Review Responses:

MagicxMusicxMelody - Ace was kind of helpful to the investigation, but there's nothing he can do about Hydron XD One common trait among most perpetrators is them bragging about their plots to the victims (to show off) before getting rid of the victim. Hydron made a lot of mistakes over time, actually ^-^"

cherry-tree-of-life - Yup, more unbelievable things coming soon in this chapter too. Speaking of mental help, pleading insanity has different consequences than actually pleading guilty, but that's not within the scope of this story. What matters is a satisfactory ending!

CookieDecor22 - More like, Alice's positive energy is becoming negative due to more rumors, but she'll make a comeback. Going on-air is probably the best thing that Alice can do redeem or clear herself. I'd say that Alice totally friend-zoned Hydron. Wait until what Shun has to say and do about that!

Sugar Spice Rush - I remember! It was the most confusing day ever in terms of all updates! Hydron is actually rather generic compared to *most* unsubs on Criminal Minds, so IDK if he'll actually qualify to be on air? XD But yeah, Taylor could definitely be Victim 0 or 1 in certain episodes. Read and see what Shun has to say!

-x-

LAST CHAPTER! Almost there~!


Chapter 20: Weight Off One's Shoulders

xXx

Hydron walked away from Alice and twirled the pocketknife between his fingers as the Shun came closer with his phone flashlight. "Looks like someone knew where to look, after all."

"You called my mom using a public pay phone out here to lure her in this direction. You waited for her to reach that specific intersection before illegally turning left to kill her in a staged hit-and-run. She knew that Lync wasn't behind this, and you feared that she would discover the truth."

"So what? Congratulations for figuring this out after three years? She should never have taken on more work than she could handle!" Hydron then tossed his pocketknife at Shun while taking out a larger pocketknife from his pocket. "I dare you to fight me with that."

Shun picked up the small pocketknife and walked slowly toward Alice's kidnapper. "As a physician assistant student, you would need to extensively study human anatomy and physiology...right?"

"What are you trying to ask?"

"You should know who Shadow Prove is, right? Did you convince him to get rid of Dylan, Katie, and Gunz—just like how you convinced Lync to get rid of Alice's friends? Is that why you chose Bayview City Hospital for your rotations over Wardington General Hospital? So you could follow Alice wherever she—"

"Silence! You don't get to ask questions around here!" Hydron rushed forward with his weapon aimed at Shun, who abandoned his weapon and used both hands to stop the motion of the former's hand. "Alice must be so blessed to have so many people willing to do insane deeds for her. First Lync, then Komba, and finally Shadow. Of course, Komba claimed that he didn't do all this for Alice specifically, but we all know that the victims had unpleasant encounters with Alice. As for Shadow..." The PA student suddenly took out a syringe from his left hand and stabbed the side of his opponent's neck. "He left a huge mess, and I had no choice but to clean it up. Alice should be glad that none of the evidence ever pointed to her."

"You were following this case closely the whole time, especially since Dylan and Katie ended up in your hospital after Shadow assaulted them." Shun pushed the syringe away before Hydron completely depressed the plunger. The former twisted the latter's right wrist, allowing the other pocketknife to also fall to the ground. "What did you just inject me with?"

"Midazolam. I could've chosen something more stronger." Then Shun fell onto his back from the side effects of the sedative injection. Hydron picked up his pocketknife again and hovered over in an attempt to stab the former's face. "You should never have picked up where your mother left off to begin with."

The raven-haired student successfully blocked the pocketknife again, but injured his hands along the way. I can barely see well in the dark, let alone under drug influence. "You're no different from Lync, Komba, or Shadow."

"Excuse me?!"

"They eliminated the people that were apparently bothering Alice, whether she felt that way or not. You're doing the exact same thing."

"So you admit that you're more bothersome to her than you are helpful?"

"No, but getting rid of me still won't make her yours." Blood from Shun's hands dripped onto his face due to gravity, which further obstructed his vision. "Your first mistake was your unhealthy infatuation for Alice. Your next mistake was dating Taylor. Want to know why? Because you'll always just be 'Taylor's boyfriend' to her, and Alice will never think of you as anything beyond that."

"SHUT...THE...HELL...UP!" Hydron reached for the other nearby pocketknife that he previously tossed at Shun, but the latter kicked the former's knees. Shun rolled away quickly as Hydron fell face-down onto the grass. The raven-haired student snatched the pocketknife out of his opponent's hand, although he himself still couldn't stand up properly. Hydron reached for the other pocketknife and aimed at Shun for a third time. "Shun Kazami, I will make you disappear from the face of this earth in front of Alice's face!"

