Chapter 53
50/50
The abandoned house was modestly sized. A cloud of fine dust rose from the broken floorboards. Shiho takes a cautious step forward as it sinks, giving off a low groan. After examining the living room minutes earlier, Shiho found a couple of European-styled sofas, stuffing leaking from their orifices, and a three-legged coffee table bleeding termites.
Overhead, spider webs clung to wooden beams. An old ceiling fan was teetering dangerously, hanging by a single wire, cracked in the middle and jagged on the sides.
Slowly, remnants of its previous inhabitants rise to the surface. Seeing various memorabilia, Shiho feels as if she is catching sight of ghosts. A butterfly collection hung beside jazz records on a shelf, some of which had fallen to the wooden floorboards. A vinyl record player, caked in dirt, and a spider web was between the records.
A paper calendar hung above an old analog television. Third March, 19XX. It was…twenty years ago.
Inadvertently, she touched a figurine on an antique cabinet. Sneezing, Shiho was slightly perturbed by the grotesque statues. It was made of porcelain and resembled a woman. However, instead of having humanoid features, it had an elephant-like face with teeth like a tiger's. Shiho was reminded of a Yokai Book Mitsuhiko had brought over one afternoon. It looked like a—
Amanozako.
Waving the dust away as Shiho turns her attention to the hallway.
A musky stench greeted her. An insidious rot. With the darkness swirling around her, Shiho almost gagged. She edged forward, using the walls as support. Refusing to give in to the memories assaulting her senses.
Green blank eyes. Twisted neck. The trickling drips of water. The pungent smell of something rotted. Bitter. The odor like that—of a basement.
Recalling past experiences. A silver-haired beast emerged, standing behind her. Shiho shuts her eyes tight as the sensation of his hands wrapping around her neck leaves her reeling. Curling her hands into fists, she felt nails bite into her palms.
It's not real. She told herself. Taking a deep breath, she shakes the thought away and enters the kitchen.
You shouldn't have gone alone. Shiho grimaced. She could already hear Shinichi's nags.
She shouldn't have. Still, she wasn't ready to tell him yet.
Gasping quietly as she collected herself, she pressed her palm against her racing heart. Eventually, regaining her senses.
She noticed it then. The smooth, pristine surface of the countertop she was leaning against. Despite the cracks in the marble, it was immaculate. Quite different from the surrounding areas. It was as if somebody had taken the liberty to clean…or hide something.
The rest of the kitchen was as expected. A broken fridge, a rusted sink, and several open cupboard doors hang from their hinges. Against the dirt-caked ceramic tiles, there were piles of lizard feces and dead moths. Shiho picked up pink kid-sized kitchen gloves. There was an "S" embroidered on it. There is no doubt that it belonged to the previous occupants.
Shiho recalls the children's book she spotted earlier on the living room shelves.
A gentle breeze came through as she smoothed a finger over the surface. Her attention was drawn to the sliding doors leading to the courtyard, which were slightly ajar.
Encroaching cautiously, she emerged onto a shaky porch. With the wooden structure rotting from within, the pearly white bodies of termites shone slightly in the moonlight. Wet soil and leaves emit a fresh, earthy scent as Shiho inhales sharply.
Moonlight graced the silhouettes of overgrown foliage. Silvery outlines of shrubs, bamboo, and cypress trees emerged from the inky darkness. Tall weeds dominated the yard, blocking the gravel path that once divided the garden. A green hose was still attached to a rusted tap. It was surrounded by thick and gray cobwebs, which had accumulated dirt over the years. As Shiho steps into the tall weeds, she flinches as wet mud sticks to her shoes.
Adjusting her hood, Shiho tried to comprehend what was happening.
Eiji Tanaka.
The teenage boy who fell to his death. Even though he had appeared coherent after his companion had stabbed him, he later turned hysterical.
There was something unexplained. Nonetheless, Shiho was sure it was connected to the drug found in his wallet. Though Shinichi had not elaborated, the clues provided by the men who had captured Sera were sufficient.
Eiji Tanaka's companion, an Aoi-chan, was sought by Sera's captors. The girl was running from something, which was probably linked to the neighborhood they were in. An abandoned town with its own secrets. It was likely the runaway teenagers' hideout.
After removing the weeds and shrubs from her path, she winced at the thorns and branches that scratched her skin.
Why am I doing this?
She could only sigh at the irony.
