Love Hina Fan Fiction / Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Ace of Knaves ❯ Chapter 3

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- Chapter 02: Konno -

 

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Detective Kudo stared at her reflection, the sound of his laughing vibrating, ringing in her ears. Her eyes narrowed as she felt the pain finally register in her head, feeling her hand throbbing. The broken glass pieces had penetrated her skin, and her blood was flowing slowly, dripping down the sink.

 

“My God, Kudo!”

 

The laughter ceased as the detective spotted Brea entered the room. Her gentle hands grabbed the detective's calloused and cut one.

 

“What's wrong with you?” Brea asked, opening the cold tap, and placing the hand under the torrent of water. “Look at that… some glass pieces are stuck… we need to clean this! What were you thinking!?”

 

Kudo was led out of the water closet, and dragged towards the clinic where Brea took a few bandages, cotton balls and disinfectant. She took a tweezers to take out some of the imbedded glass, and put some disinfectant on the cotton, and swabbed it over her wounds. Kudo flinched as her hand burned.

 

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” Brea asked as she began to wrap the bandages around Kudo's hand.

 

“Sorry… I… lost control,” she finally muttered, though heavily muted. “He got on my nerve. Shouldn't have happened.”

 

“You're just not experienced,” Brea smiled kindly at her. “You are young… and I am guessing this is the first time you met someone like him. I was like you once,” Brea paused for a moment, checking the bandages again to see if she had made a mistake in tying it. “I was fine with normal criminals. They all stick to one pattern, with a few changes between. But… as I continued to profile more and more people, I had a few run-ins with a few… crazies.”

 

Putting through the final touches, the doctor tied a tight knot to hold the dressing together.

 

“You caught him with deductive reasoning… which is good in most cases,” Brea stated. “But… he got to you, psychologically. Like me… you're interested. For every crime there is a motive… and usually, motives are results of simple emotions, but… that Urashima guy… that Joker… he isn't normal. You want to know what makes him tick.”

 

Kudo looked at Brea's eyes, and looked down. She was right, of course. A case is never complete without the three most important aspects of any investigation. Motive, Means, and Evidence. They got the evidence on him… she could deduce how he flowed from point A, to point B… but what did he want? He was either too vague, or too unhinged to even answer the question.

 

Brea seemed interested too. A few months ago, she had first refused to come because she was on her vacation leave. But then Kudo had left a message, explaining with a brief, if not rather detailed, information about the Joker. Brea immediately called back, and said she was coming and wanted full access to Urashima's files.

 

They met a few days later, exchanged a few pleasantries, and buckled down in the police department for following months. Brea did excellent work while toiling in the police computer that gave her unrestricted access to his files from the Japanese Government, coloring the life of Urashima Keitaro, while Kudo was leading the police investigation in catching him.

 

“I… I want to understand him,” Kudo muttered.

 

Brea looked at her for a moment. She smiled. “If you promise to behave and control yourself… I have a means to help you with that.”

 

-----------------------------

 

“Ooohhh, doctor, welcome back,” the Joker said. And he looked up as a new figure emerged from the open doorway. His smile widened. “And detective…! What a pleasant surprise.”

 

Kudo didn't reply. It wasn't her idea. It was Brea's. If there is a thin line between genius and madness, it seemed the doctor's was a bit in the mad side.

 

“The best way to understand any man is to sit down in front of him, and listen to him talk.”

 

She had almost broke the guy's skull, and Brea wants her to sit in front of the Joker?

 

Kudo looked at him, her eyes narrowing, studying his details, his form. Like earlier, he showed no signs of fear… he looked at her with a smile.

 

He is finding the whole thing rather funny.

 

Brea's hands grabbed Kudo's hard. The detective noticed that she was clenching her uninjured hand hard. She slowed her breathing. She calmed herself down.

 

“No need to stop her, good doctor…” Joker stated.

 

Did he know she was going to hit him? Kudo wondered momentarily, but cleared her head when he grinned again.

 

“So… what brings our humble detective to our abode? Not having fun in the stands? You want the best seats in the house? Careful now… front lines are always risky… even in entertainment.” And he laughed.

 

“Detective Kudo wants to hear your story as well,” Brea stated softly.

 

“Oh?” the Joker licked his upper lip again.

 

“And she promised to behave. No more outbursts like earlier,” Brea added, this time with more force than earlier.

