Chakra Wizard
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This one was a little tough to write, just to make everything flow in a semi-decent way, but I think I pulled it off nicely=D Hope you guys enjoy
And special thanks to ThatOneChick for her insistence that I change my writing mannerisms. XD
Less than two hours after receiving the call from Chief of Police Saburo Matsu, Isaiah was already sitting amidst a large room crowded with computers and police officers, at the center of which sat an old-fashioned projector and at the front of which was a large white board. Still suffering from both a serious hangover and a severe lack of sleep, he acquired a small bag of ice to hold against his forehead to ease the sharp pain coursing through his brain, the relief giving him an almost blissful appearance as he sat in his seat. …It was a rather embarrassing sight, to be honest, though his fellow officers had little time to enjoy it as Matsu entered the room and walked over to stand beside the projector, prompting each of them to take their seats with the sole exception of Yakuza, who was leaning against the glass wall at the back of the room. Checking to ensure that every set of eyes was on him, the chief turned the device on and grabbed the nearby remote that was used to operate it.
“…Good. Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin.” he said before pressing one of the buttons on the remote, prompting the projector to display a rather disturbing image on the white board.
“Approximately three hours ago, the home of 84 year-old retiree Kimono Aragame was raided by a masked assailant. The old man was shot in the head three times, as was his 55 year-old caretaker. The woman living next door dialed 9-1-1 after believing she had heard gunfire. The first officer on the scene was shot and killed. His patrol car was then stolen by the culprit. …The circumstances suggest that he had been waiting for him to arrive.” he explained to the silent crowd with small levels of guilt and despair in his voice. Several of the officers had lowered their heads in sadness and respect for their lost comrade, Yakuza being among them, while Isaiah continued to stare blankly at the photographs of the three victims. Waiting for this brief moment of reminiscence to elapse, Matsu pressed the button on the remote again and continued with his report.
“The culprit drove the patrol car four miles up the road before running it off the road and into a ditch. He set the car ablaze and left the scene before anyone else arrived, apparently trying to cover his tracks. …Fortunately, though, he wasn’t wearing anything over his hands. He left his fingerprints all over the car handle and the steering wheel.” he said with relief in both his voice and his eyes.
“Do we have a match yet?” Yakuza asked from the back of the room.
“Hmm, this guy right here.” Matsu replied. Pressing the button once again, another image appeared on the board, this time showing a young man walking along a busy sidewalk.
“Daru Hisaisha. He’s in his mid-twenties, bald, Japanese descent, between five-ten and six-one, and-”
“Is that height or waist measurements?” Isaiah interrupted.
“Coffin, see me once this is over.” Matsu quickly retorted. In truth, he was shocked that Isaiah still found it necessary to joke around at a time such as this and therefore had no patience with him, something Isaiah quickly caught onto and acted on.
“I’ll be good.” he replied, shrinking down in his seat to avoid the eyes of those around him, though anyone watching could tell that he was ready to burst into laughter, including Yakuza.
“Hmhmhm, please continue, Saburo.” Yakuza pleaded to his superior. Being his only peer in regards to their years of service, Matsu had no issue with him referring to him by his first name and proceeded to follow his wishes, though not before being interrupted once again by Isaiah, who had just noticed something strange about the photograph. …Or perhaps, ‘unfamiliar’ was the more fitting term.
“Wait a sec. Where exactly was this photo taken?” he asked, a hint of concern heard in his voice. Looking up at the photograph to see what he had seen, the other officers in the room quickly noticed it, as well. …This photograph wasn’t taken in Hekichi.
“Good eye there, Coffin. …Yes, it seems that our suspect isn’t originally from this altopolis. As a matter of fact, we don’t have any records of his birthplace at all, …but his last known sighting before showing up here was in Miyako.” he said, leaving a feeling of incongruity in the air as the name of the altopolis escaped his mouth. Miyako, a ten-mile wide paradise built exclusively for the descendants of those who designed and created these floating cities, …the ones responsible for mankind’s continued existence.
