Rude Awakening

Tohru needed a release.

December was a bleak month; the last bit of the semester before the anticipated winter break was almost unbearable. Homework had slowed down; the teachers and students were just counting down the seconds. However, Tohru wasn't looking forward to the break; having to deal with his parents during the holidays seemed like a living nightmare. They'd been arguing recently, and he planned to excuse himself to the library during the day to avoid most of it. But that wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. He'd known that it had been an issue for a while, but he'd postponed dealing with it due to his busy study life. So, as the year wound down and with nothing to distract him, he decided to tackle the problem.

Some of Tohru's rougher peers had already been teasing him about it between classes. He normally wouldn't care, except he did because of peer pressure and hormones. They already thought he was strange for being such a "stiff" and for his regimented-study-focused behavior, but now, it was floating around that he was "a queer." That kind of rumor could get in the way of him going to a nice college, he reasoned. And if he didn't go to college, he couldn't get a good desk job. Then he… eh, he was turning into his father.

Either way, he needed to take care of it as soon as possible.

Tohru picked his mark carefully. She was an "easy" girl who would do anything if he showed her a good time. He heard from the chatty girls who sat next to him in class that she even got calls from older men and afterward came into school with new jewelry or fancier clothes. Perfect. He didn't have enough time or interest to build rapport, so a transaction was best. If he flashed enough cash, he could finally lose his virginity.

One morning, he pushed the note into her shoe locker like he had seen her other admirers do and dictated the time and place of the meeting. When classes had ended for the day, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, pulled his jacket on, and headed towards the rooftop.

Tohru waited on the roof. One, two, five, ten minutes passed. He checked his watch. Late. Should have known. She was a dumbass, had the lowest grades in the class. He bet she couldn't tell the time, let alone keep it. He started raking a discarded piece of wood along the chain-link railing to stay busy. His nose started to dribble, and his cheeks burned in the frosty air. He fidgeted with his collar, wondering whether or not to pop it like the cool guys he'd seen on TV.

The squeal of the door hinges snapped him out of his daze, and her steps clicked across the rooftop. A jolt went through him as he fumbled with his wallet. He turned to face her, money in hand.

"Oh, it's you…" the girl, her name was unimportant, muttered as he turned around.

Tohru's fingers clenched, but he smiled and tried to appear excited about seeing her. Well, not too excited. He needed to be calm, aloof. Girls liked that.

"Hey, yeah, I just wanted to talk to you. Um… you look very nice today," he pushed his glasses back into place. "I, uh, have a proposition for you."

"Proposition…" She muttered, stretching the word so that it hung in the air for a second. Maybe it was too many syllables for her. He decided to simplify his approach and lure her in with a treat.

"I've got some money," he flashed his meager wad of yens. "We could hit the town tonight. I'll buy you dinner, maybe something nice for you too."

She squinted and frowned, ruining whatever attractive features she'd had before. Tohru's gaze flicker to the payment. He thought about fishing out the cash he had set aside for a hotel room. He'd just take her to his place or somewhere cheap. He started to dig in his pocket.

"I've got something else going on today," she scratched her ear. "So, uh, I don't think we should."

Tohru's jaw tightened. Such a blatant lie. She leveled her gaze at him and crossed her arms. He decided to call her bluff.

"Really? What are you doing after this?"

She shrugged and stepped back, "Just hanging out with my friends."

He took a step forward, "Can I hang out too?"

She stepped back again, "It's a girls' friend group."

Step forward, "I don't mind."

"Just—actually, I'm going to work at that time."

"Where do you work? I can stop by—"

"No, my manager wouldn't like that."

"Well, I could just wait until you get off."

Her back hit the cage link of the roof fencing, "I get off super late."

"I don't mind; it doesn't have to be today. Is there another time that we could—"

"Shut up! Geez! Take a hint! I don't want to, ok?"

Tohru stepped back. In a moment, playful nervousness morphed into something ugly: her thin brows knit together; her puffy lips curled in disgust. It was a hideous expression, and it had been hiding under such a pretty façade. So, this was what she was really like. But he didn't pick her for her personality.

Tohru tried to say something, but the girl breezed past him.

His hand seized her arm, "Hey—wait a minute."

She tried to rip away, "Don't touch me!"

"We—we're negotiating here. Is it not enough for you? We can skip the dinner, and you can keep the money. Just show up at my place tonight."

"Like a hooker?" She cringed in disgust; her hysterics were really ruining the moment. "You're a creep. You can't pay me to change my mind. Now let go!"

