Chapter 14 - Resolve

Okuda Manami let out a relieved sigh as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Her team had been getting closer and closer to a breakthrough, but their deadline was rapidly approaching, and progress wasn't being made fast enough. She had pulled 12 hour days for the past two weeks, and she was utterly exhausted. She hadn't had more than a few hours to herself in the past week.

She was incredibly happy with the work she was doing. She was creating the next generation of miracle drugs to help the world. She slaved from early morning to late at night, but she knew that her work would one day make a difference.

But she would be lying if she said didn't need a break.

The door slammed behind her, and Okuda set her shoes to the side. She smiled as a familiar fluffball greeted her. "Hi, Snowball, did you miss me?" The cat only purred louder, as if in response. "Let's get you some food." She allowed herself a small smile as the cat plodded loudly to the kitchen. Not even five minutes later, Snowball was happily munching on the cat food her owner had laid out. Less than ten minutes after that, Okuda was sitting at her dining room table munching on a TV dinner.

The peaceful quiet of the apartment was a welcome relief from the chaos of Baltimore traffic and her workplace. It allowed her some time to herself, a precious commodity. Maybe when this project is over, I can get started on a new book. I haven't had time to read in awhile. She smiled at the thought. That would be nice.

A soft buzz threw her out of her musing. She sighed, hoping that it wasn't her team leader asking her to come back in. Reluctantly, she pulled her phone out of her purse, reading the alert.

1 New E-Mail from Chiba Ryunosuke.

Her brow furrowed. From Chiba? She hadn't heard from him since his wedding. She felt the tendrils of nervousness grip at her stomach. Was this related to that conversation she had earlier?

"Hey Manami, some crazy shit is going down in your home country!" Rick exclaimed. Okuda raised an eyebrow at her co-worker.

"Huh?"

"Haven't you seen the news?!" Jonathan asked, "It's crazy!"

"I haven't really had the time," Okuda admitted, a little embarrassed. "Can you pass me the sample? So what's going on?"

"Like six members of the Japanese government have been assassinated," Rick explained, handing over the sample. "Not small members either, like the equivalent of cabinet members."

"Ministers?"

"Yeah! They caught the assassin in the act of killing one of them and arrested him and everything."

"But here's the crazy part," Jon jumped in, "So like a week later, ten people break him out of his high security holding cell, and now the whole country is on a manhunt for them!"

"They're saying that it's a secret assassination ring that's trying to take out the Japanese government," Rick finished. Okuda frowned, setting down the sample. Something sounded off, but she wasn't sure what.

"Have they been identified?" she asked, out of morbid curiosity.

"Yeah, they have names and everything. I can't remember them though. I'd bring up pics, but you know how shitty our service is down here. I'll show you at lunch."

They ended up working through lunch that day, so Okuda never had the chance to see the pictures.

She pulled open the e-mail.

Subject: Catching up

Hey Okuda!

I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know it must be incredible working in America, and we'd love to hear about it over coffee or something. Let us know when you have some free time.

From,

Chiba Ryunosuke and Rinka

P.S. Attached we have some pictures of our new place, the password is our middle school teacher's name. They're best viewed on a computer.

Coffee? But we're 14 hours apart… She frowned, the flickers of worry worming their way into her heart. She pulled out her laptop, waiting for it to warm up. Her cat emerged from the kitchen, licking its lips in satisfaction. It plopped itself down on her lap, curling up against her warmth. Okuda typed in her password, absentmindedly stroking her pet.

She pulled open the e-mail, clicking on attached file. She tilted her head. It wasn't just a zip file, it was encrypted. What was Chiba sending her that required serious encryption? She entered the password, and watched the files load.

"What the…" she muttered, her brows furrowing as she opened the first document.

Shiota Nagisa is innocent.

Okuda felt her throat go dry.

Her day had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"Hey, Kimura," a familiar voice called. The detective looked up from his goddamn insurmountable pile of paperwork to see a friendly face.

"Hey, Rinka! How's it going? It's not often I get to see you down here." She gave him a friendly smile, adjusting the briefcase around her shoulder.

