Archives Volume II

By: Apeman ( zeni316@yahoo.com )

:04 Pain :04

                “I’m sorry,”

                I watched as Hakuei apologized to Toshiya for the fiftieth time.  I felt sick to my stomach; the way the kid speaks can make someone extremely nauseous.  The words “pumpkin”, “lover bunny”, and “buttercup” aren’t exactly music to my ears.  But, of course, they seem to get the job done.  I raised an eyebrow when the couple hugged, and I walked away towards Jiro’s desk.

                “Your partner’s a playboy,” I said, chuckling.

                “Hey!  Don’t talk to me about my partner,” the lieutenant grumbled. “The punk is never here doing his job.”

                “Take it easy, Jiro,” I chuckled and patted the lieutenant on his shoulder.

                I walked towards my desk in the corner when the commissioner motioned me into his office.

                “Yessir?” I asked when I stumbled in.

                “Where’s Kohta?” he asked, as he motioned me to have a seat. “He’s been acting strangely after I took you two off the child mutilation case.”

                “Well,” I started. “He just finds this new case a little troubling,”

                “I see,” Commissioner Yoshiki mumbled. “Well, I didn’t call you in for a social visit, Detective.  I called you in here to introduce you to a friend of mine.”

                The commissioner stood up and called out for someone to come in.

                “Hi, Uncle Yoshiki!”

                I raised an eyebrow as the little punk Die strutted into the office.  He looked to be in great shape, hopefully off of his drinking habit.  He seemed happy, almost high.

                “Detective, this is the son of a good friend of mine,”

                “We… we’ve met,” I said, extending a hand to Die, who smiled graciously.

                “Detective Takeo caught my mean old dad,” Die said in a high-pitched voice.  I almost cringed in pain.

                “Die has decided to enter the field of law,” Commissioner Yoshiki said. “I was hoping that when he gets out of the academy that you could help him out.  You know, show him the ropes.”

                “Sure, sir,” I mumbled, almost busting out in laughter.

The sucker will never make it.

+++++

                “Takeo!  Kohta’s at the old tenement building at Oakley and Mercy Avenue!” Jiro cried out. “He says he’s got something.”

                I nodded my head and rushed out of the precinct.

                Oakley and Mercy?  Sounds familiar.

+++++

                I arrived at the site about ten minutes later, but I did not see Kohta anywhere.

                “Kohta?” I yelled, as the sky became darker.

                I looked across the empty road of Oakley and spotted my friend Kohta, waving his arms everywhere.  He fell down behind something as I was walking towards him, disappearing for over twenty seconds.  When he reappeared, he pulled out his gun and opened a full clip at my direction.

                “What the hell???”

                I fell to my left and looked in the direction I came from.  There was nobody there.

                “Kohta!” I yelled, rising to my feet.

                I saw Kohta’s shadow enter the abandoned tenement building.  I walked toward the building looking up at the massive structure.

                “Kohta?”

-cont’d-