Kenzo Tsubasa

As Kenzo runs his hand through his hair, he frowns as he looks around the room. The HQ of Special Investigative Task Force 1 has gone through many changes over the course of just a couple months. The most jarring of which is the change in occupancy. Just two months ago, the task force only had ten active investigators—those days feel like a distant memory.

Although the original ten investigators are all still active, they have almost forty detectives working directly, or indirectly with the task force. The HQ is abuzz with activity, and nearly every agent is busy carrying out their duties.

Thinking about why they've undergone such a quick change is simple—yet even though he's gotten used to it, Kenzo feels odd about the whole situation.

The reason for their massive increase can easily be traced back to the Painter case.

At the time, Kenzo, and all of the task force members—including the Chief were under the presumption that they were the only team responsible for hunting down Painter.

Soon after Painter was captured, Kenzo realized how wrong they all had been.

Kenzo still remembers how surprised Chief Alexia, and Rise were when they were informed of just how many agents were actively hunting Painter. They weren't shocked by the sheer number of people assigned to the investigation, but rather by the fact that they hadn't known about it before. They were kept totally in the dark.

In truth, they'd never considered the possibility of so many different agencies being dedicated to finding the elusive murderer.

As it turns out, New Eden's government placed a high importance on Painter's immediate capture—they didn't want the case damaging their image of a safe nation.

So on top of their own SF1 being assigned the case, dozens of similar task forces were created, and assigned the mission of ending Painter's killing spree. And not only that—New Eden even made the decision to involve the international police agency, InterPol in the hunt.

New Eden had nearly five hundred agents dedicated to hunting the man independently, and simultaneously.

And yet—none of them managed to catch him.

The sheer amount of resources spent on the hunt for him made Kenzo's head spin.

Even with all of those resources, he remained at large.

Then seemingly out of nowhere, SF1 managed to single-handedly find, and capture him.

Kenzo vividly remembers the days that followed his capture; it was like a whirlwind. Their ten person team wound up receiving full credit for the case—just about every member received some level of promotion.

The largest change spawned of this event was probably the new focus placed on their task force. After all, they not only manged to solve an otherwise unsolvable case—they even captured the man responsible alive. He hasn't forgotten the shock, and disbelief, followed by disappointment that followed the bastard's suicide.

After the countless month's he spent chasing him, he managed to take the easy way out.

Even though the prison officials were punished, that did nothing to soften the blow to morale...

Kenzo has never fully understood how the higher ups function—but it's crystal clear they've decided to place their attention, and hopes on SF1. His best guess is that they want to elevate the task force, and have them solve incredibly difficult, or otherwise 'unsolvable' cases—one consequence of this has been the rapid growth of their member count.

Kenzo knows that he should be happy with everything going on... They now have almost forty agents working to solve crimes under the supervision of Alexia. And on top of that, the original members of the task force were rewarded for solving the case, and some of them are even leading a few agents of their own...

However, despite all of this, Kenzo feels uneasy about it.

It's strange for him to admit something like this, but part of him feels like this sudden influx of attention is undeserved.

Yes—they worked on chasing the man for months... But were they the reason he was caught?

The reason Kenzo feels a slight sense of displeasure whenever he silently views the HQ is all because of a single person.

Fate Reylin.

When that pretty boy, born with a golden spoon in his mouth, and an overinflated ego waltzed through the doors and involved himself in their investigation, Kenzo couldn't help but feel a bit irritated.

Although no one else felt the same—the kid seemed arrogant beyond belief.

The look in his eyes seemed as though they owned the entire world, and everyone in it. Every time he spoke, his voice sounded overly confident, and self-assured. Kenzo planned on watching the kid fail, and seeing him lose some of that arrogance that came from growing up in wealth.

Kenzo watched as Fate slowly advanced the case in ways they'd never thought of, and although Kenzo missed Painter's capture, he heard everything that happened. Even at that point—Kenzo was still firmly against Fate. He convinced himself the brat was just lucky, and there's nothing special, nor notable about him.

So, learning about just how vast the hunt for Painter was, and hearing how many agents had been actively searching for him shook Kenzo's confidence. To make things worse, he constantly had to listen to investigators outside SF1 praise them for their genius, and ability to make connections faster than anyone could imagine. Continually listening to people compliment him for Fate's work was like having a knife repeatedly twisted in his stomach.

Just thinking about it now causes a sour taste in his mouth.

"Kenzo, have you seen Rise around? I'm supposed to meet her."

A familiar voice calls out to him, making Kenzo turn towards the source. Standing beside him is one of the original ten agents, Liliana.

"No—I haven't seen her since lunch break," Kenzo replies honestly. "Maybe check Alexia's office." Liliana nods in response, and begins walking towards the door.

Kenzo watches her go with a blank expression, then turns back to the window he's sitting next too.

