Tokyo Demons Book 2: Chapter 3

Wipe screamed. He screamed and wrenched his body in every direction, the handcuffs against the metal headboard chafing his bruised wrists. The bed creaked beneath him.

“GIVE IT TO ME!” he shrieked.

Nick grabbed him by the hair. “Then start talking,” he snapped. “You fucking junkie!”

Wipe wailed and kicked; Ayase wrapped her arms more tightly around his leg and tried to keep him pinned down. Sachi, by her side, struggled to keep a grip on Wipe’s other leg.

“Th-they’ll kill me!” he cried.

“Core doesn’t know where we are! Do you have a tracker on you? I already smashed your cell phone!”

Wipe stopped thrashing for a second, his cries quieting to smaller whimpers. Nick snapped his head to Sachi.

Sachi bit his lip. “Relief,” he murmured.

Nick seemed satisfied. He released Wipe’s hair, letting the man’s head fall back on the bed.

“We can protect you. I’m still alive, aren’t I? And you assholes have been trying to kill me for five years.” He crossed his arms. “So tell me what I wanna know, and I’ll give you the Pitch.”

Wipe whined and rattled the metal headboard with his cuffed hands. He shook his head frantically.

“I told you!” he begged. “I don’t know anything!”

“Bullshit! We know you helped kidnap those kids!”

“I-I just…they just bring me people and give me orders! I don’t know anything important!”

Sachi shook his head. “You’re lying,” he said shakily.

“I’m not LYING! LET ME GO!” Wipe thrashed again. Sachi’s arm slipped and Wipe wrenched his leg free; he kicked his bare foot hard into Sachi’s jaw, knocking the teenager to the floor. Sachi’s glasses clattered to the wood.

“Sachi!” Ayase released Wipe and jerked back, barely dodging his flailing foot. She turned, but Sachi was already sliding his glasses back on as he pushed himself to his feet. He bunched a sleeve against the thin trail of blood that trickled from his mouth.

“Shit, Sachi!” Nick grabbed Wipe’s ankles and shoved them down on the bed. He turned back to Sachi and bared his teeth. “Can you handle this or not?!”

Sachi nodded, obviously shaken. He gripped his bruising jaw and returned to the bed.

Ayase swallowed. She felt like she should say something, but knew it was a bad idea in front of a hostage. She helped Sachi pin Wipe’s legs down as Nick moved back.

He let out an angry breath. “It’s been thirty-six hours,” he snapped. “And we don’t have a doctor here. You’re gonna die without Pitch.”

Wipe whimpered as he writhed. He started gagging again; Nick grabbed the wet towel from the bedside and shoved it against Wipe’s mouth. Wipe dry-heaved into it, leaving a streak of bright yellow bile.

Nick tossed the towel back into the bin of ice. “What’s a Code Omega?” he demanded.

Wipe wailed. “I don’t know!”

“They said it over the loudspeaker! You live in that building!”

Wipe started to sob frantically. Sachi shook his head and looked up at Nick.

“He’s really sick,” he said quietly. “Everything’s starting to feel…murky.”

Nick growled. “Then how does your power work, Wipe?”

Wipe kicked against Sachi and Ayase, howling like a wounded animal. He started choking on his tears, halfway between a dry-heave and a panic attack.

“Shit.” Nick swung his head to the corner of the room. “Are you getting anything here?!”

Kadoyuki, staring at Wipe from the darkened corner, shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “Not yet.”

Nick threw up his hands. “Not yet. That’s fucking helpful!”

Wipe suddenly gagged hard. Nick grabbed the towel, but Wipe didn’t try to vomit again. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Saliva started spilling down his lips.

“Son of a bitch.” Nick dug his fingers into the small bag attached to his belt–the one Adam had given to him in Motoi. He pulled out a vial of Pitch and rattled through the medical supplies by the bedside.

“Nick-san?”

Nick unlocked the handcuffs to free Wipe’s arms as the man started to convulse. Nick tied a rubber strap around one of Wipe’s biceps.

“Get out of here,” Nick ordered. “All of you.”

Ayase hesitated. “You don’t need back-up?”

“I don’t want you kids seeing this.” He tore open a wrapped syringe. “Take Kado with you.”

Kadoyuki sat up. “But maybe I–”

“Can use your fucking mystery voodoo?!” Nick threw a severe glare at Kadoyuki. “I’m getting sick of you and your vague promises. And the fact that you somehow knew about this guy is bugging the shit out of me.”