"It will never be," she grumbled, picking through the weeds again, "just a simple trip, won't it?"
There was nothing to be found. Shiho turns back to the sliding doors that had been left open. She frowned as she recalled the clean countertops and visible muddy footprints.
No, there can't be nothing. It was obvious that someone had walked through this courtyard not too long ago and had made an effort to hide traces of what they'd done.
After scanning the yard once more, she approached a rickety shack. With doors made of cheap plastic, Shiho struggled to open them. After forcing it open, she faced an empty storage room. She frowned as she placed a finger over the inner shelves.
It was cleaned.
There were no signs of dirt, wiped down with what Shiho could only assume was a wet cloth.
Why?
Snapping a photo of the shed, she was about to leave when she tripped. Picking herself up painfully, she peered at her mud-stained hoodie. Shinichi owed her a new shirt.
Gaining her bearings, she examines the object that had tripped her, only to recoil from it. Fresh dirt, the unmistakable gleam of plastic sheets. Shiho composed herself. Holding a hand against her nose to mask the overpowering stench of decomposition, Shiho's gaze hardened.
In a makeshift grave was the body of a teenage girl, wrapped haphazardly in a body bag. It wasn't professionally done. The sheet wrapped around the body was not tight enough to seal it. Moreover, the grave was dug shallow, which exposed the body to elements and wild animals who had nibbled at it.
Shiho shines a torch along the body. The teenage girl's features were still intact. There were tiny clumps of blood clots on the whites of her eyes, and her skin had a slightly bluish tint. Reaching forward, Shiho placed two fingers against the victim. The body was stiffening as expected, and bruise-like marks were forming on her back. It is a form of livor mortis in which blood pools on the ground-facing side of the body.
Her death hadn't been long ago. Probably a day or two. Studying the girl a little more, Shiho spots the mangled state of her neck. There was a deep gash, a wound that ran deep. Likely the cause of death. Grimacing at the sight, Shiho snaps a few photographs, deciding to show them to the shrunken detective.
I knew it.
Rushing to the house and climbing the stairs two at a time.
That corpse magnet.
She entered a narrow corridor with pictures of the previous owners and antique furniture. Her attention shifted to the classical-style oil paintings on the walls and Shinichi's harsh whisper.
"APTX4869."
Who was he talking to?
As she approaches the room where he stands, she steps back. Eyes widened at the deep, raspy tone of a woman.
"My sister's curse, was it?"
Shiho is greeted by the sight of a blonde short curly haired girl coughing involuntarily. She appeared to be 13…14. Though, the distinct maturity in her olive-green eyes gave it away.
Sister's…curse?
As soon as the girl spotted her, silence engulfed the room. Equally stunned, the woman turned girl, regards both Shinichi and Shiho simultaneously.
Shiho swallows uncomfortably, unable to reconcile the statement the "girl" made earlier. Ignoring the woman, she confronted Shinichi, who tensed as she drew closer.
"A body," Shiho displays the photo she had taken. Shinichi examined them with pressed lips. "We have a body."
"Akai-san, what is going on?"
Shuichi ducked under the awning of a convenience store as he walked along the pavement. With a smirk on his lips, he glanced at the shop. Choosing to stalk the area out was the right decision, after all.
"Just a case I'm looking into, Takagi-san," he answered the Inspector. It was a tricky start, to say the least. After all, chasing after teenage runaways with limited clues was bound to be complicated. The only thing Shuichi had was a name, an Aoi-chan, which was derived from the two men who had threatened Masumi earlier.
That foolish girl. Brash and hot-headed, she often puts herself in precarious situations without thinking. It was a wonder where she got that trait from. Shuichi couldn't help but frown.
Yes, it ran in the blood. A curious thing—the Akai family. Intertwined and infected at the root, forever linked to the entity and curse. A family—
Infected by the disease called curiosity.
"Purge it, Shuichi," the past stirred, recollections of a case underneath the hot summer sun. On a beach, his mother faced him, riling up memories of his father. "Purge the fog that obscures the truth."
And he did. For years, he chased after shadows while hiding within the scum, the filth of crime. In the darkness, where nothing alluded—thoughts of uncovering what was hidden were the only thing that kept him going.
As a young man, Shuichi was ignorant. Abrasive. Direct and to the point. Without mercy, he had hunted and chased after those enveloped in the bellows of sin. He paid no attention to those around him. As naive as a turtle-tooth girl.
