Love Hina Fan Fiction / Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Ace of Knaves ❯ Chapter 4

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

 

- Chapter 03: Aoyama -

 

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

 

Motoko sighed as she got out of the bathes. It has been a week since she last heard from Kitsune or Inoshi. She was worried. What if something had happened to her friend? She shook her head. No, she was sure Inoshi hadn't failed his task.

 

He had phoned two weeks ago, almost a week after she had ordered him to give her apologies to Kitsune, which he eventually did, but he explained with some very odd and obviously fake excuses why it took him a week to report back. There were some scandalous notions in Motoko's head on what happened, though it was only her older sister, Tsuruko that voiced them.

 

“Inoshi and that friend of yours are having sex.”

 

Motoko blushed, but then, agreed to her sister. It was Kitsune after all…

 

Still… if it kept her safe…

 

The Aoyama heir grabbed the remote controller for the television for her room. Before, she would never have thought of herself owning a lazy-inducing piece of machinery, which doesn't do anything but transmit brainless programs, but… after what happened to Naru, she kept herself updated with the news.

 

“… as outlaws flood through the streets, dressing up as clowns. This, `Joker', who had so far eluded police investigations for months is seemingly just adding more salt to injury, without even appearing in public. Juveniles with make-up have been breaking in stores, stealing, robbing passer-bys, or just vandalizing property.”

 

The newscaster looked towards the camera, with a joker card pictured just beside her head.

 

“Those arrested have claimed to be the `Joker's' foot soldiers. Whether it's true or not has yet to be seen. Citizens are just pondering while the police force is working overtime in not only keeping the peace in their areas, but also trying to catch this elusive Joker. Here today in our show is Mr. Uchiyamada, Vice Principal of the Prestigious Holy Forest Academy… Mr. Uchiyamada, welcome.”

 

The newscaster looked towards her left, and greeted a balding man in glasses and brown suit.

 

“Good evening,” he greeted.

 

“Mr. Uchiyamada, what do you think of the surge of uprising street crimes, where most perpetrators are still in high school? Some parent's are expressing concerns that schools are no longer enough to maintain discipline, and letting their students go wayward.”

 

“Perhaps in other schools, but in Holy Forest Academy, I assure you that we are keeping a tight fist around things.”

 

“Pardon me… but… hahaha… excuse me… Anyway, isn't it true that police had arrested fifteen of your students because they have tried to burn an abandoned building?”

 

“Uh… yes… uh, that is to say…”

 

Uchiyamada seemed to sweat a little, taking out a hanky from his shirt pocket, and wiped himself.

 

“Well, technically, they aren't our students anymore. They have been expelled when we have found out about their trash-like behavior.”

 

“Yes, but… hahAhaha…” the newscaster coughed, shaking his head. He paused for a moment again, before he regained composure. “But it was still an act of a student of…”

 

“No, no, no. They aren't students anymore. Trash don't belong to our prestigious school…”

 

“BwahahahaHaha…!”

 

Uchiyamada looked at the newscaster for a moment.

 

“I'm sorry… go ahead…” he apologized to the vice principal.

 

“As I said… such a prestigious school of ours, with highly qualified and experienced teachers like me would never have…”

 

“BWAHAHAHAHahaHAHAHAHHAHAHA! WAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHaHAHAHHahahAHA!! HAHAHah.aa.a……..”

 

The newscaster fell in front of Uchiyamada, who with quick reflexes, stopped him from hitting him. But the moment he saw his face… he let go in screaming shock. The newscaster was now supporting a wide unnatural grin, and pale white face.

 

“Wha!!! Wha!!! Wha!!”

 

The signal suddenly seemed to have cut, but seemed to have reconnected, though, Motoko watched with apprehension, as it was not the news studio she had been watching earlier. Instead, on screen was brightly colored background, greatly differing from the formal colors that were present earlier.

 

And he was on-screen as well.

 

“When you are forced to interview some boring old coot with raggedy breathe and falling hair, why not try some of my new JokerIZE?”

 

He grinned towards the camera, highlighting a pressurized green can with a spray attachment. On the can was his picture and the word `JokerIZE' stamped on it.

 

“It'll make your day a laugh! Breeze through boring class lectures, and be the fun guy inside your boring old classroom! Tired of your job? Grab a few machine guns and machetes, and use my JokerIZE, and soon, you will be laughing as you are gunning down your boss! But don't take my word for it! Check out this beta-tester who was happy to try out this new product for herself!”

