Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Haima ❯ Chapter 3: Roses are red... ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Nekocin 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Mystery / Police / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.14.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 377 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Mystery / Police / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.14.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 377 | Status: Completed
Title: Haima
Author: Nekocin
Email: Neko_cin_6@hotmail.com
Genres: Various---> Action and Romance as main genres (I hope Romance wouldn't be so screwed up >.>).
Type: AU
Anime: Yu-gi-oh
Warnings: Shounen-ai, Violence. Maybe some OOC. In this chapter OOC
Pairings: Seto+Jou... in this chapter none
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Anime in question doesn't belong to me. Never was. Never will.
Author's notes:
Okay, here's the next chapter. It's a bit cheesy and weird >.> Especially when I'm not even sure if you all can agree with this chapter. So *crosses fingers* here's hoping that this chapter fits with the rest. Oh by the way, I've always believed that Katsuya is not an idiot. So he's a bit OOC when it comes to this AU story of mine. Beware of his brains :P.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: Roses are red...
23:00 PM
Katsuya jammed the key into the keyhole and turned it around. He slowly pushed open the front door and yawned. "I'm... " he said weakly and yawned again.
After the chase, kachou Crawford had put him behind a pile of paperwork. His colleagues were great. Everyone was helpful except for the icy, silver-haired jerk named... uh... Haku Bakura [1]. The guy kept criticizing every little word he read from Katsuya's report. Agent Haku had made him write over every report. The guy harassed him constantly about this and that.
Luckily there was Kujaku Mai, a beautiful blonde female officer, who defended him from agent Haku. But after the whole harassing and being defended, Katsuya just chose to work hard on the report anyways. He wrote so fast that his fingers turned purple.
"Onii-chan!" Shizuka exclaimed and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, hey Shizuka. What's up?" he smiled weakly and rubbed his soar arm absentmindedly.
"I'm glad you're safe, brother. This morning there was news about the sixth dead this month. All of the previous victims were rookies. I'm worried, onii-chan" Shizuka pulled away and dropped her eyes.
Katsuya noticed the sour look on his sister's face and carefully cupped her face between his hands.
"Why are you scared, Shizuka?" He tilted her head up.
Her eyes began to water. "The killer might take you next. It's all my fault"
Katsuya shook his head and smiled softly.
"Don't be silly. The murders started months ago. Are you sure about the killer going after rookies? The question is how can he know I'm a rookie if I'm going to be next? But on which field did the reporter mean anyways? There are dozens of rookies living here... so just don't blame yourself for something this vain" He pulled her into an embrace and stroke her red-brown hair.
"I'm sorry, onii-chan" she whispered into his shirt.
"Don't apologize for something you didn't do, Shizuka" Katsuya murmured and hummed a song that popped into his mind. He hoped it might soothe her.
"Mother always said some event were my fault. The separation was partly my fault and then mother's first son with uncle was also my fault. I didn't look after him like you'd looked after me. He'd gotten more bruises over his arms and legs than mine. There are more blames... but right now I can't think of anything" Shizuka whispered as she gripped his shirt tightly.
Katsuya froze when she mentioned this and stopped humming.
"... Sometimes mother forgets I'm her daughter too..." [2]
He hugged his sister affectionately and looked up at the ceiling.
The day when their mother separated them, he never saw her again. Maybe he did once in awhile, but she would just ignore his presence. It was as if she'd forgotten she even had a big son or as if she wouldn't acknowledge him as her own.
Having parents who neglected his needs and upbringing, it was a wonder how he'd made it through school and the strict police training. It was like another challenge. A fight till the bitter end where he would come out as the victor. He wondered how he did end up being successful.
"Nothing is going to happen to me, Shizuka. I'll survive"
He pushed her gently away and smiled down at her.
"I believe you, onii-chan" She smiled back.
"If I've not survived, you can come after me with a mallet and hunt me down whenever you like" Katsuya chuckled and touched the point of her nose affectionately.
"Don't talk like that!" she gasped out.
"I know. I know. So what's for dinner?" Katsuya laughed heartily, hoping that the previous tension would disappear if he spoke about his appetite.
Shizuka beamed and took off his jacket.
"I did my best, onii-chan. I hope it's fine"
"I'll eat anything you cook" Katsuya smiled, taking off his shoes and then slipping into indoor slippers.
"I'll go set the table!" Shizuka called and left him at the front door.
Katsuya scratched the back of his neck and ran his fingers through his hair. He sighed and blinked at the opened door. He must have forgotten to close the door when Shizuka welcomed him.
