July 11, 2017 Takemichi
Sitting on a small clinic cot Takemichi found himself changed out of his original wet clothes and into a change of fresh clothes while drying his hair off with a clean white towel. The clinic he sat in was the Shimizu Family Clinic that was owned by Yayoi and her family. Though he and his sister's best friend had never been close, Takemichi was no stranger to the clinic that his sister and he frequented for treatment or help.
The Shimizu clinic was known as a very open and very supportive clinic towards the community. Many families with financial struggles, or kids who'd gotten into scuffles here and there were known to come to the clinic. Takemichi remembered some of his many visits to the clinic in his youth as, at least as far as Takemichi remembered, the clinic was one willing to work with people to get the treatment or help they needed.
'Then again it's been years since I've last been here.' Takemichi silently thought, giving the private office space a quick once over, 'It's definitely changed a bit over the past twelve years. Me and my friends wouldn't even come here to get treated after we were made Kiyomasa-kun's slaves, not with how risky it was that Yayoi might spill to Meimei or even worse... Meimei being here to catch us.' He recalled, remembering how the guys and he had started to get good at first aid just because of those past events.
Looking towards the doctor's desk, Takemichi froze. Standing up from his seat the towel fell, being left behind as the dark-haired man made his way over to the desk. Finding an array of photos from over the years framed on the desk... but the one that stood out most was of his sister and Yayoi from twelves years in the past posing and smiling at the beach with Mikey, Draken, a blonde-haired girl, and a whole bunch of other boys he had never seen. 'Huh, when-?'
"You okay with coffee?" Yayoi walked in, carrying two mugs of hot coffee in hand as she walked up towards Takemichi.
"Um yeah, uh--" Takemichi began to respond as he took the offered beverage from Yayoi. Looking down at the drink a bit concerned.
"Don't worry." Yayoi took a seat on her desk chair, "It's not poison."
"Like I was actually worried about that!" Takemichi rapidly exclaimed, 'Should I be?!'
"Chill idiot. It was a joke." Yayoi sighed, "I made it the same way your sister took her's. I seem to remember that was the only way you could handle it the first time you tried some." Yayoi muttered nostalgically, gazing down at her own dark brew as Takemichi looked down at his own mug solemnly.
"Oh... thank you." Looking back over at the framed pictures he shook his head before asking. "So um... I've got a question?" Takemichi began only to be stopped as he was met with a raised hand of silence from Yayoi as opened what looked like a pack of cigarettes before his eyes with one hand. '... She smokes?'
"Answer mine first." Placing a cigarette in her mouth she offered Takemichi some, only for the young man to aggressively shake his head.
"Oh, I don't smoke!"
"They're candy, dumbass."
"Oh... um, sure." He took one then and bit into the chalky sweet, 'Minty.'
Hiding a laugh behind a cough, Yayoi only shook her head. "God, you haven't changed."
"Um... Thanks for the change of clothes." Takemichi then said awkwardly, pulling at the shirt he'd been given. 'Though where'd she get men's clothes from.'
Shrugging, Yayoi pulled another candy cigarette out to eat. "No problem, my husband keeps a spare set of clothes here for when we both get off of work late. Or he decides to spend the night here with me." She casually explained making Takemichi's mood lighten slightly.
"Oh! You're married now." He noticed the wedding band than on her ring finger. "Congratulations, I guess I can't call you Shimizu anymore huh."
"Nope, you still can."
"Huh?"
"I kept my maiden name." Yayoi bluntly replied. "It's the name I had when I became a Doctor and it'd be a pain to change it, especially with the clinic's name."
"Oh..." Takemichi replied, 'I guess that makes sense.'
"So... my question?"
"Oh, um... Right. Uh, what was your question?" Takemichi nervously questioned as Yayoi stared him down with her deep emerald eyes.
"You said you were pushed into train rails right? Was that why you never tried to get into contact or appear at your sister's wake?" Yayoi asked, causing Takemichi to begin to sweat a bit in place.
"Uh... Yeah." He nervously replied, 'I mean that's sorta true.'
"Was that why you were passed out, were out all this time?" She asked, face becoming filled with concern as she began to give Takemichi a better once over. "You do look a bit paler than before..."
"..." Eye's becoming wide, Takemichi's jaw dropped as he openly gaped at the red-haired woman, "Wait! Huh?! How do you know about that?" He exclaimed, almost dropping his mug as he jumped away from the red-haired woman.
