Chapter 08: "Cirque Pendant L'orage"
It was 1400 hours on a Wednesday, but it looked as if it was the dead of night.
As the forecast had predicted, a giant monsoon hit Japan, covering the heavens above Tokyo with a blanket of thick dark clouds that blocked out the sun. The pitch black sky was only occasionally broken by the errant bolt of lightning that streaked across, illuminating the ground briefly before being followed up by deafening thunder. And today of all days, was when the Chief had called us for an urgent mission.
Kids, being a defender of justice was tough work.
The information that Fujiwara Eiichiro had provided before he went into hiding was put to use the very next morning. Urgent word from the 3rd Regional Coast Guard from Yokohama, saying they had intercepted the ship described by Fujiwara before it had entered Tokyo Bay. The Chief came into our department office and told us to suit up with counter-terrorism equipment, considering the situation we were heading into.
Shiba and the Chief had tried to stop me from going, citing that I already worked way too many hours this week and I was basically dead on my feet. Of course, it was nothing that chugging three cans of MAX Coffee in quick succession couldn't fix. The Chief shook his head at my actions as he cleared us for Type II gear.
"Why didn't we get Type III armor?" Asked Shiba as he straps on his bulletproof vest.
"Brass probably doesn't think we'll get shot by rifles." I answered back carelessly. "That, and they can't afford the T3 for us lowly detectives."
"Oh." His face wasn't one of a man who wore apparel that could potentially save his life.
We were driven to the pier where we rendezvoused with the Coast Guard's elite: the Maritime Special Response Team. Japan found a need to develop specialized teams to better ensure the integrity of our waters with the alarming increase in activity from authorized sailors as well as less-than-savory actors. Chief said that the MSRT's Captain we were going to be working with was former Special Forces Group from the JSDF, so we were in good hands. We were loaded up into one of three RHIB's, and our trio of inflatable boats made their way onto the turbulent waters of Tokyo Bay.
I had one knee on the floor of the boat, while a hand supported my body by grabbing onto a strap. The boat bucked and crested over the waves that crashed over us. Occasionally the boat would skip across the surface, and my stomach would do a tiny flip whenever we were airborne, making me grip my strap even tighter. Ocean spray was all around, and I could taste the salt when the freezing mist hit my face. I was absolutely soaked.
"You seem pretty used to this!" Yelled out the MSRT Captain.
"Legacy of a misspent youth!" I shouted back over the sound of breaking waves and thunder.
We neared the cargo ship, and even from this distance, I was awed by its size. It absolutely dwarfed us, being hundreds of meters high and who knows how long. I could barely wrap my head around the scale. Two tugboats branded with the insignia of the 3rd Regional Coast Guard were at either end of this colossus. Despite their diminutive size they had enough horsepower to stop the much larger cargo ship from moving in any direction. I was informed that the crew of the captured vessel was told to gather in the bridge and prepare to be boarded.
As we climbed onto the deck of the boat, 14 beams of light erupted from our party; courtesy of the underslung flashlights on the MP5A5s of the MRST members in our midst. My lips twitched uncomfortably as I remembered an informant acquaintance of mine who managed to get one and tried selling it off to me.
Gazing up I saw giant cranes that were were hoisted high in the air. Their chains swayed in the storm and welcoming our sudden arrival with unsettling jingles. The rain poured down even harder this far out into sea, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. The surface of the ship was slick with water, and reflected the amber beams of the sodium flood lights hung around us. I could still see the rusted red steel of the deck below my feet through the glare.
Oxidation must be a huge issue on all ships, they're constantly in contact with water. I know I'm worried: when I got back home I was going to have to strip my pistol down in order to wipe it clean and regrease the internals. Easily a two hour affair, and one where I would inevitably lose a screw and spend another hour trying to find it.
"Detectives!" called out a voice over the din. Shiba and I are approached by a MSRT operative who greeted us with a raise of his hand as he walked over to us quickly. "Captain of the ship says that all crew and guards are on the bridge, you're good to see him now."
"Thank you!" Shiba said loudly. Even standing near, I could barely understand what he said.
We were escorted into the bridge castle and my eyes pass over black spray painted letters on the side of a wall: CS201. Cargo Ship 201, just like Fujiwara had said.