He stuck his head out and looked at both directions of the hall.
How suspicious. Didn't he just get this feeling of being watched?
Katsuya shrugged when he found the halls empty and closed the door with a click. He took one last look at the closed door and frowned.
Why was anyone following him here? Was it a stalker? Was it some secret admirer? Or... were they after his sister? Damn. He'd left Shizuka all alone in his apartment without supervision.
What if someone broke in and kidnapped her? Or raped her? Or killed her?
The horror was written all over his paled face.
What must he do?
"Onii-chan! Dinner is ready!" Shizuka called out, snapping him out of his troubled thoughts.
"HAI!!" he responded and with a determined face he went into the kitchen where dinner was set.
The first thing he would do was to bring Shizuka alone with him to the station so that she wouldn't have to be alone.
*~*~*~*~*~
23:40 PM
A lone shadow watched them from afar. He was using his binoculars to watch the whole affectionate scene from a distance. He smirked and put away the binoculars into his jacket. The two really seemed close to each other.
"The kid must be already married to her,"[3] he murmured to no one in particular.
He turned around and made his way out of the apartment in which he was staying. He picked out a bunch of red roses from the nearby table and went outside.
A guy was outside, waiting for him. He was tall indeed; but nothing was revealed other than his green eyes. He was wearing the famous teenager's t-shirts and a pair of faded jeans.
His almond green eyes twinkled when the lone figure arrived with a big bush of red roses.
"What are those roses for, sir? For your wife?"
"No. I'm not married. It's for you. I've found them in my mailbox" was the answer.
He smiled at the younger guy and passed him the roses.
The latter looked confused at the red roses. Having no idea why most people have this fetish for red roses just because they were romantic, he shrugged and nodded his thanks [4].
Brushing aside such a suspicious gift was not the best idea in the world.
*~*~*~*~*~
23:00 PM
"I'm home" The inspector announced and looked at the dark front parlor. Noting from the lack of light his younger brother might not be at home.
He took off his shoes and slipped into a pair of comfortable indoor slippers. He sighed sleepily and took off his large trench coat. Afterwards he walked up the huge stairs with a pile of folders in his hands.
"Better get this over with before he bastard takes down the whole force" he mumbled while rubbing his temples. He had a hard day.
He opened the door to his office and switched on the headlights on his desk. The inspector dropped down on his big chair and checked for missed calls. He'd been through a lot that day.
First the murder case, then checking out some files, then getting curious about three reckless drivers, then fumbling around with the trainee's examination schedule, then researching the upcoming rookies and exams participants, then the usual planning how to fit the clues together and then the hearing of everyday usual crimes like street robberies, missing items etcetera.
One may wonder why a rich guy like him work as an inspector. The answer was simple. He anted action.
"Hello, onii-chan. It's me, Mokuba. Look, I won't be coming home tonight like you expect me to. I've to finish this assignment with my group since it's due tomorrow. So in a way I'm staying over at a friend's house. Please don't wait up for me and please get some sleep. You looked awful this morning. Having two jobs is giving you too much stress. Just pick one already! Anyways... bye!"
The inspector looked up from his laptop and smiled when he heard his younger brother's message. Hearing the younger youth's voice made him feel at ease.
The younger Kaiba was studying at one of Japan's finest University [5]. Mokuba was aiming for the medic classes. He'd wanted to study medicines and such.
Inspector Kaiba sighed and listened absentmindedly to the next few missed calls. All of them were the usual upcoming meetings and news about the Kaiba Company. At least he did a great job on giving his younger brother a lot of opportunities to choose his future instead of one big onii-chan to hover around his life.
Unlike him, Mokuba would definitely do something he chooses to do with his own free will. He instead got stuck with the family business and a job that was also as stressful as the family business.
Inspector Kaiba booted his laptop and started scanning his projects. He noticed there were a few changes in his work. Must have been Mokuba helping a hand, he noted and began tapping the keys, resuming his unfinished project as a CEO [6].
Not long after delving himself into the Kaiba Company's business a small bell chimed, letting him know he got a new mail. The inspector froze in his work. He looked up at the clock on his computer screen.
00:30 AM
It was time.
He stopped working on his project and clicked open the unread message. His cobalt-blue eyes narrowed instantly as he concentrated on the italic message.
"Tell me dear,
if roses are red
bathed in fear
and covered in sweat
what's the only thing in mind
that an make me this hard to find?"
