Chapter Text
Shuuichi Akai had planned to go to the beach.
He simply packed some clothes, rented a car, and planned to drive all the way to Kanagawa, where he’d lounge at whatever seaside resort he stumbled upon for a couple of days. It was a solid plan. After giving his statement at the police station, he unwrapped a new pack of cigarettes—the same brand he’d smoked years ago. The smoke filled his lungs as he lowered his hands and closed his eyes. Tobacco from South America was coarser, it had been a while since he’d tasted something this mellow. He tilted his head back slightly, relaxing his neck. When he reopened his eyes, he subconsciously squinted against the light. The daylight was blazing, the sky so blue it nearly burned his retinas. He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
To keep himself from getting too purposeless, he stopped by a bookstore to pick up a few mystery novels for the travel. Upon entering, his attention immediately got caught with a promotional stand for the latest bestselling novel, *The Patient Zero* by a certain mystery writer. His fingertip lingered over the word Zero.
*So, it’s him?*
Having not driven on Japan’s right-side cars for years, Shuuichi kept his speed moderate. He was, on vacation anyway. Taking the highway at this hour would get him there in two hours max. While waiting at a red light, he fished out his phone and read Mary’s reply acknowledging his whereabouts, brief as ever. He held a cigarette in his right hand, fingers tapping casually on the steering wheel, as his left hand switched radio frequencies.
Seconds later, his fingers froze, and he straightened slightly in his seat.
A car—no, multiple cars—were speeding toward him from behind. Who the hell was in such a hurry to contribute to the Metropolitan Police’s KPIs in broad daylight?
*I TOLD YOU SO.*
In his head, Shuuichi heard her voice, the drawn-out emphasis on “Told”, laced with the obvious schadenfreude.
He brushed his fingers over the safety on his gun holster, and turned to check the rearview mirror, expelling that voice from his mind.
So, murder, robbery, or both?
*Well, Kanagawa can wait.*
Shuuichi’s pupils contracted.
*Jodie.*
He saw her in the rearview mirror—Jodie’s car sped past him.
*Goddammit!*
Shuuichi shoved a wireless earpiece into his ear and slammed the accelerator as the light turned yellow.
Flying solo? With a child in the passenger seat? Multiple vehicles had their guns marked on her, closing in relentlessly. He had seen the kid the day before, so, was it a witness under protection. Had something gone wrong during a witness transfer?
He dialed Camel, but the call was cut off after two rings. Pinching the phone down between two fingers, he dropped his hand to shift gears, then he switched it back up to redial.
“Akai-san, sorry, I’m currently—”
Shuuichi interrupted, “I’m behind Jodie’s car. What the hell is happening?”
“Is the child still with her? Where are you?” The voice on the other end hesitated for half a second before urgently pressing. No time for explanations.
He shared a real-time location before tossing his phone onto the dashboard. After a prolonged silence, Camel spoke again as Shuuichi drew his pistol and disengaged the safety.
“Hey! Notify Delta Teams 1 and 2 to rendezvous with Jodie immediately! Coordinates sent!”
“How many cars are left? Any gunfire?”
“Three. Guns aimed, pursuing closely. Permission to engage?”
“…Affirmative, agent Akai.”
Before Camel finished speaking, Shuuichi’s car had already closed in on one of the pursuers. He yanked the wheel hard, cutting them off and forcing the driver to pull away violently. A gunman leaned out the passenger window, frantically scanning for the assailant, only to find Shuuichi’s gun already in position. Aim. Fire. In one fluid motion.
“Two left.”
The remaining cars watched as their ally slam into the guardrail in the rearview. One car eased off the gas, only for its tires to be shot out next. The vehicle spun out of control, gliding and slamming into a row of parked cars.
The men from the lead car finally identified the source of the chaos, as they watched the ghostly figure in the rearview mirror that kept closing in. The driver slammed the horn, forcing a halt of all arguments. “Time’s up! The target’s getting away!” A louder screech erupted ahead—the two men in front paled as a slow-turning truck suddenly appearing in a distance. The driver stomped the brake barely before it was too late, causing a metallic shriek from tires locking. The car screeched to a halt less than a meter from collision.
The mysterious car smoothly bypassed the truck. As he passed, he fired left-handed through his window, puncturing the pursuers’ front and rear right tires in succession—his right hand never leaving the wheel. The deafening *bang* of bursting tires echoed as the men inside shuddered at the merciless glare he shot them.
“Done.” Shuuichi holstered his pistol.
“Akai-san, you…”
“Only a few tires, that’s all.” He looked ahead.
Jodie’s car did not stop.
…It showed no sign of even slowing down.
