Chapter Text
Zange is in no way a certified doctor.
He knows the basics, he knows how to give CPR, how to bandage a wound, along with how to sew up one. He does not, however, know how to deal with a collapsed lung.
Silently he thanked Yuma for being overly anxious and preventing a disaster in the making. When he entered the room and saw that Aphex’s skin was starting to gain a blue tint, he quickly got to work.
He stilled himself with a deep breath. The older man moved to the younger man’s left side, feeling carefully along the blonde’s ribs until he found a good spot. After he made sure his hands were steady, he used the scalpel to make an incision, he took the tube he had laid on the side and inserted it into the cut he made.
His heart heavy, he watched with bated breath as Aphex’s breathing started to settle into a somewhat normal rhythm. Then, he tied the medical tape around the tube and secured it to his side. It was at that moment in time, that Zange changed his whole view on the situation:
Aphex shouldn’t even be alive right now. Whatever chances he had were extremely low and he might not leave this train alive.
Yet he had no time to even process that fact as a loud scream interrupted his thoughts. Sighing, he left his seat to go see the chaos that had unfoiled again.
As they all walked to the first cart, Zange felt the remnants of a headache start to crawl up from the tight knot of tension buried deep in his neck. Past memories nipped at his heels, slowing down his gait to a crawl as he was slowly but surely threatened to be drowned in them. But he couldn’t get caught up in them, in all the mistakes that led to him becoming the despicable man he is now. Learning from his past would serve him no use now since a death he could have prevented was imminent, he could make more mistakes and more blood would be on his hands.
Typical.
Hopefully, things would turn out better once they arrived in Kanai Ward, though he doubted it.
Sighing to himself he entered the room, unexpectedly the last to arrive. He occupied the same seat he did as before, back against the wall with both doors in his line of sight, no way for someone to ambush him.
Satisfactory.
For now.
He waited for his subordinates to get comfortable so their discussion could properly commence.
After everything that happened in the past hour, Yuma, expectantly, found it hard to sit still. He had spent the last hour trying to wrack his brain on why this happened why was he even here? And how was he supposed to solve the motive behind Zilch’s crime when he didn’t even know that! He knew why he didn’t remember anything— Shinigami explained that point to him well— but why would he make that deal?
Like a scholar, he longed for knowledge, whatever information he could get his hands on would suffice for it all led to the same end goal. Yet no matter what he observed, asked, or gained, nothing would bring anything back and he would be led to the same conclusion he began with. It was an obvious answer he could come up with as they all gathered around in the first car, seated in a horrible attempt to form a circle. They all sat there in silence, unsure what to say or what to do, unwilling to start the conversation.
“...Did it happen?” Yuma whispered after the long agonizing silence, the corners of his eyes prickling with unrestrained guilt and agony. His breath wavered in its staccato motion, threatening to break upon every inhale. With anxiety gnawing in his chest, he chewed at his bottom lip, the freshly torn skin stinging as teeth ground into it.
Shinigami eyed him with an improperly placed blitheness. Swirling around his head, wearing an almost aloof look, she scoffed, crossing her arms coldly.
“I don’t get what the big deal is, you didn’t even know him! He threatened to beat you up on multiple occasions, he accused you of being a fake, and he stole your drink just to be petty, yet you're sad that he might die? You should be happy for Pete's sake! He’s soon to be dead! Gone! That’s a good thing, Master!” Shinigami callously sneered as she poked the far younger man’s shoulder.
Tears started to prickle in the corners of Yuma’s eyes, his vision blurring together in a hazy fog. That didn’t mean he deserved to die , he bitterly thought as he broke through the skin of his lip, pearls of blood sprouting. I may have barely known him, but no one deserves that, didn’t you hear what he told me when I first met him? He had motivations, hopes, and dreams he wanted to accomplish, and now… He might never be able to fulfill them. No one deserves to die for no reason.
The Death God scoffed and turned away from him. “Yeah, sure, he didn’t deserve to die now , but what about in the future when he goes and kills those mafioso people, huh? Did you think about that? Your little deep-fried friend over there is just a future killer in the making, all because he wants vengeance for his parents. Wouldn’t it be better if he dies before that happens?”
You don’t know that, he tightly gripped at the fabric of his shorts, his knuckles turning white.
“I know not to trust strangers, unlike you! Some people just deserve to die, Master, no matter what excuse you come up with. Talk about a perversion of justice.” Shinigami scowled, “Whenever someone you know does something bad, people are all for coming up with excuses on why they’re not a bad person but whenever someone they don’t know does it, they’re judge, jury and executioner, that’s why you have a Death God to decide who lives and dies. Because you can’t see a future murderer when they’re staring right at yo-”
“ That’s not true! ” Yuma shouted, standing up in his seat. His voice cracked like static on a TV, fist clenched at his sides as he huffed and puffed. It felt like his world was crumbling around him.
.
.
.
“But it is true little boy, as much as any of us may hate to admit it.”
Yuma’s eyes shot open, pupils dilating. Sucking in a sharp breath through gritted teeth he forced himself to calm down as Shinigami cackled behind him.
A wave of embarrassment washed over, grounding him to the present moment in time and planting his feet firm on the ground. He looked to the direction the voice came from, Melami greeted his gaze with a rueful smile.
“I… I’m sorry, ” He choked out, almost getting caught on his own hiccuping breath.
The fashionista shook her head, her eyes softening to something gentler the more she spoke. “Don’t worry about it little boy, we all get it, you're worried, but denial will get you nowhere.” She knew that fact very well.
Numbly, he nodded, sitting himself back down in his seat unable to stop himself from fidgeting. Zange let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, only making him squirm more.
