Psycho Pass: All Alone With You

Until Death...Do Us Part? - ACT 4

Holding the Dominator in both hands, Akane scanned the quaint bedroom. A smile came to her face as she looked about the small chamber. It was a simply decorated room with only the essentials. A four-poster bed was situated on the north wall with layers of coverlets and quilts on it. On each side of the bed, there was a matching pair of dressers made of polished oak.

Opposite the bed, nearest the door, there was a tall washing basin, complete with a porcelain bowl and a large dressing mirror, whose reflection took in the entire room behind her. Beside the mirror was a white vanity with a set of smaller mirrors.

Sitting on the vanity, among the sundry items of a perfume, make up, combs, and hairbrushes, there was a quill feather pen and an ink font with bundles of parchment paper. The relics looked genuine, and Akane suppressed the urge to reach out and touch the artifacts for fear of damaging them.

"This is incredible," Akane whispered. "Director Nagano's family went through a lot of trouble to recreate the old inn and playhouse with such authenticity. Wonder how they accomplished it? This vanity really looks antique."

"What vanity?" From the corridor, Masaoka chuckled as he kept vigil. "There's no mystery to an empty room, missy."

"Mr. Masaoka, this room is hardly empty."

Masaoka peered into the room from the the doorway with wonderment, at first, and then something rarely seen in the Enforcer's brown eyes: fear. "Missy, listen to me carefully now." He extended his hand to her, indicating that she should come to him. Before Akane could take it, Masaoka was abruptly lifted from his feet in a roiling black cloud of brimstone and thrown violently against the wall.

The impact left an indentation of his head and back in the drywall. Dazed by the impact, the Enforcer slumped down to the floor. "Inspector—"

The air turned suddenly hot. Breathing was difficult. Talking was nearly impossible. Masaoka threw his left arm up to protect his face from the projectiles that materialized in the air. Crude iron nails flew at him like thrown daggers. The first managed to catch him, leaving a scratch on his face. The others were ensnared in the durable fabric of his trench coat or repelled by the metal skin of his cybernetic arm. "Akane!"

"Mr. Masaoka!" Akane ran for the door, but before she could get through, it slammed shut with such force that the wooden doorframe fractured.

Akane heard the soft, distinct sounds of weeping behind her. She swung around to face the noise with her Dominator out in an offensive position. Dressed in a white gown, the crying woman was tied in an upright position at the foot of the four-post bed. An old-fashioned musket was tied beneath her breast.

"Asura Rai?" Akane gasped, her breath visible in the cold air. The long black hair and the red ribbon tied into a love knot was evidence enough of the woman's identity. Akane could see right through her and the even dimmer images of the five soldiers there in the room with them. Three of them knelt at the window, priming their weapons, while the other two kept guard near the woman.

"Crime Coeffcient under 60. Enforcement action not required. The trigger is now locked."

Tears streaming down her face, Asura looked to Akane and then to a large bay window along the eastern wall. The brilliant illumination of a full moon shone down from the night skies onto a curving ribbon of road beyond the glass. A lone horseman was galloping down the path toward the inn. Akane could hear the distinct sound of hoofbeats growing ever closer.

"Asura Rai!" Akane cried. She pointed the Dominator at the soldiers, but the weapon registered nothing. "I don't know what to do!"

The apparition sadly smiled at her and then turned her head back to regard the figure approaching on horseback. "Where do you go when you close your eyes?"