We cross-referenced the code with the international database of cargo ships and found that the vessel was built at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding drydock in China nearly half a century prior. It was retrofitted four years ago to adhere to the changes in international security regulations for ships. With the instability of the SEA region, piracy had also gone up significantly in the surrounding waters of the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Celebes Sea, Philippine Sea, and the North Pacific Ocean.
News reports went out daily about crews that were being ransomed while the cargo was stolen and disappeared on the black market. Incidents with pirates using weapons bought from warring factions to attack and sink vessels were also frighteningly common.
Boats that did business in this region were required by a coalition of Japan, Korea, and China to have a security detail (be it state or PMC/mercenary); state-of-the-art electronics and communication; and fire resistant foam coatings over all exposed steel areas on internal areas. These were called the JKC standard. While this did help mitigate and deter the problem, the loss of business had hurt economies all over the world.
Japan was hit particularly hard. As an island country that was low on naturally occurring resources, it was heavily dependent on imported goods such as gasoline, raw iron, and certain foodstuffs.
We eventually arrived at the Captain's nest, where we met a grizzly old Asian man. "Good afternoon. Welcome aboard the Huaguangjiao Two." [1] The Captain greeted us when we entered the cabin. His voice had a light Chinese accent.
Shiba and I shared glances and I subtly nodded my head at my partner.
Shiba stepped forward and offered a hand. "Thank you. Your Japanese is impeccable, Captain."
The older man took the hand in stride and gives a hearty shake. "I practiced. While war is bad for people, is good for business. Unfortunately, my Tagalog not as good as I want."
I raised an eyebrow, and I could tell Shiba had a similar reaction from the way his neck twitched.
"Is that so? You have my sympathies, Captain." Shiba answered back neutrally. "Let's try to get you on your way as quickly as possible. We were told that there may be some violations in trade agreements aboard this vessel so we just wanted to give the cargo a once over to make sure that it's all under regulation."
"Can I ask why, Officer?" The Captain scratched his beard as he looked at us in confusion. "Could not have this waited until we reached shore."
"You can ask why, but according to revised Japanese maritime trade laws, I am not obligated to answer those questions, nor am I required to ask for permission to conduct a search." Shiba spoke with a measured tone while verbally cornering the experienced sailor, making it clear that we were not here to nicely request things with various 'please' and 'thank-you's. These were orders.
I mean, we brought guys with guns. Was it not obvious?
"The mandated security detail is topside?" Shiba asked.
"They are, they should be in the room right to ours. We had them all collected as soon as we were contacted by your police."
"I see, so there should be no one below the deck, in the secondary holding?"
"Not to my knowledge. All crew and contractors are on deck as you asked."
"I see."
Shiba spent a few more minutes questioning the Captain. Nothing new was revealed. The only interesting tidbits being that the ship had seemingly made it at the various ports in the SEA without too much trouble.
"We know what to look for, it's probably best if we split up and search." I spoke to Shiba and the MSRT Captain after we huddled aside. "Shiba, you stay here with two or three guys and look through the manifest and licenses, buy us some time and see if you can get anything else out of him."
"I can make two squads out of my men, we have the numbers." The Captain said in a low tone. "Where do you think you'll be going, Detective?"
I ponder a moment before answering. "I'll go below deck."
"You're with me then."
Δ▼Δ
[Shiba Suzaku POV]
Ever since I could remember, I had a photographic memory. I could recall everything and anything my eyes had seen, down to the most inconsequential or mundane feature. When I was younger, my parents bought a children's book from America, called 'Cam Jansen' so I could practice English. The protagonist was a girl named Cam who also had photographic memory like me. Cam used that ability of hers to solve mysteries surrounding her friends and family. I thought that was cool as a kid, the way she wielded her unique memory almost like a superpower. Which wass probably why I became a detective.
I'm not that good a detective yet, though.
In school, I always used to get 100's on exams because I could memorize all the details. No matter how specific the question, I would always get it right. However, my essay grades were horrible, my teachers said that I was too detail oriented. I wasn't synthesizing. I wasn't taking the information and making something new out of it.
But Senpai was different. Senpai could always see the big picture at all times.
Always.
Which is why Senpai was 'Senpai.' I had asked to be assigned as his partner because I knew I was best suited to giving him the details. And with those details, he could build that bigger picture.