“None of this changes the fact the motive has yet to be discovered, unless this was another ploy by Amaterasu Corporation.” Pucci let out a hum in response as she kicked her legs back and forth. “ ...Probably .” She added on.
Melami huffed, folding her arms over her chest. “Leave it to Amaterasu Corp to be behind such wicked deeds.”
“This is so boringggggg Master! I’m tired of all this talking!” Shinigami groaned, swirling in a circle. With a sigh, she leaned on her hand and started to drift to sleep.
A nice …
Peaceful …
Slee-
Then, with a loud squeal, everything shifted when the train skidded to a stop.
“DAMN IT!”
They all glanced at each other, varying looks of hesitancy and skepticism painting their faces. After a beat of silence, Zange expectantly took charge and rose to his feet, leaning on his cane.
“Shall we go?” His voice mirrored his face, indifferent.
Melami followed his lead, getting up with a shrug. “I’ll go get Zilch.” If she was trying to hide the disdain in her voice, she didn’t do it very well.
“Allow me to accompany you, Miss Goldmine.” Zange said, earning a glare from the woman.
“I can handle myself-”
“I know you can,” He acknowledged, “I just don't want him to try and pull one last trick on all of us.”
Yuma looked between the two detectives, blinking, brows furrowed. I feel like I missed something , he thought, his hand reflexively finding its home beneath his chin.
“I think that’s a little too X-rated for this story~” Shinigami keened. She cupped her cheeks and pushed them together, swirling in a circle as she did so.
With his face as red as a tomato, Yuma let out a strangled sound and stared at the Death God with a flabbergasted look. “Stop being so weird!” It earned a giggle from her as she spun away towards the exit, dragging him along, Pucci following the two.
Thankfully, when the two entered the traitor’s room everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. The sheets were clean, the coat still hung on the rack it was placed on and the desk tidy and straight. Most importantly, Zilch sat on his bed, groggily coming back to consciousness as his arms remained tied behind his back.
Snapping to attention, his cat ears twitching, he looked in the two detectives' direction and glared with murderous intent, his body stiffening.
“What are you here for?” The cat boy hissed, baring his teeth at the two. “Have you come here to taunt me?! How despicable do you have to be to kick someone down when they’re at their lowest .”
Melami sneered at him in response, matching his glare with the same amount of intensity. “Oh boo-hoo , pity you,” She jibed, her tone clipped. “Don’t act like you're the victim here, you know what you did and now you suffer for it.”
Zilch turned his head away from them, baring a sliver of his neck at them. “I did my job, something that cannot be said for any of you simpletons.”
The fashionista opened her mouth to say something, but the words died on her tongue. She shut her mouth with a click and looked away, chin held high. The cat boy scoffed at her, lips curling upwards into a wry grin. “Cat got your tongue?” He snickered, earning a resounding groan from the older man.
His cane clicking against the wooden floorboards, Zange reached down and lugged the other man up from his arm, both of them grunting at the movement. “Come along boy.” He grumbled. Melami smirked at the fake detective, sticking her tongue out at him, he stuck his tongue back out at her as well.
As they approached the exit, loud clamor rang out in the other cabins, the thundering of footsteps echoing through the halls and steadily approaching. Someone unfamiliar was yelling, and it didn’t sound good. Melami shot the older detective a worried look and they both raced towards the exit of the cart, Zilch stumbling to keep up with the two.
Upon their first step off the Amaterasu Express, they were greeted with a dingy and cluttered train station. It was illuminated by shitty fluorescent lights along the walls and ceilings that flickered every now and then. And worst of all, they were surrounded by Peacekeepers, the tallest of them all being the source of the yelling.
“Shoulda known I’d be the unlucky one to end up with you detectives wanderin’ into my territory, but I certainly didn’t expect this circus when I showed up. You’re as cold-hearted as the boss said you were!” The man now yelling at them wore a golden coat and had half of his head shaved in the style of a shitty toupée. “From this moment onward you’re all under arrest!”
“ Wha- but we didn’t even do anything! We just got here!” Melami exclaimed.
“This is unfair.” Pucci muttered.
“W-wait! Please listen! We can explain I-” Yuma exclaimed, waving his hand wildly around.
“Hmph! What’s there to talk about? You’re all Master Detectives of the WDO, aren’t you? The name’s Swank Catsonell . I’m with the Amaterasu Corporation’s Peacekeepers .” Swank turned his head to the side and let out a gruff huff.
“We know exactly who you are and we have your culprit right here, we caught him red-handed, lighter in hand.” Not sparing any niceties, the fashionista roughly grabbed Zilch by the back of his shirt and pulled him towards her, earning a disgruntled mutter from the imposter.
“You really expect me to believe that? From my point of view, you're all the culprit !”
“Excuse me?!” Melami squawked.
“No! That’s not it at all! There’s a perfectly logical explanation behind this!” Yuma insisted, his throat aching.
“Exactly, you're all the culprit! You worked together to take out one of your own and then pinned the blame on the only innocent one in your group.” Swank waved his hands as if he was trying to wave away their arguments. “Just admit it! I know you’re guilty!”
“We don’t have time to argue about this! Aphex is in there, and he’s injured! You need to take him to the hospital-” The fashionista’s worries were only cut off by a wave of the hand and a scoff from the Peacekeeper.
“I’d hold your horses there girlie, ain’t nobody goin’ anywhere, let alone to the hospital till I’m finished with my investigation.”
“Don’t you dare call me girlie.” Melami snarled, fists shaking at her sides.
“Heh, I’ll call you whatever the hell I want, you’re in my domain now and I decide who’s innocent and guilty.”
