Chapter Text
The more that Yu tried to understand, the more questions that came out of it.
There were some basics he had come to grasp over the years about “Second Chance.” One, he would always be forced back to moments before a disaster, one that would often otherwise lead to death for the victim if he hadn’t done anything to help. Two, there were no consequences to not helping, as far as he was aware; only a guilty conscience that followed inaction or failure. Three, these skips back had only started on his first visit to Inaba, all from a stoic, menacing humanoid that had never answered his questions nor pleas.
And last, but not least, it was an ability only he seemed to be burdened with. No matter where he looked, or who he asked, they had only looked at him as if he was deranged. Any research had left him at a deadend, too; as far as he was aware, he was unique in the weight he carried.
It got lonely, sometimes, but it was his burden. If he had to take this twisted ability on so no one else had to… Well, then he was thankful that he had been given it, but that didn’t mean it was something that he had wanted, either…
Why him in the first place, though? And why had it come to him when it did, all those years ago?
And why did it leave him so powerless then, too…?
Yu reclined against the Dojima residence’s sofa, having long since tuned out the television. It wasn’t anything particularly engaging in the first place—Just some old reruns of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R from the early 2000s. Maybe he should have felt something at it, but at this point, anything that was playing read as little more than white noise in the maze his mind had found itself trapped in.
After all, it was difficult to watch people who had the ability to really make a difference when he felt like he’d never been able to do anything.
Luckily, there had at least been something to knock him out of his thoughts before he spiraled down further, a sudden pull at the front door making him jump to change the channel over to something more “adult,” landing on the local news and entertainment. It was a wonder how it was still going, all things considered…
“Sorry for not picking you up, Yu.” The words were accompanied with a rough tug at the fridge, the soft clink of glass bottles bouncing against one another before Dojima-san reached for a pair and stepped towards the living room.
“It’s okay,” Yu answered much too quickly, words contradicting what he truly felt. At least Dojima-san was never the most emotionally observant to push on it, giving him a brief sense of relief. “I got a ride from Hanamura-san.”
“Oh, him…” It was clear there was some sort of disdain at the mere mention. Neither of them had the confidence to go further into it, Dojima-san simply popping open a beer with his keys with a practiced ease and holding it out to his nephew.
Drinking had never done Yu any good. Not recently, at least, becoming more of a crutch than something he could find enjoyable. Then again, it wasn’t as if he could deny his uncle’s offer, taking the bottle with a light thanks and quickly swigging down the bitter liquid while his uncle took his place next to him.
From there, their eyes were trained on the television, neither daring to steal a glance at one another or do much of anything except sip down their drinks. The contents weren’t anything interesting, playing some rerun of an old show he’d never seen, but it seemed to put Dojima-san’s mind at ease, so Yu bit his tongue and kept any desire to change the channel at bay.
This was how they bonded. No kind words—No words at all, really. Things only ever escalated when they talked too much.
“I heard you’re already causing trouble.” Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The accusatory tone that his uncle took before even hearing about the situation said it all. Dojima-san seemed to find any reason to criminalize him… “You shouldn’t run into the street like a madman.”
“He was going to run over a kid crossing the street if I didn’t do anything.” Both of their eyes were still trained on the television, despite the rising tension. “The pedestrian always has the right of way at a stop sign. He just needs to be reminded of that.”
“That sort of attitude is going to get you killed if you’re not careful.” Why even take him in if he was going to already start degrading him…? Maybe it made him look like little more than a spoiled child with the way his hand grasping the bottle had tightened around it, as if moments away from breaking it.
“If it keeps someone else from suffering the same fate, then I’m fine with it.” That was what he had to do, right? He didn’t get a choice, if that big, faceless creature had anything to say about it.
“Yu—”
“Isn’t that what an officer should strive for as well?” At that, the two of them had gone silent, Yu’s eyes finally flickering away from the television to look towards Dojima. Not that the other had any intention of meeting his gaze, now focused on nothing in particular in the direction of the kitchen.
…And that’s where things would end, Yu was well-aware. There wouldn’t be any more words exchanged, after something like that. They both had prides to protect that an apology wouldn’t come out of one of their mouths, at least not with each other.
“Dinner’s in the fridge.” Turning his gaze away again, he pushed himself off the couch, pushing the bottle up to his lips and chugging down the rest of the contents before approaching the waste bin.
“Thanks.” Was he actually thankful, or was he just saying that out of basic courtesy…? Not that it mattered much, Yu physically shaking his head to himself as he finally dropped the glass and moved towards the front door to throw on his shoes and coat.
Before he could even get to the former, though, the screen door had slipped open with surprising force, the sudden, unannounced arrival making him tense up ever-so-slightly before he caught a glimpse at who it was.
“Oh, Yu-kun!” The lanky black-haired man chimed, smiling as goofy and lopsided as ever. After a moment, though, that softened into something a little more natural, though still much more bright than anything else in this house. “Didn’t expect to see you here! Did I scare you?”
"Adachi-san…?” Not that he had been too surprised to see him—After all, he had been his uncle's detective partner for well over a decade, so an unexpected visit here and there hadn't been out of the picture. The man hadn't changed much over the past decade, though his hair had become longer and more unkempt, now held back in a loose, messy bun. Having bangs over his forehead certainly made him look a little less cartoonish, though his eyebrows had been lost in the mess of hair. “Uh, no, you didn’t scare me. And… I’m living here now.”
