Chapter Text
Spring was the perfect weather. A transition from the bone chilling winds of winter to the mind melting temperatures of summer, it was the adequate temperature. Season of rebirth, it was called, as with the start of spring, a whole year had passed. Quaint flowers quivered in the wind, and cherry blossoms greeted everyone with a burst of colour to brighten up the mood. The ground under the feet was slightly damp, from the constant spray of water from the waterfall beside the Yadagami shrine, where the ceremony was to be held.
Mii was dressed in a beautiful shiromuku, the wataboshi hiding most of her face as she stood beside Shepard, who was wearing the kuromonpuku. A priest, presumably a close friend of the previous village chief, conducted the ceremony, mouth moving in a voiceless chant.
Smoke from the incense sticks infront of the shrine drifted upwards, mingling with the open air. The constant rushing of the water next to them provided a constant, albeit loud ambience. It was an auspicious day, with the clear skies and aroma of the distant flora floating through the air, along with the smell of the festivities over from the village. Right now, it was a quiet ritual with only the family members and close friends.
The act of drinking and exchanging the sake was performed easily, yet with delicate reverence. Over the years, the couple had formed a deep bond, something that could be said by the way they looked at each other and how they conducted themselves. After this came the vow reading, where Shepard recited his vows, Mii listening with a small smile on her face.
When the ceremony finally ended, all of them headed back to the village for the celebrations. In all fairness, it was a bit of a whiplash considering the events that had taken place just a few days ago, but that was just the whims of a capricious life. It felt almost cruel in a way, but this was a joyous occasion about people who had nothing to do with it.
Walking was nothing more than muscle memory. As he passed by, Ron looked at the villagers. Since it was a small, tight knit community, everyone here knew each other. Weddings were probably a big deal in such a place. For now, the sun was up, illuminating everything underneath its glow, but soon evening would fall, and the lanterns would light up. In such a jubilant atmosphere, Ron felt his own spirits lift up a little.
“Happiness lying in wait, scattered here and there thoughout daily life. It’s so subtle that you easily miss it, unless you open your heart and pay attention.”
Words that he’d once said in a previous life, came back unbidden to his mind. He grimaced. They’d been easy to say back then, and now it was another unbearable thought. Or maybe it was an unbearable thought.
What could that mean? He frowned, but before he could dwell on it, someone called his name. On looking back, Ron saw that it was Amamiya.
“Kamoo-san! Sorry I haven’t been able to talk, I just got here yesterday night.” She smiled at him, the faint dusting of red on her face. Neither her nor Chikori knew what had happened at the inn, and no one had the heart to tell them. But word spreads quick in rural areas like these and they must have an idea of what went down. Unanimously the four of them had agreed to tell them about case after the wedding, not before.
“That’s alright.” He turned towards her, hands in his pockets. “How’re you liking the wedding so far?”
“It’s lovely. A nice change of pace from work. It was very kind of Feier to invite me.”
A couple of children ran past, weaving through the legs of the adults, their laughter mixing with the lively music. It was a crowded place, with everyone moving here and there, some people even dancing and the joy in the air was so palpable you could taste it on your tongue. Somehow, it felt bittersweet.
Seems like Spitz was worrying over nothing.
“Have you spoken to the bride and groom?” Ron asked. Before the ceremony, he’d exchanged formalities with them. Both of them had been calm on the surface, but there were signs of them being deadly nervous so he had cut the meeting short.
Amamiya rubbed the back of her sheepishly. “I was actually on my way to congratulate them….” There was a little envelope poking out of her bag. Ah, she was going to give the gift as well.
“In that case, don’t let me stop you. Please go on ahead.”
“Thank you—let’s catch up during dinner!”
She walked past him, giving a small wave, as she disappeared into the crowd of people. For a moment, Ron just stood there, watching the people go past him and the clouds float by overhead. Crowded places like these needed a clear head. Taking a deep breath, he was headed towards the place where he’d last seen Kawasemi.
