"Good morning Japan! Man what beautiful weather we are having today! Clouds! Just clouds...
"But getting onto more important news today marks the year anniversary of the infamous phantom thief group DICE's leader being killed!
"These culprits were expertly found with the combined efforts of Kyoko Kirigiri, who also this year has a new partner in Makoto Kirigiri, formerly Naegi. Along Shuichi Saihara! His relationship status is unknown!
"Speaking of the infamous group, both Kirigiri and Saihara have left the case for smaller detective branches to find the remaining members.
"However the capture of these members is unlikely, says Saihara when we approached him about this. Mainly due to the theory the group disbanded after their leaders capture, we can only theorize about their identities as their subordinates still refuses to talk.
"As for what the future holds what can we say? However, it's safe to say that the group of thieves captured the hearts of many and most remain happy by their lack of an arrest.
"Now on to sports news-"
♤~♡~◇~♧
"Table for six please?" I asked it was awkward being alone when requesting the table as I got led to my seat. Come on guys I don't wanna be alone...
After what seemed like hours I could hear some people busting in and being directed to the table. I couldn't believe my eyes, it may have been just a year but I still missed them like crazy.
"Takura! Genkei!" I called and the two ran over, "Mirai! I missed you! Seriously you little gremlin what have you been doing all year?" Takura asked.
"Yeah Mirai, we haven't been able to contact you for a while now until you organized the meet up" Genkei complained flicking my forehead. He had to crouch down low to do that.
"I've been working to get back to school actually, it's been going ok" I explained, "what? Mirai why would you want to go back to school?!" Takura shouted.
"Babe we're in a restaurant" Genkei reminded, "oh yeah..." Takura mumbled, "babe?! Are you two dating?!" I asked shocked, Takura nodded excitedly.
"It happened about a month after DICE split up, Genkei and me got an apartment in Osaka and then we started dating" Takura explained.
Genkei nodded sipping some tea the server has brought, "it's honestly been difficult, I had to find work along with Takura...I might go back to school like you once we have enough money" Genkei mentioned.
"Rents not that bad" Takura scolded, "it's costing us an arm and a leg" Genkei groaned and I could only laugh when the bell at the front door chimed again and I saw the familiar light purple hair and the emotionless face of the man walking with the girl.
"Hey Tsuki, Eiji" I greeted. Takura waved them over and they sat down, "awe I've missed you guys..." Tsuki mumbled, "Tsuki it finally happened," I told her unable to contain my excitement.
"What?" She asked, "the ship sailed, they're dating," I told her and she squealed a little and hugged the two knuckleheads "finally one of my OTP's comes true..." she mumbled.
"Really? That's the first thing you tell her?" Genkei asked annoyed rolling his eyes, "oh-oh gosh I'm sorry" Tsuki apologized, "it's fine I know you can't control your inner shipper" Takura assured.
"That feels even worse..." Tsuki admitted, "so what have you been doing this past year?" I asked, "oh! I've opened up a little flower shop with the money I got from...you know" she told us.
"It's really fun! And I'm learning to make tea with the flowers and things I grow in my garden..." she mumbled. She laughed nervously "its kind of hard...I'm used to waking up smelling Chiasa's horrible cooking...and Mirai screaming about her video games...and Riko snoring..." she lamented.
I didn't scream that loud...
"Now it's just quiet..." she whispered, I nodded. I felt that sort of out of placement as well. I could still remember Kokichi. How he was always laughing and smiling and coming up with so many games for us to play both when we were young and afterward. Along with Chiasa and Takashiro following close behind him getting all of us to join.
To those last days where I had to take out the bucket filled with blood-stained flower petals. His raspy breath and permanent tired and pained expression.
The last time I ever got scolded by Kazue for not getting some take out, and the last time Riko ever hugged me to death.
Was that boy worth all of your pain? If he isn't treating you right I'm going to kill him...
"What about you Eiji?" Genkei asked breaking the ice, "I'm running a bakery" he said simply sipping some tea, "really?! Hey, will you give me a discount if I come over?" Takura asked.
"No" Eiji answered, "what? But we're family...." he groaned. Eiji didn't seem to care, "so you two arrived together?" I asked and Tsuki nodded.
"We moved to the same city, we haven't gotten to see much of each other since our businesses started..." she admitted.
