Notes: Hi, I am returning from many years on hiatus. I will finish this fic, I promise, and will be finishing my Doctor Who fics soon, if anyone cares still to read them. I'm using writing fanfic as practice and to help me get back into writing so I can eventually work on my novel. Feedback is appreciated.
Summary: The whisper of corpses bodes ill will. Rated M for triggers and some violence. This is story is about relationships and scars.
Prologue: Whispers
"Silent waters run deep, where shadows whisper secrets lost to the depths."
By midmorning, the first rays of daylight had given way to the full summer sun, casting a glistening sheen over the Yokohama River where the police had cordoned off a section of the riverbank. Over the course of three hours, they pulled multiple bodies from the river's depths. Each one was heavily damaged in a way the detectives and crime scene techs didn't recognize. Not the typical signs of homicide or expected damage from being in a body of water, but something clearly happened to the men that laid lifeless before them.
Kunikida parked near the riverbank, swiftly turning off the ignition, pulling out the key, and undoing his seatbelt. He stepped out of the car with practiced efficiency. Ranpo was right behind him, and neither felt inclined to say anything as they made their way over to the scene. The breeze, which he knew would be pleasant later in the day, betrayed him as the smell of wet dirt, grass, and decomposition reached his nose.
As they approached the taped-off scene, Ranpo walked down to the water's edge, saying something Kunikida couldn't hear but figured was bragging to the tech closest to him. After a moment there, Kunikida watched as Ranpo continued his ramble around the area, all the while humming to himself, before making his way over to Kunikida. His wander around the scene took only a couple of minutes (besides the minute to declare his fame). The blonde detective had long since become immune to being annoyed by the older man. If only he could find a way to also do so with Dazai, his life would be easier.
The two agency detectives came to stand by the three bodies and the on-scene detective, who appeared with a paper cup of warm tea in his hand. Although it was summer, it was still early enough in the season for there to be a slight chill in the air mid-morning.
"Detective Fujimura, I'm Agent Kunikida, and I know you are familiar with Detective Ranpo-san."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Agent Kunikida-san." The man glanced warily at Ranpo before politely greeting him as well. "Ranpo-san, it's a pleasure."
Kunikida felt amused despite himself at the older man's resigned trepidation from knowing he had to deal with Ranpo. That amusement fled quickly at just one look at his coworker staring down at the men laying on the riverbank, the sheets that were once covering them now at their feet. He knew they were an ill omen just from the way Ranpo's proud bragging smile slid off his face and his expression became blank the moment his eyes landed on the waterlogged and mutilated bodies.
Oblivious, Detective Fujimura began reporting what he knew, which wasn't much. "Each body, as you see, is heavily damaged. However, we were able to identify one of them." Juggling his cup of tea he flipped a page over in his tiny notebook. "A Sato Arakaki, wanted on multiple charges of vandalism, robbery, and assault and battery. He disappeared about five months ago. It was believed he had met an untimely death with a local gang. Dipping his hand into pockets he shouldn't have."
They both bent down. Kunikida snapped on gloves and followed Ranpo's eerily quiet direction as he moved the first one so they could see the dead man's back. This was sort of a relief considering how distorted the man's face was. Like he was a multi-layered drawing and someone had smudged his features, exposing muscle and bone. Only the same distortion appeared in multiple places over the bodies. After several minutes of adjusting the three bodies any which way Ranpo directed him to, Ranpo stood up properly, giving a small wave of his hand signaling he was done. Kunikida stood, ignoring the twinge in his back, and took off the gloves.
Ranpo pulled out his glasses with a dramatic flourish signaling the use of his 'ability'. After about 20 seconds with the glasses on the greatest detective hummed to himself before he popped a lollipop into his mouth. He directed his words to the police detective, sounding almost chipper, as if he hadn't just been analyzing three corpses. "Most definitely a case for the Armed Detective Agency. These are three criminals who crossed a line with their violence and paid for it."
"Right." Was the only response the Fujimura seemed capable of giving, at first, to Ranpo's deduction. " Uh.. My men are almost done dragging the river for clues. I don't expect to find any more bodies now."
"You won't," Ranpo confirmed.
The older agent turned his squinty green gaze on the sparkling river, seeming at peace, though his next words only filled Kunikida with sense of unease.
"It's the Obsidian Sun."
"The rumors are true, then?" Fujimura asked, surprised, eyes wide.
Sensing Ranpo was about to be rude, a tendency he had when he felt the police were being obtuse. Kunikida interrupted first. "Thanks for your help, and just leave the rest of this to us. Please send the coroner's report to our office once it's done."
"Sure. No problem. I'll send whatever we learn right along." The police detective gave a nod, clearly thinking about what he just learned.
Ranpo pulled his lollipop out and smiled at the man. "Good. We'll be needing some assistance further along. We'll send the details."
Kunikida's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline at this.
Fujimura seemed satisfied with Ranpo's response. Having worked with the strange little agency detective before, he knew what to expect. "Well, I'll leave you two to it."
Once professional goodbyes were exchanged to Kunikida's satisfaction, he turned to Ranpo. The churning whirlpool in the pit of his stomach left him feeling annoyingly anxious, and he could only hope it wouldn't put him behind schedule with a sudden trip to the toilet.
"If the rumors are true, that means—"
"A new weapon. One capable of disfiguring an individual or, more concerning, flooding entire city blocks."
"Damn it! How long?"
"Judging by the testing, a few weeks at most," the words sounded odd around the older detective's lollipop.
Kunikida nodded, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ground as he processed. Testing. It made sense they were using the three men as a means to test the rumored weapon. So much for it being a rumor.
"It will be necessary to include the Mafia," Ranpo added. "Considering it's them they have in their sights." Kunikida looked up at him sharply. The confirmation of their goal, with respect to the Mafia, was concerning. It was the unknown goals, however, that he found kept him awake at night in cases like this.
He could name his sense of unease as dread, feeling it like a living thing inside his stomach. He knew there was good reason to trust it. Past experience had taught him to listen to his gut. Right now, he wasn't sure what it was about the case that was bothering him, but once he did, he'd find a way to put a voice to the dread and take the necessary precautions.
The Obsidian Sun wasn't a group to take lightly. They had been on the agency's radar for months, but Ranpo had indicated they weren't a concern yet. Obviously, that had now changed, and Kunikida wondered what kind of water weapon could mutilate in the fashion of the washed-up bodies. All heavily damaged, but it was strange. Except for the signs of each man having been shackled by the foot and likely each had taken a hit or two to the head. Kunikida was certain the autopsies would show that the head injuries weren't what killed them.
"We'll specifically need Akutagawa-kun and the red-haired hat-wearing mafioso."
"Nakahara-san."
"Yes, him," Ranpo agreed, even though Kunikida doubted he recognized the name. He was surprised he even knew Akutagawa's, unless he just guessed correctly.
If they need those two specifically, then it meant a Dazai and Atsushi-heavy case. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the headache Dazai would give him coming on early. Damn that man.
Ranpo clapped his hands, causing Kunikida to flinch, before loudly exclaiming, "It's nothing the world's greatest detective can't sort out. Well, of course, with the Armed Detective Agency's help. Once we're done, the Mafia should put us on their payroll as well. Twice the sweets."
Kunikida managed a small, reluctant smile. Ranpo's confidence was infectious, even if sometimes misplaced. Despite the dread gnawing at his insides, he felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to stop the Obsidian Sun before it was too late.
Notes:
Poetry line - I lost the source, forgive me.
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