The inspector read the first verse and frowned. Why is this killer always notifying him with riddles and bunch of nonsense rhymes? Now that he thought about it, how did the killer know his e-mail address? He scanned the rest of his message.
"As for the rest of the sweet phrase
don't worry, it will come.
Just hope you can race
because my treat had yet begun.
If it may, if it might
I know I'm making sense here.
Roll up your sleeve and take up our fight.
You know I'll win, you know I'm near.
How may I say this
how may you figure it
how about just this kiss
and then the kid?" [7]
The inspector narrowed his eyes at the message and read the whole message all over again. He tried to make some sense in the riddle. He grumbled impatiently and clicked on different messages from the same sender.
Why he didn't check out the whole Internet network searching for the killer's identity was because he'd already done that. But the smallest clues led him to a dead end. The killer knew how to erase his tracks completely. Amazing. He was like a hacker behind a killer's mask.
He went to the message that was sent days before Tanaka Koizumi's murder. The killer always sends him a riddle a few days before he kills his victims. The inspector noted that maybe the killer was choosing his victims beforehand and sent him the little clues. The clues that hardly made sense. But why notify him? Especially at 00:30 AM?
"Have you found what you crave
in the middle of one's work?
I don't think so. You're still stuck in your cave
ordering around, hovering around senseless junk, aren't you, you jerk?
Boiled in anger, sweetened in taste
just look at him: eyes wide, mouth open. The lifeless face..."
Inspector Kaiba rubbed his chin thoughtfully and noted that the killer really had this fetish of 'modeling' his victims just like in his message. He sighed and ran his fingers through his brown hair.
He glanced at the folders, which he'd dropped haphazardly on the table. Maybe if he checked out all of the rookies first and then notify the older officers to look after them then maybe... just maybe they could save the younger ones.
Setting up a trap for the murderer's next move was out of the game. Sometimes whenever he wanted to set a trap, it always seemed as if the killer was one step ahead. The murderer would always escape them in front of their noses. The murderer must have a lot of ears here and there.
The inspector snorted and flipped open one of the folders.
"Just great! About ten rookies are stationed while the rest of the five hundred and thirty ones are going to be stationed" he muttered darkly and flipped to the next few pages. Most of the contents were about the rookies' scores on their exams.
Quite impressive scores for a certain someone named Tenryuu Reiji [8]. The guy looked like a police officer already in his graduation attire: the black uniform.
Broad shoulders adorned with a finely shaped head on top. Big, slanted penetrating green eyes and in between a crooked nose. During his physical training he must have broken it.
It was a shame though, the inspector really thought he would look handsome in the famous blue, police uniform.
Too bad... Tenryuu could've been one great officer. He got shot though the head a few months ago.
The inspector wondered why he was checking on the lists of dead rookies that had been killed. He grabbed a different folder and flipped it open. He instantly froze.
It was the same file of the intriguing, dirty-blonde-haired driver that afternoon. He'd caught himself reading the rookie's statistics a few times [9]. He frowned. Why, was the question he wondered. Why was he so interesting? Maybe it must be the fact that officer Jounouchi came from a broken family?
Because it seemed like the rookie had registered himself for the training school. His father had died of too much alcohol when the rookie was still ten. It couldn't have been his father. His mother wasn't an option. She'd left him for Okinawa [10] when he was six.
Or maybe must have been the fact that the rookie was a driving maniac without a licence? All in all the rookie sounded interesting. The inspector just had this feeling that maybe, just maybe it had something to do with the rookie's surviving skills in life [11].
*~*~*~*~*~
00:40 AM
Chief Crawford sucked in the taste of the cigarette in his mouth and closed his eyes briefly. He turned away from the computer on his desk and opened his eyes to look out at the dark night. Stars were twinkling weakly compared to the city lights.
Tonight was going to be quiet like the previous nights, he noted.
The chief of station 6 blew out the smoke and sighed contently.
"You know, it could've been better than this" he spoke out and waved his hand around, explaining his meaning to no one in particular.
He grabbed hold on one of the reports and scanned the contents. He chuckled lightly when he noticed some vague scribbles here and there. Agent Haku must have been harassing the rookie about his handwriting and his usage of words for a whole hour.
He hoped the rookie wouldn't leave the post just because of a certain silver-haired agent that loved to criticize everyone in the office. It would be a shame if the rookie was such a coward.
A malicious smile crept out of his lips as he dipped away the ashes. It would be fun to watch him suffer under station 6's most annoying AGENTS.
*~*~*~*~*~
00:50 AM
Somewhere in a small apartment a certain brown-eyed, dirty-blonde rookie sneezed [12] a few times while he was munching down his sister's cooking.