Kadoyuki cringed back.

On the bed, the man started convulsing harder. Nick filled the syringe with Pitch and shoved Wipe’s shaking arm into the mattress.

Ayase exchanged glances with Sachi. They beckoned to Kadoyuki as they ran for the door.

Thankfully, Kadoyuki complied. Ayase waited for him to exit before she slammed the door shut.

Sachi let out a long breath. He slumped against the wall and its cracked, ugly paint.

“Man.” He chewed on his lower lip. “Was that a seizure?”

Ayase wiped the psychic’s sweat from her palms. “He already looked like he was in withdrawal when we got him,” she said quietly. “I’m surprised Nick let this go so long.”

“Should I have said something?”

“What do you mean?”

Sachi clutched his jaw. “I dunno, like…should I have argued with Nick? That we shouldn’t be torturing people?”

Ayase paused. She recognized the look on Sachi’s face. And there was a small panic growing behind his eyes.

Ayase could relate to that. The way Nick had thrown out orders had felt dangerous. It was the one time when his military background seemed like more of a threat than an advantage; soldiers weren’t known for their humanitarian behavior.

Ayase sighed. “Maybe,” she conceded at last. “But it’s over now, right? We just won’t…let him do that again.”

Sachi grunted something. He looked away.

Kadoyuki, still silent, pressed his ear against the door. Ayase watched him.

Can he hear in there? Ayase leaned her own ear near the door edge. She heard gasping, the low rumble of Nick’s voice…she couldn’t make out any words. Wipe started to moan. His voice sounded weak, but it grew stronger as he rasped through some stitched breathing. He started to murmur something she couldn’t make out.

Ayase flashed back to Kiyoshi, strapped to a table in Motoi.

She pulled back from the door as a shiver ran down her spine.

“What?” Sachi asked. “Did you hear something?”

Ayase swallowed. “I don’t think he’s…dying,” she mumbled. She didn’t want to elaborate.

Kadoyuki didn’t move from his position at the door. He furrowed his eyebrows, clearly concentrating.

A small chime suddenly went off in Kadoyuki’s pocket. He pulled back from the door and looked down.

“Huh?” He fished a mobile phone from his pocket. He flipped it open.

His eyes widened.

He abruptly jammed his thumb against a button as he rushed past Ayase. “Hello?” he said into the phone as he turned a corner in the hallway. “F-Father?”

Father? Ayase peeked around the corner. But Kadoyuki was already running into the crumbling stairwell, the distance cutting off the quiet shake of his voice.

Ayase glanced back at Sachi. He frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Does he have a dad?” she asked.

Sachi hesitated. “He…still has both his parents,” he answered quietly. “But I don’t know much about his dad.”

Ayase had only heard Sachi ever mention Kadoyuki’s mother. But since there was some personal stuff there–personal stuff Sachi felt extremely bad about–Ayase didn’t press the issue.

The door to Wipe’s room suddenly opened with a chak. Nick stepped through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind him.

He muttered something in English, wadding up his empty syringe into a handful of gauze. His hazel eyes snapped up.

“Where’s Kado?”

Sachi squirmed a bit. “H-he got a phone call. From home.”

“He gave out his church mobile number?!”

“He has his own mobile,” Ayase explained. “From before he joined us. I think he carries both phones on him.”

Nick scowled. “You kids were supposed to call your parents before this,” he said flatly. “We had a good story and doctored school papers. Did Kado miss that fucking memo?”

“No!” Sachi blurted. “I know he called them before this. It’s just…”

Nick ground his teeth. Sachi shrunk back, his mouth open but wordless.

Nick growled. “This is the exact kinda shit I didn’t wanna deal with. Fucking teenagers.” He tossed his handful of medical supplies into a nearby wastebasket before gesturing down the hallway. “We’re settling this. Now.”

Ayase’s eyes followed Nick’s finger. The dirty floor of the abandoned building extended pretty far out, but Nick had kept them cramped in a small area of a few rooms. And Ayase had appreciated that, really–the building was intensely creepy, and she half-expected to find drifters or drug addicts behind every door. She didn’t totally believe Nick’s claim that Nakajima had recommended the building as a temporary “safe house.”

He marched past her, right into the dimly lit hall. Sachi went rigid as he passed.