"A case?" Takagi-san asked. An hour ago, Shuichi called the Inspector. In need of assistance, only the metropolitan police could provide. It was an old method that had yet to fail Shuichi. Accessing the CCTV security databases around the area, Takagi was able to pinpoint the direction of the teenage girl's escape.
"Related to the kidnapping captured on one of the cameras?"
"Yes," Shuichi enters the convenience store, wiping off the excess droplets from his search through the rain. Leaving small puddles on the cement floors, he was greeted by a cheerful clerk. A woman that was probably his age. "The kidnapped girl is one of my associates, so I'd appreciate it if you could narrow down the route she took."
"Hmm…" Takagi muttered. "I have already done so...but it turned a blind corner somewhere along Route 333. I can only tell you it's somewhere in the Hanageishimachi district."
A cluster of tiny houses coupled with a few hundred shops. It was a considerable municity and couldn't be searched in a day. In those conditions, finding Masumi would be impossible, and his sister would be in danger unless he found another clue quickly.
Nevertheless, it was still something.
"Thanks for your help Takagi-san," Shuichi said. As the Inspector tried to obtain more answers, he slapped his phone shut before heading to the drinks area.
Refrigerators were set side-by-side, with bright white LED lights illuminating the products inside. A blast of cold air greeted Shuichi as he opened the doors. Pretending to be engrossed in his task, he glanced at the girl beside him.
Her hair was short and curly. She wore a black jeans jacket and red checkered pants covered in holes and had freckles on her cheeks. It was a fashion style that was quite similar to Masumi's.
Though, the holes in the girl's pants seemed more like they had been weathered down rather than being a fashion statement. Worn consistently, it was, as suspected, far too tight for the girl. It was probably the only pair she owned.
Finding her at last, Shuichi breathes a sigh of relief. Takagi-san's surveillance was accurate, and Shuichi made a mental note to thank the Inspector personally.
"Aoi-chan," he startled the girl squatting and rummaging through a compartment holding hygiene products. Her pockets already had some, and she clutched a wet tissue tightly.
Fear. He noticed it right away. She leaped to her feet and was about to move when he caught her. While she breathed sharply, he seized her by the shoulder and held her in place.
"No," she screamed. It echoed through the store.
"What happened?" the store clerk rushed over to inspect the commotion.
"No, please don't—" the girl paused when one of the hygiene products she had in her pockets fell to the floor. It bounced off, landing in front of the store clerk's feet. Confusion turned to bewilderment and then to restrained anger.
"What are you planning to do?" the woman snapped, and the girl started hyperventilating. Hands shaking, lips a pale blue, she looked like she might faint. Shuichi released her, and the girl sank to her knees.
"I'll have to call the police if you don't—"
Shuichi picks the hygiene product and an antiseptic bottle and hands them to the clerk.
"I'll pay for it," he eyed the girl, who flinched. "I'll pay for everything that she'd taken."
"But—"
Shuichi turns to the store clerk. "I'll pay for it," he emphasized, and the woman grimaced before swallowing.
"Sure," she whispered.
Minutes later, Shuichi stands with a bag of hygiene products. Holding it out to the girl who was regarding him with apprehension and curiosity. "Here you go," he coaxed, slowly edging forward. The girl looked like she might bolt if he tried to approach her, and Shuichi was not in the mood to waste any more time.
"Who…who are you?" The girl's voice was soft and hoarse. There were bags under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn't slept much. "What do you want from me?"
"You've stabbed Eiji Tanaka, Aoi-chan," Shuichi went straight to the point, and the girl flinched. "And ran."
"It was a mistake," she tried to explain, fumbling over her words, showing signs of extreme distress, "We were talking…and he touched me, and I…"
She trailed off, mumbling incoherently under her breath, reliving something horrible.
"Drugs," Shuichi muttered, and she fell back. "Drugs, Aoi-chan. We found it in Eiji-san's pockets."
It was unexpected. Happening too fast. Shuichi dodged just in time as a dagger slashed at the place where he once stood. A deranged Aoi-chan was staring at him, clutching tightly to the weapon. Standing still, she glanced to her sides before looking back at him. Possibly looking for an escape route.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"I do not want anything, Aoi-chan. I am the police," he introduced himself, and she shook her head.
"No, don't lie to me. You're with him, aren't you! You were hired to hunt me down!"