"I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. You must be swamped." Swamped wasn't even the half of it. Ever since The Incident, Kimura had been under mountains of paperwork. If he wasn't stuck at his desk, then he was out on the field doing one investigation or another. It had been stressful to say the least and he told his old friend as much. The edges of her lips quirked up.

"I can't wait until this whole thing is over, to be honest," he said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Why don't you join Ryu-kun and I for lunch? We can get you out of the office for a bit." Kimura glanced at his stack of paperwork. He really should stay… Although he was going to be there until eight anyway….

"Why not? I have to be back by 2:30 for a meeting." Kimura stood up, locking his computer in the process. He missed Hayami's pleased expression. "Where were you thinking of going?"

"Have you been to The High Wire café around the corner?" she asked. Kimura's brows furrowed. He hadn't heard of that place before.

"No, is it new?" She nodded.

"Opened a few weeks ago," she confirmed, "Ryu-kun and I have been a few times. It's got typical café fare and a discount for cops." Kimura chuckled.

"Well I'm sold. I'm dying for a BLT." He threw on his jacket and grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys. "Let's go."

Hayami led the way, making idle chatter on the politics of the security bureau (apparently Suzume-san was trying to worm her way into the police chief's office, the bitch). Kimura told her how one low level employee tried to get the coffee machine removed from the office because it was "addictive" and an "environmental hazard". Kimura snorted at the memory. Removing the coffee machine, in a police department? It was a lost cause from the very start.

Hayami pushed open the doors to the café. The walls still smelled faintly of paint, and the shiny wooden floor had only a handful of scuff marks. When she had said this place was new, she had meant it. She led him around the corner, walking past the cashiers. She glanced backwards at his unspoken question. "This place has several rooms for private dining. I got Ryu-kun to reserve a room for us."

In the third room, Chiba gave him a warm smile and gestured for them to close the door. As soon as the door closed, the smile vanished and a shiver went up Kimura's spine.

"Is the room secure?" Hayami asked.

"I checked, there are no surveillance cameras or recording devices. I also disabled wifi in the room as a precaution." Kimura's eyes darted between the couple. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm sorry to trick you like this," Hayami said, "But what we're about to tell you is top secret and of the utmost importance." Kimura felt trapped under their gazes and his stomach churned. Oh no, he realized, They're involved with this whole thing too. He wished Hayami wasn't blocking the door or he'd bolt.

"Calm down, Kimura," Chiba said, seeing the panic on his face, "I know what you're thinking, and it's only half correct."

"Shiota Nagisa is innocent," Hayami said seriously.

"What?! Are you insane?! He was caught with a literal smoking gun!" Kimura exclaimed, "I saw the documents myself! He had plans to kill everyone! Even Karasuma!"

"We saw him," Chiba said levelly, "We know this is a lot to take in, but you need to trust us, Masayoshi. What we're telling you is the truth."

"You saw him?" Kimura asked, "You know where he is?!" He frantically glanced at the door, wondering if he could run now. They didn't have weapons. If he really wanted to, he could probably escape. Kimura clenched his fist. "You know where they all are, don't you?!"

"Yes," Hayami said softly.

"Why haven't you spoken up?! We could have them caught and this whole thing over with!"

"Do you really believe that?" Chiba asked.

"Believe what?!"

"That our old classmates, our old friends, would do something like this?" Hayami said. Kimura faltered, feelings of guilt eating at his heart. He wasn't foolish enough to discount the possibility that it was real, that his friends had decided to form a terrorist assassination ring. Years of experience in the force had taught him to expect the unexpected. But despite everything, there was a little voice in the back of his head (that sounded suspiciously like their middle-school teacher) that made him doubt everything.

After all, their teacher had taught them better than that.

But these thoughts were meaningless. He was helping investigate into the case. He had to put his personal feeling aside.

"Rinka, Ryu, you know I can't say anything regarding the case," he said, "Especially regarding my personal feelings." Chiba pulled a manila folder out of his briefcase. The sound of it sliding across the slick table echoed through the room. Without even realizing it, Kimura was reaching out to it, his fingers dusting over the papers. Despite his resolve, he found himself asking, "What's in this?"