*DING*
"Fatso! You left me to get the table!" I screamed from the other side of the restaurant, "hey I lost weight!" Nao argued, "five pounds does not count if you already gained that weight back" I retorted.
"Nao?" Tsuki called and saw the familiar face walking over. "Mirai this isn't over-" Nao tries to interrupt but I punched him in the gut shutting him up.
"Woah Genkei when was the last time you cut your hair?" Nao asked. It was true Genkei had a man bun now. It wasn't a good look on him.
"We're not getting into the hair issue again" Genkei responded, "so what have you three been doing?" I asked.
"Nothing other than what I told you already" I answered, "it's TRUE all she does is sit around eating potato chips and watching anime!" Nao complained, "and what do you do?" I asked and Nao chuckled nervously.
"Webtoon comics..." he admitted, "I'm going to try and become an animator once we got enough money!" He protested. I rolled my eyes, "I totally buy that" I told him. Nao groaned in protest.
"It's been a year since we all met like this...shame those guys couldn't make it," I said. Takura grinned, "well we all know their serving time for us right now" Tsuki reminded.
"Chiasa and Kazue to..." Takura mumbled. The group fell silent.
"Yeah, that grump isn't done with us in the slightest" Nao boasted, "more like he's going to kill us when we die" Takura reminded. The whole group erupted in laughter as we talked about our current lives.
"Do...do you think we'll ever recover from losing them?" Tsuki asked. The room faded to quiet, "I'm sure that one day he will...we're just going to have to annoy him till he's back to his old self!" I claimed. A few chuckled at that, my mind couldn't help but wander to the leader who was all by himself.
The last time I saw him he looked like he was about to die. I pushed the thought away.
The hours seemed to melt away, this was what we've all been waiting for since the day we all had run away, I'm so glad we're all together again...
Or almost all of us...I couldn't help but think of Kokichi and Chiasa...
"Has anyone got in contact with Kokichi?" Takura asked all of a sudden. The room went silent, "he's fine" Eiji assured. For once he was supportive.
"Its Kokichi, he'll be fine, just takes time" Eiji repeated.
I hope he's right.
♤~♡~One Year Earlier~◇~♧
"Ouma...please don't die...please...stay Ouma...I love you!"
.....
.....
.....
.....
Saihara chan loves me...? He...he actually...loves me...?... I felt warmth overwhelming me as noises seemed to echo throughout the scenery.
Where am I...? I looked around and noticed that I was at some kind of abandoned subway station, the source of light was unknown and all I could see was the bench I was sitting on, and a glass bottle on the floor right in front of me.
In that bottle a single flower. The rose was white originally, I could tell but it looked to be stained a pink color as the thorns seemed to claw at the sides of the jar desperately clinging and trying to find it's a way to the outside.
More of the same color that the rose was stained with. I continued to stare at it as it only seemed to flow more along with how it was staining my hands.
My chest hurt...everything hurts...all I wanted to do was sleep...
"Hey, Kichi you can't sleep yet" a voice rang out as someone sat down next to me on the small bench. I turned around to see Chi staring back at me. I groaned, "I'm tired though..." I whined. She looked at me with pity, "but if you sleep Saihara won't be able to wake you up" she told me.
A sense of guilt-filled for a second, "but if I sleep I won't have to deal with anything anymore...I can just ignore everything that hurts...." I mentioned. The waking world didn't have much to offer me. Chiasa looked at me annoyed, "hey! I thought you had a group to lead mister!" she bantered getting up as the sound of a train was approaching.
My mind went back to DICE and their smiling faces, "fine I guess I'll stay awake a little longer" I told her as she looked at me smiling, "I'm glad then" she told me as the train finally approached mist spilling out as the doors opened.
"WAIT FOR ME!" Kazue screamed from the distance grabbing Chiasa's hand, "seriously how many times are you going to run from me? Are you competing with Saihara and Kokichi on this?" Kazue scolded. Chiasa giggled, "sorry" she apologized looking back at me.
"Bye Kokichi," she said sweetly as stepped in with Kazue and the pair waved goodbye to me. For some reason, the sight of them leaving on the train made me sad....I don't understand...why am I crying?
I got up from the bench and reached down at the jar again opening it up and taking the rose out of its tiny jar as it seemed to bloom in my presence as I headed for the stairs leading to the outside.
♤~♡~◇~♧
I sat next to the boy as the heart monitor synchronously sounded. Ouma had just gotten out of the surgery and the ICU after spending three days there.