He found the older man with Mofu and Chikori, all three of them tasting a few delicacies of the region. The doctor was beaming, and excitedly talking to the younger girl, with Kawasemi himself eating with a small smile on his face and occasionally joining in on the conversation.
Chikori noticed him first, and gave him a small wave. Not much, but acknowledgement was progress nonetheless. Mofu brightened up on seeing him, and excitedly held out a stick of dango.
“You should try this, it’s really good!”
“The local confectionary really went all out. It’s welcome after….other sugary substances.” Kawasemi said, biting into his own stick.
Ron grinned as he took the dango, and pulling out his sachet, guzzled it on top of it. A resigned sigh came from beside him as he bit into it, sticky and overly sweet. His teeth were going to rot one day. How they had still managed to hang on was a mystery in itself. “Thanks.”
Don’t you ever get sick of having so much sugar?
Not really, no.
Truly, it is sometimes surprising how fast life turns around—just a few months ago, Ron was locked inside of his room, cut off from the outside world. Now he’s here, standing with his friends (it still somehow didn’t feel right to say that. Or maybe he’s not used to it yet.) listening to Mofu’s story from her days of being a klutzy intern, Kawasemi’s first few days at the police academy and Chikori’s disastrous first attempts on trying to interview people.
Its moments like these that helps him appreciate life a little more instead of cursing it out.
The open-air banquet was a dignified affair, for the first half atleast. Spitz was called up, along with family members from both sides to give a speech, and there was polite applause, along with the occasional laughter.
Looking down at his cup of amazake, it was a matter of will not to keep on zoning out. Ron was sitting between Spitz and an old man, presumably someone from the Feier family. The lanterns had been lit, and a singular ladybug was climbing up his finger. Ron flicked it away. Socializing was draining. He wanted to go to bed. As he was on his way to blinking into unconsciousness, Spitz elbowed him, jolting him back to earth.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep now! The banquet’s over so the real fun is about to begin!” The lavender gestured, while grinning so brightly Ron felt like the sun had come out for a moment, given that he was still drowsy.
“What’s that?”
Getting out of his seat and dragging Ron with him, Spitz said, “Dancing, of course!”
Oh hell no. Immediately Ron dug his heels in, stopping the other from dragging him any further. “I refuse.”
“Aw cm’on, just this once-“
“No.”
Hell would freeze over before he did anything like that.
Spitz deflated, the expression on his face resembling that of a kicked puppy. This does not win him any empathy points however. He looked like he wanted to convince the other, but before he could, Chikori appeared, looking unnaturally flustered. She must have had too much to drink, because her next words shocked the both of them.
“Feier-san, let’s dance! I heard you saying that you wanted to!”
Huh?
Grabbing Spitz by the arm, she pulled him away, with surprising strength for a girl her height. The lavender looked at Ron in alarm, but the latter just shrugged, as if to say, “You’ve got a partner now. Don’t look at me.”
Betrayal flashed across Spitz’s face and his protests were drowned out by the music playing and conversations flowing together, disjointed and loud. Lesson learned: never overestimate your drinking capacity, especially during celebrations like these. As Ron looked towards the impromptu dance floor that used to be the village square, he saw Amamiya and Kawasemi dancing together as well, another shock of the day. Unlike their usual squabbling, they were actually getting along well, dancing in what seemed like to be a classical waltz. The older woman’s slightly wobbly movements gave away that she was drunk, and Ron knew what she was like when she had one glasses too many. Atleast it seemed like she was in good hands for the time being.
Finding a quiet corner, Ron leaned against the wall of a house, watching the festivities take place. This was not his place, to be honest. He missed the Floor of Sloth a bit. In the seconds that passed, he felt her presence before he even looked at her.
“This is so exciting! I’m glad I got to witness such a beautiful event.” Mofu sipped her drink, her eye gleaming with ecstasy. Ron simply hummed in response.
