Hello! We are finally in our first set of double digits. That actually feels really nice, I am sort of proud of myself for making it this far. It might not seem like a huge accomplishment, but it has been well over a decade since I had any of my stories ever do that. Thank you all for your many kind words, favorites, and follows. I hope you still continue to read the Amagi Obsession through to its completion. Please review, every one counts.

The Amagi Obsession

Chapter 11: Confrontation

"Quiet…"

"Everything was quiet…"

It had been as though the world had stopped.

A tense pause that fit the stillness of the scene.

A young man laid motionless on the ground. Sprawled out helplessly. Only the sound of blood trickling down the side of his head could be made out. The impact of the blow invisible to the naked eye, hidden under his sticky strands of blond hair.

Finally, a gasp of air came.

She could finally breathe.

Yukiko Amagi stood still; feet planted firmly on the ground. Her body was stiff from the weight of what had just occurred. A crime had been committed. An innocent soul, struck. She loomed over her victim, Kanji Tatsumi, like a predator that had just landed a fatal blow on its prey. Her hand still gripped tightly onto the tire iron. Her arm shook helplessly with the realization of what she had done.

Only by gripping her free arm tightly would the shakes subside.

Her eyes shifted downwards to Kanji who still laid unmoving on the floor. The blunt strike he received to the back of the skull had been enough to make him crumple like paper. The Investigation Team had been used to taking punishment inside of the shadow world. Usually, their personas would absorb many of the blows for them.

Outside that realm, was an entirely different scenario.

The sight was a grim one that brought her no joy.

"I'm sorry Kanji-kun, but I can't have you sticking your nose in my business." She said shakily. "Besides… Naoto-kun should be the one apologizing. She shouldn't have brought you into this."

Kanji had made the mistake of revealing himself at an inopportune time and gave up important intel. The revelation that resident detective, Naoto Shirogane, had told him to keep an eye on Yukiko. Then there was the fact that he knew the heiress was the last person seen with Teddie.

All of that was enough to seal his fate. Yukiko had to act or risk him spilling the beans to Naoto. The detective prince would take any clue she could get from cradle to grave. Being that thorough would cause problems for Yukiko and her family.

"This is Naoto's fault." Yukiko muttered to justify her actions. "She's the one to blame."

The Amagi heiress glanced around the rice mill. It was eerily quiet. The early afternoon was setting it, but the fog persisted. She needed to get home and figure out what to do next. There wasn't much time left. Kanji would be reported missing soon and that would send the town into a frenzy.

Regrettably, leaving him here would be her best bet.

Besides, there still remained a loose end. She still needed to figure out what to do about the Teddie situation. No doubt Yosuke would be sure to bring it up soon to the Investigation Team. Three missing members would not bode well. It would send everyone into a panic.

Yukiko began to make her way towards the stairs to leave. However, something was stopping her.

"I can't just yet."

A tight sensation tugged at her heart. She wearily glanced back at Kanji.

"Is he really…?"

Yukiko breath was shallow. How did she know Kanji was dead? Sure, the tire iron had struck him hard. Still, she wouldn't know if she didn't check for herself. Teddie had narrowly escaped her grasp. If Kanji lived, then she was truly finished.

There was only one way to be sure.

She treaded back over to where he lay still. Each step taken, heavier than the last. The wooden floors creaked under her boots. As Yukiko reached down to touch him the sound of a melody caught her by surprise. The ringtone 'Backside of the TV' a song Chie chose for her blared. The sudden sound caused her to jolt.

"Who could be calling at a time like this?" She grumbled, pulling the phone out of her coat pocket. The name on the Caller ID made her eyes widen. "Na- Narukami-kun!?"

Yukiko's heart began to thump hard at the sight of his name. Given the circumstances this was an inopportune time to receive a call. Regardless, she wasn't going to let that stop her. Quickly, the Amagi heiress composed herself before answering with a calm greeting. "Hello, Narukami-kun, is that you?"

"Hey, Yukiko it's been a while. Well not too long…" He chuckled softly.

Her heart melted at the sound of his voice. All the unease she had felt these past few days seemed to melt away. It was a simple greeting, but it had felt like it had been so long since he'd personally reached out to her. "I was surprised by your call. I heard from Naoto-kun that you'd been busy doing some investigating."

"Yeah, me and Yosuke have been digging around."

"Wa- was there something you needed from me?"

