Kunikida sat at the end of Hibiki's bed, silently going through his notes as he waited for the older man to awake. Various thoughts ran through his mind – most of them centered around (Y/n). Whether he liked it or not, he still cared for her very deeply. Especially after everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks.
His mind wandered to the case involving Sasaki two years prior, how poorly he had treated (Y/n) throughout that time. He pushed up his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his notebook. Of course he had properly apologized to her, but there was always a part of him that wished he had never treated her that way in the first place.
It was almost overwhelming.
Kunikida was yanked away from his thoughts as the door swung open. He turned around, half-expecting to see (Y/n) return from her walk, but was disappointed as he watched a dark-haired man with a sand-colored trench coat enter. He let out a sigh, standing up from the stool as he fully faced him.
"What are you doing in here, Dazai?" he asked, his tone rough as usual.
Dazai held up his hands defensively. "Relax, Kunikida, I'm not here to cause too much chaos today."
Kunikida shook his head. "At least you're aware that you are the source."
"Always have been." Dazai walked past him and around the bed, standing over Hibiki as he kept his hands in his pockets. "So has Hibiki woken up yet? He took a pretty nasty tumble back there."
"Quit referring to Mr. Asagiri so casually," Kunikida snapped. "And no, he hasn't woken up. Seeing his sister's bloody hair really knocked him out – that and the endless search for her."
"Oh." Dazai shrugged and turned back to Kunikida. "Well, have you seen (Y/n)? I've been around the agency and I haven't spotted her yet."
Kunikida let out a short sigh. "No, I haven't for a while now. I came in here earlier to see if she was okay, but she didn't appear to be. She left during our conversation to take a walk."
Dazai didn't say anything in response. He simply brushed past Kunikida in a quick pace as he made a beeline for the door.
"Dazai, what are you doing? Where are you going?"
"The last few times (Y/n)'s been left alone, they've ended very poorly. The first with her getting kidnapped and tortured and the second with her getting a bullet sent through her skull." Dazai gripped the door handle, about to swing it open. "So I'm going after her before something else happens."
Kunikida placed his notebook in his vest and made his way towards the door as well. "Then I'm coming with you – I've been an inconsiderate coworker and a bad friend. The least I can do for (Y/n) is try to be there."
Dazai pursed his lips in a tight smile, nodding once. He turned back towards the door, opening it as he said, "I just hope that we're not too late."
He stopped in his tracks as soon as the door was fully open. Kunikida, who was trying to follow, let out an irritated grunt as he asked, "What's wrong now, Dazai?"
Kunikida soon saw what had caused the sudden stop. There, in the doorway, stood (Y/n). She looked practically the same as she left (unharmed), but with a more determined look on her face rather than upset or devastated.
"Glad I caught you before you guys took off somewhere," she began, "because I might have a lead that'll assist us in our search for Hinami."
(Y/n) led Kunikida and Dazai towards the conference room, neither of them knowing what lead she had found in such a short amount of time. She quickly opened the door, not pausing for a moment – Kunikida wasn't even sure he had even seen her open the door before she was inside.
There sat a boy around Atsushi's age, maybe a little older, with jet black hair. He had on a pair of round glasses, which were surprisingly clean compared to his ragged clothes. He wore a gray sweatshirt with a large tear on his left elbow and a pair of jeans that were dirty and covered in holes (whether they were intentionally there or not was up to anyone).
His leg bounced up and down as he fiddled with his fingers on the table. His dark eyes flickered around the room, often going to the large window opposite the door.
"Dazai, Kunikida," (Y/n) said, gesturing to the boy, "this is Nico Soma – our lead."
Kunikida stared at Nico for a moment, causing him to swallow nervously. Dazai blinked a couple times, stepping past his partner and to (Y/n).
"(Y/n)... what connection does this boy have to our current case?" Dazai inquired, pulling his hands out to take hers. "Did you just find him in an alleyway?"
