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The sound of Tecchou’s heart was nothing new to Jouno.
Despite his short time as a Hunting Dog, he’s grown to recognize the unique beating of the oddball Hunting Dog’s heart anywhere. His calm demeanor and strong will stood out in his heart, his movements and tone of voice, all things Jouno can pick up on and get easily annoyed by.
Tonight, however, his heart beat to a different tune, one of regret and sorrow. One warmed by alcohol and the straining of muscles as his hands shook, almost vibrating the table from Jouno’s perspective, but realistically there wasn’t any sound the normal ear could pick up.
Tecchou has a mission today, a solo one, which wasn’t uncommon by a long shot, but today’s felt different, if the way Tecchou was acting was any indicator.
Jouno knew little about the mission it was to stop some Ability User who decided that today was a good day to become a villain of cartoonish proportions and threaten some civilians, and unfortunately some had died before the Hunting Dogs were even called.
Jouno leaned against the counter Tecchou was sitting at, tilting his head to the side smugly, “You know we can’t really get drunk, right?”
It was half true, the Hunting Dogs enhancements also gave resistance to most toxins and poisons, and that included alcohol. It took a lot for them to get drunk, but it wasn’t impossible, if their Commander was any example.
“I know,” Tecchou replied, voice croaked and hazy. “It still helps, though.”
Jouno only hummed in response, not caring too much about what he meant by that. A part of him, however, the tiniest part in his chest, felt as though leaving Tecchou at his lonesome right then would have been a bad idea, so he followed the tiny string that tugged at him.
“So why’s our dear Strongest at the bottom of a bottle tonight?” Jouno teased, but that same tiny part of him was curious. For what reason, he didn’t know.
“Jouno, what do you think justice is?”
Well, that certainly came out of nowhere. Then again, it was a very Tecchou thing to do, so Jouno wasn’t as surprised as the average person could have been.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just answer.”
Jouno thought for a moment. He thought of answers that Tecchou would like, about nobility and honor and all that other knight and shining armor stuff. He thought about brushing off the question entirely, changing the subject with smooth precision like he was so good at, but instead, he decided to be honest.
“What a loaded question,” he chuckled dryly, turning his head away to face outward from the counter, a gentle night breeze from an open window kissing his face. “I’d say that justice is those getting what they deserve, the right to punish those who have done harm, and help the helpless.”
“Huh…” Tecchou sighed, swirling the drink in his cup. “… a ‘right,’ you say.”
“Do you not agree?”
“No, I don’t,” Tecchou said plainly. “Justice is not a right, it’s a privilege.”
Jouno raised an eyebrow, head turning back to put his full attention to Tecchou. “Explain.”
“There are those whose killers are never caught, those who hurt others, scarred them, getting off with just a slap on the wrist, bodies who will never have their names returned to them…” Tecchou took a deep breath, holding it for a second before releasing it.
“Today, I failed to deliver the justice someone deserved.”
It was Jouno’s turn to sigh. He pulled out the stool next to Tecchou and took a seat beside him, facing opposite of the counter. “Didn’t you capture the criminal? He’s imprisoned as we speak, beginning his journey through rotting behind bars for the rest of his life.”
“He had killed so many before I even arrived.”
Jouno shook his head, “Yes, the deaths were why we were called.” He placed an elbow on the counter, resting his cheek against his fist. “You can’t be everywhere at once, we can’t be everywhere at once. Sometimes, we don’t know until it’s too late, that’s just how it works.”
“I was a second too late,” Tecchou said, seeming to ignore what Jouno said, but his partner could tell that he heard every word. “The criminal had a child. I had already rushed in, but I wasn’t fast enough to save her before she was killed. There was nothing I could have done.”
A child. This wasn’t the first child death the Hunting Dogs had to deal with, and it wouldn’t be the last. Jouno simply let his partner keep talking.
“Yes, I arrested the criminal, but that brought no justice to that little girl who was just out of my reach.” Tecchou lowered his head, shuttering hands gripping onto his glass cup. “She didn’t get justice, the other victims didn’t get justice, the families didn’t get justice. I know I’m not at fault. Even if we worked with perfect precision I still could not have saved her, but…”
“But?” Jouno tilted his head to the side slightly.