After getting the reprimand of a lifetime from Alexia, for allowing Fate to be injured, she too was given a slight promotion for her efforts.

To Kenzo, she's still a green rookie though.

Honestly, all of this has been to say that although Kenzo certainly dislikes Fate as a person, and he can't stand how privileged he is—Kenzo isn't above admitting when he's wrong.

He acknowledges that Fate does have real ability, and he's good at connecting dots quicker than anyone else. As someone who spends countless hours doing research, and reading reports—Kenzo understands just how hard it is to do what he did.

He may never like the brat as a person, but he respects him for his intellect. If the kid has one redeeming quality—it's that although he's arrogant, he does have a trace of humility. When the case was being wrapped up, the kid was fine with taking zero credit for his work, and he even allowed them to downplay his involvement in order for the task force to take full credit for the case.

That kind of attitude is rare among people who grew up in privilege.

Despite his flaws, Kenzo doesn't hate the kid. However—even though Kenzo's come around a bit, it doesn't mean he fully approves of him.

***

Walking through the halls of HQ, Kenzo makes a quick pass by Alexia's office. Luckily for him, the door was left slightly ajar, allowing him to listen in and hear Rise's, and Liliana's voice from within. Having confirmed that Rise's occupied, he picks up his pace.

Kenzo despises having to do things like this, but he's been left with little choice.

Rise's been acting strange ever since the Painter case—but she's been especially odd during the last couple weeks.

If she were only a little bit... off following the painter case; he could understand it. Kenzo's been an investigator for more than a decade, and during that time he's seen countless cases, investigators, and the way some cases end up sticking with an investigator.

When an investigator spends months, or sometimes even years dedicated to a single case; to catching, or stopping a single criminal—it's almost inevitable that they wind up taking it personally. Some get obsessed, and others develop feelings of guilt, or responsibility. In short, some people don't recover from the experience.

Rise has never had an issue like this. She's always been steadfast in solving cases—she'd solve, or finish one, then move directly onto the next. She didn't allow herself to become emotionally connected to a case, and she never let personal attachments affect her judgment. She's only ever cared about carrying out justice. She doesn't look at cases based on how they'd advance her career—that alone makes her unique.

It's hard not to admire someone with that sort of dedication.

But after the painter case, she's been a lot more... secretive, withdrawn. Before they both joined the SF1 task force, Kenzo had been her partner for years, so he's used to her usual quiet demeanor—this is different.

It started with her secretly working late into the night without telling anyone. It wasn't unusual for her to stay behind to work, or to continue researching a case—so it was easy for Kenzo to brush it off. As time went on, she started refusing to tell him where she went, or what she was doing.

Even at that point, Kenzo didn't look too deeply into it—after all, she was a veteran detective, and a decorated investigator. Instead of questioning her behavior, he decided to give her space. But over the last few weeks, she's been collaborating with Chief Alexia, George, and some of the new agents on something without involving the rest of the task force.

Discovering this immediately put Kenzo on edge. Both Rise and George have completely rejected his inquiries into their work, but by talking with some of the newer investigators, he's more or less confirmed that Rise is investigating a case secretly. The part that worries Kenzo the most, and has led to his current action is George's involvement. Within SF1, George is the most experienced, and knowledgeable when it comes to matters concerning organized crime, and specifically—the Triumvirate.

Everything about this situation bothers Kenzo.

If Rise's been working on a case, shouldn't she be informing the rest of the task force first?

Why would she keep it hidden from everyone else?

More importantly—why wouldn't she tell Kenzo? Why would she keep it secret, even from him?! They've been partners for nearly a decade, shouldn't he have a right to be informed!?

Rise's the type of person to stubbornly push forward in order to enforce justice, regardless of the dangers involved. If she wanted to investigate a case, she'd probably ignore any advice he gave her, and dive straight into whatever dangerous scenario she found herself in.

She's too damn headstrong.

If she refuses to tell him, it means Kenzo needs to find out what she's hiding before it gets out of hand.

He's unable to avoid the HQ's security cameras, so he moves as nonchalantly as he can while still moving quickly. He stops briefly at each corner of the hallways, and looks down the hallway in either direction. The smooth walls cause his footsteps to echo loudly, causing him to stop periodically to listen for people.

No one can know what he's doing.

Finally he reaches the end of the hall, he checks again to see if anyone noticed him. Rise's office is just a bit further, but he won't risk entering until he knows that the coast is clear. Taking another deep breath, he walks calmly toward her office door, which is currently unlocked.

Once inside, he quietly closes the door behind him. As soon as the door clicks shut, he speeds up his movements.

Many computer networks within New Eden are connected to a centralized nexus—but luckily for Kenzo, the task force uses a localized server to store their files. Because of this—he'll be able to access Rise's case files, so long as he possesses the proper clearance codes, and her computer.