“Y-you want us to just leave Wipe here?”

“I handcuffed him back to the bed–that asshole’s not going anywhere.” He glared over his shoulder. “Move it!”

Ayase’s hackles rose slightly at the tone. A familiar defensive hardness rose inside her, but now a sick feeling roiled in her stomach at the same time. She’d thought, unconsciously, that she was past her distrust of Nick.

But he was angry now. More angry than she’d ever seen him.

“Ayase?”

Ayase looked up to see Sachi staring down at her, his brow furrowed in concern. She tried to forcefully unclench her muscles.

“Let’s go,” she said through her teeth, as much to him as to herself.

Nick stomped down the hallway as Ayase and Sachi ran to follow. Nick kicked in the first door he found; to Ayase’s relief, it was completely empty save for a pile of rags and some scattered garbage.  Nick took several steps inside before spinning around to face them.

“Your little psycho’s becoming a problem.”

Ayase’s stomach dropped. She saw Sachi’s hand fly up, a predictable defense.

“I-I know, Nick-san. I’m sorry. But–”

“How well do you even know that kid? Do we know that kid?” Nick gestured to the hallway. “Are you even sure he’s got a power?!”

Sachi nodded emphatically. “I’m sure! We saw him use it in Motoi.”

“Well…probably,” Ayase clarified. “Wipe wasn’t in his room, but Kadoyuki tracked him down to a specific closet.”

Nick scowled. “Tracked him down?” he repeated.

“It looked like he sensed him or something,” Sachi offered. “I’ve been thinking about it–maybe Kado can feel people from far away. Like what I can do, but at a distance? It would explain how he found Adam-san in that car trunk–”

“It can’t just be that,” Nick interrupted. “He’s never met Wipe, but he knew was in the building before you went in. He knew his name.” He crossed his arms. “How does your little theory explain that?”

Sachi closed his mouth. He dropped his gaze to the floor.

“And I thought his power was activated by touch? Isn’t that why he freaks out when anyone tries to touch him?”

Sachi paled. “I’m not…sure,” he admitted. “But I’ve thought about that. What if touching other people makes his power worse or something?”

“You can’t even figure out the power, let alone what makes it better or worse!” Nick slapped a fist into his palm. “I need answers, Sachi. You now how suspicious this sounds!”

Sachi bit his lip. “I know,” he murmured. “But he’s trying to help us. And he’s already helped us with this and Adam-san.”

“Nakajima doesn’t trust him.” Nick grunted. “Which would usually be a point in his favor, since I don’t trust that bitch. But she might be right about this one.”

Ayase thought on that a second. So Nakajima hadn’t given up her suspicion of Kadoyuki, after all.

“He’s also shit at following orders. He’s not gonna be much help if he runs into danger and gets you all killed next time, is he?”

Sachi gripped his temples. “I-I know. I’ll talk to him about that.”

“And his parents!” Nick cursed. “Tell him to fucking cut them off!”

“He can’t just…I mean, what if they get suspicious? And he’s got some private issues that–”

“I just tortured the dying junkie that he dumped on me!” Nick roared. “And I found out SHIT! Do you think I give a flying fuck about his personal problems?!”

Sachi jumped. Ayase’s body tensed, but she clamped herself tight in her human form.

No, she ordered herself. Stay calm. She automatically stepped in front of Sachi.

“Nick,” she said lowly. “We’re doing the best we can.”

Nick cursed in English. “You’re not kids anymore,” he spat. “We’re at war.”

“W-we know that,” Sachi retorted weakly.

“So start acting like it! Get over your shit and tell him to get over his. We don’t have time to deal with personal bullshit anymore!”

Anger welled up inside Ayase, spreading a heat down to her fingers and toes. She still remembered that day with Nakajima in the kitchen. The terrified look in Kadoyuki’s eyes as she pinned him to a wall and ripped off his shirt.

“That’s…that’s not fair,” she hissed at Nick. “We’re not just soldiers–we’re refugees. You included.” She clenched her fists. “And this whole thing with Core and Pitch is personal for you!”

Nick narrowed his eyes. She gritted her teeth, her fists trembling by her side.

He finally grunted and looked away. He took off his baseball cap and ran a hand through his short hair.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I don’t…like torturing people. Or ending it with a goddamn armful of Pitch.” He threw up his hand. “It makes me fucking edgy, okay?”

