Chapter Text
For as long as he could remember, he always had a strong sense of justice and an even stronger love for humanity. Yet he isolated himself from others and insisted on working alone. This is his fate as a detective, it was a job where his life was constantly veering into dangers that could easily end his journey to seek the truth for everyone’s sake. So much so, he let go of whatever past he had, his old name, his friends and family, as if he vanished from existence. He is well-aware that it was an ironically selfish decision for someone so selfless. But if it ensured the safety of those in what he referred to as his “past life”, he would do it even if it meant suffering a cruel fate. He then thought of the World Detective Organization’s Creed, a principle in life he lived and breathed.
“A detective must never overlook a mystery. Any and all truths must be exposed.” He said to himself as he looked through the WDO’s vault. Rummaging through many, many aisles of confidential files and cases, evidence from crime scenes, and especially the ancient books.
“A detective must always prioritize solving a case.” He says to no one in particular, as this is common knowledge for all detectives, even by those who aren’t affiliated with the WDO. As he says this, he catches the glimpse of the tome he was looking for. A thick and heavy one, a dark purple cover with a faded golden border. In the middle was an amethyst carved into a circle that serves as an embellishment to the book which also serves to keep the strap in place to prevent anyone from easily opening it.
“Emotions must be discarded to reach a perfect solution through a perfect deduction.” He said at last to finish the creed as he hugs the book to his chest and carefully goes down the ladder he used to reach it. Despite how it looks, the book had a very ominous and unsettling aura, it was the Book of Death after all. Why would a detective such as himself use such a thing? It was for a rather complicated plan – even for his standards – a plan to solve yet another unsolved mystery. This plan took many weeks to prepare for due to the nature of the case as it involved the secret of a very isolated and dangerous place and also the mystery of how many criminals on death row all over the world were kidnapped and taken to said place for currently unknown reasons.
Being the detective that he is, he took it upon himself to solve it. Perfectly by himself.
Only a handful of people knew of his plan and even less are those who he personally requested to play a role in it. They all seemed to still hold him in high regard, even after his resignation from his title as the WDO’s Top Detective and he thanked them all dearly for it. He is currently talking to the body double who’ll play as him, they looked drastically different from each other. However there was nothing to worry about when so few know your face and the identity attached to that face. His youthful and unassuming appearance won’t make anyone think twice, but his double was a senior member and had a commanding presence expected from the WDO’s leader. They shared a firm handshake as he exchanged a payment.
“Thank you for having so much faith in me, ______-sama. Or should I call you the former Number One?” He admittedly got annoyed by how his double used an honorific more so than him actually saying his birth name. But he laughed nonetheless, he only meant well.
“I’m not even them anymore. I go by Yuma Kokohead now, the trainee allowed me adopt his name so please, just call me Yuma.” The double gave a slow nod before suddenly patting his head. How bold of him. Not many get the privilege to touch him, or see him for that matter. But he kept his mouth from saying anything more as the older man’s form began to curiously change.
In place of human ears, tall pointed fox ears appeared in their place, behind his shades his pupils resembled slits, well trimmed nails grew to become sharp claws and the strangest of all, was the arrival of five long gray fox tails that fanned behind him. The double also gave a small smile, in which sharp canines peeked through. A normal person might have started running in fear or desperately begging for forgiveness, but “Yuma” could only soften his eyes at the sight.
His double was a yokai – a supernatural being or phenomena – that was fond of him enough to reveal a glimpse of his true form. He is no stranger to meeting such entities, even if it contradicted the deeply ingrained human logic that his job entailed. But then again, it was through this same logic that birthed their existence in the first place. “Yuma” internally laughed at the irony, humans in the past were so strange weren’t they? Their deep beliefs have caused them to associate even the minutiae of everyday life to be the gift of some deity or spirit. It is the basis of an actual religion after all.
“You do know of the old tales, Yuma-sama? We were once respected and feared for our role, to shepherd them from going astray and make them avoid choices that would lead to their doom.” The yokai said gravely, running a hand through his beard in contemplation. “Humans and their boundless curiosity cause them to search for knowledge and wisdom. Yet some of those very things they search for are not meant for mortal eyes, if these secrets fall into the wrong hands… the world would plunge into chaos once more.”
“Yuma” noticed the way the old man’s tails stilled, waiting for a response to this impromptu lecture. “To prevent humanity from either succumbing to madness or stagnation due to having achieved everything too quickly, yokai took it upon themselves to guard these secrets. It was their way of thanking the people who gave them life. The infinite imagination from their creators’ gifted them with magic – The Art of Onmyodo – so to speak.”
