Tokyo Demons Book 2: Chapter 6, Part 2

Ayase sighed. The metal folding chair sent dull, parallel aches under her thighs that radiated up her spine. She leaned forward, releasing some of the pressure from her lower back, and heard the metal creak in the quiet room. She frowned and tented her fingers against her forehead.

In the frantic rush since escaping Touya, she hadn’t had time to think. But now, in the silence, she almost regretted the opportunity.

She closed her eyes.

In the blackness beneath her lids, she saw the fragmented view through the single bug she’d left in the church. It was still in the empty girl’s room, safely away from too much noise. The door was cracked open, in case she had to fly to Daniel for an emergency.

“It’s not too late.”

Ayase opened her eyes and looked up. Kadoyuki, his breathing shallow, still slept soundly in the hospital bed. The doctors had elevated the cast that now protected his crushed leg.

Too late for what? She assumed Kadoyuki meant their relationship with Touya, but it was hard to tell with him. Everything was hard to tell with him.

She got up, for the millionth time, and checked for anyone watching them. She peeked out of the curtains and squinted at the rest of the hospital wing. She went to the window to the outside and cracked open the blinds.

Bright sunlight burned her eyes; she quickly dropped the covering. She rubbed her eye sockets with her fists and remembered how little she’d slept.

bzzt

She glanced wearily at Kadoyuki’s personal phone on his bedside table. The green square lit up.

1 new text message, 28 unread messages.

Kadoyuki shifted in the bed.

Ayase blinked. Is he awake? she wondered. He’d already slept through several dozen phone warnings, so she hadn’t expected that to affect him. She jogged to his bedside.

But his eyes were still closed, and he didn’t move again. He settled back into his slow, shallow breathing.

Ayase sighed. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to settle her nerves.

She missed Sachi. He was good in these moments. Her paranoia was still a specter in her mind, inflated by years of panic and fraying at her nerves with a ragged saw. Sachi gave her perspective. As a practiced pessimist, she could never fully believe him, but watching him stay positive soothed her, somehow. Like watching a flower bloom in a jail cell.

bzzt

She ignored Kadoyuki’s phone and dug out her own. Cursing herself for not sending an insect to Nick’s place, she typed a quick text to Sachi.

Can you talk?

Pause. She waited several minutes, but received no reply.

bzzt

Now Kadoyuki’s phone was mocking her. She typed a message to Jo, her thumbs sloppier on the keys.

Can Sachi talk?

She waited another minute. Her phone finally beeped in her hand.

He’s with Nick, Jo replied. Trying to get info out of Wipe. You okay?

Ayase sighed. Fine, she typed back. Kadoyuki’s still asleep. Surgery went well.

Call if it’s an emergency.

It’s not. But thanks. She started typing a smiley face, then immediately regretted it. She erased the emoticon and sent the message with a frantic beep.

Jo didn’t reply. Ayase let out a heavy breath and slid the phone back into her pocket.

Something clinked against the plastic. Frowning, she dug up whatever was shoved at the bottom of her pocket.

Kadoyuki’s Rosary beads. She’d grabbed them before going to the hospital.

He probably would’ve wanted them before the surgery, she thought. She felt a little stupid for forgetting them. She watched him lie there, perfectly still, his breathing so shallow that he looked dead.

She widened one of his open hands. Gently, she draped the beads against his palm and closed his fingers.

bzzt

Ayase was starting to feel bad for whoever texted him. After a moment’s hesitation, she gripped his phone and flipped it open.

Mother
Mother
Mother
Mother
Mother
Mother
Mother
Mother

Ayase bit her lip.

The doctors and nurses had been incessant about this, too. They’d bought Emi’s fake names and accepted the cash when she said they were foreigners, but Kadoyuki was still a minor. They wanted to talk to his parents.

Should I do something? she wondered. She knew Kadoyuki’s relationship with his mother was dangerous territory, but this was an emergency. And based on the frequency of her texts, the woman was worried.

Kadoyuki said she could hear thoughts. Did that work over the phone?

Ayase stopped herself. No, she thought. Kadoyuki said it doesn’t. Something about how wavelengths of sound were warped over the phone.

The mobile in her hand buzzed again. Since it was already open, the full message popped onto the screen.

Text me back. Now.

Ayase shifted on her feet. There was no way she’d text back and pretend to be Kadoyuki. That was a nasty breach of trust. Her eyes trailed back to the boy in the bed.

“…”

She remembered how freaked out he got whenever his mom called. The last thing he needed was to deal with her right now.

Maybe…

Maybe Ayase could buy him some time.

She swallowed. Her fingers heavy with hesitation, she selected the contact Mother and pressed the button Call.

She held the phone to her ear. It rang once.

click

“Y-Yoshimoto-san?” Ayase stuttered. “I’m a friend of Kadoyuki-kun’s. I’m sorry to use his phone like this…”

Ayase trailed off, but received no reply. All she heard on the other end was breathing.

“Yoshimoto-san?” she tried again.

click

The phone went dead. A dial tone hummed in Ayase’s ear.

Ayase slowly lowered the phone. She stared at it for a long moment before clapping it shut.

A chill ran down her spine.

No wonder he hates this thing. She slid the phone onto the table, praying she hadn’t made things worse.

***

By the time Jo got back to the church, he was tired and dirty. Daniel wanted to discuss Touya’s next mission at the SUN building; Jo wanted nothing less. He made a beeline for the shower as Zayd trailed after him.

