Chapter Text
Detective Sergeant Dazai Osamu of the Criminal Investigation Division sat on his chair, legs extended to the desk in front of him. A hand holding his extra milky iced coffee, he looked at the man standing beside him, annoyed since his time off got interrupted. He was called to the office early in the morning by the Detective Sergeant Nakahara Chuuya of the same division.
"So," he said, "What's up?"
"First of all, get your legs fucking off the chair."
Dazai snorted. "I'm not looking forward to learn my manners from you. You don't take that choker of yours off even if the Chief Inspector Fukuzawa keeps scolding you for it."
"Whatever."
Chuuya pulled a chair for himself, sitting and slamming a file on Dazai's desk. "New case."
The sergeant raised an eyebrow. "And that is so important that you called me at 5 am, because...?"
The other detective furrowed his eyebrows, a serious expression finding its place in his face. "It's him."
"Him, who, Chuuya? Do you expect me to understand it like that?"
Chuuya huffed. "Do not call me by my first name when we're at work, Sergeant Dazai."
Dazai put his coffee on the desk, flexing his arms behind his head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So? What is it?"
Chuuya stayed silent for a moment, then words made their way out.
"Dostoyevsky."
Raising an eyebrow, the other detective looked at him, confused. "What's new about him? He's been committing acts of terror and blowing public places for a while, wasn't he? Did we find a clue?"
"No, no—" Chuuya pointed at the file, eyes finding their way on the desk. "He's dead."
Oh.
Oh.
Dazai widened his eyes, suddenly sitting upright and looking at the file.
"He's what?"
"Found dead in an empty area. Not much was reported but it's protected, Chief Inspector Fukuzawa-san assigned the case to our teams. The investigation of the crime scene will be today. More details are in this file."
Dazai blinked.
"What does it even—"
"Osamu." Chuuya's eyes shone with a weird glint in them and Dazai didn't dare to say another word. "I know it doesn't click at all - but Dostoyevsky's acts of terrorism were ours to investigate, and his death is on us, too." He huffed.
"We'll look into it... I'm sure we can solve it."
Dazai blinked. Again.
"Now who's using the first name?"
"Shut the fuck up."
The taller policeman laughed, now actually taking the file in his hands.
"But seriously, we couldn't even find him for five months straight and he did as he pleased, and now someone managed to murder him? Are you sure it's not suicide?"
"Don't know," Chuuya said, "We'll investigate the crime scene today first, then go to Doctor Yosano Akiko from Forensic Medicine for the autopsy. Not everyone is needed, though. One or two of us would be enough."
Opening the folder, Dazai started to read the file while listening to Chuuya.
So he was really dead, huh.
"I still can't believe the rat is dead."
"Ask me, really," Chuuya said, exhaling. "I was so shocked that I just called you."
"If that person managed to kill Dostoyevsky, I feel like it'll be a hard case to solve. But let's see."
Chuuya hummed, leaning his head on his hand. "I never thought I'd feel like this, but, you know what, I'm—"
"Relieved?" Dazai chuckled. "Yeah. Me too."
"I don't know if it's morally correct or not - but his death probably saved dozens of innocent lives. And now we'll try to capture his killer." Chuuya averted his eyes, his own thoughts seemed to disturb him. "I don't know. It just doesn't feel right - I mean, how his murderer literally saved our ass and now we'll have to catch him. So he may find 'justice'." He looked back at Dazai who was watching him fondly.
"This is between us, dare to speak a word about it to outside and you're dead."
Dazai giggled, raising his hands. "Right, I won't spill my dear friend's secret morally grey thoughts outside, promise!"
Smacking his head, Chuuya stood up. "I am not your dear friend, but you better be a man of your words, Sergeant. I didn't have breakfast yet. Later."
With that, he left the room, Dazai watching after him with a smile plastered on his face. He lowered his hands and took the file again, examining it.
"Now, now, now..."
[♧]
Akutagawa stood there with a blank expression on his face, a bag in one hand and a package of a sandwich in another. He looked to his side, coming eye to eye with his sibling.
"You didn't have breakfast today, did you?"