She heaved her arm again, but his grip was iron. Something dark twisted in Tohru. As he watched the bitch wriggle for freedom, he could only think about the dozens or hundreds of men she'd let slide under her sheets. He should have been no different. He wasn't ugly, wasn't stupid; he had more than enough cash to pay her. He should have been just another body to her. Yet, the more and more she struggled, the more he thought about how stuck up she was—how she felt she had some kind of standard after being such a slut. All of those men, and he was the one she rejected. Still, maybe he could still win her over.

"Hey, hey, calm down. We can work something out! It's a simple arrangement. Don't be such a—"

Her other hand struck his cheek. His grip slipped, and she stumbled away. Tohru stepped back, and he touched the reddening spot on his face.

"You are a freak," she shrieked.

Tohru's feet were rooted to the ground as he watched her flee. Freak. She thought he was a freak, a creep—for what? Following primal instincts? She slapped him right when he tried to talk it out with her. She slept with half the school, but he was the freak for wanting a date. A good time was all she was good for. Why not him? Why did she deny him?

"Slut!" He yelled after her. "Whore! Bitches like you end up in the red-light district or pregnant! Slut!" He ranted after her even after she was well out of earshot.

When his rampage was done, his face was left a mask of crimson; his breath was heavy and hung in the air as a small cloud. He stood there like a dragon who had just watched a stolen princess escape. His blood boiled, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Adachi woke to a throbbing headache threatening to split his skull. He groaned and rolled over. The springs dug into his back more than usual. A night of sleep had done nothing for him except fast-track him straight to his hangover. Not to be outdone by his headache, his dreams were only getting more out of control. His subconscious seemed insistent on dredging up bad memories, and it was pissing him off now. It only added to his exhaustion.

Adachi tried to pick his head up to relieve the discomfort in his neck and back. The room spun, and he gave up on the little venture. He just needed to close his eyes for five more minutes. Just a moment of peace before he forced himself up.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Adachi jolted up and promptly fell onto the floor. It took him a moment of recovery to realize that he had tumbled off the couch. The couch, not his bed. The mystery lasted a few seconds as the detective scrambled to his feet and glanced toward his not-so-vacant bed. Yua was sleeping back against the wall on his mattress.

She's still here.

The memory of last night assaulted Adachi in a flash, and he cringed. The pain of the memory was compounded by his headache and tripled by the repeated Thud! Thud! Thud! at his door. Yua started to wake due to the noise. He decided to take care of the knocking and then deal with his "girlfriend."

"I'm up. I'm up. Shut up." He whined and, clutching his head, stomped to the door. Whatever the hell it was, it had better be important. Half awake, he reached for the doorknob.

"Adachi, you in there?" A voice barked from the other side.

Adachi froze, and his thoughts sobered from his grogginess. His fingers retracted from the cold metal of the doorknob. He glimpsed through the peephole. The eyepiece distorted his view, but there was no doubt. Dojima was outside his door.

Why? Why was he here? Adachi racked his brain for a reason, desperately trying to remember anything he could have forgotten. His head hurt too much to think clearly. His mind offered only the worst-case scenario. This was how it would end: in his shitty apartment, Dojima's hands wrapped around his throat.

Adachi shook his head, rejecting the hurried thoughts. There was no possible way that Dojima could know about him and Yua. Right? His head hurt too much to work through everything.

"Tohru, who is it?" Adachi whirled around to see Yua, still dressed in his clothes and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The gravity of the situation came back full force as she shuffled over to him.

"It's Dojima."

"What?" She froze, and the color drained from her face.

Adachi closed the distance between them and grabbed Yua by the shoulders, wrenching her around.

"You need to hide," He pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Wait, my clothes!" Yua escaped his grip and sprinted to the foot of the couch where her clothes and bag had been unceremoniously dumped the night before. She scooped them up, tugging several articles loose from their place wedged between the floor and the furniture, and ran back to the bathroom.

Adachi rethought the idea; Dojima could ask to use the bathroom. Changing plans, he grabbed Yua by the arm and dragged her to the other side of his apartment. He yanked the door to his closet open and shoved her inside.

"Stay there," He slid the door closed.

"Adachi, I can hear you in there. Open up!" Dojima called again.

"Just a second!" Adachi yelled back. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to put himself together, before pulling the door open to reveal an annoyed Dojima.

"Took you long enough," Dojima's voice carried loudly into the apartment as he looked Adachi up and down. Adachi stood awkwardly, still in his night clothes and sweating like a pig. He wouldn't have invited Dojima in, but his boss didn't require an invitation.

As Dojima barged his way in, Adachi attempted to hide his nervousness, "You got a warrant, sir?"

