Realistic or Modern Fixers: Japan Edition

[Sir Damien]

Doc

“Field trip with you driving? No fucking thanks, I don’t have any wish to die today.” As Asa spoke he swirled the remaining whiskey in the glass and gave a heavy sigh before shooting it back. Had it really been eight months since everyone left? Since Akari left him on his knee with the ring in his hand, since she ran away and said that she didn’t want to be his family. The note said how sorry she was, but…she left him and didn’t ever reach out. That to him was goodbye, it wasn’t a fucking ‘see you later’ like Crow told Candy. Who was she to judge how he coped? “The women keep me company. I drink and serial date women, at least I don’t fucking go drag racing. One crash and that’s it, we’ll be lucky if all you need is some plastic surgery. Shit like that kills people.”

Once again it seemed like Candy didn’t listen to him. She went off to the back, probably to get ready, and left Asa to sigh for the millionth time on his barstool. Once Emi left it felt like the nail in the coffin for the Fixers. As painful as it was, Asa returned to his apartment to gather up some clothes and personal items. Akari was gone but she had left all of her things, and Asa couldn’t be there any longer. What did he do? He got a second apartment, this one closer to Candy’s bar and not as nice. It had a bed he could sleep in and a shower he could use when he wasn’t working or drowning his sorrows at the bar. “Listen woman, I said no-hey hey hey, careful with the merchandise! My arms control my hands and these are the money makers.” Asa scowled as he was forced to follow Candy out to the parking lot. When did she get so strong?

As far as his clothing it didn’t change much; designer suits, cuff links, ties, and nice shoes. He finally had surgery to get rid of the scar on his nose, for a while he kept it because Akari liked it, but it wasn’t like she was ever coming back to him. At this point he wanted to erase all memory of her, that’s why he moved. That was easier said than done then, he wished he could transfer Zuki’s amnesia to him so he didn’t remember the pain and anguish he felt in his head and heart. Asa’s hair had gotten a touch longer and his eyes had bags under them, that was the only thing that changed on his outward appearance.

The whole dangerous drive over Asa made sure to be the biggest complainer. He didn’t let go of the safety handle the whole time, he bitched about her speeding and her sharp turns, and he wanted her to regret bringing him to whatever the fuck it was. “Your logic? Fucking out the window like everything else. Speeding just to follow a cryptic text? Jesus Candy I-“ Suddenly his words were lost as he seen the familiar platinum blonde haired female in the parking lot. This had to be a dream, Candy had to crash the car and he had to be in heaven…or hell. Then a car pulled up and out popped a guy in a hoodie and jeans. From the height it looked like Daisuke, but he would have never left the house in that. Asa was sure he reeked of booze and it was an embarrassing state to be seen in, but he quickly swallowed his pride and gave a stern nod. “You want to find out who texted us, right? Well let’s fucking go.” With that said, the tall doctor stood from the car and walked inside.

There stood pretty much everyone that had been MIA. Shadow and Emi were missing but they were always an odd pair, and if everyone else was here he was sure they’d show up. His steely eyes took in the whole scene; the ridiculous banner, the mass amounts of treats and food and booze, the obnoxious lights of the arcade games, and finally the blonde woman that stole his heart and crushed it under her heel. “What the hell is this about, Crow? You want to see Candy, fine, but you didn’t need to drag me into this. The fixers are done, remember? Everyone left.”

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

While the eight months away from everyone felt like an eternity at least he had access to computers and surveillance. It was kind of like how he used to live…it was so lonely though, now that he knew what it was like to have friends. It didn’t seem like anybody stayed at the house besides Shadow. That was the one person he thought would have bailed, but maybe he was thinking Emi was going to come back? Either way, he was the only person he was able to get in contact with. He told him how to take care of everything around the house, how to use the computers, all the codes he’d need.

Besides that, Crow focused on his objective. His mother seemed as open as a book, almost too open. She told stories his father never shared before and Crow was having a great time! He knew it was too great though, things weren’t adding up. The more and more he looked into the group it seemed all of the upper members, the kings and aces, were corrupt. Zuki was a Queen, that was news to him, but he knew she only wanted to help people. The people below her weren’t too suspicious, some were money hungry and others just wanted to help in their own ways. So it was just the higher ups…and then he took a closer look at his mom. Old orders, orders to cause a fire. That was around the time his old home was burnt down. Then there was the order to take out the bar owners and that caused him to delve deeper into the rabbit hole. As he went down the line the traces of money were linked to all of the corrupted individuals…she knew that they were bad people. She had just wanted him to make the computer system that could hack the government. Not. Gonna. Happen.

So, Crow posed the fixers reunion. Kage was helping him with Daisuke and Emi and Crow was getting everyone else and the place together. It was nerve wrecking at the thought of seeing Candy again, he really wanted to apologize to her for leaving…and give her shit for the drag racing, but that could wait until later. This was the time to put this shit to an end. He wanted his mother to rot in prison for all the pain she had caused. Akari and Zuki would have never joined if he said it was from Crow, so he sent everyone a message that made it seem like there was a mission they needed to tackle. Hopefully they’d bite the bait.

“Welcome back Fixers!” As soon as the first three people entered he pulled a string that let balloons fall down onto them along with confetti. Daisuke, Akari, and Zuki were the hardest ones to get and they were the first ones to show! Everyone looked different, he knew that from watching surveillance of them but thankfully Crow stayed the same. A black t-shirt, a gray pull over jacket, and black pants. His hair was still brown and teal, longer than before, and tied in his signature bun. “Yes! This was my grand master scheme, I’ve been working on it for the last few weeks with my assistant. Shadow, big scary looking guy that’s secretly a cupcake. Surely you remember him. Anyways, I’ve found a way to bring down the Suits. Akari, Zuki, I know you’re involved but you’re not the corrupted tier. The aces need to fall simultaneously so I can cripple my mothers power, then I can get her locked away for the rest of her days. Oh, yeah, my mom runs the whole Suits thing. Quite a lying bitch she is, trying to con me into giving her my computer system…”

Crow trailed off as Asa joined the group, his bright eyes taking a peek around him and waiting for Candy to enter. “Ah, anyways. You all will have your targets. Akari, Doc is going to assist you in punishing Emi’s dad. Bad man, really deserves whatever you give him. Kill him, lock him away for life. Your choice. Daisuke you’ll assist your Queen Zuki in destroying Esme’s dad. Found out he’s he one that put the hit on Zuki that gave her amnesia. That should be fuel enough to get you two fired up. And the lovely miss Candy, she’ll be my partner in bringing my mother down. She’s the one that put the hit out for her parents and had my home burned down with my dad inside…so, yeah. Can we just all have fun for a night like we used to? I got food, drinks. All the games you want!” It was clear Crow didn’t lose any energy during the past months. He was what they all needed to reunite and he’d be damned if the Suits got the best of them. “I don’t know what life holds for us after this, but I know these are some bad people and need to be brought down…that’s why we were all in the Fixers. So let’s have at least one last hurrah, okay?” His voice went from super energetic to almost desperate. He needed his friends help.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

This had to be a dream, right? Maybe it was a coma and she was dreaming of seeing Kage after all of this time. Gently she pinched herself to make sure she was awake and sure enough he was still there, still in the car, and opening up the door for her from the inside. If Emi refused she was sure he’d get out and cause a scene, and right now another interaction with Hiro was the last thing she wanted. Plus, his voice was warm, welcoming and he was the only thing she wanted right now. Hell, he had been the only thing she wanted since the day she left. “Yeah, okay…” She could feel his eyes on her marks and in an attempt to cover them she tried to pull her sleeves down, slipping inside the car as she did and quietly shutting the door.

