SGT. KANAKO KOJIMA POV:
"In all my career, I have never encountered anything like this."
Aha…admittedly, I've always wanted to say that. Even though, truth be told, I've only been on the force for a little over four years…
But still, it's still true—
First of all, because it's a suicide bombing…in Japan! Something that's virtually unheard of!
And what a mess it's left behind for forensics! The whole place went up in flames...
It could've been much worse, though: the intended target was a young man living in the apartment, who goes by Shuichi Hanzo...that not only made it out alive, but with barely a scratch on him!
The EMTs shrugged, and told me it's an unexplainable anomaly.
The on-scene psychiatrist tried to analyze him...and got told to "eat a dick."
Haha, should I include that line in the report?
Anyway, if you ask me, either this Hanzo guy is John Wick...or the luckiest dude in all of Japan!
I have him in my squad car, with the heat turned up, and he looks...bored, more than anything. In fact it's honestly a bit disconcerting. Possibly a sign of post-traumatic shock.
I tap on the window and he scrolls it down.
"Hanzo-san...are you sure you're feeling okay?" I ask, just to be sure.
He groans, annoyed. "Didn't I already get checked out? I'm fine. Quit bothering me, lady."
"Wait—" I grab him by the arm, turning it so that his palm is held out in front of me. "Those scratches that were on your hand earlier…they're—"
Completely gone!
But...that's not possible, right? Wounds can't heal so quickly...
"Get your hands off me!" He snatches his hand away, showing me his back.
"How is that possible?"
"Just go!" He insists. "I just want to be left alone."
I hear a crack in his voice, like he's secretly holding back tears…
Poor guy. I can tell he's been through a lot, even before this happened. It's lamentable, how so many young people in this country are betrayed by their parents and society at large... forced to struggle just to get by, every day.
I step away from the car door, giving him space. "Takeda...you're certain he'll come for you?"
"I know he'll be here—he had BETTER be."
It was already pretty late when I first arrived on the scene, and it isn't until more than an hour later, after sunset...when Mr. Takeda finally makes his grand entrance.
He pulls up in a black limo, of all things, smoothly inserting himself between the crowds of bystanders gathered in the parking lot of the Silvermoon Terrace apartment complex. It comes as a severe relief to me, as I'd only been able to get through to his secretary before...who had politely informed us that she would pass on the message...before then promptly hanging up. Lovely.
Shuichi, who has largely been quiet and kept to himself up to this point, ignoring all my attempts at further questioning, immediately springs out of the squad car.
"You bastard!" He storms up to the side of the limo, slamming his hand against it.
I run up, in horror at what I'm seeing: "Hanzo-san! Don't you know how dangerous that man is? Haven't you risked your life enough for one day?!"
He laughs like a mad demon. "He won't do shit: Takeda is my BITCH, and he knows it!"
One of the limousine's windows scrolls down. "Hanzo..." A man's voice says, spoken in a smooth low baritone, coming from within. "Please…I just had the exterior redone."
Martini glass in hand, he looks every bit the devilish playboy I'd seen pictured on all the magazine covers and strewn across billboard posters. The most wanted man in Japan, who is currently being pursued by everyone in law enforcement...but just can't be pinned down for a crime, despite our tireless efforts.
Norio Takeda...
He is a classic case of one who has risen to such wealth and power that he feels as though he's free to do whatever he pleases, without repercussions.
Truth be told...
Seeing him in person, acting so casually, without any care that he's essentially an outlaw surrounded by police...
It pisses me off. It actually makes my skin crawl.
Just...the pure smugness he exudes, just by showing his face here.
"You're late," Hanzo barks at him, tearing me from my thoughts. "Cocksucker."
He silently looks Hanzo over, unshifting in his cold demeanor. "You look like shit." he snidely remarks, grinning while he swirls the drink in his glass a bit. "Furthermore, you failed to show up when I had instructed you to. And you know how I value punctuality."
What's he saying? It sounds like the two had plans to meet somewhere...