“But it’s simply… unfair. It’s stupid to ramble about the world being unfair, it’s true, everyone knows it, but… that child deserved better. All the children I’ve failed to save deserve so much better.”
Jouno shook his head. “You shouldn’t think about ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ like that, you’ll only sink into a deeper pit.”
“I know,” Tecchou replied. “It’s the universe’s personal injustice, there is nothing I can do about what happened to them. While their blood isn’t on my hands, I still feel their weight upon me.”
Jouno gave him another puzzled look.
“In a mission a few months ago, an Ability User had killed a man whose body has yet to be identified. On an earlier mission of mine I had found a child who had been severely abused by her father. Don’t even get me started on the amount of dead prostitutes who have yet to have their names returned to them.”
Jouno continued to listen intently. He hasn’t been a Hunting Dog for long, only coming up on eight months, and he hasn’t had to deal with anything similar to what Tecchou was speaking of, not yet at least. If that time does come, would Jouno join his partner at the bottom of that bottle?
“I know I’ve saved many people, at the very least most of those who suffered are still alive, but they still had to go through that hell. They weren’t given the privilege of having that justice arrive just that little bit sooner, or arrive at all.”
Tecchou then turned to him, “Justice is not a right because it cannot be given to all that deserve it.”
Jouno was silent, unsure of what exactly to say. So instead, he waited for Tecchou to continue talking, to fill the now heavy silence that hovered over the two.
“I know I cannot help everyone in need, it’s a ridiculous notion. I simply… I’m sorry, I don’t know where I was going with this.”
Jouno shook his head, “Your rambling gave me enough of an idea of what you’re talking about. You want to balance out the injustice in the world, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it other than complain and do their best with the people they can help.”
“That’s about it, yes,” Tecchou shrugged.
“Well, even if you can’t help everyone, you’re still providing that justice to people in need, which they’ll remember forever.”
Jouno didn’t care about the people when he started this job, he was only doing it so he didn’t have to spend the rest of his life in a cell. But after a while, the people, their gratitude and joy and endless sincere thanks had begun to chip away at the walls he built around himself, like an army tearing down the gates to a city.
It was now Tecchou’s turn to stay quiet, staring over at his partner and waiting for Jouno to continue.
“There’s a story I heard a while back, I don’t even remember from where,” Jouno sighed, recalling the tale. “A boy was throwing starfish that washed up on shore back into the ocean. Someone asked him why he was doing it, something about how he couldn’t save them all. The boy replied that even if he can’t save all of them, it means the world to every starfish he does save.”
Jouno thought the story was dumb when he first heard it. Why even bother if you can’t finish the job? But after hearing Tecchou’s words, the short story had a bit more meaning to it.
He heard Tecchou’s heart start to beat a little faster. Then, he smiled. “I think I understand. I shouldn’t focus on who can’t be saved, and instead focus on those that can be?”
Jouno shrugged, “If that’s how you want to see it then go ahead. I simply connected a few dots in my head.”
“Thank you, Jouno.”
There it is, those three words that made Jouno feel more weightless than his own Ability ever could.
“You’ll make a great Hunting Dog one day.”
At that, Jouno’s face felt warmer. He huffed, turning his face away. “As if I’m not an amazing Hunting Dog already! And besides,I just don’t want to see you wasting any more alcohol, this stuff is expensive.” Lies always tasted bitter on his tongue. “Come on, let’s get to bed already. No justice can be served with a tired body.” That last sentence was meant to be teasing, but Jouno couldn’t help the fondness that slipped out no matter how hard he suppressed it.
Tecchou chuckled a bit, a sound that made Jouno feel as if he’d just won whatever game was being played. “Alright, whatever you say. You should rest as well.”
Jouno sighed, pushing himself off the stool, “That is the plan, Tecchou.”
“I’ll go to bed after I clean up,” Tecchou commented, standing up as Jouno began his walk back towards his room. “Sleep well, Jouno, and thank you again for staying with me.”
Jouno paused his steps for only a moment. “You as well.”