“...You can’t do that.” Pucci mumbled. She wrung her hands together, brows deepening further as seconds passed.
“Eh? You say something sweetheart?”
“I said you can’t do that, it’s an affront to everything that justice is supposed to be.”
Yuma watched as the girl took another step forward, head held high, and he couldn’t help but admire her. Gone was the quiet, sullen girl he had come to be familiar with, replaced by someone who wasn’t afraid to confront those who diminished and scoffed at her ideals. Shinigami rolled her eyes at his thoughts.
“Aw, and what are you gonna do about it, little girl? Glare at me a little too hard? Psh, why don’t ya go and run back to your mommy and daddy and have them fix you a snack, little girl. You can go take dollface over there while you’re at it, and go paint each other's nails.”
Taking another step forward, she shook her head, not faltering in her step. “I’m not going to let you do that, I won’t let you decide what's right or wrong based on your own moronic whims.”
“Oh really ?” Swank’s expression darkened, a Cheshire grin curling on his lips as he approached the young girl. “Y’know, if you back down now, I’ll make sure the Director doesn’t give you the death penalty. How about it doll? If you're so cocky now, are you cocky enough to bet your own life?”
“Get away from her you bastard!” Melami scowled, moving forward in one swift motion and pushing Pucci behind her. “Pucci, Yuma, get behind me.” With a curt nod, Yuma scurried behind her now extended arm.
“You whore !” The Peacekeeper roared , slamming his foot into the ground. “Just who the fuck do you think you are?!”
“Who the fuck do you think you are thinking you have any right to talk to her like that? You disgust me!” She yelled back.
“Do you know who I am?! I’ll have you arrested for that!”
“Now, now, I’d advise you to start rethinking that decision of yours.” Zange piped up, his voice calm and stoic like his demeanor.
“Huh? Are you really tryin’ to pull something on me now old man?! Don’t any of you know who I am?!”
“I know exactly who you are, you’ve made that apparent. But you apparently do not know the weight of this current situation we are all in.” He approached the Peacekeeper without a single bit of hesitation in his step, his face untelling.
“What the hell is wrong with all of you?! I never said you could move!”
“The detective currently on that train shouldn’t even be alive right now.”
Yuma startled at that information.
“The right side of his body has been badly burned, and his right lung has collapsed. If he isn’t dead upon making it to the hospital, his recovery will be slow and painful, he’ll suffer the repercussions of this event for years to come, and he might not ever recover from it.” Cold, red eyes met gray ones. “His chances are extremely low, but despite that, he’s still alive.”
“If the WDO was to catch wind of the fact that the few chances he had to survive were all snuffed out by you Peacekeepers, well … I don’t think your boss would be particularly pleased by more WDO agents flooding into this place.” Zange glanced at the two women. “And that’s not even mentioning your other offenses like harassing WDO agents like that. Things like those look bad on anyone's record regardless of your position.”
Swank let out a snarl, his cigar crumbling between the cracks of his fingers. “Tch, you dirty detectives… You’re gonna be the downfall of Kanai Ward! Innocent people are going to die and it’s gonna be all your fault!”
“Tell me when you're done spewing such idiotic blabber and we can resume this conversation.”
Like a child, he let out a loud yell and stomped his foot against the ground, grinding it into the cement. “Hmph… Dirty detectives… Always makin’ excuses…” Turning on his heels, the man in a golden coat threw his arms up in the air with a grumble. “You heard em’, grab the bastard, he’s got a meeting with the Director.”
Wordlessly, two of the masked peacekeepers grabbed Zilch by each arm and hoisted him to his feet. The group watched them walk away, Swank grumbling to himself as they did. As soon as the Peacekeepers were out of sight, Zange turned towards Pucci, his brows furrowing in worry.
“Are you alright Miss Lavmin?” he asked, leaning down.
Letting out a shaky breath, the young girl took a few steps back, wringing her hands in motion with the swaying of her body. “Are we almost done with this?”
“Oh, Pucci dear,” Melami gently crooned. “We are, I promise. If you want we can go somewhere quieter and sit down?”
“I just want to be done with all this.” Pucci mumbled, curling further into herself.
Poor Pucci, Yuma mournfully thought with a crestfallen expression. However, the group was not left with much time to mull over what had happened, for someone else had business with them, a loud, anxiety-ridden voice ringing out in the distance.
“Woah woah woah! I’m pretty sure whatever’s going on here we can…” A man in an oversized, beige coat skidded around the corner, his wide eyes matching his frantic expression as he looked around. That panicked expression morphed into a bewildered one as he took in the scene before him.
“ What… ?”
With the corner of his eye twitching he shoved his hands into his pockets and made a beeline for the other detectives. “Where did all the Peacekeepers go? Did they just forget to show up? Well, I mean not that I’m against it, it’s just-” As the seconds passed his confusion turned to meandering frustration.
“They’ve left to go acquire help.” Zange answered plainly, yet with the expression the blue-haired man wore you would have thought he said something entirely different.
“Eh? Help? But you’re all- wait, hold on…” Like a child just learning how to count, he pointed at each detective holding up a singular finger. “...One two three four… five?” His mumbling quieted to a whisper turning into a loud groan, dragging his hands over his face, eyes screwed closed. “Please don’t tell me the other two died, I thought since some of you were alive that this meant things were gonna turn out good for once.”
“It’s worse…” Pucci mumbled, digging the corner of her shoe into the dirty ground, scowling. Her mood perked up at the sight of a friendly face.
“Worse than both of them dying?” The hooded man gaped, eyeing her suspiciously. “I do not know how that’s remotely possible but sure, throw it at me.”
