[Fanfic] Kagi No Kakatta Heya - The End
Title: The End
Fandom: Kagi No Kakatta Heya
Warning: Character death
Author's Note: I'm going to get killed for this, I know. But the idea, once sparked cannot be snuffed out. Call it inception if you like but this plot bunny... damn.
Summary: We always think we'll live forever. We won't.
People avoided Inspector Kouno for two reasons - one, he was a scruffy, insensitive cop who pissed off more people than he can arrest. Two - he had the memory of an elephant and the curiosity of a dog with a bone. Once he found something of interest, he could never truly let go.
So while the affair of the murder of the nursing company director died down, Kouno continued to observe its main players - even when one had vanished into thin air. Serizawa Go of Serizawa & Friedman returned to boring legal corporate work, dragging his reluctant assistant along with him. The criminal Shiina Akira after confessing his crimes willingly went to prison to serve his time. When asked if he knew several of the diamonds he stole were fakes he simply said; “I’m a simple window washer. They look real to me.”
Kouno wondered if he was covering for an accomplice or (even more annoying) he was telling the truth. In that case only two scenarios were possible - the dead Director was duped by the jewelers… or Shiina Akira was conned by someone smarter than him.
Kouno’s thoughts fell on the file in front of him. An Interpol file - you don’t usually see that. Somehow it had made its way from the top down to his desk - and he knew why. He had been following this one for some time now, but he supposed all things must come to an end sometime…
“Inspector?”
Kouno Mitsuo looked up from his desk to find Aoto Junko, the nervous assistant to Serizawa Go standing in front of him. She was a little different from when he last saw her - and that was a year ago. One year when the ‘locked room lawyer’ Serizawa completely ceased his detective work - and Kouno knew why. Despite his public proclamation, Serizawa Go was no sleuth.
“Have a seat, miss,” He gestured to the plastic chair opposite him. “I’m sorry to call you so suddenly, but we seem to run into dead ends…”
“Um Inspector,” Aoto hesitated; “We haven’t picked up a case in a long time. You know that.”
“Of course,” Kouno arranged his expression to look suitably blank. “Enomoto, the ‘brain’ of your little detective team is gone so no cases, right?”
She pulled a chagrined face at his not-so-subtle poke but did not rise to the bait. He had to admit she had grown a backbone in the time he didn’t see her - and she’d need it now more than ever. “Have you heard from him, by the way?” He asked in an offhanded manner. Aoto’s response was the slight narrowing of the eyes. “What are you getting at, Inspector?”
He decided it was now or never. “Four days ago the Amsterdam police authorities contacted us,” He paused as he rummaged through a pile of papers, pretending to look for something, then pretending to find it at the top of the pile but instead of handing it to Aoto, he kept it in his hands. Lowering his voice to sound suitably grave, but gentle, he kept eve contact with her and said; “They found Enomoto Kei’s body in a hotel. He was killed by a gunshot to the head.”
All color drained from her face even as her expression remained unchanged. Her breathing seemed to slow until Kouno felt like he was looking at a statue of a human being, frozen with disbelief. He waited; this was one of the possible reactions someone could have upon receiving news of death - some erupt into hysteria and denial, some become angry, some - like Aoto - just… stopped.
“… Four days ago?” She finally whispered and he nodded before sliding the file towards her. “His body arrived back in Japan this morning. We’ve been trying to locate his relatives but… it seems he doesn’t have any,” He sat up straighter. “Since you are his only known acquaintances, I thought you and Serizawa can… assist with procedures.”
Procedures. Through the shocked haze of her mind she dimly registered the meaning behind that simple word… and immediately balked at it. “You say he’s back?” She suddenly demanded and Kouno arched an eyebrow. Here it is - denial that the person is dead by referring to him in the present tense. “Yes.”
“I want to see him.” She said with finality. “Let me see Enomoto.”
The drive to the city morgue was somber. Somewhere along the way Aoto had contacted Serizawa and the older lawyer would meet them there, after his meeting with his client was done. Kouno kept up the silence as he drove, occasionally glancing at the young woman in the rearview mirror. She was pale now, no nervous movements coming from her person. She hardly moved - staring straight out of the window but not looking at anything in particular.