"Aoi-cha—"
"Don't!"
"Eiji's dead, Aoi-chan," Shuichi snapped, not mincing any of his words. For a second, she falters. Shaking viciously, Aoi-chan almost dropped the dagger.
"No…I didn't mean to…I—"
"He jumped to his death," Shuichi elaborated, and the girl gasped. "You wounded him, but it was superficial. When we brought him to the hospital—"
"No!" Aoi-chan's fingers tightening over the weapon, Shuichi became aware of her intention. She was likely cornered. An alliance had been torn apart. Like a fly trapped in a web, the girl finds herself between two sides.
Her mannerisms are similar to—
Once again, he finds himself reminiscing. Invading his psyche casually are searing memories.
"You knew about me, didn't you!" He had shouted at her. Desperation erased any facade of calm he so carefully exuded. Shuichi could not understand the woman in front. The woman he had used to gain the truth of their existence. "If you were aware of who I was, why didn't you get away from me!"
Seizing her by her arms, he held her. "I was taking advantage of you!"
She hadn't responded right away. The raven-haired beauty's silence brings about tears. One that she had been holding back since his revelations. "Can't you tell without asking?"
It left him speechless.
He had only been after the truth. Only hanging out with her because of the information. It was a matter of convenience, and if he had a say in the matter, Shuichi would admit that she wasn't his type. She was a crybaby. Childish at some points, a little whiny at others. Too naive to the truth and, worst of all, part of an organization that murdered his father.
Yet, within it all, her unwavering confession moved something within him.
And there was no turning back.
Akemi.
He was always self-centered, wasn't he? Always chasing after a cause. An answer while pushing everyone away. Not taking notice of those around him. Akemi was a victim of his callousness, and so was his family.
"Shuu-nii…" Masumi called to him in her unconscious state. As she remains in a train carriage toward certain doom, Shuichi once again finds himself at a crossroads. The little kid he knew as his sister had grown into a strong, capable woman. Gone was the baby fat or innocence that sparkled in her eyes. Left—was a dedicated young woman trying to piece together pieces of her lost family.
"P.S. Dai-chan, if anything were to happen to me," As Shuichi reads the last text message from a raven-haired woman, "Please, take care of Shiho."
A determination blooms.
"I love you."
Shuichi would not let anyone slip past his fingers ever again.
"You don't get it. I can't tell you," Aoi-chan rants bringing him back to the present, "We didn't mean to…I didn't mean to…we just needed the money, and he said we could…"
She began sobbing. Tears rolled furiously down her cheeks, and then she raised the dagger—aiming straight at her chest.
Shuichi grabbed her wrist as he dashed forward. She floundered to push him away, but he held on, pulling her hands away and twisting them. She yowls and drops the weapon as it clatters heavily. "Stop! I need to…I want to—" she screamed, and Shuichi slapped her once across the face.
The girl looked at him, momentarily stunned. "I understand you're scared," he started as she breathed heavily. "You have been thrown into circumstances that are beyond your control. I know you're running, but," he stares at her, "I'm not here to hurt you. My only request is that you help me make things right."
"W…What—"
"Someone is looking for you," he said, and she drew a sharp breath. Her features were flooded with recognition. His theories were correct."Regardless of who they are, they have captured a girl who looks exactly like you."
Taking a firm hold of the girl's shoulder, Shuichi studies her carefully. "I need your help to save her."
The silence stretched across the pitter-patter of falling rain. It drips from the awning against the rough concrete pavements as the girl stares down at the ground, fists clenched.
"Please," Shuichi muttered softly, "Aoi-chan."
"It's," Aoi broke into sobs, choking briefly in between, "It's because of me. It's all because of me. I shouldn't have accepted it, and now…now…Sora-chan…Sora-chan is dead."
"What happened, Aoi-chan?"
"I," she sniffed, rubbing away her tears, before reaching into her pockets.
"He provides us with the loot," she handed Shuichi a plastic casing that withheld a card. "We had a falling out."
Gaze hardening, Shuichi examines the card with mirth.
"He killed…Sora-chan."
"You again!" was Inspector Yamamura's first response. With hands on his hips, the detective marched over to them. "How many more bodies will you unearth? Where is your guardian?"
His brows twitched at Yamamura-san's shrill voice, and he glanced over to the two "girls" being questioned by another officer. Upon arriving fifteen minutes earlier, the once abandoned neighborhood was bustling with activity.