"Well, that would be because Naoto-kun called me over for a consultation and supplies. How else do you think he got that equipment? Magic? He may be a cop, but he can't just stroll into any clinic or hospital and flash a badge to get what he wants... Well, at least not without gaining specific clearance from his bosses." Yayoi simply replied, "I'll admit, I didn't realize it was you at the time, but given what you just said, and what I saw..." Her brows furrowed and her lips dipped into a frown from around her chalky sweet. Standing from her seat she bowed, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?!"
"What I said back then, at the cemetery, it was all wrong," Yayoi explained as she slowly stood up back straight, face now stricken with regret. "If I'd realized sooner that was you comatose in Naoto-kun's apartment I wouldn't have said such cruel words to you. You had legitimate reasons."
"Oh..." Takemichi mumbled in surprise, "And I guess you wouldn't have hit me too."
"..."
Pointing to himself, Takemichi nervously repeated, "And you wouldn't have hit me, right?" She smiled at him and Takemichi shivered as he noted how similar the look was to one his sister used to give him. 'She still would have hit me.'
Dropping her smile, Yayoi frowned as she fell back into her seat with her arms crossed. "Though that begs the question, how did you get pushed into train rails..." Eye's becoming filled with concern she asked, "You... you didn't–"
"No!" Takemichi quickly exclaimed, "I... I would never! Akkun was the one who–" His hand shot up to cover his mouth.
"Akkun..." Yayoi's eyes became wide with shock. "Atsushi-kun pushed you!" She exclaimed in shock, slamming her hands on her chair's arms. "B... but he's–" She stopped, facing becoming pale as her left hand rose to cover her mouth. "Oh goodness... Is that why he..."
'Committed suicide.' Takemichi sadly thought.
"I can't... believe it. Why would he–" Takemichi could only shake his head, not sure what he could even say to Yayoi with everything that had occurred. Sighing, Yayoi could not help but cover her eyes, "... It seems like death wants to haunt all our steps this year."
"Yeah..." Leaning back on Yayoi's desk, Takemichi couldn't help but frown. "... Um, so I answered your question. Does this mean you'll answer mine now?"
Dragging her hand away from her eyes Yayoi sighed nodding, "Yeah. Hit me."
"..." Silently staring at the older woman, Takemichi began to contemplate his next question, 'Do I ask about why she was so scared back at Meimei's grave?' The image of Yayoi's fear-stricken face flashed through his mind, 'Do I ask about who 'he' is?' His mind replayed Yayoi's words.
"He'll kill you if he sees you! He'll definitely snap!"
"Oh!" Yayoi suddenly exclaimed, reaching in her lab coat's pocket. "I almost forgot, this was in your pants." She held up a familiar now slightly damp letter to him. "Luckily I pulled it out before stuffing your clothes in the drier. Don't worry, I made sure not to read it."
Takemichi's eyes became wide as he recalled a certain line within the letter.
"In truth, I want to share them with you, this life-altering change."
'That's it...' Feeling tears well up in his eyes again, the dark-haired male gently took the letter from the red-haired woman's hands. Pulling the letter close he closed his eyes, before taking a deep breath. "... Yayoi-san." Looking at the green-eyed woman he trembled a bit in place. "Do you... Do you have any idea on what news Meimei was trying to tell me before she died? When I showed Naoto he was just as much in the dark as I was." Holding back out the letter to the older woman, as she frowned at his question. "I would kind of hope you'd know, given that you are... were, her best friend."
Taking the letter from his hands once again, she opened it and began to scan through the page. Brows furrowing, as she read more and more of the letter. Reaching the end she sighed and returned the letter to Takemichi, slouching on her seat to hold her head as her eyes were hidden by her bangs. "Of course, she'd try to tell you..."
"Yayoi-san...?"
Sighing once more loudly, she leaned back in her seat. Staring vaguely up at her clinic's ceiling, before asking. "I don't think I should tell you."
"So you do know!" Takemichi exclaimed hopeful, "Please Yayoi-san–"
"Telling you now won't change anything." She turned her seat away from him, "If anything... It'll only make her death worse." She almost inaudibly muttered, Takemichi hands clenching into a fist by his side as he glared at the back of the woman's head.
"Please, I need to know!" Takemichi desperately demanded, moving to try and force Yayoi to look him in the eye.
"Even if knowing only makes it worse." He froze as he was met with a dark glare from Yayoi.