"We're needed in early today. I tried to call you and give you a heads-up, but you didn't answer," Dojima thrust a cup of coffee into Adachi's hands.

"I had my phone off, sorry." Adachi examined the drink in his hands. "I-Is something wrong?"

"We've got another missing person, so they need us at the station now." Dojima stepped further into the apartment.

"And the coffee?" Adachi held up the drink and followed his boss.

"I thought we could go into the office together. I figured bringing some coffee wouldn't hurt." Dojima let out a begrudging sigh. "Look, I'm trying to be nice, ok?"

"Nice?"

"Just, you know what, forget I said anything. Why do you have your phone off anyway? I need to be able to contact you in the case of an emergency."

"Yes, sir." Adachi winced as a pang of pain throbbed in his head. "Could you, uh, lower your voice? My neighbor's very sensitive to—"

"Are you—" Dojima scowled. "Adachi, are you hung over?" Adachi sighed. "Really? You know that today is a work day."

"Please, Dojima-san," Adachi reached up to grab his ears.

Dojima growled, "I'll spare you the lecture. Drink some water and get dressed. And make it quick!"

"Yessir." Adachi shuffled toward the bathroom. "I'll go get changed."

"Ya' need clothes?" Dojima crossed his arms. Adachi turned on his heel.

"Right, clothes. Uh, you can have a seat, sir, or you could wait outside if you want."

Dojima took neither option and stood near the front door, "If I leave, it'll be 20 minutes before I see you again."

Adachi cautiously approached the closet and slid the door open. He and Yua made instant eye contact. Yua was pressed as far back into the cluttered space as she could be, her hand firmly clamped over her mouth and her eyes full of fear. Adachi tried to avoid her gaze as he reached up for his suit. He once again caught the lingering scent of her shampoo. Unpleasant feelings stirred in his chest. The slap. Her scowl. But he pushed it aside to relay a message.

"There's a spare key in the kitchen drawer. Wait a few minutes and use it to lock up when you leave." He stepped back from the closet and watched the girl nod before shutting her in again.

After splashing water on his face and downing over-the-counter painkillers, Adachi emerged from the bathroom, ready to go in almost record time. Adachi was unpleasantly surprised that Dojima had left his post at the front door and was now standing in his living room, only a meter away from Yua's hiding spot.

"Ready to go, Dojima-san?" Adachi grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and beckoned him to the door. There was a moment of unexpected silence as Dojima looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Adachi?"

"S-sir?" The younger detective's heart stopped.

"What is this?" His boss closely examined something in his hand and dangled it for Adachi to see.

A plush bunny phone charm hung from his finger. Yua's bunny phone charm.

"It's—it's mine." Adachi panicked and snatched the charm from his boss' hand. He stuffed it in his pocket.

"It's yours?" Dojima's left eyebrow could not ascend any higher.

"Ye-Yeah, I thought it was cute." Adachi knew it sounded dumb, but how else was he supposed to explain the girly item lying on the floor of his home? "It's uh… y'know." He grinned stupidly.

Dojima stared at him like he had weeds coming out of his ears.

"I don't know, Adachi. I really don't." Dojima sighed and crossed to the door. "You said you were ready to go?"

"Right!"

Yua sat for several minutes, holding her breath as she listened to Adachi and her uncle talk outside the closet. She stood on her toes to avoid stepping on the pointed clutter of the closet but didn't move to avoid making a sound. Finally, the front door clicked shut. She waited a minute or two more, just in case they came back, and opened the door to the closet. She peered out, triple checking, before venturing out.

As she stumbled, clothing in hand, her foot connected with something on the floor. The cardboard box was light and small enough to be knocked right out of the closet. The lid popped off, and its contents spilled, but Yua didn't waste time picking it up as she rushed to the bathroom.

Yua was shaking; she felt sick to her stomach. Her uncle was just there, and he almost found out. Through the closet blinds, she saw him pass into the living room and inspect Adachi's living room area. She had always known they were in danger of being found out, but now, it felt more real than ever. Her heart still hadn't stopped racing.

She splashed cold water on her face, trying to bring herself back from the fear. Dojima didn't know. He hadn't seen her. They were safe now. She thought she might have felt some victory or laughed in relief, but her stomach was in knots. She never thought she would be afraid of her uncle. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Yua pulled herself up from the sink. Drops of water streamed from her face to the exposed skin of her chest. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she dried herself with a cloth; she looked like a mess. The torn nightshirt did little to conceal her torso. Several loose strings hung from where buttons had once been securely fastened. Her fingers traced one of the buttons that had managed to hold on by a few threads. That sick feeling intensified as she peeled the pajamas off, revealing lightly bruised skin along her waist. She prodded the marks experimentally and winced as she remembered how she'd gotten them.