“You have no news from Wipe?” Zayd asked.

“Not really,” Jo muttered as he flipped the bathroom light on. “If Sachi was reading him right, Wipe really doesn’t know much about Touya or Zero or anyone else in Core. He was basically a special operative who got thrown an assignment once in a while.” Jo shrugged. “He changed memories the way he was ordered to, couldn’t leave Motoi without an escort. That was his life for three years.”

“Is he cooperating now because we can offer him freedom?”

“That guy’s not after freedom. He just wants Pitch.” Jo turned on the shower. “He’ll suck up to whoever has it.”

Zayd hummed at that. Jo sighed.

“Do you mind?” he asked. “I wanna clean up.”

Jo felt…sticky. With sweat and saliva. He could still feel the sensation of Touya’s tongue up his face.

He shivered. He bent to quickly wash his mouth out in the sink.

“What about Wipe’s power?” Zayd continued. “Did you find a reason he transferred it to Kadoyuki?”

“Wipe gets bitey when he gets high,” Jo gargled, ticking the points off on his fingers. “He can’t transfer shit, so if Kado absorbed something, it was on Kado’s end. He’s never heard of someone who can mimic other powers.” Jo spit. “He was an early get for Core, and he thinks he’s their only psychic. Although, like Nick, he heard that Touya has some crazy ability that Zero’s keeping for himself.”

“Hm. And Touya’s Malum trait, the lack of sleep…that is probably not what they are referring to.”

Jo wiped his mouth on a towel. “I doubt it. Wipe says a lot of the Core ops hate Touya, but they still do what he says, since he rarely steers them wrong. He’s…got good intuition, or something. Like he’s got eyes and ears everywhere.” Jo flipped a hand in the air. “Maybe that has something to do with his mystery power. I’ve felt that from him, too–the omniscient thing. It’s creepy.”

“Omniscient?” Zayd repeated.

“Y’know, like your God. Sees everything, knows everything.”

Zayd furrowed his eyebrows. “Do not say such blasphemy,” he said flatly. “Touya is a man. God is God.”

Jo was getting impatient. “Look,” he said thinly. “If Touya’s Malum, full of Pitch, and has some extra power like a psychic–or damn, even worse, some crazy mutation like you or Ayase? Like Kado? Then hell, that’s pretty close to a god.” Jo snapped his fingers. “Oh, and apparently, he turns eighteen any day now, and everyone in Core knows he’s got a huge trust fund from daddy. So if he was rich before, he’ll be stinking rich when that happens.”

Zayd scowled. “God is God,” he snapped. “Do not compare God to a man.”

“Whatever!” Jo exclaimed. “Just let me shower.”

“Someone convinced Touya to betray Core,” Zayd continued, ignoring him. “Whoever is rewarding him, that reward must be great. Detective Nakajima is certain there is someone behind him…but who?”

“I have no idea! The feds offering him immunity, Kiri offering him a favor…” Jo thought a moment. “Or…Touya just hates Core and he’s fucking with them. Because he can.”

“He would have to be insane to try something like that, Jo.”

“…keep your supernaturals far away from Pitch.”

“Exactly,” Jo muttered.

Zayd’s phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open.

Jo was about to yell at him to leave, but stopped when he saw the look on Zayd’s face.

“What?”

“Speaking of Detective Nakajima,” Zayd murmured gravely. “She has sent me a message. This is…the first time she has replied since the clinic battle.”

Foreboding gripped Jo’s heart. He leaned over to read the tiny screen.

Tell them to go quietly.

The words chilled Jo. “What does that mean?”

A faint pounding noise nipped at the edge of Jo’s hearing. He turned in the same moment that Zayd did.

“…in there!”

It sounded like someone…calling through the back door. Jo quickly turned off the shower, alarm moving his fingers.

Kiyoshi ran by, grabbing the bathroom doorframe as he slid past it. “J-Jo!” he panted. “You’d better…uh…!”

BANG BANG BANG

The pounding echoed through the hall, no longer covered by the shower. “We know you’re in there!” someone shouted from outside. “Make this easy on everyone and just send them out!”

Jo broke into a cold sweat. “Who the hell is that?” he breathed.

Kiyoshi gulped. “Cops,” he whispered back.

Jo stared at him.

BANG BANG BANG

By the time Jo ran over, Daniel had already opened the door. Two burly cops pushed their way into the church hallway.

“You,” one of them barked. “Are you Daniel Ozimek-san?”

Jo didn’t recognize either of the officers. He’d never seen them with Nakajima.

“Er, yes,” Daniel replied. “Can I help you?”

“We’re here for two teenagers. We have a warrant.” One of them glanced down the hallway. “You!” he shouted. “With the glasses!”

Sachi jumped from Emi’s side. “Me?” he blurted.

“Yeah. And…” His eyes trailed to Jo and Kiyoshi. “You. The little guy. Are you Jo Oda and Sachi Ishida?”

Jo’s mouth went dry. He thought of a million (stupid) ways to evade the question before Zayd stepped forward.

“Yes,” he replied evenly. “What do you need them for?”

The man exchanged glances with his partner. They unclipped handcuffs from their belts.

“You’re both under arrest,” he declared. “For the crime of impersonating a police officer.”

To be continued in Chapter 7.

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