw a golden light on his navy hair, highlighting the grey at his temples. His eyes were the same blue as Aomine's, but whereas Aomine had warmth and playfulness in them whenever he looked at Kagami, this man's were like cold and dark pits. He had only a few lines under his eyes and forehead to indicate any kind of ageing, but his sharp features and cheekbones were a reflection of Aomine's perfectly.

The one stark mark on his face was the horizontal scar under his right eye, about two inches across.

Hanamiya's mouth twitched. "Hirohito-sama, I wanted to drag him here in a bag, but your son wouldn't let me."

"Father, Kagami isn't a murderer!" Aomine stepped forward. "This is about Yukimura Ami's death, right?"

"Yes," his voice was low and controlled, devoid of any of the laziness in Aomine's drawl. Hirohito was still staring at Kagami, and something tickled at the back of Kagami's mind.

"Well, Kagami was with me that night," Aomine grinned. "So you can rule him out already."

"Really?" Hirohito hummed, his gaze unwavering. "What time did you meet him?"

"Uh…maybe two or three in the morning?"

Hirohito stepped aside, sweeping an arm in a gesture to tell Kagami to walk ahead of him. "Yes, well, Yukimura was murdered at midnight. So he does not have an alibi." He broke eye contact with Kagami to look at Aomine and Kagami felt like a weight was suddenly lifted off his chest, his breathing ragged. "You failed to mention that this werewolf was spying on the special meeting too. The meeting focused on the murder. You've started keeping things from me."

Aomine's face fell. "It's not like that…"

"First, let us talk," Hirohito started walking and Kagami followed behind silently. "Daiki, Hanamiya, go. I'll do this alone."

Aomine grit his teeth. First Akashi, and now his own father. And he'd even promised Riko he would see to this personally.

Hirohito did not miss his son's struggle, but walked away without another word.


"I didn't kill her."

Hirohito motioned to the mat on the floor as he sat down cross-legged near his low table. The room had paper walls and tatami mats, smelling faintly of incense. Intricate paintings of dragons and gardens decorated the fusuma walls surrounding them. "So you say. Don't worry, you are only a suspect, unconvicted. Hanamiya can get…excited at times."

Kagami frowned. "It's the truth. My flight-"

"Landed at ten at night a little over two weeks ago, yes I've heard it all," Hirohito resumed with the letter writing that had been interrupted by their arrival, his quill scratching the paper. "I've been working on this case personally. When one of our own is attacked, I do not rest."

Kagami felt that same feeling of unease as he had earlier. Like…he had heard that line somewhere before. "Have I…have I met you before?"

Hirohito looked up at him, staring at him for a few seconds before going back to his work. "No."

The curt answer just made Kagami more uncomfortable. "Look, I'm innocent, okay? I was sleeping on a bench in public that night…" Kagami grumbled. "In fact, I was even attacked by vampires! They stole my stuff and-"

"I know," Hirohito said. "They were the ones that first mentioned you when I sent a call to report anything strange to all vampires. They said it was weird to find a werewolf sleeping defencelessly in vampire territory," he put the quill down and blew on the paper. "So I decided to look into it. It took some time to find out your name and whereabouts. I expected cooperation from Akashi, but it seems as though he's been a little preoccupied as of late."

Kagami spluttered, moving to stand up but a look from the older vampire pinned him to the spot. "N-no! I didn't even know there were designated areas! This is…it's my first time here, and we don't have this kind of thing in LA!" He sighed. "Why would I kill a vampire in the first place? It was the first time I'd ever seen one."

"Is that so…" Hirohito assessed him quietly. "I'm honestly surprised you came here alone, or came to Japan at all."

Kagami's nose scrunched. "What's wrong with coming here alone?"

Hirohito's expression changed slightly. It was barely there, but something flickered in those eyes. "Oh…he doesn't know you're here, does he?" A sound suspiciously like a laugh escaped his lips. "That makes things a whole lot interesting."

Kagami squinted. "Who doesn't know?" he asked with some trepidation.

Hirohito smiled for the first time, but it was nothing like Aomine's smile. "You know who I'm talking about. He's going to find out soon, if he hasn't already. You don't hide things easily from Kagami Ryuuichirou." There was a clear scowl at the name, like it tasted bad on his tongue.

Kagami's mouth felt dry. "You know him?"

"Something like that," Hirohito folded the letter. "But I don't owe him anything. I'm not going to go out of my way to tell him. Don't thank me," he added before Kagami could say anything. "You aren't out of the fire just yet. Why are you here, in Tokyo?"