I sifted through the shipping manifest the Captain of the cargo ship had generously provided for me. It was a thick document, written in English. Columns with ID numbers of various containers and where and when they were collected and where they were to be sent. This class of cargo ship could hold up to 300 steel containers. Each page had lines upon lines of documentation of the shipping cargo. It would be disorientating for the normal person, but my mind just soaked it like a sponge.
Something caught my eye. I flipped between two locations that were nearly ten pages apart. Turnig to face the Captain, I asked, "Captain, you said all of the security detail was above?"
"I did."
"And are they mercenary or employees from your company?"
"Mercenary. The company lets us choose the contractor and reimburses us afterwards. It satisfies the JKS standards.
"Thank you."
I closed the manifest and excuse myself to walk towards my armed escorts from the Maritime Police. I lean into my radio that was strapped to my shoulder and spoke into it after I pressed the button to transmit.
"Senpai, we have a mockingbird on our hands."
The guy I talked to has been lying.
"... context?" Senpai's monotone voice responded back through static.
What was the lie?
"Double dipping. Bad manners." I cryptically answered..
There was a duplicate. Intel cannot be trusted.
"Are we still having a party then?"
Is there a problem I should expect?
"You might have some guests. The Pac-Man Cadre kind."
You might engage enemies. They're mercenaries.
"... lovely. I love my job."
Fuck. Fuck this job.
Δ▼Δ
[Hikigaya Hachiman POV]
We had just gotten below deck when Shiba radioed me.
"Captain, we might have some pressing issues." I alerted the MSRT Captain who held his MP5A5 with both hands and moved in the middle of our formation. The diminutive submachine gun was perfectly sized to be wielded within the tight tunnels of a ship, giving me a measure of comfort. I was all the way at the end of the tail, so I had to speak up a bit, and my voice echoed throughout the narrow steel corridors.
"How soon?"
"Now."
He twisted his head to me and throws a questioning look with a raised eyebrow. I wish I was joking too, pal. He shoots his head before barking out orders. "Stay on alert! Check those corners! Assume we have bad guys!"
"Left clear!"
"Le-right clear!"
A nervous voice spoke out the last line, having noticeably responded much later than his comrade who checked the opposite corner.
Our squad moved down the narrow corridors, lights from our guns illuminating dark areas allowing us to continue systematically checking the nooks and crannies. Our goal was to get to the cargo hold and communicate with Shiba from there. From what else I could get from my partner, there were about 300 steel containers. We had our work cut out for us tonight.
Our party came to a halt as we come to a shadowed corridor that bisected into opposing hallways.
"Oi, Yatori!" Barked out the Captain. "I heard you got engaged."
"Quite right, sir." A tired voice answered back. The Captain must really like this Yatori guy…
"You must be feeling lucky then. Left or right?"
"... the answer is always 'right,' sir."
"Good man."
… is this protocol? Yatori better have horseshoes shoved up his ass.
Like clockwork, the entire squad stuck to the left side of the wall in single file, staggering how far we leaned out so every member had a clear line of sight. I followed instinctively, my training from the JSDF for urban combat kicking in at the familiar motions from disciplined personnel who knew what they're doing. Our two point men made their checks for the rest of us.
"Right clear"
"Ri-left clear!"
The Captain nodded his head and beckoned us forward by pointing two fingers straight ahead with a crossed over thumb. The squad efficiently funneled through the split and quickly moves to the right passageway. I walked forward as the last man and turned the corner to go right, my eyes no longer looking in any other direction. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
And I'm suddenly seeing stars as something hit the back of my head with terrible force. My vision went black for a second and I yelped in pain and shock. My body wanted to curl to avoid the source of the pain, but something forced me upright. My throat felt restricted, as if it was being held by a hairy snake. Something cold toucheed my skull through my hair.
When my vision returned I realize that I was in the clutches of a man at gunpoint. The arm that was gripping my H&K P30L was detained awkwardly to ensure I couldn't shoot my captor, the barrel of the my pistol being forced to point upward. Startled murmurs from the squad I had just been following reverberate around the ingress.
"Don't move, or I'll shoot!" English, but a heavily accented one. I couldn't pinpoint the origin.
Despite my throbbing brain, I couldn't help but find the situation ironic. My, how the tables have turned.