It was almost torture watching the boy who I could remember so fondly being so energetic. Now he had an IV strapped on along with a tube to help with his breathing. I guess I should be grateful he is even alive.
They nearly lost him.
"Mr. Saihara?" The doctor addressed and I stood up, "yes?" I asked. The doctor pulled out a clipboard "we're unable to contact the family of the patient, so we're going to disclose the case to you" they said.
I nodded, "the patient was discovered to have the rare but deadly disease of hanahaki, the disease was in its last stage however they were saved before the rose fully invaded his lungs" they explained.
"You are the unrequited love correct?" The doctor asked, "I feel the same way now...but yes" I answered, "and that's what makes his case so confusing, you confessed your feelings in what should've been his last moments of life" the doctor added.
"This caused the rose to disintegrate, and while normally the victim would cough up the remains the patient was in such a weak state it couldn't remove the flowers without surgical treatment" the doctor explained.
"But a miracle occurred, the body of a compatible blood donor was brought in and we managed to do an emergency lung transplant saving the patient here" the doctor said.
"We couldn't preserve the original lungs so that was used as a last resort" the doctor added.
"Is Ouma going to be ok?" I asked the doctor made a so-so hand, "while we can assure you the patient's survival rate is much higher than before we are unsure of how his feelings will respond" the doctor told me.
"How?" I asked, "there are two roads to treating Hanahaki, either the unrequited love reciprocates the feelings and makes it known or through surgery which results in the feelings being removed and sometimes even memories of them" they explained.
"His case is special, having both cures we are...unsure of the results...though we have some theories" the doctor added.
"What are they?" I asked, "we think that Ouma will-"
♤~♡~Present~◇~♧
"So the phantom thief group is still at large we're wondering if you can track them? We've been wondering since they might seek revenge for killing their boss a year ago" The police chief asked. I glanced over at my partner in the other room with the boy holding a Rubik's cube. The leader.
"I'll try and work it in" I lied, "thank you so much sir, it took you and Detective Kirigiri just to find them the first time!" The chief thanked. I could only smile remembering the case from a year ago that introduced me to the thief.
And finally, let me meet the real Ouma. The one I has ignored back when we first met...strange how fate works at a time. I'm sure Ouma can't understand how this works either.
"I'll make sure to try and capture the thieves" I answered and hung up. Ouma was still playing with the cube. "Ouma" I called and he looked over, and waved at me.
For the past year, I and Ouma have started dating and he's moved to Hokkaido with me. My Uncle for weeks couldn't help asking when's the wedding, he's always been like that.
I left my home office and walked into the living room and sat next to him, "you feeling ok?" I asked he nodded. I grabbed the TV remote, "they hired me to try and find the rest of your friends" I told him. Ouma didn't seem to say much.
They won't find them, they didn't even get the leader he wrote on his whiteboard, "true huh? Hey, I'm sorry for bringing it up, I'll try to keep them away from the police as much as possible" I assured. Ouma nodded.
"I'm sorry about your friend by the way..." I told him remembering the red-headed girl. I still barely understood their actions, and I don't know what to feel about them.
I can't believe she's dead. Ouma admitted as he sighed.
"They called me once asking about you...don't you want to talk to them? They really miss you" I told him. Ouma paused, They'll be ok without me he eventually wrote though I knew that was a lie. I let it go, for now, he can't hide from them forever.
"Anything you want to watch?" I asked and Ouma shrugged. I put on some animation films and we watched a movie.
The day he nearly died the roses permanently damaged his lungs and vocal cords. Normally when you cure Hanahaki the results from the flowers are removed but instead, he ended up keeping them. It was the price for still having his feelings for me.
His immune system was also still incredibly weak so we couldn't go out much, but if anything good came out of this...I still had Ouma in my life.
And we still loved each other, so that survived.
"You know I love you right?" I asked Ouma nodded giving me his standard cheeky smile as the movie began. Ironically it was a phantom thief movie from our high school days.
I know he's sad though, he wrote how he doesn't want to see them again because they're better off not knowing what happened to him. Not that Ouma can even leave the house anymore, even a common cold is enough to cause immediate concern.
We might not have much time together due to that...but I want to cherish that time...forever.
To this day though, the legacy of a phantom thief of the night and the detective lives on.
Little do most know it ends with two men, one who's about to propose to the other.