Chapter 1: Notice

...

Heizou had a lot of paperwork sitting on his desk. He couldn't help but ignore it. He just wasn't in the mood to be dealing with whatever the Commission had in store for him. There were a few files that were obviously more handwritten and had likely been placed there from those in town. He was well known enough that others came to his desk when he was on break, often daunted for some reason that asking him to handle any of their affairs in person left them too nervous to speak.

Heizou didn't think he was an intimidating guy but that was the appearance he was going for – only he had been trying to have the criminals of the world feel that way. Those that were innocent should have no reason to fear him.

It was sad that they did. It made it hard to speak to people when he needed to. He wasn't about to bite anyone's head off. It was those that were hurting people that were the monsters. He was the good guy. Was that a hard thing to understand?

Maybe it was the fact that there were at least half a dozen non-official marked envelopes that were sitting in the basket neatly labeled 'new cases' that he didn't want to involve himself. Depression wasn't something he often let eat away at his mind but, when it did, it was an annoying creature.

"Shikanoin?" Madam Kujou stared at him from a few desks down. "Just leave. You're fidgeting is bothering me."

Heizou stopped drumming his fingers on his desk and glanced up at her. He shrugged. "Very well, if it's you that's asking me to go, I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

"I'm not asking, I'm telling."

Heizou laughed under his breath, shrugging. "I'll be in tomorrow."

"Come with a better attitude when you do. If not, don't show up. I'm telling you this for more than just my sake. Don't make me repeat myself."

Heizou raised his hands in surrender. It was nice, the back and forth they had. While on the surface it didn't sound friendly, Sara was worried about him. He would have been fired a long time ago if she didn't have a soft spot for him – and likewise, she would have easily failed at solving more than a few of the problems around the Commission office if not for him. They needed each other. If not for her work ethic, his own knack for distracting himself on the most distant of cases would have gotten him in trouble with other nations, along with their own.

"I will. Thank you. Until tomorrow."

It was nice how much cleaner and calmer the air outside the office building was. Maybe he really should try to handle a few of the cases he'd been given tomorrow. He was being stubborn and letting bad thoughts get to him. People didn't like coming to strangers with personal problems all the time. There were many reasons to leave a case on his desk, and odds were there were names and contact information for just him inside.

"I'm being too hard on people. Why am I always like this?" He muttered to himself. It wasn't the first time. He'd been hard on more than a few people. He'd almost hurt people who were only trying to help, even if they weren't following the law as written. That wasn't a wrong, in his eyes.

Heizou knew he'd hurt others in the past irredeemably so, to the point they left scars on his own heart. And that was his fault. The problem was he couldn't stop. It was who he was, how he thought, and until he saw another side of a person/a case/ anything that wasn't as black and white as his mind had drawn it out with logic, he was stuck in that mindset.

The only one who he had never been able to color with such drastic shades had been Kazuha. It was likely why, to this day, he was one of his only friends. Was his only friend. Heizou felt, on some days, he was kidding himself when he humored the idea that there were others out there.

He really was a hard person to trust. He didn't know why. It wasn't as if he lied, he just didn't always like telling everything about himself and he was too bold in other areas that he knew most of his actions were confusing.

A food stand. That was a nice stop.

He got a nice fried snack and a glass of cold milk afterwards, walking around the city. It was too early to go back home. He'd spent half the day doing nothing at the office and the sun was still up. He'd waste half the day rereading a book at his place if he returned now, and he would rather be out.

Beidou ran into him. That was a shock.

The 'pirate' captain was having a meal of her own on the go, the sweet snack obviously not to her liking by the look on her face, but not enough to have her throw it out as she chewed on the dango, walking over to him.

"Heizou, patrolling the streets, are you? That's a rarity."

Heizou laughed lightly. "No, I was relieved of my duties for the day. Returning to Inazuma, are you?" He looked around. It was easy to spot two others from the Crux Fleet eating at a nearby stall. He didn't see Kazuha.

