The Abduction

The city of Shinjuku was never quiet, not truly. The hum of its nightlife was always present, a low, buzzing energy that seeped into the bones.

But tonight, that energy had shifted. It was no longer the vibrant pulse of a city alive with opportunity and secrets.

Instead, it had become something darker, something tinged with fear.

Sakurai Haruki felt it the moment he stepped out of the bar and onto the rain-slicked streets.

The night was heavy and the distant roll of thunder hinted that the storm brewing had only begun.

He pulled his jacket tighter around his broad shoulders, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows.

The air was heavier than usual, and Haruki's instincts, honed from years on the force, told him something was wrong.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, shattering the uneasy silence.

With a sigh, he fished it out, expecting yet another drunken text from a former colleague or maybe a reminder from his landlord about the overdue rent.

But the name that flashed across the screen froze him in place:

Chief Inspector Kenji.

Haruki hadn't spoken to Kenji since everything went to hell.

His finger hovered over the decline button, the urge to ignore the call almost overwhelming.

But a gnawing sense of dread, made him answer.

"Sakurai," he greeted, his voice gruff.

"Sakurai, we need you," Kenji's voice was strained, lacking its usual authority.

There was something raw there, something Haruki had never heard from the chief before, desperation.

Haruki's stomach tightened. "Chief? What's going on?"

"It's..." Kenji hesitated, a rare occurrence that only deepened Haruki's unease. "It's Aiko Nakamura. He's been taken."

Haruki's breath caught in his throat.

Aiko Nakamura.

The omega heir to the Nakamura conglomerate, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the country.

His disappearance would send shockwaves through the city, stirring up a frenzy of media, public outrage, and worst of all, fear.

"Taken?" Haruki repeated, struggling to process the word. "How? When?"

"Tonight. Just a few hours ago. We've got nothing - no witnesses, no evidence, no demands. It's like he vanished into thin air."

Haruki felt his heart rate quicken, the old adrenaline kicking in despite himself.

This was big.

Bigger than anything they had seen in years. And if Aiko Nakamura could be taken, then no omega in the city was safe.

But…

"W-what do you need from me, Chief?" Haruki asked, his voice shaking slighty even as his mind raced.

Why would his chief reach out to him now after everything?

"I need you back on this case," Kenji said, not missing a beat. "You know the city better than anyone, Haruki. You know how these people think, how they operate. We're out of time, and I need my best detective."

Haruki clenched his jaw as memories surged—the blood, the screams, the look in his last suspect's eyes before he'd pulled the trigger.

Then came the suspension, the whispered accusations, the cold stares that followed him even outside the precinct walls.

Failed.

That's what they'd said, what everyone had whispered.

He'd failed his team, the case, himself. He thought he'd finally left it all behind.

"Why me?" Haruki asked, the question squeezed past the burning in his throat.

"Because you're the only one I trust to find him," Kenji replied, the sincerity in his tone cutting through Haruki's defences. "I need my team back, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Haruki's hand tightened around the phone, his mind warring with itself. Every instinct screamed at him to say no, to walk away before he got dragged down into the darkness again.

But deep down, he knew he couldn't. Not when lives were on the line.

"I'll be there," Haruki said finally, the words heavy with the weight of his decision.

"Good. I'll send a car. And Haruki… thank you."

The line went dead, leaving Haruki standing alone in the middle of the street, the rain beginning to fall in fat, heavy drops.

He looked up at the sky, letting the cold water wash over his face, and for a moment, he allowed himself to feel the dread, the uncertainty.

But only for a moment.

With a deep breath, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and started walking. It was time to go back to work.

-———-

The precinct was a different place at night. The usual hustle and bustle were muted, replaced by a tense quiet that only heightened Haruki's sense of unease.

The fluorescent lights flickered overhead as he made his way down the familiar corridors, the mistakes of his past following him like a shadow.

When he reached the main office, he found it buzzing with activity. Officers were gathered around a central table, papers and photos spread out in a chaotic mess.

The air was thick with stress laced scents, the kind that came from knowing they were already behind in a race against time.

"Sakurai," a voice called out, pulling him from his thoughts.

Haruki turned to see Chief Inspector Kenji approaching, his usually immaculate uniform rumpled and his face lined with exhaustion.

The man looked like he hadn't slept in days, but there was a fire in his eyes that told Haruki he was running on pure determination.

"Chief," Haruki greeted, nodding slightly.

"Glad you could make it," Kenji said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You would have gotten a proper reinstation but we need every hand we can get on this one."

Haruki glanced around the room, taking in the grim expressions of his former colleagues. It was clear that this case was unlike any they'd handled before.

"What do we have so far?" Haruki asked, trying to cut through the tension.