Ginoza tried to get Kogami to respond for about five minutes before he finally gave up. He'd sounded terrible on the other end of the transponder, but Ginoza thought he would feel better when he was less exhausted.

He hoped so, anyway. He couldn't really think about the other alternatives.

Ginoza had gotten Kogami on the plane and now…. Well, he supposed his part in the plan was done. It almost didn't feel real, and Ginoza didn't feel half the dizzying relief that he'd expected.

Maybe because he was probably about to be arrested, and he didn't think he would get to see Kogami before that happened.

But even aside from that, Ginoza was starting to get worried about what was going to happen to Kogami on the other end. He wasn't entirely sure whether imported cargo was offloaded by machines or by humans, but either one could pose a problem. Ginoza had no idea how high Kogami's crime coefficient had gotten during his intensely stressful stint in EENA, but he didn't want him to get flagged by a street scanner and have to contend with a low-level Bureau employee trying to prove themselves.

And if the plane was unloaded by humans, and they surprised Kogami in his sleep, someone would get hurt. Ginoza didn't want any of that to happen. He wanted Kogami to be able to rest.

Technically, Ginoza supposed he could call the agent he'd been negotiating with, or try to get in touch with somebody who was involved with Kogami's deal. But he didn't want to leave Kogami's life in their hands, and he didn't want to go to jail without seeing his husband one last time. If he didn't, no matter what they told him, he would never believe that Kogami had made it home safely.

And maybe if he did see Kogami, he would get the chance to apologize. Ginoza didn't want to leave him alone for the next fifteen years, but it would surely be better than either of them dying. If he saw Kogami in person, maybe he could get him to understand that.

Ginoza made his decision without even totally realizing it. He would contact the negotiator and make one final deal. He would release the hostages instantly, and they would provide him with transportation to the airfield where Kogami's plane would land. They had read Kogami's file, just like Ginoza had, and he was sure it wouldn't be difficult to convince them that Kogami would prove dangerous unless Ginoza was there to greet him.

Ginoza pressed the intercom button. He was a little afraid that no one would hear that, and he would have to try to track down in the database someone who could connect him with the hostage negotiator, and try to call them on his watch. But he needn't have worried. Apparently, they had someone stationed directly outside the door, and the call connected immediately. Ginoza recognized the voice of the same man he had been talking to before.

"I'd like to make a deal," Ginoza said. Although he'd learned a lot about dealing with people in the last decade, when he'd been an inspector he'd gotten his best results by talking first and loudest, and he tended to default to that when he was nervous. "You had better listen. If you don't have the authority to deal with me, then get me someone who can."

"I'm listening."

"I've gotten Kogami on a plane back to Japan. He'll be arriving in about ten hours. I would like transportation to the airfield, and in exchange, I will release the hostages."

He didn't tell them that he also intended to turn himself in. He assumed that it was implied. If they asked, he would tell them.

"You aren't permitted to leave headquarters," the man said promptly.

Ginoza's stomach tightened. If he hadn't known they were planning to arrest him as soon as he opened up the door, this would have proven it. But he just swallowed hard and continued - he needed to see Kogami, and he would do what it took to make that part of his deal.

"Kogami is injured, trapped, and delirious," Ginoza said primly. "Not to mention, I'm sure he's gathered that I'm in trouble. He won't be safe to be around if I'm not there to greet him when he gets here. If he doesn't immediately see me, he could attack. And I can guarantee that you and your people will not want to be on the other end of that. I am the only person who exists who will be able to keep him calm."

Ginoza knew this was likely an exaggeration. Based on how he'd sounded on the phone, Kogami was far too injured to pose much of a problem. Ginoza privately doubted he'd even be able to stand when he finally arrived in Japan. But that was all beside the point - they just had to think Kogami was dangerous, and based on his track record, that wasn't a very hard sell.

"Release the hostages now," the man said. "Not when Kogami arrives."

Ginoza scoffed. "How do I know-?"