The group grew quiet as they all looked between themselves, beat after beat of silence passing them.
“ Well? ” Melami prompted, waving her hand.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, it fell to Zange to answer. “I presume you know the news of one of us being a traitor, correct?”
The blue-haired man nodded. “Yeah, what about it? Wait- don’t tell me he got away, did he?”
“No, he’s in custody as we speak-”
Sighing in relief, the hooded man rested his hands behind his head, a smile gracing his lips. “Well if that’s the case then I don’t really see what the big deal is then!”
“It isn’t , and if you stayed quiet and let me explain you’d know that.”
With his smile turning into a frown, he audibly gulped and held his hands up in false surrender. “Right right, sorry.”
The old man let out a hum in response and countinued on. “Despite having discovered the traitor, we were unable to avoid tragedy. Logan is barely clinging to life as we speak, and we can only hope the doctors make it to him in time. If not, then our traitor will have partially succeeded.”
“Well, isn’t there something we can do at least?” The other man asked, his arms now resting at his side.
Zange just shook his head. “I’ve done everything I can, right now, all we can do is wait and hope.”
After a few beats of silence, the hooded man let out a loud groan. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…”
“I wish we were…” Melami muttered with a crestfallen expression.
“I guess it is true, you can’t have SHIT in Kanai Ward!” The blue-haired man yelled to no one in particular, a bitter laugh escaping his chest as he ran a hand through his tangled hair.
“Hey, Master, I think we should ditch this guy before he goes insane and starts talking to himself more.” Shinigami chimed in, peeking from behind Yuma’s head.
Well, I wouldn’t be that opposed to it but then I’d be a hypocrite, wouldn’t I? Yuma bitterly thought, earning a laugh from the ghost.
“Awww, c’mon Master, don’t be such a pussy!”
I’m not a pussy! An offended expression flashed across Yuma’s face.
“You definitely are one, dare I say you're a pussy repellant with that haircut! But don’t worry, I’ll love you regardless of your shitty life choices.” Shinigami grinned down at him.
“And who are you?” Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Melami raised a brow at the laughing stranger.
“Oh yeah- right right right. Sorry, slipped my mind, haha,” Chuckling to himself, he held out a hand that no one took. “The name’s Yakou Furio, I’m the guy in charge of the detective agency around here… The Nocturnal Detective Agency if you're curious.”
His words only warned a more bewildered look from Melami.
“ You’re our boss?”
“Yeah, is there, uh, a problem?”
“No no there isn't. I just thought our boss would be more, uh…” Purple eyes frantically darted around the scene as she chewed the bottom of her lip. Vaguely, she gestured with her hands “ Y’know … fitter, maybe? You kinda look like an assistant rather than a detective.”
Yakou looked empty inside. “...Why does everyone say that?” For some reason, Melami only wanted to tease him more.
In the distance, sirens rang out, getting closer and closer at an impossibly fast rate. Mewling out a whine, Pucci gripped her headphones and covered her ears, screwing her eyes shut. The ambulance quickly rounded the corner, parking a few feet away from the group, the blinding sounds and noises of the vehicle coming to a stop.
“Huh, that was fast,” Shinigami hummed, spinning in the direction her head tilted. “Talk about lack of suspense!” She giggled, knowing who would actually understand it.
“Does this mean everything’s going to be okay?” Yuma asked, looking at his new boss, his eyes pleading for an answer.
Unfortunately for him, Yakou could only answer with a shrug, yet there was an odd sense of panic in his voice. “That depends on who the doctor is. I’d help you, but I don’t know any of the people that work there. Well, looks like we should be on our wa-”
“You may not know any of the doctors but you do know one of the nurses ! You surely haven’t forgotten about me already, have you? I expect better from you, yet how did I know you were somehow involved in this, Furio.” A teasing voice slyly spoke.
The group watched as a panicked look crossed their boss's face, muttering what sounded like a prayer to himself before sharply turning on his heels and coming face to face with what looked like a nurse.
Her lavender scrubs were ironed to perfection, her arms were hidden behind her back, and the only skin visible was her olive cheeks and peridot eyes. On her feet were gray slip-on shoes. Her slicked-back curly hair stopped at her shoulders, her head was framed with two spare strands that weren’t tucked behind her ears, and one loose falling in front of her face. On her head, she wore a lavender nurse cap with a purple ‘x’ in the middle, matching the periwinkle apron tied around her waist, one purple stripe running down the right side.
“A-ah! Nice to see you here too.”
“I wish I could say the same to you.” The nurse looked over her shoulder at the paramedics clamoring out of the ambulance. They looked at her expectantly. “The Peacekeepers have already cleared the area, but right now I want you all to focus on getting the patient in and starting them up with a line of fluid and morphine. I’ll be getting the information.”
“But didn’t the Peacekeepers already give us a report on what happened?” The twin-tailed medic spoke up.
“They did, and they’re also known to be notoriously unreliable. Now stop standing there and go! Chop chop! They aren’t going to die any slower because you all decided to take your precious time! Hurry up! Go !”
“You’ll find him in the infirmary that’s in Cart 1, also, his only wounds have come from him being burned, but he was drugged with some kind of sedative.” Zange added.
“Thank you,” Shooting the old man a smile, she turned back to her subordinates and yelled: “You heard that?! Make sure you wrap him up in a burn sheet before you bring him in, and scrap the idea of giving him any morphine until we figure out what he was drugged with! And I want a blood sample ready to be sent to Dr. Ash by the time we arrive at Valhalla .” They all nodded at her, one rushing back to get an item from the ambulance.
“Val…Halla?” Yuma muttered, his fist slotted underneath his chin.