"Not for much longer. The ceramic shipment was running late. They're paying me double for this." Beidou took another bite before looking around as well. "If you're off early, I'm half surprised the little tag-along isn't with you. I haven't seen Kazuha in days. Figured he was attached to some case you were working on. I lost him the last time you two did something like that. He didn't tell me what it was, only that it involved treasure hoarders, a lot of stolen mora, and he came back with the funniest looking messed up hair I've ever seen him with that he didn't care to explain. It was hilarious. He couldn't get it to stay down for days."

Heizou remembered that. That was fun. The treasure hoarders had a lot of electro bottle essence on them during that interaction. His own hair hadn't sat well either so he'd taken a few days off so that he wouldn't get laughed at. No one had questioned it. Still, what she had just said… "Kazuha hasn't come to see me. I didn't realize you had arrived."

Beidou stopped chewing and gave him a hard look. "Hm. Kazuha's not one to lie. He said he'd be stopping by your place and we docked soon after dawn three days ago. I haven't seen him since then."

Heizou took a few steps backwards, towards the Commission office. "I'm going to go ask if anyone has come asking for me. Perhaps there was some confusion."

"Maybe. I'll be here. Let me know."

Heizou nodded before taking off.

He didn't run, he wouldn't call it running, but he wasn't walking as he made his way back up the steps and towards the large doors. The best person to ask in this case would be Madam Kujou.

She had no reason to keep Kazuha's return from him. She was aware that they were friends. They were only friends. Maybe. Maybe they weren't. It was very hard to tell and that was one case that Heizou wasn't opening at the moment as he instead turned to the dark doors, the false light inside just as bright as the one out.

Sara wasn't hard to find. She was still at her desk and looked up as he came towards her. It was either his speed or the look on her face that had her expression shift to worry.

"Shikanoin? What's the matter?"

"Kazuha. Kaedehara Kazuha. Did he come here within the last few days looking for me?"

"Kaedehara? No. I haven't seen him in a month or so. Why? Is something wrong?"

Heizou didn't feel he was breathing right. Was there? Probably. Likely. More than likely. He was thinking. He was trying to think. There was nothing to think about. Something was wrong. He had no proof though. But he did. Someone was missing.

Someone who regularly went missing on purpose was missing.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Kazuha was the worst person he could report missing! If he even could! Kazuha never liked to stay in one place for very long and there was a likely chance that he could have – no, Beidou said that Kazuha said that he'd come to him. He had made a plan and then gone missing. That was enough, wasn't it?

"Shikanoin."

Madam Kujou startled him, her hand on his shoulder. When had she stood?

"What happened?"

"I- I don't know." He didn't. That was the most certainty he had was that he wasn't certain of anything. "Kazuha returned here a few days ago and it was told to me just a while ago that he was going to come visit me. He never came. I… I don't know what happened. I think he's missing."

Madam Kujou stared at him and Heizou could do nothing but stare back.

The eye contact lasted for a few minutes before she let out a slow, relaxed breath. "Alright then, he's missing. I'll ask around the office to see if anyone spotted him nearby. We had patrols out. Maybe someone noticed something. I'll be faster at gathering that information than you will so, in the meantime, I need you to not hinder me. I can see that you want to. Don't. That's an order. Return to your house and stay there until I send for you."

Heizou knew he wasn't breathing right. He didn't know why. His chest felt tight and that was making each breath come out strangely. He couldn't stay home. That was– how could one do nothing when a friend was in danger? Could, could, be in danger. Heizou didn't know if he was. He had to….

Kazuha wouldn't just vanish like this. Kazuha wasn't that kind of person. Unlike Heizou, he knew how overly caring and thoughtful the samurai was. Heizou wasn't the only one who was worried and this outcome was to be expected from Kazuha just… disappearing. Beidou was also worried. More would be. Kazuha – Kazuha had friends. There were people to worry about him and Kazuha wouldn't do this to them on purpose.

So something happened.

"I can't–"

"You will." Madam Kujou guided him over to his desk and helped him sit. "Or remain here where I can keep an eye on you. You can see what I'm doing as well. Please, just don't interfere. I want this taken care of as quickly and efficiently as possible. The more worried you are, the less comprehensive the search will be. Alright?"

