Inspector Akane Tsunemori walked into her apartment, locked the door then walked into the living area. With a sigh she turned on the lamp next to her bed and was confused when her hologram A.I didn't appear like it usually did. She frowned and looked towards her desk, the window behind it was opened and the curtain fluttered soundlessly as the wind blew through. Akane suddenly felt some one standing behind her causing her breath to get caught in her throat.

"Shinya...?" She asked as she drew in the scent of cigarettes and his musky colongue. "Is that you?"

"Akane." His voice was soft but firm and she held in a shutter as his breath danced across the back of her neck. Without hesitation he spun around and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her with a chuckle. "Good to see you again, Inspector."

When they separated the Inspector slapped Kogami in the chest. "Where have you been?! You've been gone three years! Three! You didn't call or email or even sent an old fashioned letter!"

"I was in America. The SYBIL system doesn't exist there." He answered her then looked at her for a second before saying, "But that's not what's wrong is it?"

"What do you mean?" Akane asked looking away. She walked away and towards her desk where a pack of cigarettes hid. She pulled one out of the pack, stuck it in her mouth then lit it. Kogami watched as he leaned against the wall. He watched her as she sat in the desk chair. After a few moments of silence she looked up and the expecting, former enforcer gave the 24 year old the look he use to when she was hiding something. Though in the last three years she had learned a pretty good poker face. "What?"

"Did you at least read the note?" Kogami hoped to through her off by changing the topic a bit. He placed his hands in his pocket. The dim light from the lamp had cast shadows across the room. Ko had gotten real use to hiding in the shadows, they had become an ally of sorts. The shadows caused Tsunemori's cigarette cherry to glow brighter then it normally would.

"Oh yeah, I did." Akane answered finally, holding back the rest of the sentence. Akane remember when she would have a hard day at work and couldn't figure out what was next, she would pull out that letter and read it a couple times. Then she would try to think of what she should do after that. "Why couldn't you just tell me it face to face?"

Shinya had a look on his face that looked like he was looking through her and thought carefully, for only a second, before he answered her, "I had to finish what I started and I didn't want you getting hurt when I left."

"I get it, I do but you could have at lease said something to me before you vanished for three years." She pointed out as she finished her cigarettes and put in her ashtray.

"Yeah, I know. I am sorry Akane." Ko stated then look at her. "Now I know that you're mad about that but I know that's not the only thing that is bothering you. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's Ginoza," Tsunemori started.

Kogami scoffed, "What is that hard head still on you're case?"

"No..." Akane sighed. "After the last case we all did together, Ginoza's Crime Coefficient rose and made him a latent criminal. He actually took his father's place on our team. You would have liked him. After becoming a latent criminal he seemed so much more carefree and honestly he seemed like a whole new person."

Akane's voice quivered a bit. "On our last case he ended up finding out what the SYBIL system truly was and they wanted to use him, like they have been me. He said, 'No. I may be nothing but a hound but I am not going to be used like a weapon.' Two days ago we were investigating a warehouse when he was attacked by a man named Haku Akira, In the end Ginoza was fatal wounded and before I could get there to help him Haku had vanished and Ginoza was bleeding out. I tried to stop the bleeding."

Tears started streaming down Akane's face. "I tried but he was wounded so badly and there was so much blood. He said right before he died, 'Don't let me darken you're hue.' I told him, 'Don't be such an idiot.' Then he smiled before he took his last breath."

Kogami walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest as she broke down. Ko held her in his arms, rubbing circles gently on her back until he felt her breath become shallow as she passed out in his arms. It was only the second time since she became an inspector, Ko saw her crying and fragile. It as also the first time since before she became an inspector that Akane felt safe.

Shinya picked up the sleeping inspector and carried her over to her bed. He placed the covers over her and looked down at her for a moment. He moved a bang out of her face and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning around. He was heading out to write her a letter telling her why he was leaving again before he planned on leaving again. As soon as he took a step away from Akane, a hand reached out and grabbed onto his forearm. "Stay please. Only if it's just for one night."

He smiled and pulled off his coat and tossed it onto a near by chair before crawling in next to her. He wrapped his arm around her bringing her close. "You always see right through me Mr. Kogami."

Her sleep filled voice amused Ko as she continued. "Thank you."

He smiled placing a kiss to the top of her head. "Always. Good Night Inspector."