It was a busy scene with guard dogs sniffing around the courtyard, yellow tape being erected around the area, drones flying overhead, and flashing red and blue lights from police cars and ambulances.
"And what were you kids doing here?" the officer asked. With her arms folded, Mary Sera remained tight-lipped as Shiho studied her wearily.
"We were looking for something!" Shinichi bounded over while pulling a protesting Yamamura-san along.
"Looking for something?" the female police officer raised a brow, holding out a notepad with scrutiny. "What were you looking for? There's practically nothing here?"
Shinichi pipes in the most innocent voice he could muster, "Inspector Yamamura said he was missing a clue for a case." Incredulous, the Inspector was about to protest when Shiho stepped on his feet. Hard.
The Inspector yowled and hopped on one leg as Shinichi turned to the police officer watching the scene. "That was why we're here."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"They're with me," Kichiro Takeshi, the forensic officer they talked to earlier, appeared. The man created an excuse for them by twisting his mustache like Poirot. Eventually, he ordered the officer away.
"Well, I'm glad there's at least one competent person in the force," Mary Sera snorted as Kichiro faced them. Taking the packet, Shinichi had previously given him, the slightly older man opened it.
"I'm assuming you're here because of this?"
"Yes," Shinichi said as Shiho stood behind him. To avoid the blonde-haired middle school girl standing solemnly beside them, she grabbed him by the sweater.
"What were you doing here?" Mary Sera had asked as they stood in that vacant room. Olive green eyes, reminiscent of another blonde-haired woman, captivated Shinichi's attention. Shinichi recognized the similarities immediately after studying her features.
As the trait cemented in his mind, he swallowed it. He collected himself after pushing the revelation to the back of his mind.
"I could ask the same of you," he smirked, and Mary paused, turning to him and then to an auburn-haired scientist who had just entered.
"What is this body you refer to?" she asked.
Shiho displayed the pictures she had taken on her phone. Despite his self-given moniker, Shinichi was still not used to the grotesque sight of a corpse.
Ignoring Mary's question, Shinichi hurried down the steps, knowing that time was running out. Mary and Shiho followed not far behind. Upon entering the kitchen and exiting the courtyard, he saw an unearthed body. Hidden beneath a thicket of overgrown weeds and grass. Mouth agape, blank eyes gazing upward.
"Dead for one to two days," Shiho informed him, and he nodded.
"Mary-san," The woman frowned at the mention of her name. "Could you call the police?"
"Ok, what exactly is going on?" she asked again.
"Your daughter," Shinichi explained quickly, not giving her the time to ponder, "Has been kidnapped, and we're sure she's…"
"Linked to the case," Shiho replied unexpectedly. At that moment, the scientist looked at the woman with nervousness and…bewilderment. She then faced Shinichi, burying her swirling emotions.
Hidden beneath the reticence was a burning fire. Shinichi gulped, knowing that look very well returned to examine the body instead.
He'd face her wrath later but for now—
"Masumi? Kidnapped? What?"
As with her son, Mary maintained a calm demeanor. Though, her actions indicated otherwise. There was a slight shift in her eyebrows, a slight tightening of her lips...similar actions to those of a...yes, Miyano Shiho.
There was no doubt about it.
Soon after, police arrived and cordoned off the area. It led them to the current situation. A powder-like substance in the plastic is presented to them by Kichiro.
"You're right, boy," the forensic officer replied, "Held within is the substance that has destroyed countless innocent lives."
"Cocaine," Mary grabs ahold of it and inspects it.
"You're telling me that my Masumi has been kidnapped by guys who are involved with this?"
"Masumi?" Yamamura-san appeared behind them. Still hobbling from his injured foot, he looks at the drug and then at the shrunken teenagers. "Cocaine? Ok…seriously, what is going on? This was just supposed to be a simple stabbing case."
Again, Shinichi was suitably annoyed.
"Duct tape," he muttered.
"No, Shinichi," Shiho eyes the Inspector with venom, "Plastic surgery."
"Spending all that money…just to sew his lips shut?"
"Sewing? When did I mention sewing…"
Shinichi eyes her, and she shrugs. "Removing it would be a better option."
"Shiho, that is a criminal offens—"
The voice cackling from Shiho's badge interrupted him. Taking it out, Akai-san's voice came through. As the FBI agent spoke, the line was littered with static. "I found her."