His double nodded in approval before casting a small ball of fire in his hands. A fairly common Art of the Kitsune in particular. “Yuma” could only watch silently as the flame started to form into what seemed to be… an envelope, a simple white envelope that could be bought in any stationary shop. He was almost disappointed at the mundane utility of it, but the older looked quite proud of what he had just accomplished. The double walked forward before handing the piece of stationary to him, it was embellished with a red wax seal with the design of a fox holding a stalk of rice in its mouth. The former top detective was suddenly engulfed in feelings of nostalgia upon seeing the seal, but he couldn’t get a grasp on what it was.
‘Why does my head suddenly hurt? I feel like I should know what – or possibly who – is on that seal. But I… I couldn’t remember a thing. What on earth is going on?”
The pain ceased when the older man placed a hand on his head, almost comforting if it weren't for the way his claws threatened to pierce the skin of his scalp. He was quite used to pain and he is quite certain that he never showed any tells of his current distress, but his double seemed to look right through him as he felt a stony gaze towards his chest, where his heart should be. What was only a few seconds felt like an eternity before the fox above him gave out a jovial laugh, messing up his freshly cut hair. The wrinkled hand in his hair moved to his shoulder as he felt a claw from his other hand over his heart. “Yuma” could only think of one thing: the yokai had just appraised his soul and deemed him worthy.
The eyes that were once filled with mirth a moment ago were immediately replaced with deep sorrow. “And then it all went horribly wrong, so terribly wrong. Centuries of peace and harmony were shattered in a second. Perhaps it was the more vexatious of our kind setting the final straw as one prank went too far. Perhaps it was the careless humans who knowingly stepped into sacred territory before destroying our homes and shrines into rubble. No one quite knows for sure.”
“Yuma” could only mirror the sadness in the fox’s eyes, his ears were now drooping and his tails sluggishly laid on the ground as he continued. “The gods were angered at the insolence of it all and sent plagues and disease across the earth. It caused famine as it infected the plants and waters, leading to wars over what little resources were left. Though such conquest led to the death of many mortals, not even us yokai were spared from their anger. We could only watch in horror as some were banished away into the Land Down Below, some were forcibly exorcized into nothingness, and some lost everything from disasters.” The old man recounted the lost history, “Yuma” never learned this from any of the books in this vault. There were no winners and any survivors that remained were in such trauma that they tried to bury such knowledge into oblivion. The younger felt his hands clenched in anger at the sheer tragedy of it all.
“Yokai couldn’t control what they do, they’re manifestations of unexplained phenomena. It’s the reason why they defy human logic to begin with, why their mindsets and morality are so alien compared to ours.” The fox opened his mouth but there came no reply. No rebuttal.
He looked back into his double’s eyes, almost shrouded from the darkness of his shades as he remained speechless. “Humans played a part as well even if they’re aware of it or not. They can be cruel and harm each other for their own gain, even more so in this era where technology is so advanced. We’re now connected with each other than ever before, but at the same time we’ve distanced ourselves through the spread of negativity, maliciousness, and doubt. These emotions then contaminated beings born from thought and belief: yokai.”
The detective finally unclenched his pale hands. “But I still believe there is hope for change.”
“Whatever do you mean by this change then?”
As the former top detective, he would sometimes be called to solve cases of a child being ‘spirited away’ or forcing a spirit to come out of a possessed human. Yet many of the yokai culprits he would communicate with are often psychologically tortured by their own strange behavior. Sadly most don’t seem to recognize that their actions not only affect others, but even the ones born from their cognition. Yokai aren’t inherently malevolent, this unwritten fact has caused a misunderstanding that has caused a great rift between the harmony between mortals and spirits. A problem that “Yuma” wanted to solve like the many unsolved mysteries in this world.
“If yokai are causing more paranormal occurrences due to the negative emotions found in the cognition of society, then why not instill positivity the way we know how?” He spoke confidently, resolute in his dream of universal peace and happiness. “Solving the unsolvable, bringing light to the truth, and providing justice and equality to everyone. Of course, I value the secrets you and your kind are tasked to keep. I won’t even dare break the oath between humans and yokai despite our now strained relationship. I’m only a detective bound to my duty and a dream after all. It may be… idealistic coming from me, but I hope for the day where everyone can smile from the bottom of their hearts. That is the truth I wish to find and treasure.”
“Yuma-sama,” He said finally as his clawed hand left his shoulder, the detective returned back to reality. “This may sound like the ramblings of an old man past his prime. Back in my day, people like you were the reason why humanity is still able to progress despite the hardships of life. Keep that ever kind heart of yours no matter what happens. You may not be our leader anymore, but all the detectives of the WDO have learned so much from you. We all respect and see you as ‘Number One’ and I’m deeply honored for you to choose me as your face. Go forth and solve the mysteries of Kanai Ward.”
He felt like a child being praised by a grandparent, and he almost let go of the Book of Death out of awe. His double reverts back to his human self before vanishing into the dark underground tunnels of WDO’s building. He may be old but he’s rather good at running away.