Gin looked at him with an expression as blank as his. "No."
Akutagawa extended his hand to her, giving her the package. "Take this."
"It's yours."
"I'll have breakfast with Sigma, so no need to worry about me. He always makes me eat even if I ate that day, anyways."
Gin paused for a moment, hand up in the air before she took the package. "Okay, then. Thanks."
Hint of the smallest smile ever appeared on Akutagawa's face as they entered the police department together, getting welcomed by the Sergeant Kunikida Doppo from the bomb squad.
"Good morning, Akutagawa's."
The siblings bowed in unison.
"Gin, you have patrol duty today."
Gin turned to face her brother, waving him goodbye with a slight smile on her face. "I'll see you later."
Akutagawa waved at them, parting ways with his sibling and making his way towards The Division of Criminal Investigations.
"Well, if it isn't our beloved Detective Sergeant Akutagawa-kun! Welcome, welcome!" Dazai waved his hands enthusiastically from where he was sitting at his chair, legs up on the desk - again.
"Good morning, Sergeant Dazai-san. And I'm not a sergeant yet. Just a consultant." Akutagawa bowed, walking towards his own desk and placing his bag there. "You are quite cheerful today."
"But you will be in a month, and I am always cheerful!" Dazai said like he had taken offense from that.
"Annoyingly cheerful." Chuuya added from where he was sitting at his corner, writing something resembling a report. His voice lacked actual bite, it was his usual self as always.
Akutagawa looked around the office as his seniors kept bickering as usual, eyes finding his friend.
Sigma smiled softly at him, bowing a little. "Morning, Akutagawa-san."
"Sigma," he said, "No need for honorifics. We're the same rank, you know."
Sigma chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, I'm happy that you came this far. You didn't have breakfast yet, have you?"
Akutagawa huffed.
He knew it.
"I haven't."
"Well, come have a seat, then!" the other detective said, patting the chair beside him.
Their division was rather small - consisting of only a few teams, which was the reason why teams usually worked separate, and even took more than one case at a time sometimes.
Well, the terrorism acts of Fyodor Dostoyevsky was an exception. Nakahara and Dazai's teams worked together on that case, and the room was left only to those two teams because of the case's complexity level, the other sergeants and their teams were given another room.
They knew a lot - a lot about Dostoyevsky now, yet they were nowhere near close to capturing him.
But Akutagawa had hope.
He knew they were closer then ever to capturing the man.
The rat, as they called him. They were closer than ever to the rat's hole.
"Food? Count me in, too, if you would!"
Tachihara, another Detective Consultant from Sergeant Nakahara's team, made his way to Sigma's desk.
"Well," Sigma scratched the back of his neck. "Why not?"
"Chuuya!" Dazai said dramatically. "Our juniors are having breakfast! Without us!"
"I said do not fucking use my first name at work, shitty Dazai—"
"Seems like you are having fun."
With the Chief Inspector Fukuzawa Yukichi's arrival, everyone widened their eyes, jumping to stand and greet their senior.
"Chief Inspector." Chuuya said, bowing. He was embarrassed of the state the Chief had caught them.
As for Dazai...
No. Not at all. But he still bowed, showing respect to his elder.
Akutagawa bowed along with Sigma by his side, wondering why the appearence might be for.
Fukuzawa gestured them to stand upright and everyone in the room relaxed a little bit. Expect for the sergeants.
"We had some announcements to do today. I believe your seniors have gave you information about the basics, am I right?"
Announcements?
Akutagawa blinked, confused. Looking around, he realized he was not the only confused one, but all the other consultants were like him, too.
"About that..." Chuuya started. He sounded nervous.
"We were just about to when you entered, Chief!" Dazai finished.
Fukuzawa raised an eyebrow. "You didn't yet?"
"The shift just started, so we thought—"
"Okay." the Chief didn't sound angry.
The announcement they had to to make weren't easy in the slightest. He understood his rather young juniors who were nervous.
"Then let me give you the information. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, or The Rat Case as you call it, is closed."
Akutagawa blinked.
What?