He rushes towards her chair, and sits down while turning on her computer.

Kenzo's no stranger to using less than legal methods in order to obtain information, but this time it's different.

He's been her partner for years, so he already knows all of her clearance codes... She never felt the need to hide them from him.

As he begins navigating through Rise's case files, he slowly feels his stomach begin to tighten. No matter how he tries to justify it—stealing Rise's active case files is an unquestionable act of betrayal. Regardless of his intentions.

Kenzo blanches, and the color drains from his face as he uncovers the focus of Rise's current investigation.

"This damn suicidal woman... Can she be anymore reckless?" Kenzo mutters under his breath, shaking his head.

He'd been hoping to be proved wrong, but his fears are confirmed. Not only is Rise investigating the Triumvirate—she's leading the investigation into one of the Triumvirate's leaders.

"What the hell is she thinking?"

Kenzo curses himself silently as he continues browsing through her files. His fears being confirmed, combined with the anxiety from having stolen from his important partner leaves him feeling uneasy. As he checks the time, he realizes how much time he's spent here; he quickly transfers the case files to a storage device he prepared. After covering up any trace of his presence, he checks to ensure no one is outside before leaving.

No one seems to notice him leaving Rise's office.

Kenzo leaves Rise's office feeling conflicted, and dirty. Although he feels partially vindicated, due to his worries being confirmed, he feels disgusted knowing he took advantage of Rise's trust. More than that, however, he feels guilty because he stole from Rise of all people. She's the one person he never wants to disappoint.

He makes his way back to his desk in a daze.

Everything makes sense.

The way she's been acting, the reason she's been so secretive, her meetings with George and Alexia.

He should have known.

She doesn't know how dangerous the Triumvirate is. She doesn't understand how far their reach is. He wants to confront her with his findings, yell at her, tell her how reckless she's being, but he knows it wouldn't change anything.

Again he shakes his head in frustration. No matter how he looks at this—this has to be because of Fate. Under most circumstances, Rise would never allow her personal feelings to influence her actions as an investigator. But apparently, Painter trying to kill Fate is enough to change that.

In the aftermath of the Painter case, multiple agencies investigated the possibility of Painter being connected to the Triumvirate, and although there wasn't a concrete link, they all wound up agreeing with Fate's hypothesis of Painter being connected to them. And since Painter tried to kill Fate—Rise's been unable to move on. Being the one who involved Fate in the case, she undoubtedly feels responsible.

Slam

"Damn it..." Kenzo mutters, having already slammed his hand into his desk.

To Rise, Painter didn't act alone—he had the Triumvirate at his back; that means the people responsible for hurting someone important to her are free to continue hurting others. Kenzo already knows that her sense of justice won't allow her to turn a blind eye to it, or give up because it's dangerous.

She wants all of the people responsible for hurting Fate to face justice.

He's never seen Rise pursue a case due to a personal reason—he can already picture her rushing forward recklessly, getting too close to a hidden truth, and being killed. That's exactly why he can't let her go chasing after the Triumvirate blindly. Realizing his hands are shaking, he takes a few deep breaths, and readjusts his tie in an attempt to calm down, and think.

Rise's leading an investigation into one of the Triumvirate's main leaders—most likely because she believes they're partially responsible for Painter attacking Fate, and killing countless others. Kenzo's doesn't disagree with that assessment. Still, she hasn't told him anything, and she seems to be keeping him in the dark and uninvolved on purpose. And if that wasn't bad enough, he knows for a fact that she also won't give up, nor relent, regardless of what he says, or does.

If Rise's mind is set on bringing justice to the Triumvirate; this case either ends with her catching them, or it ends with her in a body bag. He pales imagining her blue hair stained in blood.

He has to help her—but it's clear she doesn't want him in the investigation... And even if he officially joined the case, he's not confident that he'd be able to help. No one knows the identity of a single one of the Triumvirate's leaders—they've remained hidden for at least a couple decades...

The next several hours pass in a blur as Kenzo continues raking his head for ideas, but he can't help, nor save Rise alone. For Rise to be saved, he needs to discover the identity of the Triumvirate's leaders, and get them arrested before they learn about her investigation, and harm Rise... It's painful to admit, but this hurdle is too high for him.

Kenzo lets out a deep sigh.

He can only think of one person that'd have a chance of pulling off something like this... Luckily, they're also deeply interested in Rise's well being.

As he holds his phone in hand, he pauses.

Kenzo knows he won't be able to help Rise alone, but with his help, he may be able to.

This is the best thing he can think of... Still, he hesitates. He dreads the idea of going to him for help.

Ultimately, he makes his decision. If throwing away his pride can give him a chance to help her, and save her from her own recklessness... It's worth it. Hell, he's not above groveling if it'll make a difference. He takes a deep breath before calling their number.

He already knows he's going to regret this call, but he still dials.