the dense fog permeating the air makes it difficult to see as they approach. certainly, not well enough to make out any identifying features of the body that's been found. as they get closer and park their scooter, naoto braces themselves for the sight ahead. regardless of who it is... it's never easy to see a corpse. their footsteps echo throughout the side street as they step forward, and it almost deafens them with anticipation.
the report had apparently come far later than the ones back in the spring due to poor visibility making it difficult to confirm anything. the sight of the body, tangled up in the wires, once it's within view, makes them want to crumble to their knees. there's no mistaking that blonde hair. the school uniform she tended to wear during their excursions into the midnight channel. it's madoka.
bile threatens to rise in their throat as they instinctively cover their mouth in shock, and naoto isn't sure of whether to look away or not. eyes forcefully squeeze shut as they bear the brunt of the emotional impact all at once. she'd gone in to confront adachi alone, and he'd killed her.
the first thought that comes to mind is to question how she could go in alone like that. maybe it's the denial talking, maybe it's the refusal to process what they're seeing, but the detective stubbornly finds it easier to handle if they shift the blame of the situation somewhere else for just a moment.
... god, they're going to have to be the one to inform the rest of the team. dojima-san. nanako, if she makes it through her hospital visit. it's never fallen on naoto's shoulders, to be the bearer of such horrific news to someone's next of kin, or anything even remotely adjacent to it. they remember how much they themselves lashed out at the man who'd told them their father wasn't coming home when they were still a small child. oh, how it all comes full circle.
they hardly even take a moment to process the ramifications this has for the rest of the town— the world as they know it— if the fog doesn't stop soon, before they duck into an empty alleyway to gain some sense of privacy. left hand moves to take their hat off, setting it on the concrete next to them as they crumple into a seated position against the wall.
deep breaths, naoto. you've suffered loss before. ( yet this one hurts more than any other, doesn't it ? )
things may look bleak now, but you still have the others. ( but who did she have, in her final moments ? )
you can still make things right, in her honor. ( but will that truly bring you closure, or is it just the only thing you can think to do anymore ? )
amidst their bitter internal debate with themselves, naoto doesn't even realize they've started sobbing. sniveling like a child again, tears streaming down their face as they try to right themselves again. it's only been a year or so since they last suffered a loss of this caliber, and yet this one hits them so much harder. hands move to wipe away tears, only to be just as swiftly replaced in no time flat. they wind up just sobbing quietly into their hands, feeling the drops roll down their palms in due time.
their friend, their partner, their lover, madoka yoshinaga... in the wake of losing her, they can't speak anything other than two words, muttered to open air in the quiet of the alleyway they sit in. silently praying that she'll hear them somehow.
" i'm sorry. "
sorry that i forgot everything and everyone from iwatodai.
sorry that i was so hostile during the investigation before remembering.
sorry that i was always so busy with work.
sorry that i couldn't give you all of the time in the world.
sorry that i couldn't have done anything to save you.
how bittersweet, that she can finally meet their mother, like they'd talked about as kids back on tatsumi port island.
they're at least certain she'll love madoka.
( from @sleuthprince. <3 )
" you need to back off. now. " ( from @sleuthprince. <3 )
stirring the pot. [ @sleuthprince. ]
thin brows raise in half faux curiosity, and half mock surprise... as though their words had literally stopped him in his tracks. but the facade hardly lasts, adachi's head tilting to the side, as lips part. he doesn't speak right away, no, merely eyes the teenager with a piqued interest and going through the situation in his mind of just what he'd like to do to the so-called 'detective prince'.
what a brat, he thinks, forcing foot into the discussion just when things were starting to go his way, too.
mitsuo kubo taking the blame had been a relief off his shoulders, not that he was ever too concerned with being caught. yamano was simply an accident. how would he know she would fall into the television like that? how would he know she would ripped apart so miserably, screaming for help that would never come? he smiles at that, mildly sadistic in nature.
then the konishi girl? well, she deserved it. a little attitude and she went in just like the first, though a little lighter... teenagers were smaller, easier to shove through the screen.
nevertheless, adachi takes a couple of steps in retreat, but hardly goes anywhere in particular. hands raise in surrender (although he certainly isn't), and he decides against reaching for his revolver. did it matter if he used his gun in the tv world? what effect would it have? would it do more than allowing the shadows of magatsu inaba rip these idiots apart?
