Tetsuji

It was Moeka that killed Akari.

It was Moeka that killed Akari.

It was Moeka that killed Akari.

For a long moment, that was all that I could hear. The boy's (well, he was not really a boy, but what did it matter, when Moeka would always just be a girl?) voice rang in my ears, the accusation repeating over and over again, taking on a slightly more malicious tone with each re-iteration.

How could it be true? How could my sunny, talented, amazing daughter have been a killer? She had died herself, she'd been a victim. But not just that. She'd been happy and beautiful, always with a smile on her face for anyone. I knew that back then, people would look at me and then at her and wonder how on earth we could be related, and it hadn't mattered, because she was related and she was wonderful. She would never, ever have hurt anyone, ever. So how could this have made any sense?

The answer was that it didn't. And so…

"You're lying!" I spat, wrenching myself away from his grip.

"N-no," Eizo stammered, suddenly looking a little sick. "I'm not lying….that is, I didn't mean to…"

"YOU'RE LYING. TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"Kamiya-san, please…"

Hearing a random member of the public mutter something, I diverted my attention long enough to give them a dark glare, before I looked over at Azami, who'd managed to get away to hide, peering out at the both of us. She looked frightened and child-like, and I imagined that Moeka must surely have looked the same when whoever had killed her had come for her. My little girl, terrified, but nobody had come to defend her the way Eizo had Azami. She'd had no car to hide behind. And yet these two….these two…

"Didn't you care about her at all? Now you're just throwing her under the bus to save your own skins, when she can't defend herself?"

Azami only blinked at me, looking like a goddamn deer-in-the-headlights. I could hear shallow, fast breathing, and it sounded like it could be hers, but I pushed that knowledge to the side as I tried to assert myself as best as I could with a car in between us.

"Tell me. Tell me, or…."

What was I going to do? In truth, I didn't really know, but regardless, I needed to know the truth.

"Oi, oi, what's going on here?"

I whipped around, wincing at the twinge the sudden movement triggered in my leg, only to see, of all the people, Detective Evalynn Dupont, getting out of a car and approaching us.

"What are you doing, Kamiya? I hope you're not harassing our witnesses?"

"Don't be ridiculous." I snorted.

Evalynn frowned at me, then looked to Eizo and Azami.

"Amai? Kishinami?"

"He was asking us about his daughter. Became, erm, very insistent."

Eizo was the one who spoke up, sounding sheepish and a little wary as he did so. Azami didn't say a word, and continued staring.

"You're the one telling lies!" I said. "I just want you to tell the truth."

"Right, Kamiya, come back with me." Evalynn said with a sigh. "We can talk about it at the station."

"The station? Why? Aren't you going to arrest them?" I asked furiously, pointing to the two of them.

"Whoever said anything about arresting you, Kamiya?"

I blinked for a moment, simply staring at the detective, who returned the stare without blinking. Eventually, she spoke slowly:

"The Superintendent's told us about you. Don't make me have to arrest you."

And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean? I sighed heavily, which made me cough, before I decided to acquiesce. Suddenly, I felt spent, and I wanted to sleep. But that was something I would never do, not until I had answers.

"Fine. But you'll bring those two back in, won't you?" I asked as I followed her reluctantly.

"Yes, yes."

…

Azami

I wasn't sure how we ended up getting back to the apartment. I wasn't sure how I managed to get back up the stairs, or even how I ended up sitting down at the table, our meal shared out between us. But after Eizo pushed a cup of sugary water into my hands and made me drink it, sip by sip, I could feel myself settle again, feel as if I was once more a part of my body, and then I could ask.

"Was it true, what you said to him? About Akari…."

…that Moeka-chan had killed her.

Mid-bite, Eizo froze and blinked. He took a moment to swallow, then put his food down, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't mean to say it like that, just without any warning." He murmured. "I was just…trying to get him to leave you alone."

I nibbled at my own food a little as I considered this.

"But, it's true?"

Eizo regarded me tremulously, then nodded, slowly.

"It is. I'm sorry, Azami."

I could not say anything for a long moment. I didn't know how I felt. It was a little piece of the puzzle, one other crucial thing that made the picture a little clearer for me. The fact that it was Moeka, of all people.

