Gasp! I didn't know friendship was in the list of genres! It's the most important genre of them all! Drama and friendship, man. Drama and friendship. This version is already an improvement on the last one. Let's hope this is the last version of this story. xD

Pilot - Part One

The fierce storm that had pelted Tokyo with rain for the last hour was just beginning to move past the city, the relentless downpour now reduced to scattered showers. The dark clouds made their way north, passing in front of the full moon as strong gusts blew them to their next destination.

The streets began to fill with cars as the evening grew later, workers heading home for a nice warm meal. Those unfortunate enough to have to walk home shielded themselves from the blasting winds and cold showers, huddling deeper into their jackets as they hurried down the sidewalks.

"Move," a young man clad in dark clothes yelled as he began to shove his way through the pedestrians. "Get outta my way!"

The assaulted pedestrians stopped their trek home and glared at the man as he ran past them.

"Excuse me," a much older man in a dark suit and black trench coat said loudly, yet kindly, as he pushed his way through the crowds. "Pardon me," he said as he was soon out in the open, stopping and looking around for the young man he had been chasing the last four blocks.

"Damn it," the man muttered under his breath, which was gasping for air. He bent down, leaning his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"He ran down the alley," a young woman said as she pointed to her right, towards a small litter filled alley.

The man smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you, miss." He looked down and smiled at the small boy who hid behind the womans legs.

He inhaled deeply and looked up, the wind blowing the trench coat behind him, a firm grip now on his hat to keep it from blowing off his head.

The young man was probably long gone, but the older man was not one for giving up. And so with breath now stable, he pushed forward, aching legs taking him towards the alley.

He felt fortunate that the alley wasn't a through-way, unfortunate that all that separated himself from the next street was a rusty chain link fence.

The man walked to the fence and wrapped his fingers around the mesh, clutching it tightly. A loud sigh slipped through his lips as he stared up at the top, knowing there'd be no way he could make it over.

The man turned, resting his back against the rusted metal. With a hesitant hand he grasped at the radio from inside his coat. He slowly brought it up to his mouth, pausing as he stared off, his index finger pressing down the button on the top.

"This is Inspector Zenigata. I've lost sight of the suspect in an alley in block seven. I'll be going around the back into block eleven to see what I can find."

It wasn't the first time he had to report a lost suspect. Many in the station just wished the much older man would retire or that their captain would stick him behind a desk so he could no longer get in their way. Inspector Zenigata knew this, yet instead of giving in it only made him work harder.

Although working harder wasn't that easy to do when you had an old knee injury causing a permanent limp and depended on lungs that had to endure three packs of cigarettes a day for the last thirty years.

"Maybe they're right," he sighed as he stared up at the night sky peaking out from the clouds. "Maybe I should just hang it up..."

He pushed himself away from the fence and, with head hung low, shuffled off down the alley and towards the street.

Ten feet from the alleys entrance he stopped, looking up as footsteps caught his attention.

Walking towards him were four shadowy figures.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here?" one of the men asked, his body of average height but rounder than the others.

"Hey," another, a tall and thin boy, said as the group continued to approach the inspector. "Isn't that the cop that was chasing Kobey?"

"Yeah, I believe it is," the round boy said with a smirk.

Inspector Zenigata reached for his holster and grabbed his gun, a Colt Service revolver. He pulled it out, but before he could point it at the threatening individuals, the man he had been chasing fell from the fire escape above him.

The inspector grunted in pain as the young man slammed an elbow into his shoulder on his way down to the pavement, the move causing him to let loose his gun.

"Hey, Kobey, we were lookin' for you," the most average looking boy in the gang said to the young man with a laugh.

Kobey laughed as the inspector held his shoulder. "So, you want to quit?"

Inspector Zenigata looked up and glared at the young man.

"I heard you whining down here," Kobey laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't even see me. Not much of a cop, are you?"