“Anyways, as I was saying before all this, he also has one more distinguishing feature which should help us pick him out of a crowd…and that’s his eyes. The left is a dark-brown color, while the right is a vivid purple, probably a prosthesis of some kind. He hasn’t been spotted yet, despite all the cops and cameras we’ve got floating around the city right now, so it’s safe to say he’s pretty good at keeping himself hidden. Therefore, this here’s our deciding factor as we go out searching for him. He’ll definitely be making an attempt to keep a feature this unique hidden from everyone’s view, so be sure to watch out for anyone who looks that they’re trying to hide their eyes. …And, as for right now, that’s all the leads we’ve got. We’ve got a murderer and a cop killer roaming free around our city, boys. I want this son-of-a-***** behind bars as soon as possible, got it!?” Matsu exclaimed to the assembly before him.
“Yes, sir!” the majority of the crowd earnestly replied, dispersing in the very next second.
Over the next few minutes, a swarm of police officers poured out into the parking lot surrounding the station, each searching for their designated patrol car. Upon finding it, the duo that shared it wasted no time getting in and driving away, until at last, the crowded parking lot was almost completely empty, save for the vehicles that belonged to those required to remain at the station for the time being. Just as the last patrol car left the station, Yakuza walked past the sliding door leading into the building, followed shortly by Isaiah, who was desperately attempting to fit his left arm through the sleeve of his trench coat. Once he managed to do so, he quickly picked up his pace as he made his way to the center of the parking lot, where his partner was already waiting inside their patrol car. Climbing in on the passenger side, he quickly closed his door and flung his seatbelt across his chest, prompting Yakuza to start the engine and drive away, setting a path for their jurisdiction. They must’ve been driving for about ten minutes before Isaiah finally turned away from his window and gazed over at Yakuza, who was just sitting there silently as he drove along, looking straight ahead as he did.
“Thoughts, old man?” Isaiah asked his partner. He was almost convinced that Yakuza didn’t hear him before he finally looked his way. He broke their eye contact after just a few seconds and returned his gaze to the road splayed out in front of them, but he eventually decided to speak, although he didn’t really say much.
“On what?” he asked. Confused by his simplistic actions, Isaiah elaborated a little further.
“Well, …you haven’t said a whole hell of a lot since we left. Just wondering what’s on your mind, that’s all.” he replied, concern present in his voice. Once again, there was no immediate reply from his partner, who continued staring out at the road as they drove along.
“Not sure. …Just got an odd feeling is all.” Yakuza finally replied, serving only to increase Isaiah’s worries in the process.
“Like what? Feeling superstitious? You got gas, what?” the younger of the two asked, hoping the latter suggestion might bring his partner some amusement. …Needless to say, it worked.
“Hmhmhmhm, …never mind. We should probably do some field work if we wanna nab this bastard soon.” he said as he pulled into the parking lot of a small café. Not entirely convinced that he was alright, Isaiah dropped the subject nonetheless.
“…Yeah, you’re probably right. Just stay here. I’ll head out and see if I have any luck finding this guy.” he said as he opened his door and exited the car.
“Hey, Isaiah.” Yakuza called out just before his partner could close the door once again. Lowering his head so he could inside the car, Isaiah waited patiently for Yakuza to speak.
“…Make sure you cover your ass, alright?” the seasoned cop finally said. Amused by his never-ceasing concern for his young partner, a smirk emerged across Isaiah’s face as he stood back up and pushed the door shut. Looking around as he turned to begin walking in the other direction, he reached into his coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placing one in his mouth before returning it to its original place.
“Hmph, you worry too much, old man.” he thought to himself as he started digging through his pockets for his brass Zippo lighter, pulling it out and flipping it open once he found it, and returning it to his pocket once his cigarette had been lit.
Starting with the café their patrol car was parked in front of, Isaiah entered every building within their ten-block jurisdiction, randomly surveying the people inside to see if they had seen a man that matched the description given by Matsu earlier that day. As he had expected beforehand, though, these questionings produced absolutely no new leads on Hisaisha’s current whereabouts.
“Nothing. …Damn it.” he muttered to himself, finally giving up on the search after two hours of walking around.
