Claws

Yua always enjoyed her walks home from school, even on days like today when her friends couldn't join her. She breathed deeply, taking a moment to relish in the town's atmosphere, and, although she had responsibilities at home to take care of, she couldn't help but slow her walk just a bit more. On a day when it felt like everyone around her was in a rush, it felt good to slow down. Yua welcomed the sound of rushing water as the Samegawa river slowly came into view. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she would see any cats. She had recently begun to keep cat treats in her bag on the off chance that she did see one; she hoped they liked them.

Much to her dismay, the riverbank was empty that day. Yua sank down on a nearby bench, deciding to watch the water instead. The steady sound of the water and the sun of late spring lulled her into a tranquil peace, and she closed her eyes. She wanted to take a nap right there on the bench no matter how unwise it might have been, but before she could continue considering her options, she heard another sound mixed in with the sound of the river. A tiny "meow" emanated from somewhere. Yua was instantly wide awake. She looked around for a cat, but there were still none in sight. Her lip thinned to a disappointed frown, and she settled back down on the bench.

"Mew."

Her eyes snapped open. There it was again. It sounded close. She scanned her immediate surroundings. Again, nothing. Where could it be coming from? She heard another tiny "meow." It sounded like it was right next to her. Right…

Yua dropped to her knees and peered under the bench. She suddenly found herself nose to nose with a small grey and white kitten. Its blue eyes peered curiously right back into her own, and it let out another one of its tiny cries as it backed into the cover of the bench leg. Yua's heart melted instantly.

"Hey, there, little guy." She reached out a finger for the kitten to investigate. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

She glanced around for any sign of its mother. The riverbank was still empty. Had it been abandoned or wandered off by itself? One thing was for sure: the kitten was too young to be alone. When the kitten allowed her to pet its fur, she felt the rib bones. There was no telling how long it had gone without a proper meal. She reached for her bag and the treats but stopped almost as soon as she started. The kitten needed milk, not solid food. If only its mother was around.

When one last desperate search around the area for the kitten's mother proved fruitless, Yua made up her mind. After a few minutes of coaxing the kitten from its hiding place, she carefully scooped the kitten into her arms. It submitted and purred into her sleeve. She would be its mother for now, and the first thing she was going to do was get it food.

Yua figured that Junes would be the best place to find what she needed, so, with the kitten snuggled firmly into her arms, she began her short trek to the store. Besides a few cries here and there, the kitten seemed content to stay nestled close to her.

As Yua approached the department store, she realized that she had been so caught up in helping the kitten that she hadn't actually thought of what she would do when she got there. Junes definitely had policies against bringing pets into the store. Leaving the kitten alone outside was out of the question, but she didn't want to hurt the kitten trying to smuggle it in under her clothes or in her bag. That barely worked with their weapons.

Yua glanced through the store window, trying to see if Yosuke was in the front. She thought about calling him, but the kitten started to push against her to get free once she removed one of her hands from it. It might have been skinny, but it still had a kitten's energy. While Yua was figuring out what to do, her prayers were answered by a familiar face.

"Adachi-san!" She called out as she saw the man approaching the storefront. He looked a little surprised before a smile spread, and he approached her.

"Hey Narukami, how are you—"

"Can you do something for me? Please?" She didn't mean to be so abrupt, but the kitten became fussy again.

"Uh, maybe?" He made a face and glanced at his phone as if to find something to do. "I'm kind of busy."

"Please?" Yua didn't really have time for Adachi's definition of busy. "They don't let pets inside, and I found this kitten. I wanted to get milk replacer. Can you go get it for me? I'll pay you back."

He seemed a little dumbstruck by the request but smiled anyway, "Uh, sure, that's right next to the milk, right?"

"No, it's a powder; you'll have to go to the pet aisle to get it."

"Ok!" His expression dropped a little. "Where in the store is that again?"

