10Chapter 2
"Neuro!" Yako ran to him as a cloaked man removed his hand through Neuro.
Neuro fell limp on the ground, unmoving. Yako's eyes began to accumulate tears. She looked at the cloaked floating in the air. "Who are you!? What did you do to him!?" she glared at the cloaked man.
"Nougami Neuro is no longer needed in the Demon world for we have to exterminate him for good. Be thankful. He wouldn't be bothering you anymore. Doesn't he make your life like hell? You're now released from him. Be free, Katsuragi Yako" The cloaked man just disappeared like a mist in the sky.
"How did this case turned out like this?" she sobbed "He just got back….you're not someone who can decide which people make my life miserable. Neuro is….Neuro…"
Yako then shouted on top of her lungs . The police came afterwards. Sad that they saw the reaction of their detective to the death of her assistant.
Yako woke up with a start, breathing heavily. Panic in her features can be noticed and she began to examine her surroundings. She realized she was on a plane. Now, she remembers. It was her trip back from Africa after a hard case of a myth-related murder in a village. She admit, she was glad that she's alive after facing a myth monster only it turned out to be just someone using the myth to extract his revenge, for a chance to have a higher position for his family. After that, she was quiet.
'In a plane, huh?'
She looked at the window on her left, lost in thought. Flashing in her memories the image of Neuro outside the window of the plane, announcing he was back.
She sighed then a hand suddenly overlapped with hers drawing her attention from the window to the person next to her who just returned on his seat beside her.
"You're awake" he said with a smile.
"I see, you're back from your little excursion of the small plane" she giggled.
"Went to the restroom. It's finally a day where I could quietly have space without any anxiety that a murderer will stalk behind me" He said joking.
"Touché" it makes her remember the old cases that she felt the same but it was so much different now than before. Back then, she always knew that whenever she's in danger, she will be saved by someone. Particularly, a certain demon.
This brought up a hint of anguish in her usual smile, looking again at the window. The sudden change of expression in Yako's face didn't go unnoticed by her companion.
"You still can't forget what happened, do you?" Yako glanced at him and gave a small kiss on his cheek to comfort him. But to her companion, it was nothing but cold.
"Sorry, Haruse. I don't want to hurt you seeing me like this. It's just, after all these months, I can't-" her sentence was suddenly cut off by warm lips intertwining with hers, giving her a deep, passionate kiss. She was startled and fought. She later gave in to the warmth and care that she felt with the person with her now. It was a few seconds before they finally parted, catching each other's breath as their foreheads rests with each other.
"Yako" Haruse putting her index and thumb on Yako's chin.
"Hmm?" Yako said with closed eyes and opened them gazing at her companion's tantalizing crimson eyes.
"It's fine that you hurt me than me seeing you being hurt. It hurts more. I'll be here and always be until the day you forget about what happened and about him. I love you, Yako" he beamed a smile looking only in her eyes.
"Thank you, Haruse" That's what she only said as she turned her head on his shoulder and rested again. They we're quiet, the remaining hours of their trip back to Japan. She knew she was safe with Haruse, her assistant after Neuro even though she knew it was the other way around back then. But something in her still makes her think that everything that happened to Neuro was a dream, somewhere deep in her knew that Neuro will come back. She only wished that this feeling will stop, it doesn't make her feel better. She's only holding onto false hope, that someday that she'll see the one who holds a big place in her heart.
The plane landed at the airport three hours later. As they got off, they we're surprised to see two people they know waiting for them at the bench, one with blonde spiky hair and a certain hacker at his side.
"Godai! Higuchi! What are you doing here?" She said surprised by their sudden appearance. They shouldn't be here waiting for us. They should be working now in their respected places.
"We went to escort you, lovebirds" Godai smirked. "Guess who need ya'"
Yako's eyes flew to Higuchi and knew what Godai was talking about.
"A case" Higuchi said smiling.
"I should've known. You've brought work with you."
"Well, there goes being a detective. We'll never outrun these kind of things, do we Yako?" Haruse smirked.