Inspector Zenigata stepped forward, pulling a clinched fist back to take the cocky bastard out.

"Not tonight, gramps," Kobey said, avoiding the punch and reaching out to grab the extended arm.

The inspector groaned in pain as his arm was twisted back behind him, the young man holding it straight out as he wrenched it past it's extension point.

The youngest and shortest boy in the gang looked on, shocked by what he saw. "H-hey, Kobey, what are you doing? That's a cop!"

"Shut up, Izo," Kobey shouted as he continued pushing the inspectors arm back until he heard a small snap, the sound bringing an evil grin to his face.

Inspector Zenigata screamed in pain as tears filled his eyes. With a shove to the back he found himself laying on the ground.

Kobey walked over and picked up the inspectors gun, then pointed it at the mans body.

"Kobey, what are-," a panicked Izo yelled as the first shot was fired. He flinched as three more shots followed.

"Guess he won't be bothering you anymore, eh, Kobey?" the tallest boy in the gang said with a laugh.

Izo could only stare in shock at the now still body on the ground, the blood pooling up around it. Sickness came over him and he quickly leaned over and threw up, which caused the others to laugh.

"Come on," Kobey said as he shoved the barrel of the gun down the front of his pants and walked towards the others. "Let's get something to eat."

The others agreed and followed behind him, the average boy having to grab Izo and pull him with, the others having fun teasing him on seeing his first dead body.

...

In a house on the other side of the city a man wearing a white dress shirt, a black tie, and black slacks sat in his dining room. In front of him on the round wooden table was a bowl of rice, chopsticks held still in his right hand as his eyes stared intently at the police scanner on the table in front of him.

Various messages had come across that night and for the young cop it was as if he was still on duty, out on the streets and chasing down criminals.

Except that this cop did no such thing at that stage of his career, stuck behind a desk at a police kiosk to answer questions and fill out reports.

But still, the man dreamed of doing more.

"All units be advised," a mans voice said over the radio. "We have an officer down on block seven. Suspects are described as five young males. They are armed and extremely dangerous. If seen, please-"

The man reached forward and shut the radio off. Jumping to his feet, he rushed towards the front door, grabbing his jacket and keys on the way there.

It was just a feeling the man had, that he had to be at the scene. He didn't know if it was the cop in him or something else.

It was only when he arrived at the alley did he realize that it was both.

At the scene were three cop cars and an ambulance, the vehicles lights flashing. Four officers stood in front of the alley to keep the onlookers back while two inspectors looked over the crime scene.

The man watched in worry, stepping out of his car and walking with slow steps towards the officers.

The officers stared at him with a look of sadness, none of them saying a word as the scene became more uncomfortable.

One of the inspectors noticed the man there and walked over to him. "I see you've already been informed," he said with a serious expression.

"Informed?" the man questioned. "Informed of what? I just heard about this on the radio and..."

"Oh," the inspector said in discomfort. "I thought you were told that..."

The man paused and looked around, noticing the stares he was getting. "What's going on? What happened?" He noticed the paramedics begin to wheel a covered body towards the ambulance and his heart beat faster.

"I'm sorry, Heiji," the inspector said as he stared down. "Your father was shot several times. He didn't make it."

Heiji's expression turned to one of confusion and sorrow, slowly shaking his head as he stared at the man. "What are... No, this can't..."

The inspector glanced back as the paramedics reached him. He nodded to them and they stopped, one of the men pulling back the cloth covering the victims face.

"No..." Heiji glanced at his fathers face before turning away. He stepped back and shook his head as the tears began to run down his cheeks. "No! No!"

Weakened by everything that hit him, Heiji stumbled to a sit, holding his right hand to his face as he sobbed.

The inspector knelt down next to him, trying to comfort the man.

Heiji heard nothing of what the man said, the sounds around him fading as he continued to cry.

Eighteen years later...

Koichi Zenigata was eleven when his grandfather had died, the loss hitting him hard. He would never hear another story from the man; never hear the mans infectious laugh; never again see that smile that could brighten up any room.