 

Motoko's hands dropped the remote as her TV set as she saw Kitsune's face, with an unnatural grin, her face stark white, her eyes open wide, unblinking.

 

“I used to be a boring old drunkard who liked to throw up after almost drinking myself to death! I loved to blackmail, tease, flirt, and just be wild! But I never had as much fun as I did when I used JokerIZE!”

 

It was the crudest form of forgery Motoko had ever seen. The voice wasn't Kitsune's but came from a drunk, dirty sounding woman. Her lower jaw was crudely cut, moved up and down with every word spoken.

 

Her picture was still plastered when an upbeat musical number suddenly began to play.

 

JokerIZE! JokerIZE!

 

He appeared on the screen again, smiling widely.

 

“See? It's more fun with JokerIZE!”

 

Motoko couldn't take it anymore. She turned off her set. Her heart began to pound as the mixture of fear, shock, and anger had settled. He killed the two of them. She had no doubt who he was coming after next.

 

“So… Inoshi failed.”

 

The young Aoyama's eyes darted towards the direction of the voice, and spotted her older sister, looking blankly in front of her as she leant on the side of the frame of the door.

 

“Sister…”

 

“Your eyes speak to me clearly,” Tsuruko muttered in a low tone. She shook her head. “No. I will not allow you to endanger yourself.”

 

“But…”

 

“No buts, Motoko-han,” Tsuruko muttered seriously. “The police cannot help you… they'll even hold you depending on what you say. You are much safer here. He'll never get past us.”

 

Motoko didn't say anything as her sister left… but her mind lingered on his clown face. His smile. The pictures of her dead friends, Naru and Kitsune. For the past few months, he'd appear and disappear in the airwaves. Most of the time, she had heard from the servants, he used the internet, creating a group of loyal anonymous followers.

 

As the news has said, crime rate in Japan is surging high. Most of the crimes committed are done by juveniles, still in high school. However, they had enough numbers to keep the police busy, at bay. The only ones who were delegated to catch him was a woman detective called Kudo, if Motoko remembered, and they are quite short-handed.

 

Motoko wanted to help them in any way they could, but she was disallowed to. Her position as the heir of the school had barred her from putting herself in any danger, either her life, or reputation.

 

It was wrong, she thought with regret. It was wrong… but she couldn't do anything about it. Yet.

 

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

 

“I have to say… it was quite a reaction I had, that JokerIZE,” he laughed. “My little clowns were ordering cans of dozens! And Kitsune… hehe… who knew that being dead didn't stop that person from being useful. HAHahAHAhahaHAHA!”

 

Kudo, far from being infuriated with his depravity, was finding herself reminiscent of the case. Other than Haruka, who had given his name and how the Joker may have been born, there was a discrepancy which only Motoko had filled up before he got to her. She had drawn a base where Kudo could speculate how everything had started.

 

How Urashima turned to the Joker.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Kudo read the report. Poisoning. Massive dose through skin contact. The newscaster was given the speedy autopsy. Toxicology reports that he was poisoned by an unknown strain of venom, something the police had never seen before.

 

His clothes were drenched with it. It was activated by the newscaster's body temperature, sweat, and was absorbed steadily through his system. He never knew he was wearing a time bomb.

 

Running a scan, they had located where the newscaster had last dry cleaned his clothes. The cleaners were, no pun intended, clean, honest and well reputed, but one of their batches of chemicals was tainted. It was filled with the poison.

 

Kudo got the police to search out others who had been to the dry cleaners in the particular time. Most were sick. Some were dead. Backtracking employee records, there was one man who worked for the cleaners, and quit a few days earlier. His name was Taro Keishima, obviously fake.

 

Demented, sick minded… he was aiming for the newscaster. He poisoned a batch of chemicals used by the cleaners, and he never gave a second thought about others that be affected.

 

It was him, again, Urashima Keitaro, or the Joker, as he calls himself.

 

Kudo and that doctor Brea had been tracking him for the past few months. First was the serial robbery, a case she couldn't solve due to the high irregularities of its case. Random banks hit with a handful of hired hands, all of them dead except for him, who just walked out alive with the money. Some tried to outsmart him, but all they succeeded doing is just speeding up their deaths.

 

He was always one-step ahead of them.