"Hold your fire!" Yelled the Captain with experienced ease, his gun was still trailed unshakingly on the man holding me in a lock. The men around him are still tensed, including the one near me. His knees were trembling and I could see that his eyes were wide through his visor. If I wanted to get out of this, I couldn't rely on this man.
My eyes flickered upwards, I couldn't see my captor's head but I noticed the foam covered ceiling. My brain sparked to life and came up with a plan on the spot. Luckily for me, I had a veteran with me that I could trust. I made eye contact with the Captain, and moved my mouth to spell out a word.
SHOOT!
Momentarily he seemed stunned, but just as fast as it showed on his face, it disappeared. He winked at me.
How brazen. I liked it.
I looked at the visor of the trembling officer to my right. I could see the reflection of my captor and I in the polarized plexiglass. I subtly adjusted my gun holding arm so that it was head level with my captor. He didn't even register this movement, despite it being just inches before his face. Tunnel vision from all the tension and stress was a terrible thing, and an even harder habit to get rid of. The most effective method was shock therapy: expose them to situations that cause it repeatedly until they learn. Crude, yet effective.
Source: me.
This was going to hurt, but I needed to do it. I closed my eyes and pressed the trigger.
My ears burst into agony at the loud crack. I felt the heat of the gases from the shot on my face, singeing the hair off my eyebrows. The captor behind me fared worse, the gun had gone off right before his face, deafening and blinding him simultaneously as the bullet buried itself in the fireproof foam. With a surprised shout, my captor released his hold on me. Eyes still closed and unable to hear well, I willed myself to curl up and drop to the floor. The Captain didn't waste a second and fired a bullet into the side of my captor. He collapsed, screaming in pain and clutching his rib.
Someone tapped my shoulder and I finally opened my eyes to look up and see an offered hand from the Captain. Just behind him, the rest of the squad scurries forward to secure the man.
"Sorry 'bout that." The Captain apologized to me as he helps me to my feet. I rubbed my ears in hopes that the ringing would subside. I guess I should be glad that my ear drums didn't burst.
"I'm still alive aren't I?" I answered back irately, which was met with a bark of laughter.
"Yeah, that's true. You enjoy the hazard pay?"
"As if. I put it into my savings."
"Smart move. You're the type to live long."
"I'll take that as a compliment... Hey, about that guy..."
"Oh, him?" He pointed a thumb to the trembling officer that had failed to check the corner properly and had led to the recent pseudo-hostage situation. He was being comforted by another officer, but it clearly had taken a toll on him. "He's the FNG. Top marks in the academy, but still wet behind the ears, I'm afraid."
"Yeah? He should get a desk job. Seems like he's a nice guy."
"Right? That's what I said! But the Big Boss thinks I can whip him into shape." [2]
"Good luck with that."
I radioed in Shiba, and let him know what had happened. He sounded worried, but he said that they had taken the Captain of the ship into custody. The crew was to follow.
I motioned to the Captain of the Special Forces and he nodded, and I followed him into cargo holding. The men had set up a three meter spread and we carefully walked into the area. To 'err' is to be human, but to make the same mistake twice is just pure stupidity. With fervent caution, they inspected every inch of the holding, as well as every shadow like a child making sure Baba Yaga wasn't in their room. As expected from a spec-ops team, they didn't even need to get yelled at to learn their lesson.
The cargo hold was a wide space, filled with rows and rows of steel shipping containers that sat upon the drab gray steel floor. The roof was covered in that fireproof foam with hanging lamps providing ample lightning. They swung this way and that with the sway of the boat on the water, and the beams of lights moved nauseatingly from side to side.
"We got about 200 boxes here, and a 100 topside," I told Shiba.
"There's a duplicate in the manifest. There's a container here that isn't accounted for." He explained quickly.
"How are we gonna find that?"
"Hard way? We go and ID every container, then match it. Easy way? We ID every container. And match it."
"That could take hours…"
I stared out over the field of various colored steel containers, feeling intimidated by the scope of the task before us. I was about to turn to the Captain to let him know what we had to do, but I was interrupted by a shout. My gaze snapped to the source, and of course it's the FNG who had slipped on a puddle and hit the butt of his gun on a container‒
Wait.
"Hit that container again," I told him.
"W-what?" The FNG stuttered.
"Hit. The. Container."
"O-oh."