His grandfather, who was the reason for him wanting to be a cop, was stolen from him by some filthy murderous criminal.

But worst of all, this criminals actions had slowly taken his father from him as well, the man who was once the strongest cop Zenigata had ever known deteriorating into a drunk shut-in who, long after he had been fired from the police force, spent every waking hour trying to solve his fathers murder.

Having stolen the files of the now cold case, his father had built his own investigation board in his study, doing all he could to solve the case.

Zenigata remembered watching as his father stood in front of that board, the boy unable to do anything as his father drank himself into a fatal heart attack over a case that he never could solve, even after seven years of staring at it.

And now it was Zenigata's turn to stand in the same spot his father had spent many hours of his life standing, staring at the same photos and files and timelines that his father had stared at.

"You coming to bed?"

"Yeah, sure," Zenigata said, his eyes not once looking at the woman in the doorway.

"Don't you think you've stared at that board enough for the day?" The woman was slightly chubby and stood barely over five feet tall. Her one noticeable feature was her beautiful face, which was framed out by her long black hair.

Zenigata continued to stare at the board, not hearing one word she had said.

"That board was the last thing your father saw, Koichi. Maybe you should step away from it for a few days before it kills you, too."

"There's something I'm missing," he muttered to himself. "I just can't see it."

She could only sigh in surrender and walk away, fully knowing that one day she would lose her husband the same way he lost his father.

It would be well after midnight when Zenigata crawled off to bed, his eyes staring intently at the ceiling as his mind went over the evidence that he had gone over thousands of times before.

Hours after that the alarm on the clock rang, his wife reaching over to the night stand and shutting it off.

Out of habit she stared at the clock to see what time it was, although every morning when she did this she always saw the same numbers, as she had for years set her alarm to go off at five-thirty.

And continuing with her usual routine, she sat up in bed and stretched, looking over to wake her husband. And just as was usual, he wasn't there.

She slid out of bed and put on her robe, tying the garments small cloth belt around her waist as she stepped into the kitchen.

Zenigata was there inhaling his breakfast and gulping down his tea as he stood at the counter and glanced at the paper.

His wife stood behind him unnoticed, staring at him in silence as her mind worked out what words to say to him.

"Koichi, I need to talk with you."

Zenigata glanced at his watch and set the tea cup down. "It'll have to wait until tonight," he said as he turned to her, his eyes never meeting hers as he walked quickly past her on his way to grab his jacket. "I'm gonna be late. And make some of those dumplings for dinner. Toshiko seems to really like those."

Only her head moved as she glanced at him, for the first time their eyes meeting as he was headed out the door.

"I love you," he said before he closed the door, the words spoken having lost their meaning long ago.

She wrapped her arms around her and stared at the floor. Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply, knowing she had to put on an appearance that everything was okay so that Toshiko, their seven year old daughter, could live her life in ignorance of her parents long going problems.

"Tonight, yeah," she muttered before walking off to wake her daughter.

...

Zenigata sat on a bench in the locker room at the Hino Police Station and put on his police uniform. Not stopping his almost daily routine he returned the greetings a few select officers gave him as they walked on by to their lockers.

The chatter in the locker room was always the same: talk about families, relaxing at home and the occasional mention of cases and criminals. Zenigata had long ago drowned it all out.

He stood and tucked his shirt into his pants, zipping and buttoning them up before moving on to his tie. Once that was done he slipped on his jacket, tugging and pulling on it until it was nice and straight. Looking presentable, he grabbed his hat from the upper shelf and put it on before slamming the locker door shut and leaving.

The station was large and housed several different divisions, from traffic cops to motorcycle cops to the detectives who worked more high profile cases. And even though they were all together, they may as well have had miles separating them, as none of the divisions seemed to integrate with each other.