They watched as Spitz tried to coordinate his steps with an off balance Chikori, both of them giggling all the while. Kawasemi and Amamiya had moved onto a slightly more complex turn, and while it wasn’t completely graceful, it was strangely harmonious. Underneath the soft glow of the orange lanterns, everything felt right out of a dream—a soothing, beautiful dream. Edges blurred, sometimes seemingly mixing into one another, the ambience and smell of both the woods and food a hazy recollection.
“Say, do you believe in ghosts, Kamonohashi-san?”
The glass of amazake nearly slipped from inbetween his fingers at the suddenness of the question.
“I’ve always been a fan of the occult. But I’ve never encountered the actual thing.” On the surface of the drink, the night sky glimmered, Ron’s own reflection staring back at him. If it could have been real, things would be much, much different, that much he was sure of.
Mofu sighed, looking upwards, her gaze distant. “Me neither. I overheard a few people talking about how one house near the end of the village was haunted so the question just popped in my mind. They say it’s about a woman in white, looking for her family. At night, you can hear her distantly wailing.”
“Ghosts, huh…” The most likely explanation was an animal of some sort. Making up his mind, Ron pushed himself off the wall. “Where's this haunted house?”
Quietly snickering to herself, the doctor remarked, “You really can’t resist a mystery, can you? Okay, follow me.” Finishing her drink in one go, she put the empty glass down on a nearby table, where it somehow slipped and rolled down, cracking. Both of them looked at it in silence for a moment.
“Not again...” Mofu lamented, visibly wilting.
Leaving behind the main ruckus of the wedding, the two of them made their way into the village, where most of the houses were empty. Pink petals had floated over, looking like confetti on the ground. The air grew colder and quieter as they walked. Eventually they reached the end, and spotted the lonely, worn-down house sitting a little further away from the rest of the huts.
Weeds surrounded the house, and in the darkness, only the moonlight was their constant companion. The wood was broken in places and as they were examining the house from the distance, a piercing, wavering cry broke through. Mofu flinched, while Ron, still for a moment, began making his way through.
Jumping over excessively mushy areas, Ron said with a smile, “It seems like the villagers were telling the truth.”
“Do be careful, Kamonohashi-san. There might be snakes in that area.” Mofu called out, a few steps behind him. “And please don’t antagonise any ghosts!” Her footing slipped, and before she could tumble down face first, Ron caught her by the edge of her sleeve.
“Careful, doctor.”
The wailing was still coming through and upon further investigation, it was found to have been emerging from near the back of the house. Stepping on the damp grass, they peeked from behind the edge. Seeing that there were no ghost women crying with long dark hair obscuring their faces, Ron stepped forward. As they looked for any more spectral sights, the actual reason for the wailing caught the dark-haired man’s attention. Good thing he was tall.
Reaching up, he grabbed a piece of the broken rain gutter that had come loose. The house wall behind it had rotted away, holes poking through. As soon as Ron had pulled away the gutter, the wailing ceased.
Mofu’s shoulders slumped in a mixture of relief and disappointment. “Oh. So, it was just the wind…”
“In places full of heavy superstition like this, ghost stories are common. But they normally have a rational reason. People see and hear what they want to. Like in this case.” He let go of the gutter, and the wailing started again.
“But it would have been fun to see a real ghost…” They began making their way back down, away from the house and towards the village. A sparingly simple mystery solved.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll see one this time, doctor.”
A flicker at the edge of his vision, but he brushed it off. Situations like these can easily trigger such things. In the end, they’re all just figments of human imagination.
Ghosts didn’t exist.
Even the forensic cleanup couldn’t get rid of the stench.
It was a month or so after the wedding, Ron had once again neglected to keep count of the days—and of course, nothing ever stopped the murders that constantly took place in the city. This time, there had been a slew of killings in the Shiga region. Now, if this was just a normal kind of murder, no one would have batted an eye and just investigated, but what really caught the attention was the…. gruesomely mysterious way they’d been killed.