There was a pause before he spoke. "Yeah, it's just. Well- I just thought I'd reach out and check to see how you were doing. At the last meeting, you just seemed a bit dejected was all. I just wanted to see if you were, okay?"

Her heart continued to do 360s. "He's worried about me!"

"I'm fine, I guess. As well as one could be with everything going on. Though…" Yukiko sighed closing her eyes. The thought of Chie, Teddie, Kanji, and even her mother were fresh in the heiress' mind. Everyone she had wronged in some shape of form.

"Though?" he pressed.

"It's just that… its nothing. You have enough on your plate, I don't want to bother you with my silly problems. They're laughable in comparison."

Yu's voice softened. "Don't be like that. Tell me what's on your mind."

The Amagi heiress knew all her problems were that of her own making. The last thing she wanted to do was clue Yu into the finer details of what was keeping her down. Not to mention, the stress he was currently feeling was due to her actions.

However, playing her cards close to home didn't seem like that bad of an option.

"It's just that with everything going on with Chie, it has brought a lot more attention to the inn. A lot of that attention has been warranted, yes. Still, it's been rather stressful. The police have been in and out of the inn constantly. My mother is trying to keep her cool, but I know she's bottling everything up inside. Probably more than me. And then there's Naoto-kun…"

"Naoto?" Yu sounded confused. "What's going on with her?"

Yukiko was surprised. With how hard the detective prince was rallying against her, it caught her off guard that Yu hadn't been clued into her personal investigation. "You didn't hear anything from your uncle?"

"Hear what exactly?"

"Remember how I mentioned that they paid a visit to the inn yesterday. Well, it was worse than I let on. Dojima-san and Naoto-kun, they tried to shake down me and my mother down. They said they are reopening the investigation on the Inn." Yukiko was candid with her words. "I understand we all want to find Chie, but there's no reason to use intimidation tactics. Especially not on us of all people!"

"Yukiko I-"

Before Yu could continue Yukiko cut him off. "And then just last week Naoto-kun decided to pay an unannounced visit and went digging around my room. I mean what gives her the right to do that?!"

There was a pause between them before Yu replied "Yukiko I'm sorry. All of this- it's just Chie's disappearance has been affecting everyone differently. Me, you, and Naoto included. She doesn't mean anything malicious by it, I'm sure. I know she's been working with my uncle when she isn't out searching with us. I'll talk to her and ask her to lay off you. You're probably hurting more than any of us."

Yukiko couldn't help but smile at his words. She wouldn't let anything stand in the way of her and Yu anymore. "Thank you Narukami-kun." She replied tearing up.

"Don't mention it. When all of this is over…" Yu's words faded to the recesses of Yukiko's mind as a loud bang caught her off guard. The sound of metal scraping against concrete rang obnoxiously through the mill.

Her head swung like a swivel over the railing and down to the mill entrance. Yukiko ducked down and peaked over the edge of the railings. Her eyes widened like saucers as the front door was screeched open. And who would emerge?

None other than her worse nightmare, Naoto Shirogane. The detective prince stood at the entrance with her gun at the ready.

"I- I'm sorry Narukami-kun, I will call you back later." She whispered into the phone. "My mother is calling me." Yukiko hung up the phone and shoved it in her coat pocket. She glanced down at Kanji who laid on the floor unmoving. There would be no time to move him to a more covert position.

"I have to hide." She thought, running into one of the nearby office spaces. The room was filled with nothing, but empty office chairs and dusty furniture. There was a coat rack hanging near the closest door. Quickly she pushed it near the door and hid herself inside. If she got caught here it was over. Everything she had done would have been for nothing.

Yukiko was sweating, her heart pounding with each passing second.

One thought crossed her mind.

"There has to be a way out of this."

…

Outside of the mill entered Naoto Shirogane. The young woman had arrived none too soon. The detective prince parked her blue electric bike and took out a flashlight. The fog has been becoming more prominent in Inaba lately and outside the town it was much harder to see. There were sparse buildings to slow its creep across the vast rice fields.

She had been in the middle of her investigation regarding Chie Satonaka's disappearance when her tracker had pinged. Naoto held out a device in her opposing hand. A bulky radio like device with a long antenna attached. It had been the newest model of tracker she had requested from the Tokyo police department. She had a lot of rapport with that police force, so pulling favors wasn't out of the question.

The device beeped louder with each step taken. She moved through the fog and crossed the street. Not far from where she parked was her target, a bright red scooter.

One such scooter belonging to Yukiko Amagi.