But before he sets out to prepare for his journey to Kanai Ward, he remembers the letter that his double gave him and makes sure he locks the WDO’s vault behind him. He opens the envelope by removing the wax seal. Funnily enough it smelt like fried tofu, reminding “Yuma” that he was hungry and had to stop himself from unconsciously drooling.
To whom it may concern,
I’m sharing this special but also simple technique, should you ever feel a strange presence around you. I’m aware that the supernatural isn’t exactly your strong suit and that it isn’t easy to perform Onmyodo Arts if you’re untrained, so here’s a ritual that requires flexible hands and a brave heart to perform should you ever feel unsafe.
The practice of performing a Fox’s Window is done by holding your hands in front of you and forming them to resemble the shape of a fox’s head before twisting the shape to create a small window in order to see invisible spirits or to distinguish a real person from a fake one -- a yokai. Then recite this incantation three times: “Show your true colors, that is, show me whether you are a yokai or a demon.”, and peer through the window made by your hands. Nowadays, it is treated as a child’s game but then again… games like ‘Bloody Mary’ are also considered as such. So remember this, while it may be ostensibly a child’s game doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be approached with caution.
One more thing, a warning if you will.
Whatever you see through the window, if something that was never there in the first place appears, you must close the window immediately. Should you fail to do this, you may be cursed or even suffer a fate worse than death. Before looking through the window, make sure you want to see what you ‘think’ you want to see. After all…
They say that “Ignorance is bliss”, ______-sama.
Best regards,
Senior Master Detective, Espionage Division
Unosuke Owen
He was shocked that his double had written his actual name on this letter. A yokai revealing their true name can lead to them being completely at the mercy, especially in the hands of a human or onmyoji – a human with powers of a yokai – with malicious and evil desires. For a Kitsune, a yokai species infamously known either for being sadistic tricksters or aloof servants of Inari, it meant that his double… Owen-san fully trusted and believed in him. If he had any doubts or fears of his plan going awry – granted that they never do, but he can’t help but still be worried. He’d do everything to make sure he’ll reveal the secrets and mysteries of Kanai Ward.
…Even if it meant signing his life away to a Shinigami and losing all memories of himself in order for his plan to succeed. He must, no, because he will succeed.
Meanwhile, upon the highest point in Kanai Ward, Makoto Kagutsuchi stares out the window of his penthouse. He wistfully watches the city’s unending downpour behind his mask. There was no loud thunder or bright lightning that illuminated the gloomy sky, only a calm yet almost eerie silence. It was a beautiful sight to see the blur of Kanai Ward’s neon lights. Yet within his heart, Makoto knew that this city was on the verge of internal collapse. He could only sigh to himself in his solitary sorrow.
It was tempting. Tempting for him to jump into his pool with all his clothes on for the third (or maybe fourth?) time this week. To wash all pain and sadness away, to melt into a warm, soul soothing bath. But he thinks it would be better if his papers were also waterproof. He found it amusing that the scientists in Amaterasu’s lab have yet to find a good way to waterproof valuable technology and important documents, but he supposed that it was a problem for another day. And speaking of problems…
‘Ah yes, him. That detective will be here soon.’
“If my prediction is correct, he will be getting here by train in the next few days. He’ll be here… and if he succeeds, Kanai Ward will be no more.” He says to himself as he just realized how pale his hands were from clenching them so tightly, he couldn’t help it. There was a reason why Kanai Ward was isolated from the world. Why he did all that he could to make the United Government turn a blind eye, not as Amaterasu’s CEO but as a man who loved his city.
“If only… if only I could understand why it all turned out like this.” He reached for his mask, in both pondering and a deeply buried guilt. For three years, he has done so much for Kanai Ward over those three long years, all by himself. “If only I wasn’t the only one… if only they could understand that they didn’t choose to be like this… They should never know for their peace and safety. And…!” Makoto felt his breath hitch, he was becoming more emotional as of late, his love for his people is truly a double-edged sword. He feels his mask slipping off.
“If only my face wasn’t—” The man didn’t get a chance to finish as he was stricken with an immense pain in his head, like it was breaking open from the inside. He could feel himself shouting and screaming, but he couldn’t hear his own voice or even see what’s going on around him. ‘No one would come’ , his mind supplied even despite the anguish he currently felt, ‘No one would hear you at all. You are all on your own.’
That night, the entirety of Kanai Ward heard tortured blood-curdling screams, they didn’t sound human at all. No, no human nor animal can mimic whatever the voice was. None of them would even believe that it did come from their beloved yet mysterious CEO of Amaterasu Corporation. The will-o-wisps that appeared since that night too, the residents thought it was some elaborate prank by a particularly mischievous, or devilish, yokai.
But not all things are illusions in Kanai Ward’s unending rain.