You see, the deceased had died by eating parts of their body and bleeding out. Poison had been found in the bloodstream, but even more shocking it was centipede venom—something that was nearly harmless to humans. So far there had been five victims, and each of them were found in contorted positions, with bite marks littering their open wound and dried pools of blood surrounding them. Autopsies revealed that the missing limbs were inside the victim’s stomachs. It was as if they had been driven to a frenzied, suicidal cannibalism of the self.
For now, the news had been suppressed to prevent the press from making a big deal out of it, but that also meant that they needed to solve it soon. So, since she was now out of options, Ron had been called in by Amamiya.
“It’s just so…unnatural. The venom is supposed to be harmless, but for someone to actually refine and concentrate it to such an insane degree is...." She trailed off, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Dark circles were beginning to show from underneath her makeup, completed with her bloodshot eyes. Her normally pristine hair was sticking up on all sides, the case obviously taking a toll on her. She sighed and reached for her cup of coffee, only to find it empty. “The point is, we need to find out who the killer is, and fast. If the media catches wind of this, it’ll look bad.”
She pulled out and handed him the main file for the case, pushing two other binders for a recent break in at an abandoned apartment and a jewellery heist dangerously close to the edge. Giving him a few minutes to go over it, Amamiya reached out and rearranged the files in a somewhat orderly manner. Various photos each increasingly repulsive and stomach churning showed the victims in conditions too brutal to describe. What you need to know is that when they were found, some of them didn’t even have eyeballs and were leaking brain matter from drilling holes into their skull.
Oof. They look so anguished. Poor guys. Awful, really.
“The bodies look too messy to be planned….Did you find anything else within the toxin?” Ron asked, handing back the file, having already memorized it.
Amamiya rubbed her forehead. “The venom has been taken from the Scolopendra japonicas, the common Japanese giant centipede. On its own it’s nothing much, but it’s been heavily enhanced. The hallucinogen found in the bloodstream don’t match with any in the database, so we can’t fully identify it yet. It induces extreme psychosis, paranoia and well…..” she let the sentence hang in the air, its meaning plain as day.
Strange. Why would someone leave their victims in such a state, unless they wanted them to be found? But that could increase the chances of getting caught. Surely no one was stupid enough to do such?
“Perhaps….it’s an experiment?” Ron suggested.
The chief looked at him from under her eyelashes. “An experiment?”
“You said the hallucinogen can’t be found in the database. That means its new, opening up the possibility of experimentation. Maybe someone is testing it out to get results.”
“Maybe….but why test it out on random civilians like this?”
“Did they have nothing in common?”
Amamiya frowned. “Well….all of the bodies have been found to be infected with the HIV virus.”
Huh? So, the killer was only targeting HIV infected individuals? Granted, they’d have a lesser chance of fighting off the poison but still…
Besides that, all the murders were taking place in the Shiga region, near Lake Biwa. What did the two of these have in common?
Ron gave up for now. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Well, I know you’ll figure it out eventually.” Amamiya began flipping through a file, marking information on her scratchpad. This was most likely a dismissal. “I’d love to spend more time with you Kamoo-san, but work is…you see.”
“No problem. We can always talk more later.” He had just turned to leave when she called out one last time behind him.
“Oh, another thing. The forensic scholar from the coin-carving case has also pitched in to help. How he got to know about the case bugs me….” She chewed angrily at the end of her pencil, evidently thinking about how the news had leaked.
Forensic scholar…..wait, could it be..?
Blue eyes widened in shock. “I see. Thank you for informing me.” And with that, he left.
“I thought you weren’t going to involve yourself with me anymore.”
BLUE’s anatomy professor, and now the World Detective Alliance’s vice chair, stood in front of Ron, hands in his pockets, as he looked over to the city. The rooftop is a pleasant place during this time of the year.