That wasn't true. Heizou knew full well that his capabilities would not be hindered by emotions.

Or did he? He'd never had to solve a case–

A case? Was this a case?! Had Kazuha just become another case?!

Damn, Heizou hoped not. But really, if he had, then… then he could do this. Heizou had a perfect record of solving the unsolvable. And this was just a missing persons case. Those… those didn't always end well but it was Kazuha.

That meant one of two things. Either he was being held for some reason, many of those Heizou would have to look into because he just didn't know anyone who held a grudge against the samurai, or…

Or he was dead. And Heizou wasn't humoring that.

Madam Kujou was gone.

She had walked off, likely outside to deal with the Commission members who were on patrol duty. Her desk was visible from where he was. He could see folders were missing. The roster of who was working when was likely some of the missing sheets. So… she was doing what she said she would.

He let out a relieved breath. Heizou hadn't doubted her but… maybe he had. Or maybe his anxious mind had just waited for her to get moving.

He couldn't sit here doing nothing.

His fingers itched as his mind raced on all the worst thoughts.

Unable to get them out of his head and not wanting them there, the paperwork on his desk found its way into his lap. It was almost too easy how simple most of the prep work was to get through.

Heizou had a notebook out and steps for those that needed to execute the orders. He wasn't the one on the field for most cases, he was only the consultant. It took less than an hour for the six that were from the Commission to be dealt with – either Sara had given them to him or another member had wanted help with their work. It didn't matter in the end. He set them aside in the other bin he had marked 'for patrol'.

It wasn't just the patrol members, but they were the ones that often were handed the documents he finished, because most of it was legwork after.

Those that weren't and ended up in that pile found their way to Madam Kujou on their own without him needing to separate them and the lucky Doushin that didn't need to work on any of 'his' cases was more than happy to go about a normal patrol afterwards.

It wasn't Heizou's fault that he was handed the hard cases and most of those that had to do the work after him often found themselves in trouble if they didn't follow his instructions word for word or they spent most of the day on a stake out when they'd rather have an easier task. He did what he could with what he had to work with.

And people didn't like him for the things he couldn't control. In the end, there was nothing he could do about it.

With the worry he had on his mind, those facts didn't linger long and couldn't upset him. It almost made him laugh that one of the people picking up the third file would have to spend the evening on the east side of the beach, searching for a half buried wooden box that would be picked up by some less scrupulously individuals if they didn't retrieve it first.

The personal cases came next. The first one Heizou had to put aside. It was a man asking him to find his lost daughter. It came with a picture of the woman who was just past her teens, along with her name, address, and a few facts about her. There wasn't much to go on and Heizou couldn't do anything from behind a desk so that one would have to wait.

The second one made him pause.

It was a folder, his name on it instead of who had sent it. Inside was a sealed envelope instead of a piece of paper, so that he had to go through that as well, just his name adorning it as well.

Opening it, Heizou read the contents. He held his breath after getting through the first sentence. It came to the point he wasn't sure if he'd pass out while doing so.

...

Shikanoin Heizou,

There is a man currently in your custody named Kabo Yakamada. Release him or Kaedehara Kazuha will suffer his fate.

I am not giving you a timeline to do this but you will not like making us wait and, if you need any pressure, you have given it to yourself.

I await your response eagerly. We will know when he has been set free. We will not contact you again and there will be no proof of Kaedehara's safety. You are too much of a risk to meet in person. You have only yourself to blame.

Farewell and take heed that the faster you act, the less likely we will be to kill him.

…

Inside the letter was a lock of white hair, as if Heizou needed it for proof that the words were valid.

It took a while as he reread a few words, to be sure he had read them right the first time. It was hard to tell. The page went fuzzy now and then. Maybe he did pass out.

Slowly, as if dreaming, Heizou removed the small bit of hair, the tie holding them together. String wasn't good for tying hair. A few of the strands had already fallen out.