"Shun, just get out of here!" the redhead urged. "You're in no condition to fight back!"

"Hydron...I didn't want to fight you, but you made me do this." The raven-haired student covered one eye with one hand and threw his pocketknife with the other hand. The weapon landed in Hydron's chest, which stopped him in motion and gave Shun time rescue Alice. "My hands are still bleeding from earlier, and I still can't see well enough to untie your hands."

"Don't worry about that. I just need to be free from this tree." Alice rotated herself a few times for the rope to finally come loose, but then saw Hydron place his hand over the pocketknife in his chest. "Hydron, what are you doing?"

"If you remove that knife, then you'll bleed to death," Shun warned.

The PA student snickered softly before his voice gradually echoed louder. "Of course I know I'll bleed to death. I study human anatomy and physiology, after all." He ended up pulling the knife out as the wound immediately sprayed red liquid all over. "My death is on your hands, Shun—"

"FREEZE!" Police sirens resonated in the vicinity as headlights aimed at the perpetrator. A helicopter flew above and shone its flashlights over everyone. SWAT team members rushed up with rifles aimed at Hydron. "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!"

Dan ran over from a police car to Shun and Alice with blankets in his hands. "You two look horrible. Keep yourselves warm with these."

"I got this," Alice answered. "Hydron injected Shun with something earlier, so Shun's kind of disoriented."

The brunet then backed up upon smelling dried blood. "Tell me about it. Your hands are in horrible condition, dude. Thank goodness we called an ambulance. It should be here by now..."

The redhead wrapped one blanket around Shun as he pressed his hands into the fabric to stop the bleeding. "What happened to your hands?"

"Hydron tried to stab me so many times just now. At first, I could defend myself, but after he injected me with midazolam, my eyes became blurry and couldn't see what was coming at my way."

Alice sighed and wrapped her blanket around herself. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have run away when you offered help. Why do I always keep doing this?"

"Because you're not used to it. You never fully received all the help that was intended for you because Hydron got my mom killed. But I did more than just picking up where she left, did I?"

"Is what you were thinking when you told Hydron that I'd never reciprocate his feelings?"

"More or less."

Alice giggled as an ambulance finally arrived at the scene. "Looks like that sedative injection made your judgment both overly clear and cloudy at the same time. Now it's your turn to experience what an overnight inpatient hospital stay is like."

"Don't mention it..."

-x-x-x-x-x-

BREAKING NEWS: Suspect in a recent hospital death has been tied to the death of a radio host's obsessed fan, the death of a local renowned psychologist, and the deaths of various students from a three-year-old murder case.

After staring at the lengthy TV news report for so long, Joe finally stopped leaning against the counter and took orders for his friends. "That's the best news I've seen all week, maybe even all year. I heard that you girls from the radio station actually met Hydron."

"Technically not 'met'," Julie corrected. "since we only saw him for a few moments at the hospital and when he stormed up to our floor with Katie. So glad that this finally came to an end!"

"I still remember Alice screaming at my welcoming party at the sound of Shun's name," Runo recalled. "Those two are finally on good terms now. Dan, Billy—any updates on the case against Hydron?"

The blond trainee shook his head. "He's a very difficult person to interrogate. Shun actually recorded the whole things, but the footage was turbulent because they got into a fight, and I don't know if that's even admissible evidence."

"But he's definitely responsible for Mira's death!" the brunet exclaimed. "Never underestimate the medication safety team's ability to investigate when patients die from medications errors. As for the locker room murders that Alice is a surviving victim of...that will take more time. With Lync gone, it's Alice word against Hydron's word. There's also a separate team investigating Shun's mom's death too. Chan has all of us working six days a week with overtime because of this."

"Believe me, Dan's not exaggerating about our work schedule," Billy affirmed.

Joe sighed and cleaned the countertop. "I think you should report that to your human resources department, but that's not my business. How are Shun and Alice doing? I haven't seen them after apprehending the suspect in the new report."

"Thank goodness Shun wasn't severely injured when he tried to save Alice on his own," Dan answered. "But due to finals week, he leaves my house early and comes back late after dinner. I guess he doesn't like studying at home. What a nerd."

"And Alice is beyond swamped with work," Runo added. "Half of it is explaining to the public what on earth happened to her recently, and the other half is organizing all the new sponsorships that sprouted due to her recent publicity. She's back to her workaholic self again."

"I swear there was something going on between them, but they don't talk about to each other anymore," Julie randomly mused.