 

“That's no fun!” he turned his head, frowning. He looked back at them, smiled. “After all... the most sensible way to live in this crazy world is to live without rules.” And he laughed softly, leaned back, and relaxed.

 

“What if I don't feel like saying my story now?” he suddenly asked, his eyes looking towards Kudo. “What if I don't want serious-McPoopface listening to my epic grandiose story?”

 

Kudo's eyes looked back at his, challengingly. She didn't need to turn her eyes to see Brea looking at her. She slowed her breathing down, trying to calm herself. Her eyes looked slightly towards the lower left side of her sockets... and she looked back at Joker again, with a slight (if forced) smile.

 

“Please, tell me your story,” she said without emotion.

 

One of Joker's eyebrows rose, and his lips cracked, widening, forming a large smile.

 

“Konno Mitsune... or as her friends call her... Kitsune,” he started.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Konno `Kitsune' Mitsune answered her phone in the third ring. She hadn't wanted to take the call. She didn't want a phone, actually. She rarely went out these days. Her only companion in her new, base and barricaded apartment was the newspaper delivered to her doorstep at exactly 5:55 AM, her books, and her TV.

 

“Kitsune?”

 

Female voice. Recognizable, even after these few months.

 

“Motoko... what do you want?” Kitsune asked.

 

“How... how are you? How's everything?”

 

“What do you want Aoyama?” Kitsune asked with more force. It wasn't like Motoko to be all sociable... but she didn't know how much they both have changed for the past few weeks.

 

In a cold day of September, both had seen the most horrendous spectacle they have ever witnessed. Narusegawa Naru... a common friend of theirs, dead, mutilated... by him. A man they thought was dead. And his warning was clear to them both.

 

He was coming after them.

 

“Have you... seen him?”

 

Kitsune's throat growled. How stupid could her samurai friend be? Oh, but sure... her friend was the heir of the Aoyama family lineage. She has probably ten to hundreds of bodyguards at her disposal. She also knew how to cleave stone! And what does Kitsune have? Nothing. Other than a trust fund her grandfather left for her, which she had spent a great deal moving around, Kitsune had nothing. A supposed dead mad man out there had killed her friend... and now he's going after her...

 

“Take a hike, Aoyama,” Kitsune muttered, and almost hung up the phone when she heard the samurai girl shouting to her to wait. “What?” she asked.

 

“Kitsune... look...” Motoko's voice was slightly shaking, nervous. “Maybe... maybe we ought to go to the police...”

 

“Why don't you?” Kitsune demanded.

 

“Be... because... well...” there was a slight pause.

 

“Yeah, thought so,” Kitsune sighed. “Listen... we killed him. If we go to the police... its over. Hina was kind enough to just kick us out... but...”

 

“He... he killed Narusegawa!”

 

“Damn it, I KNOW!” Kitsune shouted angrily. “I know... damnit I know. But... I'm not going to jail for this! They'll arrest us... we killed him... well, tried to... we'll land in jail for this!”

 

“It doesn't seem that different for you...”

 

Kitsune paused. “What the hell did that mean, Aoyama?”

 

“Kitsune... you haven't been out in that apartment since he killed her. You're imprisoned in your own room!”

 

“Have you had me followed, Aoyama?” Kitsune demanded.

 

“I am worried about you...”

 

“No! Screw you! Don't ever call again!” Kitsune growled, and slammed the phone down, and disconnected the line from it. Dashing towards the couch, she slid down, putting her face down the felt cloth covering. She cursed towards Motoko a bit more before taking the goblet she had left there when she answered the phone.

 

She drank deeply, and slowly, drifted off to dream land.

 

-@-@-@-

 

How safe Kitsune had felt when the darkness overcame her. And soon, everything came crashing down as she heard a knock on her door. Lifting herself up, she scrambled over the floor, the carpet muting the sound of her fall, the glass goblet she was drinking from rolling away from her.

 

Again, a knock.

 

Kitsune dashed towards the dining table where she had kept her gun, something she had bought in the black market, putting a large dent on her grandfather's trust fund, and an unsavory meeting to one of the Yakuza, a perverted fat man who she had to sleep with to get what she wanted.

 

She got it when the crazies started pouring in the streets. Inmates from a high security asylum just flooded towards the streets with automatic weapons. She was one of the lucky ones that had gotten away without a scratch, but she knew, as the media said, Japan wasn't safe anymore.