"Are you alright, onii-chan?" shizuka asked worriedly.
Katsuya looked a bit dazed, but smiled brightly. "Of course I am"
"I must have put too much pepper in the food. I'm sorry" Shizuka bowed apologetically.
"Oh no, no, no, no. It wasn't the pepper that made me sneeze" Katsuya smiled reassuringly and wondered why would anyone want to talk about him when he's at least nice to everyone.
*.*.*.*.* End chapter 3*.*.*.*.*
End notes:
1: -_-;; Just like "Yuuki Yami". A lame name for Yami Bakura -_-;; but this is AU so it really doesn't matter ^_^;;
2: Please be very aware this is AU and the mother is quite OOC. Of course I know Shizuka's mother wouldn't treat her like that, right? Right?
3: Let's keep it like the killer doesn't know about Katsuya's sister living with him. He only knows that Katsuya's family had been broken a long time ago.
4: *winks* I'll spoil you people. Here's the hint. *winks*
5: Insert a name for the school. Any name... I'm not even sure if Japan has one of the greatest Universities there x_x.
6: XD How stressful, eh? And this is OOC too in my opinion. This guy sounds like a real work-a-holic in my story. Aa... x_x his back.
7: XD Cheesy, isn't it? Or was it crappy? ^_^;; But anyways, it's still a riddle... I just wrote it, tried to rhyme a bit and voila! Quick work there ^_^;;.
8: XD Just a name, but we won't see him around.
9: XP Nope, no "love at first sight here". Never believed in that phrase, nu-uh. Not going to be that reason.
10: Can't think of any good cities.
11: Yep. There's the Katsuya I want to create. Survival till the fittest >:D quoted from a certain swordsman. He's no wimp or wuss.
12: XD Okay, it's sort of a habit of putting some sneezing in my works. In Japan they believe when someone is talking about you behind your back, you sneeze. XD How superstitious, ne?
Jou-pup: ^_^ I see you've noticed the OOC. Does this chapter explain your suspicions? :P I know it's stressful to have two jobs but can you blame this work-a-holic? Lol. Anyways sankyuu for reviewing again ^-^.
Angel-Belle: Close ^-^. It's very easy with the 'sir' part, ne? Right now I really want to kill someone >:D It sounds just right to do so in this story. Sankyuu for reviewing.
~_~ Can't believe my notes are THIS long. x_x Sorry for the inconvenience. And GRRR... the story is still slow.
=^_^=cin
Author: Nekocin
Email: Neko_cin_6@hotmail.com
Genres: Various---> Action and Romance as main genres (I hope Romance wouldn't be so screwed up >.>).
Type: AU
Anime: Yu-gi-oh
Warnings: Shounen-ai, Violence. Maybe some OOC. In this chapter OOC
Pairings: Seto+Jou... in this chapter none
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Anime in question doesn't belong to me. Never was. Never will.
Author's notes:
Okay, here's the next chapter. It's a bit cheesy and weird >.> Especially when I'm not even sure if you all can agree with this chapter. So *crosses fingers* here's hoping that this chapter fits with the rest. Oh by the way, I've always believed that Katsuya is not an idiot. So he's a bit OOC when it comes to this AU story of mine. Beware of his brains :P.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: Roses are red...
23:00 PM
Katsuya jammed the key into the keyhole and turned it around. He slowly pushed open the front door and yawned. "I'm... " he said weakly and yawned again.
After the chase, kachou Crawford had put him behind a pile of paperwork. His colleagues were great. Everyone was helpful except for the icy, silver-haired jerk named... uh... Haku Bakura [1]. The guy kept criticizing every little word he read from Katsuya's report. Agent Haku had made him write over every report. The guy harassed him constantly about this and that.
Luckily there was Kujaku Mai, a beautiful blonde female officer, who defended him from agent Haku. But after the whole harassing and being defended, Katsuya just chose to work hard on the report anyways. He wrote so fast that his fingers turned purple.
"Onii-chan!" Shizuka exclaimed and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, hey Shizuka. What's up?" he smiled weakly and rubbed his soar arm absentmindedly.
"I'm glad you're safe, brother. This morning there was news about the sixth dead this month. All of the previous victims were rookies. I'm worried, onii-chan" Shizuka pulled away and dropped her eyes.
Katsuya noticed the sour look on his sister's face and carefully cupped her face between his hands.
"Why are you scared, Shizuka?" He tilted her head up.