Just before Isaiah made up his mind to turn around and walk back to the café, though, he noticed a large playground across the street from where he was currently standing. Favoring this opportunity to have some time to himself, he looked both directions before walking across the busy street corner and over to a nearby park bench. Sitting down and reaching into his coat for a second cigarette, he began digging in his pocket once again for his lighter, though before he could ignite the flint, a sudden movement roughly sixty feet ahead caused him to look up. Watching intensively as a baseball flew off in his direction, a quick reaction on his part allowed him to catch it before it could pass over the bench and out into the road, though the advanced speed it was moving at took quite a toll on his hand. Clenching his teeth as the pain began taking effect, he looked out at the wide open field before him in search of the ball’s owner, coming across a small group of pre-adolescent children, one of which was holding a baseball bat, and several of which were waving their hands in the air as they looked off in his direction. Quickly realizing that they wanted their ball back, he hesitated a brief moment before closing his lighter and standing up, throwing the ball with excessive strength at the group’s apparent pitcher. Smiling as the kids waved to him in gratitude, he waved back before sitting back down and proceeding to light his cigarette.
“Heh, kids. …Don’t have a damn care in the world, do they?” Isaiah thought to himself as he sat there, staring up at the passing clouds. He must’ve remained on that bench for almost a full hour, taking another puff on his cigarette with each passing minute as he gazed around at the pleasant scenery. However, just as he began to actually enjoy it, a familiar thought crept into his mind that caused him to close his eyes and chuckle softly to himself. The words that followed weren’t necessarily directed at anyone or anything, in particular. One could’ve easily suspected him to be speaking to God himself, which might’ve been the case, …had he had any faith in him.
“Hnh, if you’re trying to get me to like living here again, you’ve got another thing coming.” he said aloud to himself as his cigarette continued to dangle from between his lips, gradually decreasing in length with each passing second. By the time it had finally carried out its purpose and the remaining butt was disposed of in the nearby trash bin, Isaiah noticed that his phone had been vibrating for nearly two minutes on end. …It seemed he had forgotten to switch it back to ring mode after leaving the conference a few hours ago.
“Huh? …Yeah? What’s up?” he asked upon flipping the device open and answering it, already aware of who it was.
“Isaiah! Where the hell are you!? You’ve been out scouting the neighborhood for three hours now!” Yakuza hollered from the other end of the phone line. Rubbing his eyes in irritation and minor embarrassment that he had forgotten about his waiting partner, Isaiah hesitated a moment before answering.
“Sorry. …Lost track of time, I guess. You know that little park across the street from Ichiban’s?” he asked.
“Huhhh…yeah, sure. I’ll come pick you up.” Yakuza replied, annoyance clearly present in his tone of voice. Looking back at the field of grass behind him, Isaiah watched on as several of the playing children soon began being led away by their parents.
“Alright. See you in a few.” he muttered into the phone before flipping it close.
Hardly eight minutes after ending their short conservation, Yakuza pulled their patrol car up next to the sidewalk adjacent the park, allowing his young partner to climb in before driving off again. He waited until they had merged with the traffic before asking the obvious question.
“What the hell were you doing in the park anyways?” he asked out of curiosity, not really expecting much of an answer. …He didn’t get much of one.
“…Nothing. Just thinking.” Isaiah replied as he continued to look out the window at the all-too familiar scenery.
“Hm? About what?” his partner questioned. Once again, he didn’t expect much of an answer, though this time, it was only because he already knew what it was.
“…Same old thing.” Isaiah answered, hardly a change in his blank expression. In truth, Yakuza was finding it almost hard to believe that he started the day off with a bad hangover. …Almost.
“You’ll get your chance, too, Isaiah. Just give it a few more years and I’m sure you’ll get that call. …Hmhmhmhm, you’re so damn mopey about it, I’m sure the chief’ll probably overlook your rookie status just so you shut up about it.” he replied jokingly, finally earning him the smile he was attempting to bring to his partner’s face. In the next second, though, the topic of their previous conversation suddenly reemerged from the back of Isaiah’s mind, causing him to turn to Yakuza in question.
“By the way, …you said before I left that you had an odd feeling about something. What the hell were you talking about?” he asked, almost insisting on an honest answer. When Yakuza didn’t answer, he made his own guess as to what it was, already having a fairly good idea.
“It’s got something to do with that guy being from Miyako, doesn’t it?”