 

Now, Narusegawa and Konno dead, it left one person alive related to him. She was sure, because she had seen this from multiple angles. Otohime Mutsumi and his adopted sister, Urashima Kanako were both in the USA, the former studying in a university. She had transferred after Urashima's apparent death. According to application visas, his sister opted to study abroad too.

 

Kaolla Su, a Molmol royalty, had been called back to her kingdom. The people unaccounted for so far is Maehara Shinobu, and his auntie, Urashima Haruka, who had identified him through a mysterious envelope with no return address. .

 

More police work. Studying his past revealed a possible motive for everything. According to people living close to Hinata Inn in Kanagawa Prefecture, Urashima Keitaro has been bullied by his own tenants. His two friends, Kimiaki Shirai and Masayuki Hataini were quite insistent upon it. They had blamed their friend's death towards the violent tenants, though there had been no proof.

 

However, something was afoot. Kudo knew it. Hinata Inn closed a week after Urashima Keitaro was deemed missing, and possibly dead. The owner of the Inn, Urashima Hinata had him hurriedly declared him dead legally, and closed the Inn. She had died a few days later, natural causes.

 

Still… all the speculation was solid enough to her to suspect that Aoyama Motoko was next. He was coming after her.

 

`The bell of death rings three times. It had rung once… will ring twice… and thrice. You know who you are. I will come after you.'

 

He said that when he announced Narusegawa's death. He displayed Konno's face when he got to her as well. The bell of death had rung twice. She wasn't going to let him ring it the third time.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Kyoto… beautiful place. Kudo had taken a moment to mesmerize herself on the surroundings. There was a reason why Motoko would be the last, and she figured it was because she was the one most far off the three (Narusegawa and Konno were in the Tokyo Areas when he struck). She was also well protected by her whole clan. It would be suicide to take on the whole clan at once.

 

Heh. Maybe he wasn't that mad at all.

 

The trip to the Aoyama compound was short. With the cooperation of Kyoto Police, who welcomed her readily without much friction, they were able to breeze through traffic, siren on and everything. She appreciated it. She needed to see that person and get her to talk to him.

 

Kudo was quiet the whole trip, but had expressed her gratitude to her escorts. After all, she was on their turf. She let them talk, more news about the spreading gang waves and crime. Joker's influence has also arrived in this beautiful city. Her hands formed to a tight ball.

 

Crime was never forgivable to her. Her mother, Kudo Ran, had been gunned down because she was a fighter. She fought off two guys with knives, asking for money and good time. The third man shot her in panic after she proceeded to lay waste to his partners.

 

Shot in the chest. Punctured a lung. Ambulance wasn't fast enough to save her. She had drowned in sea of her own blood. Her father, Kudo Shinichi, caught the three criminals easily. Ayumi had seen their faces. They were put to jail. That was the end of it… but she would never forget the pain of being a victim of crime.

 

She swore she'd stop crime, wherever it would rear its ugly head. And now, some maniac is keeping her from fulfilling her duty. She would catch him. Yes, she would.

 

“Thanks guys,” she muttered as she closed the door. They had finally arrived. In front of them was a massive open gate. “I'll be back.”

 

“We'll be here,” the driver said, while his partner nodded.

 

Good people. Like the two cops the Joker had killed when they were watching Konno; another crime he would have to answer for.

 

“Good afternoon, Detective Kudo.”

 

Kudo looked up ahead. Two armed men, with swords, wearing hakamas, their sleeves tied as if they were ready to fight any time. They were expecting her, it seems. Did the Kyoto Police warn them of her arrival? Well, even if they didn't, with Aoyama's resources, it wouldn't even matter.

 

“Afternoon. I'm here to speak to Aoyama Motoko-san,” Kudo replied.

 

“Come in.”

 

The place was rich, old, and well maintained. The family of samurai's… the only few who had still follow the old ways, whose presence in the government had allowed them lee-way in carrying such dangerous weapons anywhere in Japan. She had no doubt about their skills. They are reputed to be the best in Japan.

 

They led her in a maze of corridors and sliding doors. She could memorize the way when she was been brought in. She could take herself out if she wanted to. But now wasn't the time for going out of the way.

 

“Kudo-san, please come in. Aoyama-sama is expecting you.”

 

Kudo appreciated the escort, but was disappointed when they had led her, not to Aoyama Motoko, but to her older sister, Tsuruko.

 

“Good afternoon, detective,” Tsuruko greeted her. Her escorts closed the door behind Kudo. The older Aoyama was kneeling down, in a proper, poised position. Her expression was blank and her form was steady. She was being formal. Courteous. “Tea?”