"The Blood Moon Festival," Kagami muttered, feeling that it was pointless to lie.

"That's just shy of six weeks from now. Why do you want to attend?"

"Yeah, I came early…" he looked away. "He said he wasn't going to come anyway, so I came instead. I wanted to see what it was all about, and he would've been suspicious if I went anywhere close to the date." I'm not exactly lying, Kagami thought to himself. It just wasn't the whole truth. How was he supposed to tell this man that he was looking for something he didn't know himself? That a sorceress told him some cryptic clues about a truth she couldn't tell him directly? It would just make him look more suspicious.

"Without telling him? Was that wise?"

"It'll be fine, he's in New York for a few more months, he won't notice my absence," Kagami shrugged. "Anyway, are you still keeping me here?"

Hirohito took out a candle. "Why did you spy on the meeting?"

"My Alpha asked me too, she doesn't trust vampires," Kagami said. "Akashi even told her that it was wrong of him to exclude her."

"That sounds like her. Aida Riko, yes? Akashi told me about that."

Kagami's hands scratched the mat under him. "Then why'd you bring me here? All this evidence is circumstantial. I'm innocent, and I feel like you know that. Maybe you should stop wasting time on me and look for the real killer."

"The second I found out that the werewolf they were speaking of was Kagami Taiga, I needed to see it for myself," Hirohito lit the candle with a match, dropping some wax on the letter. "See if Ryuuichirou's boy is like his father, while also crossing off suspects on my list."

"Am I like him?" Kagami didn't know what had happened between his father and this man, but from the way he was being treated, it probably wasn't any good.

"More or less," Hirohito pressed his seal against the wax, not elaborating. "Werewolves are not allowed to visit without an appointment, so all the screaming Aida is no doubt doing outside the gates will have to stay there. It's late, so why don't you join us for supper and spend the night here. Your dinner, our breakfast, of course."

It wasn't an invitation, it was an order.

He probably wants to monitor me, Kagami grumbled, but couldn't refuse. "Sure…"

"Also, Taiga," Hirohito reached for the bell near his hand and rang it. "It seems as though my son has taken a liking to you."

Shit. No, no way he would know…about the park…no way! Kagami had to sort his own thoughts on the matter first, but the head of the werewolf hunters finding out his son was getting it on with a werewolf? Kagami felt panic stir in his stomach. Shit.

"You should stay away from him," he stood up as the paper door slid open and a vampire in servants' attire bowed by the opening. "Nothing good will come out of it. Some things are better…left alone." A shadow of sadness passed over his face, and Kagami wasn't sure what to make of it.

Kagami made his way out of the room, turning around. "Do you still think I'm a murderer?"

"I see it as quite unlikely, and will continue to pursue other lines of investigation," Hirohito answered. "Perhaps it was a 'wrong place, wrong time' situation. But I'm glad we had this talk nonetheless."

That makes one of us, Kagami thought sardonically. "Then if you suspected me at all, how did you let me in here alone?"

Hirohito smiled again. "Taiga, I'm the leader of Japan's leading werewolf hunting family. It would take a lot more than you to put a scratch on me."

Aomine, your dad is scary, Kagami swallowed.

But it did leave him wondering who or what left that prominent scar on this powerful man's face.


Kagami tossed in his sleep, groaning.

When one of our own is attacked, I do not rest!

Kagami's eyebrow twitched, the images flashing in his mind. A garden, full of bodies. A silver sword dripping with blood, in the hands of a tall man. Another stood beside him, his deep crimson tail darkened with more proof of battle.

You think I want to let this go? But killing everyone you meet won't solve anything, Hirohito!

It was hard to breathe, his head hurt…

I want them to pay for what they did!

Akashi is dead, Hirohito! Dead! So no, we have to try and work together. I don't like this segregation, but it may be our only hope to reduce some strain. We are always at each other's throats, so maybe it's for the best.

"Stop…" Kagami moaned.

Ryuuichirou, if you come in my way, I will cut you down too!

No, Hirohito, you won't, not that easily. After this is sorted, I'm quitting, and I'm leaving. And I'm taking my son with me.

Kagami whined. "I…I don't want to leave…"

Let's run away, Taiga. If they want to pull us apart, we won't let them.

"Stop…!" he curled up on his side. "Stop…stop…!"

Screaming. So much screaming…so much…

His eyes snapped open, his hair and clothes soaked with sweat, the screams echoing in his head.

Except they weren't in his dream.

They were outside.