Part of her grew a bit frustrated with his general incompetence. Then again, Dojima did say he was a little… slow on the uptake, to put it gently. (Those were certainly not the words her uncle used to describe him.) He seemed good-natured, but this wouldn't help her get that milk any faster.

"I know where it is. I'll go get it," The detective nodded as Yua finished and looked like he was about to set off before she spoke again, "Can you hold her for me?"

"Huh?" Yua quickly pressed the kitten into his arms; Adachi looked very befuddled as he took the kitten. "Um… sure."

"Thank you!" Yua was off into the store without a second to waste.

She gathered the things she needed to make the synthetic milk: the powder, water, bottle. She just hoped that Adachi was alright with holding the kitten. Her thoughts drifted to them, and an image flashed of him accidentally dropping the kitten or playing with it too roughly. She borderline sprinted through the store to get to the cash register to pay for the goods. She was impressed with her time and made her way back to the front in a matter of minutes.

When she reached the front, Yua stopped in her tracks.

Yua felt she had no other choice but to stop and stare at the spectacle in front of her. Adachi was struggling to keep hold of the kitten. Each time he almost had the wriggling fuzzball in his grasp, it would start to gnaw on one of his fingers. The detective would pull his hand away from the kitten's jaws only to lose his hold on it, and the struggle would start all over again. He had an exasperated yet comical expression on his face, like he was desperately trying to appeal to the kitten's non-existent calm side. Yua tried to hold back a giggle as her fears lifted at the sight of his tenderness. She watched him bring the kitten back towards himself; his hands were gentle and cautious despite his struggles. It was pretty cute.

"Oh good, you're back!" He exclaimed as he saw her. The kitten finally settled down as if by magic.

"Sorry, I took a second," She had to suppress a laugh as the kitten stretched its paws outside of his hands and attempted to jump down, causing the detective to struggle yet again. He tried to return the kitten, but Yua held up a hand. "Can you keep hold of him for a second? I need to mix everything together."

Adachi whined about "work" but settled down when she insisted that she would buy him something to compensate for his patience. Yua suggested that they sit down at one of the outdoor tables as she worked. Adachi found some rest as he set the kitten into his lap, and it promptly fell asleep. He experimentally ran a finger along the kitten's spine. Yua noticed the kind gesture and curbed a smile. He caught the faint glitter in her eyes.

"You think this is really funny, don't you," he said dejectedly as he sat, trapped by the kitten.

"Yeah," Yua smiled a bit as she mixed the drink.

"You could at least deny it!" His face fell.

"It's nice to see you finally doing your job."

"Hey, I definitely work hard—" he saw a smile form at the corners of her mouth, "you're screwing with me."

"A little," she held up the drink. "Well, if it makes you feel better, you're being very kind to Atsuki."

"So, we're naming it now?"

"' Her,' she's female, and, yes, all cats deserve names."

He glanced sideways at her, "You're really weird, you know that."

"That's a pretty low bar for weird."

"Maybe I'm just used to how bland this town is," he sighed.

She noticed him frown and tried to combat it, "It's not that bad."

"Well, maybe, I guess. But there's hardly anything to do; I end up doing a whole lot of nothing when I get home. I miss the city; at least there'd be something to keep me from getting bored," His expression dropped.

There was lonely darkness in his gaze. Yua was a bit surprised to see such an emotion in the eyes of someone who she thought was a kind and goofy man. He looked tired, and the talk of boredom seemed to be the cause.

Suddenly, his tie was jerked forward. Both of them looked down to see Atsuki swatting at Adachi's tie.

"See?" Yua tried to cheer him up. "It's not that bad. Most city cats wouldn't be this open to you."

"You're really weird, Narukami," Adachi playfully rolled his eyes and smiled back. For a moment, the darkness and tiredness disappeared.

I am Thou.

A familiar voice rang in her ears, and she nearly lost her balance. An arcana? A new social link? She knew that her social links came in all shapes and sizes, but this was surprising. She never really felt like Adachi was over that often. Maybe this was a new opportunity; Adachi needed her help like the others.