"Aoi-chan?"
"Yes, it's our runaway teenager. I'm speaking to her as we speak. She said something about a friend…a Sora-chan who was murdered."
"We located her," Shinichi smirked. After looking at the drug in Mary's hand, he turned his attention to the bustling activity behind.
Teenage runaways. Two dead, one alive. A kidnapped Sera Masumi. An abandoned shelter for wayward kids. Drugs. Dried blood on the floors. A clean kitchen countertop…and…
"Let me guess, Akai," Shinichi deduced, "Aoi-chan and Sora-chan, in need of cash, were probably, and most likely, offered jobs by Eiji Tanaka. In exchange for peddling drugs, they were given a place to live and money to survive."
"That's right," Akai confirms, "Eiji Tanaka, though, went rogue and stole from the supplier before storing the drugs in their hideaway. The abandoned house you just found."
"Unfortunately for him," Shinichi lays the groundwork that led to Eiji's death, "his supplier found out and decided to confront him. However, what he found in that house..."
"Aoi-chan and the victim, Sora-chan," Shiho muttered.
"Yes, Aoi-chan managed to escape, but Sora-chan wasn't as fortunate. She was killed by the supplier. In the scuffle, he discovered that he'd lost something important."
"Important?" Kichiro interjected.
"A doctor's ID," Akai revealed, "Aoi-chan handed me a doctor's ID."
It cemented the plot. The erratic behavior of Eiji Tanaka before his death. It was likely a ploy formed by none other than—
"Kyo Imai," Shinichi remembered the doctor's name. It was the same doctor who had followed Eiji to the roof. Despite not administering the drugs or bandaging Eiji's wounds, Kyo Imai could have easily provided the hallucinatory drug to one of the unsuspecting nurses.
"Aoi-chan snatched his ID when they were struggling."
"Which explains the frantic search for Aoi-chan," Mary did not attempt to mask her deep adult-like voice, shocking both Kichiro, and Yamamura-san. Likewise, Akai went silent.
"Do you have the address, Shuichi," she snatched the badge away from Shiho.
"Ka…Kaa-san?" a rarely flustered Akai blurted out unintentionally. As Shinichi realized the FBI agent's words, he immediately turned to Shiho. Her face was awash in shock, her lips pursed into a tight line, and her arms folded tightly across her chest as if to contain any expression of emotion.
Looks like…
Shiho glanced at him, and Shinichi sighed.
He'll have some explaining to do.
"Masumi is in danger. Do you have an address?" Mary cut right to the chase.
"No. Unfortunately, not. The hospital refused to give me any personal information about their staff. I have called Inspector Takagi-san, but he has yet to answer. I cannot pinpoint Kyo Imai's exact address, but I know he lives around the Hanageishimachi district."
"Well, that settles it then," Mary turns to Yamamura-san. "Find Kyo Imai's address by accessing your police records."
"Wait…wait!" the Inspector protested. "What are you guys insinuating…why should I take orders from little kids? What exactly is go—"
Mary seized him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him forward. With prowess unbefitting of a middle schooler, she sweeps him off his feet. As Mary holds him in a chokehold, he cries out in pain.
"Don't waste my time, boy," she sneered, "Are you going to do your job or not!"
Kirchiro, stunned at first, regained his composure and urged the little "girl" to release his colleague.
"I will file assault charges against you if you do not stop," he warned Mary, and she promptly got off Yamamura-san's back.
"So, is anyone going to look up Kyo Imai's address?" she demanded. Kichiro eyes her, and then Shinichi and Shiho. "Who exactly are you guys…" He flips out his phone.
"A search of the database, right?" Kirchiro makes arrangements.
"Do you have it?" Mary asked a few minutes later as Kichiro snapped the phone shut.
"I have an address."
"Then what are we waiting for," Mary drags Inspector Yamamura up. The man flinched when she ordered him. "Drive us there."
"Are the two of you idiots!"
Masumi knew she was in deep trouble when those words left their lips. While spitting out the blood from her broken lip, she tried to loosen the ties that held her to the chair.
It was still dark, and the bright naked bulb above blinded her vision. Locked in a basement, Masumi could only access her situation.
When Okiya Subaru threatened them, the two men panicked, snatching the badge away from her. Exiting the basement, they made frantic, loud calls to someone they called a "boss." If the men's bloodshot eyes and maniac appearance were any indications, Masumi was confident they were peddlers. It solidified her theory that the white powder in the teenager's hands was drug-related.