She couldn’t have missed the chaos behind her. If she hadn’t slowed down while keeping the blinkers still on —something must be wrong with the car. Shuuichi gritted his teeth and stepped on the accelerator to the floor.
“Jodie!”
She’d glimpsed the pursuit in her mirror, initially assuming Camel had miraculously tracked her down. The next second, she saw Shuuichi’s stone-cold face as he came up behind her.
Perhaps the familiarity of that look triggered some deep memory—her heart plummeted to her stomach, her eyelids twitched.
*How could it be him?*
Her lips parted slightly, gaze darting, and finally the breath she was hanging on to came loose.
*It will probably be fine.*
“Thank God it’s you! My phone’s broken, I can’t reach Camel!”
“He’s on the line,” he raised his phone, switching to speaker as he pulled alongside her. “What’s wrong with the car?”
“Brakes are dead. They tampered with the accelerator too! Damn it! I knew something felt off when I got in!” She slammed the steering wheel, honking repeatedly to clear the intersection ahead.
He eased off the gas, reassessing the situation from behind before catching up again to glance at her dashboard.
“Can you still press the brake pedal?”
“I’ve been stomping it forever! No response.”
“Emergency brake?”
“Too dangerous!” Jodie shot him a sidelong glare. “I’ve had to accelerate to shake them!”
It’s too fast. Using the emergency brake at high speed was ineffective and she would risk a rollover, not to mention with a child onboard. Thank heaven, Jodie thought to herself, years of riding shotgun with Camel’s mad driving is finally paying off.
“Any road under construction nearby?”
Staying in this traffic would endanger both civilians and themselves.
“No, but the second road parallel should be mush less crowded this time of day. Jodie, know where I am talking about?”Camel replied.
Jodie pondered for half a moment and put on her turn signal, "There's a long barrier on that road, I can sideswipe it to decelerate. If that won’t work, shoot out my tires from the other side.”
It wasn’t impossible, provided the road was empty enough. Shuuichi exhaled while contemplating alternatives, to drive to the outskirts until the gas ran out. But the fuel gauge showed a full tank.
Hearing his silence, she could tell he was plotting again. She glanced at the red-faced child full of tears, her heart clenched. She turned and concluded in a sharp and angry voice, “No time for second thoughts! Follow me.”
They turned to a wide, straight road, and found sparse traffic.
Jodie breathed a small sigh of relief, honking nonstop while reaching over to ruffle the child’s hair. “Noah. Noah.”
The blaring horn had the boy to cover his hands over his ears. He had curled almost into a ball in the passenger seat in panic.
“Hey…I’m so sorry… Can you still hear me?” She steadied the wheel, softening her tone when his teary eyes met hers.
“We’ll be alright, okay? It’s okay. Just I need you to hang on a little longer... Can you do that for me?” She wiped his tear-streaked face, enveloping the child’s small hand in hers, the tip of her thumb squeezing gently his palm.
The guardrail’s close. She gripped the wheel.
“Hold your backpack to your chest, lower your head, and cover your ears. Don’t open your eyes until we stop! Understand? Do NOT open them!”
After a final check, Jodie tilted the wheel. The car sideswiped the guardrail repeatedly, door shrieking against metal. She clenched her jaw, covering one ear and squinting in reflex. Seconds later she realised, while the initial collisions slowed them slightly, it wasn't enough, it simply wasn't enough.
Time’s up, and the barrier still wasn't long enough.
She would have to jump out of the car with the child, and while this speed was not ideal, it was at least stable. As long as she landed properly, at least the kid wouldn't be hurt much. She kept the steering wheel still to maintain friction, while whispering to the kid don't be afraid as she reached down to unbuckle both of the seatbelts.
Hail Mary, there really wasn't another way.
“Get aw—”She barely spoke.
“Don’t move. Maintain course.” Shuuichi’s coarse voice resurfaced.
That tone—seemed that it always had always appeared in her most desperate moments. *Just how many times has he saved me like this?* Her eyes widened. Before she could react, he yanked the wheel and rammed her car’s front.
BANG!
The impact triggered the emergency brake of Jodie’s car. Still feeling the resistance, Shuuichi kept pressure on the accelerator, slowly pinning her car against the guardrail. They dragged forward for another ten meters before grinding to a halt.
Airbags had managed to deploy. Jodie shook off the nausea from seatbelt strangulation, and turned immediately to check on Noah—stunned, with fallen snot hanging from his lips, his cries reduced to faint whimpers. His long lashes fluttered uneasily. Her heart twisted.
“Hey…Noah.” She reached to wipe his face while whispering his name, fingertips patting gentle his cheeks. His eyes cracked open, and before he could mutter any word, more tears pooled. Jodie pulled him into a fierce hug, rubbing his sweat-drenched back.