"They're clearly more obsessed about work and academics than they are about each other!" screamed the brunet, later earning himself both confused stares and angry glares from everyone in the building. "Sorry. Bad word choice."

Joe then retrieved the drinks from the kitchen for his friends and then processed some mobile orders on his tablet. "What a coincidence. Shun and Alice just placed orders a few minutes ago."

"Are they together?!" the four guests at the counter asked.

"Not even close. Shun's on school campus, and Alice is at her aunt's workplace across town. Also—if they were together or in touch, then I'm sure one of them will treat for drinks, meaning only one name shows up on my work queue."

The quartet stared at the blond owner for the longest time before Dan yelled, "What have they been doing behind our backs every time that they come here?!"

"How am I supposed to know, Dan?" Joe shrugged and smiled mischievously before greeting other customers. "I just run a small bubble tea business."

Afterwards, Runo elbowed the brunet on the side and scolded, "You and your big mouth..."

"I swear, Joe knows more than what he's telling us!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm so glad that we're done with finals!"

"Summer vacation, here I come!"

"Thanks for all the bubble tea this week, Shun!"

The raven-haired student waved goodbye to his classmates and walked to the university's food court to refill water. On the TV screen was Alice as she livestreamed from the recording room. She's finally on-air again after recovering for a few weeks.

"Hello everyone. This is Alice Gehabich, and I bring you all to a special episode of 'AOA: Alice On-Air'. I know you're wondering what exactly has been happening. I want to bring you back to the locker room murders from Wardington School of Integrated Health Sciences three years ago that I'm a surviving victim of. Three of my friends died within hours of reaching the hospital. One of my friends remained comatose until her death a couple weeks ago. I don't know any details because this is still an ongoing investigation with the police and hospital staff.

"This whole time, I thought that the perpetrator in the murder case was guilty, but once the truth came out, I was wrong. He was innocent this whole time, and he unfortunately took his own life. He's obviously not here to hear this, but I want to sincerely apologize to him for not listening to him. I also want to apologize to someone else who consistently helped me after that incident by helping me graduate, yet I kept pushing her away because I was paranoid. She died in a traffic accident that turned out to not be an accident at all. She deserves proper justice, and her only surviving family member deserves proper closure.

"More recently, I was being followed and later kidnapped by an obsessed fan who was sending unwanted packages to my workplace. For those of you who leave unpleasant comments about me using my identity as a victim to gain publicity—have you ever thought about how I felt? Did I actually want to be put in the spotlight as a pitiful victim? Some of you couldn't care less about me, and I won't entertain haters like you anymore either. I'm finally free from everything that's held me back since the locker room murders.

"What did I learn from all this? Don't just anything by its cover, and I'm glad that my judgment isn't clouded by my fears anymore. I'll be off for a few days because the police need my help with the investigations, so you'll be listening to my other radio colleagues from the rest of this work building. See you all soon!"

For the first time ever, Alice waved both hands cheerfully and bowed ninety degrees before the camera. Other students in the food court starting 'awww'-ing before the TV transitioned to a different program. After refilling his water bottle, Shun received a call. "I finished my broadcast! Where are you?" Alice asked.

"I just saw you on TV on campus. Did someone pressure you talk like that? It didn't sound like you at all," he replied.

"Anubias approved my request for paid time off, but he said I had to explain to the audience why I'll be gone, so this was the best option that I came up with. Anyway, are you done with finals yet?"

"I just finished my last final exam today. Are you off work yet?"

"Almost done. I need to clean up some files. Why do you ask?"

"I think we could both take a break after a long day."

"Hmmm...where are you taking me this time? I'm not going back to the harbor because that's where—"

"I have a better idea. Meet me at the sidewalk in front of your work building."

-x-x-x-x-x-

As the weather entered summer seasons, the days became longer with earlier sunrises and later sunsets. Formerly empty beaches were now crowded with people, especially since they stayed out longer with the sun.

"You said you didn't want to go to the harbor, so I took you here to the boardwalk instead," explained Shun as he rested his arms on the metal fence. "What happened? You still haven't told me."

Alice sighed and put on her cardigan. "I thought I could go to the harbor to calm down. I contemplated jumping over the railing, but then Hydron kidnapped me, and you know the rest. I think like this boardwalk better than the harbor."

"After all that you've been through, maybe you're finally more comfortable around crowds of people now."

"Is that what you were thinking when you took me here?"

"Not intentionally. I was running out of options for places to go."