“If only you paid more attention in history class Master, maybe you’d know the symbolism behind it,” Shinigami sneered, Yuma only glared at her, bitterly thinking:
I’m not having this argument with you right now, it can wait till later. I need to get as much information as I can right now. I need to know why Zilch would do this!
“ Valhalla is the name of the hospital your friend over there is getting sent to.” The nurse answered him, now resting her hand on her hip.
“Wow! Friend status already ?” The death god grimaced, snarling at the nurse as she circled around her. “Don’t you know it’s a bad idea to be friends with someone you barely know? Let alone someone so violent! If you’re not careful enough they might stab you in the back when you least expect it. In fact, I think I’d rather enjoy this whole situation so much more if your friend had gotten stabbed in the back. Repeatedly . With a knife.”
“And who are you exactly?” Melami asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she raised a brow.
With a curt nod, the hand that wasn’t resting on her hip was laid flat across her chest. On her face was a smile painted with comfort despite the firm expression that framed her face. “I’m Rose Oakheart , your friend’s soon-to-be nurse . I’ll be the person responsible for giving you updates on his condition and such.”
“Well, it’s good to know what face we need to look for then.” The fashionista returned the smile she was given,
“Likewise, now, mind explaining what happened here? I’d especially like hearing your perspective on things, Furio .”
“H-hey! What’s that look for?! I’m just as clueless as you are on this whole thing!”
With a tight-lipped expression, she pushed her finger into his chest. “Don’t act coy on me. You need to stop getting yourself into trouble! Just because it’s a hospital doesn’t mean they give you bandages for free, they’re expensive!”
“I’m not even the one who’s in trouble this time!”
“So you have nothing to do with this? You just decided to accost these random people who left this train for no reason?”
“ Well… ”
“So you are involved somehow?”
“Well- I mean - I’m their boss but I-I wasn’t there! I have no idea what happened for all I know it could be all their fault for this happening!”
“Excuse me?!” Melami squawked, fist curling at her sides.
“I am not going to deny the fact that it’s reasonable to come to such a conclusion, but still, I also acknowledge that it was very rude. ” Pucci pouted.
“Still! I’m innocent here!”
Rose simply sighed, shaking her head dismissively. “Whenever there's smoke, there’s a fire, and that fire goes by the name of ‘Furio’ . So ironic,” She dryly drawled as she slowly blinked. “I don’t have nearly enough hands to name how many things you aren’t innocent of.”
“Hey! You just made that phrase up!”
“Clearly someone didn’t pay too much attention in college,” Rose retorted, raising a brow. “But am I wrong though?”
The blue haired man sharply turned on his heels towards her. “Well no , but-”
The nurse loudly clapped her hands together, taking a step forward. “Enough chit-chat then, I need answers before the others get back and we have to leave. Make it quick and make it snappy.”
“Well, about that-” Melami started, waving her hands fervently around.
“There is nothing else you can learn from us.” Pucci interrupted, hand laid flat over her chest.
“Come on now, Pucci, I’m sure there’s more questions we haven’t answered, I know you're upset but there’s no need to be so dismissive.”
“There isn’t,” The platinum haired blonde pouted, then, she reached behind her and grabbed something she had somehow been hiding all this time. “But take this, you might find more information about him here.” In her hand she held a lofty brown luggage bag that was burnt around the edges. It earned a raise of the brow from the nurse only causing the young detective to relent more. “It’s the bag he brought here.”
“ Oh! ” Her brows neared her hairline, then, a small smile crept its way onto her face, head gently tilting to the side. “It’s a wonder why you aren’t the boss here.”
Pucci stared at the nurse, unblinking.
Sweat dripping down the nurse’s brow, she cleared her throat and let her gaze wander before setting back on the younger woman. “What’s your name?”
“Pucci Lavmin.”
“Ah yes, ah, are you sure you aren’t the boss, Miss Lavmin?”
The short-haired blonde shook her head. “No thank you, Pucci would rather not lead this band of misfits.”
“Hmph, fair enough,”
“Um, hey , are you forgetting about someone?!” Yakou scowled at the nurse’s side, waving his hands wildly around.
“I wish I could forget about you Furio, but I unfortunately cannot.”
Her words earned a giggle from the Melami. “You sure have a reputation here, don’t you?”
“I’m innocent!” The chief groaned into his hands.
Rose took the bag and held it at her side, giving Pucci a curt nod. “Your cooperation has been wonderful, know you have my gratitude.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything else we can do?” Yuma asked, pleading almost.
“Wow! I didn’t take you for a suck up, Master.” Shinigami cackled at his side, happily waiting for an answer she didn’t get. “Hey! Don’t ignore me!”
“Right now, as hard as it may sound, all you can do is stand by and let us do our job.” The nurse gave them a solemn look, one that failed to be as comforting as she hoped it'd be.
“Are you sure?” Yuma insisted one last time.
“I have no reason to lie to strangers.”
A gurney wrapped in blue burn sheets zoomed past them, stopping right in front of the ambulance's open doors. Then, they went to the vehicle.
“Hmph, looks like our discussion has come to a close as my duty calls for me. I hope to see you soon.” Rose crossed her arms, turning on her heels.
“Uh- wait! Hey, Rosie-” Not of his own volition, his body moving before he could even register it, weakly, he reached out a hand to his old friend.
Rose snapped her head in Yakou’s direction, her eyes simmering with something murderous in them, her grip on the gurney so tight that her knuckles had turned a ghastly white. “You lost the right to call me by that nickname a long time ago, Furio.” With a bitter sigh, she rested her hand on the left door. “What is it now ?” She sneered, her nose wrinkling upwards.