As she finished the formula, took the kitten, and waved goodbye to Adachi, she set her mind to finding new ways to get in contact with him.

One of the most annoying things about living in Inaba was that his job forced Adachi to walk almost everywhere.

Yeah, Dojima would sometimes let him use the police car, but never for his daily "outings" into the main shopping district. His reasoning was that Adachi needed to "get to know the place better" or some crap like that. Summer was going to murder him—not like Dojima cared. Adachi needed to develop a way to keep cool; he could already feel the sweat sticking his shirt to his skin when he walked down the street.

He stretched his hand a little and cursed under his breath. It had been almost a week since then, but there were still scratch marks and bites from that encounter with that damn cat. He had to put on a good show for the girl. In all honesty, he wasn't a fan of those oversized rats, and they infested the area more than some cities. If he hadn't expected Yua to come back, he would have dumped the cat into the nearest bush. He had gotten an update on the furball from his boss, who griped about Yua bringing it home. Dojima was strict as always and wouldn't let her keep it, but she apparently was able to find it a home with one of her classmates.

As he walked down the street trying to forget the pain in his hand, he caught a glimpse of a blonde-haired teenager stepping out of the textiles store. In an instant, Adachi ducked into the alley between stores and hoped that he wasn't seen. Kanji Tatsumi stretched as he stepped into the midday sunlight. Adachi peered out from the alleyway.

Now, Adachi didn't make it a habit to spy on teenagers, but this one was special. He was the one who had been recently thrown into the TV, yet here he was, stretching in the sun like nothing had happened. It was as if he had never come face-to-face with another world or death. Even at the police station, he'd had a similar, unhelpful story like Amagi:

"Didn't go nowhere particular. I just needed to get out and think about things. So, stop grillin' me!"

Dojima let him go with a warning, but even the older detective sensed that something strange had happened to the boy. Adachi entertained the idea that the TV could erase memories once they came out, but then why wouldn't they freak out about losing their memory, and why have the same story? They were lying. He was sure of it. And the best way to catch a liar in the act was to keep an eye on them.

The detective's interest was piqued when the teen saw something in the distance and waved at it. Adachi followed his gaze and was infinitely confused to see Yua at the other end.

"Kanji-kun!" Yua called as she strolled up, "Did you finish it?"

"Yeah, last night, actually," Tatsumi shuffled and fished in his pocket.

After a second or two, he produced something from it. Adachi had to lean out to get a glimpse of it, and, to his surprise, the brute was holding a charming, homemade plush bunny phone charm.

"It's so cute!" In a rare glimpse of emotion, Yua's face lit up like a thousand candles. "Just like its maker."

"Huh?" The rough-looking boy turned red. "You really think so?"

"Yeah! Very cute!"

"Well, if it's your expert opinion," the Tatsumi kid had a stupid smile on his face.

Adachi gagged.

Yua's phone rang, "Looks like Chie's calling. One sec," Yua picked it up.

"Hey, wait," He looked back at the toy and started mumbling. "Yua-senpai, what kind of 'cute' are you talking about? Like the fluffy kind of cute or the—"

Yua snapped her phone shut, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Oh, nothing, just thinkin' aloud," he shook his head.

"I gotta go meet up with Chie. I'll see you later, Kanji-kun," she waved as she left.

The ruffian looked up to see her departing form, "Hey..." Yua turned around. The young man simply tossed the phone charm to her. "I want you to have it, 'kay? Yeah, see ya, senpai."

Yua smiled at the small gift in her hand and then turned around disappeared down the road.

"What does 'cute' mean, dammit!" He grunted and scratched his head. "Does she... She doesn't. Nah. Right? No, nah. But cute means…."

While he was standing flabbergasted, Adachi was somewhat impressed by either the level of incompetence or pure ingenious. He couldn't figure out if it was a power move or she was simply too dense to notice her word's effects. Another thought occurred that she could be some sort of master manipulator—part of him wanted to believe it based on the cat incident alone.