 

She heard the fat Yakuza got busted by the police. Good riddance, she had thought at the time, even though she had moved out and the chances of meeting him again would be slim... but now she began to regret it. What if... what if he came to her? Would a gun stop him? It seemed only yesterday that Naru and Motoko were whipping his head one way and another... and now... he looks... horrible. What he did was even more so.

 

Another knock brought her to reality. Kitsune sneaked away from the table, tip-toeing towards the door, her gun ready at hand. She aimed towards the door.

 

“Wh... who is it?” she quivered.

 

“Konno-san...”

 

Male voice. Kitsune shivered. Her finger was on the trigger.

 

“Who is it!?” Kitsune demanded.

 

“Konno-san... I have a message from Aoyama-sama...”

 

Kitsune blinked. Her hand still held high. Her finger was on the trigger.

 

“Oh yeah?” she asked.

 

“She apologizes for sending me to spy on you,” the voice called. “She wanted to say she was just worried.”

 

Kitsune didn't speak. For some reason, she knew that the person wasn't him. Whoever was in front of the door wasn't him. She had repeated that notion in her head a thousand times... but even then, she wasn't so sure.

 

She moved towards the lock of her door... kept the gun pointed at it. Her eyes dove towards the peep-hole, and checked out who was outside. She took her eyes away. She lowered her gun, and unlocked the door, and opened it.

 

Outside was a young, handsome man. He looked in his early twenties, younger, if only slightly, than her. His eyes were brown, and his hair was black, dark black, combed slightly on the right. He wore a uniform almost similar to Motoko's... a white hakama. There was a sword secured on his back.

 

Yup... definitely not him.

 

“Who are you?” she asked.

 

“I am Inoshi Sakuraba. I am a student of Shinmei-ryuu.”

 

Kitsune blinked for a moment, cleared way, and moved aside, motioning the man in front of her doorstep to get in. He looked at her, confused.

 

“Well… get in,” Kitsune muttered, her eyes narrowing.

 

“Oh, no, Konno-san,” Inoshi shook his head. “I don't want to be a bother. I have done what I was set out to do, and now I will have to report to Aoyama-sama…”

 

“Get in,” Kitsune said with a bit more force. “You can tell her I accepted her apology later. Now I want yours.”

 

The man looked at her, confused. He stepped in… and Kitsune shut the door behind him.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Kitsune could do a few things easily in her life. Drinking was one. Sex was another. For her, the act of coupling was something she was good at… she loved it, actually, especially one-night stands... no holds-barred, no regrets, and no strings attached.

 

In Hinata-sou, she spent most of her nights away. While Naru and Keitaro were studying away, she was at bars, hitting on the hot looking guys, Japanese or gaijins, who would shower her with drinks, empty promises, and a lot of well-deserved praise (for her anyway). She'd pretend to be drunk, or take initiative, and get to a hotel, and just bounce the night away, and leave before they'd wake up.

 

There were unsavory times, though. Mainly, the first man she slept with, and the fat bastard of the Yakuza… the latter being the last person she had slept with for a long while. And with him back again, unremorsefully showcasing Naru's dead body for the whole Japan to see, she hadn't continued her “night outs” for a long time.

 

Therefore, when she saw Inoshi, a well-built young man, who had been spying on her, her libido went on fire again. Even with a sword at his back, he couldn't fight off her advances as she wasted no time, pinning him in her bed.

 

It was supposed to be a one time thing… but no. Kitsune blamed it her reclusion from society. Maybe it was her libido raging out after many weeks of solitary. Maybe it was the nice gesture of thanks Inoshi did by cooking her breakfast the very next day after she demanded an apology from him the time they first met… whatever it was, it kept her fingers to Inoshi's skin.

 

She didn't want to leave his side for a whole week they spent together. Inoshi, after three days of being dragged around, began to feel the same. It wasn't long before they began to talk about each other.

 

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“Pish-posh, now that we're done talking about the boring parts,” the Joker smirked a bit, “let's get to the really exciting bits.”

 

-@-@-@-

 

Inoshi asked Kitsune if he could use her phone, which was still disconnected from the phone line. He had wanted to report what he should have accounted for days ago.

 

“Just tell her I accepted her apology, nothing more,” Kitsune growled with a slight threat. She wouldn't hear the end of it if Motoko found out that she just slept with the spy the samurai had rudely sent to watch over her in the past week.