Ayase’s nerve endings stopped burning. She slowly relaxed her wound-up tension.

Sachi let out a breath.

Those hazel eyes snapped back to them. “But that doesn’t change my argument. Kado’s putting everyone at risk by withholding his power. He’d better give it up–and soon.”

Sachi swallowed. “I-I think he’ll tell us if he feels safer,” he murmured. “I’ll try to make him feel…safer.”

“And don’t let him run around like a chicken with its head cut off. If he really wants to help this team, he’ll follow orders like the rest of you.”

“Fine,” Ayase agreed.

Nick paused for a second. He slowly slid the baseball cap back onto his head.

“Can you bug him?”

Ayase blinked. “What?”

“Put one of your bugs on him. So we can keep tabs on him.” Nick rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. Maybe we should get in the habit of putting one of your insects on each of us–in case we get separated or something. And Kado seems to like running off.”

Ayase frowned. “I don’t…I’d rather not do that.”

“Why not?”

“I-I’ve already told you, right? When I’m not in one piece, I feel a little…crazy. I don’t like separating myself out if I don’t have to. And it makes it harder to focus on any one place.” She squirmed a bit. That wasn’t all she disliked. She still remembered her time by Kiyoshi’s side during his captivity, and the first time she’d watched, surprised, as he’d turned on the bath and pulled his shirt over his head.

It was too…personal. Intimate. And the thought of spreading her perception to the daily lives of all the men around her…

She shuddered. Her time with Kiyoshi had made her relationship with him awkward enough.

“We might have to, if Kado doesn’t clean up his act quick. And if you can, put a bug in with Wipe.” Nick snorted. “I wanna keep an eye on him, but a little isolation may make him more willing to talk. Getting up in his face obviously didn’t work,” he added with a small growl.

Sachi nervously twisted his hands. “I think Kado’s gonna notice if Ayase bugs him.”

“I don’t care if he notices. At least we won’t hit a worst-case scenario if he know he’s being watched.”

Ayase furrowed her eyebrows. “Worse-case scenario?” she asked carefully.

Nick sighed. “Use your imagination,” he said dryly. “Core has teenagers on its payroll now. And he’s got insider information.”

Sachi’s jaw dropped. “H-he’s not in Core!” he blurted.

Nick scowled. “How can you know for sure?!”

“Because…because I’ve known him since middle school! He wouldn’t get mixed up in anything like that!” Sachi clenched his jaw, wincing as he clutched the blooming bruise on his chin. “He’s just a lonely kid with a bad home life!”

Nick spat onto the concrete floor. “Like Kiyoshi,” he said flatly. “I’m not saying he got dragged in willingly, Sachi.  And besides.” He turned to Ayase. “He used to room with Touya. And didn’t Touya take him to the hospital because he was ‘sick’?”

Ayase felt her stomach twist with the memory. “W-we know Kadoyuki’s never taken Pitch,” she pointed out.

“Wrong.” Nick narrowed his eyes. “We know he doesn’t have the Pitch veins.”

Ayase stared at him. Sachi opened his mouth, but said nothing. Silence filled the room like a dense, chilling cloud.

bzzzt

Nick fished his vibrating mobile phone out of his pocket and checked the sender. He held up a finger as he unflipped it.

“We’ll continue this later,” he warned. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”

Ayase swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked over at Sachi, but he was staring at his feet, eyes wide behind his glasses.

Nick groaned into the phone. “Are you kidding me? If Zayd leaves the church, we’re leaving the place vulnerable right after we dragged Shouri back there. He can’t do it over the phone?!”

Ayase gently gripped Sachi’s arm. He twitched at the contact.

“We should go,” she said quietly.

He chewed his lip. He looked at her once, quickly, before dropping his gaze back to the floor.

As he accompanied her out of the room, Ayase swore she heard footsteps on the concrete. She stepped into the hall just as the edge of a dark hoodie disappeared around a corner.

Dammit! Ayase thought. She didn’t need to be a psychic to know who that was.

Sachi sucked his teeth behind her. “Crap!” he breathed. “Do you think he heard all that?”

Ayase sighed. “Who knows? He could have psychic hearing, for all we know.”

As Ayase stepped down the dirty hallway, she found herself mulling on Nick’s idea. The thought of an insect observing everyone repulsed her, obviously, but maybe spreading out the bugs more was a good idea, at least on missions. She’d already been doing that a little during her first few operations. If she didn’t have the freedom to turn into a swarm, maybe she was best suited to spying.

