We Will Meet Again

What is right, and what is wrong? Who has the power to determine those things? What's normal and what is abnormal? At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong answer. Something people think as normal may look abnormal in the eyes of another person.

Her gaze lands on the records Katakura had in his hands. No wonder they have been investigating this matter. They are a bunch of fools. Getting into a matter as problematic as this, she recalls that once a upon time, someone may have said those very words to her. But right now remembering that didn't matter.

"Izu, do me a favor, will you?"

A deep sigh escaped the man's lips, "Setsura dear, I thought you'd want to see me. But, instead, you're going to ask me something unreasonable over the phone."

She chuckled, "I do want to meet with you, and demand a few answers in person. And I also have to hit you once."

"Mind telling me the reason, at least?"

"It's too bad. I forgot the reason why."

"Setsura-chan, you know I didn't intend to hide from you deliberately. But, I felt like if I intervened, then you would have relied on me and not Akito."

"So, you decided to play matchmaker? I didn't know you had so much free time."

"Indeed, I don't have that much free time. Right as we speak, I'm in the mountains."

Mountains?

"And you have a phone handy. Why?"

"Things may be the way they are now. But, I do still have some powers left."

'So, Izu is most likely a Guardian, isn't he?' When she first met him in the future, she found him all beat up in an alleyway. However, the second time she met him - she saw his powers. In the future, something like supernatural powers was abnormal. Unlike these times, people in the future already analyzed this thing called magic. All of it as a myth started by delusional people.

Indeed, magic is something people cannot prove with science. That's why they simply dismiss it as the saying of a crazy person. So, many years have passed since then. Science over magic? Setsura never believed in one over the other. She is the type to believe what was right in front of her.

When she met Izu for the first time, Setsura immediately understood. This person does not belong to this time. She wonders why she helped him? For the same reason, Akito helped her? It felt strange even now.

Her thoughts broke off when Akito grabbed hold of the phone. "Chief, just focus on you're a mission. Leave her alone," Akito's gaze is cold. Before Setsura could say a word, he already ended the call.

A troubled look appeared on his face, "What are you doing? I told you to.."

"I just wanted to confirm it, aren't you overreacting?"

"This is you were talking about here," Akito ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, your right. I'm overreacting," he glanced over at Katakura. "Let's go somewhere else."

"Okay."

...

Of course, things aren't that simple. The main house phone often rings, because nobody knows where Akito lives. Since his men can't run to find him at home at the first sign of danger, they do the next annoying thing and call. Setsura didn't mind and told him she would wait for him in the library. So, for the past hour or so, she was compiling a report.

A brief report of all the victims of the cases. Why was she focusing so much on the victims? Anybody would ask, but for Setsura, the answer was so close and within reach already. The victims of these cases, they are one of the main clues to solving the streak of murders. Even if this case is a supernatural one, one thing puzzled her. Usually, murderers wouldn't leave anybody alive; even if they do, it would be one person. They'd leave one person alive to send their warning message.

But, the cases here are entirely different. Even before this stream of murders called the mysterious shards case... It seems like all the cases over the last few years have followed a particular trend. This trend started when Akito's wife first appeared here. Her gaze fell on the report she reports, the victim's entire career history, including any information that linked them with the case. Any grudges and even simple interactions. All this information was important.

This is supposedly one of her good points. Writing everything out in detail. Most police officers have a huge burden to deal with on their shoulders. So, they do not have time to write such a detailed report. When a case happens, so many things occur at the same time. Writing a report is the last thing anybody would think of, even though it ought to be the first thing.

Setsura didn't know how many bottles of alcohol she drank before Akito entered the room.

Nobody needs to mention why they huddled up like this in the library. Why bother reading over old case files? Why don't they focus on what's happening in the present? Only they understand the significance of looking at old cases. She felt him lean closer to her, "Akito?"

"Your drinking? Where did you get this from?"

"Your wine cellar," she turned her chair around and wrapped her arms around his neck. Setsura buried her face in his neck. "You smoked a lot outside?"

"Yeah."

"Smells kind of good."

Akito chuckled, "Your, not a helpless drunk, and you're not even that red yet. Why are you acting clingy?"

"I want you to access some files for me. Can you?"

"Shoot, where?"

"Isn't there a central building in the center of town? That's the information center. I hear there is an archive there."

"Dear, your requests are becoming very unreasonable."

She placed some light kisses on his neck, "No good?"

"I didn't say that. I'll get you in. But I'll come with you if that's okay? Before you say anything, it's not like I don't trust you or anything like that."

"So, what is it?" she drew small circles on the exposed area of his chest, causing Akito to grin.

"Hey, I'm already agreeing. You don't have to bribe anymore."

"Who says this was for bribery?" Setsura murmured. She did just feel like touching him, so it is indeed random.

"Indeed, that's like you. Mmm, hey, let me kiss you."

"No."

She was playing with him, and they both knew it. Akito, however0, simply chuckled and picked up one of the nearest files she had opened. "This person, Konami, is one of the town's governors."

"One?"

"Yeah, we don't have a fixed head here. We have multiple. Since we're moving towards an age of having a multiple lead system."

That's true, still.. Her gaze fell on the picture of the old man. "He still became a victim."

"Quite a tragic one too. Two years have passed since that time, but nightmares still haunt him every night. He can't return to his work anymore because he has violent attacks randomly. Whenever his family and friends visit him, he would dismiss them."

"Dismiss?"

"He sees everybody as his enemy, as the people who attacked him. This guy wasn't one of the first victims, but he was one of the ones who were badly affected."

"I don't think you can blame him. Experiencing that form of torture, and the enemies seeing it merely as a game. It would drive anybody crazy," Setsura murmured. One thing she noticed from these cases was this. A pattern, all these cases are a game to them.