The Road to Darkness

Case 14: The Final Push

"Tag you're it!"

"No way you cheated!"

"You're just slow"

Two children began to bicker as their mother called them in.

"Dinner!"

The two boy raced inside to see three dishes laid out on the table. They began to frown "he's not coming?" One asked.

"Sorry, he's busy again," the mother said silently.

"He's always gone!" The other boy stomped.

"He's working, without him, we couldn't eat this dinner," the mother said.

"What's the point if he's not here to enjoy it with us..." the other one pointed out.

The mother had nothing left to say and began serving their food. As they all sat down to began their meal they heard a knock at the door. For a minute they didn't move until they heard it again "hey, don't tell me y'all ate without me?" A voice said.

"Dad!" The boys cried rushing to the door. "Oh, Kotori" The mother whimpered, crying tears of joy as they all sat down for a nice dinner.

"Hey, Yato!" A voice called out as someone knocked on my door.

I opened my eyes and slowly got out of bed and went to open the door.

"Come on Yato I know you're home!" The voice said banging louder.

"Shh relax, I'm a bit slow" I mumbled, opening the door slightly annoyed.

"Oh, thank goodness you opened up!" Berry said, inviting himself in. "Come on in" I sarcastically gestured.

"So how you holding up?" He asked sitting down on my couch. "Not beating around the bush huh?" I sighed sitting next to him.

"I'm an attorney, we get straight to the point"

"Guess you're right"

We both exchanged a small laugh before it went silent.

"I can't keep doing this Berry...it's too much" I admitted with a heavy heart. "So that's it? You're done?" Berry asked.

"It hurts, all this despair, it's suffocating," I said.

"You can't quit yet Yato, you were so close".

"Yet! I can't quit yet! So when Berry?! When is the time to quit?! When I'm six feet under!? I can't keep gaining hope just to have it toppled like it's nothing! I'm fragile.....too fragile for this" I snapped.

"So this is the great Yato Ushio? What a joke" A voice barked.

The first thing that came to my mind was Kikaru's face. I jumped out of my seat, fist clenched but when I turned I saw a girl, a few years younger than me.

"This is what you've become? An emotionally unstable waste of space?" She asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"When I was asked to join you I was ecstatic, I thought, finally I get to see him in action. But alas, the man I once looked up to is nothing more than a glass figurine of his former self. One. More. Touch". She said walking closer, each word a single step. "And you might break," she said tapping me in the chest.

"Berry...who is this girl?" I asked him never taking my eyes off her.

"The names Shina Akamaru, Forensic Investigator," she said locking eyes with me.

"She's here to be your new partner," Berry said, bracing himself for the backlash.

"What?" I asked, my tone rough.