For some reason, she was a little disappointed at the thought.

But I can put one on Wipe, she relented. Especially if his injection and the immediate…high were over, since those bothered her worse than anything. She absently formed an insect in the palm of her hand.

Sachi jumped.

Ayase froze. By her side, Sachi clutched at his heart and vehemently shook his head.

“S-sorry!” he blurted. “I didn’t mean…you just surprised me!”

Ayase stared at him, confused. Surprised him with what?

He cleared his throat and averted his eyes. She dropped her gaze to the insect in her hand.

“Not to sound sissy…but bugs really creep me out.”

A forgotten train trip during the first week of school rose from her memory. Ayase had watched Sachi leap to his feet at the possibility of a spider.

It had bothered her a bit then–she’d dreamt about it, hadn’t she? But she felt differently now. That vague discomfort and depression had twisted into something…heavier in her chest.

The blood drained from her face as disappointment dropped her heart. And she immediately cursed herself for being overly sensitive.

Sachi stared down at her. She felt a rise of panic at the thought that he could feel her, but they weren’t touching. He was just…watching her. Silent. The crease between his eyebrows deepened.

“Ayase…”

She brushed him off quickly, careful to take a step away. “Sorry,” she offered. It sounded hollow. “I didn’t mean to…surprise you.”

“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who…” Sachi trailed off, his hands closing into fists. His dark eyes flicked away for a second, then returned with new purpose. He clenched his bruised jaw.

“Can you…put one of those on me?”

Ayase stopped. “Huh?” she blurted. “Like…like Nick wanted?” She remembered watching Kiyoshi undress through her bug eyes and she stiffened in panic.

“No–nothing like that! At least, not yet, I mean…” He winced a little. “I just…really need to get used to your insects. And it might be easier to just desensitize myself to them while I can.”

Ayase raised her eyebrows. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

Sachi suddenly turned red. “Nothing weird!” he exclaimed. “But maybe, like, you could put one on my shoulder and let it walk around a little? There’s something about little insect legs crawling all over me that just…” He visibly shuddered. Then he threw out his hands, desperately apologetic again.

“It’s just a phobia! I was afraid of dogs when I was a kid, too, but I got over that. So I can…get over this.”

Ayase stared at him. He squirmed under her gaze…and something about that touched her, in a way.

She didn’t know what to say. “Did you, uh, desensitize yourself to dogs?” she managed at last.

Sachi sighed. “My neighbor had a dog,” he explained. “And yeah, kinda. I let it jump on me and lick me and it was…it was awful at first, but I got used to it. And dogs stopped freaking me out after I did that. S-so I’m speaking from experience, okay?” He held out a wrist. “Can we do this?”

Ayase hesitated. She knew it was stupid to feel weird about this, but she did. It felt…significant, somehow. Like this was crossing a line with him she wasn’t sure she wanted to cross.

Frustration welled up inside her. That’s dumb, she thought sharply. This is probably a good idea.

Sachi swung his head to the side, unsuccessfully hiding the droop to his mouth. “Nick-san is right,” he said quietly. “I have to toughen up. I’m not being strong enough for Kado, I’m not being strong enough for the team…I couldn’t even defend myself back there without your help. What kind of baby can’t even…” He trailed off, the last vanished words turning to a hiss between his lips. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I know I’m not powerful like you or Nick-san, but I think I can help with other things. I just need to get…braver. About everything.” He opened his eyes and swung them back to her. “And this is a good place to start. I can’t be afraid of something that’s such an important part of you.”

Something fluttered in Ayase’s chest. She swallowed it down.

Sachi waited. Ayase, her heart picking up speed for no clear reason, slowly flew her bug over to land on Sachi’s wrist.

He twitched, his eyes squinting at the contact. He took a long breath and bit his lower lip.

“G-go ahead,” he wheezed.

Ayase slowly walked her bug up the sleeve of his shirt. He watched it pick its way through the folds of fabric, which felt like soft, shifting hills to Ayase’s insect legs. When she crept closer to his collar, he went rigid beneath her.

Ayase swallowed. “Are you…sure you want this?” she asked, which sounded embarrassing as soon as she said it.

Sachi blinked at her, then chewed harder on his lip.

“Do it.”

Ayase delicately walked her insect legs onto his collarbone.