Adachi was about to label the eavesdropping as a waste of time, but something stood out to him. Yua was friends with Tatsumi and Amagi? What were the odds of that? That was strange. When Tatsumi disappeared, the case file revealed that the teenager had no friends and very few acquaintances.

"Hey," Adachi snapped back up and saw the brute glaring at him. Adachi had foolishly leaned out from behind the wall while watching the disaster. "Got an eyeful yet, buddy?"

"Ah!" Adachi jumped, realizing that he couldn't hide that fact, and masked his intent with stammering. "Yeah, I mean. Yes, I mean—I wasn't spying!" He laughed loudly, like an idiot.

The boy scowled. Adachi realized the irony of the situation. While Adachi put on a show to hide his greater self, the teenager puffed up his chest in an attempt to hide his insecurities. He'd seen the brat's inner secret display, the embarrassing truth about him: a sissy, closeted sexual deviant. The brute couldn't play scary now. However, the police officer Adachi would be intimidated.

"Uh, woah, look at the time!" With that, Adachi sprinted down the street in the opposite direction.

Later that day, Adachi was trailing down the road to get home. His eyes were already drooping, and he was exhausted from the tongue lashing that Dojima had given him for not filing something correctly. He was already bored; now, he was exhausted. The two mixed and gelled into something bitter. When he was in a mood like this, the best thing was to avoid—

He stopped in his tracks.

Yua, there she was again. This time, she was with another girl, a local, the one with the green jacket. Both of them, clad in exercise clothes, were clustered around the mouth of an alleyway. The short-haired girl buzzed around a grade school kid who looked perturbed. She seemed to be interviewing him with how many questions she seemed to be asking him.

Adachi sighed: an officer of the law had to at least investigate this strange occurrence, even in his off time. He might as well do something. He made his way over to the two as they finished their interrogation of the brat, and Yua spotted him.

"Adachi-san," Yua waved at him.

It was now that Adachi took register of a few more of Yua's features. She was tall for a girl her age, only a few centimeters shorter than him, and towered over the other girl. They both looked a little tired and sweaty like they had been working out beforehand.

"Oh, hey!" He did a bumbling, haphazard wave. "What are you girls doing?"

"Oh, just patrolling the area," the spunky girl replied.

"Hey," Adachi hid his annoyance with a smile. "That's my line."

"Well," Yua muttered. "We heard that some bullies were running around and stealing elementary school kids' lunch money. We thought we could help by taking a look around."

"Yeah, gonna give 'em a what for!" The green-clad girl kicked at the air with a Kiai.

Really? Spend the afternoon looking out for brats? Maybe she was looking for some sort of college credit or charity, but Adachi couldn't think about anything that would sponsor such actions. Being weird was just these kids' normal, he decided. He didn't need them to make his life harder by going around beating up other children.

"Well, I don't think I can let you girls do that on a clear conscience. Just tell me where you've seen this happen, and I'll take care of it."

The Kung Fu chick looked at him a little, "I don't know; we've been training recently. They might be out of your league."

They were probably a group of middle schoolers. Out of his league? This barely a hundred-fifty-centimeter green girl and her thin-armed friend were going to take down a bunch of thugs, but he couldn't? Insulting.

He laughed; the image of the green girl meeting a real threat and getting her ass handed to her helped him laugh, "Well, maybe, but I don't think Dojima would like me sanctioning vigilante justice. Come on, girls, let me do my job here. There's nothing else really going on at the moment; I wouldn't mind."

"Fine," the green girl sighed and gave a brief description of the "bullies." They were fourteen years old at most—not worth anyone's time. He pulled out his notepad and pretended to scribble something down. When he finished, he slapped the notebook shut and tapped it with his pen.

"Don't worry, ladies. Ace detective Tohru Adachi is on the case!" He beamed at them.

"That's what I'm afraid of," the green girl grumbled.

Adachi suppressed a sneer.

The sound of a cellphone ringing brought a break to the conversation.