Judging from Yakuza’s expression, it seemed he had hit the mark. Since they were still driving, he kept his attention focused on the road laid out in front of them, but proceeded to explain himself nonetheless.
“He can’t have been in this altopolis for more than a week or so, Isaiah. So, why the hell would he go and whack this old man at the crack of dawn when the odds suggest he didn’t even know him?” Yakuza finished before looking to his partner for his answer. Isaiah went over the notion in his head a few times before finally saying what was now on both of their minds.
“…You don’t suppose that…maybe he DID know that old man?” Isaiah replied, earning him a nod from his partner.
“I think we’re gonna have to dig up some info on this Aragame fellow when we get back. If he turns to be from Miyako, as well, …I think it’ll be safe to say that this wasn’t just some robbery-gone-wrong shtick.” Yakuza said, his mind now focused on figuring out just how Daru could’ve afforded the trip from Miyako to Hekichi in the first place, …let alone why he felt it was such an important trip to make.
“Wait, you mean like…research?”
Confused, Yakuza looked at Isaiah in question, only to be greeted by an expression that suggested horror on the latter’s part. Staring at him for a brief moment, he eventually turned away with a smirk and a shake of his head as he realized that he was simply being sarcastic.
“Hehehehehe, screw that, old man. You can do that shit on your own time. I’d just as quickly chase the guy down and ask him myself.” Isaiah said jokingly as his partner pulled into the parking lot of the police station. In truth, his words left a bad feeling in Yakuza’s gut, but at the time, he was unsure why. …He would know before the week was out, though.
“Hmhmhmhm, suit yourself.” He said casually as the two stepped out of their patrol car and made their way inside.
The next five days passed by in the blink of an eye, even for Isaiah, who had become just as engrossed in this case as the rest of the force. And yet, despite any progress made during those sleepless hours, Daru still managed to evade capture. By this point, his prior history within Miyako was common knowledge around the precinct, as was the fact that Kimono Aragame once lived there, as well. However, without Daru in custody, or even so much as a single alleged sighting since the murders were committed, several important questions remained unanswered, including his true motivation for the crime. In all honesty, several members of the precinct were gradually beginning to lose faith in their ability to capture him, and although all aircraft moving out of Hekichi had been grounded until his capture, it wasn’t exactly a long shot to suspect he had already escaped. …Little did they know their searching would soon come to an end.
Exiting through the front door of his apartment, which sat on the corner of a sidewalk ‘conveniently’ located across the street from where his vehicle was parked, Isaiah looked both ways before crossing the road as swiftly as he could, proceeding to give the finger to a man who nearly ran him over as he made it to the other side. At the time, he was on the phone with Yakuza who, given the timing of his actions, suspected the obscure insult that followed the finger was meant for him, a mistake which Isaiah quickly corrected as his partner continued to rant about how late he was that morning.
“Calm down before you burst an artery, old man. I’m about to get in my car right now.” he insisted as he searched his coat pockets for his cigarettes, placing one in his mouth once he found them.
“Well, you better hurry up and get your ass over here then. I just got something from the chief here I think you might-”
“Wait, hold on a sec.” Isaiah requested before opening his lighter and proceeding to ignite the flint inside, holding the phone between his cheek and his shoulder as he did. However, before he could hold the flame up to the tip of his cigarette, a man with long, black hair who appeared only a few years older than himself passed by, bumping shoulders with Isaiah as he made his way down the sidewalk.
“Oh! Excuse me, sir.” He pleaded as he continued walking away.
“Excuse me.” Isaiah responded before returning to lighting his cigarette, proceeding to look back at the man as he placed the lighter back in his pocket.
“Now then, what were you-?”
Before Isaiah could complete his question to Yakuza, he noticed the man’s eyes, which were bright green in color. However, the left eye had a slightly brown hue to it, while the right appeared slightly purple in tone. It didn’t take long after that for him to realize that the man was wearing contacts…over eyes of two very different colors.
“That’s him. That’s him!” he shouted as the man continued across the street, much to the confusion of Yakuza, who was still listening on the other end of the line.
“What!?”
“I FOUND DARU, GODDAMN IT!!! Round up the boys and get the hell down here now!”
