#itadxkimasu

    It had been a long, drawn out string of international incidents, spreading terror across multiple countries, both threatening and claiming countless innocent lives. More importantly ( to Neuro, at least ), somewhere within the ruthless spree of terror, hid a massive puzzle. One that the demon had claimed to rival, if not overtake the size of what he had feasted on after triumphing over HAL. Which meant that searching out such a banquet had instantly become priority one for both Yako and her so-called “assistant”. There was no way that such a rarity would be allowed to slip through their fingers!

    --But, in more ways than one, at times it had almost felt like they had bitten off more than they could chew.

    Becoming involved in the case hadn’t been difficult at all, of course, what with the reputation she had built for herself over the years. On the contrary, her assistance had practically been welcomed with open arms. No, what had made things hard was the fact that even with a demon at her side, the one behind all of the destruction and death remained eerily elusive and resourceful. She had almost lost track of how many times they’d felt that answers were within their grasp, only for them to be yanked away and replaced with a dangerous threat that needed to be dealt with instead. For quite some time, it felt more like they were rushing in to save the lives of those threatened rather than finding a way to make sure that they didn’t continue to be.

    And Neuro had been right there to soak up every bullet, to take the brunt of every attack that he could to save the humans that would have been slaughtered otherwise. Just like he had done with Sicks when the New Bloodline had been trying to sap him dry. And it had worried her--the signs of wear and tear were coming back, the amount of time he slept had started to increase, and she’d seen past wounds that were supposedly healed suddenly open back up again more than once. Was it even worth it, she’d asked herself on several occasions. Would the puzzle be worth all of the trouble if it ran him into the ground so much? Would it even energize him enough to put him back to the state he’d been in when they’d started the case?

    Finally, it had all come to an end. A single slip-up on the opposing side had given them an opening and insight into how to unlock the puzzle. Only for the entire thing to go sideways once they tried to use the opportunity and do so. They’d been separated, Yako trying desperately to find her way back to her partner’s side while also trying to avoid death and danger. But it seemed no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find him. Even when a large explosion had shaken the entire area and disoriented her further, she hadn’t stopped trying to look for him--hadn’t stopped trying to help. It was only when she’d been found among some of the rubble by the people she’d been working with that she even left the scene.

    Weeks later, she sat alone in her apartment, staring out the window at the setting sun. Not a trace of him had been found where the explosion had happened or any of the surrounding area, yet no matter how long she had waited, Neuro had never returned. Even when she had tried to call or text him, there hadn’t been any response. But she’d still held out hope, even when she’d been forced to return to Japan after a week had passed. She’d gone back to work, distracting herself from his absence by doing jobs she’d been more likely to take during the three years he had been recovering in Hell. But as more time passed, it was getting harder and harder to not wonder if something had happened to him.

    --If he was...?

    A small ping pulled her from her thoughts. Flipping her phone open, Yako skimmed a text from Akane that informed her of a new case that had come in since she’d gone home for the day. Maybe she’d have the braid send over more details after she ate a snack. Or... dinner. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t had dinner yet, had she? Rubbing her neck for a moment, she hoisted herself up off of her couch to make a somewhat reluctant beeline for the kitchen. Though, she was stopped in her tracks by a sudden noise behind her. The sound of familiar loafers softly touching down upon the floor. Her head darted around to look.

                                    ❝ Take care of the place while I’m gone...                                               ...P A R T N E R. ❞

                                                p a r t n e r s                                             a neuyako fanmix

    Honestly, the only reason she doesn’t scream when she wakes up is because she’s too disoriented at first to really get what’s happening. Neuro has tied her up and suspended her high into the air while she’s slept before, but it was usually from a nap or from dozing off. Waking up from a full eight hours of sleep that she’d started at home in her bed to a bird’s eye view of the street outside of their office is… confusing to the say the least.

    She’s pretty sure she’s still dreaming, actually.

    But then the breeze ruffles her hair and she feels the tightness of the rope almost ( but not quite ) cutting off circulation in her arms. Yako blinks. Blinks again, and nearly screams out in realization. Nearly–a last second clamping down of her mouth stops the noise from echoing through the air. She won’t give Neuro the satisfaction of hearing a full scream from her upon grasping her situation. No, he’s getting enough out of it already, the sadist. She will not give him that!

    A snap above her draws her attention, and the so-called “detective” glances up as best she can to locate the source. And what she sees is, honestly, no surprise. But unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any less alarming. The rope is frayed and falling apart under her weight in an area that looks as though it had been deliberately cut most of the way through. Before she can stop it, a small burst of adrenaline shoots through her veins, fingers trembling ever-so-slightly at the sight before she closes her eyes and breathes.

    The demon is definitely one to let the rope snap, he is even one to let her fall most of the way down, but he will not let her hit the pavement. He will not let her die. She knows that much for certain.

    After the long day that she’s had, she wants nothing more than to collapse on the floor the second she steps inside her apartment. They had somehow managed to work three cases in the short span of nine hours–three! She supposes that even a demon such as Neuro is allowed to be graced with outrageous luck from time to time. And while she’s happy her partner got three puzzles out of it, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s wiped.