He does as I ordered him, and a strange sound fills the air. I tapped the box next to me with my foot, and it sounded more hollow with a metallic tinny note. The Captain seemed to catch onto my plan and he yelled at his men to do the same. One by one I heard the sounds of them tapping different boxes, and they all sounded hollow like mine.
But not the one the FNG had hit.
"Good job." Grunted the Captain to his newbie.
"O-oh!" The FNG looked relieved.
"You're still washing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush when we get back."
"O-oh."
The Captain turned to look at me and I confirmed his silent question by tilting my head in the direction of the first box.
"Men, I want a half cover around the box, 3 meters." The Captain barked as he took point. His team fell into a semi circle around the entrance to this steel container. Their gun barrels pointed forward in case anything unexpected should happen (again). I nodded to the Captain, who returned it to let me know that they were all in position. One of the operators got the confirmation signal from the Captain and opened the door.
The first thing I noticed was the rush of heat that came from its interior. I peered inside with my gun raised, and see rows of cardboard boxes lining the walls, covered in black nylon tarps. At the center was a space heater that glowed bright orange. As my flashlight moved around, I realized that I wasn't alone in this space.
There were five little girls sitting around the space heater, bathed in its amber glow. They all had small bodies, thin arms, and frazzled hair. They looked like they ranked in age from primary school to their early teens. All of them wore what seemed to be a single piece white shirt, blackened and ragged with dirt and grime. Someone had at least given them the luxury of a few blankets, used to cover their legs and backs. The walls were covered by a type of carpet and I can only assume this was an attempt at insulation.
I unconsciously lowered my pistol and moved closer to get a better look at them. They returned my stares with their own, filled with fear and apprehension. My eyes are caught by the actions of one girl in particular, whose gaze flickered nervously between me and a black tarp to my right. My blood stilled. Something was wrong.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A girlish war cry is followed by a rush of air as the black tarp is flung away and a small figure ran at me with something in their hands. My body moved on instinct, swerving to my right to avoid the stabbing attempt and grabbing the outstretched arm as it passed me.
"No more! No more!" The girl wailed in language that wasn't Japanese. "Just kill us!"
Wait. I knew that tongue. I took a closer inspection at the girl who had just tried to gut me. She was young, but seemed to be the oldest of the group here going by height alone. She had shoulder length black hair and a tear stained face. Her hands weren't holding a knife, but a rusted shard of metal that I could only guess she had tore from the floor of the container. Fresh blood dripped from her hands, palms cut by contact with the improvised blade.
"You're safe now." I responded back, slowly prying open her fingers and throwing away the scrap of metal. She needed medical attention, and most likely tetanus boosters to avoid bacterial infection. Injuries from rusted metal tended to cause lockjaw. I slowly pulled her towards the inside of the container, letting her know I had no ill intentions. I get down on one knee before the group of adolescents, and begin rubbing their heads softly. I started saying reassurances in all the languages I know: English, Mandarin, Sinhalese, Japanese.
"You're safe now."
"Everything will be alright."
"It's okay."
Δ▼Δ
The Coast Guard sent back up within the hour. Onboard medical came and collected the 6 injured persons we found in that container as well as our one interloper. Said interloper (who had me in a headlock and at gunpoint) was flown to a hospital as soon as we touched the pier. They feared that he might go into shock and die. Even if they didn't deserve it, we must still had to take care of criminals. There was a human right to life and maintaining their dignity. Ironic.
The five youngest girls had no obvious injuries, and were carefully loaded into a police van. The oldest was rushed to a hospital to get the appropriate treatment needed. I felt uncomfortable when I realized her eyes were stick on me, and never left my person the entire time I was visible to her. All were eventually going to be sent to a medical facility for a basic check-up and given any care that they might need.
Hopefully, they would be taken into government custody afterwards. But I can't be sure. With the political climate of this country as it is, their futures are up in the air. I didn't know if this is the right path, but I felt like I had no other option. I was just a detective anyway, what could I do?
Right?
Right?
These thoughts filled my mind as I sat at the edge of the harbor, still in my combat gear. I had no jacket nor umbrella, instead letting the rain hit my body unabated. It felt like hundreds of tiny cold daggers were stabbing into me, and I couldn't find the strength in me to deny them.