"You'll never know how much I tried" she said giggling with excitement. "We don't have any other choice, do we? What do you think, Haruse? Care for a spin?"
"I'll roll if I have to" Haruse said. They both laughed.
"Maybe you shouldn't. Rolling isn't really your forte"
"And what would that be if it wasn't rolling?"
"Trapping. Cornering your pray, don't try to deny it. I'm with you a good lot of times in our cases" She smiled waiting for a daring comeback from her assistant.
"Oh? Does that include you?" leaving a glint of pride in his crimson eyes.
"Don't know. I'm not the one who's making the crimes" she grinned.
They laughed together as they caught each other's eyes.
"Oh brother! Can we go now? There is much more important business to attend to than flirting in the airport" Godai complained.
"Oh well, shall we then?" Haruse held his luggage as he reached his hand in front of Yako.
"Glady, Haruse Takada" She accepted the offered hand to her and walked to the direction of the gate.
Godai and Higuchi followed behind them. It made Higuchi wonder how amazing it is that Yako is as astonishingly dazzling as the first time he saw her. She grown into a fine detective and now the most famous negotiator that the world has known. She really made a name for herself. He thought that would be lost after what happened to Neuro, he was best at his work too. He, then, talked to Godai who was walking beside him, curious of what he thinks with his co-workers before this new relationship between Haruse and Yako.
"They really do look happy especially Yako. After Neuro died, I thought she was a goner, never to recover"
"Well, she's a strong girl. You'll have to give her that except that it's more annoying now than the time with Neuro. Every day with them, I have to bear this mushy scenes. I was better off with Neuro pestering me all the time than seeing this get up"
"Do you? I thought you would be glad that Neuro wasn't around"
"Heh! That man was a big load of bullcrap but he saved many people with Yako. When I just see the kid happy with that jerk, it makes me bear the pest Neuro on my case"
"Oh? You care a lot about Yako"
"I'm just returning a favor and a debt I have with them. I only owe Yako originally, not that madman"
'Just like a loyal dog.' He thought smiling, laughing at the thought.
They were a few kilometers from their destination that they continued to talk inside the car. It was Yako's turn to talk.
"Higuchi, what's the case anyway? You haven't told us yet"
"Ah. It's a case of a missing person. During a magic act inside a carnival, the magician used their usual girl to perform the same act they do during the show. Unexpectedly, at that day, it harbored a different result. The magician knew that act that she is purposely to disappear but when he performed her trick to bring her back, the woman didn't return. Instead, inside the box where she should reappear, it contained a slash made by large, gigantic claws like it's more than an animal that has been there. More like claws made by a demon like what the people say around there."
"A demon?" Haruse's face didn't hide his excitement and curiosity.
"Do you have an image of the box?"
"No. I don't have it. The people in the carnival said that it was cursed so they were against that it is forbidden that people take pictures of it, like they're protecting it if you look at it more closely."
"Hmmm. Better check it out. Is there any news from the police about the missing girl?" Yako pondering the situation.
"No. Nothing that I-" Higuchi's phone rang and took it from his pocket and answered. Yako and Haruse looked at him eagerly, curious as of what happened.
Higuchi suddenly raised his voice on the phone. "What? Are you sure? Alright we're going there as fast as we can" Higuchi said ending the call and turned to look at them.
"What happened?" Yako carefull asked.
"The missing girl, she was found. She's inside a luggage back her arms and legs separated" He paused.
"Higuchi?" Haruse spoke worried.
"Yako. Inside the bag, there was also a note with the woman" he looked serious.
"A note? What does it say?"
"Tell me if you know this. The note says 'Remember me, Louse?'"
Godai's and Yako's eyes shot open at what they heard. Yako recognized those words from anywhere and Godai lost his control of the car for a second at the surprise. She knows only a certain someone who only calls her that. And that person is….
"Neuro…. " She said it clearly, astonished.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this second chapter. More coming up, don't lose hope. Till' next time.