She felt him shudder as his skin prickled into goosebumps under her. Fine hairs rose from his flesh, delicately brushing her chitinous body.

Ayase felt heat rise up inside her to flush across her face. Almost in sync, blood stirred under her insect. Sachi turned red.

He met her human eyes, shock and embarrassment flaring behind his pupils. He swallowed hard.

“I-I can feel you,” he breathed. “But just a tiny point of you…where the bug is.”

Ayase froze.

He can use his power like this?! her mind shrieked. Then he knew what was welling up inside her–

In a fit of panic, she reached out to grab the insect back.

Sachi caught her wrist.

“S-Sachi!”

He released her suddenly, like it had been an accident. His eyebrows furrowed behind his glasses.

“It’s…it’s a good thing,” he mumbled awkwardly. “They’ll be easier to get used to if they still…feel like you.”

Ayase opened her mouth, but words died in her throat. Humiliation flooded her system as she realized every sensation, every reaction in her body was flowing right back into his.

So she stood there, in helpless misery, as heat spread below her hips.

“The Vatican can kiss my atheist ass, Daniel!”

Nick barking over the phone brought reality crashing down. Ayase withdrew her insect in a panic as Sachi jerked away from her.

Ayase took a deep breath. She reabsorbed her bug as she tried to convince herself, unsuccessfully, that they hadn’t been doing anything indecent. Sachi shivered and rubbed his collarbone.

Ayase suddenly heard creaking down the hall. It was followed by movement–the familiar soft taps of sneakers on concrete.

whump

Something heavy hit the floor. Ayase jumped into a run when she heard Kadoyuki’s muffled yells.

“Nngh–no! He’s out! He’s…!”

The fear in his voice kicked the adrenaline in Ayase. The cells of her body ached for release as she whipped around the corner.

Wipe was free. He grappled with Kadoyuki on the floor outside his room, the veins throbbing on his arms as he snarled at the smaller boy. Kadoyuki desperately clutched to the man’s shirt and wrapped his legs around one of Wipe’s.

“NICK!” Ayase shouted as she and Sachi ran to help.

Wipe snapped his head up and howled in frustration. Like an animal in bloodlust, he grabbed one of Kadoyuki’s arms, shoved back the sleeve, and bit deep into Kadoyuki’s flesh.

Kadoyuki screamed. Ayase grabbed handfuls of Wipe’s shirt and hair as Sachi rammed his shoe hard into Wipe’s jaw.

Wipe’s mouth was knocked open, spilling a sickening mouthful of blood and skin down his chin. Every muscle in Ayase’s body clenched as the smell of blood turned her stomach.

Sachi choked. “Y-you psycho!” he cried as he slammed his foot down on Wipe’s chest. Wipe, barely acknowledging the blows, grabbed Sachi’s leg and bared his teeth.

Ayase stepped down on Wipe’s stomach as hard as she could.

Wipe contracted under her, his body curling as he vomited air and a splatter of blood over his chest. Before Ayase could lift her foot again, a giant hand closed over her arm and yanked her back a few steps.

“Sachi!” Nick shouted. “Get off!”

Sachi stumbled off Wipe as Nick flung the man onto his stomach. He crammed Wipe’s cheek against the floor as he dug one knee deep between Wipe’s shoulder blades.

Wipe struggled to breath, his eyeballs snapping back at Nick.

“Don’t look him in the eyes!”

Ayase stopped. She turned to see Kadoyuki, his bleeding arm tucked against his body, as he stumbled back into a corner of the hallway. There was a glimmer of severe focus behind the pain in his eyes.

“I-I think I figured it out. His power works like hypnotism.” Kadoyuki gritted his teeth as blood dripped to the floor. “I heard him talking to you when you gave him the Pitch, Nick-san!”

Wipe’s breath hitched. “N-no!” he gurgled.

Nick scowled and grabbed Wipe’s hair. He leaned down to scream into the man’s ear.

“How the FUCK did you get out?! You were handcuffed to the bed!” Nick swung his head back at Kadoyuki. “Did you unlock him?!”

Kadoyuki cringed at the fury in Nick’s voice. “No!” Kadoyuki begged. “I don’t have the key!”

“Unless you stole it from–”

“Do you remember locking him up?!”

Nick froze. Tears welled up in Kadoyuki’s eyes as his legs trembled beneath him.