“Hah? Really? Back to this dump?” Oh, yeah, Adachi-san never had been a fan of this place… Not that he really blamed him. Yu wouldn’t be back here if he had the choice, either…
“I told you about it a couple weeks ago,” Dojima’s voice chimed from the living room, seemingly back to its normal tired gruff tone. Maybe with a hint of annoyance, although that was typical whenever the man was interacting with his subordinate. “Do you *seriously* never listen, Adachi?”
“Oh, sorry, my bad!” Out of instinct, the older man had brought a hand to nervously rub at the back of his neck in the middle of slipping off his dress shoes. It was hard to believe the man was nearing forty, with the way he still acted in response to Uncle… “ Hey… Am I interrupting anything?”
“No, it's okay. I was just leaving.” Those words had finally given him the push to move again, reaching down and grabbing his own pair of shoes past his elder. He could sense a raised eyebrow through the other’s mess of hair, but didn’t wish to bring more attention to it than he needed to. “Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too.” The words were accompanied with another smile, recovering from his embarrassment of forgetting about Yu’s arrival. It was amazing to see how much the man had kept up his spirits throughout the years… Yu wished he had that sort of willpower. “Oh, be careful out there, alright? It's pretty foggy—Driving out in that might be a bad idea.”
"Yeah… Thanks.” Shoving on his coat, he gave the other a light, awkward wave before slipping out the door and sliding it shut behind him. At least Dojima-san wouldn’t be alone… Maybe he could avoid getting any calls from his uncle worrying over him for suddenly walking out like that, demanding he come back before he does anything else stupid. Not that he was *planning* on jumping in front of any other cars tonight, but it wasn’t like his uncle trusted him enough to believe that…
His eyes caught on a delivery truck nearby, giving a light wave to the man taking packages to a neighbor. All he got in return was a nervous look before a quick turn away.
Why was he acting strange…? Maybe it was just seeing a relative stranger—Yu thought he’d seen the man several times when he was in high school, but there wasn’t any reason for the man to remember him. Seeing him exiting Dojima's household may have seemed a little strange, considering how few guests his uncle had… Oh, well, no reason to worry about that now.
There wasn’t much open at this hour, aside from Aiya, Shiroku Pub, and Junes. The first was already stricken off the list after he'd eaten recently, and although drinking sounded like it would clear his mind a little, he didn’t really didn’t have the money to justify a trip out by himself. Junes he had similar feelings about—No money, and no real reason to visit, since it didn’t have the same awe it once had a decade ago.
So, he walked. No real destination, just trying to make out what he could in the rather dreary weather as he collected his thoughts a little.
The faces he passed felt familiar, for the most part, but they weren’t anyone he knew by name. Mothers, children he’d once seen that had now grown up, employees at the local Junes and the other few businesses which had survived up to this point—They were all people he had seen, but hadn’t ever spoken to on an intimate level.
Avoiding them had led him to eventually making his way atop a hill. He vaguely remembered the view, back from when he used to babysit part-time here. It used to be beautiful, but the scenery was clouded, now, barely able to make out any lights emanating from the small town through its thick, overwhelming fog. Maybe he had been misremembering, but he couldn’t recall the weather being *nearly* this bad before… This was abnormal, even for this dreary place.
Still, Yu found himself leaning against the railing, looking out towards the landscape with cigarette in hand, taking in the fog. It felt… Suffocating. Like breathing it in too long would choke him out. Not that there wasn’t any reason why… After all, the Midnight Channel…
…The Midnight Channel that showed the next victim of the Inaba killer showed up when the fog appeared.
His eyes widened, the panic setting in at what exactly that had meant for this little, dreary town. Of course, maybe it could have just been a coincidence, but…
“Yu-kun?” The voice of a woman caught him off-guard, turning sharply to catch a glimpse at the owner as he caught his breath and regained some sense of mental stability. “Is that you?”
“...Satonaka-san?” His question was luckily met with a small nod. Not that he had much of a doubt—His old peer looked much more familiar to the girl he used to go to school with than Hanamura-kun. Still the same faux brunette hair, if not grown out a little more to frame her round features. Her attire was more formal, too, a white button-up shirt with a dark green tie and black suit jacket and pants.
“I *knew* it was you!” That spunky attitude still seemed the same, too. She really hadn't changed that much, had she? “Dojima-san told me you were gonna be in town, so I thought I'd come to see you. Though, I didn't really expect to see you here…”
“I just wanted to get some fresh air.” A simple enough statement, and not exactly untrue, even if he was polluting the breaths he took in through the filter of his shitty cigarettes.
“I would hardly call this fresh air…” Well, actually, she was right about that… “Hey, you've probably already heard about the murders, right?”
“...Nice to see you too.” The bite behind his words had been unintentional, so much so it had taken him aback, eyes darting away as he took in another drag.
“...Jeez, I knew I was coming on too hard.” A quiet sigh escaped her, voice quickly losing the energy it had previous. It didn’t seem it took long for her to regain it—Or, at least to fake it. “Oh, I know! Come on, we can talk over a couple drinks at my place.”
“I don't really—”
“You want to know what’s going on, don’t you?”
Her question had left him paralyzed for a few moments, blinking as he tried to think of a response to it all.
Maybe it would have been better just to stay oblivious to all of this. To just… Pretend he didn’t care. After all, the last time he had come into town and similar things were going down, his involvement hadn’t helped anything. For all he knew, it might have caused more harm. At the very least, he had been completely useless.
But… He had to know. At the very least, to satiate his curiosity. After that… He wouldn’t get involved. It was better that he didn’t. For now, though…
“...Okay.”