"Oh crap, I've got to get going!" Yua's friend looked up from her phone and flashed an apologetic smile. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine." The other girl nodded. "I'm going home too."

"Alright, see you tomorrow, Yua!" She sped off down the street, leaving Adachi alone with Yua.

Adachi decided to end their meeting quickly: "Well, I'll see you around."

With that, he spun on his heels and headed down the road. He shoved his notebook back into his pocket and tried to tune out the world until he returned to his apartment. His hope for an uninterrupted walk was quickly dashed as he heard footsteps from behind. He turned his head and was surprised to find Yua following at a respectful distance. He quickly searched for a reason she was following him. Yua noticed him staring back at her.

"We're going the same way," Adachi remarked to excuse the stare.

"Oh!" She looked like she had just realized it as well and pointed down the road. "Well, Dojima's house is—"

"I know; I just thought it was funny," He gave her a half-hearted grin. She seemed to take the smile as an invitation and jogged forward so that she was next to him. He quickly tried to shut down any conversation she could possibly have with him, "I have to warn you; I'm not much for small talk."

"That's alright; I can walk in silence."

So, they did that. Honestly, it troubled Adachi. Girls were usually overly chatty and bitchy at this age. She didn't feel the need to say anything. He wondered if it was eating her up inside.

Her conversation with the brute still weighed on his mind, and he couldn't figure out if she was simply acquainted with the boy or otherwise. Knowing both Amagi and Tatsumi, especially after only just arriving in town, was strange—too strange to be a coincidence. Yet, she could simply be popular, one of those people who clicked with others. He needed to determine how good of friends they were.

He could ask.

She already knew that he was a bit of a blabbermouth, so it wouldn't be suspicious. What could it hurt to try?

"Hey, Yua, you're friends with Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi, right?"

"Yeah," the answer was quick and unhelpful. What were "friends" to this girl?

"Oh, well, that's cool," he realized he needed a reason to ask. "I just saw you talking with Tatsumi earlier and wanted to make sure he wasn't bullying you or anything."

"Oh," Yua shook her head. "Kanji-kun's really not a bad guy once you get to know him. He acts tough, but he really loves his mom and helps her around the store!"

So, she was more than just acquaintances with him. Adachi's suspicion grew, and he decided to go on a limb, "It must have been scary when he disappeared a while back."

"Oh, yeah, it was a bit scary," Yua nodded. "But I really didn't become good friends with him until after he disappeared."

After. It had only been a little while since Tatsumi reappeared. If these were normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't open up to someone in such a short period. The suspicion grew even more until it became the outline of a working theory.

"I'm sure they appreciated your company after everything that happened." He bit back a few more questions, deciding that they were too forward to be for casual conversation. Even though she was surprisingly honest, it would seem nosey to ask too many questions.

So, the silence resumed between them.

Adachi thought on the suspicion for a moment. He didn't know what to make of her, but his hunch drove him to think that she was somehow related. He rejected the idea that she was player two; she was just a kid after all. If anything, she might know who player two was and acted as an emissary for him. Either way, Adachi saw a lot of observation and careful planning in the future. This would take a while.

A tiny flicker of annoyance crossed his features, and, unknown to him, Yua noticed.

Eventually, they turned down a less populated street. Adachi knew that he was slowly coming to a fork that would split them apart. He would politely say his goodbyes and be rid of her; then, he would spend the night theorizing what this new information meant. That was the plan until she suddenly disappeared from his side. He craned his neck again to see where she had gone to. She had simply stopped in her tracks. Adachi was confused to no end. What was with this girl?

"Adachi-san, something's bothering you."

It wasn't a question. That was strange. He wanted to respond: "Yeah, you." But something more sincere in her voice gave him pause. Adachi stopped and frowned but turned around with a smile.

"What, me? No, I'm just thinking about something."

That blank stare.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Uh, nothing." He shrugged. "I told you, I'm not good at small talk."

"You were pretty good at it a second ago."

