A/N: This oneshot takes place immediately after "Confronting the Mastermind!" Please read, review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Kaede's Funeral!
"…Well, here we are."
Makoto sighed, pulling the car to a stop in front of the temple. He turned his head, his eyes softening in concern at his daughter and her partner.
"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"
Kyoko nodded, her hand reaching back to cradle her daughter's free one. "There's no shame in having your parents come with you for emotional support. Take it from me, in trying times like these, having your family to help share the emotional burden is an immeasurable blessing."
Kiki smiled, grateful for the helping hands her parents willingly extended. "I know you guys are there for me, and I really am grateful. It's just…this is something Shuichi and I have to do ourselves."
Shuichi nodded. "It'll be okay, Mr. and Mrs. Naegi. We won't be long; we're just going to attend the ceremony and pay our respects, then we'll be back out."
Makoto reluctantly nodded. "Alright, then. We'll wait for you, then."
Without another word, Kiki and Shuichi awkwardly climbed out of the car and walked into the temple. Makoto turned to his wife, pursing his lips at her forlorn expression.
"…You're thinking about your grandfather's funeral, aren't you?"
Kyoko let out a heavy sigh. "That was the last funeral we attended…I was not the most composed, even with you and Mom and Dad and everyone else there with me. To see my daughter stand tall, to bear it alone with only Shuichi's support, and wear a smile all the while…she's definitely handling this much better than I was."
Makoto wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close. "I think it's because she knows we're there for her that she can bear it. She might be physically going with only Shuichi, but even if she doesn't say it outright, she's leaning on all of us emotionally."
The two turned their heads to the temple's entrance, watching as their daughter and her partner disappeared into its depths. Though physically separated from the two young adults, they sent all the emotional strength they could give to the duo, hoping the vibes they lent would strengthen their moral fortitude during this sorrowful occasion.
Kiki and Shuichi watched the crowd of Kaede's relatives, friends, and acquaintances mingling with each other. A mixture of sad smiles, anguished grimaces, and teary-eyed expressions painted the atmosphere in a climate of sorrow. Seeing all these unfamiliar faces made Kiki feel increasingly out of place.
"Ne, Shuichi? Have you met anyone else here?"
Shuichi hummed, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Well…it's been a while, but I do see at least a handful of vaguely familiar faces. I can't recall where I've met them, though, and there are plenty that are just as strange and foreign to me as you." Shuichi sighed, a bittersweet smile on his face. "Kaede was a social butterfly and I was…not…"
Kiki nodded. "She's made so many friends, and probably has a large, loving family to boot. Meanwhile, my only real connection to her is you, Shuichi." Kiki's finger twirled around her braid. "I'll probably stick out like a sore thumb; I doubt anyone here'll recognize me-"
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
"Huh?" Kiki turned, seeing two young women about her age practically stomping over to them.
"We never thought you'd have the nerve to show your face here!" One of them hissed.
"Yeah, have you no shame?!" The other nearly growled, much to their confusion.
"Ah…do you know these two girls, Kiki?" Shuichi inquired, his brow furrowed while Kiki shook her head.
"No, I don't think I've ever seen them before."
One of the two girls spat at their feet. "So, she's a complete ditz as well as a traitor!"
Ditz?!
"Oui, she seems to not have enough consideration to remember Kaede's own classmates, even though she flew halfway across the world just to see her!"
Halfway across the world? Wait…during my detective training in high school… Kiki gasped, her eyes widening in realization. "Y-You two…you were part of that flock of girls following Kaede around the campus!"
"Keh, took her long enough, eh, Caroline?"
"Oui, I suppose she hasn't completely forgotten us, Charlotte. So she's not a total ditz, just a traitorous backstabber."
"Backstabber?!" Kiki nearly shrieked. "I'm not a backstabber!"
"You betrayed Kaede when you convicted her of murder!"
"Under false charges, might I add." Charlotte hissed. "We knew you were suspicious from the day we met, but Kaede wouldn't listen to us! She couldn't stop singing your praises after you flew back to Japan."
She…sung my praises…?
Kiki couldn't contemplate this revelation for long, though, as the two followers continued their verbal assaults. "And how did you repay her kindness? By throwing her under the bus and letting her die!"
"What do you have to say for yourself, Naegi?!"
"That's…that's not what happened." Kiki stammered, feeling once more like the meek little girl who was constantly in fear for her life. "I swear…I didn't betray-"
"So you have no intention of atoning for what you've done?!"
"Kaede's dead because of you, you-"
"That's wrong!"
Everyone fell silent, the three girls' eyes traveling to Shuichi's angered face. His free hand clenched into a fist, his normally soft eyes burning with a defiant fire within them as he gritted his teeth.