I heard footsteps come up to be from behind. Turning my head slightly I saw Chief Tsurumi trailing up the pier with a large black golf-umbrella in hand. He wordlessly walked up and held it over my head, causing a shadow to pass over my body and giving me shelter from the elements.
"I heard what happened. And what you did."
I shook my head and snorted. "I didn't do anything."
"Is that so?"
"I didn't save them. I couldn't save them." I whispered bitterly as I brushed my wet bangs aside to keep my eyes clear. "I just picked them up after it was too late. I couldn't prevent their suffering."
"I don't think anyone could have prevented it."
"No! If… if only I had figured out this case earlier, found the connections between the suspects sooner… Maybe if I didn't kill Ouma Daichi and interrogated him instead, this all could have been avoided."
The Chief sighed deeply and puts a hand on my shoulder. It was very warm. "Hikigaya, you think too much. These 'what-ifs' are things no one can predict. The fact of the matter is that your deductive skills and interrogations stopped those girls from ending up in worse places."
"Yeah right."
"They're scarred mentally, separated from friends and family, and are thousands of miles from home. Things were already at their lowest, but you… gave them a chance back at life."
I scoffed. "A chance back at life? More like I let their lives turn to shit and I just it made it less shit. Still shit either way. Still a brutal life."
"Oh?" The Chief gives me a small smile. "Weren't you in a similar position just a few years back? Didn't my brother offer you a similar chance? And didn't you take him up on it? Instead of going back to a civilian life, you decided to try and make something with what you had left, despite knowing how difficult it was going to be."
This guy…
I groaned and held my head in my hands. "I hate when you start saying things that make sense."
The Chief chuckled heartily and tousled my hair in a fatherly manner.
"Even if it's hard, you made it right? We just need to hope that they can too. You did a good job today and throughout this case, Hachiman. You should be proud."
And he walked away, leaving me sitting on the pier. Alone once more.
Chapter 8.5 "Immemorial"
[Yukinoshita Yukino POV]
As soon as I had awoken, I noticed that the terrible deluge from yesterday had passed, leaving only a cloudy morning that wrapped the world outside my hotel room window in a dull gray.
I quickly brushed my teeth and ate breakfast before I opened my laptop at the wooden table beside my bed. In the Google search bar I type in: UN Declaration of Human Rights Article 5. What came up was the actual document from the United Nations website. Surprisingly, Article 5 consisted entirely of a single brief sentence.
"'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment.'" I read aloud, biting my bottom lip in frustration.
What did this even mean?
Not as in the literal meaning, it was quite clear in that regard. But what constituted cruel, inhumane, or degrading? What were the criteria? There must be some sort of moral gray zone, right?
What actually happened to Hikigaya-kun? What did he actually do?
And why?
All questions that I couldn't get out of my thoughts since his testimony in court. I saw the way his face seemed to lose life as the prosecutor narrowed down the inquiries to directly touch upon Hikigaya-kun's past.
I said 'past,' but it was more accurate to call it 'recent history,' in that gap between the last time I saw him and now.
Unfortunately, the answers to my questions might have to come from a source I was hesitant to talk to, even if our relationship had improved leaps and bounds over the years.
Δ▼Δ
"Yukino-chan, over here!"
A loud and overly lively voice hailed me from across the small luncheonette. No doubt, the number of uncomfortable stares I felt on my person was partially due to my own appearance but mostly due to my sister's insistence to be as troublesome as possible. I crossed the quaint eatery quickly and found my sister at window side table, green shrubbery on the other side of the screen.
"Nee-san!" I hiss angrily in a low voice as I take a seat. "What did I say about doing things in public!?"
"Uhhhh, that I shouldn't?"
"And what did you just do?"
"Do it?"
"Yes! And why did you do it despite me telling you not to!?"
"But Yukino-chan, I just wanted to express my sisterly love!" She gave me a brilliant smile that made my eye twitch.
"I don't know why I bother." I sighed tiredly and took the menu into my hands.
"Now, now, you can give me this at least right?" Bargained Nee-san with a mischievous look in her eyes. "After all, it's quite rare for you to call me out."
I cleared my throat. "Yes, well… It's regarding-"
"Hikigaya-kun?" Nee-san interrupted me and peered at me through lidded eyes, the amusement evident on her face. The intensity in her gaze caused me to flush slightly, and I struggled to keep composure.
"Y-yes. Actually, something has happened, and I require your assistance."