He shivered but refused to back down. "Even if..." He nodded, "She was my sister, I have the right to know her final message to me."
"You? Have the right?" She almost growled. Yayoi's eyes flashed with rage, and she jumped from her seat pointing an accusatory finger in Takemichi's chest as she yelled. "You lost the right to be a part of her family when you ran away! Why do you suddenly care about them now?" She froze and paled. "Shit..." She whispered.
Takemichi's eyes became wide, "Them? What do you mean by..." His heart stopped, his stomach twisted into knots as his legs gave way underneath him and he fell back on his butt.
"I want you to be there with me while it happens, I want you to be a part of it. I want us to be a family again."
His sister's letter once more flashed through his mind, and his hand flew up to his mouth as bile rose up from his throat. "Takemichi!" Yayoi's hands flew to a small trash bin by her desk and tried handing it to him, "Here! Throw up in here!"
Tear's leaked from the corner of his eyes, grabbing the bin he hurled. Gagging and heaving as he lost everything and anything from his stomach. 'Pregnant!?' He thought crying, Yayoi kneeling by his side. Voice muffled as she tried calming the shocked male. 'She was pregnant!' He sobbed, 'I didn't just lose Hina, and Mei-nee that night.' His throat constricted and he struggled to not wail, as sobbed out. "I... was going to be an uncle..."
Yayoi's eyes filled with tears, seeing the distraught look in the males' eyes as the realization sunk in. She reluctantly nodded, "Yes... She was just around three months along, I was the doctor who'd confirmed it... Takemichi, I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean to let it slip! I told you it would only make it worse." She cried, as Takemichi shakingly looked up at Yayoi wide-eyed.
"That man, the one you were afraid to run into cause he'd kill me. Was he... was he..."
Yayoi could only close her eyes, and nod sadly. "Yeah... He was Mei's lover... and the father of her child."
Takemichi's eyes welled up more, collapsing into the older woman's arms and crying. The present was only getting worse and worse the longer he stayed. 'Memei...!'
Wrapping her arms, around Takemichi shaking and sobbing form. Yayoi could only cry silently. Her heartbreaking for him, and the loss of her friend. 'I was wrong, Takemichi... I was wrong... You really do care... I'm sorry.'
July 11, 2017 Naoto
Passing back and forth within his office Naoto, kept glancing at his laptop's clock.
11:45 pm
"Where are you Takemichi-kun?" He worriedly muttered, "I should have never agreed to letting you go on your–" His office door opened, and his head snapped back to see Takemichi tiredly walk in. "Takemichi-kun! Your back, I was starting to get worried. You've been gone all day, what happened?" Naoto concernedly asked, noting the ragged look Takemichi had left with seemed to have gotten worse. "Are you... okay?"
Looking down at his feet Takemichi nodded, "Yeah. Yeah... I just... I ran into Yayoi-san."
"Ah, Shimizu-sensei." Naoto gasped, staring at Takemichi in shock. "You ran into her?"
Walking past Naoto, Takemichi nodded. "Yeah... She was visiting Mei-nee's grave." Sitting down on Naoto's couch he tiredly smiled up at Naoto. "She told me that she was the contact you got the stuff to take care of my body while I was in the past. Sorry for being such a hassle."
Frowning at the older man's words Naoto crossed his arms over his chest, "It was honestly not as bad as you think. At least thanks to it being Shimizu-sensei, she didn't ask many questions and trusted that my reasons were sound... I should probably be questioning that more myself though." Naoto quietly muttered under his breath, glancing off to the side where the medical supplies Yayoi had given them sat.
Sadly smiling up at Naoto, Takemichi added. "I showed her the letter."
Eyes widening, Naoto's gaze snapped back towards Takemichi. "You did?" Hand flying to his chin he mutters, "Wait, no of course. If anyone knew what Mei-nee was wanting to tell you in her letter, then it would be Shimizu-sensei. She's the only other person, outside my sister, that probably would have known." Looking cautiously towards Takemichi he asked, "Did she?"
Nodding Takemichi looked down at his hands. "Yeah..."
"...And?"
Takemichi frowned as he looked up at Naoto, "She was trying to tell me... That I was going to be an uncle."
"An uncle!" Naoto exclaimed, heart, dropping to his stomach. "You mean Mei-nee was..."
"So you didn't know?" Takemichi cautiously asked as Naoto angrily shook his head.