He talked without thinking. "Chief Inspector, why—"
"Dostoyevsky is dead."
Oh.
Oh?
What?
Dostoyevsky was dead?
"I know it's hard to believe, but his body was found in a secluded area and an anonymous person reported it. We sent our men to check it - and protect it. The area is surrounded now. The case is assigned to the same teams who were working on The Rat Case, since you know a lot more about Dostoyevsky than anyone else."
Fukuzawa paused, huffing. "I know it's a hard work for you to deal with, especially since these two teams are consisting of the department's youngest detectives. But I believe in you. I believe you can solve the case and capture the murderer as the protectors of justice."
Justice.
The word circled around the detectives' minds, everyone finding another meaning to it, the shock of Dostoyevsky's death still not lifting off of them.
Justice, huh?
The murderer probably thought they were getting their own justice, and Akutagawa couldn't really blame them.
Even if they had captured Dostoyevsky before them, the most he would get was a life sentence, which was still so little compared to the acts he had committed, the lives he had taken.
But a death didn't exactly feel right.
Yet, Akutagawa couldn't help but feel relieved.
Relieved that a lot of people were saved from Dostoyevsky's future plans.
If one of the detectives had shot the rat during a fight, they would be a hero. A hero who had saved lives.
But the one who murdered him was a criminal in the eyes of the very justice they had called.
A criminal who killed one person.
Not a hero who saved hundreds.
Akutagawa scrunched his face.
It didn't feel right. Not at all.
"They killed someone," Sigma said from his side. "So we're going after them. That's what detectives do."
Scratching the back of his neck, Chuuya sighed. "That's... Right."
No.
Akutagawa didn't find it right at all.
"I'm glad you accept your duty as the protectors of this city." Fukuzawa bowed, an unreadable expression on his face. "I wish you luck on your new investigation. The visit to the crime scene will be in one hour, and the autopsy later today. Doctor Yosano will be waiting for whoever you assign for the autopsy, I believe you are familiar with her as of now."
He turned around to leave.
"The command is on Sergeant Nakahara and Sergeant Dazai as of now, just like the last investigation. Consultants Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Sigma, Tachihara and Akutagawa Gin will be responsible as usual - Gin has patrol duty in the morning, she's going to join you after the lunch break time."
After that, he started to walk towards the door.
The sergeants looked at each other, a sheepish smile on Dazai's face. Chuuya raised an eyebrow as Dazai extended his hand up in the air, counting down from three with his fingers.
Three.
Two.
One.
"By the way, Sergeant Nakahara," Fukuzawa stopped just as he was about to leave the office. "I'd be pleased if you didn't wear your choker at work. It looks rather inappropriate - especially since you are a senior."
Chuuya's face went red as Fukuzawa left, mouth opening but nothing other then a mere whisper coming out.
"Yes, Chief..."
Dazai let out a loud laugh as Chuuya furiously took his choker off, not pleased at all.
"Inappropriate, my ass."
"Language, Chuuya!"
"I said do not use my fucking first name—"
As they kept bickering, Akutagawa turned his face to Sigma, not paying attention to his seniors.
The other didn't look as bothered as he was with the situation.
"Sigma?"
Sigma turned his gaze to him, face going soft. "Hm?"
"Are you not... Bothered?"
Other detective raised an eyebrow, looking confused. "About what?"
"About the new case."
"I mean, Dostoyevsky is gone, so that's good, I guess. Even if I wouldn't admit it to anyone else." he said, voice relaxed.
"Yeah," Akutagawa started, "But now they want us to capture his murderer. Is it really what should happen?"
Sigma blinked. "No matter how horrible of a person Dostoyevsky was, his murder case is still a murder, just like any other is. The murderer still killed someone - they broke the law. The law is law, and our job is to catch those who break it."
Akutagawa looked at him with blank eyes. "Right." he said, voice not sounding convinced at all. But Sigma hummed, satisfied.
But we couldn't catch him as quick as we should have.
That was why they broke the law and did it instead of us.
He kept his thoughts to himself, the doubts still poking inside him as he sat down to eat.
It was not the justice he knew.