"Oooh, what do you think of this one?"

Moeka pulled the sleeve of the kimono towards us, inviting us to inspect the pretty floral pattern that snaked across it, going from a light pink at the tip of the sleeves and ending darker at the shoulder. I exchanged a glance with Akari, who nodded, and then we both turned and beamed.

"It's good!" We both said.

"It's a bit fussy for summer," Akari added. "But it'd probably do great for New Year."

"Or even for the party, right?" I added. "I mean, presumably, going traditional for the clothes would fit."

"Probably, but if the theme is 'Modern Japan', then maybe not a proper kimono. Maybe one of those kimono dresses. But yeah, maybe?"

"It certainly would." Moeka grinned. "But whatever we wear, we'll look awesome, right?"

"Of course!" Akari and I said, in unison once again.

Then again, I supposed, I wouldn't have expected the fun and goofy Katsuya, or even Eizo's sensible Fumiaki to have killed either. And whoever else had ended up succumbing…well, really, at the end of the day, there wasn't anyone that I could have imagined in such a situation. What difference did it make that Akari had been Moeka's victim, as opposed to any of the others? What difference?

"What happened? Why did she….?"

"Azami…"

Eizo's face was creased in worry, and I was touched that it was, but at the same time, somehow, it felt too late for that.

"Please, tell me." I said. "I need to know."

Eizo nodded at that, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, he reached out, and held my hand, and began to speak.

"Do you remember one of the motives, where some of us woke up, or went somewhere, or whatever, and found those pieces of paper in their pockets with their names and a threat on them?"

I frowned.

"Oi, what the actual fuck is this?!"

Sen'ya came storming in, waving a piece of paper around above his head furiously. I could just about see the kanji of his name on one side, and a sentence of print on the other.

"What are you on about?" Eikichi asked immediately. "What is that?"

Sen'ya glared.

"You telling me that I'm the only fucking one who got a threat to my mother tucked into my trouser pockets at some time last night?"

"A what?" Moeka gasped.

"Did you lock your room?" Eikichi asked.

"Of course I fucking locked my room! But those locks are fucking jammy as I keep telling you!"

"Alright, enough." Seiko stood up suddenly. "Arguing is not going to get us anywhere. May I see that, Ochiai?"

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Sen'ya shoved the note at Seiko, as if he couldn't be rid of it fast enough. Seiko frowned at it, and turning it over and over, before sighing.

"What does it say?" Eikichi demanded.

Seiko opened her mouth to answer, but all of a sudden the door opened, and Teiichi rushed in, breathless and panicked. He paused for a moment, going slightly red under all our gazes, before bending over to catch his breath, then straightening, and digging in his pocket to hold up a note. One with his name on one side, and a sentence on the other side.

"I….Sarang." he said, referring to his girlfriend from back home, who was half-Korean like him. "It says I have to kill someone…or Sarang will die…."

"I remember. I…didn't get one?"

"You might have, but you didn't find it. There were a few who didn't seem to have theirs. But, I guess it goes without saying that Moeka had one, threatening her mother and father. And perhaps she could have ignored one implied threat, but the other…."

"But how did she manage to get Akari alone?" I asked. "Once people started dying, she…."

She tried to keep me safe.

Eizo shook his head helplessly.

"I don't know. What I do know that in her pocket, she had a note too?"

"About our mum and dad?" I asked, all the while trying to remember if Akari had ever shown me a note. Tried as I might, I came up blank.

"No…" Eizo shook his head, sorrowfully.

"Then…."

There was a silence. Eizo averted his gaze, and squeezed my hand. I stared at him, waiting for him to answer. But he didn't, and the time felt like it stretched on for a long time.

Akari tried to keep me safe. And just like that, I realised it.

"No." I breathed.

"Yes." Eizo whispered, realising I had figured it out. "That's right…"

"So she…she died because…."

I stood up, my hands fluttering, my heart beating. I was on her note, which means that….which means that….

"She died because of me?"

"No!" Eizo gasped. "No, Azami, that isn't…."