 

“No worries,” Inoshi replied, and moved out. Kitsune watched slightly as he exited the room before taking up her shirt, and putting on some undergarments. She smiled slightly, feeling giddy again. Maybe when he'd come back, she'd have another go at him. He didn't mind, even though he had been calling for time outs for the past three days.

 

Well, tough luck on him.

 

Kitsune moved out of her room, and watched as Inoshi talking in the phone. She heard the words `apology accepted' and then some wound up story telling as he tried to explain why he hadn't contacted anyone for a week.

 

It was amusing.

 

The doorbell rang again. Kitsune looked at her locked front door for a moment, before looking at Inoshi, who just nodded. She frowned. Taking a few steps, she took a look through the peephole to see who it was.

 

It was a woman, with long flowing black hair. She wore one of those small spectacles that looked well on her heart-shaped face, and she was wearing a proper suit, without a tie.

 

“Who is it?” Kitsune asked.

 

“Konno Mitsune?” the woman from the other side called. “This is Detective Kudo, I wish to speak with you please.”

 

Kitsune's hands trembled. The police? Here?

 

“What do you want?” she demanded.

 

“Ma'am, please, let me in. It's a matter of your personal safety,” the woman, Kudo, had stated.

 

“Go away. I do not want to talk to you,” Kitsune stated.

 

“Please, Konno-san… we need to talk!”

 

“LEAVE!”

 

Kitsune breathed hard. She looked back towards Inoshi, who looked at her with curiosity, and put the phone down, hurrying to her side.

 

“What's going on?” he whispered. Kitsune just shook her head.

 

“Look, alright, I'm leaving… but Konno-san, we're going to talk, sooner or later. I'll be back with a warrant.”

 

A few footsteps… it seemed the detective was leaving, and to make sure, Kitsune looked at the peephole to see that she had indeed left through the stairs. But she didn't dare open the door.

 

Inoshi held her softly, something she needed now. She didn't feel like doing anything but spend the rest of the day in his arms.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Outside the apartment, Kudo looked towards the two officers who brought her here.

 

“Take me to the station, but come back here and keep the eye on this place,” she ordered.

 

“Yes ma'am,” both replied respectfully.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Later that evening, Inoshi cooked dinner, and asked if he could go out the next day to get more food. Her fridge was getting rather empty. Kitsune just nodded, not really in a mood for talking, and Inoshi, being a kind man as he was, left her alone.

 

Outside, an unmarked car, with two officers (not in uniforms) were looking around, one using the binoculars to look towards the lit apartment room where they were assigned to watch.

 

“Curtains…” the guy with the binoculars muttered. “Least there's shadows.”

 

“Detective Kudo-san said there was someone with her…” the other guy. “A guy. Heard him whisper to her.”

 

“Gotcha,” the first man nodded. “If I see a third person's shadow, we're going in.”

 

“Make sure it's a third person, not some shadow caused by a second light source,” the second guy laughed. “Oh, man. I'm taking a leak. Keep the fort down.”

 

The first man nodded, and kept watch for a moment as his partner left the car. He watched him walk for a moment before suddenly the street lamps began to flicker, and then, for some reason, completely black out.

 

“Damn it…” the man put down his binoculars as they became useless. He placed his hands towards the interior light switch at the roof of the interior of his car, and turned it on. He went for the glove compartment, and grabbed two flashlights that were placed there for emergencies.

 

Going out of the car, he noticed that his partner was where he was standing earlier, also with a flashlight at hand.

 

“Sonuvabitch… what is he a boy scout?” he muttered. “Hey!”

 

His partner waved his hand, the flashlight going back and forth. The first man jogged towards him, careful not to shine light on his partner's face, nor at other places where he might still be exposed.

 

“Still taking a piss? Come one, something's wrong…”

 

“Of course there's something wrong.”

 

The first man pointed the light towards the man. The voice he just heard… something was wrong.

 

A stark white face was looking back at him, with a smile on his face.

 

“Peek-a-boo!”

 

A small thud resounded on the air… no one heard it. No one saw the man fall, dead as the Joker blew out the smoke emerging from the silencer.

 

-@-@-@-

 

In the apartment, Kitsune and Inoshi were on full alert as the lights closed around them. They had scrambled away from the dining area to the relatively open living room area, where it was brightest due to the moon shining through a large transparent glass window.

 

“What's going on?” she whispered, scared.