“It’s not everyday you hear about people eating themselves.” Dr. Hirsch didn’t spare him a glance as he spoke. “I’ve looked into the reports. The venom is in concentrated amounts, but there’s something else along with it. Something to induce a specific kind of madness. A virus, perhaps.”
Why hadn’t Ron considered that? “That would mean its being biologically altered.”
“And from what I’ve heard, it seems like the amygdala is the most affected region.” The doctor glanced at the other over his shoulder. “This isn’t the work of some back-alley poisoner. It’s professional. Something of this kind requires sophistication, an expert in both toxicology and virology. We’re looking for a researcher, Kamonohashi.”
“Even I could have told you as much.” A researcher…yes, that would suit the method. “With the immunocompromised hosts, it’s an ideal field for experimentations.” It was annoying that Hirsch still didn’t consider him competent enough.
Hirsch clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. “Still the same as ever, eh? After all that went down with Moriarty, I thought you’d be more reserved.”
It was a deliberate attempt to see how he’d react. Being emotionally volatile was never a good thing anyways.
“Yeah, well. Being reserved isn’t going to do anything when people are being killed. Do you have any more information?”
The doctor turned and looked at him, his scorn leaving a permanent mark on his features. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was going though that head of his.
“Why don’t you come with me to dissect the bodies, Kamonohashi?”
Looking at dead bodies was a staunch refusal. Ron could barely look at them in the eye without feeling sick. Lifeless, immobile, and so cold. Utterly gone. Details that he didn’t need to add to the already vivid picture inside his mind.
Ron looked away, cold sweat prickling at his skin. “Sorry, I’ll have to turn down that offer. I’m fine with combing through the data.”
This apparently surprised Hirsch. “Since when did you get squeamish? A detective that can’t look at dead bodies is like a surgeon who’s afraid of blood.”
"He’s right. Corpses yield much more information than simple words and numbers. You know that. You need to take a look. You’ve been inspecting bodies for a while now. Why stop?"
I didn’t ask to get involved in those murders.
"Neither did you have to solve them. Everytime you did, someone else could have taken over." Face it Ron, you can’t just step back like this. You can’t allow yourself to.
It’s been months. He’s accepted it. It’s only natural that he should be able to look and examine corpses by now. It’s been months.
No use mourning for the past.
Hirsch tilted his head, closely looking at Ron. “You’re awfully pale. Even the Bloody Training Incident didn’t affect you this badly to the point you’d refuse to see a corpse, not because you couldn’t hold yourself back but because you’re, what, scared?”
Gritting his teeth, the other answered in a tight voice, “I’m not scared.”
"Yes you are."
“Then prove it.”
How can he refuse now? Ceaselessly the weak breeze blew through, a quiet companion. Distant sounds of traffic were blotted out as he clenched his fists, nails digging into the palm.
“Fine. I’ll go.” The words felt like ash in his mouth.
Decay has a special smell. This was not it. Sure, the rot was there, the skin falling apart and pale, but where there was supposed to be a sweetish, sickly aftertaste in the roof of the mouth, and the feeling of raw meat left out too long and the still lingering taste of blood, but it was added along with a strange combination of what felt like a sharp tinge of pepper and……was that citrus?
“There’s no need to touch the body. Just observe.” Hirsch stood beside him clothed in a white coat, with gloves and masks on. It was probably his version of letting him off the hook a little. It wasn’t a welcome feeling, though.
The current victim lying between them was a man in his late forties—Yuusei Hoga, the imagery as visceral as expected. Dried blood clots coating the torn open wounds on the limbs, wild bite marks littering whatever was left of his left arm and one of his legs was almost completely, neatly sawed through, hanging by the barest bit of muscle. The stomach was slightly swollen, and bloodstains and vomit tainted the lower half of his face. Revolting.