"You weren't there. Everyone, even Kaede herself, believed she had killed Rantaro. None of us knew who the Mastermind was, or that they were the true culprit, or that Rantaro was an accomplice. We had no choice but to believe Kaede was the blackened, and unlike the rest of us, Kiki had the courage to move forward and keep everyone else alive. She was the heart and soul of our group, just like Kaede said! Don't talk like you're a judge or god passing judgment on people whose shoes you could never fill!"
"Sh-Shuichi…" Kiki breathed, touched by his defense of her tragic actions in the early days of the Killing School Semester.
Charlotte and Caroline sputtered, lost for words in the face of Shuichi's angered defense. Before one of them could issue a retort, a tired, displeased voice echoed in their ears.
"What's going on?"
Everyone turned to see a near spitting image, albeit an older one, of Kaede herself approaching them. "A-Akamatsu-san!" Caroline and Charlotte finally uttered.
"So…that's Kaede's mom…?" Kiki asked her partner, who only nodded in response.
"Akamatsu-san, we were just-"
"Accosting mourners and trying to scare them away?" Her eyes narrowed in disapproval. "Do you two have no shame? This is my daughter's funeral; we're all here to mourn and pay our last respects. Can we at least get through this one day in peace and quiet? Is that too much to ask?!"
"G-Gomen-"
"Just get seated for the ceremony before I decide to kick you out of this temple."
Bowing in fear, the two girls scattered out of the entryway, leaving Kiki and Shuichi alone with the deceased pianist's mother. Feeling guilty for the ruckus she had unintentionally taken part in, Kiki bowed respectfully.
"Gomen nasai, Akamatsu-san. I-"
She was silenced by a motherly hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Mrs. Akamatsu smiling sadly at her.
"Come, now, no need to apologize for that. You were merely defending yourself, right…Naegi-chan?"
"Y-you know me…?"
"Not directly, but I'm acquainted with your parents, and I happened to meet you a couple times in passing." Her eyes traveled to the young detective at the girl's side. "It's good to see you again too, Saihara-kun…" Her lips tugged into a frown. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."
Shuichi bowed respectfully as well. "Kiki and I are so sorry…about everything…"
Mrs. Akamatsu nodded. "And I'm sorry for how you two were accosted without provocation by some of my daughter's former classmates. She warned me once how overprotective her…posse…had become during her time abroad, and I can see now she wasn't exaggerating. I can understand why they lashed out, but it's gravely misplaced."
"A-Akamatsu-san?"
"Hm?" Kaede's mother turned to see Kiki biting her lip, anxiety dancing in her eyes. "What is it, Naegi-chan?"
"…Why don't you hold me responsible for your daughter's death? I…I am the one who exposed what she thought she did, after all, and I didn't do anything to find the real truth. If I had been smarter, I…I could have saved her! So why…why don't you hate me for that…?"
"Kiki…"
Shuichi frowned, all too familiar with the self-depreciation Kiki was feeling. Before he could say or do anything, their eyes widened at the maternal hug Mrs. Akamatsu gave the grieving girl.
"I could see the regret and remorse in your eyes. You didn't want to convict my daughter, but you knew the alternative was death for all of you. My daughter wouldn't have wanted that, and I could see that she would pay any price if it meant keeping the Grim Reaper from you all for a little while longer. And in the end, you did find and put away my daughter's true killer."
"But still-"
"The way I see it, she's already been avenged, so there's no need to play the blame game and point fingers at each other. What's done is done, all we can do is mourn and press on. Plus…I don't think my little girl would want any of us yelling at each other over her, right?"
Sniffling, Kiki nodded, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you…You're too kind, Akamatsu-san."
Mrs. Akamatsu giggled before she gestured to the empty row of seats. "Come now, I think the ceremony is about to start. Why don't we take our seats for now?"
By the end of the ceremony, the mourners had begun to file out. Kiki and Shuichi, however, remained in their seats. Still crying, the young woman kept wiping her now puffy eyes in a fruitless attempt to stem the tide of tears trickling down her cheeks. Shuichi, meanwhile, rubbed her shoulder, keeping an arm wrapped around her back for support.
"…I'm okay, I'm okay now…" Kiki finally whispered, her tears finally drying up.
The two of them looked ahead to the altar mere meters away from their chairs. A single portrait of Kaede, not dissimilar from her death portrait in the Killing Game, hung right above an urn containing the deceased pianist's ashes. With her corpse as mangled as it was, Kaede's parents thought it too cruel to put the resulting violence on full display, and opted for cremation as opposed to a burial.
"…Come on, Kiki." The young detective stood up, helping her to rise to her feet. "Why don't we go pay our respects before we leave?"
Nodding, Kiki allowed Shuichi to gently tug her along, placing one foot in front of the other until they came face-to-face with Kaede's portrait. With a gentle nudge from Kiki, Shuichi took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Kaede…I'm so sorry…you didn't deserve to die like this. Even though we exposed the truth and made sure Tsumugi got sent to jail…it still doesn't feel adequate. But I promise, I won't let your sacrifice go to waste. I won't run and hide from the truth any longer. I wish I could do more to pay you back for everything you did for me all the years…but I don't know what else I can do to honor your memory. I just hope you're at peace, wherever you are."
