Chapter One

"I know it was you, Tohru-kun."

Those were the words Adachi had dreaded to hear. Those very words threatened to burn right through his eardrums and set his mind on fire, daring to fling his mind into a spiraling psychotic state.

But.

"What are you talking about, Yu-kun?" the ragged man asked, playing his usual dumb smile. "What did I do?" he walked carefully around the small table between them, the silence causing his footfalls to echo in the investigation room. "You and your friends involving yourselves with the murder cases again?" his tone grew more serious, taking on false concern. "You can't keep on involving yourself. You could get hurt. After all, with what happened to Nanako-chan.."

Adachi expected to see Yu flinch at the mention of Nanako, but all the teen did was stare. Stared at him with those cold, grey eyes. The kid was always hard to read. It made him both nervous and aggravated.

"Tohru-kun.." the teen stated, a bit quieter as he stepped closer to the table, placing the flat of his palm onto it. "I won't tell anybody. I swear. You can trust me.." there was a change in Narukami's voice. An odd.. pleading. It bothered Adachi, as he had heard Narukami take this tone before. It was.. unsettling.

Narukami didn't dare break eye contact with the shorter, goofy-looking detective. The pleading in his eyes grew more desperate as he saw the officer's eyes only harden. But he knew. Adachi knew exactly what Narukami was talking about, there was no denying it. The air was cold and still between them, making the detective nervous- if only slightly.

Carefully, Narukami began to walk around the table, in order to get closer to the detective. But seeing Adachi tense up made the boy pause. He saw the detective was considering something in the back of his mind- but what? If only he could read the man's mind. It was an odd realization that came to Narukami- the fact that he didn't really know who this man was before him. Was everything Adachi shared about himself a lie? Was it all some kind of cover-up? Or was that goofy facade really a part of the officer he had thought he befriended..? The teenager felt there was still hope. There was still.. something there. Some part of Adachi that he could appeal to, even if this man was obviously the murderer.

Yes. Adachi was the killer. Narukami knew. Even now, when the man was playing dumb, the kid could feel it in his gut. So.. Why didn't he tell his friends? Why.. Did he keep this revelation to himself? Why not tell them, and confront Adachi together as a team? They had all been through so much together this year, and yet.. There was something that told the teen to hold his tongue. This was something that bothered him, and yet here he found himself, talking to the very man he desired to protect.. For whatever reason. Perhaps there was a reason that he himself was not yet ready to admit. Suddenly there was a sickness at the pit of his stomach, and it churned nervously, though his face remained ever stoic as he watched the detective before him.

Movement.

Shakily, Adachi pulled out a folded piece of paper from the inside of his suit pocket. Carefully, the man's slender fingers set the paper on the table, and he slid it ever so carefully toward the young man. Grey eyes caught a reaction- a small show of surprise in Narukami's eyes. Good. At least there was something.

"You know, this is the only piece of evidence we have against the killer." His voice remained calm as he talked, not breaking eye contact with the silver-haired boy. "A letter that was personally delivered to you, Yu-kun." Fingers slipped off the white paper, hand going into his pocket, taking a hold of something cylindrical. "It'd be a shame if something.. Were to happen to it, you know..?" He allowed a slight smirk to play across his lips as he retrieved a lighter from his pocket, setting the item on the table beside the letter. The man was going to attempt to get rid of the letter himself, as Dojima-san had been fool enough to give it to him, of all people, but.. This was much more fun.

Narukami's eyes fell to the familiar letter he had received not too long ago, a small sweat breaking out on his forehead. This was it. This was his chance to prove to Adachi that he really was on the man's side. Maybe he could gain the older detective's trust.

Warily, the teenager reached for the letter, unable to keep his hands from shaking, his palms from sweating. Whatever he decided to do in this moment would change the course of everything, he knew. It'd be simple to back away if he did so this very moment, but the teenager's hand kept moving toward the letter, teeth worrying at his lower lip.

The young man gingerly picked up the letter, deciding to stare at this paper for a few moments before snatching the lighter up as well. Glancing toward Adachi, and their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, though it only lasted a few seconds. Do it. He could see the goading in the man's eyes.

His thumb brushed against the jagged edge of the lighter as he held it up to the corner of the paper. Though he had been hesitating at first, the teen was now at a resolve. Thumb struck down and the lighter clicked, the flame shot up and easily caught onto the corner of the letter.

Narukami watched as the flame slowly ate the piece of paper. He thought of the friends he had made at Yasomagi High. Everything they had gone through, from rescuing people and exploring the world inside the television to the school trips and hanging out at Dojima's place. Those friends who he had formed such strong bonds with, meeting up at the court at Junes and forming the Investigation Team.. How he had helped each one face themselves and become stronger. More confident. All of his friends, all of his bonds.. Nanako.. Dojima..

And then there was Yosuke. Yosuke's affection had not gone by unnoticed by Narukami, as he himself felt there was something there for his friend. For his partner. Something more than just being friends, no matter how constantly Yosuke would deny it.

But.

His bonds, his friendships.. They all burned away as the flame devoured the only piece of evidence against the man they had worked so hard to find all year. A sudden shock ran throughout the teenager as he took in Adachi's crazed smile, the murderer's reaction. A pain in his stomach ran up and shot through his heart as he tried to ignore what he had truly just done. How he had betrayed everyone.

His decision was monstrous.

But there was no turning back.