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“You’re Jouno-san, right?” Saigiku did not expect to be alive at that moment. Facing Fukuchi would never have turned out well, which was why he had chosen to flee and warn the others, but once he realized he was effectively trapped he knew he either had to defeat the commander or die trying.
And yet here he lay, resting in an extremely uncomfortable bed, IV’s strapped to him, and the stinging smell of hand sanitizer and medication giving him a headache. When one woke up in a hospital after a severe injury like his, there were usually nurses and doctors rushing in and checking his vitals, yet there was only one person in the room with Saigiku.
“Hello? Are you Jouno-san? I don’t think I’m in the wrong room,” Saigiku racked his brain for where he had heard this voice before. “Tecchou-san said this was where Jouno was staying, and it says that name on the door.”
“Tecchou?” The name of his partner grabbed Saigiku’s attention, “How do you know Tecchou?” It was one thing if this person was visiting him (most likely some charity event considering how young they sounded), but to know Tecchou? And by first name? Granted, the man was foolishly impolite, but he wasn’t dumb enough to tell someone his first name and then lead them directly to Saigiku’s room.
“Ah! So you are Jouno-san! My name is Kenji, and I’m friends with Tecchou-san! Well, I believe we’re friends even though we never really confirmed it because we had to quickly run into battle and rescue you,” The boy continued talking and Saigiku paled. He finally recognized the boy's voice. Even if he had only really heard his screams as Tecchou stabbed him through twice, there was no mistaking it. Kenji Miyazawa was sitting next to his bed chatting his ear off.
“I’m quite sorry Miyazawa-kun, but could you explain why I’m here?” Kenji didn’t even react to his last name, leaving Saigiku to wonder why this child was a detective.
“Oh! Of course! Hmm, well it all kinda started when Ranpo-san, he’s the greatest detective in the world by the way, went to visit Kunikida-kun after he was arrested!” The boy joyously continued talking, although Saigiku knew a majority of what had happened, he still paid attention.
—
“And then Ranpo-san told me to head to the airport because there would be a girl with the head vampire. So I went out, and wouldn’t you know, there she was! Ranpo-san is really amazing.” Relief seeped through Saigiku’s body. He didn’t like endangering innocent civilians, but she had been his only choice. What Fukuchi had said had been right, Saigiku only used others, he wasn’t a hero. He had shoved the responsibility of taking the vampire away on to a child, of all things.
“But just as I was about to escort Aya-chan and Bram-san to safety, Tecchou-san showed up!” Saigiku’s blood went cold. Tecchou was dedicated to his justice, and there was no way he would let the girl and the vampire freely go. Kenji seemed to notice Saigiku’s stiffness and patted him on the hand.
“Don’t worry, Jouno-san! Aya-chan and Bram-san are perfectly okay! In fact, I’m pretty sure Aya-chan visited you while you were out!” Saigiku’s hand twitched. Kenji’s hand was warm and soft, despite the feeling of calluses on his palm.
He didn't deserve to be comforted like this, and the girl he had endangered, Aya, shouldn't be concerned about his well being after what he did. Kenji had yet to move his hand away, and Saigiku made no move to bat him away.
“What happened when Tecchou showed up?” Saigiku asked. Tecchou wasn’t above attacking children for the sake of justice, but the boy said Aya was okay, and he didn’t seem injured. Kenji stilled for a moment, his hand, which had just been laying on top of Saigiku’s, curled inwards. Saigiku flipped his own hand over and held Kenji’s. He didn’t know how hard he was grabbing the younger boy, all he could feel was his own heart beating.
“What.. What happened when Tecchou showed up?” Kenji’s other hand came to hold Saigiku’s.
“It’s a bit of a long story, Jouno-san,” Saigiku squeezed his hand harder. “But it started like this..”
—
“He.. he said that?” A lump grew in Saigiku’s throat. It was incomprehensible, something so outrageously stupid that it couldn't have happened, and yet, because it was so stupid made it exactly something Tecchou would do.
But to put someone like Saigiku over justice? Tecchou putting Saigiku over justice? He wanted to throw up, nausea curling in his gut. What had he ever done to deserve being put before the one thing Tecchou dedicated his life to? Even if it was just for five minutes, it was five minutes Saigiku didn’t deserve.
The only reason he was a hunting dog was because Fukuchi thought he would be a perfect addition to the decay of angels. He threatened civilians if it meant getting information. He had tortured so many people, and even though he had slowly grown distasteful of their screams, they still echoed in his head when he was alone.
Why would someone like him ever be put over justice?
Kenji was still holding his hand. “Jouno-san,” He spoke carefully. “Tecchou-san is very worried about you.” The boy squeezed his hand. “He likes you a lot, even if you don’t realize it.” The two of them sat in silence. A thousand thoughts ran through Saigiku’s head.
And then the door opened.
“…Jouno?”