I woke up to numbness in my body, and a whole lot of white around me. Blinking at the sudden brightness as I peeled open my eyes, "Water." I croaked. Immediately, I felt the coolness of a glass on my lower lip, a slight pressure was applied and I opened my mouth to sip the cool water. I turned my head slightly to indicate that I didn't want more, sighing as my head rested on the soft pillow. The scene seemed all too familiar... my aching body, the brightness, the soft bed, everything. I was looking straight ahead, at the ceiling, remembering that fateful day. The day which had decided my future. I joined the academy a week after that, Fura Taishi-san helped me with that. His wife Aki had always welcomed and helped me when I needed help. I closed my eyes, scrunching up my face and pressing down my eyelids. 

 "How do you feel?" Asked a familiar voice. I turned towards the source, only to stare at the individual in shock. Grey hair, long face, spectacles, serious expression... Arima Kishou was here. Like, right next to me. Looking at me. I blinked, my mind seemed hazy. Maybe it was a hallucination. Arima-san's image turned and motioned for someone, after a few seconds, a lady wearing pink scrubs. I discerned that this was a nurse, though it took some time. They spoke in low voices for a bit and then both of them turned to me. The nurse walked to the other side where the monitors were and began inspecting them while Arima-san's image stared at me with something akin to concern. "Blink twice if you're okay." It said. I decided to humor it and I blinked twice. "Good. Are you alright?" I nodded slightly at that, hoping no one was around to see me acting weird. "Lift that hand up please." Came a voice on the other side. My eyes flicked towards the nurse, who was pointing to something next to me.   

Suddenly, a warm hand gently picked my right hand up. My gaze flicked back to Arima-san, shock making my eyelids shoot open. I really need to stop reading romance novels. Hallucination. I laughed weakly at my seemingly romanticized thinking, except it came out like a painful groan. The nurse immediately came to my aid, "Where does it pain?" She asked urgently. I shook my head, trying to convey that it doesn't. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to understand and she kept fussing over me until, "It doesn't hurt!" I yelled with all my strength. I began wheezing right after that though. 

 I unintentionally dozed off after sometime. I had closed my eyes, just for two minutes, but the two minutes extended to thirty, one hour, and then several hours. I felt refreshed as I woke up, but when I turned to my right, I realized that Arima-san was no longer next to me. I turned back to the ceiling, thinking that I shouldn't really expect him to stay back. He probably had much more important matters to deal with. I shook off the weird feeling... that feeling where you just want to go find and glue yourself to a person, and I thought back to the day I faced the you-ruined-my-shirt ghoul. The Abductor. I grinned as I remembered how I had ruined his shirt. 

 Just then Fura-san came in, "[Name]-san, how are you?" I smiled warmly at him, not able to talk clearly after my outburst. He nodded and sat down, "I know you don't want to hear more about work, especially when you're in this state." I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed, "Hai. Gomen. You love work. So, we've come up with a new assignment for you. That report you came up with? Involving The Abductor and Aogiri Tree? You also said there might be a connection with the clowns. It's all becoming apparent now..." He paused, and I looked at him with a hard expression. He merely laughed, "Don't worry. The investigation is still yours. Your partner insisted." He said grinning.

I frowned. I didn't have a partner. Not for The Abductor's case at least. I operated better alone considering I fitted in with people very well, in general. But other investigators didn't prefer undercover work, they preferred more quinque action and less reasoning. I gave Fura-san my famous puppy-dog face, but no dice. "Sorry [Name]-san, I can't do anything. Orders from higher up." I turned the other way, indicating that I was annoyed.

"I will not question your methods, second rank investigator [Name], as long as the work is done." Said a new figure who had just entered the room. 

I gulped. 

 Arima Kishou was going to be my partner.