"No!" Glaring towards the board that held Mikey's and Kisaki's picture he growled, "The damage my sister and Mei-nee's bodies sustained was too great for an autopsy to be done..." His hands clenched into fists as he looked down at the ground, "We couldn't even have an open casket for them if we'd wanted."
"I see..." Takemichi sadly muttered looking down, he laughed under his breath. "So you were in the dark just as much as I was..."
Ashamed Naoto nodded, "I can't believe I didn't see the signs... In hindsight, they were there."
He recalled seeing Meiko pale and seeing her avoid certain drinks and food. He remembers seeing her become ill over his cologne when he'd come to see her at her shop, remembers how Hina stopped wearing perfume after Meiko reacted with throwing up when Hina had tried to share the new scent. She'd been eating more, there was a glow to her face and her eyes...
"I should have seen them!" He angrily hissed, no longer was it only his sister and Takemichi's they lost that horrible night... Now they knew there had been a third, another innocent soul snuffed out before it even had the chance to live.
Eye's narrowing, Naoto looked at Takemichi curiously, "Wait... That begs the question though, who's the father?"
"You don't know?" Takemichi almost exclaimed in shock as Naoto shook his head.
"No... As far as I knew your sister was happily single, perhaps mine knew but..." Entering a thinking pose he asked, "Is it Sendo?"
Takemichi quickly shook his head, "No. Akkun and Mei-nee never had that sort of relationship, cross my heart." He made the gesture as he said this.
"Then who...? Did Shimizu-sensei say?"
Frowning Takemichi could not help but stare down at the ground, "No... But apparently, I almost ran into the guy today at Meimei's grave."
"What?" Naoto gasped, "Wait, what do you mean almost? Why didn't you then?"
"Yayoi-san dragged me away." Takemichi explained, "She said if he saw me, he'd kill me."
Frowning, Naoto felt his stomach twist in dread and concern, "That's a little dramatic don't you think."
"Yeah, but the thing is..." He met Naoto's gaze head-on and seriously, "Yayoi-san really believed it, she was so terrified she dragged me out of the cemetery. It almost reminded me of the way Akkun spoke of Kisaki." He nervously admitted watching Naoto frown as he turned his gaze towards the open laptop.
"That doesn't sound very reassuring. Did she at least tell you who they were?"
"No." Takemichi regretfully admitted, "She refused to say more on the matter, and honestly... I didn't know if I could bring myself to ask. Knowing how much they seemed to hate me."
"Takemichi-kun." Naoto began with a scolding tone to his voice, as the other man groaned, grabbing his head.
"I know! I know! I should have made her tell me like I did my sister's message." He grumbled ruffling his own head, "I just... It was just too much, I couldn't really think all that straight after all these bombs that had been dropped."
Sighing Naoto could only hold his head, "I... I understand, but the fact still remains." He stared Takemichi down. "Mei-nee was apparently still in contact with Sendo, and Sendo was a part of Toman's upper echelon, and one of Kisaki's soldiers... What if–"
"No." Takemichi cut him off.
"It's something to consider."
"It's not!" Takemichi tried to defensively snap, as Naoto only stared him down.
"There is no evidence to say she was–"
"Naoto." Takemichi angrily warned, but Naoto only stared at him coldly.
"But there is the chance your sister has connections to Toman that we don't know about."
Takemichi shot up from his seat, "There's no way!" He yelled, "My sister..." The image of the past Meiko smiling at him flashed through his mind, "There is no way my sister..." The picture in Yayoi's clinic office flashed through his mind, and he angrily shut his eyes tight. "There's no way my sister would ever willingly get involved with Toman! Especially not the evil Toman of this time! She could never just turn a blind eye and stand by while innocent people get hurt."
Silence fell upon the office, as Naoto watched Takemichi shake in place. Frowning he turned away from his partner, having to clench tight his own fist as he felt himself shake at the mere notion of what he had put forward, and yet... "It's just something to consider." He tried sending Takemichi a reassuring look, "I'm sure that... Whatever her connection, she is probably innocent. You're right in that Mei-nee isn't the type of person to just turn a blind eye." Walking to his desk, he once more began to open up files and archives upon the device. "There's no way she'd be involved with Toman if she knew half the things they've done... But even still with her business, it is still a possibility. "
"What do you mean?" Takemichi cautiously asked, giving Naoto a concerned look.