“Please, Nick-san! Do you remember locking the handcuffs?!”

Something flitted across Nick’s face–a flush of confusion beneath the aggression. He slid his hand into his pocket.

Wipe suddenly screamed under him, writhing like a madman. “SHUT UP!” he wailed. “THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED! I DIDN’T DO IT!”

Sachi suddenly dropped to the floor and slapped his hands on Wipe’s back. He pulled his touch back abruptly, his face rising with his voice.

“I think that’s it!”

As Nick angrily fished through his pockets, Ayase made a beeline for Wipe’s room. The abandoned handcuffs lay on the bed, their key strangely absent. She turned to see Nick stare at the key in palm incredulously.

“The hell?” he blurted. “I still have this. Then how did…”

“You undid the handcuffs for the injection,” Ayase reminded him. She held up the open handcuffs. “Do you remember cuffing him when you were done?”

“Of course I remember cuffing–” He stopped. He lowered his gaze to the man struggling underneath him.

“Son of a bitch.” Nick gritted his teeth. He grabbed one of Sachi’s hands and slapped it to cover Wipe’s eyes.

“Did Kado help you get out, Wipe?!”

Wipe whined and kicked uselessly. “Yes!” he blurted.

Relief spread across Sachi’s face. “That was definitely a lie,” he breathed.

Nick growled. “Ayase!” he snapped. “Bring me the handcuffs. And something for a blindfold.”

Ayase felt the relief on Sachi’s face spread through her veins. She tore off a section of her sleeve and helped Sachi and Nick restrain the wailing Wipe.

“A fake memory,” Nick muttered. “Shit, he must’ve gotten me the minute I gave him the Pitch. That was fucking stupid of me.”

“We didn’t know what he could do,” Ayase argued. “If eye contact and muttering something are enough…”

Nick sighed. He finally stood, letting one boot rest on the shackled psychic. He turned.

“Kado.”

Kadoyuki twitched. He pushed himself from the wall, his beady eyes locked on the soldier. He swallowed hard.

And bowed as low as he could.

“I-I’m sorry,” Kadoyuki mumbled. “I’m sorry I…brought you this man when I didn’t know how he could hurt us. I’m sorry I was reckless at Motoi and put everyone in danger.” His voice started to shake. “A-and I’m sorry I can’t tell you what I’m doing, and why I know things…I’m sorry I can’t help the church more when you took me in against your better judgment…!” His voice cracked into a weak wheeze.

Something squeezed in Ayase’s chest at the view of that bowed head. Droplets of blood dripped down his arm to tap on the concrete floor.

Wipe started to cry. Nick grunted, lifting his boot from the man in irritation.

“Psychics,” Nick muttered. He gestured to Kadoyuki. “Look at me, Kado.”

Kadoyuki tentatively straightened.

“Show me the arm.”

Kadoyuki swallowed and gripped his arm. He curled back like an injured cat.

Nick scowled. “Someone needs to clean that. Bites are swimming with bacteria and he really took a chunk out of you.”

Sachi quickly covered his mouth. “You don’t think…Wipe could pass Pitch onto Kado like that, could he?!”

Ayase went rigid. But Nick, thankfully, shook his head.

“With the trace amounts in Wipe’s blood and saliva, I doubt it. But tell us if you feel weird, okay? It would hit you pretty quick.”

Kadoyuki paled.

“You can’t bandage yourself with one arm. Pick one of us to do it.” Nick clenched his jaw. “I know you don’t like…getting touched.”

The tone of Nick’s voice dropped into an unusually gentle pitch. Ayase watched as Kadoyuki’s eyes slowly trailed across the room.

Those dark pupils landed on her. Kadoyuki folded into another bow.

“Please, Watanabe-san.”

Ayase exchanged glances with the other men. Sachi smiled sadly as Nick gestured to Wipe’s room.

“Get the med supplies. I’ll walk you through it.”

Ayase took a long breath. Carefully, she walked over to Kadoyuki as he straightened from his bow; he averted his eyes as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

He trembled, slightly, under the weight of her hand.

“Don’t freak out on her, Kado,” Nick called to them. “You’re gonna be okay.”

Ayase wondered if she should say something, but quickly decided against it. Kadoyuki’s mouth sunk into his face.

“It’s Kadoyuki,” he told Nick quietly, but Ayase was sure no one heard it.

Proceed to Chapter 3, page 3–>