Kouno wondered what she was thinking.
Cold.
Sterile.
Silent.
Those three things registered in her brain as she walked the corridor of the morgue, led by one of the staff and Kouno. She passed by an autopsy room and automatically glanced into it, shuddering at the omnious metal table and the gleam of the operating tools neatly arranged on a trolley. The image of Enomoto lying on that table, his insides open to scrutiny flashed before her eyes and she had to stop for a moment to let the dizzy spell pass.
The staff respectfully showed them into a room with a single table, where a white cloth covered the body. When her sights fell on that sheet her heartbeat stopped. The shape it concealed was familiar - too painfully familiar. Kouno slowly lowered the sheet that covered the body’s head and upon revealing Enomoto’s pale, serene face Aoto visibly flinched. But she did not look away. She took a tentative step forward… and then another, her face a mask of anguish. “Enomoto-san…”
At that moment Kouno decided that she was on the verge of… something. Something he would rather not be witness to. So he did a curt bow and softly said; “I’ll wait for Serizawa-san outside.”
The door was closed behind him and Aoto was left alone, with Enomoto. For what seemed like an eternity all she could do was stare at the face, pasty in death. There was a visible hole at his temple - the gunshot that took his life. She edged nearer and lifted the cloth at his side, finding his hand and slowly clasping it.
Cold.
The hand she remembered was warm. It was always moving - Enomoto never liked idling. She slowly rubbed the calloused fingers, remembering them holding delicate lock-picking instruments. Enomoto liked holding metal - he didn’t like human touch. Yet he had never balked when she touched him - sometimes it was a poke on the cheek, a grip on his shoulder, a touch on his back.
He never reciprocated, and now he never will.
Never.
The finality of the word finally sank in and sadness welled up her throat and pooled in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks in a river of tears. It choked her breathing and she couldn’t hold back the sobs as she gripped the still hand tighter. “Enomoto-san…” She whispered chokingly; “I’ve thought of so many things to say to you when we next meet.”
She drew a shuddering breath and wiped her face. “I wanted to ask why you left. I wanted to ask where did you go. I… wanted to answer those questions you asked me - do I have a boyfriend? What is my love life like?” She burst into fresh tears. “I wanted to have more interesting conversations. I don’t mind if all we talk about is locks - I just… I just…” Breaking down completely, she lost her words and simply cried as she bent over him.
That was how Serizawa found her when he was shown into the room. Upon hearing his entry Aoto quickly wiped her face and composed herself, though the puffiness around her eyes could not be hidden. “Serizawa-san.”
He looked at her for a moment and then at Enomoto. “… Do you want to go over the cremation consent documents?” He asked her gravely. “We need to collect his personal belongings as well.”
She nodded before leaving him to have some privacy with their deceased teammate.
Serizawa studied Enomoto’s still form and drew a deep breath. “… Idiot.” He finally said. “How did you get yourself killed this way? It wasn’t over some stupid lock, was it?” He paused, searching Enomoto’s face for answers and then rolled his eyes. “I bet it was.”
He paced the room, half imagining Enomoto would sit up and watch him quietly. “I had so much trouble after you left, y’know. People kept coming with locked room mysteries but I lost interest in them. And the diamonds! You have no idea the hell Kouno put me through,” He laughed bitterly before fading into a sad, faraway look. “And Aoto just lost her smile. I never knew how attached she was to you, Enomoto… hell I didn’t know how attached I was.”
He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to the corpse, feeling a jolt upon seeing it still lying down, eyes closed. After a moment he clicked his heels and bowed deeply, thinking of how to sum up everything he wanted to say in a short sentence. What else could you say? Rising up again, he strode up to cover Enomoto again, stopping at the face. A memory of a disenchanted Aoto surfaced to his mind’s eye.
Serizawa-san, I thought we were a team. What is Enomoto to us, exactly?
He couldn’t answer then, but he knew the answer now. It maybe too late and maybe he might as well forget it but he supposed he owed to to Aoto - he owed to Enomoto as well - this long overdue acknowledgement of the man who despite how briefly he appeared in their lives, made the most impact.