The few minutes of silence felt like torture. Was he mad? Was he thinking of what to yell at her about first? Whatever it was she deserved it. She was stupid, so so stupid. Leaving caused both of them grief and even caused her to lose their baby. Emi would never be able to forgive herself. “Kage?” Her eyes widened as the car pulled over to park, her doe like eyes looking up at him as he pulled her into a tight hug. It took her a long moment to react; it had been so long since she felt the safety of his hug (or any safety at that) and she wasn’t quite sure how to react. Before she knew it tears were running down her face and she was returning the tight hug, burying her face into his chest despite their awkward angle. “I’m sorry, I tried to leave and come back to you, but it just made things worse.”

After holding him for a long moment she pulled away and sniffled quietly, wiping away the tears and some of the coverup that hid the bruise on her cheek. “I missed you like crazy. How have you been? How are the others? Did you guys find Akari, or Zuki? Crow?” Emi wanted to talk about everything that’s happened, but she didn’t want to talk about anything that happened to her. Hell, she Still wasn’t sure this was real. She’d wake up in her childhood home and continue to live out her nightmare soon enough.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

The odd hair colored man sounded both desperate and insane. He spoke of the Suits and he clearly had inside knowledge, he even knew about her memory loss. Someone had put a hit out on her, right? From the interrogation of the guy who she figured did this to her he put the blame on her boss, that must have been this Esme persons dad. Crow had important information on the inside operation of the Suits and even knew of her and Akari’s involvement, so he clearly wasn’t crazy…wait, did he say Daisuke? Zuki took another look at the guy in the sweater and jeans before furrowing her brows. “You’re the guy that gave me this ring, right? You don’t look very well.” Zuki approached him and looked him over, her fingers playing with the ring hanging around her neck like she did most of the time.

“Ivan Devereau, that’s the guy that tried to have me killed? He’s one of the aces…I can return the favor, but I guarantee I’ll make sure he dies. Daisuke, you don’t seem like the type to kill people. You can sit this one out if you want? I’m sure Akari and I can take care of this.” Suddenly Zuki felt dizzy, that had been happening more often than not lately. She held her head and lost her balance, falling straight into Daisuke as she did so. “I, sorry. My fucking head.” Slowly she looked up at him and she could see him in a dark hotel room? They had been exchanging something…marriage vows? Rings? Soon enough she could see she was in the arcade, though she felt more and more confused by the second. “I, um. Have we been to a hotel or something together?”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock

“It is most definitely not a cops and robbers type of thing.” Akari glanced over at Zuki as the two of them crossed the parking lot and entered the dimly lit building. It didn’t take long for the two of them to find the reason they had been summoned here and instantly Akari felt her stomach drop to the floor. She turned to run without a second thought but it was already too late, behind her she could see Daisuke nearing them and he was quickly followed by Candy and … Asa. She turned back around fast to avoid any sort of eye contact, training her eyes onto Crow as he began to ramble on about all the things he had found out over the past few months, even swiftly outing Zuki and Akari as members of the Suits in the process. Then he started handing out jobs like he was the boss of them! Maybe a while ago they let him play this little game but… now? Well Akari couldn’t speak for the others but for her, she was out.

Asa spoke up before she could, quickly telling Crow that the Fixers were dead. When he mentioned everyone leaving she winced slightly at the hurt in his voice, her hand moving up to play with the necklace around her neck after pulling it out from her sweater. It was her nervous habit nowadays. “I’m not doing either Crow, you said it yourself. I have other people to report to now. Asa is right, the Fixers are dead.” She stole a glance back at him as she spoke and her heart broke. He looked tired, unkempt for him. Even from far away she could see the bags under his eyes and the fact that his scar had lightened, or maybe he finally removed it. That made her sad a bit, she knew he hated it but… while it was a bad memory, it was still a memory they had together. Though she couldn’t blame him for erasing it after everything.

Zuki however quickly went over to Daisuke and Akari watched her with wide eyes. If she wanted to go after Ivan for revenge that was on her. Akari didn’t want hers anymore, she just wanted to figure her shit out and it wasn’t going to be by Crows choosing. “If Zuki wants to stay I’ll hang out, we brought one car. But I’m just here as her driver.” She shot a look at Crow before snatching a beer from the selection and making her way off towards the shooting games.

Before Akari turned the corner she dared another glance at Asa, it was a bad choice considering the moment she turned the corner and was out of sight from the others she started to deteriorate. Every day she missed him, every day she wished and prayed that the sadness would begin to fade but it didn’t and now, seeing him? She wanted to die right then. So instead she did what she did best now, ignore it. Akari was done with this internal battle of who she was, so whenever she felt like this? She just shut down. She let her mind go numb and would find something to shoot at, thankfully this place was full of shooting games.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

“Oh shut UP.” Candy groaned, taking the keys from the ignition and moving to grab her bag as Asa complained about her driving for the millionth time. The danger excited her, it gave her something that boosted her serotonin and she needed that now. However his mood changed quick and he went from whiny to almost angry and excited at the same time? Candy followed his line of sight as he quickly got out of the car and she knew he must have seen Akari. All of them gathering at a place like this only made her think her hunch was correct, that Crow was the one who sent the message to them all. But… it had an effect on her she wasn’t really expecting. When she thought it was him earlier all she wanted was for it to be true, to see him and hug him and tell him how much she missed him. But now, being faced with that likely reality? Candy was angry. It was hard to get out of the car because she didn’t know how to say anything to him, how to express how happy she was to see him but at the same time how pissed she was at him.