Heizou had to stop and place the letter on his desk, his mind not working as it should. There were too many thoughts.

Or too little.

One of the two. His chest hurt. Bad. His hands were shaking. He found himself bent over the desk, holding his own hair and trying to think while keeping himself together.

Alright, Kazuha had been kidnapped, he wasn't missing. That was something no one could doubt now. The writing? It was a common ink and paper you could get anywhere. That wasn't telling. It smelled of seawater but most things in Inazuma did due to their high import factor. There wasn't anything on it besides the words. Those horrible words.

Alright. And this person. They said 'we'. That was also a given. It was very unlikely that someone like Kazuha could be overpowered by a single individual. Still, proof like this was a good thing to have. Now… what else? What else…!?

Heizou found himself crying. He tried to stop and couldn't, his chest hurting and heaving as he tried to silently sob his frustration away. It was hard to keep personal feelings out of this and the letter was written in such a way that it laid all the blame for this on him.

He wasn't a fool that he didn't see that. He didn't know if the person had intended it or not but the fact that Kazuha was missing was now being placed on his shoulders by the author of this note.

The man. That name. Heizou knew it. He had to think back as he was controlling himself

There was a man by that name. He hadn't been involved in that case though. Kabo had had a fight with his brother through marriage. They had come to blows and he'd killed him. After looking into his background, Heizou had found a history of the man and several less than ideal situations but he had never done anything like murder someone before.

Well, he hadn't been involved in more than that background check. Unless he'd done it wrong. Maybe he had missed something. From the sound of this letter, it sounded like he had.

Inazuma didn't treat murderers kindly. He was going to be in prison for a very long time. The fight had been a violent one and, though the killing was not done purposely, there had been a very real chance of that outcome. The man wasn't a kind one, from what he had heard. Heizou, really though, knew very little.

But, damn it all, he couldn't get a murderer set free because Kazuha was taken! That wouldn't be possible. Even if he wanted to, there wasn't a way to do it. Madam Kujou would never allow it and there were so many people he'd have to talk to if he wanted to try that just thinking about how much time it would take…

Heizou knew he wasn't doing well. He felt sick. The tears had mostly stopped but he was breathing wrong and there was a hand on his shoulder again. Without thinking much about it, he hid the letter under the folder about the missing daughter.

"Shikanoin… I think you should go home. You're upset."

Sure as hell, was he. For more reasons than he could say.

"I… I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I can understand it. You and Kaedehara are close friends. We'll find him."

Heizou nodded, blinking a lot and holding a hand to his mouth so he wouldn't be sick with himself. Why wasn't he telling her? She might be able to do something.

His mind was racing. Heizou knew he could do something about this but he also knew if he said anything now it would start him down a path he couldn't turn back from. Whatever his choice, if he spoke now, it would set everything in stone.

And he wasn't thinking right and wasn't ready for that.

He stood, slipping the letter in his pocket and rearranging the paperwork on the desk. "You're right. I need to rest. I'll be at my place. I-... I just need some time to think about this. I'll speak to you later today. If you find anything, please let me know."

"I told you I would." Madam Kujou paused, her hand tightening against his skin where she hadn't let him go. "Do you need someone to walk you home?"

Heizou shook his head slowly. "I'll be fine. It's just a little stifling in here."

"Alright." She patted him on the shoulder, standing beside him while he walked a little less than straight on the way to the door. Once there she let him depart on his own, which he was grateful for.

Heizou didn't know where to go.

He could go home but there was nothing there, nothing to fix this. He could go find this man, but that was telling right now, and Madam Kujou would hear of it. Still, he didn't really care. He could say he was using it as an excuse to clear his mind. Kazuha was his friend. Kazuha was missing. It was upsetting him. None of these things were lies.

Heizou was lying – by omission.

"No wonder no one wants to be my friend," he spoke sardonically to himself as he laughed under his breath, walking away with no destination in mind. Somewhere cool, in the shade, where he could clear his mind. Somewhere with cherry blossoms. Spring was just starting and the petals were starting to open.

Heizou dropped more than he sat at the base of a tree, out of sight of everyone.