Hearing another loud bang, Masumi stiffened.
"I asked you guys to do one simple thing for me, and you screwed it up! What was the point of bringing her here!"
As she strains to hear, Masumi realizes that the two captors are conversing with another perpetrator. A chill went down her spine, and she struggled hard against her ties.
The boss was here, and Masumi was sure he, unlike the two bone-headed idiots that caught her, knew what Aoi-chan looked like. Her facade that had fooled the two men wouldn't work on him, and she grimaced. Trying her best, she wiggled furiously, only stopping when the basement doors cracked open.
She spotted her two captors, who approached her maliciously. She winced when Daiki grabbed her by the collar again and slapped her across the cheeks.
"Give it to us!" he yelled, "Stop playing these games!"
"No," she warned, "I wasn't lying. Do anything to me, and my accomplice will get you."
"You—"
"Out, the both of you."
Daiki lets her go. Her two captors make way for a man walking into the basement. Despite the darkness, Masumi was able to discern his white lab coat.
A doctor?
Stepping into the light, Masumi was greeted by a baby-faced man. He was young, probably in his mid-twenties. Wearing spectacles, crew-cut hair, and freckles across his skin, he appeared innocent…kind. There was; however, something else hidden behind those gray pools. A sinister glint emerges as he nears her.
"But boss…we were just trying to make things righ—"
The man loses his temper, punching one of Daiki in the face. He cries out, falling to the ground, as her other captor stands back in shock.
"Wha…what did we do!?" he demanded.
"You fools!" the boss's voice bounced off the basement walls. "This is the wrong girl!"
"What!"
"Find her now! Or I swear on my mother's grave that this will be the last job you'll ever embark on!" he threatens.
"But…" they turned to Masumi with stunned realization. "How…we…"
"Now!" the man roared, and they stumbled out of the basement.
Alone with the man, Masumi catches sight of the name tag pinned on the front of his coat. A Dr. Kyo Imai. A general practitioner at Maebashi General Hospital.
When Masumi put two and two together, she glared at the man with disdain. No, he wasn't a doctor. This was the man who killed Eiji Tanaka, who had sworn a Hippocratic oath and broke it. He was a—
"Murderer," she whispered.
Grabbing her collar, he lifted her. The ties that bound her cut into her wrist, causing her to wince. It hurt. Everything hurt— from the bruises inflicted upon her and the sharp sting of her bleeding lip. She felt dizzy, the wound throbbing furiously at the back of her head, not dying down anytime soon.
"Who exactly are you?" he demanded.
Flat, cold. His tone lacked any trace of humanity. Masumi swallowed the rising fear coursing through her veins as she stared at the eyes of a beast.
"A passerby," she spat, and he released her, pushing her back. Crashing painfully on the cold ground, she cried out as he kicked her hard in the stomach. Then, he lifted her again, his hands circling her throat as his ash-gray eyes bore into her.
"Tell me who you are!" he demanded.
"Why should I!?" Masumi sneered, "You're finished, Kyo Imai. You're done. My accomplices are on the way!"
An ugly smirk appeared on his lips as silence greeted her. As the hands tightened around her throat, Masumi gasped.
"Well, it doesn't matter."
This was bad. Masumi couldn't breathe. The man was strong despite his short stature. While choking, she felt her vision blur. Black dots appear in between as she begins to lose consciousness.
Was she…dying?
Panic engulfed her, turning into horror, as she convulsed on the pressure exerted on her neck. She struggled, straining against the ropes that bound her.
Left behind.
Again, she was powerless to do anything. A useless and incapable vestige. Second to her brothers. Family, she could not unite, pulled apart by the fates of time. Nobody was coming for her. Nobody cared. She was—
A bad kid…till the very end.
"Onii…" As tears rolled down her eyes, regret rushed through Masumi.
"It's over, girl," Kyo taunted, malice whispered into ears.
"Are you sure about that?"
The pressure was released, and Masumi found that she could breathe. Regaining her senses, she coughed violently, spotting a flash of brown in the corner of her eye.
"What! Who are you!?" Kyo shouted. The man looked at the figure standing by the doorway. Slowly emerging from the shadows, Okiya Subaru rushed forward, a wave of churning anger quietly burning in his brown chestnut eyes. In a last-ditch effort, Kyo clawed at Okiya's face.