“Rest well... friend.”
Fandom: Kagi No Kakatta Heya
Warning: Character death
Author's Note: I'm going to get killed for this, I know. But the idea, once sparked cannot be snuffed out. Call it inception if you like but this plot bunny... damn.
Summary: We always think we'll live forever. We won't.
People avoided Inspector Kouno for two reasons - one, he was a scruffy, insensitive cop who pissed off more people than he can arrest. Two - he had the memory of an elephant and the curiosity of a dog with a bone. Once he found something of interest, he could never truly let go.
So while the affair of the murder of the nursing company director died down, Kouno continued to observe its main players - even when one had vanished into thin air. Serizawa Go of Serizawa & Friedman returned to boring legal corporate work, dragging his reluctant assistant along with him. The criminal Shiina Akira after confessing his crimes willingly went to prison to serve his time. When asked if he knew several of the diamonds he stole were fakes he simply said; “I’m a simple window washer. They look real to me.”
Kouno wondered if he was covering for an accomplice or (even more annoying) he was telling the truth. In that case only two scenarios were possible - the dead Director was duped by the jewelers… or Shiina Akira was conned by someone smarter than him.
Kouno’s thoughts fell on the file in front of him. An Interpol file - you don’t usually see that. Somehow it had made its way from the top down to his desk - and he knew why. He had been following this one for some time now, but he supposed all things must come to an end sometime…
“Inspector?”
Kouno Mitsuo looked up from his desk to find Aoto Junko, the nervous assistant to Serizawa Go standing in front of him. She was a little different from when he last saw her - and that was a year ago. One year when the ‘locked room lawyer’ Serizawa completely ceased his detective work - and Kouno knew why. Despite his public proclamation, Serizawa Go was no sleuth.
“Have a seat, miss,” He gestured to the plastic chair opposite him. “I’m sorry to call you so suddenly, but we seem to run into dead ends…”
“Um Inspector,” Aoto hesitated; “We haven’t picked up a case in a long time. You know that.”
“Of course,” Kouno arranged his expression to look suitably blank. “Enomoto, the ‘brain’ of your little detective team is gone so no cases, right?”
She pulled a chagrined face at his not-so-subtle poke but did not rise to the bait. He had to admit she had grown a backbone in the time he didn’t see her - and she’d need it now more than ever. “Have you heard from him, by the way?” He asked in an offhanded manner. Aoto’s response was the slight narrowing of the eyes. “What are you getting at, Inspector?”
He decided it was now or never. “Four days ago the Amsterdam police authorities contacted us,” He paused as he rummaged through a pile of papers, pretending to look for something, then pretending to find it at the top of the pile but instead of handing it to Aoto, he kept it in his hands. Lowering his voice to sound suitably grave, but gentle, he kept eve contact with her and said; “They found Enomoto Kei’s body in a hotel. He was killed by a gunshot to the head.”
All color drained from her face even as her expression remained unchanged. Her breathing seemed to slow until Kouno felt like he was looking at a statue of a human being, frozen with disbelief. He waited; this was one of the possible reactions someone could have upon receiving news of death - some erupt into hysteria and denial, some become angry, some - like Aoto - just… stopped.
“… Four days ago?” She finally whispered and he nodded before sliding the file towards her. “His body arrived back in Japan this morning. We’ve been trying to locate his relatives but… it seems he doesn’t have any,” He sat up straighter. “Since you are his only known acquaintances, I thought you and Serizawa can… assist with procedures.”
Procedures. Through the shocked haze of her mind she dimly registered the meaning behind that simple word… and immediately balked at it. “You say he’s back?” She suddenly demanded and Kouno arched an eyebrow. Here it is - denial that the person is dead by referring to him in the present tense. “Yes.”
“I want to see him.” She said with finality. “Let me see Enomoto.”
The drive to the city morgue was somber. Somewhere along the way Aoto had contacted Serizawa and the older lawyer would meet them there, after his meeting with his client was done. Kouno kept up the silence as he drove, occasionally glancing at the young woman in the rearview mirror. She was pale now, no nervous movements coming from her person. She hardly moved - staring straight out of the window but not looking at anything in particular.
