Prologue: The Origami Killer

"Detective Amanai, after a lot of thought, we’ve come to the conclusion that since you can’t seem to step away from the Origami Killer case after being taken off of it, I’m going to need your badge and gun," the Police Commissioner said, almost with a sigh. He couldn’t help but feel let down that such a talented detective was getting pushed out because of the rules. Yuichiro was visibly exhausted. There were bags under the commissioner’s eyes; he too had been entangled in this debacle to a deep extent. Not as much as Yuichiro… but it was eating away at him and Yuichiro. But for Yuichiro it had practically become a central part of his life. Despite that bond, hearing this news had the Detective visibly enraged. His emotion clearly laced his voice as he spoke, "What?! I wouldn't need to be so involved if you all took this more seriously! We're dealing with a damned serial killer, and the whole department seems content on dragging its feet instead of doing something about it!"

Not only did Yuichiro have a strong sense of justice, but since his older sister was killed by the Origami Killer, this case had become personal to him. That was the problem. He made it his mission to bring down the Origami Killer before he took any more lives! He had to! The Commissioner understood that…but only sighed sadly and shook his head, continuing with a stern flame in his voice! "Yuichiro! I won’t have you sit there and yell at me like I don't understand! Like I don’t care!!! Look, son... I get it…I get it son…I do, okay? You want to bring down the one who took your sister from you, but... You're killing yourself just to achieve that... you understand that right?! I respect it…but my hands are tied! That’s the truth...alright?"

The young detective looked to the Commissioner with a genuine scowl that faltered as the commissioner’s voice thundered throughout the room. But after some time…he simply shook his head before pulling his badge free from his jacket. Then with clenched teeth he slammed it down and slid it along the table, pulling his holster and gun off his belt. Before tossing those too over to his former boss, "You're a coward…," he added, shadows covering his face in disappointed, defeated rage. The commissioner took his badge and his gun and put them in his desk before sliding a file over to Yuichiro, still able to direct his hawk-like eyes which had seen countless battlefields towards the young detective, "Go get some rest, Amanai." The Commissioner said, before the edge slowly faded. Then, like the kind man who aided him in his early days…the commissioner winked as Amanai growled. He begrudgingly took the file and opened it, probably his termination notice... Then he saw it: files regarding the Origami Killer...Slowly a smile overtook the look of defeat that had settled on Yuichiro’s face. He left the Department, reading a note left in the file with a smirk that carried the history of the former duo’s bond: "Get him, Yuichiro. Get that son of a bitch."

After this event…Yuichiro returned home and settled down into bed, drifting to sleep with surprising ease, thoughts of his sister and the bastard who took her plaguing his dreams throughout his resting period. A dim respite before he awoke…freshly unemployed, Yuichiro now had a whole day with nothing to do except lie around in bed. Well... that would be the case if the Commissioner hadn't basically plopped a lead right into his lap! The Origami Killer, the one he had been chasing for what felt like forever in his career. This man had killed his sister, and he wanted to stop at nothing to hunt him down.

Looking over the file the Commissioner had given him, Yuichiro began to take notes in his phone: 13 kills so far... 950 cranes taken for evidence, with 13 being symbolic. A blood-dipped beak... Interesting. After some time scanning the documents he ended up seeing an image of his sister, bloodied and with a crane in her hand. These files caused an immense amount of rage in the depths of Yuichiro's heart, his very core! He slammed his fist against the table before screaming to himself in frustration! Then…a deep sigh followed as silence settled over his apartment. Yuichiro decided it was best that he just go for a walk to clear his head before deciding on his next course of action. There was no harm in that, right?

He opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and then locked up his apartment. Letting out a soft sigh, he started making his way down the stairs... Yuichiro grabbed a fruit from the bowl on his table before he glanced around and squinted at the screen of his phone, noticing the headline on his news app: "Origami Killer Strikes Again!"Noticing this, he'd lose his appetite, cursing under his breath as he tossed the fruit back into the bowl. Why was this guy still able to cause chaos like this? Yuichiro was becoming really frustrated about all the lives lost because the department wasn't doing anything to stop this madman. It got to him so much that he couldn't resist looking over his notes on the killer again! If they couldn’t…he had too!

But as time passed, doubts began to form in Yuichiro’s mind…maybe he was too close to the case? Groaning as he looked over his notes, he analyzed the breaking news story and cross-referenced it with his notes. He knew he was the only one who could stop the Origami Killer now... Nobody else cared like he did. Cross-referencing his notes on all the other Origami Killings and the latest one, he'd do some math: each murder had a plethora of blood-stained cranes leading to the body, with the body having a pristine white crane with a blood-dipped beak in the victim's left hand; each crane of this nature had the number of cranes folded for that murder written inside. Some math... He only needed 50 more to reach 1,000 cranes folded...