It took a few moments after Asa but eventually Candy pulled herself from the car and made her way inside to quickly discover she had been right. There he was, standing under a silly looking banner and collecting glares from all around the room. Candy’s first instinct had been to run over and throw her arms around him but her body felt like lead as she scanned her eyes over him a few times. Crow was real, he was standing right there and he looked the same as he did 8 months ago. He shared his story and talked about all their targets. Candy felt for him, she really did, she knew what it was like to learn your parents aren’t what you thought they were. And she was fired up to know that the woman who was responsible for her parents deaths finally had a name and a face, it was an interesting dynamic that it was her boyfriends mother but that was besides the point…

“You want our help NOW?” Candy roared from where she stood, stomping over to where Crow stood as Akari and Asa expressed their disinterest. “You mean to tell me you let things fall apart for 8 months, after I left there kicking and SCREAMING. After I pleaded with you to not listen to them, to let us help you.” By now she was standing directly in front of him, poking her finger roughly into his chest a few times as she spoke. Gradually Candy was getting more and more emotional, tears beginning to spill over the corners of her eyes. “That I worried every fucking day, I didn’t know if you were dead or alive or hurt. I just had to deal with that? And now you want us all to come back together like one big happy family because you get us some beer and arcade tickets?”

Candy was full blown crying now, honestly back in the day beer and arcade tickets would have won them all over rather quickly but now it was so different. Every member of their group was very broken, disjointed and hurt. Hell Kage and Emi weren’t even here! “I just- I want to know what you have to say for yourself Crow.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Kage;Shadow

Listening to her speak broke his heart a bit, that she tried to leave and it made it worse. When she said that Kage’s arms went around her a little more tightly, though even he was shocked that was possible. “Don’t be sorry, I should have stopped you. I should have broken down that fucking gate and done something, I was just scared they would hurt you. But fucking clearly they were anyways.” He sighed as she pulled away slightly, his face tilting so he could peer down at her from where they sat side by side in the car. Emi wiped away some of her tears and Kage caught sight of the bruise under her makeup and suddenly it was becoming very hard not to head back to that house and kill someone.

“They’re all a hot fucking mess.” Kage sighed again and completely pulled away from her, turning the car back on and beginning their drive once more. “Daisuke is a shut in after Zuki lost her memory. Akari… well she’s safe ish. I don’t think I should be the one to tell you any of her story.” He glanced over at her as he said that, it wasn’t his place to share that Akari was in with the Suits now. Plus he didn’t really know much about what was happening with her, Asa never spoke about what happened the night she left. “Crow is actually doing good. He reached out soon after everyone left through the computer at the house… he’s actually the one who kind of pulled everything together tonight. Kidnapping you and Esmes tip just made everything fall into place. We’re on our way to him now actually… and hopefully the others.”

The two of them spent the rest of the short drive in a much more peaceful silence, one that ended when they parked outside of the large arcade. “I know you don’t want to talk about it so I won’t push you, but you know you’ll have to eventually right?” Kage tried to give her a reassuring smile before leaning over and planting a kiss on the top of her head. He then got out of the car and moved to open her door for her before the two of them headed inside.

As they entered Kage could already hear the yelling, he tried telling Crow this wasn’t going to go as smoothly as he wanted. But hey, at least it looked like everyone was here. “Sorry we’re late.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

Daisuke couldn’t focus on anything else that was happening, his brain was in panic mode from all the new information being thrown at him. But then to make it all more insane, Zuki was less than ten feet from him. She looked slimmer, more toned like she had been when they first met. It was clear she was back to just working like she had been back then. He was… insanely thankful to see her alive and well for the most part but it just brought back so much anguish. Daisuke was fully and completely in love with that woman standing there and to her he was a complete fucking stranger.

“I’ll help the best I can Crow. But the others have a point, we can’t just expect anyone to help anymore. We really couldn’t back then either… it was just easier then.” Daisuke chimed in as Asa and Akari quickly got sour. He wasn’t shocked by that and honestly if he hadn’t been so fucking sad it probably would have made him chuckle. And as if his mood wasn’t down enough, Zuki was approaching him. It made his heart beat fast, it was the closet he had been to another human in months and of course it was his wife who he was crazy for. “I mean you’re right I’m not the type, but I can help for sure.” He stared down at her as she spoke, unable to really decide if this was all real or some really fucking cruel dream. But then Zuki stumbled and he quickly caught her arms to balance her, peering down at her with a bright red face as she looked up at him and questioned.

Her words brought the memory slamming into the forefront of Daisukes mind and it took everything out of him to not run away back to the solace of his own room. It was amazing that she could slightly place that memory but killed him at the same time that she brought it up as a question. “Yes we have been. It’s actually where we got married, where I gave you that ring and you gave me mine.” Daisuke took one of his hands away from her arm to show her his hand, it was ironic now that he wore the actual ring when back then they had to hide it. Now he could wear it all the time, just a secret between him and Esme that it wasn’t a ring from their fake marriage.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

It was good to hear that everyone was safe, and even better that they were all going to hopefully see each other. ‘Safe ish’ wasn’t too reassuring when it came to her best friend though…she hoped Akari showed up so she could see her. The girls never went more than a few days apart since they were kids, and even then they were always in contact! Esme filled her in on the whole Daisuke being a shut in situation and it was also sad considering who he normally is. Everyone’s situation was so sad right now and she hoped Crows plan worked. “So, you and Crow teamed up for this? Never thought I’d see the day you two became buddies.” Despite the eased tensions between the two of them Emi still found herself struggling to relax. There was so much to tell him, yet she wasn’t able to force the words out. How would she tell him something like what happened? He seemed almost happy, and she didn’t want to be the reason that happiness went away again.

They parked and it was as if he read her mind, she knew he was just trying to reassure it but…Emi felt sick to her stomach at the thought of talking about it with him. Maybe she could just never talk about it and he’d let it go? It wouldn’t benefit him at all if he knew. With a heavy sigh she stood from the car with a small thanks and ran a nervous hand through her hair as she followed him into the building. There was yelling as they entered and, well, at least people showed? Akari was even there! But she seemed to be walking off just as they entered. There was a big banner that said Fixer Reunion, and a piece of old Emi came back. Crow wanted to get the family back together? “I think it’s a great idea? Everyone looks miserable, and I can only assume that getting together one more time might help.”

With that said Emi followed after Akari, quickly throwing her arms around her from behind when she did find her at a shooting game. Emi felt like she was going to cry, she finally got her two best friends back. “I missed you, and I like the long hair. Have you been safe? Candy and Asa sound mad about the reunion but you’re staying, right?” Emi’s arms tightened more around her like she wasn’t giving her much of a choice on staying or not.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

Despite getting the vibe that Akari wanted to leave everything was bothering her; the term “Fixer”, all of the faces that made her brain feel fuzzy, and most of all the ring guy. She would have weird dreams, sometimes daydreams, and 90% of them had his face in it. So as she managed to situate herself back into her feet he moved his hand and showed off his ring. The Zuki in the Suits told her to leave, grab Akari and just go. But the damn way that the ring on his hand made her feel told her she had to stay and play along with whatever was happening here. “Alright, I’ve made a decision. You’re going to assist me in my quest for revenge.” For so long Zuki had been on her own, been the boss of others. So she wasn’t the best at working with others. If she wanted to solve her headaches and figure things out she’d have to play nice. “Um. Please. I’ll do the dirty work, but having you around I think will help. If I’m the girl you think I am maybe I’ll remember everything?”