Adachi tried to wave her off, but Yua walked around him, cutting off his exit. Her eyes stared into his. She kept unblinking eye contact to the point that it started to creep him out.

"Come on. You can tell me what's on your mind."

"Look, it's really nothing," he laughed a little. He hated her persistence.

In a small flash of emotion, she gave him a sly smile, "You're hiding something."

Adachi blinked, "Hiding something?"

"Oh, that's not the best way of putting it," she shook her head. "I just think that maybe you're just hiding how you feel about things sometimes."

Yua trailed off, leaving dead air and a quietly stunned Adachi in the middle of a twilight-lit street. Beneath his mask, Adachi wondered what this girl was getting at. He couldn't imagine that she knew something significant. She was apparently "intelligent" and popular, but, hell, the police couldn't even figure it out. His method was just too bizarre, and that Namatame guy should have been suspect before he was. Still, it was like she sensed it or, at least, something. That worried him. If she was connected to player two, as he suspected, her inquiries could be dangerous.

The way she said that he was "hiding something" irked him as well. It was almost as if she was teasing him with the idea that she knew something about him. He had met the girl only a handful of times, yet she dared to come out and say it as if she knew him. That kind of attitude made him sick, and he struggled to hide his annoyance.

It was at this time that Adachi found himself thinking about the proximity between him and the nearest giant, flat screen. It didn't surprise him that his panicked thoughts led him to murder. (Had he really become so lazy? So desperate?) However, his rational thought kicked in a second later. Someone was saving people from that place. They would probably rescue her if he threw her in. He couldn't confirm that the TV erased their memory, so that would only lead back to him. No—no, that was too complicated. Murder was not an option. He just needed to—

"I'm right, aren't I," Yua's voice cut through his thoughts. She looked so smug; it reminded him of the self-satisfied expression that her uncle gave him every day. They both thought he was a joke. He decided to end the conversation before he snapped at her.

"I'm just tired; I've got to get going," Adachi grumbled before sidestepping her and pressing on down the road.

He thought he was finally rid of her, but a hand caught his sleeve, "Hey, wait, are you—"

SMACK.

Yua's arm jerked as it was swatted away. She recoiled, and that often blank expression broke into shock. Her eyes met his glare.

Adachi felt rage choke his throat as he growled, "Don't touch me."

"I'm—I'm sorry," Yua blinked in surprise. Her pained expression made him hesitate for a moment. He tried to dispel his anger.

"Just go home," he turned quickly and walked off, leaving her in the middle of the street.

Adachi was fuming. For one split second, he broke character, let the charade slip, and in front of someone who might have been suspicious of him. Stupid! That one slip, that one act of petty violence, could spell the end of everything. His perfectly crafted, harmless façade was destroyed in a second. And that girl, what did she know? She just sat there teasing him with the idea that she knew something that he didn't. Part of him wanted to turn around and get rid of her. She was a danger to everything, and now she had something concrete.

Adachi took a breath as he neared his apartment. No, he was being irrational again. He needed to think things through. He needed a plan.

Yua stood stunned as she watched Adachi vanish around the corner. She stood for several moments before feeling the sting of embarrassment in her cheeks. She frowned; she hadn't had anyone react so negatively to her. Yua thought Adachi had responded well to teasing before, so she had tried it again to get him to open up a little. But it seemed to be the wrong time. She should have known better. She pushed too hard too fast. She was being rude.

Yua looked down at her arm, which she held with her other hand. It didn't hurt; there was no mark. He hadn't hit her hard, but the sudden action made her jump. She saw that he looked concerned after he had hit her. It was just so out of character for him; he didn't seem like the type of person to be violent. He must have been having a bad day.

She wondered if she had screwed everything up and ruined any further progress. She knew that it was essential to get as many social links as possible; her friends' lives depended on it. That fact might have gotten in the way of her considering Adachi's feelings. She decided that the best thing she could do was give him some space and then reinitiate with an apology. Maybe then she could build their bond a little more.