"The truth, Masayoshi."

Kimura had a sinking feeling he wouldn't be getting his sandwich anytime soon.

"Sugino!" Head coach Matsura Sen bellowed. His deep voice cut through the field, reaching the dark-haired pitcher. He pulled off his glove, giving his substitute a pat on the back. He knew exactly what this was about. "You let them get two homeruns! What the hell is going on out there?!"

"I'm sorry, Coach, I don't know why I'm feeling off," the player lied, wiping the sweat off of his brow.

"Well, you better figure it the hell out! You're benched for the rest of the game!" He pointed towards the dugout, his tone giving no room for disagreement. Sugino curtly nodded, pulling his hat off. He stumbled walking into the dugout, feeling a bit of relief as he sat down next his teammates.

"Yo! Tomo! What happened out there?" His teammate, Shinozuka, asked, slapping him on the back. "You're never this bad."

"Just an off day," he said with a shrug. He was lucky this was only a practice match. If he had done that in a real game, he wouldn't be able to face the crowd. He leaned back, letting the cool wind brush his hair off of his sweaty forehead. Sugino let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't like he could let his teammates know the real reason for his poor performance. That one of his best friends from middle school was arrested and accused of high treason. That his childhood group of friends broke him out of the Ministry of Defense and were now on the run.

That they were apparently some sort of terrorist assassination group?

He had known that Nagisa had left to become an assassin, everyone had said as much, but the others had come as a shock. The pitcher hadn't expected to turn on the television after a game and see the faces of some of the people he trusted the most fleeing from police. What on earth had happened? Why were they driven to this kind of life? Was it some sort of ridiculous spur of the moment decision? He wasn't sure he would ever get those kind of answers.

It killed him a little to know that.

But there wasn't anything he could do about it now. His friends had committed heinous crimes; it was just something he was going to have to live with. He cheered as his replacement struck out the batter, but his heart wasn't in it. It hurt to think about, but he would have to move on.

He pushed these thoughts aside, focusing instead on the game. He cheered and high-fived as their team successfully took the lead, and kept it through the seven remaining innings. Despite his resolve, these distracting thoughts bothered him at the worst times. It wasn't his worst game, but it was nowhere near his best.

Sugino returned to his apartment that evening, feeling the disappointment seeping into his limbs. He took a deep breath and turned on the television.

"…no word on the whereabouts of Shiota Nagisa."

There it was again.

The constant reminder that his friends had strayed on their paths. That they were Japan's most wanted. He opened his laptop, hoping to drown out the sound of the news with music. He blinked when he saw a notification on the side of the screen.

1 New Message from Kanzaki Yukiko

"Kanzaki?" he asked aloud, even though no one would hear him, "We haven't talked in years." He clicked on the e-mail, more than a little curious about it. He had a sinking feeling he knew what it would be about. He briefly wondered if she knew about their former classmates' activities.

SUBJECT: Catching up!

Hey Sugino,

It's been years since we talked. I'm so sorry for not keeping in touch, between medical school and volunteering, I just sort of lost track of time and everything. I know this is kind of sudden, but I'd love to catch up and get coffee or something! I hope you don't mind, but I already invited a couple of our old friends! We'd be meeting up at the Chiba place (address attached). If you want to invite anyone else, please do! The more the merrier!

Hope everything is going well for you!

Kanzaki Yukiko

P.S. You should check out these incredible photos Okuda sent me! The password is our middle school teacher's name!

His heart was in his throat as he read the last line over again. Their middle school teacher's name? But why…?

He typed in the letters slowly, unsure even now. The folder unlocked, revealing a number of documents. He clicked on the first one, his heart filling with an emotion he couldn't identify.

Shiota Nagisa is innocent.

We need your help.

He sat back in a daze, simultaneously relieved and worried.

What was he going to do now?

Kurahashi Hinano had no doubt she was going to help.

The second she had received the e-mail from Fuwa, she knew there was no way she could turn away. A few days ago when Isogai had called her to help Nagisa, she had regretfully had to decline. She had been pulling overtime to help out with a birth at the zoo.