“Well, ahaha,” Chuckling to himself, he scratched the back of his head. “I know that you're really busy and stuff, but I'd really appreciate it if you could do me a favor. Y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to, I know I’m asking a lot but-”
“Get to the point, Furio . And stop with that pitiful act of yours, it might work with your detectives but it won’t work with me.” Rose snapped, her voice clipped.
He winced in response, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ouch, uh… Well, do you think I could come along with you on the ride to the hospital since I'm like, his boss…? ”
The nurse tutted at him as she shook her head. “It’s a damn shame I’m not heartless enough to say no to you.” She tilted her head towards the inside of the ambulance. “Get in before I change my mind.”
“ Oh- I didn’t expect that to actually work!” At his exclamation, her glare grew colder and he gulped.
Shifting on his feet, he turned on his heels a satisfied grin playing on his lips. “Alright so, I’ll meet up with you all later cuz’, y’know, I’m going to the hospital and stuff.” Zange raised a brow at him, and the Chief hurried along with his spiel. “Okay, so basically, in order to make it to the agency, when you make it to the Kamasaki District which is right through here, keep going along the path until you see some stairs leading underground, when you get there, keep going that way until you reach an area looking over a lot of water, and when you do, press this button and you’ll see the agency.”
Fishing a remote out of his pocket he threw it to Yuma. “This is your first job as a trainee, alright? Keep that remote safe!” Climbing into the ambulance, hanging over the edge he waved at the group. “See you all soon!”
Shocked, the detective in training rushed towards the back of the vehicle as he started to close it, reaching towards him.
“Wait! I still have-”
The doors shut before Yakou could hear the end of his question. He shrugged it off, feeling the rumble of the engine beneath his feet as it started up with a roar. The Chief turned to his old friend watching her peel off the burn sheet revealing a frightfully unappealing sight.
The right side of his body was littered with blisters and burns, pus dripped from the popped blisters, and his skin had started to peel, it was bright red, similar to the color of blood. The detective’s breathing was shallow, staccato at best. And that wasn’t even mentioning the cut with a tube sticking out of his left side. Rose must have noticed it when he did because she muttered under her breath and wrote something down on a note nearby.
She threw the burn sheet into a bright red trash can before turning to the detective himself, rhythmically tapping his uninjured cheek.
“Talk to me Logan, how are we doing?” Something shifted in her eyes as she spoke, a look he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Yakou looked at her oddly. “I don’t think he’s going to answer you.”
“Better safe than sorry.” She said, not sparing him a glance as she busied herself with preparing all kinds of medical equipment he he couldn’t identify.
She stuck a needle in Aphex's arm, attached to an IV, and carefully placed a mask attached to an alarmingly giant machine to his face. Panic ran through Yakou's veins, his head spinning and tilting on its already off-kilter axis. For some reason his chest was oddly tight, skin prickling with the same needles she was attaching to the other detective. He was cold and hot, spiraling faster than he could think.
“What are you doing?!” He exclaimed, gripping at her arm, almost pulling her away from where she was sticking another needle.
“What are you doing, Furio?!” She pushed him off her, watching as he fell into the doors, stumbling on his feet and barely gaining his footing. “You can’t just grab me like that, not when I’m in the middle of a procedure like this! I could accidentally kill him if you do that!”
Yakou narrowed his eyes at her, brows furrowing. “But hooking him up with all those needles and machines won’t?!”
Rose looked at him as if he had grown two heads. “Y… Yes ??? That’s what those machines are supposed to do. Why else would we have them if we didn’t use them?”
“How am I supposed to know that?” He knew it was better if he just trusted her like he had done in the past, but his spiraling mind wouldn’t allow it. “Why can’t you tell me what they do then? You didn’t mind telling me in the past so why now?!”
Something in the nurse cracked, and like a worn-out rubber band, she snapped.
“Listen, Furio, I took on this job because someone in this god-forsaken city has to care for the people when the government won’t, and I can’t do that with you nagging me with question after question. So please, I’m begging you, just shut up and trust me before I lose the last remaining shred of patience I have and I become the bad guy here.” Anxiety, agony, and desperation dripped from Rose’s trembling voice.
A growing ache blossomed in Yakou’s chest, familiarity and regret wrapped their claws around his heart and lungs, squeezing them until it felt impossible to breathe. This whole situation kept reminding him of the futility of life, and how easy it was to start with pleasantries and niceties and end with regret and guilt. How you never really knew when you were wishing someone their final goodbye, how easy it was to end on a sour note.
Was this how he wanted to end his and Rose’s relationship? Tinged with agony and desperation as she pleaded for him to help prevent the loss of another life with a vow of silence. End the exact way they left off before, guilty, regretful, and suffering in asphyxiating silence of what could have been but never was. Deep in his heart, in the emotions he had long thrown away in the pursuit of something more, he screamed no , yet in the end he answered yes.
No matter how many seeds were planted in the degrading soil, a happy ending would never sprout from them, not in Kanai Ward.
He stayed silent, knowing there was nothing he could do to mend this fragmented moment. No point in pondering on the what-ifs when they’d never come true.
So he stood by and watched her, watched as she acted with admirable vigor to save the life of someone she would most likely never see again. Almost like she had hope for the future, that she knew things would be alright in the end. It was a line of thinking he didn’t quite understand and probably never would, he had crossed that line too long ago.
For Yakou, time passed by in a blur, he watched her work, oblivious to the meaning of such bloody procedures. He could only stand by, assume she knew what she was doing, and trust in his old friend one last time. Trusting her came easy to him— he didn’t know why.
It wasn’t long ‘till they reached the hospital, stopping right in front of the entrance to the ER. Medics clamored out of the ambulance and wheeled the gurney away down the bright halls all while they both stood by and watched it happen.