Shuichi glanced at Kiki, who nodded and fidgeted with her braid. After taking a breath, she began to speak her mind.
"Kaede…I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for what happened back in that prison. Even if there was nothing I could do at the time…knowing I led the charge to convict you for a crime you didn't commit, even if you intended to…I can't ever rest easy with that on my soul. I know you wouldn't want me to feel guilty about that, but still…that's how I feel. But I'm gonna do whatever I can to make sure that your death wasn't for nothing. I'll make sure nobody else meets the same terrible fate you did…you have my word on that!"
"Kiki…" Shuichi muttered, awestruck by Kiki's heavy sense of responsibility.
"I don't know when we'll meet again…but when we do…I hope I can look you in the eye and tell you that I preserved your legacy." Kiki sighed. "I'm ready, Shuichi. Let's go home."
"A-Attendez."
"S-S'il vous plait."
The duo turned, brows raised in surprise at Charlotte and Caroline standing behind them. Though Shuichi immediately stood protectively in front of Kiki, she gently urged him to withdraw once she saw their remorseful eyes.
"Mademoiselle Naegi…we…we heard everything you said…" Charlotte hesitantly began. "And…we realized we were wrong about you."
Caroline humbly nodded. "Yeah…Kaede was right about you…you're honest, and kind, and your sense of justice really is as strong as she said it was. We were just…too blinded by our grief to see it."
"So…we're sorry for blaming you for Kaede's death like that. We understand if you don't forgive us, but we really are sorry for what we said."
To their surprise, Kiki smiled and held both of their hands. "It's okay, really. I once lashed out and blamed my friends when I didn't want to admit an uncomfortable truth." Shuichi frowned, realizing she was thinking about how she reacted to everyone's suspicions of Sokyu after Seven's death. "So I know how it feels to be blinded by grief and anguish and take it out on the wrong people. Besides, I'm not someone who likes to hold grudges, so let's just let bygones be bygones, okay?"
The two French girls bowed gratefully before they walked away. As they passed Shuichi, they decided to leave him some friendly advice.
"Monsieur Saihara, Kaede told us about you two…how she treasured you…how she hated to break up with you. She also said she was so happy how you became a courageous detective in your own right."
"She…she did…?"
"Yeah…you've got a really great girl by your side…don't let her go, okay? I don't think there's another quite like her."
Kiki and Shuichi's cheeks flushed pink as the click-clack of their heels echoed in their ears. "Ah…let's get going, shall we?" Shuichi suggested.
"Y-Yeah…"
Taking his hand, a still embarrassed Kiki tugged him out the doors, all too ready to take her mind off the girls' commentary. By the time they got to the car, the two were sufficiently composed, any trace of embarrassment already faded.
"So, how did it go?" Kyoko instantly asked once they were all buckled in. "Did everything go well?"
Makoto smiled at his daughter. "We heard some rather loud ruckus in there, though we couldn't make out what was being said from the car. Your mother wanted to go in and check on you two, but I assured her that you're a grown woman now who can fight her own battles."
Kiki rolled her eyes at her embarrassed mother's overprotectiveness. "It was just an argument, and we handled it. After that, we sat through the service and paid our respects to Kaede."
Shuichi nodded. "It was…hard…but we made it through okay."
Kyoko smiled, relieved that the most trying of times were behind them. "I'm glad to hear that. Come on, why don't we go home? Shuichi, why don't you stay for dinner?"
Shuichi grinned. "That sounds nice, Mrs. Naegi."
Nodding in approval, Makoto drove them away from the temple. Exhausted from the emotions of confronting Tsumugi and mourning Kaede, the two junior detectives relaxed against each other in the back seat, wanting nothing more than to rest for the bright future ahead of them.
Kaede smiled, nearly brought to tears herself from Kiki and Shuichi's last respects. Her hand rested over where her heart once beat, gratitude for their honesty and strengthened resolve shining in her eyes.
"Well? Did watching this give you the closure you needed?"
The former pianist nodded. "Yeah, it did…though I won't lie, it is kind of awkward watching your own funeral."
Jin nodded in understanding. If anyone understood the feeling of watching those still in the living mourn your tragic departure, it was him and the other victims of the Ultimate Despair's schemes. Nevertheless, he also knew that lingering on one's death, no matter how touching the words of those who loved you were, was never healthy.
"Come, Kaede." He rose from his seat, offering her his hand. "Why don't we go and see what the others are up to? I heard Sayaka and Leon were talking about forming a band with you."
Giggling, Kaede accepted his assistance, allowing him to guide her out of the Afterlife Theater. Not once was she tempted to look back, a great weight lifted from her shoulders and allowing her to feel like the free spirit she ironically now was.