"I was on her note!" I cried out. "And she was out because of that, and Moeka-chan was out because of hers, and if she hadn't been out, then she wouldn't have died. It's me. It's my f-f…my f-fa…"

"No, Azami."

Eizo pushed back his chair, rushed around, and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me right to him. I struggled a moment, tried to resist, but I didn't really know why and so soon I gave in, sagging and letting him hold me as I completely and utterly fell to pieces.

It was my fault that she died. My fault. It should have been me, instead, it should have.

"Azami, Azami." Eizo soothed, stroking my hair, slightly rocking in a way that was oddly calming, even if I didn't deserve it. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm sorry, too. Oh god, I'm so sorry."

It felt like I was crying for an eternity, but eventually my tears ran out, and I was swept over with exhaustion, and I needed to breathe. I tried to pull away, but my legs went wobbly, and Eizo directed me back to my chair, before shoving a napkin at me. I wiped my face as he came to kneel down beside me.

Scrunching up the napkin, I looked at Eizo, who was regarding me carefully, worry so clear on his face. I wanted so badly to be held by him again. Every time he'd touched me since we'd met again, no matter how casually, had always been warm, and consoling. Comforting. I wanted more of it, to just be swept up in it and forget for a moment that I was who I was. It was not as if he was a stranger, not really. We'd had a romance before, no matter how youthful it had been. If I skewed it right, the possibility of being with him like that, right now, felt just like an extension of that to my damaged heart.

But I was not so damaged to know that was just my old patterns of behaviour talking, the attempts at assuaging the loneliness that I had undertaken in my early twenties emerging again. I knew now that it had been unhealthy then, and it'd still be unhealthy now. And maybe that was all I was capable of, in the end, but maybe I didn't deserve that much.

But I knew for sure that Eizo deserved more than that. Much, much more.

"You alright now?" he asked, softly, brushing a stray strand of my hair.

I held back the shiver that simple action produced, and simply nodded. Eizo sighed.

"I'm sorry, Azami. I didn't mean for it to come out like this."

"It doesn't matter, now." I said, stiffly. "I….I think I need to go to bed now."

"Oh! You don't want to eat anything else?"

"No, I just need to sleep."

Not that I would sleep. But what else could I do, feeling like this? Eizo nodded, and got up, and started to clear up what was left on the table.

"Alright then, we can have the rest for tomorrow. Try and rest, alright?" he asked.

I simply nodded, and with what felt like monumental effort, I walked away.

…

Akio

I was lying in bed when I heard the door open, and whispers floated up the stairs as the door locked again. Dad, soothing and reassuring, and the occasional comment from Mum, hesitant and worried. But what the words were, I couldn't tell. I lay there for a few more moments, and then hesitantly got up, put my glasses back on, and slowly, carefully, padded down the stairs.

"Mum? Dad?" I whispered.

They had just been heading into the kitchen, but when I whispered, they paused and turned around.

"Akio?" my dad asked a little sharply. "You're still awake?"

I shook my head, quickly.

"No."

I decided not to mention that I hadn't been able to get to sleep, and came down the rest of the way. To my surprise, Mum gathered me up in a furious hug, squashing my glasses slightly. When she let go, and I surveyed her, noticing that she seemed tired, her eyes slightly red as if she'd been crying, and that there was some sort of dressing on her ear.

"Mum! Did you get hurt?"

I was expecting a smile and a reassurance, some vague answer about it being 'nothing', or even that 'it didn't hurt anymore now I've seen you', or something like that. Even a dismissive 'it's not anything for you to worry about' would have been better than the wide-eyed fear that appeared on her face, as she turned to Dad, looking up at him beseechingly. He sighed, and put a hand on her head.

"I'll bring a drink up to you-no, actually, Akio, can you make a green tea for the both of us? I'll talk to you later." He ordered.

This tone, too, was unusual. I opened my mouth to protest, but Dad took off his own glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment, so I closed it again, and meekly nodded. As I headed into the kitchen, I heard Dad say:

"No, for now I told him to stay, he's old enough to at least know a little bit of what is happe-no, of course I won't tell everythi…"

I made a point of focusing on making the cups of tea, even finding a tray to carry them up in. The mundane domestic rhythm was mildly soothing, but not enough to make me forget the events of today. It was with held breath that I took up the two cups, with hesitation that I put it down to knock on their closed door when I got back upstairs.