Naoto approached the scooter and inspected it. The bike had been driven here shortly before her arrival. The engine was still warm, and the treads had fresh gravel embedded in them. From the backside of the bike, she spotted the black bug she had installed. Yukiko hadn't noticed it at all underneath the storage bin.

Naoto had been growing suspicious of Yukiko this past week. Ever since her initial interactions with the Amagi heiress she had noticed that something seemed off about her. The way she spoke and carried herself was usually handled with a modicum care. A proper rich girl. Even still, she managed to be sincere with friends. Lately, Naoto found none of that with her. She had been dejected, irritable, and downright reclusive.

Considering the circumstances, they found themselves in, Naoto presumed that Yukiko would have had the most concern for Chie's safety.

"They're supposedly best friends."

Naoto hadn't known the members of the Investigation Team too long, but that was the impression she had from the two of them.

A sisterly bond. The sort of bond no one else in the team had could replicate.

I didn't help that upon her questioning Yukiko was openly hostile towards her, especially regarding Chie's missing belongings.

Naoto wasn't dumb. She could understand when a person was under stress. She had seen plenty of it in her previous investigations. Still, she had this nagging suspicion... Yukiko was hiding something; she was sure of it.

On her last foray into the Amagi Inn, she made sure to pay a visit to the garage and plant the bug. She wanted to track Yukiko for a few days to be sure that her suspicions were unfounded. Honestly Naoto hadn't been finding much luck in locating Chie until she stumbled across her backpack. It was a weak link in locating the missing girl, but Yukiko's response alone was enough to set off an alarm in her head. Coupled with the fact that the police pinged Chie's phone near the Amagi Inn only strengthened those suspicions.

Could it be possible Yukiko was responsible for Chie's disappearance?

"Even still, if she is responsible, that begs the question… why?"

She had to have concrete evidence. And Yukiko driving out to the country alone was a huge red flag. The detective prince had wasted no time following up her investigation.

Naoto's eyes shifted towards the large metal structure before her. One of the derelict rice mills had been out of commission for several years. It would be the perfect location to hide secrets away from prying eyes. She headed towards the large metal door and saw it was slightly ajar.

Naoto gripped onto the sides and slid it open further, allowing the little sunlight to enter.

The door was boisterous. If anyone was inside the building, they would be wholly aware of her presence by now. This suited her just fine. Naoto wiped the rusted metal and paint flakes from her black gloves. She pulled out her trusty Nambu M60. The revolver had served her well in the shadow world and would do the same here.

She checked the rubber rounds inside. All bullets were seated perfectly in the cylinder.

Clink!

Naoto swished the revolver closed and gripped it tightly. If the situation arose that she needed to fire her weapon, she wouldn't hesitate, no matter who stood in her way.

She surveyed the area. The fog had crept its way into the building obstructing most of her view. The uppermost parts of the building were visible. Naoto flashed her light above, but saw no one in sight. She made sure to maintain her aim, pointing directly where the light shone. Naoto was cautious to enter the building alone, but slowly made her way through the fog and around the dormant machinery.

Stacks of leftover rice were littered all over the floor, making it hard for her not to trip.

"Yukiko Amagi!" she shouted. "Come out with your hands up!"

Her call was met with resounding silence. She had been hoping her senpai would make this easy for her. The faster she found her, the faster they could get out of this creepy building. There was no alibi that Yukiko could have that wouldn't make her seem suspicious for being out here.

"Come out senpai! Make this easy for me, for us. We all just want to find Chie-senpai. There isn't any reason for anyone to get hurt." she urged, looking from room to room. Still Naoto was met with silence. She was getting nowhere fast. The fog didn't make it any easier to search. It didn't take long for her to reach the back of the building. Naoto found an exit door and a closed off docking bay. Each was tightly secured. The locks were still in place.

"Not way out, but the front huh?"

Turning around she decided to retrace her steps back to the entrance. She noted the dirt and saw some footsteps leading into the building. They faded out on the concrete, but Naoto also noticed two pairs of footprints.

"Two?" She murmured, bending down. Naoto touched the dirt; the prints were still fresh. One shoe size was of a woman's boot, the other was much larger.

"A males size. Does that mean she isn't alone?"

Outside she still spotted Yukiko's red scooter situated in the same spot.

"Good she isn't gone. That only leaves upstairs."

Naoto glanced up at the second floor. There wasn't a sign of anyone present, but she didn't let that stop her. The footsteps that were now only light outlines against the concrete pointed towards a metal staircase. Naoto let the subtle clues lead the way. She readied her weapon and took one step at a time, cautious of anyone who dared approach her from the front.