Adachi's hands were on her again. He muttered incoherencies as his fingers dragged down her waist. She could feel the weight of his body; it trapped her beneath him, restraining her like the walls of a coffin. Kisses scorched her skin. Nails tore her clothes. Hands groped her breast. She could barely breathe as she pleaded for him to stop. And for a moment…

Yua hesitated. She didn't want to think about it because she didn't want it to be a possibility, but she knew she had to explore the concept.

For a moment, she was afraid he wouldn't stop.

A pit in her stomach opened up as she thought about it. The thought alone that Adachi could have… she couldn't even think the word without wanting to vomit. What had happened to him? He was her boyfriend. His touch had always been reassuring and safe, but in a moment, her sweet Tohru had disappeared, replaced with someone she didn't recognize. She couldn't reconcile last night with what she knew: Adachi wouldn't do that.

Yua searched for a reason—something to explain the event. He was drunk! She knew that. While she'd never been drunk, she knew that it made people have less impulse control. He probably didn't realize what he was doing and couldn't hear her. That was why he'd grabbed her like that. She prodded one of the bruises and hissed; it still hurt.

It had to be the alcohol; that's why she could sober him up with a slap. Yua frowned, thinking of how he had hovered over her, just staring at her—confused. He held his cheek and looked at her with the most pained, bewildered expression. It was like a spell had been broken. He just had a moment, a second where he lost control, she told herself.

Yua began tugging her school clothes on, covering the bruises.

Yua kept telling herself that it was only the drink, but that didn't help the uneasiness. No matter how much she reasoned, her heart twisted further. She began questioning her hypothesis; alcohol wasn't the only culprit. Something had to have caused him to become aggressive.

Didn't you kiss him back?

Yua touched her lips. She should have been more straightforward. She was so worried, and yet, there was a moment when she wanted it. The passion in his kisses reflected a fire in herself. For a brief moment, she'd wanted him in a way she'd never wanted another person. But the moment was over the second he moved to pull down her pants, and she remembered that he was drunk. He was very drunk. She should have…

Different truths kept pushing their way into her thoughts, but nothing made her feel better. Even if it was a mistake, even if he didn't mean it, he almost… No. She cut off the train of thought. She just needed to… Yua didn't even know. She needed to talk to him, but even that filled her with worry.

It was all so confusing.

Yua left the bathroom, avoiding any glimpses of her reflection.

A piece of paper crinkled under her foot. Yua looked up to see a mess of papers strewn about the room, a box tipped over onto its side. Yua exhaled and, putting down the pile of ruined pajamas, went to the cardboard box and quickly shoved the contents back in. After stuffing a handful in, she glimpsed something on the paper and froze. A familiar face stopped her.

Yua found herself staring at the first victim of the Inaba serial murder cases. Mayumi Yamano appeared under the words "Murdered in Bizarre Incident." Yua's eyes drifted to another piece of paper with a foreboding headline, then another and another. She flipped over papers, looking at each photo. The pile seemed to be a mixture of the cases involving Yamano and Saki.

Yua paused in confusion as her eyes scanned the articles and wondered why the evidence box had been stowed away in Adachi's closet. This should have been returned to the police department. The killer was caught, and the Midnight Channel had gone—

Yua snapped up.

The Midnight Channel! She was supposed to watch that last night! Yua seized her phone in the pile of pajamas. She snapped it open to witness just under 100 missed calls and texts, most of them from Yosuke. She glanced at the clock; she was late! Yua started to move but kicked some newspaper clippings that remained on the ground.

Yua looked back down. The clippings on the floor rustled around her feet. She shook her head and decided she would just ask him later, picked the last couple of papers up, shoved it back into the box, fixed the lid on top, and set it down in the closet. She spared the box one more wary look before closing the door, grabbing her things and the spare key, and fleeing the apartment in a hurry.

"Come on, where is she?" Yosuke was pacing like a madman up and down the classroom aisle.

The class was about to start, and the second-year members of the Investigation Team sat at their usual spots in the middle of the room. Yosuke wore a rut into the floor while staring at his phone, Chie was sitting on the desk, and Yukiko sat down typing.

"I just sent another text," Yukiko muttered. "Maybe I'll get a response."

"She's not answering my calls either!" Yosuke mashed the call button for the twentieth time. "Maybe her phone's off. But there's a dial tone, so…"

"Why are you so worried, Yosuke?" Chie cocked her head to the side. "She's just a little late. She'll show up in a second."