“Seems like he hasn’t been cut open yet.”
Picking up his prized scalpel, the overhead fluorescent lights glinted sharply off the steel, providing a rather eerie shadow upon the doctor’s face. “Autophagia. The question is, how did he almost saw off his leg like that?” In the stillness of the morgue, the simple sound of cutting open skin felt thunderous. Inch by inch, it gave way, revealing the labyrinth of organs and vessels underneath. Most of the capillaries had decayed, holes poking through.
Don’t look at the face. Focus.
Hirsch, now switched to tweezers and pulled out a bit of the stomach contents. Gastric acid had not been able to dissolve what Ron now realized were the phalanges, the finger bones. The victim had swallowed his fingers whole. Quite a feat, to be honest.
“There’s nothing else but Yuusei’s own flesh and bones. Looks like he didn’t eat anything else for days.” Hirsch observed.
Hm. “So that means the poison didn’t immediately kill him.” Ron said, fixedly staring at the intravascular structure of the body.
“No, it did not.”
Ron gestured at the leg. “The rest of the wounds are more erratic and frenzied, but this one is more tidy. This was most likely the first injury.” He pointed at a few blood clots. “The body was healing on its own.”
“Tch. That’s right. The victim was steady at first before delving into madness and tearing chunks of muscle off. Since the amygdala is mainly affected, I assume the fear responses were altered. There’s no other reason why they’d keep on chewing on their limbs when their brain would have automatically shut it down.”
It sounded terrifying, losing control of all sense of reality and being forced to eat yourself. Ron looked at Yuusei, his face frozen in terror. What a horrifying way to go.
Atleast there’s a body.
What?
He blinked, and then stumbled back.
Because once again, it was not Yuusei Hoga lying in front of him. Shaking his head, he barely registered Hirsch’s words and turned and left the room, the doors shutting behind him.
This is why he didn’t want to be here. It sucked when your own mind was your enemy.
Sugar was the only thing that had been able to cheer up Ron all these years. Sticky and atrociously sweet, it helped him clear his mind. Now, he just needed it to get through the traumatizing flashes of his dead partner. Normally people would start abusing substances to cope, but thankfully Ron was addicted to something that would at most cause his blood sugar to spike.
Leaning against the bench outside, he stared up at the cloudless sky. Absent-mindedly, he dug through his pockets and pulled out the pocketwatch. Why he still had that with him, even he couldn’t answer. It was like some kind of a token he’d subconsciously began carrying with him, a constant remainder that time kept on moving forward. Right now, the steady ticking of the clock was a sharp contrast to that of his own frantic heart.
Yes, Toto was dead. No amount of hallucinations was going to bring him back. Pondering about it was useless. Move on.
Move on.
You’re standing in a busy station, and someone with eyes reminiscent of a previous life passes you by, terrified of being recognised. Not the hollow, mocking gaze you’ve been seeing all this time. Someone alive. There’s something strange about it, however.
“Kamonohashi.”
Ron jolted. He looked up to find Hirsch standing in front of him, fixing him with a look that could only be defined as pensive. His brows were still slightly furrowed, however, a hint that he was not totally happy with how the autopsy had ended.
“I’ll check out all the medical offices in Shiga. Find out which one had all of the victims. And when I call for you,” He pointed his scalpel down at Ron, “I expect you to be composed and in working condition.”
Ugh. “I told you before I was fine with looking through the files-“
“Oh please, if you had only looked through the files, would you have been able to deduce half the things by now?”
“...” Ron looked away.
Hirsch scoffed and began walking away. “If you think you’re seeing ghosts, visit the shrine! Since you’re already believing in all this nonsense.” He dismissively waved his hand, turned the corner and was out of sight.
The shrine…. Maybe he should. It always seemed to help Toto. But there were so many around. Which one should he go to?
Hm…Perhaps... That one would do.
Praying to a God that doesn’t exist for once can’t hurt, yes?