Kouno wondered what she was thinking.
Cold.
Sterile.
Silent.
Those three things registered in her brain as she walked the corridor of the morgue, led by one of the staff and Kouno. She passed by an autopsy room and automatically glanced into it, shuddering at the omnious metal table and the gleam of the operating tools neatly arranged on a trolley. The image of Enomoto lying on that table, his insides open to scrutiny flashed before her eyes and she had to stop for a moment to let the dizzy spell pass.
The staff respectfully showed them into a room with a single table, where a white cloth covered the body. When her sights fell on that sheet her heartbeat stopped. The shape it concealed was familiar - too painfully familiar. Kouno slowly lowered the sheet that covered the body’s head and upon revealing Enomoto’s pale, serene face Aoto visibly flinched. But she did not look away. She took a tentative step forward… and then another, her face a mask of anguish. “Enomoto-san…”
At that moment Kouno decided that she was on the verge of… something. Something he would rather not be witness to. So he did a curt bow and softly said; “I’ll wait for Serizawa-san outside.”
The door was closed behind him and Aoto was left alone, with Enomoto. For what seemed like an eternity all she could do was stare at the face, pasty in death. There was a visible hole at his temple - the gunshot that took his life. She edged nearer and lifted the cloth at his side, finding his hand and slowly clasping it.
Cold.
The hand she remembered was warm. It was always moving - Enomoto never liked idling. She slowly rubbed the calloused fingers, remembering them holding delicate lock-picking instruments. Enomoto liked holding metal - he didn’t like human touch. Yet he had never balked when she touched him - sometimes it was a poke on the cheek, a grip on his shoulder, a touch on his back.
He never reciprocated, and now he never will.
Never.
The finality of the word finally sank in and sadness welled up her throat and pooled in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks in a river of tears. It choked her breathing and she couldn’t hold back the sobs as she gripped the still hand tighter. “Enomoto-san…” She whispered chokingly; “I’ve thought of so many things to say to you when we next meet.”
She drew a shuddering breath and wiped her face. “I wanted to ask why you left. I wanted to ask where did you go. I… wanted to answer those questions you asked me - do I have a boyfriend? What is my love life like?” She burst into fresh tears. “I wanted to have more interesting conversations. I don’t mind if all we talk about is locks - I just… I just…” Breaking down completely, she lost her words and simply cried as she bent over him.
That was how Serizawa found her when he was shown into the room. Upon hearing his entry Aoto quickly wiped her face and composed herself, though the puffiness around her eyes could not be hidden. “Serizawa-san.”
He looked at her for a moment and then at Enomoto. “… Do you want to go over the cremation consent documents?” He asked her gravely. “We need to collect his personal belongings as well.”
She nodded before leaving him to have some privacy with their deceased teammate.
Serizawa studied Enomoto’s still form and drew a deep breath. “… Idiot.” He finally said. “How did you get yourself killed this way? It wasn’t over some stupid lock, was it?” He paused, searching Enomoto’s face for answers and then rolled his eyes. “I bet it was.”
He paced the room, half imagining Enomoto would sit up and watch him quietly. “I had so much trouble after you left, y’know. People kept coming with locked room mysteries but I lost interest in them. And the diamonds! You have no idea the hell Kouno put me through,” He laughed bitterly before fading into a sad, faraway look. “And Aoto just lost her smile. I never knew how attached she was to you, Enomoto… hell I didn’t know how attached I was.”
He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to the corpse, feeling a jolt upon seeing it still lying down, eyes closed. After a moment he clicked his heels and bowed deeply, thinking of how to sum up everything he wanted to say in a short sentence. What else could you say? Rising up again, he strode up to cover Enomoto again, stopping at the face. A memory of a disenchanted Aoto surfaced to his mind’s eye.
Serizawa-san, I thought we were a team. What is Enomoto to us, exactly?
He couldn’t answer then, but he knew the answer now. It maybe too late and maybe he might as well forget it but he supposed he owed to to Aoto - he owed to Enomoto as well - this long overdue acknowledgement of the man who despite how briefly he appeared in their lives, made the most impact.
“Rest well... friend.”