"It's nothing illegal really, it's not even anything you could say could be questionable." Pulling out his phone he sent Takemichi a link. "Here, take a look."
Opening the link on his own phone, Takemichi frowned. "Butterfly Effect Cafe... Wait, I've heard of that place!" Takemichi exclaimed, looking at Naoto in shock. "This place is supposedly really popular with the newer generation and some of our own for openly supporting the supposed outcasts of society. This was... her business?"
Nodding Naoto sighed, "Yeah... Your sister was known for employing a lot of people who society would have deemed useless or no good, a lot of ex-delinquents with records, people with certain... issues, or part of certain movements."
Swiping through some of the photos posted on the cafe, Takemichi smiled as he noticed his sister, Yayoi, and some teens waving different flags from the LGBTQ+ community, and even her serving drinks for a get-together for what seemed to be a teen support group. There were people with tattoos openly showing them in the store, people dressed in both regular and more eccentric outfits. The atmosphere was warm, it was open and supportive...
Everything his sister was in that shop, and the people there happily enjoyed it.
Shaking in his spot, Takemichi muttered, "But if this is how my sister's work went... How can you think she'd ever be connected to Toman outside Akkun?"
"It's unfortunately because of her work. That's what makes it possible." Naoto sighed, "I'll admit, your sister would ask me to do more thorough background checks when it came to the people she planned to hire. Outside committed offenders of highly... inappropriate sexual matters." He shuttered in disgust, "And those who seemed to be repeat offenders, your sister was willing to give a lot of people the second chances they needed to get their lives in order." Turning to look at his screen he added, "A lot of them were known to have had past gang connections or to have fallen into the wrong crowd due to both external and internal circumstances. Your sister was definitely too kind at times for her own good... I'd hate to think that nature may have helped place a target on her."
Clenching his hands into a fist, Takemichi sent Naoto a determined glare. "... Have you found anything yet about Draken?"
"Not yet... We have twelve years' worth of records to look over and through, so it might take a bit. Especially with me looking into if Mei-nee had any Toman connections beyond just Sendo."
Frowning, Takemichi looked towards Naoto, "...What can I do to help?"
Slowly turning back to the older male, Naoto responded with the only way he felt it was best that he could. "Rest, and mourn. It's just like you said, after all, the past few days have been nothing but bomb after bomb on your mental and emotional fortitude." Turning away from Takemichi he returned to his searching, "Maybe even see if you can't find out about Mei-nee's lover from Shimizu-sensei. I can't very well say why but... I can't help but feel concerned with what little we know about this mystery man."
Looking down, Takemichi could not help but agree, 'Yeah... Me too Naoto... Me too.'
July 12, 2017 Yayoi
Longingly staring at the pictures that decorated her desk Yayoi sighed, as she heard her cell go off. Picking up the phone the caller ID read unknown, but she picked up anyway. "Yes~"
"He was at her grave. Wasn't he?"
Silently breathing through her nose, Yayoi composed herself. "Mikey-san, it's been a bit. Who's this he you speak of?"
"Don't play coy Yaichi." She shivered at the almost venomously kind way he worded this, "You know exactly who I mean... Hanagaki Takemichi."
Mouth running dry she wet her lips, "Oh, him. Yes, I saw. He finally woke up from his coma." The line went silent from the other side.
"...Coma?"
Hearing the curious tone to his serious question Yayoi almost sighed in relief, "Yes. It seems the poor boy was in an accident not too long after Mei's death. Pushed onto train tracks by Sendo Atsushi. That's why he was a complete no-show till now."
'Kisaki.' Gripping his hold on the burner phone he used, Mikey glare darkened as he stared out at the city skyline at night. "Is there any proof?"
"Treated the poor boy myself. Didn't realize who he was at the time or even just what was wrong, but he was out, I can tell you that much. Is that good enough?" More silence, her hands clutching at the arms of her chair, the line went dead and she sighed a sigh of relief. "Apparently yes..." She all but whispered before looking at the image of her dearly departed friend solemnly, "Glad to see he still hasn't gone too far over the edge, you owe me for trying to help look after that man of yours."
Rising from her seat she picked up her finished mug and began to walk away. "Though... I don't know how much I can do to try and keep that idiot brother of yours from the jaws of Kisaki or Mikey." Turning off her office light, she looked back at the darkened room solemnly, "There's no telling who now, would be the lesser of two evils." She shut the door tight behind her and began to walk away.