 

“I need to talk to your sister,” Kudo replied. She wasn't in the mood to play games. Damn being courteous.

 

“And what for?”

 

“I need to speak to her in a police matter. As you know, a criminal who calls himself the Joker has been on a rampage, killing two of her former housemates and friends. She may be next,” Kudo stated.

 

“She'll be well protected here, detective, I can assure you,” Tsuruko stated evenly.

 

“I have no doubt. But I need to speak to her concerning the criminal himself… the Joker. Or as you and your younger sister have called him before… Urashima Keitaro.”

 

Tsuruko looked at Kudo hard in the eyes. They knew. The police had kept it under wrap, but somehow the Aoyamas knew. It was probably obvious who had told them. Motoko. She was the only person who had spent adequate time with him. Even with all that change, even without the glasses off, he still resembled Urashima Keitaro.

 

“She has nothing to say,” the older Aoyama said. “She has no connections with a rambling madman, except she had met him before he dove to the life of crime.”

 

Kudo looked at her. “You don't expect me to believe that, do you?”

 

“Of course not, detective. But your opinion is no concern of mine,” she looked at her.

 

“Tell that to her. Her friends are dead,” Kudo muttered darkly. “This criminal is responsible for killing more, and is coming after her. I need to talk to her.”

 

Tsuruko clapped her hands. The sliding door opened, revealing her escorts. She turned to look at them as they approached behind her.

 

“Our conversation is over. They will see you out,” Tsuruko took a sip of her tea. “Don't follow up on this Detective Kudo. Leave it be. You already have a maniac on the streets… you don't need us as your enemies.”

 

Kudo didn't say anything as she was led out of the compound, unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes were looking, watching… and listening.

 

-@-@-@-

 

Kudo was dropped off at the hotel she was staying at, and asked if she was leaving tomorrow. She shook her head. No such luck. She's coming back tomorrow, and give it another shot. Tsuruko had given her an empty threat. No matter how powerful her family was, there was no way she'd go against the law. She can only go so far, protecting Motoko with civil rights and guards with swords.

 

She weighed her options. Go get a warrant? At what basis? Kudo had nothing, other than a connection, vague as it may be, between her and the Joker and her two friends. What other options did she have? Sneak in the compound?

 

A knock on her door got her out of her reverie. Kudo looked up for a moment. She hadn't even sat down. Who was knocking at her door?

 

Walking towards the door, she readied her gun from her holster. Take no chance, especially with a homicidal maniac out there, with a group of unnumbered blind but loyal followers, Kudo took a look at the peephole. Outside was a figure, feminine, under a cloak. The only thing she could see was the person outside had black hair, obvious over the white underclothes she was wearing under the coat.

 

“Who is it?” Kudo asked steadily.

 

“Detective… I am Aoyama Motoko.”

 

Kudo blinked in surprise. This was rather unexpected.

 

“Come in.”

 

Kudo opened the door, and let the young woman in. She took her hood off. First thing the detective thought was how the two sisters looked alike. The only difference, other than the age obviously between the two, Motoko's bangs were evenly cut, while Tsuruko's had a triangle shape to it.

 

“Detective Kudo… are you the same Kudo who is in charge of apprehending Urashima?” she asked, though she was quite sure about it. The detective thought that she was making a useless assurance to calm herself. She was shaking.

 

“Yes,” Kudo replied easily.

 

“I saw you earlier, at the Aoyama compound,” Motoko shivered. “I… I am probably making a mistake.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Urashima…” Motoko's eyes shifted from side to side. She was nervous. Kudo knew it wasn't completely from fear of the Joker, as she was a warrior, trained to fight creatures, supernatural or otherwise (and it's arguable if the former is actually a legitimate claim). She knew to handle a sword, how to fight.

 

No… something else was keeping her on her toes, making her jumpy. Guilt.

 

“What happened to Urashima?” Kudo finally asked.

 

“I… I have done something horrible… something unforgivable…”

 

And she explained it, finally putting in some holes on what happened on that night, may years ago. It involved three people. Konno, Narusegawa, and Aoyama.

 

Hinata-sou. A year ago. According to Aoyama, Konno had been in a prissy mood. Urashima Keitaro had completely ignored her… something had been bothering him for a while. His worries had affected his reactions in a manner.