Dad opened the door, half-undressed, blinking for a moment until he saw the tea.

"Go back down." He sighed, taking the tray. "Thanks for this."

"Thank you, Akio." Mum said softly from somewhere in the bedroom.

"It's okay," I replied automatically. "Goodnight, Mum."

Once again, I headed downstairs and into the kitchen, and sat down at one of the chairs, waiting. Idly, I traced patterns on the table surface with my fingers, over and over, only stopping to get a glass of milk, and then starting again. Eventually, after what felt like an age, Dad came downstairs and sat in the chair facing mine. At first, though without really knowing why, I didn't look up.

"Have you been alright here tonight?" he asked after a pause.

"I guess," I shrugged. "It was a bit quiet though, when Sachi isn't chattering and following you around."

Dad laughed, a sound which had a creaky sensation to it, as if laughter was something that hadn't been used. I looked up then, noticing that my Dad seemed older than when I had seen him this morning.

"You'd certainly be right about that. Though…." Dad blew out a breath. "I think it'd be better for us all if you went and stayed with one of your schoolfriends for a little while, while the investigation is ongoing. Your mother is finding it hard to cope with, and it's better that she doesn't have to worry about you."

"But…she wouldn't need to, though. Worry, that is. I can look after myself."

I paused and considered this a moment, before adding:

"More or less."

Again, this made Dad laugh in the same dis-used way. I had to fight to stop myself shivering.

"Again, you'd be right, but you know what your mother is like. Always happiest looking after us. But this is going to be a hard time for her, and I want it to be as easy as possible."

"I….sure. But she didn't get hurt, did she?" I asked.

"What? Oh, no, no. It was just a minor procedure, that's all. We haven't been given the go-ahead to be public about it, and there are still things we're working out about it…"

Dad trailed off, and I wanted to ask him what any of that meant, because I couldn't understand what, exactly, a minor surgical procedure could have in common with an investigation into twenty-year-old deaths and disappearances.

"Anyway, we'll be out early tomorrow as well, so you'll need to start finding a place to stay then-do you have anyone? Or would you like me to help?" Dad asked, again sounding unusually brisk.

I shook my head, and tried to smile myself.

"It's alright, really, Dad. Worry about Mum and your job."

This, apparently, was the right thing to say, because Dad's shoulders relaxed visibly, and his frown loosened. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and got up.

"Get back into bed soon, alright?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight."

Dad sloped out of the kitchen, and I finished off my milk, then went to wash the glass. Standing at the sink, I realised that I hadn't asked about the tour of New Hope's Peak. I supposed it wouldn't matter, either way. It'd keep me out of the house as Dad (and Mum?) wanted, and a part of me was looking forward to it too. Besides, it was probably best that I didn't ask anyway.

I didn't want to give them something else to worry about.

…

Otsuka

I was up bright and early, and the first thing I did was check my phone. There were a few texts from various people, but not a single one was the one that I had been hoping for. Ugh, I thought with irritation, come on, seriously? I knew he had seen it-the indicator on the messages had two blue ticks for read, but for there to be no reply. The best I could hope was that he himself was trying to figure it out, or that he'd been tuckered out by his efforts. He was sixty, after all.

Hey, I typed. Once you find out what you can, just drop me a message or voicemail. I'm gonna be at the tour so might not answer unless it's am emergency. Once that was sent, I went to the forums to type a cheery message to the 'crew' about meeting for the tour, and then set about cleaning up, shoving a couple of bits of toast into my mouth, then getting changed and doing my hair.

I grabbed my bag and my phone, and surveyed my appearance carefully in my bedroom mirror. I tucked a stray strand of hair back behind my ear, and looked for my best boots, then surveyed again. Satisfied with the effect, I grinned at my reflection, and then set off to start the day.

I created a server yesterday for both this fic and And So It Begins. I'll pop the link on my profile if anyone is interested! Anyway, as always, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and leave feedback if you want/can!