 

“I don't know,” Inoshi stated calmly, though his hands were on his sword. “Get your gun… I feel a presence…”

 

“But…”

 

“I'll be behind you… don't worry…” he assured, but whatever calmness Kitsune have had at that point, it was all thrown away when a new voice spoke out, loud and clear in the darkness.

 

“Ohhh, but Kitsune… you do have to worry…”

 

Inoshi drew his sword immediately. His eyes scanned around. Kitsune froze, her eyes darting around, her mouth forcibly shut to push down the scream that was emerging from her throat.

 

“Oh, what's the matter, Kitsune? Fox got your tongue?” and they heard laughter.

 

The laughter unnerved her and the air was feeling rather heavy. Kitsune looked towards Inoshi, who motioned her to get to her room, where she had kept her gun under her pillow. She didn't know if she wanted to or not.

 

“Hey, Kitsune… did you hear about the joke about the fox, the pig and the clown? Oh, it's quite a doozy I tell you…”

 

“Go!” Inoshi muttered forcefully. “If anything comes, my blade will cut it.”

 

Kitsune nodded, and with a reluctant look back, she crept towards her room, crawling on all fours towards her room.

 

“The fox imprisoned herself in her den, drinking spirits, watching TV… like any lazy fox would do…”

 

Kitsune finally got to her room. From her position, she looked around. It was pitch black... the curtain was blocking the moonlight, so she had to move slowly on the floor, praying, hoping that the lunatic wasn't in her room. And if he ever was, she prayed harder still that Inoshi would come and save her.

 

“Then a pig suddenly comes in. He says `Hey… I'm new here. I thought I'd drop by to say hi!'”

 

Kitsune crawled towards her bed, towards her pillow. She reached in, shivering, and felt the comfortable cool metal grip on her hand. She grabbed the gun, and sat down, shrinking, trying to get a feel of the floor.

 

She took the safety off.

 

“The fox licked her lips… fresh meat! she thought! And she invited the pig in… where she suddenly just pounced… but no… she didn't eat the pig. She had a little... tête-à-tête with him.”

 

Kitsune crawled back towards the living room area. Inoshi… was missing.

 

“Inoshi…! Inoshi!” she whispered hoarsely. She coughed slightly. Was it her, or was the air getting heavier and heavier?

 

“The pig, being a pig, enjoyed the new welcome he was having… until the fox began to tear his limbs out when she got hungry.”

 

Kitsune shivered. Where was Inoshi?

 

“Then a clown came in to the fox's den. He had been spying the whole time, see, and he asked the fox… why did she sleep with the pig before killing him?”

 

A flashlight opened, revealing a very tall figure with white face, smiling at her.

 

“Boo!”

 

Kitsune screamed. She raised her gun, and fired away, closing her eyes. The recoil of the gun was much heavier than she thought as each shot forced her arm up as she kept firing. Her screams were drowned by the sound of the bullets exploding out of the chamber until she was shooting blanks. Kitsune had hit the floor, breathing hard, her hands shivering, still aiming towards the figure she was shooting at.

 

“And you know what the fox told the clown?”

 

The lights opened. Kitsune's eyes closed as she was hit by the sudden brightness. She groaned, shaking her head.

 

“The fox said… `He was well-hung!'”

 

She opened her eyes as she heard laughter… and she found her heart sinking. Her mouth opened with shock. In front of her was Inoshi, his face smeared in white make-up. His lips were covered with clear masking tape, and smeared with red lipstick, forming a smile.

 

He was looking blankly at her, his naked torso riddled with bullet holes. His blood was pouring down his body, towards his feet, resting on a small stool she kept around the living room area. Around his neck was a rope, tied to one of the light fixings.

 

His hands were tied on his back. His legs were slackened, the rope around his unmoving neck, strangling his dead body. Around them was a green mist, slowly dispersing.

 

“N…n…no! No!” Kitsune dropped her gun, standing up, and approached him. “Inoshi! Inoshi! Talk to me!”

 

The Joker, who was behind Kitsune the whole time, kept laughing, clutching his stomach. He laughed as Kitsune hugged the dead body of her lover… dead by her own hands. Her wild shooting had hit his stomach, shoulder, neck, and finally, his head.

 

“Whew! I thought that joke was done for,” he muttered with a slight distaste in his tone. “But the punch-line was a killer! HahAHaHHAhahaHAhaHAHahaHA!”

