'He confessed,' Hajiri wrote in a frayed notebook. 'Said he tried to convince the Empire he was unkillable. He'll be unkillable, alright. He's in police custody facing a life sentence.'
He closed the journal and pressed it to his chest, the only artifact of his past. When he was younger, he'd write letters, but it didn't make sense to write letters anymore. Still he couldn't let it go. Because Sasuke loved stories. And he had plenty of stories he couldn't bear to go to waste.
He was sprawled across the wall on the roof of his apartment. He looked out over the ledge. Twilight painted the city a dim violet. Just beyond the skyline was the glow of neon lights, but in this poor, residential part of town, all was quiet.
Hajiri hated the quiet.
He could feel the police's eyes fixed on him. He was expecting a phone call any minute urging him off of the roof's ledge, but they preserved the illusion of privacy for now. He wasn't supposed to know they were watching, but, living so long looking over your shoulder, it'd be impossible not to know.
Maybe it was with the assurance of an interruption, he let his mind wonder. He recalled the fear from earlier today, being restrained in that closet, knife against his throat. He recalled the feeling of tumbling out and looking up at his partner's cold expression. He'd been reminded that his life was not consequential enough to merit such fear.
The detective looked back over the ledge. This used to be a comfort to him. Back in his glory days. Back in his bloody days. Back in his youth. He sought out dangerous situations, put himself right at death's door just to feel alive. He was an adrenaline addict. He had a habit of sitting high up off the ground like this to help blow off steam.
But that habit died in prison. He didn't know what he felt now.
He checked his phone to see if the station had tried to contact him and happened to notice several missed messages from an old friend.
9:58 "Signed some papers this morning. I technically co-own the shop now. She still handles all the finances though."
13:32 "New menu item added today, you'll have to come by and check it out."
20:06 "Saw the arrest in the news. Missed your visit today. Hope you're doing ok."
Julian's texts always ran in the background of Hajiri's life. He didn't always have time to respond. Not when there was work to do. Just like he didn't have time to linger on the past now. Julian served as a clear reminder of that.
He had work to do. And that was enough
THE END
YOU ARE READING
Detective Hajiri; Volume One
Misterio / Suspenso"He wasn't young." "Seventeen is young, Kojima." "No it's not," The detective stated, matter-of-factly, now turned away from the scene. Moonlight traced a silver line across his features, lighting only his narrowed eyes. "They recruit them young. Mu...