Something tore, but Okiya was faster. With a palm slam, he sent Kyo Imai flying. When the doctor hit the wall behind him, there was a loud thump, and he let out a silent moan before sinking to the ground.
Masumi turned back to Okiya, who was suddenly before her. In no time at all, he had stripped her of her ties. Masumi is stunned by his revelations. Observing him silently, she noticed a rip in a mask, black hair peeking through a brown wig.
"Masumi," a familiar voice from the past, "Masumi, are you ok?"
Releasing the last of her ties, Masumi reached forward, peeling off the remnants of his mask. The tears started flowing again as relief and joy flooded her. A crooked smile, olive green eyes, the scent of smoke and peppermint aftershave, and the comfortable remainder of—
"Sorry I'm late," he whispered.
Throwing her arms around him, she cried.
"Shuu-nii!"
Against the backdrop of terrace houses, blue and red lights flashed. A line of uniformed police officers blocked the view of Kyo Imai's neighbors. There were whispers from the curious crowd regarding the unconscious doctor, strapped to a stretcher and handcuffed.
Two other men, one chubby, the other tall, were being led out. Struggling in cuffs, they were forced into the police cars as Inspector Yamamura and Kichiro Takeshi instructed the rest of the officers about the ongoing search.
One of the forensics officers came out with a sack of white powdered packets.
A loud ambulance blared at the side, housing the aforementioned family. A middle age "girl" standing next to a teary-eyed Masumi Sera, who was being treated by a paramedic. As the medic bandages her wounded head, she clings to a man like a lost child. Despite her injuries, the joy in her eyes was a constant reminder of the sacrifice Akai Shuichi once made to hunt demons.
With a gentle smile, Akai ruffles Masumi's short black hair. Olive eyes carried with them a warmth that Shinichi had never seen before. Seeing the family together, at last, was heartwarming. Years of speculating about Akai Shuichi's relationship with Masumi Sera were cemented in blood.
Siblings that were torn apart. A family reunited, brought together by the very thing that had ripped them apart.
Distracted by the scene, he didn't realize the cold hand slipping into his grasp.
"When were you going to tell me?" Shiho observes the family reunion. A swirling green sea of confusion conceals melancholy and disbelief. "That Sera Masumi…and Akai Shuichi were siblings?"
Masking her shock well, she confronts him.
Shinichi scratches the back of his head sheepishly. He chuckled dryly as a heavy weight settled. "I wasn't sure," he admits, "I was going to tell you…but…well…"
He gestures at police cars and Aoi-chan being questioned by them. A female officer hugged the runaway teenager as she told her story. A victim in her own right, her friend's invisible and tragic voice would at least be heard. Akai ensured that Aoi-chan was promised a safe place to stay.
Shiho sighs and leans against him, flinching slightly. "She said…my sister's curse…did I…" The scientist is still in a state of denial. Shinichi could not blame her. It was a hard pill to swallow, especially for the auburn-haired scientist responsible for creating a drug that was potentially the cause of her newfound aunt's condition.
"I'm sorry," Shinichi muttered, "I wasn't sure if she was," he took a deep breath, "I didn't want you to find out this way…"
Glancing at the blonde-haired middle-school girl, "I'm not mad, Shinichi," she admits, "This…" Shiho tightens her grip on his hands. "Is a little…"
Forcing a weak smile, she drew back, hiding behind Shinichi.
Secrets locked behind olive green eyes, a maturity hidden behind a child-like face, her hardened features soften as she regards Shiho. Mary stood before them with an extended hand.
"So," she started, "What do you want with me?"
Episodes Used:
Episode 497: Akemi and Akai scene
Episode 501-504
Episode 691
Episode 701-704
Episode 881-882
Phew, this was a hard chapter to write. I'm a little nervous for this one. Originally I wasn't going to write a Shinichi, Shiho meets Mary Sera scene, but I felt that it was needed after much pondering.
As for next week, we're be meeting up with our favorite and controversial character Furuya Rei :). If anyone gets the context of the significance of the abandoned house Shinichi and Shiho discovered, please, tell me your theories, I would like to know if I was clear enough XD. And also, what was Mary Sera doing in that area *wink wink*.
I would like to write more complicated cases, and maybe I would, with the detective boys later on. Again, I hope you enjoy this week's chapter, and thank you for all the reviews and support.
See you guys in the next chapter.