To Be Continued…
And special thanks to ThatOneChick for her insistence that I change my writing mannerisms. XD- Manhunt -
Less than two hours after receiving the call from Chief of Police Saburo Matsu, Isaiah was already sitting amidst a large room crowded with computers and police officers, at the center of which sat an old-fashioned projector and at the front of which was a large white board. Still suffering from both a serious hangover and a severe lack of sleep, he acquired a small bag of ice to hold against his forehead to ease the sharp pain coursing through his brain, the relief giving him an almost blissful appearance as he sat in his seat. …It was a rather embarrassing sight, to be honest, though his fellow officers had little time to enjoy it as Matsu entered the room and walked over to stand beside the projector, prompting each of them to take their seats with the sole exception of Yakuza, who was leaning against the glass wall at the back of the room. Checking to ensure that every set of eyes was on him, the chief turned the device on and grabbed the nearby remote that was used to operate it.
“…Good. Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin.” he said before pressing one of the buttons on the remote, prompting the projector to display a rather disturbing image on the white board.
“Approximately three hours ago, the home of 84 year-old retiree Kimono Aragame was raided by a masked assailant. The old man was shot in the head three times, as was his 55 year-old caretaker. The woman living next door dialed 9-1-1 after believing she had heard gunfire. The first officer on the scene was shot and killed. His patrol car was then stolen by the culprit. …The circumstances suggest that he had been waiting for him to arrive.” he explained to the silent crowd with small levels of guilt and despair in his voice. Several of the officers had lowered their heads in sadness and respect for their lost comrade, Yakuza being among them, while Isaiah continued to stare blankly at the photographs of the three victims. Waiting for this brief moment of reminiscence to elapse, Matsu pressed the button on the remote again and continued with his report.
“The culprit drove the patrol car four miles up the road before running it off the road and into a ditch. He set the car ablaze and left the scene before anyone else arrived, apparently trying to cover his tracks. …Fortunately, though, he wasn’t wearing anything over his hands. He left his fingerprints all over the car handle and the steering wheel.” he said with relief in both his voice and his eyes.
“Do we have a match yet?” Yakuza asked from the back of the room.
“Hmm, this guy right here.” Matsu replied. Pressing the button once again, another image appeared on the board, this time showing a young man walking along a busy sidewalk.
“Daru Hisaisha. He’s in his mid-twenties, bald, Japanese descent, between five-ten and six-one, and-”
“Is that height or waist measurements?” Isaiah interrupted.
“Coffin, see me once this is over.” Matsu quickly retorted. In truth, he was shocked that Isaiah still found it necessary to joke around at a time such as this and therefore had no patience with him, something Isaiah quickly caught onto and acted on.
“I’ll be good.” he replied, shrinking down in his seat to avoid the eyes of those around him, though anyone watching could tell that he was ready to burst into laughter, including Yakuza.
“Hmhmhm, please continue, Saburo.” Yakuza pleaded to his superior. Being his only peer in regards to their years of service, Matsu had no issue with him referring to him by his first name and proceeded to follow his wishes, though not before being interrupted once again by Isaiah, who had just noticed something strange about the photograph. …Or perhaps, ‘unfamiliar’ was the more fitting term.
“Wait a sec. Where exactly was this photo taken?” he asked, a hint of concern heard in his voice. Looking up at the photograph to see what he had seen, the other officers in the room quickly noticed it, as well. …This photograph wasn’t taken in Hekichi.
“Good eye there, Coffin. …Yes, it seems that our suspect isn’t originally from this altopolis. As a matter of fact, we don’t have any records of his birthplace at all, …but his last known sighting before showing up here was in Miyako.” he said, leaving a feeling of incongruity in the air as the name of the altopolis escaped his mouth. Miyako, a ten-mile wide paradise built exclusively for the descendants of those who designed and created these floating cities, …the ones responsible for mankind’s continued existence.