"Now that the asset is being returned to Japan, you're not really in a place to be negotiating with us anymore."

"R-right," Ginoza managed. He told himself that none of this would matter, as long as he got to see Kogami. "The hostages will be released now."

"I'll be waiting," the man on the other end said, and Ginoza took his finger off the intercom button.

Now that it was almost over, Ginoza had expected to feel relieved, or even possibly more anxious at the thought of his impending arrest. Mostly, he just felt numb, and a little embarrassed about facing his hostages.

He wanted to see Kogami.

Ginoza pushed himself up from the desk, wincing at how sore he'd gotten, and went towards the bathroom where he'd been keeping the hostages. He opened the door, bracing himself for squeals or protests.

"You're letting us out?" It was the woman whose computer Ginoza had been using, and she sounded somewhere between annoyed and relieved.

"You heard, then." Ginoza looked around at the other hostages, and abandoned all pretense of threat. He put Kogami's gun back in his coat pocket and gestured for them to follow him out. "These walls are terribly thin. You should complain to your supervisor."

His ex-hostages streamed past him, mostly refusing to make eye contact, although the older woman lingered.

"You weren't going to fire that gun, were you?"

Ginoza supposed it didn't much matter now. "No," he admitted. "I was not. Thank you for your help."

The analyst shot him a strange look, which Ginoza supposed was only fair, and pushed past him towards the entrance of the office.

Ginoza followed the hostages out, taking one last deep breath before stepping through the door. Then, he took the gun out of his pocket, holding it up by two fingers with his other hand raised. He stepped through the door.

Immediately, he found himself flanked by two tough-looking men in body armor. Ginoza apparently outranked security drones, which he wasn't sure at all was a good thing. One of them reached out and took the pistol from him.

Ginoza was prepared to end up in handcuffs immediately, but instead, a man in a suit stepped towards him.

"Agent Ginoza," he said, and Ginoza recognized the man he'd been communicating with over the intercom. "How nice to finally meet you."

Ginoza wasn't excellent at understanding sarcasm, but this was hard to miss. Instead of responding, he simply nodded.

The negotiator stepped back, standing beside a man that Ginoza didn't recognize. He was dressed in a very expensive suit, the kind that Ginoza associated with important jobs. The negotiator leaned in, and Ginoza caught a few words that sounded like "Kogami" and "dangerous."

Almost imperceptibly, the man in the expensive suit nodded. The negotiator looked frustrated, and Ginoza guessed that he'd confirmed what Ginoza had said, that Kogami would be dangerous if they didn't let him come.

The man in the expensive suit had something to do with Kogami, then. A handler, maybe? Ginoza almost smiled, thinking of what Kogami would say if he caught Ginoza guessing without proper evidence.

"You'll be coming with us now," the handler said.

"To see…Kogami?" Ginoza asked desperately. He had been holding it together rather well this whole time, he thought. But he'd been stuck in the room for the past…he honestly wasn't totally sure how long it had been, now. He hadn't thought to check. Everything inside the room had felt dreamlike - he'd been hardly eating, sleeping whenever he could, barely speaking to anyone but Kogami. But the outside of the room felt very, very real, like emerging into the sunlight from a space kept artificially dark.

"When his plane lands, yes," the man said. He turned smartly, and began walking down the hall. The hostage negotiator, who seemed to be doubling as something of a security guard gave Ginoza a look that told Ginoza he should definitely be following.

Ginoza was a little surprised by how unsteady on his feet he felt. He'd gotten up to walk around every so often, but apparently it wasn't enough - his legs were stiff and his back was sore. Not to mention the fact that he was exhausted, and lightheaded with what he now imagined was a mixture of hunger and thirst.

Ginoza realized that he hadn't showered or changed in at least a couple of days. He hadn't even brushed his teeth. He was desperate to see Kogami, but that wasn't quite enough to cut through the embarrassment.

Ginoza followed the hostage negotiator and handler onto a floor he had never been on before. He was led into a little room that was windowless and gray. It wasn't exactly a jail cell, but Ginoza didn't think it boded well for his future prospects.