"Some imitation psychologist you are..." Alice giggled loudly as Shun held a hand up in utter confusion. "What will you do now since the semester has ended?"

"Usually, I go back to my grandfather's house during summer vacation. This year, I decided to stay in Bayview for a paid summer internship with a local mental health organization. Then next fall is my final semester."

"Graduation in the fall? What about commencement?"

"Fall graduates can attend the ceremony during the summer before or after their final fall semester, but I chose not to attend either because it's pointless and too much to think about."

"But would you still walk the stage if Shiori-san were still here?"

"Definitely. You'd probably do the same if the five of you were still together."

"Good point. I didn't attend my commencement either. Speaking of your mother..." Alice hesitated and didn't speak until Shun looked over at her. "I was wondering if I could send her flowers, if that's okay with you."

"Oh no..."

"I'm sorry! Pretend I never asked—"

"Not you, Alice! I just remembered that Lync also wanted me to send a bouquet of pink carnations to my mom's grave, but I got so busy, and now even he's gone. Of course you can send flowers, Alice. I'll let you know when's a reasonable time to visit."

"Thanks. So what do you plan to do after graduation? Follow your mother's footsteps? Or something else?"

"I like what she does, but not the setting she worked in. I'll see where this summer internship takes me. Are you continuing your job at the radio station?"

"Pretty much. I have a solid fanbase and signed some new sponsorship contracts recently. There's nothing holding me back anymore...unless the jury declares Hydron not guilty. Chan told me that she already reopened your mother's hit-and-run case. The only thing we can do is have patience."

"Sounds like we both know what we'll be. Also, just because I said I wouldn't become a psychologist..." Shun moved closer and enveloped Alice in a hug while running his fingers through her orange strands. "doesn't mean I can't be your—"

"Okay, stop! I apologize if you find 'imitation psychologist' offensive!" The redhead pulled away and tapped the fence with both hands in nervousness. "How about this? If you can guess what kind of flower I want to send to your mother, then maybe I'll consider you have to say."

"Let's see... Lync chose pink carnations because my mom treated him nicely like any gentle mother would. As for you...some hydrangeas to express thanks?"

"I could, but I had another flower in mind. I should never have asked you to guess because you wouldn't get it correct anyway...!"

"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be, Alice."

"I know. What I really want to send her is a bouquet of purple hyacinths."

Shun's face turned pale as the redhead tilted her head curiously. "You still blame yourself for her hit-and-run, don't you?"

"I can't help it... The phone call that I initiated was the last contact I had with her before she—"

"Alice, stop. We're at the boardwalk. There's an elegant sunset in front of you. No one else is along this fence area except us, surprisingly. Stop thinking about depressing memories when you're with me."

"Shun Kazami, since when were you like this? Clearly you picked up more than what your mother left behind."

"So answer me."

"I'll give you my answer after the police finally solves all the cases involving Hydron. I'm not taking paid time off for nothing, remember?"

"Fine. I'll be waiting."

"Wait as long as you want." Alice extended her hand and intertwined her right little finger with Shun's left fifth digit. "Thanks for never giving up."

"Same. You really had me worried when you cut yourself with the broken vase. But then you contemplated jumping into the harbor?!"

The redhead giggled again and shook her head, while the raven-haired student sighed in disbelief. The weight of the past finally lifted off their shoulders as they both watched the setting sun in the distance.


Me: If you read Catch Me When You Can, then you probably remember that Hydron cheated during Shun's endurance test by throwing dirt into Shun's face. Here, we have Hydron illegally drugging Shun.

Runo: That's what happens when you replace long swords with tiny pocketknives! Welcome to first-world problems!

Me: I like it when my stories have elements of similarity or cross-overs XD Anyway, this was a very vague confession, and I'll leave it as an open ending. But assume that Hydron's career is over.

Dan: Open ending?! What about all the pick-up line jokes that you were making?!

Everyone: ...

Me: Am I not allowed to have comedic relief in the last chapter after so many previous chapters of agonizing suspense? Anyway, thank you for everyone that voted on my poll! Looks like Romance/Crime won over Romance/Sci-Fi by a huge margin! *cue all the USA election memes*

Runo: OMG NO.

Julie: Where's Shun? I haven't seen him all day.

Dan: Probably embarrassed by all the pick-up line jokes.

Runo: Joke's on you next time, Dan.

Dan: YOU WISH.

Me: ^-^" One more month of 2020, we'll see how the future goes. Please leave a review on the way out!

Alice: Don't forget to check her latest update of Maiden in the Golden House as well!