"Oh? A problem you can't solve? Must be something pretty difficult then."
"Rather than 'difficult' it would be more appropriate to say 'unexpected'..."
The waiter came and we order our food. I took the time to tell Nee-san of the events that occurred during the trial as we wait for the meal to be cooked. When I mentioned that Hikigaya-kun was called to the stand, Nee-san's face held a dark expression. As I continued to detail the prosecution's questioning of Hikigaya-kun, her face became darker and darker.
"... and how did he know?" Nee-san asked. I'm not sure if its rhetorical or not, but I hesitantly answer anyway.
"... I have no idea."
" They have a source, but... Who would...? How would they...? When did they...?"
I said nothing and simply watched my sister process the information as she covers her mouth with a hand. What she said next however, completely blindsided me.
"I probably should have told you about that, shouldn't I?" She whispered.
What!?
"You knew!?" My voice was louder than I intended, and the nearest waiter raised a single brow at me as I covered my mouth. When he walked away, I looked back at Nee-san. "Are you telling me you knew this beforehand?"
"I did." Nee-san didn't even attempt to lie or placate me. A marked change in her behavior that I've come to appreciate and enjoy. We both understood each other so much more now, trusting our honest thoughts to one another. "But I didn't think it was relevant… and besides, I didn't think it was appropriate to tell you without his permission."
I was speechless.
"But why?" The question left my mouth bare and emotionless.
"I didn't think it was relevant to the case… and besides Hikigaya-kun seems intent on burying it. He's not particularly proud of that time by the looks of it."
"Pride is outside the question! The… the severity of the act is…."
"Yukino-chan." Nee-san cut me off sternly. "I understand that you may still think of him as the old Hikigaya-kun from high school. The boy who would lose his head if it wasn't attached to his body. But thinking like that is…"
Her sentence broke off and her eyes stared into my own. A serious look unlike anything I had seen before adorned her beautiful face. People always said that I resembled my mother more than my sister, but at times like these I couldn't help but disagree. She considered her next words, and subtlety shook her head before changing to another sentence.
"... he's not a wayward teenager anymore. He's a detective. He fights crime on a daily basis as a career. He lives by himself and he's self-sufficient. On top of that, he's a veteran soldier. He's been through things. A lot of things. He's changed." Her eyes hardened as she finishes her thought.
Hikigaya-kun has changed?
Yes, he may have. He may be darker and more cynical, but that strange charisma and endearing kindness he has is still there. It's just concealed. I could see it in how he interacted with his coworkers, and how they flocked to him for help much like I and many others did back in our highschool days.
"Even if he's changed, there's something that he's hiding to make sure it doesn't worry those close to him. He's doing the same thing as he did back then, that's just how he is," I said to Nee-san, who blinked at me.
"So you think you can 'save' him? Like he did for you did back then? Yukino-chan, the Service Club no longer exists. He hasn't been there for years. And you haven't been relevant in his life for just as long."
"It's not that I want to 'save' him." I hurriedly explained, trying to find the words. "And I understand that time has passed. But he's hurting somewhere deep, and even if he won't ask me for help I can st‒"
"What? Pity him?" She finished my sentence harshly, causing me to snap my mouth shut. "Yukino-chan, why do you want to help him? Did he ask? Does he even need your help? He's accepted who he is, and I can guarantee you that he's fine with things as they are. So who are you to tell him that he needs help?"
She's right.
Who am I to tell him what to do?
Actually…
Who am I to him?
Was I still Yukinoshita Yukino, his club President? Was I still the girl he helped during the cultural festival, who taught me that relying on others was fine? Was I still the girl who had trouble connecting to others, but he had patiently waited for me to learn? Was I still the girl who had depended on others, and him especially, to a fault? Was I still the person whom he sacrificed himself to help?
Or was I now just Yukinoshita Yukino, the ghost of a time immemorial?
"It's not pity."
"If it's not pity, than is it out of obligation? Do you feel you have to help him because of how he helped us get together as a family again?"
"No, it's not that either… I…"
What was it? What drove me to believe that Hikigaya-kun needed help? Was it the dark and empty look in his eyes? The way a pained grimace seemed to be naturally at ease on his face?
"I think it's kind of pathetic, that face your making right now," said a lifeless voice. "You haven't spoken or done anything, so why cry? Weren't those your words, Yukinoshita? 'Those who do not try have no rights to complain'?"
