We don't talk about Jouno

I'm not going anywhere

Halfway across town, a young girl sat on the edge of a building, overlooking the city. She could see the lights on in the task force building. Kyoka was getting one of her new prosthetic arms fitted on, and Kenji was holding her hand, like he could physically transfer her his enormous strength if he held her tightly enough. A heartwarming sight indeed. Aya turned her nose up in disgust. Where was all that compassion when they'd killed Bram? Wasn't the armed detective agency supposed to be able to find another way?

Bram was the first person to really treat Aya like a daughter. She wanted a world in which there was a way he survived. Thanks to the agency, that world was a fantasy. While Aya had planned some kind of peaceful resolution to the whole thing, Kunikida had been forced to shoot Bram in order to bring everyone back to normal. Kunikida. Kunikida had once been her hero.

"Boss?" Aya asked into her headset. "I'm in position." A kind woman's voice responded. "Just stay there for now." She told Aya. "I want to see if Jouno goes to the agency for help." Aya clenched her fists. Jouno had been the one that told her to wait in the opposite room. Even indirectly, he'd been the one that was responsible for Aya finding Bram and starting this whole mess in the first place.

"How come everyone's so focused on Jouno these days?" Aya asked. "He can open the book." Her boss said. Aya frowned. "I'm sure there are other people that can do that?" Aya could practically hear her boss shaking her head. "Unfortunately not. It was crafted by a relative of his, of sorts." Aya sighed. She was too young for all this complicated plotting.

"So, why don't we just kidnap Jouno again?" She asked. Her boss laughed, but not in a mean way. "Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy as that." She said. "The book has a bit of a problem." She said. "What's that?" Aya asked. "Someone else could get it, and change all the good works I made for the world. All the people I brought back to life would go back to being dead. Do you understand?" Aya did. Even if her boss somehow managed to get Jouno to use the book to do what she wanted, there was nothing that prevented him from changing it all back again.

"There's a way around this, though." Aya's boss said. "I just have to find someone who can cut through the book. Possibly, a person with a weapons amplification ability, yes?" Aya nodded. "Fukuchi." But Aya knew before her boss said anything that she'd said the wrong thing. "No, that man's proven himself to be a liability time and time again. But, we still have a use for him."

Aya caught her meaning. "I don't think Jouno's coming here." Aya said. "Can I go do my thing?" Aya's boss nodded. "Yes. As I say every time, make sure you leave no trace." Aya almost laughed at that one. "We both know that's not entirely possible." Aya said. "Like Bram, I always leave a mark." When Aya grinned next, she bared her unnaturally sharp teeth at the moonlight.

*

When Tetchou woke up, he could tell Jouno was awake, and had been for a while. Sometime during the night, Tetchou had wrapped his arm around Jouno's waist, as if somewhere in his sleeping mind, he worried he and Jouno would be separated again. Jouno had been awake, but he'd stayed perfectly still so Tetchou would be able to continue peacefully sleeping.

Jouno rolled over to face Tetchou. "Took you long enough." He said, a small smile crossing his face. Tetchou still couldn't get over the fact that he and Jouno were back together. Jouno had been back for a week now, but the new normal of his presence was still sinking in for Tetchou. Tetchou was the happiest man in the world, and the feeling never got old for him.

"Quick question?" Jouno said. "There's been something that's been bothering me this whole time. Apparently, when I was gone, you tried to kill Kenji in the airport. You're usually such a calm person." Tetchou frowned. He didn't like talking about that. He and Kenji were friends now, but Tetchou figured he still owed Jouno an explanation.