Zenigata, always focused on the task put in front of him, didn't mind or even care about this, as other officers only seemed to prolong his work and complicate things.

He walked down the halls and made his way through a doorway and into a small room, chairs and tables set up to face the pedestal at the end of the rectangular space.

He sat down in his usual place towards the front, staring blankly at the wall behind the pedestal as the other officers in his division began to fill the room.

"Beat me again," a young man sighed as he plopped next to Zenigata.

Zenigata glanced momentarily at the man before returning his gaze into empty space.

The young man was Hotaka Narita, a five foot three inch twenty six year old who had joined the police force five years earlier. After a year long stint with his training officer he had been handed off to Zenigata, the two having remained partners ever since.

Zenigata and Hotaka had nothing in common other than their profession. Hotaka lived an exciting singles life while Zenigata felt too often that he was shackled down by his marriage. Hotaka was popular at the station and talked to whoever he could. Zenigata kept to himself, many of the other officers avoiding him. Zenigata was serious about his job and took every failure personally while his partner was more relaxed and could easily shrug things off.

Despite the differences, their partnership remained strong and the two worked well together.

Hotaka stretched his arms out, then covered his mouth as he yawned.

"Another sleepless night?" Zenigata asked, slightly jealous of the mans partying lifestyle.

Hotaka grinned and nodded. "I'll tell you all about it in the car."

Zenigata wasn't really interested in the details, but nodded anyway.

After a couple of minutes the room was full of officers, all of them quiet and looking ahead as their captain took his place behind the pedestal.

Captain Mamoru Oshiro was a man close to six feet tall with broad shoulders and an almost always dour expression. His short graying hair was slicked back on his head, giving his face a more pudgy appearance.

"Okay," Captain Oshiro said gruffly as he looked down at the papers in front of him. "Before we get to the briefing I want to congratulate one of our own on his big promotion tonight." The captain smiled and looked down at Zenigata. "Congratulations, Officer, soon to be Sergeant, Zenigata."

"Thank you, sir," Zenigata said.

The other officers said their congratulations as Zenigata nodded and thanked them.

Hotaka gave him a serious stare and a solute before grinning.

"I would also like to introduce a new member to the team. Please give a warm welcome to Officer Yasu Ozawa, who the traffic division was kind enough to let us have."

The young woman, approximately twenty six years of age, stood as she brushed the feathery bangs from her eyes. She was all of five foot two and around a hundred pounds, her face portraying a shy smile as she thanked the others for their warm welcome.

"Ozawa, you will be riding with Watanabe today. Any objections?" He glanced up at the two.

Sergeant Naomi Watanabe was a thirty three year old woman who stood at five foot six inches. She was someone very serious about her job and loved lifting weights with the guys, most of who weren't as muscular as she was. She glanced back at the young woman and smiled.

"Okay, great," Captain Oshiro said as he stared down at his notes. "First order of business, the Pachinko Nine. Seems they're at it again, so I want extra attention placed on pachinko halls. Routine stops and walkthroughs would be a plus to comfort the patrons that we are indeed acting on this. Second, the attacks are still continuing at the Fuchu Country Club."

Scoffs, laughs, and eye rolling came from the officers.

"I am aware this is not within our area and not a high priority to any of you, but the boys in Tama have asked for help from all surrounding stations. Remember that we're all on the same team."

"And when was the last time they helped any of us out?" one officer scoffed.

Captain Oshiro glared down at the officer. "They have helped us out plenty. Now, if you are finished..."

The officer stared down at the desk awkwardly as some of the others stared and chuckled at him for getting in trouble.

"Good. The last order for the day is that stolen car. Remember, it's a standard issue embassy four door sedan. If you find it, try and keep it quiet, okay? The guys at the embassy don't need anymore embarrassments this month."

Some of the officers laughed at this, having had enough of diplomatic issues hampering police investigations and unruly diplomats getting off with nothing more than a small slap to the hand. Even though it was a serious issue, a stolen car with embassy plates was the last thing on their minds when they hit the streets.