 

“Konno wanted to… `ask' some money from him,” Aoyama recalled.

 

Blackmail, Kudo thought, recalling what `Konno' of the JokerIZE commercial had said. It seemed to be a normal thing in this house, like domestic violence. Being the only man in the group alienated him; put him under a lot of unfair bias. Narusegawa and Aoyama seemed to have settled for pounding him away. Konno used her feminine charm to get her way, and used him as a means of cash provider.

 

However, that day was rather strange, Motoko recalled. Urashima had no reaction to Konno at all… or to almost anyone in the household. He seemed to just float there, caught somewhere in his own world and when he didn't respond to Konno in the usual way (being shy, getting lured into holding her, and getting blackmailed), the fox girl didn't take it kindly. She had shouted, later on in panic, that Maehara, the young girl, was in trouble by the hot springs.

 

He rushed in, only to spot Aoyama and Narusegawa, naked, coming out of the bathes.

 

“My temper… I was an impatient young girl, who would just react violently to acts of perversion,” Motoko stated. “But… we thought it would be like before. Urashima's… immortal. He gets up easily, no matter how much damage he received. He'd always come back…”

 

“But not that day,” Kudo finished. “We know what happened after that. Urashima Haruka told us.”

 

“Haruka-san? But how could she…?” Motoko stopped, looking confused. Kudo blinked slightly.

 

“What?”

 

“No… it's just odd since Haruka-san was as stunned as us,” Motoko stated. “We don't know what happened to him afterwards. We all thought he had died!”

 

“Urashima Haruka sent us his diary, and her own words of what happened that day. She had said a tussle between you three had involuntarily got him to land in an abandoned chemical factory,” Kudo recalled. “She must have found him when all of you were settled. She must have taken care of him or something, after the accident…”

 

“No… last I heard, Haruka-san went on to marry Seta-san, and moved away from Japan.”

 

Kudo frowned. This was something new… a new piece of a puzzle. The whole picture was not completed yet, but the new piece changed how she thought the whole picture would look like. For a while, she and Brea had been operating under a foundation of speculations, which seemed solid enough to act upon, to investigate. Now… she had to rethink some of it.

 

“I… I should go,” Motoko suddenly announced.

 

“Wait,” Kudo called. “We need you. Come with us. I can protect you.”

 

Motoko didn't reply. She stood and walked to Kudo's front door and knocked. She opened it, revealing another man from the Shinemei-ryuu, wearing the same uniform as the men Kudo met at the front gate in the Aoyama compound. His hakama was well kept, and his sleeves were immaculately straight.

 

“Detective… it's over,” Motoko muttered seriously. “He is coming for me… and I will be waiting. I will not cower like some little girl anymore. He wants me… he shall find me ready.”

 

“Aoyama-san… your bravado is not needed,” Kudo urged. “You should not risk your life for this. It's not worth it.”

 

“Detective… my family had taught me to uphold honor. I tainted mines with sins that are coming back to haunt me,” Motoko smiled a sad yet determined smile. “I will face it on. Either he or I will die… maybe even both. But that is my choice to make. It is for my atonement.”

 

Aoyama Motoko had left without another word. Kudo just stood there, looking at the place where the Aoyama woman disappeared. She may have just confessed to attempted murder, told her story, but instead of cooperating further, she took off again.

 

The normal thing to do was to stop her, but for some reason, there was something that stopped Kudo from doing so… she spotted something else that bothered her, she just didn't figure out what it was.

 

What happened earlier was like a confession in church. Motoko, a guilt-ridden woman had just confessed her sins, yet when she walked out of her apartment, she had that steely determined look in her eyes. Kudo took notice.

 

Then there was that guard of hers… something was different from him.

 

“No…!” Kudo muttered as she finally pieced it all together. Motoko knew… she knew what was going to happen. She told Kudo her story… because she knew it might be the last thing she could ever do.

 

She got her jacket, and rushed out the door, her gun in her hand. She flew down the flight of stairs, quickly, and exited the condominium building she was in, and scanned around, looking for signs where Motoko had gone.

 

Kudo hoped she wasn't too late.

 

-@-@-@-

 

“Lovely night,” Motoko muttered towards her companion.

 

Her escort just nodded, and kept walking along side of her. They both walked in the dark alleys of the city, trying to hide from everyone. It was a rather safe but risky method. Motoko knew if she was going to be attacked now, she could defend herself well in the narrow spaces, especially if he was coming after her in numbers.