"We'll be back for you in a couple of hours, and we'll transport you to the air field then," the hostage negotiator told him. "You can wait here."

"Wait." Ginoza's throat tightened. "Don't you need me to…tell you where Kogami will be landing? At what time? Do you need-"

"We can have one of our analysts determine that," the man said. And then, both of them slipped out the door, and closed it with a final sounding thud. Ginoza was alone.

He had done everything he could to get Kogami home safe. But now, he was starting to realize that the role he had to play in this was over - whatever happened now was simply out of his hands. And whatever happened after this…he couldn't think about that.

He just had to hope he'd done enough.

Kogami was awake and tensing in panic before he knew what was happening. He wouldn't have let himself fall asleep unless it was safe to do so, but now it felt like he was moving. He opened his eyes onto darkness and it took him a queasy, panicked second to remember where he was.

The cargo plane. Hidden in a crate. And that was now…being unloaded? Kogami's head felt like it was filled with wool, and he couldn't wrap his mind around anything but the terror of being discovered.

Kogami pulled himself into a tighter ball, trying to wiggle himself around so he could get out of the crate quickly, if he had to escape. It wouldn't make a difference, but his heart was starting to hammer unpleasantly in his chest and he had to try something.

He felt the crate hit the ground with a thud and couldn't help whimpering at the unexpected movement. Pain flared through his stomach and arm, and Kogami was so lost in the sensation that he almost didn't notice when the lid was pulled back.

"Shinya?"

Kogami blinked in the sudden light, clearing away spots and blurs from his vision to reveal the man looking down at him. Ginoza, tired and drawn, hair tied into an unwashed-looking ponytail, with his bangs hanging limply against paler-than-usual cheeks.

It was Ginoza, and Kogami couldn't remember ever seeing him look better.

With a rush, his entire body relaxed. The tension drained out of his muscles so fast that he suddenly wasn't sure he could use them.

"Gino," he mumbled, feeling himself smile.

"Oh," Ginoza said softly, then reached down and took hold of Kogami's uninjured arm. "Let's get you out of there, alright?"

Kogami nodded. He pushed himself half upright, then slithered back down as his legs refused to take his weight.

"I've got you."

Ginoza wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and Kogami felt metal pressed against him as Ginoza began to pull him up and out of the crate. His metal arm was strong enough to lift Kogami up easily. Kogami did his best to help, knowing full well Ginoza didn't need it.

"There you are," Ginoza said, depositing Kogami on his feet and helping steady him. "Is that better?"

Kogami's legs gave out on him again, and he slumped forward into Ginoza. His husband caught him, or at least was able to guide them both gently to the ground, and then Kogami was lying half on the tarmac and half in Ginoza's lap, Ginoza's arms around him.

Kogami's relief was so great he was half-afraid that he was dreaming. That would be just his luck - to finally escape only to find out it wasn't even real. But Gino felt very solid. Also, he smelled vaguely of sweat, his metal arm was digging into Kogami's back, and his fingers were chilly as they ghosted over Kogami's face. Kogami was pretty sure those weren't the sorts of details he would make up.

"How did you-?"

Instead of letting Ginoza finish, Kogami closed the small gap between their faces. He brushed his lips against Ginoza in the briefest of dry, over-hot kisses. He was dizzy and breathless with fever, and that was about all he thought he could manage. He felt Ginoza melt slightly against him.

Ginoza pulled back and looked down at Kogami again. His expression was a mix of concern and maybe a little disgust. Kogami wasn't offended - they were both dirty, and Ginoza always let that sort of thing show on his face.

"You're still so warm," Ginoza said. "It's been a while since you've taken anything to bring the fever down, hasn't it?"
Ginoza didn't really seem to want a response, so Kogami didn't give him one. Instead, he allowed Ginoza to brush his bangs back from his forehead, and place his palm there instead. It was the first time in well over a week that another person had even touched him, let alone taken care of him, and if he had been allowed to, he thought he could have stayed in that moment forever.