"I believe you, Isogai-kun," Kurahashi said, "But I can't, I have to be at the zoo every day for the next two weeks to make sure the giraffes make it alright. I wish I could, but right now I can't help."

"That's alright, Hinano-san, I'm sure we'll be fine without you. Good luck!"

Kurahashi didn't know what had gone so wrong, why their names were plastered all over the news. Even knowing that she would be in the same position if she had helped: she still felt guilty. And relieved. And guilty for feeling relieved.

This time, Kurahashi knew that she would help out her friends with every fiber of her being. Even her roommate had pulled together her scattered resolve and vowed to help.

"I always knew those idiots would get in over their head one day," she had said.

Hazama Kirara certainly had a way with words.

Kurahashi, standing strong, reached out to the Yoshida family, Yada (although she said that Kimura had already contacted her), and Koutarou. At her prodding, Hazama had even contacted Muramatsu.

"C'mon, Kira! I want to call Muramatsu, but I didn't know him that well! You do it!" Kurahashi held out her bright pink cell phone, a giraffe charm bouncing against it with a clack. Hazama gave the phone a momentary look of disgust (as she always did, but Kurahashi knew she secretly liked it).

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Kira?" she intoned, the barest hint of fondness in her voice.

"I'll stop when you stop calling me Sunshine."

"I only call it like I see it," Hazama drawled. Her fingers touched what she had dubbed the "pink monstrosity." She frowned. "Do I really have to call him? He's probably already been contacted by someone else."

"But we won't know that for sure. From the e-mail Fuwa sent, we're gonna need all hands on deck. I don't want to leave anyone behind." Hazama's eyes bore through her. It was a look Kurahashi was very familiar with; she saw it whenever her roommate was contemplating something serious. With a loud sigh, Hazama held out her hand. Kurahashi grinned, her excitement barely held back. Hazama took the phone and hit call. Kurahashi could hear the faint ringing and the sound of someone answering.

"Hello, Muramatsu speaking," the voice said, cracking under the bad signal.

"Oi, Takuya. Nagisa's innocent. If you want to get off your ass and do something, show up at the Chibas' place on Saturday at seven." Hazama hung up the phone before Muramatsu could respond. She glanced at Kurahashi, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "I think that went well."

She talked a big game, but, as she stood in her kitchen, waiting for her dinner to cook, she never felt smaller.

While they never got a real response from Takuya, in her conversations with the Yoshida family and Yada, one point was made very clear.

What the hell are we supposed to do?

Kurahashi didn't have an answer for them. Yada could be useful, since her work as a sales representative meant she was very good at schmoozing people. But she didn't know how much danger she wanted to put herself into. Yoshida Taisei could use his years running an auto repair shop somehow, but his wife, Hara Sumire was pregnant and already had one kid to look over. Neither were quite sure they wanted put their family at risk like that.

"Besides, do you even know how expensive babysitters are nowadays?!"

What could she even do for them? Her friends were strong, clever, and confident. Kurahashi was a zookeeper. She was good at what she did, but what use could cleaning up dung and corralling hungry birds be?

Kurahashi let out a soft sigh. Hazama looked up from her book.

"You're worried," she said. It wasn't a question, just a simple statement of fact. Kurahashi looked at her, startled. Hazama always had a funny way of knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Yes," she admitted after a beat, "I mean, I want to help. But…I don't know what I can do." Hazama closed her book with a snap.

"There's plenty you can do, Sunshine," she said, her voice cool and matter-of-fact, "We've all lost some of our skills, and you know that we'll never reach the same level as we were in junior high, especially on such short notice. But you don't need to climb buildings or have killer aim to help, Sunshine. You'll just need to do what you do best, shine."

"I'm not sure I understand," Kurahashi admitted. She frowned. Shine? What did Hazama mean by that? Hazama let out another sigh.

"You don't need to be physically strong to help, Sunshine. Your ability to reach people is your greatest skill." Kurahashi widened her eyes and her heart swelled.

Hazama always had a way with words.