 

The detective was right… there was no real need for this… but she couldn't, with good conscience, let it go on like this… hence why she decided to hide away, buying her time before the detective finds her.

 

Motoko suddenly felt movement all around her, above her. So… he was finally making his move eh? She turned to her companion. He looked at her, with a slight surprise look on his face.

 

“You can stop pretending, Urashima,” Motoko stated. “I know it's you.”

 

Her companion looked at her for a moment, and his hands moved towards his cheek, and pulled it up suddenly, revealing his stark white face underneath the latex skin. He smiled at her, wider than she could imagine him smiling, even though she had seen it many times in the television.

 

“Ooh, this is the first,” he laughed. “How did you know, samurai girl?”

 

“Sleeves,” Motoko pointed out. “Active duty guards always have to put up their sleeves in case of ambushes or surprise attacks.”

 

“Phooey. I always thought you would be too distracted to notice… but never mind. I actually was beginning to hate hiding,” he frowned. “Did it for fox slut… it wasn't as fun as going towards punchy-girl with full colors! But I gotta say… the commercial made me feel all better. HAhaHAhahAHahaHAHA!”

 

He let his robes fell. There was a reason why he didn't fold them, and it was because he was hiding his suit underneath. It was a multicolored shirt under a green vest with a small flower on his chest. His thin purple pants had holsters, holding a gun.

 

With the robe gone, Motoko could see his hands, flesh colored until to a specific height, after that, his skin was all white.

 

“So… she's into this as well, eh?” Motoko asked, realizing who was helping him.

 

“My little Harley? Oh yes,” he laughed. “But… it's your little pig I have to thank. Without his clothes, I would have never penetrated your little compound so easily.”

 

“And you're going to stop me with your guns? Knives? Maybe that silly gas that you were peddling?”

 

“Ouchie, now don't be mean!” the Joker smiled. “It's not silly… it's crazy!”

 

What happened next was unexpected to Motoko. She had expected an aerial attack, where multiple of ki signatures were located. She had thought the ambush was up above… but it wasn't. It was down below.

 

A net of metal surged up from her feet, surprising her. The material was quite flat, almost undetectable when she stepped above them.

 

As those above her jumped down, they were towing cables, connected to pulleys that were attached towards the corners of the net, closing around the young Aoyama. Down below, men in clown masks were tying the chords fast towards the heavy dumpsters around the place, grabbed their guns out, and just began shooting towards the dangling net where Motoko was prone.

 

A ki burst… the net was sliced in half easily as Motoko had drawn her weapon, even in the tight constrains of grid trap that the Joker set up, but she hadn't come out unscathed. Her hakama was showing signs of damage, and blood was flowing freely from her right leg and left shoulder. She had been shot.

 

“Ooh, now this is gonna be entertaining,” the Joker laughed as he sat down in a chair which one of his henchmen brought. “No popcorn?”

 

The henchman shook his head.

 

“I would be a bit teed off if I actually needed it… but it seems she's making this as short as possible,” he commented as he watched the carnage that ensued. “Ooh, that's gotta hurt,” he commented after Motoko mercilessly shoved her elbow towards one of the clown's nose.

 

Motoko came down hard and fast on all of them. Their guns were completely useless against her as she moved fast, her sword spinning around her body, seemingly blocking bullets coming at her… even with a damaged shoulder and leg, she was still a force to be reckoned with.

 

“Maybe you ought to help your friends?” the Joker stated towards the henchman still beside him. Without reply, he did so, loyal to his boss. The Joker laughed appreciatively as the clown he sent was knocked out, senseless, in a matter of seconds, and he continued to laugh as he watched, entertained, at the one sided battle.

 

When everything was over, Motoko was standing there, alone in the street. Her lips were bloodied, taking a few hits by the enemies surrounding her, but ultimately, the winner. Her sword was drawn, pointing towards the sitting Joker, who clapped his hands.

 

“Bravo! Bravo!” he smiled. “Well choreographed! Well paced! It is like watching real life! HAHaHAHAhahAHAHA!”

 

“It is over, Urashima!” Motoko exclaimed, breathing deeply. “Your guns or knives won't stop me. Give yourself in.”

 

“Ooh, but sword-girl… its not over…” he looked at her wickedly, his smile growing more evil by the passing second. “You're dead… and you just don't know it yet.”

