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

Fireworks and a Full Moon

The atmosphere in the car was tense as we drove through the surprisingly empty streets of Japan. I remained silent and stared out the window at the landscape. So much had changed in the eight years I had been gone. It was like being part of a whole other world. There was only one similarity: the Sybil System. Soon, even that too will be nothing but a memory. I thought with a satisfied smile.

"What are you thinking about?" Shinya asked, causing me to jump guiltily. Cool it, Otori, you'll make him suspicious. When I looked over at him, he had turned on the auto-steer and was watching me carefully.

I smiled at him. "I was just thinking about how much this place had changed," I told him. "It's like a whole new world."

He nodded. "I think that sometimes too," he agreed. "Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like without the Sybil System."

"Chaos," I answered without hesitation. "People have come to depend on the Sybil System for everything from their jobs to their daily outfits." I gestured the self-steering car. "They wouldn't know what to do without it. Just look at the effects Makishima and Kamui had on them."

"You seem to know quite a bit about the events of the past few years for someone who hasn't been in Japan since she was in her 20's," Kogami commented.

I glanced at him. "I've always considered Japan my home. I like to keep tabs on current events," I lied smoothly. "Shogo Makishima was definitely a current event."

Shinya merely grunted in response. I looked out the window once more to see the car parking in front of a large building. We stepped inside and bypassed the security altogether. Inside the building was a sole room. Kogami entered some numbers into a keypad and the door opened.

"Hello, kids," Jyoji Saiga welcomed us as he stood from his sofa. "Long time, no see." I nodded in greeting. "Hello, Mariko. Are you ready for your checkup?" I nodded once more. "Wonderful. Have a seat." Saiga motioned for us to sit and we did. The older man sat on the opposite couch and opened a file, my file.

"It seems your Crime Coefficient has stayed below twenty consistently for the past two weeks. However," Saiga added, glancing me in concern. "Your Psycho-Pass darkens mostly during the night hours. Any opinion as to why that is?" He raised an eyebrow.

I blushed. "I-I have nightmares," I explained. It had been two weeks since the incident with Nanase and my Kogami dream/nightmare, and the latter had kept making a nightly appearance in my mind. At this point, I had come to expect it, but there had been nothing I could do except wait for the inevitable. No matter how many times I tried to wake myself up, it was futile. I had learned to try and enjoy my moments with Kogami as much as possible before I woke up screaming.

"Mariko? Mariko!" Saiga called me back from my trance. "Are you alright?" I nodded. "Good. Now, can you describe these nightmares to me?"

I blushed even deeper and shook my head. "I don't really remember them," I lied easily. "I've always had them, but they went away for a while." That part was true. My nightmares had stopped around the same time Shogo and I had started dating.

Jyoji nodded. "Do you know what caused them stop?" he asked. I glanced at Kogami, unsure. Why do I care what he thinks? I wondered. Shinya and I had certainly gotten closer since the Nanase case, but that was the point, right? Get close to Kogami and Division One so I can infiltrate the Sybil System and take it down from the inside. So why does it hurt so much when I think about betraying him?

"They went away after I started dating my ex," I told them firmly. I'm here to do a job, I scolded myself. I don't have time for feelings or second-guessing. "After he died, they came back. I've had them ever since." I looked at Kogami, but he refused to meet my eyes. I felt a sharp pain in my heart, but I ignored it.