"That concludes this mornings meeting," Captain Oshiro said as he stared proudly at the officers before him. "As always, stay safe out there."

The officers stood and got together with their partners as they left the room, all heading down the hall to the front of the station, their patrol cars parked in the lot right outside the doors.

"Careful with that one, Yasu," Hotaka laughed, Officers Ozawa and Watanabe walking behind he and Zenigata. "She's a crazy one."

Ozawa looked at him and grinned. "Says the craziest guy I know."

Watanabe scoffed. "Yeah, the one who got thrown out of three clubs last night. How do you keep your job again?"

"I got my ways," he answered with a grin and a shrug. "Have fun out there, you two," he said as they all walked outside to their cars.

"Another one of your conquests?" Zenigata asked in a bored voice.

"Yasu? God no. Her boyfriend would kill me if I touched her. No, we went to school together. She's nice. Shy at first, but she opens up once she gets to know you."

"Hmm." Zenigata had no interest in getting to know her or anyone he worked with. Ignoring those around him had worked fine so far.

"So, you need something nice to entertain you after your big night?" Hotaka said with a grin and a nudge.

Zenigata gave his partner an annoyed look. "That isn't necessary. Besides, I'm not that kind of guy."

Hotaka laughed as he and Zenigata got to their car. "Every guy is that kind of guy." He stared at his partner over the vehicles roof. "So, you got better plans?"

Zenigata glanced at him before getting into the car. "I'm having dinner with my family."

Hotaka got into the car and buckled up before closing the door. "Oh." He stared off and shrugged. "I guess that's not too bad. So, things with your wife are going better?"

"Define better," Zenigata muttered.

Hotaka laughed. "And that's why I stay single."

"No, you stay single because you're afraid of a long term commitment."

"Ha ha. What would you call this job, then?"

"For you? A paycheck." Zenigata glanced over at him and gave a slight grin. He started the car and drove out of the lot.

"Oh, so hey, I checked into that garbage truck driver you told me about."

"And?" Zenigata wondered as he glanced over at Hotaka.

"Not your guy. Was having his appendix out when your grandfather was shot. Sorry, man."

Zenigata let out a long sigh. "I thought he was the one. Thanks, anyway."

"No problem. I can ask my cousin to see what he can find out. He knows people."

"No, I don't want him involved in this. Who knows what those kids are like now."

Hotaka nodded. "Probably right. You know, this whole thing would be a lot easier if you just got the captain involved. He knew your grandfather, right?"

"No, he knew my father. Besides, the case is cold. I don't think he's going to spare any of his men to go looking for something that isn't there."

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. So, it's all up to you, then, huh?"

"Pretty much," Zenigata said with a sigh. "Well, you've been a big help, as well."

"Hey, whatever you need just let me know. You can count on me to come through."

Zenigata nodded and smiled at Hotaka. "Yeah, I can. Thanks."

"Anytime, man. So, you got anything else lined up or was that it?"

"That was all I came up with. Since nobody got a good look at the shooter or his friends all that's known is that they were a group of kids. And my grandfathers gun hasn't been found, so that's a dead end."

"Yeah, it's probably in the ocean or river somewhere."

Zenigata nodded. "I'll figure it out. Eventually."

"You will, without a doubt. But, just take it easy, okay? You look like you haven't gotten any sleep for days."

"Because I haven't."

"Yeah, neither have I," Hotaka grinned. "Mentioning that, I was gonna tell you about last night."

Zenigata mentally groaned. He figured his partner had forgotten.

"So, I start out at this little jazz club by the river," Hotaka began excitedly. "It's a tiny hole in the wall with horrible cheap beer, but the women that go there are hot. So, I see this girl and walk up to her and-"

"All available units," the voice over the radio called out. "We have a shooting at Nakada Elementary. Possible casualties. No ID on the suspect or suspects at this time. Be advised that they are armed and on the run."