 

He suddenly grabbed his gun, and began to shoot towards the Aoyama, who ducked, and drove her blade up to block the following shots. It is said that Shinmei-ryuu specializes against enemies using projectiles, including guns or energy attacks, and some could deflect those attacks back to the attacker, but she couldn't do so, with her shoulder and leg injured. All she could do was keep pressing forward until she was close enough to attack him.

 

“Whoops!” the Joker suddenly threw a knife.

 

Motoko barely dodged the knife; she was nicked slightly in her arm.

 

“Ooooh… close one!” he laughed again. “Come on sword-girl! Come and get me!”

 

He shot a few more times at her, and she dodged and deflected the bullets away. She kept count. Sooner or later, he would run out of bullets. She was counting on that, her eyes now extra alert for any more knives coming at her.

 

“HAHAHaHAHahHAhaHAHA… Oops…” Joker muttered as his gun was empty, shooting blanks. He looked at it. “Where's the infinite ammo code when you need it?”

 

Motoko's eyes widened. This was her chance. She charged in suddenly, hoping to end this once and for all.

 

“Oh well, even without codes, there's always this!” and Joker flicked his wrist again, but Motoko was ready for it. Another knife launched itself from his arm, and she nimbly deflected it. Just a few more meters… her sword was ready to stab him on the stomach… he'd get thrown into ICU, or die… any of those options were viable.

 

“Its over!” she declared, readying her weapon to stab him.

 

“Oh no!” the Joker looked at her charging figure, his hands over his cheeks, mouth forming a small `O'. “What am I to do? Oh well… no use crying over spilt corrosive!”

 

Motoko's eyes widened as the flower on his vest suddenly squirted something in her face. It hit her like a hot iron. She dropped the sword as her face began to burn painfully. Her momentum was too much to stop, and she tripped, shouting in pain as she rolled on the ground.

 

“HAHaHaHAHahHAhaAHAHA!” the Joker laughed as he slowly approached her fallen form. “No use crying over spilt corrosive… get it!? HAHAAHAHaHAHaHAHAHA!”

 

Motoko couldn't reply… she didn't know what happened to her. She could feel the flesh in her face melting. Her cries were agonizing to anyone who could hear her, but to him, he just heard the punch line of his own joke.

 

“Now, now, let me see you,” he muttered as he pinned her down. He forced her hands away from her face, and pinned them down with his own knees. She tried to resist, but he just hit her wounded shoulder, stunning her as he finally got on top of her. “Oh, look at that… one side of your face has almost melted off… that's not good! Not good at all!”

 

He placed one of his hands in his pocket, and took out a ring with a small spike. He put that in his hand, and pressed something on it. A small crackle was heard as a small electrical blue light emanated from the spike.

 

“Motoko, my dear,” the Joker muttered solemnly… “I remember you as a pretty yet deranged individual. However… you were never two faced. You were the same person, consistent throughout my short past life. You disliked me before… and never hid it. So… it's only fair… to even you out.”

 

Motoko shouted as he pressed the hand with the ring on her uninjured part of her face, feeling the jolt of thousands of volts enter her body without pause. She thrashed as she was continually shocked, her face now again feeling the burning sensation she had felt moments ago.

 

The Joker just laughed, ignoring her resistance as her flesh burned with the electrical shock he was giving and continued to press the ring on her even after she had, after a good while, stopped screaming and thrashing altogether. He finally lifted his hand, and blew the smok emanating from spike out.

 

“It's always in the amps… always in the amps,” he laughed again. He stood up, and looked at her lying dead body. He moved above her, looking down on her, smiling. “Hmmm… it's not as even as I wanted… but at least no one's going to accuse you of dying half faced! HAhAHAHaHAHAHaHAHAHA!”

 

“FREEZE!”

 

The Joker looked up, and smiled again as he spotted someone he had been expecting to meet sooner or later. Detective Ayumi Kudo was there, breathing hard, her gun pointed steadily towards him.

 

Her eyes stared at the horror as Motoko was there, lifeless, mutilated. Her face was beyond recognition, though her eyes and mouth was wide open, displaying how she had died in his hands.

 

She was tortured to death.

 

The Joker just laughed at Kudo's expression.

 

“Ooh… detective. Why so serious?”

 

- To Be Continued -

 

Author's Notes:

 

Two more chapters left. Tick-tock-tick-tock…

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Have a laugh! TDK is just around the corner! With Iron Man, Hulk, and other great movies!