"Maybe you're right," she said, more to herself than anyone. Even if she couldn't scale buildings, build weapons, or even fire a gun, she could still help. She could still be there as moral support. She could corral everyone together, help them shake off their doubt and worry. She could help them become a team again, years after Class E had separated.

She let out a shaky breath. She knew what she had to do.

Okuda Manami couldn't believe she was doing this.

She had hastily let her boss know that she had an emergency to take care of back home. Before she knew it, she was on a flight to Japan, standing in front of an apartment door, too nervous to actually knock.

Why on earth was she here? She and Nagisa weren't particularly close and she hadn't really made the effort to stay in contact with any of her former classmates either.

But our classroom bond runs deeper than just friendship, Okuda reminded herself. No one had ever said it out loud, but it was true. Their bond had been forged through trials and tribulations. They had been comrades in arms, and they had succeeded in saving the world. Even if she hadn't spoken to her old friend in a while, that was not a bond easily forgotten.

She knocked on the door twice, holding her breath. She hoped this was the right address…

Seconds ticked by, and Okuda found herself getting a little nervous. What if she had gone to the wrong address? What if she had gotten the e-mail by mistake? What if they really didn't want her here? What if…

The door opened, throwing Okuda out of her train of thought. Hayami Rinka stood at the door, a friendly smile on her face.

"Manami! You made it!"

"I flew out yesterday," she said, stepping through the doorway.

"I hope your flight was alright. I know it's a long one." Okuda nodded. Long was an understatement. The flight from Baltimore to Tokyo was about twenty hours long. She was more than just a little jetlagged. It was a miracle she had found the energy to come here today.

"It was alright, the meals were decent," Okuda said. She took her shoes off, walking further into the apartment. It was nice. The décor was modern, the room spacious, and the kitchen beautiful. "Your place is lovely." It was incredible compared to her dingy apartment back in America.

"Thank you, Manami," Hayami said gracefully.

"Is anyone else here yet?"

"Just a few," she said, "Sugino is here already, as is the Yoshida family, and Sugaya. Kurahashi texted me a while ago to let me know that she and Hazama were on their way." Okuda nodded. "I think a few more people will show." Hayami took her arm and led her to their living room. "Come, we have a few snacks." Okuda nodded, nervousness bubbling itself deep in her stomach.

What am I doing here?

"Okuda!" Sugaya enthusiastically greeted, "It's been a while!" It had been, she had last seen him at Hayami and Chiba's wedding a few years back.

"It has," she said, taking a seat on an armchair. She twirled her hair between her fingers, her nervous habit getting the best of her. "How've you been? What're you doing nowadays?"

"I've been alright. I'm working at a nearby theater doing costume and make-up," he said, "I hear you've been in America?" She nodded, feeling herself relax bit-by-bit. It was amazing how easy it was to talk to everyone even after being separated for so long.

"I work at a university doing biomedical research."

"That's incredible, Okuda!" Hara exclaimed, "We always knew you'd end up doing something cool." Okuda flushed at the praise. "Taisei here is a mechanic." She put her hand on his knee.

"How's your daughter?" Hara smiled fondly.

"She's a handful. She loves to get into debates. I wouldn't be surprised if she became a politician one day." Yoshida nodded.

"I hope the next one is easier," he muttered under his breath. Hara gently slapped his arm.

"I'm sure you don't mean that," she said playfully, the hint of a threat under her pleasant tone. Okuda laughed, they hadn't changed at all. They fell into light chatter as the rest of their class began to arrive. First to arrive were Kurahashi and Hazama, with a bright smile and a small scowl on their respective faces. Next were Kimura and Muramatsu (who looked more than a little confused as to what was going on). Mimura and Takebayashi followed, each bringing in a few snacks of their own. Fuwa and Yada arrived last, both blaming their jobs for keeping them late.

Just as everyone finished getting settled and greeting the people they hadn't seen in many years, the Chibas took center stage of the room. Okuda could see that though they were surprised at the turnout, a serious gleam overpowered it.

"We'll get straight to the point," Chiba said, his voice cool and low, "We need your help."

"We know where our friends are and we've asked them if they'd like an out," Hayami continued, "They unanimously said no. Not until they've killed the perpetrator. We called you all together because we'd like your help in planning the assassination."