Finally, she arrived at the top step.

Naoto swung around the corner; her shooting arm led the way. Nothing. No one was in sight. Thankfully, the fog on the second story wasn't as thick as the floor below. Most of her surroundings are visible. Naoto continued to make her way forward along the guard rail, periodically casting a glance towards the front door. If someone had run at this point, it would have been too late to stop them.

She pushed forward, her feet creaking against the old wood paneling. It felt like the ground could give way at any moment. However, that sound wouldn't stop her. Neither would the many creepy office spaces. Suddenly she came to a stop. Naoto looked forward and saw a red streak run along the wood flooring. Casting a glance downward she watched as it crept its way under her shoe.

This was no mere liquid.

She bent down and touched her glove to the streak of red. She cautiously raised it to her nose and grimaced at the smell of iron.

"Blood…. Why is there blood here?" she murmured. "There is no way that senpai could? I mean…" Naoto looked forward and saw the streak ran from a heavy outline in the distance. Her stomach began to turn as she saw familiar blond streaks of hair.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Naoto called out. The girl approached slowly, until she recognized the person who was sprawled in front of her. "Kanji!" She wailed. Naoto sprinted forward and found the young man laying unresponsive.

Naoto touched his face first examining the damage. She was quick to notice the bleeding came from the back of his head. A nasty gash was hidden under the clumps of his now darkened blond hair.

Naoto placed her weapon on the floor before scrambling to take her jacket off. She placed the soft inner linings of the jacket under his head and placed him on her lap. She moved wet strands of hair from his pale face and lowered her ear to his mouth.

It was faint, but Kanji's breath came out rugged and shallow. His skin was growing pale from the blood loss. And the boy's head was burning up, sweating no doubt from the onset fever.

"Oh, thank goodness, he's still breathing." She let out a sigh of relief. The jacket would soak up some of the blood and thankfully the wound had already begun to coagulate. He would need proper medical attention immediately. Fear having passed, Naoto felt a sudden wave of rage wash over her. "What are you doing here Kanji? And who did this to you? It couldn't have been… Yukiko-senpai?"

The gravity of the situation was beginning to set in.

Naoto picked her gun back up and pointed it all around. No one was in sight, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

"YUKIKO AMAGI! COME OUT YOU COWARD! THERE'S NO WHERE LEFT TO RUN!" She shouted. The detective prince cast a glance downstairs. She had a first aid kit on her bike that could treat Kanji but leaving him alone would be dangerous. She couldn't haul him downstairs either, he was nearly twice her muscle mass.

"I'll have to call an ambulance to come get him."

The bleeding on the back of Kanji's head slowed with the application of Naoto's jacket. She slowly placed his head back on the floor carefully. "I'll be back Kanji, wait for me." She whispered.

Naoto cautiously crept her way through the office hallways. She kicked in every door she came across, making sure to clear every single room. The only things she found were dusty books, broken desks, and worn-down chairs.

Frustration began to set in.

Yukiko was nowhere in sight and the detective's patience had already worn thin. She would hear if Yukiko tried to make a run for it, the old wooden flooring was too loud for her not to notice.

"I'm growing tired of your games senpai." Naoto growled. "I sent Kanji to help you. To be a shoulder you could lean on and this how you repay his kindness? By attacking him?"

Finally, Naoto arrived at the last door. A few metal chairs, books, and smashed glass were littered against the wall. Naoto paid them no mind. The final room at the back of the hallway was the end of the road. A sign hung outside the foramen's office reading 'Enter'.

Naoto breathed in deeply, mentally preparing herself. Then with one mighty movement, kicked open the door.

Silence. Inside there was nothing to be seen. Naoto swung her gun and light with precision. Examining every corner. The office had been the same as the others. Dusty books filled the room. Cobwebs draped every crevice. Naoto let out a sigh and approached the sole desk in the back. She glanced under the table, nothing.

Naoto stood up, almost at her wits end. "Where could she be…" she trailed off. Her eyes glanced at the room before landing on a closet door. The door was situated near the office exit. Nearly obscured by the coat rack so conveniently placed in front of it.

Naoto held her gun tightly and pointed at the door. Her voice was commanding. "It's over senpai! Come out with your hands in the air!"

Once again, Naoto was met with the sound of silence.