His words caused me to gasp and the tears stopped running down my cheek. I slowly removed myself from Yui embrace to look at the one who said those words: the boy with the eyes of a dead fish. He continued after our gazes met.
"We're still not done yet… you can still do more. You can keep going. After all, vague answers and mutual back-scratching… you don't need any of it. But if you keep thinking, agonizing, and struggling you…"
"... still can get something genuine, was it?" I whispered quietly, replaying that scene within Yui's room in my mind. A memory I had enshrined with my other treasured moments in the recesses of my conscious.
"Yukino-chan?"
It would probably be easier if I kept away, maintained the distance that Hikigaya-kun and I had formed in our adult lives. But I know how he was, and I know that he was the type to bottle his own problems and suffering and declare himself as being 'fine.' That he didn't need to be saved because he was never in any harm in the first place.
He'll gladly prostrate himself for others, but not for his own sake. It was a worry Yui and I both had whenever we watched him. I could look away and believe that he had grown past that and had learned how wrong those methods are. But something terrible has happened to him, and I can't help but fear that he simply dug a hole too deep and only reacted in the ways he knew how. And I didn't like that, because I didn't like what it did to him.
I looked at Nee-san and gave a clear answer. "I care about Hikigaya-kun, that's why I want to help him. Even if he wants it or not."
Nee-san's eye-lashes fluttered in surprise before shifting into a wide smile that showed her brilliant teeth. "Yup! That's a good answer. Really good! Okay then, I'll help you out as well. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Nee-san…." I felt thankful once again of the struggles we had overcome throughout the years to arrive at such a point. I was relieved knowing that I would be getting her invaluable help.
"No problem, no problem." Nee-san suddenly looked thoughtful and tapped her chin in deep thought. "Hmm, well for the first piece of vital information you need to know..."
She turned her head to the left and right, making sure no one else was paying attention to us. She beckoned me closer.
"Y-yes?" I asked nervously. What did she have to say that required this much caution? I couldn't even hope to guess.
"You see…" She got closer to my ear and whispered softly. "You don't need to worry, because..."
I swallowed. "Y-yes?"
Nee-san eyes did one more search around the room.
"... Hikigaya-kun's still single."
Huh?
What did that have to do with….
The thoughts clicked in my head and I felt as though my face burst into flames at the speed I blushed.
"NEE-SAN!?"
Arc 1: "Detective Hikigaya Hachiman"
References:
[1] Huaguangjiao Two is a reference to the Huaguangjiao One, which was a Chinese merchant ship built during the Southern Song dynasty and sank off the coast of the Xisha Islands.
[2] Reference to Hideo Kojima's "Metal Gear" series. Big Boss was the title that Naked Snake went by.
Authors Note:
"Cirque pendant l'orage" translates roughly to: "Circus during the storm." I think you know what I'm alluding to. I would like to give many, many, MANY thanks to Xynovitch for his help with this chapter. Without his advice this chapter would have ended up much differently and more boring at that. I implore you to read his work "Spirit World Diaries." It's one of the few well written supernatural fics on the site.
Chapter 08 is all about action. I've been an avid reader of Tom Clancy for a while and I always enjoy a good action flick (John Wick is my personal fave). The inspiration for this chapter comes from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the opening mission titled "Crew Expendable." A lot of imagery also comes from the Tanker section in Metal Gear Solid 2.
Determining how strong to make Hachiman in terms of combat was a real challenge. I've seen plenty of fics that go too much in either direction. Balance is hard, so instead I decided to create three rules: first was to keep him human. Second was to keep him flawed. Third rule was that there was no third rule. The scenario in this chapter was intended to showcase Hikki's flaws and strengths. I hope you enjoyed it.
Another new thing this chapter was the change in viewpoints for the narrative. It was an idea I was floating for a time, but I'm glad I put it into use.
Yes, the "he's single" joke refers to Chapter 2 where Haruno had asked Hachiman if he was single.
-SouBU
(Editor: XioKenji)
(BetaReader: Lord of Admirals 412)
Revision Log:
03/17/2020: Re-uploaded with overhaul of tenses and changes in word choice and sentence structure as well as major grammar fixes. Deleted portions of authors note that are now irrelevant.