 

Kitsune felt weak as she looked at Inoshi's eyes. They were dead. She killed him. She killed him!

 

“HAhahaHahaHahAhaHa…!” Kitsune began to laugh. She didn't know why but she felt like laughing. “HAHAhaHAhAhahAhaHaHaHAHAhaha!!”

 

“Ooh, it seems our little foxy friend got the joke,” and the Joker walked behind her. “Isn't that fun! Our little get-together… I thought you'd be mean about Narusegawa and your little new boy, but you have such a nice sense of humor!”

 

“HAHAhAHAhAHahAHAhaha… St… stop… HAhaHAHahAHAhahaHAha!” Kitsune hackled, trying to regain her breathe. “WHa… HAHAHAha… What… HAHAHaha! You… HAHahAHAha to me!! HAHahaHAHA!”

 

“Hehehe, just a little… crazy gas. Something I was spreading in this apartment when the lights were out,” Joker smiled. “You're the first person I tested it on. How does it feel?”

 

“HAHAhAHAhahAHahahAHAhaha!”

 

“Very nice,” and he laughed. “Whee! Kitsune, I never seen you laugh like this! Better be careful now, cause laughing too much can kill. Why do you think slaughter's incomplete without laughter?”

 

“HAhAHAhAH… HAhaHAHa… Hahahahahahaaa… haaaa….haaaa…”

 

“Oooh… don't get careless now. You better stop Kitsune, unless you want to asphyxiate,” Joker grinned, and laughed again.

 

The phone suddenly rang, and the Joker looked up, his eyes showing a bit of interest. Kitsune was clutching her throat, still laughing.

 

“Kitsune, phone,” he said to her. She just kept laughing. “Oh, fine, be like that…” and he walked towards the phone, and smiled again. “Hello! Oh, why hello detective! Thank you for finding this place for me… Konno-san? You mean Kitsune?”

 

Joker looked back at the woman.

 

“She's having a laugh.”

 

And he laughed with her, putting the phone down.

 

“Oh happy dayss!!!” he began to sing. “Oh happy days!! When laughter comes! Lalalalalaalala!”

 

Kitsune just kept laughing, and laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Until she died.

 

-----------------------------

 

“It was quite a reunion, though I had to leave fast because the party-poopers were on their way,” the Joker grinned. “But her laughter was worth the short trip. After all... if you gotta go, you gotta go laughing!”

 

He paused.

 

“Oh, and detective… I really meant it,” he licked his lips. “Thank you for finding her for me. Her moving a lot made her difficult to track, but you did a good job! HAHAHAhaHAhahahAHaha!”

 

Brea could feel Kudo's temperature rising. She acted fast.

 

“Thank you, uh… Joker. That was very… fascinating,” Brea stated. “Do you mind if we stepped out for a bit?”

 

“Potty break for detective? Sure. She looks like she could blow any time… HAhAHAHAHahahAHA!”

 

Brea and Kudo stood up, and left the mad man in the interrogation room. Left alone, the Joker suddenly began singing the Star-Spangled Banner in an odd tune.

 

“Ooooh say you can't peeee! The detective's wee-wee early flight! What so proudly police hailed…”

 

The door shut behind the two women, and his singing stopped, though beyond the glass, it was obvious he was still singing it. Brea took Kudo aside for a moment, and looked at her.

 

“You okay?” she asked.

 

“Yeah… I guess,” Kudo replied.

 

“He's playing with you… he's doing an extra job of riling you up… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested bringing you there…”

 

“Don't be silly,” the detective muttered as she stared through the one way glass, watching the Joker singing. “I want to know. I want to know what goes in his head.”

 

Brea looked at her worriedly. “Alright… but, let's take a breather. Clear our heads. We don't want to play by his rules, by his games…”

 

Kudo nodded, and slowly wiped the sweat off her forehead. She had an odd feeling they were already playing into his hands. She just didn't know what game it was, or what cards they were holding. And not knowing was something she hated and detested much more than even the most sadistic criminals.

 

Not knowing made her afraid.

 

- To Be Continued -

 

Author's Notes:

 

About three more chapters if it goes well. Nothing really new… except the more I read about the Joker, the more I can appreciate him. :P

 

K2's getting some progress, so those following that, don't get mad. I'll get it posted. Promise.

 

Again, thanks to Aaron for helping me.

 

Pssst... he's blackmailing me. HahAHAhaHAha!! *cough cough* ugh...