"where's your friends?" he asks, coy, his voice light, a little unsettling if you were to focus on it too, too much. but maybe that was the point. to be unsettling. to be seen as a threat. they knew now, right? what use was it playing dumb? what use was it to hold back? then he does reach for his gun, but instead of drawing it upon the body before him, he begins to walk in a slow, meditated circle. his revolver lifted to scratch just behind his ear.
"the shadows are nearby, you know. who are you without the rest of those brats? surely you don't plan to take me on just by yourself, that would be stupid. but that's what you are, right? stupid. teenagers are stupid. they don't understand what it's like in the real world. to live every day being forced to do something you can't fucking stand. who wants to work? the only fun part of working with the police is this bad boy," he stops, gesturing to the revolver again, this time waving it limply in his hand as his low pace continues in a circle. "do you really think i give a shit about half the criminals in this shithole town? the most exciting thing to come to inaba were the murders, you know, every other day is traffic tickets and littering. this was the real fun."
he stops then, his brow arching as a smug little smile spreads across his mouth, and he tucks the gun back into the holster on his shoulder, hanging lowly underneath his armpit, just against his side. he hesitates not in taking a step back, hand raising to rub irritably against the side of his head, fingers curling into the action, and his voice carries through this messed up world with an echo that hadn't been previously there.
"i'll show you who needs to back off." is said, frustration in his voice, and without a further second, he's summoning his persona. he'd make sure not to run the little shit too hard into the ground... their parents might want an open casket.
spare a smooch for @sleuthprince, if you'd be so kind—
when the door creaks open and and the original detective prince steps through the door, madoka is ready. she's been ready for a while, honestly, hovering near the control panel on the wall so that she can hit the 'prepare bath' button the second her partner gets home. dinner is waiting on the kitchen counter, just needing to be reheated ( but no less delicious for it ). on their table, a bouquet of yellow gerbera daisies and forget me nots sits proudly, tied with a white ribbon. candles are lit while the actual lights are dim, giving the apartment a rather romantic glow.
this would, perhaps, be considered overkill if not for the fact that it's been so rare lately that both madoka and naoto have a free night. between the former's college and the latter's detective work, their schedules haven't lined up very well. some days, they barely got to see each other; a case naoto's pursuing might require them to spend days away from home, or madoka will be coming up on exams or a particularly difficult part of her coursework and need to dedicate any free time to studying.
not tonight, however. tonight nothing matters except each other.
"welcome home, naoto!" madoka practically sings once they've removed their coat and shoes, bounding over to them so she can wrap her arms around them in a warm hug. she doesn't stop there, however, giggling as she captures her beloved's lips in a kiss. the first of many, but she'll give them a chance to settle in and breathe before she buries her prince in affection.
there's time for once, after all.
"good work today," she continues, nuzzling into their cheek before pulling away, "i started a bath for you just now, and dinner's on the counter. take a load off and relax, okay?"
" don't try to hide it. " ( from @sleuthprince, p5r verse. <3 )
glaring doesn't seem to be getting him very far - a rare occurrence - so shinjiro settles for a plain old stare. he can't get a good read on this kid, and for that alone, he's not interested in sharing any information. at the same time though, he can admit to being curious - he does a damn good job of keeping his head down, so anyone who could manage to be suspicious of him anyway has to be pretty damn smart.
well, for what he lacks in opposing wit, shinji makes up for in sheer stubbornness - he'll stonewall this stranger until closing time and beyond, if that's what it takes.
“ you gonna order some food, or what? ” a flawless strategy.
"y'know, it's actually super cool that you like tinkering with stuff. i mean... you made all those gadgets when you were a kid, right? and even recently, you made the mini mechavator... i kinda wish i could do stuff like that. it'd be so handy to be able to just fix stuff around the house... maybe next time you could show me? either way... it's just another amazing thing about you, naoto-kun."