For a moment she looked him over and gave a small smile. “You look rough. Didn’t you have shorter hair? By the way you dress I assume you either rob gas stations or you’re a shut-in.” Two more people joined the loud group and she looked back at the rest of the crew. Candy, the bar owner, was yelling and crying, the guy she came with looked angry and it didn’t look like the party was going well. New girl seemed on board though! “I’m with her, let’s have a fixer reunion. It sounds messy as Hell and I’m all here for it, I love taking out assholes like these people. Now, I’m going to go look around this place at all these weird machines. C’mon ring guy. What’s fun around this place?” Zuki didn’t even wait for a response, she was over the yelling and had already made up her mind to help out.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

“Wait no no no, Akari don’t- Asa the Fixers are NOT dead, you’re gonna shut your drunk trap and work together with us again! It’s all about collaboration! Seriously! Go make up with that confused cop. Did you see her piercing? She’s having an identity crisis!” Oh, no. Crow was NOT letting Kage win this. This was a great idea and these people were going to get on fucking board! It took forever to come up with this plan. At least Daisuke was on his side? And Candy, of course, would be all in. They finally got the person that destroyed her family!

Then Candy yelled and stormed over, and she broke his heart. While he remembered her screaming and kicking and being dragged away he also knew that he was just trying his best to protect her. “I-I’m, uh, sorry Candy. I really am… I guess I was just hopeful that my mom was trying to make the city a better place for you, for everyone. I knew I’d find out more about your parents, I just didn’t expect her to be the ring leader of all the corrupted orders…” Tears filled in his eyes and he gave her a sad smile. “You should know that I’d never die on you like that, I promised you that we’d spend our life together when I asked you to be my girlfriend. I’ll always come back to you. I know I messed up, and I can only hope you find it in your heart to forgive me. We can end this and live out the rest of our life in peace, that’s all I wanted.” Crow didn’t regret going and finding out all of the information he did, he only wished he had time to talk to her about it before. But now? Now he’d never have to leave her again. That should make up for leaving.

Crow motioned to the banner before he gave a corny smile. “Will you join me bringing back the Fixers Miss Candy?” His hands reached down to her face so he could wipe away the tears with his thumbs. “You look beautiful, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come back. Can you ever forgive me?”

 

[Sir Damien]

Doc

This was all some REALLY bad nightmare, it fucking had to be. Everyone was back and while not everyone looked a hot mess he knew they were all fucking train wrecks of emotional baggage on the inside. On top of all of that? Akari had changed, she agreed that the fixers were dead. Was that the worst of it? No! Now she didn’t want to kill her Hitoshi? Asa tried to quietly fume but Emi and Kage were joining them. Emi was on board then ran off, and he was pretty sure it was either Crows pitiful apology or Zuki, someone who had NO memory, being on board that pushed him over the edge. “Akari!” With a heated face and a loud huff he stormed off after her, pausing slightly when he seen Emi there. She still didn’t know about the whole sister situation, did she? Did he care at this point?

“You fucking left me to kill that bastard. On my knee, after my fucking proposal, after I begged you to stay. You left to kill him! What fucking overcame you to work for the fucker? You’re one of the people you hate, you realize that right? Do you look at what you’re doing at all?” His voice was full of eight months of pent up stress. How could she switch gears like this? At this point he felt more betrayed than he did when she left, if that was fucking possible. “I love-“ with a heavy sigh he ran a hand through his hair. Deep breaths. “I loved you. You wrote that letter like you loved me back, yet you had to go on this mission for revenge…how did that turn out to you being used just like your mother? Is this some twisted sense of justice? Do you think that this is what she would want?” Quickly his hands slipped into the pockets of his suit pants, his fists clenching open and shut as he tried to take some deep breaths.

“If you need help killing him or getting him thrown in jail I will help you, but you’re better than being that mans whipping girl.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock

A bit away from her Akari could hear the group still talking but she tried to dive her focus into whatever this stupid zombie game was. That is until she heard footsteps behind her and a gentle voice that she recognized all too well. “Em?” Akari dropped the controller without a thought and spun around on her heel to see the small girl, her best friend, moving towards her quickly and throwing her arms around her before Akari could even react.

“Em…” Akari whimpered slightly and hugged the girl back, holding on tight as well as if she was trying to anchor herself back into this life. But when Emi asked if she would stay, Akari faltered. So much had happened and most of it was even before Akari left, only Emi didn’t know that. Akari never had the strength to tell Emi about their father… hah. THEIR father. It felt strange to even think about still. That man had done so much to Emi, been so awful to her and evil over the years but still… it was hard to tell someone anything bad about their family. “I don’t know if I can help with the Fixers Em. I… I can stay and hang out. Because I missed you too and I want to catch up but, I think for everyone’s safety it’s better if I don’t stay around too long.” She tried her best to give Emi a brave smile like she always used to do but it was hard. Back at the safe house she was sure people had noticed her and Zukis absence and that it had been reported back to Hitoshi. He was always keeping tabs on her now. It wouldn’t be long before he was calling her phone and tracking her down if she didn’t answer, it had happened before.

As Akari pulled away from Emi she heard her name come from another very familiar voice, only this one sounded very very angry. “God I don’t have the strength for this.” She sighed before looking up and straight over at Asa. There was nothing to say, not that she could have gotten in a word while he went off. There was nothing she could blame him for saying, he was right. Akari had left all of her friends behind for some mission that she failed instantly. She left behind Asa, the love of her life. The one other person on this planet she could actually tolerate and enjoy being in a romantic relationship with. The man she was head over heels for and still thought about constantly despite everything. She left him there on the floor of their apartment, pleading with her about her decision. Asa was literally trying to move forward with their lives when Akari crushed it and dove into her past. His distinction between love and loved only made it all hurt even more.

But despite him being correct about all of that, that did not mean he got to bring up her mother.

Akari moved on instinct. She crossed the small distance between the two of them when he was done speaking and despite the tears streaming down her face from his reaming, she slapped him clear across the face. “You do NOT get to talk about my mom Asa.” She didn’t back away from him after that, the two stood toe to toe and her eyes searched his face as she stood crying. She couldn’t help it, they just flowed no matter what she did. “My mother died for me to have this life, to be a part of the Suits and do whatever it is I’m trying to do. She DIED for this Asa! How can I sit here and just not now that I know that fact?! She might not have been perfect, I’ll never know what she was like. But I don’t know how to go on the way I want to anymore. It doesn’t feel like I should be able to own my life after knowing everything she did to give it to me.”