“Anyways, as I was saying before all this, he also has one more distinguishing feature which should help us pick him out of a crowd…and that’s his eyes. The left is a dark-brown color, while the right is a vivid purple, probably a prosthesis of some kind. He hasn’t been spotted yet, despite all the cops and cameras we’ve got floating around the city right now, so it’s safe to say he’s pretty good at keeping himself hidden. Therefore, this here’s our deciding factor as we go out searching for him. He’ll definitely be making an attempt to keep a feature this unique hidden from everyone’s view, so be sure to watch out for anyone who looks that they’re trying to hide their eyes. …And, as for right now, that’s all the leads we’ve got. We’ve got a murderer and a cop killer roaming free around our city, boys. I want this son-of-a-***** behind bars as soon as possible, got it!?” Matsu exclaimed to the assembly before him.
“Yes, sir!” the majority of the crowd earnestly replied, dispersing in the very next second.
Over the next few minutes, a swarm of police officers poured out into the parking lot surrounding the station, each searching for their designated patrol car. Upon finding it, the duo that shared it wasted no time getting in and driving away, until at last, the crowded parking lot was almost completely empty, save for the vehicles that belonged to those required to remain at the station for the time being. Just as the last patrol car left the station, Yakuza walked past the sliding door leading into the building, followed shortly by Isaiah, who was desperately attempting to fit his left arm through the sleeve of his trench coat. Once he managed to do so, he quickly picked up his pace as he made his way to the center of the parking lot, where his partner was already waiting inside their patrol car. Climbing in on the passenger side, he quickly closed his door and flung his seatbelt across his chest, prompting Yakuza to start the engine and drive away, setting a path for their jurisdiction. They must’ve been driving for about ten minutes before Isaiah finally turned away from his window and gazed over at Yakuza, who was just sitting there silently as he drove along, looking straight ahead as he did.
“Thoughts, old man?” Isaiah asked his partner. He was almost convinced that Yakuza didn’t hear him before he finally looked his way. He broke their eye contact after just a few seconds and returned his gaze to the road splayed out in front of them, but he eventually decided to speak, although he didn’t really say much.
“On what?” he asked. Confused by his simplistic actions, Isaiah elaborated a little further.
“Well, …you haven’t said a whole hell of a lot since we left. Just wondering what’s on your mind, that’s all.” he replied, concern present in his voice. Once again, there was no immediate reply from his partner, who continued staring out at the road as they drove along.
“Not sure. …Just got an odd feeling is all.” Yakuza finally replied, serving only to increase Isaiah’s worries in the process.
“Like what? Feeling superstitious? You got gas, what?” the younger of the two asked, hoping the latter suggestion might bring his partner some amusement. …Needless to say, it worked.
“Hmhmhmhm, …never mind. We should probably do some field work if we wanna nab this bastard soon.” he said as he pulled into the parking lot of a small café. Not entirely convinced that he was alright, Isaiah dropped the subject nonetheless.
“…Yeah, you’re probably right. Just stay here. I’ll head out and see if I have any luck finding this guy.” he said as he opened his door and exited the car.
“Hey, Isaiah.” Yakuza called out just before his partner could close the door once again. Lowering his head so he could inside the car, Isaiah waited patiently for Yakuza to speak.
“…Make sure you cover your ass, alright?” the seasoned cop finally said. Amused by his never-ceasing concern for his young partner, a smirk emerged across Isaiah’s face as he stood back up and pushed the door shut. Looking around as he turned to begin walking in the other direction, he reached into his coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, placing one in his mouth before returning it to its original place.
“Hmph, you worry too much, old man.” he thought to himself as he started digging through his pockets for his brass Zippo lighter, pulling it out and flipping it open once he found it, and returning it to his pocket once his cigarette had been lit.
Starting with the café their patrol car was parked in front of, Isaiah entered every building within their ten-block jurisdiction, randomly surveying the people inside to see if they had seen a man that matched the description given by Matsu earlier that day. As he had expected beforehand, though, these questionings produced absolutely no new leads on Hisaisha’s current whereabouts.
“Nothing. …Damn it.” he muttered to himself, finally giving up on the search after two hours of walking around.