Hanzo is furious. "I'm the one who's late?" he says to Takeda, incredulous. "A whole sniper team would have had enough time to settle in, blow my fucking head off, then pack up to go home during the time it took you to get here! And oh yeah, just in case you didn't notice—"she frantically motions her hands behind her, toward the blackened wreckage of what once had been her place of residence—"a KAMIKAZE KABUKI ACTOR just EXPLODED inside of my apartment!"
"I did hear about a bombing," Takeda says as he raises his glass, as if he's about to give a toast. "How miraculous that you managed to make it out in one piece!"
Hanzo tries the door handle, but it's locked. "Let me IN!"
"I don't think so; you're obviously in a state of mental distress, and unfairly venting it unto me." He glances in my direction, his piercing dark gaze causing a shiver to run up my spine. "Go ahead and restrain him, officer. Toss him in jail for the night—that ought to help him cool down."
I'm peeved by his arrogance but trying not to let it show too much, averting my eyes as I'm angrily clenching my teeth.
"Sir...I think it would be BEST if you didn't try to tell me how to do my job."
There's a dangerous flicker in his pitch-black pupils.
Beside me, Hanzo is grinning. "Way to go, officer," he comments under his breath.
Then, I watch as Takeda makes a small "hmmph" noise, closing his eyes and laying back in his seat, taking a sip from his glass.
"Very well…you may do with Hanzo as you please—as he is no longer of use to me."
Without another word his window scrolls up, leaving Hanzo and I gawking at our own reflections, and the limo—its engine was running the entire time—starts to reverse out of the parking lot, making noticeably less of an effort to avoid the crowd of onlookers…
After he was gone...we stayed awkwardly standing there, for a bit. Saying nothing.
"That was"—I take a moment to think of the right word—"exhausting."
"Damn him." His voice is soft, like he'd shouted out all his vigor and needed to recharge. "I just...wanted a damn drink, and a bowl of leftover noodles."
He sits down unto the curb, curling up into a shell...hiding himself from the world.
I listen to his quiet, muffled groans...and it breaks my heart.
Though I didn't know his full story, it's clear that Shuichi Hanzo is short on options when it comes to people he could turn to...that he could fully trust. And that whatever relationship he has with Mr. Takeda definitely isn't healthy, and most undoubtedly involves criminal activity...to which I certainly had a few questions that still needed answering. I've always fancied myself a puzzle solver…and this young man before me was a Rubix Cube.
But first, I needed to calm him down. Earn his trust. Although, as I could already tell, it wouldn't be easy...
I crouch beside him, placing a warm hand on his back. "Got somewhere to sleep tonight?"
"Don't worry about it." He grunts. "I'll, uh...figure something out."
I'm frowning, anxiously crossing my arms. "Okay." The way he said it didn't sound all too convincing…
But what else can I do? I'm just a regular beat cop.
I shouldn't even be getting myself involved in Norio Takeda's affairs, if I know what's good for me!
And yet, as Hanzo is walking off, until he's well beyond the parking lot...
Almost like he's being swallowed up into the night...
Inwardly, I start to panic: if I let him go now, I may also be giving up what could potentially be a huge lead in the Takeda case.
More importantly, his life could still be in real danger.
I have to think of something to keep him around me, for at least a few more days…
I mean, I already had an idea...I just wasn't sure if I was prepared to fully commit to this.
But there's so much on the line, here...so I have to try.
Luckily, I've picked up a few tricks from watching cop dramas that will help me here~
"You know, I heard something interesting from the fire crews, while they were combing the wreckage..." I start to say, trying to sound casual, while simultaneously raising my voice loud enough that I'm sure Hanzo could hear. "Apparently, they made some interesting finds. Stuff…possessions of yours…that didn't get completely destroyed."
Hanzo stops, dead in his tracks: I've managed to capture her attention.
Now I'm confident…perhaps feeling a bit brazen.
I need to push further.
"Nunchucks, scythes, multiple types of bladed weapons..."
Smiling to myself—in triumph!—I continue listing them off from memory, while watching Hanzo slowly swivel in place to face me: with a kind of breathless, sheepish look...of someone who's desperate to keep something a secret.
At which point I smile, knowing he's been firmly caught in my clutches.
"Well, then...since you have nowhere else to go: how's about a sleepover at my place?"