“When I went there that night I had him. Gun to his head and everything and do you want to know what he did? He SMILED at me.” Akari hiccuped a bit, choking a bit on the next part because she knew how fucked up it was going to sound. “He was proud. You met my dad, the one sitting in prison, you know how he thought of me and treated me my entire life. I-I didn’t have the strength to pull the trigger after that. He promised to tell me more about her. He kept telling me how proud she would be of me and still does. They want me to take her place Asa. I don’t get to be me anymore. Me who wants nothing more than to be with my friends, hang out with the best friend I’ve ever had and to prove to you for the rest of my life how much I love you even if you don’t love me anymore. I just- I have to be who she wanted me to be to honor her.”

Akari, the one who was buried deep inside and screaming to be let out, wanted her biological father dead. Wanted her friends back. Wanted to hang out with Emi and have fun. Wanted to help the Fixers. Wanted to win back Asa and spend the rest of her life proving how much she loved him. But how could she be that girl anymore?

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

“Y-you’re my partner.” Candy sniffled slightly as she looked up at Crow, her face warming up when he wiped away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. “I know you wanted to trust her, I wanted it to go well for you too but… I didn’t know what was going on. I wanted to be there for you. I still do!” She poured slightly and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist so she could still look up at him as she spoke. “I think I just felt abandoned… I think everyone did in a way. We were a team, you always were helping us and we helped you. Then it was just over in minutes.”

Candy had known how close they all were but didn’t really appreciate it until it was gone. She had always told the others she wasn’t a real Fixer but… dammit yes she was!

“You’ll always come back to me because from here on out we’re partners okay? Anyone who doesn’t want your team with you isn’t worth our time.” Her arms tightened around his waist and she rested her head against her chest. She had been angry, upset and scared but honestly it just felt good to have him close again. It was terrible what he went through, even if it was self inflicted in a way. Her head lifted when she felt him shift, moving to gesture to the banner above her head and giving her a grin.

What an idiot.

Candy finally cracked a smile through all the tears and even let out a small giggle. “Of course I can forgive you, and of course I’ll help. Just don’t get your hopes up on some of the others… I don’t know what little partnership you and Shadow had worked out but it’s gotten rough with this lot.” She shot a look in the direction of where Asa had gone and sighed. “I mean Asa is serial dating women and stays at the bar 98% of the time. I had to drag him here tonight after I got the text.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

Well this hurt like hell. Being any sort of hopeful was so painful. Zuki was remembering him … sort of? She could clearly put some pieces together but they were building into a full picture yet. Daisuke knew he couldn’t be impatient, or expect much of anything in general from what the doctors had told him about her injury but listening to her now made it hard. She remembered the hotel room! Kind of.

Daisuke gave a sort of half smirk at her demand for him to help her, she quickly carried on to include a please but honestly it still was so Zuki either way. “I’ll help you. I’ve always told you I would help you get out of the Suits, even if you don’t remember that. Maybe we will get there someday though.” He crossed his arms over his chest as she continued, bringing up his hair and choice of outfit. “Hey listen here, robbing gas stations is your thing not mine. And maybe my hair has gotten a little long but it looks good on me… I think?” A bit of his true self came out there as he bantered with her, even winking at her when he said the last bit. Maybe they could eventually get back to normal?

Soon Emi and Kage were walking in and Daisuke couldn’t help but audibly wince when he saw her. She looked rough, covered in bruises and clearly she had been through some shit. But she seemed… happy despite it all. It was wild to see that Kage could evoke that response in a human. “Emi, good to see you alive and well.” He gave her a slight smile and a wave before nodding in agreement with her and Zuki. “I’m with them too, we clearly can’t function apart from each other. Look how terribly it all went. No one here has a family outside of the people in this building and we need to rebuild that… even if it’s hard.”

Daisuke glanced back at Zuki when he said the last part, his lips forming a sad smile as he did. “Also it’s Daisuke. Ring guy is a little harsh.” He chuckled and turned to look around the room, “Let’s go find some games you’d like ok?”

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

Partner… Crow liked that word, so much that it was going to stick. “Yeah, Candy. You’re my partner, and I’m yours. I love that. I won’t ever abandon you ever again, I swear. We’ll do everything together, promise.” One hand fell from her face and wrapped around her as she did the same, the other wiping away some of the tears she was still shedding. She forgave him, that was his biggest hurdle he had to face. Akari? That was an easy fix, he just wished he didn’t have to play the audio he had to convince her. Unfortunately, that seemed like the case.

“Don’t worry Candy, I’ve got my ways to get everyone to stay. It’s not the nicest way to go about things, but if I have to play this card I will. Kinda wish Kage wasn’t around for it, but it’s gotta come out sometime.” It really wasn’t Crow’s place but, it was a necessary evil to show just how bad Hitoshi was. “Don’t hate me after this, okay? C’mon partner.” Gently Crow kissed her forehead quickly before grabbing hold of her hand, his fingers lacing together with hers and leaving to go find Akari.

It didn’t take too long of wandering the arcade until he found the others. Emi and Akari were together along with Asa…did Emi know yet? “Akari, I see your perspective. I really do. I wanted to trust my mom, too. But… I’ve recorded some of my moms phone calls. They’re…not good.” Crow get bad for doing this…awful, even. “I’m sorry, I know you haven’t had the conversation with Emi yet. And Emi I’m- I’m sorry. I really am.” Crow pulled the phone from his pocket and clicked the play button. Hitoshi’s voice was having a conversation with a woman, his mother, and the woman asked what he was planning to do with his kids. “Akari is like her mother, she’ll play out her part. She’s good at what she does, I see her doing well for a while. I see her ending like her mother. Sad, really. But hopefully we’ll get some use out of her before she offs herself. And Emi…well, I feel bad for what Hiro did to her. Sweet girl, but I thought she’d grow out of that stage. Far more disobedient than she was when she left the first time. Trying to leave again just because she was pregnant with that white haired bastards baby? So he made her lose it and he’s been breaking her down little by little, sad but…well, she’s not as lively anymore. She’ll come around and she’ll make a fine heir to my Suit.”

The recording went on with the woman laughing it off, but he quickly turned it off. The rest wasn’t relevant. “He’s a fucking monster, Akari. Help us get this guy. You never have to go along with any of my other schemes but this guy has to be stopped.” Crow knew it was likely he’d be hit, maybe even shot for that recording. But she wasn’t leaving him much of an option.