"Definitely feverish," Ginoza said. "Also, why would you want to kiss me right now!? I look terrible! I haven't been able to shower or change in several days. In fact, I haven't even brushed my teeth."

Everything from the past few days swept over Kogami. He had been so sure he was never going to see Ginoza again, and now he was lying in his arms while Ginoza talked about how he looked terrible. For a second, Kogami was sure he was going to cry, and then instead he was turning his face into Ginoza's chest and laughing with a level of hysteria that only a true crisis could bring on.

"Shinya? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"It's just…." It was hard for Kogami to get the words out, he was laughing so hard. "It's just…you look terrible? I…I look so much worse, I haven't even…I haven't…and you don't see me complaining…."

"Stop that," Ginoza said. "You look perfectly fine for someone who's been on the run. Now, I'm going to need your weapons, Shinya."

Kogami couldn't remember what weapons he was carrying. He couldn't remember much of anything with his face pressed into Ginoza's chest, and it didn't seem to matter anyway. It was much more important that Ginoza listened to him, that Ginoza laughed too so he could feel anything like the giddy relief Kogami felt.

"Barely wearing a shirt," Kogami managed to wheeze. "Covered in blood."

"Yes, yes, Shinya. Where are your weapons?"

Ginoza's metal arm pulled him closer, more upright, and Kogami clung to his husband's shoulders and let himself fold into him even more. He could almost feel his brief spurt of energy fading away, and he wasn't sure if he could keep himself upright if Ginoza let go.

"'S funny," Kogami whispered into Ginoza's shoulder, with a few last chuckles.

Ginoza sighed heavily. "Alright, Shinya."

Kogami felt himself heaved upright, and he grasped weakly at Ginoza as his husband's metal arm peeled him away and held him back. Kogami winced, feeling his seemingly endless bruises protest, but didn't make a move to get away. He was too exhausted, and even a painful touch from Ginoza was currently better than nothing at all.

"I'm patting you down for your weapons now," Ginoza said, with a tone of voice that sounded like a warning even if Kogami didn't care to make out the words. "Unless you want to tell me where they are?"

"Didja get it?" Kogami mumbled, but Ginoza didn't seem to want to answer him.

Kogami did his best to stay upright as Ginoza's free hand began to move up and down his body, patting down his clothing and his pockets. Every touch seemed to send little waves of pain vibrating through his battered body, but Kogami didn't even have the strength to pull away. He didn't need to. It was Ginoza, and Ginoza wouldn't hurt him too badly.

Ginoza produced a gun from a forgotten pocket, and Kogami watched as his husband laid it next to him, pushing it away a little bit. Ginoza looked strange holding a gun, but in a sweet way. It didn't look natural, not on him.

"Are there any more, Shinya?"

The process continued, Kogami sitting obediently still while Ginoza's deft fingers uncovered a world of bruises he didn't even know he'd had. A few knives, one of which Kogami had completely forgotten about, joined the pile. Ginoza checked Kogami's boots, and Kogami let him, and then Ginoza sat back and looked at him.

"Is that all of them?"

Kogami blinked, wondering if the pain was over and he could go back to Ginoza's arms now.

"Kogami. Are those all of your weapons?"

Something in Ginoza's voice told him that he needed an answer, and Kogami gave the pile a cursory glance and nodded once.

"Alright," Ginoza said. "Thank you. I just…had to make sure."

Ginoza looked away for a moment. Kogami was confused, and then when Ginoza started talking, he was even more confused. Kogami couldn't exactly make out what was being said, and he peeled his face carefully away from Ginoza and peered around.

There were other people here. Of course. This was the first Kogami had noticed them, but they wouldn't have just sent Ginoza in to collect him alone. They probably thought Kogami was dangerous, which was true. Also, Kogami was pretty sure Ginoza had done something to get in trouble, although now everything was so hazy that Kogami wasn't exactly sure what it might have been. Ginoza was probably telling the others that all of Kogami's weapons had been discarded.

