When Sakume is home, there are only a couple of things he does. He reads a book, thinks about a case, or drinks wine. Right now, he was drinking a lot of wine. Uramaki came to the living room. "Sakume, my dear, what's the matter? Are you still mulling over the unsolved case?"
"Quite the opposite, Uramaki. I already solved the case, but something is eating me up on the inside."
Uramaki sat down. "Alright lad, I'm all ears."
"To make a long story short…the ghost is human after all. She wasn't trying to harm anyone, she was trying to protect the land that belonged to her clan, which happens to be the cemetery. The shrine in the cemetery is the only thing left of the Lin Clan. Usually, I do not sympathize with criminals, but for her, I made an exception."
"Uh-huh."
"I promised to help her, but she ended up being arrested by Saito. It wasn't my fault…I…I really didn't mean to betray her."
Uramaki was starting to understand. "Lad, I think you have an interest in this young lady."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are a full grown adult, Sakume. It is not unusual for a man your age to be interested in girls."
"That's not my motive. I just want to help her honor her father, that's all."
"Then why not help her?"
"How can I? She's a criminal now, and if I help her, that means I'm breaking the law."
Uramaki stood up and walked towards the window. "There is a difference between obeying the law and doing the right thing. All I am saying is this, if you truly want to help this young lady, then you will figure out a way." Uramaki walked away.
Sakume was not sure what he meant, but he took that advice to heart and thought about it a lot. He was in his room, walking back and forth, staring at the rainy sky. Mistle Town rarely has any good weather, it's usually stormy and foggy here. It's really a depressing place to be. And that's how exactly Sakume felt, depressed like hell.
But maybe things don't' have to be depressing. Maybe he can do something about it.
Shikura came into the police station just like any other day. His fellow officers said hi to him. He has a lot of respect in this place, but today, that did not matter. He cares about the opinion of only one person, and that is the person he is visiting.
He closed the door and sat on the table across from Faith. She was not happy to see him, and she doesn't hide it at all. "What are you doing here, you traitor? Are you going to question me some more?"
"I think we have a misunderstanding." Sakume replied.
"You are absolutely right. I misjudged you. I thought you were different than others, but in the end, you are just like the corrupt government pigs!"
"Listen, Ms. Lin, I know you still do not trust me, but I am going to help you escape."
"What are you trying to pull this time?"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her off her seat.
"Hey!" she yelled.
Sakume took her out the room, into the hallway, and into another room, and he locked the door.
"What are you up to?" Faith demanded.
"You may not trust me, but I am asking you to give me one more chance."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I am your only ticket to freedom." Sakume took the back of his sword and hit against the window, cracking it. "You want to escape or not?"
Faith thought about it for a second. "Fine."
They jumped out the window and landed. Officers heard the loud crack and quickly ran to the designated room. They saw a broken window.
Sakume, holding Faith's hand, ran until they were a few blocks away. He took to her some random dark alley. Once they stopped, they panted for breath.
"Why are you helping me escape?" Faith asked.
"Because I want to help you."
"Then why did you have me arrested in the first place?"
"It was not me, it was my co-worker, Saito. You must understand, I work for the law, so I cannot break it. And I took a big risk by freeing you tonight."
Faith's tone of voice changed. "You have no ulterior motives?"
"None other than for you to keep the shrine."
Faith's eyeballs darted to the side.
"You still don't trust me?" asked Sakume.
"No, I am thinking about something else."
"What?"
"I am not the only survivor of my clan. There is one other person…her name is Nayuki." After she said her name, there was a flashback of what happened earlier.
Suddenly, an arrow flew at him, he swings the sword and broke it in half. Crack. With this chance, Faith ran away. Sakume chased the shadow who threw the arrow. She was too fast for him to catch up and disappeared into the night. Flash!
"Nayuki? Was she the one who attacked me back then?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Nayuki was always there to protect me, and like me, she fights for the honor of the clan. She is going to kill the mayor in order to save our land."
"What?" Sakume shrieked. "Kill the mayor? That is a serious crime."
"Once she makes up her mind, we cannot stop her."
Sakume grabbed her shoulders. "Ms. Lin, do you understand that killing the mayor would make her a fugitive, a very wanted one, as a matter of fact. Both she and you will never be able to rest until you are executed. We must stop her at once!" He grabbed her hand. "C'mon, let's go!"
In the hallway of the mayor's house, there two guys lying on the floor, not moving. A young lady waited at the door that led to the mayor's office. The girl in the ninja suit waited and her hand was on her weapon, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.
Inside the office, the mayor was making a phone call to another government official. He was a chubby man with a mustache and a suit. "Uh huh, yes, yes. Of course. I'll get it done."
Nayuki let herself in, startling the mayor. He dropped the phone on the ground. "Who are you?"
"I am a member of the now extinct Lin Clan. You dishonor us by taking away our only land, and now I will end your life for it." She took out her kodachi and walked forward.
"No, wait…don't do this!" said the fat man.
Suddenly, Faith and Sakume came through the window, shattering it into pieces.
"Faith!?" Nayuki said.
"Nayuki, don't do this!" Faith walked over to her friend and grabbed her hand. "We can't end this with violence."
Nayuki pushed her aside. "Move it. This is the only suitable ending I see for this bastard's life!"
Sakume got in between them. "Not so fast. I'm afraid I cannot let you do this, even if you are a friend of Faith."
"Don't do it." Faith said. "The clan was about peace, not violence. If you kill him, then we are no better than he is. Our clan is over, we just have to accept it."
Nayuki thought long and hard. She grunted and jumped out the window.
Sakume said, "In the end, she still took your advice."
Faith said, "But I don't know when she will be back."
Sakume went to help the mayor stand up. "I am sorry about that, Mr. Mayor. She didn't mean to do it…I hope you can understand that this young lady has grown up in the shrine, and she does not want to let it go. Please forgive her."
"This young lady is part of the clan from long ago?" asked the mayor. "The shrine you are referring to is in the Ryojin Cemetary?"
"That is correct." Faith replied. She bowed. "Nayuki is my friend, and I'm the one at fault for letting this happen. I ask for your forgiveness."
"Now, now." said the mayor. "I had no idea there were survivors from the Lin Clan. You are obviously very attached to your home. I have decided not to acquire the cemetery."
"Really?" Faith asked, and the look in her eyes completely changed.
"I promise." said the mayor. "I will cancel the project immediately."
Faith and Sakume glanced at each other and they smiled. "I can't believe it!"
"You did it!" She hugged him, which startled him a bit. A second later, he wrapped his arms around her back and they stayed like this for a while.
The problem has finally been resolved. Faith spent many years in the graveyard, hiding and scaring townsfolk, but now she no longer has to do that, and it's all thanks to a certain detective. She bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Sakume."
"No problem." he replied. "I am just doing the right thing."
"I am sorry about the misunderstanding. It seems that I've misjudged you."
"Uhh, don't worry about it. Ms. Lin, sometimes it's okay to trust someone. It's risky, but the risk is well worth it. Well, my job here is done, I better get going."
"Will we meet again?" She was disappointed that he had to go so soon, and wanted to spend more time with him, but did not want to say it out loud.
"Of course." he replied, and walked away.
Faith, watching him leave, thought about her late father's words. "Faith, when you find the one you love, you will know when you've found him." And now she knows who that man is.
To be continued…