Bound by Fate *Psycho-Pass*(Kogami x OC)

There's Something About Mariko

Kogami's POV
When we arrived at the mental facility where Mariko was being held, I was surprised to see a familiar face. "Ryder," I said with surprise as the brown-haired man stepped forward to give me a bear hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I actually had a job here. I finished a few hours ago, but I heard you were coming and I figured it's been too long. Who are your friends?" He nodded to Akane and Professor Saiga with a raised eyebrow.

I started and turned to introduce them. "Ryder, this is Inspector Akane Tsunemori and Professor Jyoji Saiga. We're working together on a case." I turned to the other two. "Guys, this is Ryder Harkness. He's an American, but he works for Sybil. I guess you could say we're in the same line of work." Professor Saiga nodded to him and Akane held out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. Ryder studied her for a moment before taking her outstretched and shaking it firmly.

"Pleasure's all mine." He returned her smile and looking back at me. "I like her."

I scoffed and ruffled his already messy brown hair. "Shut up," I scolded him playfully. He swatted away my hand and glared up at me with his dark brown eyes. I chuckled at his attempt to look threatening considering he was at least three inches shorter than me.

"Whatever. Look, I've gotta go, but I'm gonna be in Japan for a few more days. You should give me a call so we can hang out." I nodded at his suggestion and waved as he walked out the door.

"So he's a friend of yours?" Akane asked as we walked through the security checkpoints.

I shrugged. "I guess. I mean, he's more like the annoying little brother I never wanted, but yeah, you could say that."

Akane was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "He reminds a little bit of Kagari," she said softly. I looked down at her, surprised at her comment. She wasn't looking at me, but down at the floor and her expression was sad, although her hair hid part of her face.

"Yeah," I agreed looking back up. "I guess he does." Shusei Kagari. Can it really be possible that I don't remember the last time I thought about him? I considered. The truth was that I hadn't really wanted to think about him, about any of them. Thinking about them meant I would miss them, and I didn't think I had a right to miss them after disappearing like that.

Professor Saiga seemed to read my mind, as usual, because he whispered in my ear. "Stop dwelling on what you did or didn't do and focus on the now. We've got a job to do, and we don't need you drifting off to focus on something else." I nodded, realising he was right. My past was my past and there was nothing I could do about it.

Finally, we arrived at the interrogation room where we would talk to Mariko. "I'll talk to her," Professor Saiga told us before walking into the room. Akane and I went to the room next door where we would watch the interrogation. It was dark, but I could see some chairs and a small round wooden table in front of the two-way mirror. There was also a tv next to the mirror which gave us a clear view of Saiga's face as well. Both Akane and I remained standing as we studied the room on the other side of the glass.

The interrogation room itself was plain. Everything about it, the walls, the furniture, even the door was white. The only source of colour was Jyoji's dark brown hair. The furniture was sparse, just a square table with two chairs placed opposite to each other. Professor Saiga was seated so that his back was to us but the chair where Mariko would be sitting faced us.

"This should be quick," Akane commented blankly as Mariko entered the interrogation room. I highly doubt that, I thought. Ever since I had seen Ryder, I had had a feeling that this particular case would take longer than we thought and that, much like Kamui and Makishima, Mariko Otori had the power to bring the Sybil System to its knees. I just hope I'm wrong.