"Your story will have to wait," Zenigata said as he flipped on the lights and sirens and sped towards the school.

...

The scene at the school was chaotic, a mess of cop cars, unmarked cars, ambulances, sirens, and flashing lights. The entrance of the school was cordoned off with yellow police tape, several officers standing around the area to keep the growing crowd that was converging at bay.

Zenigata pulled up to where the other cars were and shut the engine off.

"Man, I used to go here as a kid," Hotaka said, disappointed at the state of the neighborhood. "Good thing there wasn't any school today, huh?"

Zenigata said nothing as he got out of the car.

He and Hotaka walked passed the onlookers, mostly small children and their mothers and grandmothers, and approached the officers standing around.

"Officers," one of them said. "Not sure we need anymore help here, but you can ask the inspectors in charge and find out."

Zenigata nodded and walked towards the crime scene.

At the scene were Watanabe, Ozawa, and two other cops from their division, an Officer Yori Goto and his partner Nobuo Higa.

"What happened?" Zenigata asked as he approached them.

Goto, a short muscular thirty eight year old, turned to Zenigata and Hotaka. "Drug bust gone bad."

"And they chose Nakada to do this in?" Hotaka said in annoyance. "Me and my cousins went to school here."

Higa, twenty seven years old and of average height and thin stature, nodded his head. "Same. Used to walk my sister here after I started going to Hinodaiichi."

"You go to school here?" Hotaka asked Zenigata.

Zenigata shook his head. "Daigo."

"Daigo, huh?" Goto said. "Where'd you graduate from?"

"Kitatama," he answered, not at all interested in the current conversation. "Who were the officers?"

"Detectives in narco," Watanabe said. "Hitoshi Suzuki and Teruo Ono. Both shot twice in the chest."

Hotaka glanced over at Ozawa as she stared down at the covered bodies, her face showing the sickness that was coming over her. He grinned and nudged her arm with his elbow. "Never seen a dead body before, huh?"

She tore her eyes away from the bodies and looked at him. "No," she said, irritated at how he was taking all of this. "Nobody should ever see dead bodies. Not like this."

Hotaka smiled and rolled his eyes. "Doctors see them all the time. They don't seem bothered by it."

"Those are doctors. They're expected to see dead bodies."

"Oh, so now somebody should see them?"

"No, I just..." She looked at him and glared as he grinned. "Ugh, you're such an idiot."

"Just trying to lighten the mood," he shrugged. "And see? They wheeled the bodies right by you and you didn't even notice."

Ozawa looked shocked by this, glancing to where the bodies had been and turning around to see them being loaded into ambulances. "Oh."

Hotaka laughed.

"Something funny, officer?" a voice behind him asked in an angry tone.

Hotaka turned to see Inspector Kuya Hidaka, a forty three year old pudgy average looking man with messy hair and a thin mustache. Behind him was his partner, Inspector Shigeru Kinjo, a tall and thin thirty two year old with glasses.

"Um, no. Nothing is funny, sir," Hotaka said nervously.

Hidaka glared at the officer before looking over at Zenigata. "The situation in being handled," he said, giving a glare to Zenigata and then glaring at Hotaka.

"If you have anything we could help with, sir," Watanabe said.

Hidaka paused a second before nodding. "There is something, actually." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a photo of a young man, his head shaved and multiple piercings in his face. "He goes by Takao," Hidaka said as he showed the photo to the six officers. "Our two victims were working with the Skulls to put the Diablos out of business. Takao is third in charge of the Skulls and could be very helpful to us."

The officers nodded, knowing the names of the two gangs well.

The Skulls was once the largest street gang in the area, notorious for their thievery and in later years smuggling weapons in from other countries. The Diablos mainly dealt in drugs and consisted of people who broke from the Skulls, making them the Skulls number one enemy.