Clenching his fist, Yuichiro crushed the water bottle he took for his walk in his hand, spraying water all over the stone walkway before him as he exhaled deeply, his frustration only growing... He really had to wrap his head around all this. The Origami Killer usually left behind paper cranes at the scenes of his crimes. There were all sorts of theories floating around online and in the precinct about how he might be using those cranes to lead people to his next victim before he strikes. Bodies were always found on a Monday; it was Saturday. Perhaps he was out and about? Or maybe he was preparing his next ritual site for the next killing… Yuichiro let out a big sigh and slipped his phone back into his pocket. After tossing his empty bottle into a nearby trash can, he pulled on his black jacket a bit tighter and groaned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it: a paper crane with a bloodied thumbprint against the wing. His eyes went wide as he suddenly realized... The Origami Killer was on the prowl, about to brutalize his next victim here and now! Without thinking his body sprung into action!

Looking in the direction the crane pointed, he began to follow it, encountering more and more cranes... Counting under his breath as each one passed, "one, two, three, four." He continued to count in groups of two as he proceeded to follow the trail, exhaling somewhat harshly as he counted all the way up to forty-five before reaching an old, abandoned warehouse on the edge of his neighborhood, typically a place people avoided. He found more cranes pointing to the door of the warehouse; that was four, meaning the future victim was definitely inside... If the Origami Killer wanted that wish, that is.

Examining the door frame and the windows to the warehouse for any possible traps or surveillance, Yuichiro couldn't help but groan as he noticed nothing... He caught a glimpse of a shadow inside, moving around in a way that looked almost like a dance. Taking his time, Yuichiro slowly pushed the door open. To his surprise, the place was really clean and had this almost hospital-like smell, super sterile, which was a bit odd given everything about the Origami Killer. Come to think of it, his scenes were always almost unsettlingly clean, with paper cranes strewn about, stained with blood. Maybe cleaning was part of his ritual?

He'd shut the door behind him silently, closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply before exhaling softly. Here he was: the Origami Killer. The bastard who killed his sister... Yuichiro snuck over to where he heard what little noise existed in the warehouse, only to find him, the bastard wearing all black. Almost like Yuichiro himself typically did. The Origami Killer had long black hair, and he didn't seem excited or anything; he seemed almost sad as he gazed upon his victim, a young girl who was tied up and sprawled along the ground. He always tied them up, then untied them when the deed was done; the victims always had rope burns, yet no ropes in sight. Yuichiro decided he'd pull out his phone, muting the volume completely before dialing 110 and putting the phone in his pocket.

Approaching slowly, he saw the bastard talking to the girl about his life's story, how his luck had always been awful and he was doing this to turn it around, siphoning the luck from people who had always had it good in life. Why did they deserve to be so lucky, after all? Hearing this man talk made Yuichiro more and more enraged. Why did he deserve to be lucky? Nobody is entitled to good luck; it's merely a force that affects everyone in different ways, so who is he to try to control it?

Yuichiro snuck up on the killer before delivering a powerful sucker punch to the back of his head. Almost immediately, the killer would back away, grasping a knife on his belt and drawing it as he tilted his head? "Greetings, Detective... I've been waiting for you. You know, out of everyone I've watched observing my canvases, you interested me most... Always so involved, like it was... Personal? Oh, right... Amanai. Like that bitch I carved up! Oho, I hated her..."

Yuichiro wasn't trying to hear all this and went in for another attack, the Origami Killer stabbing through his fist only to sweep at his legs and cause Yuichiro to fall to the ground, taking the knife with him. The Origami Killer then got on top of him and grabbed him by the throat. Before finding the knife in his own stomach, as Yuichiro had stabbed him, causing him to yell before he was kicked away, he charged the former detective, drawing the blade from his stomach and going to stab him into the chest as Yuichiro let out a sharp gasp - the Killer let out a soft laugh before dragging the blade down... Yuichiro could feel the life fading from him as he pulled the knife out of his chest as the Origami Killer went to do the same.

The pair now fighting for the knife they both held, both grunting as their scuffle brought them down to the ground, the Origami Killer on top of Yuichiro as he tried to stab him with the knife, and Yuichiro would grasp his wrists, fighting his hardest to not be stabbed by the blade before the Killer laughed, "Come on, Detective! What's the matter?! Losing your edge?!" Yuichiro would lean in to bite the other's neck with enough force to rip away at the flesh, causing him to drop the knife, only to take it and stab him in his chest, just beside his heart. As his grip loosened on the knife and the killer got off him he started to crawl away before being grabbed and dragged back over.

"You think this is justice, Detective?.. You think—" His breathing slowed as he collapsed, curling into a ball as he wheezed, blood pouring from his wound; he surely wouldn't last long, as Yuichiro finished his sentence for him, "No. I think this is vengeance, that's the only judgment you... deserve.."

Collapsing on the edge of that quickly forming pool of blood, his own wounds dripping blood as he exhaled softly, his blood contributing to that pool as he gazed at the killer with hatred in his eyes... His final act of life... He reached into his pocket and gently tossed his phone over to the victim before lying down to die, looking into the abyss after life... Death, Yuichiro smiled. His sister was avenged, and so he was happy. His eyes closed as his breathing stopped before he heard a voice echo in his head, "Wake up... Amanai Yuichiro. My Third Descender."