Eyeing the door, she aimed carefully and shot one of her rubber bullets. The thunderous sound of her revolver cut through the air. The force of the bullet was enough to pierce through the rotting wood. She expected Yukiko to cave into her intimidation tactics, but still the sound of nothing filled the air.

Doubt began to set in. Was she wasting her time? Maybe Yukiko wasn't hiding in the closet.

Slowly Naoto approached the door, her revolver still at the ready. She reached out her hand to open it.

BAM!

The door swung open with enough force to knock the detective back onto the desk.

"What!?" Naoto gasped, stumbling back helplessly. She looked up to see the silhouette of a woman sprint outside the room. Naoto quickly regained her bearings and pursued her culprit outside to the hallway. "Stop right there!"

When Naoto pushed against the exit, she found the resistance of a metal chair propped against the door. "You have to be kidding me!" She growled kicking the door open. She swung outside the room with her revolver at the ready. She hadn't caught a good sight of who ran out the closet but was positive it was a woman.

Outside the foremen's office she found no one in sight. There was no way the suspect had been able to exit the office area that quickly. Even with the deterrence she left Naoto. Cautiously the detective prince made her way down the hallway. Kanji was still laying where she had left him.

"I need to wrap this up quickly. Kanji needs my help."

THUNG!

The door of an office swung open once again. Naoto took a step back. She wouldn't be fooled twice. To her surprise no hit came. From the darkness of the room a swarm of rice was tossed in her face. The startled Naoto shot two rounds in the entrance only to hear a cry of pain.

The rice made it hard to see, but she could hear the perpetrator approaching.

The young woman appeared. Her face was covered with bandana and her black hair tucked hastily under a baseball cap. She swung a tire iron forward catching Naoto on her shooting arm. The pain rang up her arm like a gong being struck.

Naoto's revolver flung from her hand hitting the floor with a thud.

"Crap!" Naoto gasped as the woman wasted no time striking her again on her hip. The detective's balance buckled, even still she refused to back down. Naoto summed up her strength and kicked the woman on her arm. She heard another desperate cry of pain. Naoto surmised by her reaction that one of her bullets must have landed.

The woman glanced down at Naoto's gun and ran towards it, but the detective prince was faster, diving to retrieve it before her. Naoto swung the gun forward to hold the woman at gunpoint, only to find her sprinting towards the guard rails.

"Stop where you are! I will shoot again. I swear to you I won't hesitate." Naoto ordered. Though her arm was shaking due to the strike she wouldn't let her culprit get away. She had her dead in her sight. "Take off your hat and mask. I know it's you, Yukiko-senpai."

…

Yukiko stood by the edge of the guard rail. She glanced back and saw Naoto hunched over on her side. The impact she had inflicted on her hip had been enough to impair her ability to sprint after her. Despite her arm being wobbly, Naoto could still shoot. The revolver remained pointed at her back.

The young Amagi's shoulder was throbbing in pain. The shot she had taken was enough impact to kill weaker shadows. Yukiko felt her arm going numb.

Naoto was shouting something at her, but it all registered as white noise.

Yukiko glanced back down to the hard concrete floor. The rice mill's machinery and pallets of left-over rice were all that was separating her from freedom.

The thought of Yu crossed Yukiko's mind once more. His concern for her wellbeing and her love for him was all that she could think about. Without further thought Yukiko jumped.

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

She could hear the revolver firing off two more times, each shot barely missing her back. Naoto yelled desperately in the background. Yukiko slammed against the rice bags roughly. The air left her chest at the impact. Still winded, she willed herself up and ran as fast she could to her scooter. The pain in her shoulder was unbearable.

As she approached the edge of the street, she saw Naoto's bike parked across the road.

"Shit she saw my scooter! And Kanji… he- he's alive…" She thought as alarm bells rung in her head. Even with her face covered there was a high chance Naoto had fully suspected her. The adrenaline had been so high she wasn't able to process anything that the detective prince had said.

She didn't know if Naoto had figured it was her or not, even if she had, none of that mattered now. The only thing on the Amagi heiress's mind was escape. Despite all odds, Yukiko managed to get to her scooter and clumsily put the key in the ignition. She released the parking latch and revved the engine before speeding off.

Yukiko couldn't think of any elaborate plans, or any fancy lies at the moment.

Nothing could ease the pounding in her heart. She had almost been caught. The roof above her head was cracking and everything was about to come tumbling with it. Nothing mattered, but putting as much space between herself and Naoto Shirogane as possible.

…

A/N: 7/5/2023, fixed some typos and minor inconstancies.