Hidaka put the picture away. "If you see him, contact us immediately. If he spots you and runs, let him go. We don't need him doing something dumb and getting himself hurt or killed. We need to bring him in alive. Got it?"

The officers nodded.

"Good. You can all go, then." Hidaka watched the officers as they left.

"Nice of you to make them feel useful," Inspector Kinjo said, no expression on his face.

The two men turned and started walking back to the crime scene. Hidaka scoffed. "Like patrol cops have ever been useful."

Kinjo grinned. "Not in a long time. One reason I couldn't wait to get into Homicide."

"Where the real officers are, right?" Hidaka laughed.

Kinjo nodded, the two getting to the scene and going over what was known with the officers who interviewed the onlookers.

...

"So, you think Hidaka and Watanabe have something going on?" Hotaka wondered as he sat back in the passenger seat as Zenigata drove around the neighborhood.

"What makes you think that?"

"Hidaka was about to go full dick on us when she spoke up. After that he seemed tolerable."

"Because she's a woman," Zenigata answered. "One he is not involved with romantically."

"And you're sure of this?"

"I'm sure," Zenigata sighed. "Hidaka was my training officer when I first got to Hino. He invited me to a couple of parties after work and while the other officers were drunk and making out with whatever women were paid to be there, Hidaka was sitting alone with a beer and a cigarette."

"You were partnered with him? Wow. How was it?"

"Not fun."

"Any details?"

"Let's just say that most days he treated me like an idiot who shouldn't be there," Zenigata said.

"Oh." Hotaka stared off. "Wait a second, you used to get drunk and make out with other women?"

"What?" Zenigata gave his partner an odd look.

"You said other people at the party got drunk and made out with women while Hidaka sat alone."

"I never said that I was doing it. I mean, my daughter was just born when I got transferred. I was lucky if I stayed awake after nine."

"What'd you do then? No offense, but you don't strike me as the partying type."

"I'm not. I stayed inside with the other officers who were dragged along by their partners and we all watched whatever was on TV."

Hotaka laughed. "That's great."

Zenigata shot him an annoyed look. "Nice of you to think so."

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that- Holy shit!" Hotaka braced himself as Zenigata slammed on the brakes, a car speeding across the intersection in front of them. "What's up with that asshole?"

Zenigata said nothing, turning on the lights and sirens and speeding off after him.

The car sped through intersections and stop signs, narrowly missing several vehicles and pedestrians.

Zenigata knew the chase had to end before someone was killed. He took a sharp turn down a narrow road, people jumping out of the way of the police car.

"Where are we going?" Hotaka wondered.

"Shortcut," Zenigata said, tires skidding on the road as he made a sharp left turn, straightening the car before making

a sharp right down another narrow road.

Hotaka flinched as empty boxes and trash cans were hit, the items flung into the air and slamming into the windshield.

Zenigata made another sharp left, driving straight into the cross street in front of them and slamming on the brakes, the cop car sitting perpendicular to the lanes of traffic.

He and Hotaka jumped from the car and stood behind it, guns drawn and pointed as the speeding car came towards them.

"And if he runs into our car?" Hotaka wondered.

"He won't," Zenigata assured him.

"He's not stopping."

"He'll stop."

The two stood as the car got closer, Zenigata calm during the situation while Hotaka got more nervous, ready to run out of the way.

Twenty yards from where the officers stood the speeding car hit the brakes and turned to the left, avoiding hitting the patrol car. Going too fast to stop in time, the car slammed into the guard rails, crashing through them and down a short embankment into the river below.

"You lied," Hotaka, now able to breathe, said as he and Zenigata walked towards the spot the railing used to be.

"How's that?"

"He didn't stop."

The two officers stood looking down at the car in the river, the driver having emerged from it and swimming towards shore.

"What'd you call that, then?" Zenigata wondered, thumbing to the submersed car.

Hotaka let out a snort and shook his head. He walked down the embankment and towards the driver, grabbing the cuffs from his belt as he approached the man.