He let out a harsh breath, a laugh being pulled from his throat with it. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked himself.

When he received no answer from any divine being, let alone one from his own lips, he leaned against the rough bark. It scratched at his arms where his outfit didn't protect him. He let his eyes close as he thought.

Could he…

Could he turn on the Commission, help a murderer escape, and free Kazuha from whoever's grasp he was in?

That was the question he had to ask himself – the real one he'd been avoiding all this time.

That answer would determine his next course of action.

His chest hurt again. Reaching for his clothes, Heizou wrinkled his shirt, digging his fingers into his skin, feeling his nails pull at the flesh underneath but not having the grasp to do more than bruise.

Yes.

His answer was yes.

He only needed a few moments to have that unspoken conversation with himself before the answer was there, like the sun coming up in the morning. It was obvious. There was no other choice. There never had been.

He was willing to do that.

But did he have to? That was the next question. He knew that, in the end, if he had to, that he would not hesitate to throw away his job and everything he worked for to help the person that he cared for.

So was there a better way to go about this? Madam Kujou was an option, if she knew a way to deal with this that he did not. It was possible. She was higher up on the chain than he was, by far. She had people she could talk to that he didn't. If he had a private conversation with her, that might get results.

There was also Captain Beidou.

He humored that thought for a little bit. He could turn to her but he didn't know where to lead her. It was like having an attack dog but no one to turn it on. Still, if this man did have ties to less scrupulous individuals, she'd be more likely to find them that he would.

And she could look while he was busy with the boring stuff.

He also had his information broker. This might cost him, but he was willing to pay.

With everything settled and feeling much better about things, Heizou stood. First, he'd have to find Shinobu. She would be able to get ears out that he couldn't. There were bound to be people who had seen Kazuha somewhere.

Second he had to make sure the pirates weren't going to do anything stupid. While he wasn't sure if he could use their help or not, he had seen the serious look on Beidou's face. He knew her well enough through Kazuha. They'd gone out for drinks more than a few times when they docked in Inazuma and–

Honestly, Heizou liked Beidou. They had a lot in common. She had a lot of characteristics that he idolized. Where he was still striving for the renown that she possessed, she didn't flaunt it in his face as he would expect from her personality. The infamous captain had always been more than welcoming to share stories and didn't censor any of her less than legal ones from his ears.

It was a strange, unique friendship they had through Kazuha that–

Beidou was his friend.

Heizou hadn't thought about that until just then. Maybe he did have a few out there besides Kazuha and he just wasn't thinking of them, but man alive, they were far too few…

So he had to make sure that she was going to abstain from anything too eccentric like storming the prison and freeing the man to assure Kazuha's safety. That was best saved for a last resort. Heizou wouldn't stop her. If it came to that, Heizou fully planned on leading the way.

Then, after that was settled, he would have to talk to Madam Kujou. There just… There had to be something. No one should be able to get away kidnapping someone off the street to threaten the Commission into freeing prisoners. It didn't even matter that it was Kazuha. This had to be stopped, hard, before it happened again.

It shouldn't matter that it was Kazuha. It did, but it shouldn't…

…

…

Kazuha groaned, his arms aching.

It was hard to stand and his legs shook, but if he released his weight once more to sleep, it would put the pressure on his upper body once more. The pain was too much.

It had been over a day since he'd been able to tolerate the smallest amount of time unconscious. He knew how to lean into the ropes but, even with physical training, no one could become accustomed to torture.

"Feed him."

Kazuha wanted to reject the food when it was offered to him but a stronger part of him knew not to. As terrible as the pain was, he had to survive. Whatever had happened and, for whatever reason he had been taken, he would not die here.

They had chosen the wrong place and wrong time to strike if they had a grudge against him or one of his friends. There were many that he knew in the area, and many that could act.

Kazuha had no doubt that he would be rescued as he bit into the cooked meat that they had fried up near the fire, offered to him on a stick and at a distance so he couldn't bite them. They were right to be wary.

Not once had Kazuha, or would he, surrender.