He jumped out of the vehicle, the nurse preferring to step down instead. Silently, they walked into Valhalla Hospital , stopping in the empty waiting room. She sighed, resting her hand on her hips before.
“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
Thickly, Furio gulped. “I’m not gonna like the answers I get, so does it really matter?”
“Good news first then,” Rose licked her lips, her eyes darting around the room, never able to look him in his eyes. “He won’t have to get lung surgery, however, the bad news is he’s at high risk of infection by just being in Kanai Ward, let alone in that dingy submarine of yours.”
“It may be dingy but at least it doesn’t smell like bleach.”
“Regardless, if he survives this, do not even attempt to give him your own version of ‘painkillers’, if you can even call it that. I don’t want to see either of you back here within the next month .” Oakheart’s words brought a sour memory to mind that the detective would have rather forgotten. His misery missed on her, she scowled at him.
“That was one time!” Yakou protested.
“It was multiple times, and also, if you need painkillers so badly that you have to substitute weed or alcohol for it then I think you should see a therapist or something, seriously. You need help Yakou.”
“I know I do, but… Not now, not after what just happened to Aphex, not while Kanai Ward is like this .” Exhaustion started to creep into the detective's voice.
“Kanai Ward isn’t going to stop being like ‘this’ , not any time soon at least, it’s better you get help while you still can than live to regret it.” As she spoke the nurse gestured fervently with her hands.
“I know, I know , just give me some time, okay? I’ll get around to it eventually.”
Her concerns and protests fell on deaf ears leaving her longing for the simpler times. Longing for the times neither of them were as stubborn as they were now but naive enough to believe that both of them could have happy endings. Back before the neverending rain.
“Look, you know as well as I do that I’m by no means religious myself, but , I heard there’s a nun at the church you can talk to; it’s not as good or official as seeing a therapist is, but it’s as good as you're gonna get if you don’t feel like seeing one, shrinks aside.”
“I would but I don’t have time -” The nurse cut him off.
“Then when are you going to have it? If you need a break then take it! If your employees don’t understand, then- excuse my language- but fuck them! You should be your main concern here, you only get one body, so don’t abuse it. I’ve seen it happen to one too many people, It’d kill me to see it happen to you.”
Groaning, head hung low further hiding his darkening expression, he ran a hand through his messy hair. “God… What would I do without you?”
“Die, probably.”
Heat rising in his cheeks, Yakou stared at her with a flabbergasted look, mouth slightly agape. “I- I didn’t mean literally !”
The nurse giggled to herself, she turned her head an inch to the side, smiling at him with rosy-colored cheeks. “I know what you meant Furio. Now, take care of yourself alright? I don’t want to see you in any trouble for the next month, okay? ”
“Yeah, you will not have to worry about that, I don’t plan on getting into any trouble any time soon.”
“Yeah, sure you are, how did that turn out last time, hm?” Despite Rose’s prior condescending tone, her words now held no bite, that bitter tone now replaced with familiarity and mirth.
“That was different!” He combatted, earring a quirked brow.
“ Sureeee it was,”
“That was that, and this is this.”
“I don’t know what that means but I’m sure it was wrong either way.” Rose shrugged, earning a chuckle out of the detective.
“Yeah, uh… Thank you for helping me out like this.”
Breathing out a heavy sigh, the chain constricting her heart only slightly loosening, Rose put a hand on her former friend’s shoulder. Her calloused digits spread across the length of his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze .
“Look, you may be a shitty person, but you're still a person despite that; and nobody deserves to be put in a situation like this, not even you.” The corners of her lips curled upwards into a rueful smile, the edges of her eyes crinkling with longing and melancholy. “We may not be friends anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of you and how you're doing, I still worry about you and I always will.”
Yakou didn’t bother to answer her, so she persisted. “Just know if you ever need help or think there’s no one in your corner, despite everything that's happened, I need you to know that I’m there and I always will be.” She finished off her sentence by giving his shoulder a slight shake.
Indifferent eyes met passionate ones and he shook his head with a sigh. “Alright… I’ll think about it.”
“No, don’t think about it, remember it, I’m serious about this, okay? She would have hated to see you suffer like this.”
“I didn’t know you took up spirit channeling in your free time.” He callously muttered and then looked away from her.
“Yakou, don’t start this, I- ” She started, that irritation that had been building up for so long slipping into her voice only to be discarded when the detective interrupted her.
“Then don’t act like you know what she would have wanted, you weren’t even there until it was all over.”
“ Yakou …” Rose mumbled.
“ Don’t . I’ll leave right now if you finish that sentence.”
.
.
.
A deep, exhausted sigh dragged its way out from the deepest part of the detective's chest. Grumbling incoherent words to himself, the blue-haired man pulled out a cigarette as he stepped towards the entrance of the hospital, whipping out his lighter with a snap and crackle of flame. “Thank you,” He said the phrase so quietly, spoke so slowly that she could have easily mistaken it for just a whisper of the wind.
.
.
.
“Well well well, what do we have here? Two pretty little birds ripe for the picking left out all for me? What a treat~” A sudden singsong voice breaks the two out of their monotonous silence.
The detective almost wished whoever it was hadn’t interrupted them no matter how tense the situation was, he liked it that way, it was easier that way. To continue on the performance they had both put on for so long, reading their scripts that had been branded into their brains, line for line and never altering. After all, why alter perfection?
The unfamiliar man approached them both with a shining grin that revealed his pearly white teeth.
“Um, who the hell are you?” Yakou asked as he narrowed his eyes on him.