“It’s over. You’re safe… See that? It’s ok…It’s over.”
Her heart ached, as the child’s tears soaked in. She buried her nose in his hair, breathing in his scent as relief washed over her.
“Shuu! That was too reckless!”
Jodie helped Noah out, her brows twitched as she stormed towards Shuuichi. Her tenderness towards the kid just a second ago vanished, like an illusion dissolving as the smoke rising from the hood of the car. It appeared that aside from some scratches on his face, there were no other injuries.
“The car’s insured.” he coughed, kicked open the car door, and brushed the shards of glass off him as he stepped out. “At that speed, it wasn’t fatal.”
*What kind of insurance policy covers this?* Jodie eyed the massive dent. James must had a chill down the back of his neck right about now.
He did just saved them both.
“You are hurt?” She noted the bandage peeking under his sleeve—absent during their brief encounter the day before.
“Long story. What now?” He glanced at the mess in the back seat of the car, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and nodded at approaching headlights.
“Well.” Jodie adjusted her holster, shrugging. “Our only escape plan’s a wreck. Their backup’s less than a mile out. We will hide until Camel arrives.”
She led Noah toward a department store.
As they entered, Shuuichi pulled off his cap and shoved it onto Jodie’s head.
“Take the kid. I’ll hold them off.”
Jodie frowned, shaking her head. “They don’t know you. You’ve got a better shot at slipping past with him. I will draw them away.”
“Akai san, I agree with Jodie,” came Camel’s voice through the earpiece, as Akai reconnected the comm.
“ETA?” Shuuichi asked.
Jodie had already knelt beside the boy, tugging her ponytail out through the back of the cap. She reached out, gently brushing off a smudge from his neck. She had no idea where he’d picked it up.
“You are going with him, okay,” she said softly, “I’ll come get you in just a bit.”
“But I wanna stay with you,” the boy looked down and murmured.
“Hey…”She leaned close, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Noah sweetheart, look at me. We made a pact, right? About when the time comes what to do.”
The boy hesitated, casting a wary glance towards the guy a few steps away. He leaned even closer, tugging at the ham of her jacket, “But… he looks scary.”
Jodie let out a sudden laugh. She couldn’t help it.
She’d been worried the chase and that brutal crash might have left the kid shaken — but he bounced back fast. Almost too fast.
Just minutes ago this kid was sobbing in the front seat, and minutes later he was focusing his entire attention at Shuuichi's intimidating face, his eyes still puffy from crying. The boy’s resilience amazed her.
She hugged him close patting his back gently, then looked up at the man. She couldn’t blame Noah. Even adults would find him intimidating. Those sharp eyebrows and that unreadable face didn’t exactly scream “friendly.”
Also, off topic—was he growing his hair long again?
The black strands, now brushing his neck, had been carelessly tied back with a simple band. But once he took off his cap, the shorter curls at his forehead slipped loose —fluffy and unruly, reminded her of an infant's hair.
Just then, his eyes dropped—and caught hers. He blinked, slightly caught off guard.
Jodie inhaled a little too sharply.
Oops… Didn’t mean to stare, she sweared, not this long at least.
Jodie looked down shyly, lifting a hand to scratch at the messy bang under her cap.
“He’s not really scary,” she whispered to Noah.
“He’s just... uh, not great with kids.”
“But, you know what he’s good at?” she continued with a reassuring smile, “Keeping you safe. He is the strongest, strongest person I know. He won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Really?”
“Really, THE strongest.” She nodded, clearing any hesitation he might have.
She stood up and gave his back a firm rub, whispering encouragement.
Camel was still updating him some details, but Shuuichi’s attention kept coming back to the conversation before him. It wasn’t until his gaze met with Jodie’s that he noticed — *something about her felt... different*.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The impression flickered through his mind like static, there one second and gone the next—too brief to name, too faint to catch.
Like a mosquito bite. By the time you feel the itch, all that’s left is a low, ghostly hum and a tingling bump.
Without giving further thought, he rubbed absentmindedly at the side of his nose and stopped paying attention to whatever secrets they were whispering.
“Fifteen minutes,” Shuuichi updated, “Camel will meet us at the underground parking.”
“Go.” Jodie nudged Noah towards Shuuichi. “I will draw them away as far as I can. The parking’s not big, you will have easier access through the escalators. If I don’t make it in time, get him out first.”
She stepped one foot closer, her hand resting protectively on the young boy’s shoulder. Her gaze locked with Shuuichi’s — calm, determined.
“Shuu,” she said, voice low but steady, “I’m counting on you.”