She hissed through her teeth. "Technically, yes, but that's not where I met him." She pulled her hands from Dazai and walked over to Nico. "I originally met Nico after he was about to drown from some other homeless kids throwing him in – after it was revealed that he planned to warn me about Usotsuki. He has a direct connection to Usotsuki and that means that he might know where Hinami is!"
Dazai and Kunikida shared a look. Kunikida furrowed his brows and turned back to (Y/n). "Usotsuki, (Y/n)? Aimi was here and then taken away by police long before Hinami went missing. There's no way that—"
"That's not true, Kunikida." She cut him off, her tone sharp but not harsh. "Aimi wasn't working alone, she hired children that roamed the streets to spy on me – which means that she'd have information on anyone important to me." She gestured to Nico. "Nico was one of the children hired."
Kunikida and Dazai looked to Nico. He quickly nodded as soon as their eyes fell onto him. "It's true. I worked for Usotsuki, or Aimi, or whatever her name is."
"Alright then," Kunikida walked towards Nico, standing across from him at the table, "where would Miss Asagiri be held if Usotsuki, or Aimi, were still somehow responsible?"
"Well, there's two places that this missing woman could be held at," Nico began, rubbing his knuckles as he continued to fidget with his hands, "one could be where Usotsuki would always meet us to exchange payment and information: the old shoe factory on the outskirts of Yokohama."
Dazai shook his head. "That wouldn't be possible – the Port Mafia used to use that place for their own meetings occasionally. If they still did, Hinami and whoever is there with her would be caught and killed."
(Y/n) swallowed hard. "What's the second place?"
"The second," Nico began to relax slightly, his leg bouncing less violently, "is at an old apartment building in the more run-down part of Yokohama. Usotsuki would always have a couple of the older kids go there for more important meetings and plans. I got to go three times before I decided to try and get some help for whoever would be killed by Usotsuki – that being (Y/n)."
The three detectives shared a similar look: This is the place.
(Y/n) clenched her fists, straightening her posture as she said, "Show us the place."
(Y/n) changed from her usual attire into an outfit similar to the one she wore when she went with Dazai to retrieve Q: a pair of black leggings with boots, a black t-shirt, and the same jacket she had worn that night. Despite its tears in the sleeves and hood, it was the first item that came to her mind when she changed from the (f/c) raincoat.
She checked the pistol that rested in her thigh holster as she walked through the agency. She came to a stop as she looked down the hallway, spotting Yosano's recovery room.
She let out a sigh and walked towards it, finding the door cracked open and two voices speaking inside. One of them she instantly recognized as Yosano's, while the other took a little bit longer to recognize.
(Y/n) pushed the door open, finding Yosano checking on Hibiki as he sat up. The bags under his eyes were smaller and his face looked less exhausted – his eyes no longer had the sparkle they usually had when he entered a room and the color was drained from his face.
Yosano looked up from Hibiki's arm as she spotted (Y/n) walking in. "Ah! Were you about to leave, (Y/n)?"
"Yeah, Kunikida's making his final preparations and Dazai's with Nico now," (Y/n) responded, her voice quieter than it usually was.
"'Preparations'?" Hibiki repeated, his voice hoarse. "Preparations for what?"
Yosano looked back to (Y/n). She quickly pulled her equipment away and left the room, leaving the two alone.
(Y/n) let out a sigh, taking a couple steps towards him. Her boots slightly clicked against the marble, creating a sound in the near-silent space.
"We've got a promising lead in where Hinami might be. A couple detectives and I are going there now to see if she's there." (Y/n)'s voice was gentle and quiet, but her tone was unwavering. "There's a good chance we're going to find her."
Hibiki let out a dry chuckle, almost causing (Y/n) to raise an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic sound. "I spend half a day and an entire night searching for my sister and you managed to possibly find her in a couple hours." He shook his head in disbelief. "Hinami was right – you really are meant for this job."
(Y/n) sniffled, rubbing her eye as she felt the tears forming. She cleared her throat before responding, "I'm going to find her, Hibiki. I promise."