Kogami decided that he was probably going to pass out soon. Not immediately. But the people who had escorted Ginoza to fetch him seemed like a problem he could deal with later, when he wasn't teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.

Kogami rested his head against Ginoza's chest again. A lifetime ago, this probably would have been embarrassing. He was in front of strangers. But right now, he was completely shameless. It felt like the only natural thing.

"You…." Kogami realized his throat had gone dry somewhere in there. He trailed off, swallowed hard, started again. "You came for me."

"Of course I did, Shinya." A tentative hand, clearly now afraid of hurting him, came up to rest on Kogami's back.

"I'm…I'm back. I made it back."

"You're back," Ginoza said. There was something faraway in his voice, almost sad, and the hand on Kogami's back tightened. Kogami wondered vaguely if he was dying, and that was why Ginoza sounded sad. But no, that didn't seem right. If he were going to die, it probably would have happened when he'd passed out in the shipping crate.

"Th-thank you," Kogami whispered. "You helped me, you…you saved me."

"I would do it over and over," Ginoza said gravely.

"I-"

"You must be exhausted," Ginoza said. "You can rest now, if you'd like."

Kogami wanted to lift his head, to explain why he didn't want to let go, not yet. He wanted to stay with Ginoza in this moment forever.

But Ginoza was right. He was exhausted, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from drifting slowly toward unconsciousness.

Ginoza looked down at Kogami, slumped bonelessly in his arms. He could tell by the weight of him that his husband had finally passed out, and Ginoza was heartbroken and relieved at the same time. He wanted every second he could get with Kogami, but hearing Kogami finally let his guard down while knowing that he was about to get taken away had been something akin to torture.

Behind him, Ginoza caught a quick swirl of movement as two of the armed men stepped up close, behind him. Another two wrapped around to stand behind Kogami, one of them kneeling to collect the gun and knives that Ginoza had confiscated. The man who'd initially taken charge outside the analysts' room, the one in the expensive suit, also moved to stand beside Kogami. He looked at him like he recognized him, and Ginoza thought that he'd probably been right. This was the person who'd sent Kogami into EENA, or at least had authorized it.

Ginoza felt a dull twist of pain, followed by an equally numb sense of gratitude. At least they'd waited to arrest him until after Kogami had fallen unconscious. He wouldn't have to see Ginoza be arrested - he would wake up safe, and Ginoza would simply be…gone. He didn't even know if Kogami would be allowed to visit him.

The security guard behind Kogami beckoned, then held his arms out to take Kogami from Ginoza. Ginoza held on for a second, then barely managed to allow the man to pull Kogami away. He was gentle enough, but not as gentle as Ginoza would have been. Not as gentle as Kogami deserved. He watched helplessly as Kogami's head fell to his chest, greasy, blood-matted hair hanging over his eyes. No one moved to fix it.

Ginoza tensed as he felt fingers close over his right wrist, and the vague sensation of pressure that meant the same was happening to his metal hand. His arms were pulled behind him, and suddenly he could no longer reach Kogami.

Ginoza gulped, hard, and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shinya," he whispered. "I am so sorry."

When he opened them again, Kogami's eyes were open too. Open, and locked on his.

"S-sorry?"

Kogami's voice was quiet, uneven, and lost enough to drive the air from Ginoza's lungs in a rush. Instinctively, he tried to reach out, and the men holding his wrists tightened their grip and jerked him backwards.

Kogami moved faster than Ginoza would have thought possible, given his condition. It hadn't been an act before, certainly. But he'd known he was safe with Ginoza, and he'd allowed himself to relax. Now, he certainly wasn't relaxed.

He got his legs underneath him, somehow. He lurched upright with a sudden snap, and Ginoza saw the security guards eyes widen. That was about all he had time for before Kogami was spinning backwards, automatically kicking at the inside of his knee in a clear effort to buckle it.