 

[Sir Damien]

Doc

Did Asa expect to be slapped? No, not really. But he was sure he had it coming with mentioning her mother. Her hand flying across his face echoed in his head and for the first time in eight months he felt sadness. No anger, no resentment, just an overwhelming fucking sense of sadness. His eyes stared back down at her as she met him toe to toe and all he could do was sigh and look at her with tears growing in his eyes. He listened to her with his arms folded across his chest and took in everything she was saying. It broke him to Hear that she thought she had to live up to everyone’s expectations of her. Everyone she didn’t know wanted her to be someone she wasn’t. That wasn’t fair to her.

“You don’t have to be anyone, the only one you have to be is Akari. That’s the girl I love. That’s the girl I want to marry me. Fuck everyone’s expectations of you. You’re not this type of person, you’re strong, smart. You’re fucking amazing and you deserve better than to be fucking miserable all the time.” His arms uncrossed and he reached down to hug her and close the gap between them. He hugged her, he hugged her hard. Asa didn’t express his feelings much and over the past few months he never expressed how sad he felt or how much he missed her, he buried his feelings in booze and women. Now his heart felt whole again.

The moment was very brief. Crow was approaching them and apologizing about something, then he was pulling out his phone. What he played was gut wrenching, and it only made him hug her tighter if that was possible. “You don’t even need to help him. I just want you away from that man. I…just want you safe. Come back with me Akari, those animals can fuck off but I’m not letting you leave without a fight this time.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

“Leave? What, no. No. You’re not going back Akari. It’s not safe, wherever you’re thinking about going isn’t safe. I-need you.” there had been so much she needed to talk to her about, she wanted to know everything happening with Akari and she wanted to talk to her about all of the things she had been through that she was so afraid to take about. Asa appeared and started yelling at Akari, and while she didn’t like his tone she knew it was just because he was hurt. Everyone there had been hurt, and she knew that the healing had to start somewhere. A slap, tears, a hug…things were looking somewhat positive! …until Crow showed up. “W-Why are you sorry, Crow?” Her stomach churned and suddenly she felt sick. Did he know something? Please, please god. Not this.

The recording was her fathers voice. The man was capable of bad things, she knew that, but the voice sounded wicked. That was the same man that raised her? Everything he was saying was a lot to take in; from the sounds of it Akari was his daughter too, that made her best friend her sister? Was this why Akari was feeling so confused? Before she could question anything though, she froze when she heard her name. “Crow don’t you dare!” Emi ran over to Crow to try to take the phone, but it was too late. He mentioned the pregnancy, he mentioned her losing if, and it mentioned Hiro breaking down her spirit. That had been their goal? Just to get her to take over for her…Her dad knew about everything that had been happening? All the fights, the bearings, the bruises…her dad knew. “You’re a fucking terrible person Crow and I’m never going to forgive you!” All Emi could do was reel back and send a furious hand across his face to smack him. Tears burned in her eyes as she snatched the phone from him with a loud huff, she harshly threw it to the ground and she slammed her heel down into the screen. “I-I didn’t even get to tell him yet!”

All she could do was run a frustrated hand through her perfectly cut hair, almost afraid to turn around. All she could do is hope Kage didn’t hear that damn recording.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

“Don’t include me in your list, I don’t have a family and I’m doing just fine. And life out of the suits huh…what an interesting thought. You had big expectations of me, Daisuke. I only hope I can be as good as the last Zuki you knew.” As Zuki looked through the games she didn’t find anything really of interest. “I’ll have you know I’m insulted. Me? Robbing a gas station? I’m a high paid assassin, I don’t dirty my hands with robberies. Your hair is looking a little mullet-ish, and I imagine a robber would have hair like that. You’re lucky you have a nice face.” She was kidding about the mullet, but for some reason teasing him felt almost familiar? It kind of felt like something she used to do often. He had the kind of aura she felt like she could relax around.

By the time she had found a game that sparked her interest it was a zombie shooter. “This game, I’ve seen zombie movies. I want to shoot some.” The guns didn’t really look real, she picked it up but they were just plastic. “I didn’t bring two guns but I have a couple clips. You can borrow it if you want.” Zuki pulled out the gun and aimed down the sight. Before she could pull the trigger, however, she could hear yelling and crying nearby…was that Akari’s crying? She cried? “I, uh, have to check on Akari.” Zuki pocketed her pistol before giving a small sigh. “We’ll play games later, yeah?” Zuki ran a hand through her long black hair as she moved over towards the yelling.

By the time she had found them she caught the tail end of things, she heard Akari saying something about leaving. “Oh? You’re leaving? Here give me the keys, I’ll head back to the hideout. If they ask me anything I’ll shoot them, they know better than to question me.” With a small shrug she turned to Daisuke and pulled out her phone. “Give me your phone number, I’ll contact you later and we’ll figure out a plan to off Devereau.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock



Akari wanted to push Asa away, tell him to stay away from her, that she wasn’t worth it, that she wasn’t safe. She knew it wasn’t right, she knew she didn’t WANT to. And honestly? She knew she wasn’t capable of it. As soon as Asa pulled her into a hug she was done for, “I-I thought you didn’t love me anymore. I really thought you would hate me. You should, I couldn’t blame you if you did.” Her arms laced around his back and her face buried into his chest, listening to his words as he continued. He was right, it just wasn’t that easy now. Akari was in it, Hitoshi tracked her, threatened her when she didn’t listen, threatened to hurt Emi or Zuki, hell sometimes he had even told her he would find her “little friends” and make them pay for her shortcomings. Akari had always known the guy was an asshole but she didn’t know how nasty he truly was. Plus, when it all boiled down… she was scared to kill him or go against him. Not only because of the threats but for some reason it felt like killing someone would change her. So far every mission they were assigned it had been Zuki herself who pulled the trigger. “I don’t want to go back there but I’m scared Asa.”

Their conversation was cut short when Crow approached them, Akari only separating from Asa enough to turn and look at the teal haired man with a raised brow. “Wait Crow what are you talking about?” Conversation with Emi? “Hold on! Don’t play that right now- Crow!” But it was too late, it was already running. And he was right, it was awful. More awful than she thought, he was using her and expecting her to kill herself in the end… it was no surprise that he was cruel but for some reason she had tricked herself into believing he would really see use in her. That for once in her life she would have a parent who was proud… she was an adult and it shouldn’t matter so much but when it was all you wanted as a child? When you finally got a little taste of it, it fucked up your head bad.
Then there was Emi. Akari had been wanting to tell her but when did she have the time? And now this was the way she was finding out… not only that but… Emi had been pregnant and lost a child. “E-Em!” Akari gasped as Emi moved to Crow and slapped him across the face, she had never seen her lash out like that but the guy did kind of deserve it. It was something Akari needed to hear but… he could have cut the tape a minute earlier than he did.
Akari turned and looked at Asa for a moment, giving him a knowing look before moving away from him and over to Emi, taking her by the shoulders and turning her around before wrapping her up in a hug. “I’m so sorry I didn’t find a way to tell you what I found. I should have but it fucked me up… I’m not going to lie. I hope you can forgive me, I- I hate that I come from him and after hearing what he did to my mom I broke. But I love that I’m your sister, even more than I thought we were before.” She pulled back and looked down at Emi. “And I want to know more about everything but… I think you and Shadow need some time yeah?”
“Candy take Crow literally anywhere else.” Akari glared over at the teal haired man before letting Emi go and stepping away. “I’ll tell Shadow to come find you ok?”