"Why shouldn't I be worried? She didn't pick up last night either! You saw the TV!"

"Yeah," Chie lowered her voice. "But Yua wasn't the one on the TV, so calm down. Everyone's looking at you."

Yosuke glanced around to see that his odd behavior was causing some mutterings and chuckles. He knew Chie was right, but he couldn't calm down.

How could he calm down?

Yua was with Naoto last night.

Yosuke didn't know when Naoto was grabbed, but what if the killer showed up during their dinner? Yua would defend Naoto, but Naoto was on the TV, which meant that Yua must have failed! The killer could have overpowered her—stabbed her or thrown her into the TV with Naoto! His breath came quicker. He imagined a wounded Yua defending Naoto from his shadow all alone in the TV. The Investigation Team barely beat those things when everyone was there!

"I'm going to head to Junes," Yosuke grabbed his school bag.

"Wait, what?" Chie popped to her feet at the sudden declaration. "Hey, Yosuke, what's going on?"

Yosuke hesitated to answer, and the school bell interrupted his thoughts.

"Alright, take a seat," Ms. Kashiwagi looked up from her leisure book as the students of class 2-2 shuffled to their seats.

"Yosuke," Yukiko made a face as he didn't move.

"I've got to go," he muttered and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Let's wait until after class, ok?"

Yosuke glanced between the two. He knew that they were probably right. He knew that they were trying to be calm as well. He knew they cared about Yua as much as he did.

But he couldn't live with himself if they were wrong.

He couldn't do this again.

"I—I can't," Yosuke turned away from their confused gazes. "I have to check it out. Come to Junes when you're ready."

Yosuke walked to the door at the back, drawing the class's attention.

"Hanamura-kun," Kashiwagi protested her student's departure.

"Feeling really sick! Going to see the nurse." He threw the door open before she could protest, "I'll probably—"

He slammed right into someone. They knocked heads, and the person sprawled onto the floor while Yosuke recoiled, holding his forehead.

"Hey, watch—"

Yosuke cracked open his tearful eyes to catch a glimpse of silver hair. His eyes shot open, and his heart lifted.

"Oh! Yua! You're alright!"

Yosuke rethought that observation seconds later. Her hand grasped a bruised spot where their foreheads collided. There were deep bags under her eyes; her usually shiny silver short hair was frazzled. She looked beyond exhausted. He shot his hand out to help her and pulled her to her feet.

"Yua, are you—"

"Hanamura, still need to go to the nurse's office?"

"Oh, uh, no. I'm feeling much better now." A pain shot through his forehead, where a solid bump was forming.

"Alright, then take a seat."

Yosuke led the way into the classroom. His gaze flitted back to Yua's expression even after they took their seats. Her usually stoic demeanor seemed off. Even at her most neutral expression, there was a hint of something in her eyes to convey her kindness. It was gone, snuffed out like a candle.

Yosuke couldn't listen to Kashwagi's lesson as his mind wandered into darker territory. Yua hadn't been there during the kidnapping; otherwise, he assumed she would have been talking to the police. So, it must have happened right after she left. Then, she must have seen the Midnight Channel, right? That was why she was acting so strange. He couldn't imagine the pain of seeing someone just hours before and then having them kidnapped.

He needed to talk to her.

Yosuke leaned back, making sure to meet her eyes with sympathy, and muttered, "Hey, did you see the Midnight Channel last night? Kanji and I tried to call you. Are you alright?"

"I fell asleep; I was so tired," Her response was quick. "My phone was on silent. I didn't see anything. I haven't read any texts."

"Well, it looks like things are getting more complicated," He grimaced suddenly; he didn't know if she was just in denial, but he hated to tell her this news. "Um, Yua, I'm sorry to say this, but Naoto was on the Midnight Channel. We'll talk about it later with everyone."

Yosuke felt wretched guilt as he watched Yua's expression fall. Her head dropped, and she seemed to be contemplating something. Her lips were pulled taut to avoid frowning. Yosuke looked away to offer her some privacy.

Damnit! He felt useless! He knew how she was feeling but couldn't say anything because he kept a dumb secret! His fist clenched. No, now wasn't the time for secrets.

"Partner…" He turned around in his seat and summoned the courage to say it. "We'll save him. I know how special he is. We'll get him back no matter what." Yosuke offered her a thin, reassuring smile, hoping to see some spark return, but Yua returned her gaze back to her desk with a frown.

Yua nodded solemnly, "Yeah, we'll get him back."