It was at around this point that Ginoza finally found his breath. "Kogami? Kogami, stop! Calm down!"

In his current condition, Kogami wasn't even close to being strong enough to take the other man down. Landing the kick nearly had him overbalancing. The guy he'd gone for looked a little hurt, and a little confused, but not even close to being put down.

"Shinya!" Ginoza screamed. "Shinya, STOP IT! They need to…I knew they were going to…Shinya, please…."

The man with the suit grabbed Kogami's shoulders, and with a hard push drove him back down to his knees. Kogami hit the ground hard and nearly went over sideways. Ginoza saw the wound in his side had opened back up, and his shirt was darkening with a sluggish bloom of red.

"Gino!" Kogami yelled. "Gino!"

Ginoza couldn't tell from his face whether he was fighting on reflex, or if he actually knew what was happening. What Ginoza had done.

In a way, it didn't really matter. As much as Ginoza screamed, he knew at this point he had lost his chance to get through to Kogami.

Ginoza watched as Kogami tore his arms free from the man in the suit. This immediately started his shoulder bleeding again. Ginoza was sure that Kogami was in pain, although he didn't look it. He just looked blank and scared.

"Gino!" He tried and failed to get to his feet. The hands were back on his shoulders.

"Stop him!" Ginoza cried. "Just…can't you drug him? Can you knock him out? He's hurting himself, look-"

It took a few seconds for Kogami to react. But apparently, he was still cognizant enough to process, because when he understood what Ginoza had said, he froze.

That was just enough time for the man standing behind him to snap his fingers, and the security guard that Kogami had kicked rushed forward and jabbed a syringe into the side of Kogami's neck. His eyes rolled back in his head, still blank with horror, and he crumpled backwards into a pile on the tarmac.

"Take him away," the man in the suit snapped, jerking his head towards Ginoza. "And call an ambulance for this one."

He knelt down beside Kogami, and the last thing Ginoza saw as he was jerked to his feet and turned forcibly in the opposite direction was blood spreading slowly across Kogami's sleeve.

Things blurred around him after that, until he was sitting in the back of what he thought might have been the same car that he'd arrived in. This time, he was in handcuffs. The metal arm was digging into his flesh one, but Ginoza didn't bother trying to adjust his body to a more comfortable position.

He didn't bother trying to break out, either, even though he knew he could. His augmented arm could rip through the metal cuffs like they were made of plastic wrap, and he could be out of this car in a matter of seconds.

But that didn't matter. He'd already lost Kogami. He'd been taken away. Ginoza had made his choice, and now he was accepting the consequences.

That's what he'd said to himself since the beginning, but it seemed a lot more real now. Ginoza was handcuffed in the back of an unmarked van, staring down fifteen years without his husband. He would be…about sixty when - if - he was released. That suddenly seemed very old.

And almost more to the point, Kogami was faced with the same fifteen years that Ginoza was. Ginoza hadn't really thought about that so much. Kogami would be alive, and free, and he'd been sure that was worth it. Ginoza alone would be punished, and he could take on the burden.

Then, of course, he'd watched Kogami rip open half-healed wounds in a hysterical attempt to reach him. He'd seen Kogami have to be drugged in order to stop him from hurting himself worse, and he'd heard the oceanic sense of loss in Kogami's voice as he said Ginoza's name. Ginoza no longer thought of fifteen years apart as a hardship that only he had to face, and he found himself somewhat ashamed for ever considering it that way. Kogami would feel it too, and after the display he'd just witnessed, he was worried that it would tear his husband to pieces.

He wasn't so sure that it was worth it anymore. He wasn't sure if Kogami could take it. He wasn't sure if he could take it.

He also knew he'd had no other choice. Kogami was alive, and his life was worth…this. Ginoza had had a handful of nothing but bad options, and he'd chosen what he thought was the best one. That didn't make it good, but it also didn't make him wrong for having chosen it.

He would pay for his decision, and he knew Kogami would too. Now, it was just a matter of seeing if they could afford the cost.