Akari walked over and gently grabbed Asa by the hand and pulled him away from the area they were standing. Zuki showed up right at the end and offered to head back and cover for her and Akari was forever fucking thankful. She tossed the girl her keys and her phone to avoid being tracked. “Thank you Zuki, really. But don’t stick around there long… try to stay away as often as you can.” Then the moment they turned around an arcade machine they found Shadow standing there with a look on his face that said all that needed to be said. Akari simply nodded and continued on before looking over at Asa, “I’m not in the partying mood, I’m exhausted. I-I want you to take me home, our home. Please.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

It made her heart soar to hear him agree with her, it was all Candy wanted. All she wanted was for them to take on the world together no matter how shitty it was. Candy had found her family with this rag tag group of idiots just like Daisuke had said and she would do anything to protect it. Crow was her other half, it felt like a piece of her was missing when he was gone. Now, though rocky, it seemed like they might actually be able to salvage it all. “I won’t hate you. I trust that whatever you’re about to do is for the best, even if it is strange or mean. I know you wouldn’t hurt any of us on purpose.” She gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand and following besides him as they walked towards where Asa and Akari had been yelling . Wait… who the fuck was Kage?

Candy pocketed the question and stayed silent. It seemed like the two of them were entering an emotionally volatile situation and she didn’t want to make it any worse, especially considering that when Crow began to speak he made it seem like something real upsetting was about to happen.

What Crow played on the recording for Emi and Akari was fucking VILE. Eye opening, but VILE. Candy wasn’t even directly involved with any of it and just listening to it made her stomach churn. This man was apparently both of the girls fathers, didn’t care if Akari died and literally supported Emi getting beat so badly that she lost her baby… Emi had been pregnant. It was all so fucking sad. All Candy could do was keep her head down, trained on the floor. It felt like something she shouldn’t have heard from this recording and she couldn’t figure out how to handle it… she just didn’t want to make anyone more uncomfortable.

Then she heard Emi yell, followed by the sound of harsh skin on skin contact that was far closer than she thought. Candy looked up in shock to see Crow with a bright red cheek as Emi snatched his phone and threw it at the ground. Her hand squeezed Crows and she looked up at him apologetically , that sounded like it hurt. Thankfully Akari seemed to be trying to console Emi and she was soon telling Candy to get Crow out of there.

“Good plan. Let’s go find you some ice love.” Candy gave Akari a small nod before taking Crow and leading him towards the bar to find a baggie and some ice. Once they were away from everyone she had him take a seat and she found something that would work as a makeshift ice pack.

“I’m sorry your reunion isn’t the fun thing you tried to plan, and that you got slapped, but in a weird way I do think that it’s working.” Candy sighed and stood in front of him where he sat, holding up the ice to his cheek while she spoke. “And Emi will forgive you, it was harsh but I don’t know if Akari would come home without it and I don’t know if Emi would have had the strength to stay away from her father long either… so just try and remember you did the best you could okay?”

“Also you’re doing a lot to help everyone else Crow but your mom was on that recording too… she was laughing. That - how are you feeling?”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Shadow;Kage
Kage had been hanging back during it all, he knew that Emi wanted to talk to Akari and he didn’t want to get in the way of that. Asa clearly had other plans though, so shortly after he went off yelling for the ex-cop, Kage made his way towards them and found a machine around the corner to sit at and occasionally drop a token into. As he sat the conversation seemed to be calm enough to not need his intervention but he wanted to be ready in case anything got volatile.
But when it did he was so shocked he couldn’t move at first.

Crow had joined the voices and began to play some recording that he explained was Akari and Emi’s father, a little fact that Kage learned from Crow prior. However what was in that recording was all news to him… especially one part. Pregnant with that white haired bastards baby… The sentence made his brain go numb for a moment but once it kicked back into action he was a blur of emotions. Confused, sad, angry, worried. He didn’t know she was pregnant… had she known when she left? And while Kage never really knew what he thought about the whole being a dad thing… suddenly when he was faced with the fact that he almost was one he was very sad to learn what had been taken from them. But he was also very angry, so much so that it was hard to not grab his gun and head back to that house now, the only thing holding him back here was that he needed to talk to Emi.
Kage stood and began to move towards everyone when he heard Emi yell at Crow followed by the sound of a slap. It stopped him in his tracks for a moment, it sounded like Akari was stepping in and trying to help and eventually Akari told everyone to give Emi some time… that he was thankful for. Everyone made their way elsewhere and soon Kage found himself walking up to where Emi stood, she seemed almost in shock and he couldn’t blame her.
At first Kage couldn’t form words but instead he simply wrapped his arms around her tightly and lifted her off the ground slightly. “I heard. You don’t have to talk or anything if you don’t want to. I will wait until you’re ready to okay? I’m just so fucking sorry I didn’t keep you safe.” He gently put her down and looked down at her, his dark eyes searching hers for a moment before his hand reached down and gently ran over her stomach. Kage had never had a father in his life, he had never thought about kids because he had never thought about having a girlfriend or anything like that.
“I know it’s weird but…” Kage sighed slightly before pulling her back in close, cradling the back of her head in his hand as he spoke. “I’m not religious, I don’t believe in a god really but I think there’s an afterlife. I hope-“ He ? she? “They know they’re loved even though we never met them. I-“ He actually felt his throat tighten, “I’m just so sorry the two of you went though all that without me. I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you both.”
Kage continued to smooth over Emi’s hair as they stood there, he had tears finally spilling over and he had no more words. Honestly he was shocked he had many to begin with. “Can I please take you home? I-If I don’t I think I might go over there and kill everyone in that house and ruin any hope of a real form of justice for both of those assholes.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka



“Well now I am obliged to remind you that I was your lawyer before being your husband. I am VERY well aware of your job Zuki, or did you think you’ve gone this far without being caught PURELY on your talents?” Daisuke chuckled, an honest to god chuckle. It felt like old times and for a moment he was even able to forget that she had lost her memories. “Well with my nice face and new hair maybe I should change career paths then.”