    Kicking off her shoes, Yako steps up from the entryway and wastes no time in plopping her purse unceremoniously upon her counter. Then, she makes a beeline for the bath, already unbuttoning her shirt and tossing it into her room on her way. As much as she wants to just fall onto her bed and give in to sleep, she knows a soak in her tub will do her aching muscles good. She pushes the door open and flicks on the light before reaching down to fiddle with her skirt’s zipper.

    Though, she is brought to a sudden grinding halt when she glances up and sees what awaits her.

    The bath is already full to the brim with water. Which, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t exactly be a problem. But there’s something swimming in it as well. It almost looks to be a snake, but she knows demon handiwork when she sees it. It’s some sort of monstrosity that resembles a snake, but has maybe three heads and jagged blades sticking out of it at odd angles. Not to mention whatever is dripping from its mouth is turning the water a horrible shade of green. Lovely.

    Had the fabric not been still hanging half-way on her hips, she’s certain she would have let out a frustrated shout and thrown her skirt at the creature in irritation. Though, such action likely would have just made things worse, in all honesty. So, Yako settles for slamming her bathroom door shut as hard as she can, not even flinching when loud sounds of splashing and an otherworldly screech follow from the other side. Storming back out into her kitchen, she digs her phone out of her purse and speed dials Neuro.

        ❝Of all places, why the tub?❞ she asks once she hears him pick up, not even letting him get a word out. ❝I bathe there, you jackass.❞

    She’s preoccupied, running on autopilot while she checks her phone before hurrying out the door. Stepping down into her entry way, Yako kicks off her slippers, not even bothering to put them back in their proper place. Her day’s going to be busy; she can already tell. There’s two tests she has to take, not to mention a project she needs to finish. And on top of that, she can’t forget about anything that Neuro may have plans for–!

    Sharp pain stabs into her foot when she tries to slip into her loafers. Letting out a yelp of surprise, she tumbles backwards into the wall, dropping her phone to the ground and knocking her head in the process. Glancing down, her brows tighten even further at the sight of tacks stuck in her socks and spilling out of her shoe.

    The fact that she had reached a point in her life that waking up suspended from a fire escape by rope did not make her scream in terror was, quite frankly, a little ridiculous. Most would have felt fear and/or surprise tear through them from head to toe and be increasingly worried about their well being. Katsuragi Yako, on the other hand, only flinched when she realized her situation, and scowled darkly at the pavement down below her.

    She supposed she should have expected such an outcome. Dozing off in the presence of the demon was always a recipe for disaster, especially since she’d eaten a pretty big meal before hand. But still! How long had she been up there?! Had anyone seen? How could they explain something like this?!

    --She... didn’t exactly know how to feel.

    It was New Year’s Day The biggest and most anticipated holiday of the entire year. Both she and her mother had put a lot of thought into making sure that their start of the year would be enjoyable and celebrated properly. Even if there was a void--the missing voice and presence of her father. It was going to be the first time of many that they would have to go through the holiday, go through the new year, without him there. Yet while the pain of his loss had become easier to bear with time, Yako had not been able to help but miss him dearly as the holiday had drawn nearer and nearer. And she could see that her mother felt the exact same way.

    But despite that, they had decided to pull out all the stops. All of the traditional decorations had been put out. They’d eaten toshikoshi soba the previous night and even had their own personal little bonekai party before falling asleep. That morning, they’d gotten up together to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. They’d read greeting cards together after a big breakfast. And for the first time in quite a few years, both mother and daughter had decided to don kimonos for their visit to the shrine. The New Year was about a fresh start, and not being focused on the past. Difficult as their loss may have been, they had decided to move forward and enjoy the holiday together, rather than letting an occasion they loved be spoiled. Her father would not have wanted such a thing.

    So, when Yako glanced out her window while waiting for her mother to finish getting ready and saw a demon starring back at her, she had no idea how to feel. She’d been planning to visit him later in the day, of course. Even if he didn’t celebrate human holidays, it would have felt at least... a little strange to not drop by and see him. She’d even sent a greeting card to the office for both he and Akane. But for him to seek her out... did that mean that there was a puzzle? That... had to be the reason... didn’t it?

    With only a slight twitch of surprise in response to his appearance, she cocked a brow at him before sliding the window open. She couldn’t deny, a part of her was really hoping that it hadn’t been a puzzle that had brought him to her house. ( Though, what else could it be? Unless he just wanted to slap her around a little for no reason other than it was a holiday. ) What could she possibly tell her mother? That she had to abandon her on the day they’d put so much effort into celebrating together? And yet, keeping Neuro fed was also top priority. He was going to need all the energy that he could get his hands on to battle the New Bloodline. If he needed her to, she would go along if she wanted to help put a stop to Sicks’ plans--holiday or not.

    It was rare to see him lounging on something that wasn’t the ceiling. Usually she only ever saw him on a couch when he needed to be. Like after his fight with Sai, and she’d had to hold his hand in place. Raising an eyebrow, Yako took a few steps forward and sat down on top of the coffee table right next to him.