With a loud, exhausted sigh- yet, strangely enough, there was no heat behind it- Rose stood up from her seat with an air of indifference around her that he had never seen before and walked over to the man's side. “Don’t mind him, he's always like that, unfortunately…”
Smoothing back his long, basil-colored locks, he stuffed his hands into his lavender lab coat, greeting the two with a smile that met his amber eyes. “Name’s Ash Axel , head Doctor of this fine establishment y’know, it’s more than a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
His voice had a monotonous drawl to it, a smooth accent rearing its head through every drawn-out syllable and purr that passed his shiny lips. As he approached them, Yakou noticed the almost phoenix-like feather tucked behind his left ear, shining in the neon lights above them. It wouldn’t have been far-fetched to compare him to a star in the inky night sky, illuminating the darkness around him with a simple grin.
It was an odd sight in Kanai Ward of all places.
Ash held out a tan hand towards him, directing an odd smile full of mirth at him. Cautiously, the detective took it and slowly started to shake his hand, eyeing him.
Despite his flashy appearance, he still dressed like the doctor he claimed to be. He wore the standard periwinkle button-up with x-shaped buttons, though the right side wasn't properly tucked in. On top of it was a lavender lab coat, purple lining the hemt was rolled up at the ends of the sleeves, showing off the light purple color of the inside of the coat. There was an identification card clipped to the right side of his coat, and his khaki pants were tucked into black boots that went up to his knee, a large purple x embroidered towards the top of them. His dark green hair swept over the left side of his face, tied into a ponytail that rested on his left shoulder.
He didn’t look familiar at all, and it made Yakou wonder how deep down the rabbit hole he had fallen to have never met him.
“Might I say you're looking absolutely splendid today sir, if you weren’t one of my patients I’d ask you out for a night on the town y’know. I’ll have to settle with your name instead.” The silky smooth twang of the doctor's voice left him feeling taut and almost tied up, yet, strangely enough, it wasn’t in a bad way.
In an attempt to regain his bearings he squeezed the other man's hand only for the gesture to be returned tenfold with an accompanying smile that rivaled the sun. It was hard to ignore the heat rising in his face from the man's words and gestures.
“Hm? Cat got your tongue? If you don’t mind, I’d love to- ”
The nurse loudly cleared her throat, glowering at the two of them. “As much as I love to see you two getting along, I’m sure you can schedule this for another time, yes ?”
“Y’know I’d do anything for you Miss Oakheart~” The green-haired doctor purred, a sly smile slitting across his face, mischief painting his lips.
“If you want to do something for me then give me the update on the patient that just arrived, and put in the request to get the blood sample we took tested. And make sure you mark it as urgent this time.” Rose replied, indignation flashing briefly in her eyes.
“Oh, that pretty little thing? No worries, y’know me, I’m always on top of things, and it’s always in more ways than one~” His wink was accompanied by a deep, candid chuckle that came straight from his chest.
“No worries, I’m more than well aware of that. As long as it’s not a patient, I don’t care. Just make sure you get that blood work sent in.”
“What will you do to me if I don’t?”
Yakou opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to say anything, his mind oddly blank, forced to watch the two friends banter on as he stood to the side watching cluelessly. His chests ached from a whirlwind of emotions, all of which turned into a deep yearning he hadn’t felt in ages. Yet, a much more familiar feeling rose out on top of it all: hurt .
Except it wasn’t hurt for what had already happened, but what could have happened. If he had taken that chance, if he had reached out, if he had stayed in touch— things that were far too late to do now. There was no more going back.
Silently, he walked away knowing he was no longer welcome in this former home of his.
“Oh you know exactly what I’ll do to you, I’ll make it long and painful when I…” The doctor let out a quivering breath when the nurse leaned forward, their faces only a few inches apart. From where he stood he could see how beautifully the shitty fluorescent lightning reflected upon her lashes making her impossibly more attractive. In a voice so low he could have easily mistaken it for the wind, she whispered:
“Report you to HR… Especially if you don’t get me those updated blood samples~”
“Make sure you're gentle, m’kay? We wouldn’t want a premature ending to my career y’know~”
“Whatever,” Rose said with a giggle. She smiled fondly as she walked away, wistfully shaking her head. Ash watched her as she did so, grinning mischievously.
“Yeah, she loves me,” He dreamily sighed, head in the nonexistent clouds above him. “Just another victim that’s fallen for McGleamy’s charms…” Humming to himself, he sauntered off to deliver those much-needed lab samples he had almost forgotten about, unlike the visitor.
“No really, it’s no worry at all! It would be an honor to host the young detective’s presence at our establishment…
“Hm? Oh no need, the pleasure is all mine! Thanks to your kindness last time, we were able to successfully eliminate that lingering problem one of our patrons had. Of course, I will deliver the follow-up report to you this week.
“Yes yes, all is well here… Really, there’s no need to be so worried about the Peacekeepers. You’d do best trusting them for now.
“...Hm? No, I don’t doubt that they’ve been causing you great annoyance and harm, but here’s the thing:
“As much as they may talk the talk, they don’t… Ah- the phrase is currently lost on me, how do you say it? Walk the walk? Yes! That one- they’re always more likely to act on whatever action will end up helping them in the long term.
“So, rest assured. We will make sure the young detectives here are pleasant ones…
“...Hm? Oh yes! I’ll see you soon dear.”
.
.
.
“Ohhh~ I can’t wait to see Sparrow again, this is gonna be SUCH a fun week!”
.
.
.
“This will be an… Interesting week to put it simply. I just hope we’re not too late however. It’d truly be a shame. I’m sure you both know what to do right?”
She simply cackled, not bothering to respond.