The two of them found a game and it was quickly becoming clear Zuki didn’t know how arcade games worked. This was… bittersweet. It reminded him of their vacation. “I should stop this but honestly this is very similar to something you’ve done with a beer can before so I’m going to let you do this and hope it brings back a memory or two.” Daisuke shrugged and covered his ears in preparation for the gunshot but it never came. Instead Zuki brought up Akari crying and he cropped his hands from his ears to listen closer. Zuki was right to be concerned… “I’ve been around Akari since we were kids and I’ve never heard her cry. And I watched her break her leg once.”



Daisuke followed after Zuki and found all the others after some form of clear emotional discussion. Everyone but Emi was walking away and he eyed her cautiously, about to go see if she was okay when he saw Kage come into the picture. That was good, he should be able to help her out. Besides him Zuki and Akari were talking as they neared the exit and Zuki mentioned she was going to be going back to the Suits for now… he hated that but she was probably right that it was the best idea for now.



“My number? Right.” Daisuke took her phone from her and saved his number quickly as “Ring Guy”. There was a time when Daisuke had a hit put on him by the Suits, it was how this all started, probably shouldn’t have his name clear as day in her phone. “If you’re really going back there I want you to keep in touch with me often ok? I have a feeling this is all going to get a lot more dangerous before it gets better. And I know you’re capable but you’ll literally be in the lions den and I love you to fucking much to watch you get hurt again.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

It was clear they missed a huge chunk of conversation, the bruised girl had been so angry and it was clear no plans of murder or getting people arrested were going to happen tonight. She’d just head back for the night and hope that everyone works out their shit. “Don’t worry Akari, just breathe and I’ll take care of everything.” Zuki pocketed the girls phone and swung the keys around her finger for a second. With that said she turned back to Daisuke, giving him a small smirk. “Well, as my previous lawyer, you should know that I’m fantastic at what I do and there is no reason for you to worry about me.” As he put his number into her phone she took it back and grinned down slightly at the name. “I’ll text you if that’ll bring you some peace. Don’t worry so much about me, it’ll turn you gray and give you wrinkles.”

With that said, Zuki turned on her heels and left the building. The hideout wasn’t too far away so when she made her way back she got a few odd looks. She responded by telling them all to fuck off, mind their own business, and retired to her room for the night. Hitoshi called…but, that was to be expected? He was yelling and Zuki specified that he wasn’t her boss, and that Akari was HER trainee. She had her undercover for the next few days to research a target, and that interrupting would jeopardize the mission. He left it at that, though he didn’t seem in a great mood.

Before Zuki did anything else she shot a quick text to Ring Boy. One text seemed to turn to into a chain of texts, and she found herself staying up later than usual just to talk to him. Talking to him was easy, and she rather enjoyed it. Odd since she couldn’t stand many people. Maybe he wasn’t crazy, maybe they were married?
—

Before she had settled in for the night she suggested meeting up to go over plans, so he sent her an address to go to in the afternoon. She said she’d see him then. In the morning she went about her normal routine on checking in with the other Queens, however one of the girls asked about Daisuke. He’d been with her before when checking out the shops? The dots were connecting on paper but, her head didn’t seem to remember anything.

Just as she finished checking in with the girls she was met with a couple officers who told her that they needed to bring her in for some questioning. Where she was last night, what she had been doing…it reeked of Hitoshi. So once again she was brought to the station, questioned for several hours, and was put in the holding cell when they didn’t get anything useful out of her. “Zuki? Pack it up. Your ride is on its way.” Ride, huh? Who was that? She hadn’t called anyone…maybe Ivan was bailing her out? “Next time question the right suspect. Waste of my damn time.” With a heavy sigh she stood to her combat boots and followed the officer to the exit. She played with the ring she had around her neck impatiently. Wasn’t she supposed to meet Daisuke soon? The arrest happened so soon she wasn’t able to tell him about it…it was fine, she’d just explain it to him later.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

All Emi could see through the tears was red. She wanted to beat Crow to a fucking pulp for what he did! Thankfully Akari pulled her into a hug though and the tough exterior she had put up quickly fell. “I-I’m not mad, I could never be mad at you…” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged her best friend tighter than she had ever before. “Don’t hide anything else from me okay? You can talk to me about anything, I’m so sorry that you’ve been struggling with all of this and I wasn’t there to support you. I love that you’re my sister, I think we’re the only two good things that asshole has ever done.” With a small smile she quickly wiped away some of the tears, trying her best to put on a brave face.

However when Kage appeared her smile was gone. All she could do was bite at her lip anxiously and avoid eye contact. She just wanted to disappear, she never wanted him to find out. No one in the past four months comforted her about the loss, all they did was make her feel guilty, like it had been her fault. So when his arms wrapped around her and lifted her up she was quickly caught off guard. Quickly she looked up at him with heated cheeks and bat her lashes a few times, her arms snaking around him slowly in response. “W-Why are you apologizing? You always keep me safe, I was the stupid one thinking I could protect myself and be fine over there. I’m sorry that I failed you.”

She gave a small sad smile as she looked up into his eyes, her face turning a bright red as he touched her stomach and spoke about the afterlife, saying how much the baby was loved. “Please stop apologizing, it’s not your fault. I’m the only one at fault, I got brave a-and I tried to leave and…I’m sorry.” Gently Emi wiped away his tears and gave him a slow nod, her hands moving down to lace her fingers together with his. Seeing Kage cry really broke her up inside, but it only confirmed that he would have been an amazing dad. “Yeah, let’s go home. I’ll tell you everything.”

—

Like promised, once they got home and settled into his room on the couch so they’d have some privacy Emi opened up about everything. She was sick for a while, passed out, went to the hospital and found out she was pregnant. Emi showed Kage the one ultrasound picture she got that showed the baby was a boy, told him how she tried to leave as soon as she got back to the house. Things got violent, she lost the baby and broke a few ribs, and after that they stayed pretty violent. Emi really didn’t care after the loss though, she didn’t feel much after that. It wasn’t pretty but she wanted to try to be as open as she could. She apologized countless times, and after staying up late with him talking she ended up falling asleep cuddled next to him.

Emi didn’t really sleep well anymore, so when she woke up she went to her old room to get dressed in a bright yellow sweater, some black jeans and went to the kitchen to cook some things for everyone. Part of her knew she’d have to apologize to Crow, she was just prepping herself for that later. Unfortunately it was clear that Kage had stocked the fridge, so she just ended up looking for her phone to order food for everyone. That’s when she found over a hundred texts from Hiro and her father, and all she could do was put down her phone after she made the food order. How was she supposed to tell them she was never coming back? did she go back over and tell them, call them, or ghost them?