Just before Isaiah made up his mind to turn around and walk back to the café, though, he noticed a large playground across the street from where he was currently standing. Favoring this opportunity to have some time to himself, he looked both directions before walking across the busy street corner and over to a nearby park bench. Sitting down and reaching into his coat for a second cigarette, he began digging in his pocket once again for his lighter, though before he could ignite the flint, a sudden movement roughly sixty feet ahead caused him to look up. Watching intensively as a baseball flew off in his direction, a quick reaction on his part allowed him to catch it before it could pass over the bench and out into the road, though the advanced speed it was moving at took quite a toll on his hand. Clenching his teeth as the pain began taking effect, he looked out at the wide open field before him in search of the ball’s owner, coming across a small group of pre-adolescent children, one of which was holding a baseball bat, and several of which were waving their hands in the air as they looked off in his direction. Quickly realizing that they wanted their ball back, he hesitated a brief moment before closing his lighter and standing up, throwing the ball with excessive strength at the group’s apparent pitcher. Smiling as the kids waved to him in gratitude, he waved back before sitting back down and proceeding to light his cigarette.
“Heh, kids. …Don’t have a damn care in the world, do they?” Isaiah thought to himself as he sat there, staring up at the passing clouds. He must’ve remained on that bench for almost a full hour, taking another puff on his cigarette with each passing minute as he gazed around at the pleasant scenery. However, just as he began to actually enjoy it, a familiar thought crept into his mind that caused him to close his eyes and chuckle softly to himself. The words that followed weren’t necessarily directed at anyone or anything, in particular. One could’ve easily suspected him to be speaking to God himself, which might’ve been the case, …had he had any faith in him.
“Hnh, if you’re trying to get me to like living here again, you’ve got another thing coming.” he said aloud to himself as his cigarette continued to dangle from between his lips, gradually decreasing in length with each passing second. By the time it had finally carried out its purpose and the remaining butt was disposed of in the nearby trash bin, Isaiah noticed that his phone had been vibrating for nearly two minutes on end. …It seemed he had forgotten to switch it back to ring mode after leaving the conference a few hours ago.
“Huh? …Yeah? What’s up?” he asked upon flipping the device open and answering it, already aware of who it was.
“Isaiah! Where the hell are you!? You’ve been out scouting the neighborhood for three hours now!” Yakuza hollered from the other end of the phone line. Rubbing his eyes in irritation and minor embarrassment that he had forgotten about his waiting partner, Isaiah hesitated a moment before answering.
“Sorry. …Lost track of time, I guess. You know that little park across the street from Ichiban’s?” he asked.
“Huhhh…yeah, sure. I’ll come pick you up.” Yakuza replied, annoyance clearly present in his tone of voice. Looking back at the field of grass behind him, Isaiah watched on as several of the playing children soon began being led away by their parents.
“Alright. See you in a few.” he muttered into the phone before flipping it close.
Hardly eight minutes after ending their short conservation, Yakuza pulled their patrol car up next to the sidewalk adjacent the park, allowing his young partner to climb in before driving off again. He waited until they had merged with the traffic before asking the obvious question.
“What the hell were you doing in the park anyways?” he asked out of curiosity, not really expecting much of an answer. …He didn’t get much of one.
“…Nothing. Just thinking.” Isaiah replied as he continued to look out the window at the all-too familiar scenery.
“Hm? About what?” his partner questioned. Once again, he didn’t expect much of an answer, though this time, it was only because he already knew what it was.
“…Same old thing.” Isaiah answered, hardly a change in his blank expression. In truth, Yakuza was finding it almost hard to believe that he started the day off with a bad hangover. …Almost.
“You’ll get your chance, too, Isaiah. Just give it a few more years and I’m sure you’ll get that call. …Hmhmhmhm, you’re so damn mopey about it, I’m sure the chief’ll probably overlook your rookie status just so you shut up about it.” he replied jokingly, finally earning him the smile he was attempting to bring to his partner’s face. In the next second, though, the topic of their previous conversation suddenly reemerged from the back of Isaiah’s mind, causing him to turn to Yakuza in question.
“By the way, …you said before I left that you had an odd feeling about something. What the hell were you talking about?” he asked, almost insisting on an honest answer. When Yakuza didn’t answer, he made his own guess as to what it was, already having a fairly good idea.
“It’s got something to do with that guy being from Miyako, doesn’t it?”