Okuda couldn't help but think that this was probably the oddest class reunion in the history of class reunions.

"Why us? How could we be of any help? We aren't exactly up to assassination shape anymore," Yoshida asked. Okuda had to agree with him. She couldn't exactly free-run anymore. She also found herself a lot more hesitant to make dangerous concoctions, especially now that she intimately understood the kind of effects those things had on the human body.

"Because we can move around freely," Hayami answered, "The group of them, they're trapped in their hiding spot. All they can do is theorize. But we can plan, we can do any sort of set-up. What we lack in physical strength or skill, we make up in our freedom."

"What makes you so sure of their innocence anyway?" Muramatsu asked, "How do you know they're not manipulating you?"

"Because I helped them," Sugaya said, standing up, "I helped Karma and them get into the Ministry. I wasn't there myself, but despite their plans to infiltrate the Ministry, they were expected. The man who framed Nagisa had it out for them too." For them too? What did he mean by that?

"What do you mean?" Yada asked, crossing her arms. "How could anyone know that they would try to break him out?"

"The man behind everything has an extensive network of criminals. We're not sure why he was after Nagisa, nor why he decided to frame everyone. He's been controlling everything, manipulating our friends like puppets," Hayami coolly explained.

"But they found evidence of money laundering at Isogai, Kayano, and Maehara's café! It was on the computers," Takebayashi protested, "They also found plans in the apartments of all of those involved."

"Do you really believe it more likely that our old friends formed an assassination ring?" Hazama asked. Any further protests died on Takebayashi's tongue. Okuda had to agree with Hazama's assessment. They all had assassination training, that much they had in common, but they also had their own dreams and desires to move onto after their junior high experience. She had become a chemist after all. Her experiences shaped her, but they didn't define her.

"Why frame them?" Fuwa asked, raising her hand, "I mean, what'd they do? Nagisa I kind of understand, since he's probably made a lot of enemies, but Kataoka is just a school teacher. Maehara, Isogai, and Kayano were just trying to run a business!" Okuda sat back, her mind running through the possibilities. Was it someone they had angered in their past? Back when they were together in Class E?

But how would this mastermind know that these specific people would be rescuing Nagisa? They hadn't been involved with Nagisa before…

"Perhaps we don't know everything about them," Yoshida muttered.

If this was in fact someone from their past, back when they were in Class E, then they would know everyone who was in that class. The evidence planted was specific to that person's life. To plant that evidence so quickly after exposure… Okuda felt a shiver go up her back.

Were they all being watched?

Were they really going to stop at those eleven?

She felt small and vulnerable, caught in the tides of whatever this all was. Just because they were safe for now, didn't mean they'd remain safe…

"Manami?" Kurahashi said, concern in her voice.

"We're all in danger," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The bickering in the background fell silent.

"What was that?"

"It's not just them," she said, her voice becoming more confident as she spoke, "It's not a coincidence that the evidence against our friends was in their homes, that they were framed. Someone planned that. Someone's been watching us." Her heart pounded against her chest and her hands shook. She looked up, facing her friends. "Who's to say that the mastermind will stop at Nagisa, Karma, and them? For all we know, we might be next."

The Chibas had grown pale at her words, and Okuda could see Hayami's eyes darting around, looking for evidence of cameras or microphones.

"It's not going to be hard for the police to begin to piece together that they were all in our middle school class," Kimura said, his own hands shaking at the realization, "They may already have." Okuda glanced at her friends. Takebayashi was silent, any protests had died on his lips. Kurahashi looked more than a little disturbed, and Mimura was frantically looking around the room for any evidence of surveillance.

"Who is it?" Sugino asked coldly, "Who is it we have to kill?"

Hayami's eyes settled on him. Her mouth became a thin line.

"Asano Gakushuu."

A/N: Ahh sorry about the delay in the chapter. Life's been crazy, but I'm in the process of planning out the nitty gritty details of the next few chapters, so those should be coming faster!

Also surprise lesbians! Definitely didn't intend for it to be that gay, but here we are.