Judging from Yakuza’s expression, it seemed he had hit the mark. Since they were still driving, he kept his attention focused on the road laid out in front of them, but proceeded to explain himself nonetheless.
“He can’t have been in this altopolis for more than a week or so, Isaiah. So, why the hell would he go and whack this old man at the crack of dawn when the odds suggest he didn’t even know him?” Yakuza finished before looking to his partner for his answer. Isaiah went over the notion in his head a few times before finally saying what was now on both of their minds.
“…You don’t suppose that…maybe he DID know that old man?” Isaiah replied, earning him a nod from his partner.
“I think we’re gonna have to dig up some info on this Aragame fellow when we get back. If he turns to be from Miyako, as well, …I think it’ll be safe to say that this wasn’t just some robbery-gone-wrong shtick.” Yakuza said, his mind now focused on figuring out just how Daru could’ve afforded the trip from Miyako to Hekichi in the first place, …let alone why he felt it was such an important trip to make.
“Wait, you mean like…research?”
Confused, Yakuza looked at Isaiah in question, only to be greeted by an expression that suggested horror on the latter’s part. Staring at him for a brief moment, he eventually turned away with a smirk and a shake of his head as he realized that he was simply being sarcastic.
“Hehehehehe, screw that, old man. You can do that shit on your own time. I’d just as quickly chase the guy down and ask him myself.” Isaiah said jokingly as his partner pulled into the parking lot of the police station. In truth, his words left a bad feeling in Yakuza’s gut, but at the time, he was unsure why. …He would know before the week was out, though.
“Hmhmhmhm, suit yourself.” He said casually as the two stepped out of their patrol car and made their way inside.
The next five days passed by in the blink of an eye, even for Isaiah, who had become just as engrossed in this case as the rest of the force. And yet, despite any progress made during those sleepless hours, Daru still managed to evade capture. By this point, his prior history within Miyako was common knowledge around the precinct, as was the fact that Kimono Aragame once lived there, as well. However, without Daru in custody, or even so much as a single alleged sighting since the murders were committed, several important questions remained unanswered, including his true motivation for the crime. In all honesty, several members of the precinct were gradually beginning to lose faith in their ability to capture him, and although all aircraft moving out of Hekichi had been grounded until his capture, it wasn’t exactly a long shot to suspect he had already escaped. …Little did they know their searching would soon come to an end.
Exiting through the front door of his apartment, which sat on the corner of a sidewalk ‘conveniently’ located across the street from where his vehicle was parked, Isaiah looked both ways before crossing the road as swiftly as he could, proceeding to give the finger to a man who nearly ran him over as he made it to the other side. At the time, he was on the phone with Yakuza who, given the timing of his actions, suspected the obscure insult that followed the finger was meant for him, a mistake which Isaiah quickly corrected as his partner continued to rant about how late he was that morning.
“Calm down before you burst an artery, old man. I’m about to get in my car right now.” he insisted as he searched his coat pockets for his cigarettes, placing one in his mouth once he found them.
“Well, you better hurry up and get your ass over here then. I just got something from the chief here I think you might-”
“Wait, hold on a sec.” Isaiah requested before opening his lighter and proceeding to ignite the flint inside, holding the phone between his cheek and his shoulder as he did. However, before he could hold the flame up to the tip of his cigarette, a man with long, black hair who appeared only a few years older than himself passed by, bumping shoulders with Isaiah as he made his way down the sidewalk.
“Oh! Excuse me, sir.” He pleaded as he continued walking away.
“Excuse me.” Isaiah responded before returning to lighting his cigarette, proceeding to look back at the man as he placed the lighter back in his pocket.
“Now then, what were you-?”
Before Isaiah could complete his question to Yakuza, he noticed the man’s eyes, which were bright green in color. However, the left eye had a slightly brown hue to it, while the right appeared slightly purple in tone. It didn’t take long after that for him to realize that the man was wearing contacts…over eyes of two very different colors.
“That’s him. That’s him!” he shouted as the man continued across the street, much to the confusion of Yakuza, who was still listening on the other end of the line.
“What!?”
“I FOUND DARU, GODDAMN IT!!! Round up the boys and get the hell down here now!”
To Be Continued…
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I improved! XD