Her eyes began to water. "The killer might take you next. It's all my fault"
Katsuya shook his head and smiled softly.
"Don't be silly. The murders started months ago. Are you sure about the killer going after rookies? The question is how can he know I'm a rookie if I'm going to be next? But on which field did the reporter mean anyways? There are dozens of rookies living here... so just don't blame yourself for something this vain" He pulled her into an embrace and stroke her red-brown hair.
"I'm sorry, onii-chan" she whispered into his shirt.
"Don't apologize for something you didn't do, Shizuka" Katsuya murmured and hummed a song that popped into his mind. He hoped it might soothe her.
"Mother always said some event were my fault. The separation was partly my fault and then mother's first son with uncle was also my fault. I didn't look after him like you'd looked after me. He'd gotten more bruises over his arms and legs than mine. There are more blames... but right now I can't think of anything" Shizuka whispered as she gripped his shirt tightly.
Katsuya froze when she mentioned this and stopped humming.
"... Sometimes mother forgets I'm her daughter too..." [2]
He hugged his sister affectionately and looked up at the ceiling.
The day when their mother separated them, he never saw her again. Maybe he did once in awhile, but she would just ignore his presence. It was as if she'd forgotten she even had a big son or as if she wouldn't acknowledge him as her own.
Having parents who neglected his needs and upbringing, it was a wonder how he'd made it through school and the strict police training. It was like another challenge. A fight till the bitter end where he would come out as the victor. He wondered how he did end up being successful.
"Nothing is going to happen to me, Shizuka. I'll survive"
He pushed her gently away and smiled down at her.
"I believe you, onii-chan" She smiled back.
"If I've not survived, you can come after me with a mallet and hunt me down whenever you like" Katsuya chuckled and touched the point of her nose affectionately.
"Don't talk like that!" she gasped out.
"I know. I know. So what's for dinner?" Katsuya laughed heartily, hoping that the previous tension would disappear if he spoke about his appetite.
Shizuka beamed and took off his jacket.
"I did my best, onii-chan. I hope it's fine"
"I'll eat anything you cook" Katsuya smiled, taking off his shoes and then slipping into indoor slippers.
"I'll go set the table!" Shizuka called and left him at the front door.
Katsuya scratched the back of his neck and ran his fingers through his hair. He sighed and blinked at the opened door. He must have forgotten to close the door when Shizuka welcomed him.
He stuck his head out and looked at both directions of the hall.
How suspicious. Didn't he just get this feeling of being watched?
Katsuya shrugged when he found the halls empty and closed the door with a click. He took one last look at the closed door and frowned.
Why was anyone following him here? Was it a stalker? Was it some secret admirer? Or... were they after his sister? Damn. He'd left Shizuka all alone in his apartment without supervision.
What if someone broke in and kidnapped her? Or raped her? Or killed her?
The horror was written all over his paled face.
What must he do?
"Onii-chan! Dinner is ready!" Shizuka called out, snapping him out of his troubled thoughts.
"HAI!!" he responded and with a determined face he went into the kitchen where dinner was set.
The first thing he would do was to bring Shizuka alone with him to the station so that she wouldn't have to be alone.
*~*~*~*~*~
23:40 PM
A lone shadow watched them from afar. He was using his binoculars to watch the whole affectionate scene from a distance. He smirked and put away the binoculars into his jacket. The two really seemed close to each other.
"The kid must be already married to her,"[3] he murmured to no one in particular.
He turned around and made his way out of the apartment in which he was staying. He picked out a bunch of red roses from the nearby table and went outside.
A guy was outside, waiting for him. He was tall indeed; but nothing was revealed other than his green eyes. He was wearing the famous teenager's t-shirts and a pair of faded jeans.
His almond green eyes twinkled when the lone figure arrived with a big bush of red roses.
"What are those roses for, sir? For your wife?"
"No. I'm not married. It's for you. I've found them in my mailbox" was the answer.
He smiled at the younger guy and passed him the roses.
The latter looked confused at the red roses. Having no idea why most people have this fetish for red roses just because they were romantic, he shrugged and nodded his thanks [4].
Brushing aside such a suspicious gift was not the best idea in the world.
*~*~*~*~*~
23:00 PM
"I'm home" The inspector announced and looked at the dark front parlor. Noting from the lack of light his younger brother might not be at home.
He took off his shoes and slipped into a pair of comfortable indoor slippers. He sighed sleepily and took off his large trench coat. Afterwards he walked up the huge stairs with a pile of folders in his hands.
"Better get this over with before he bastard takes down the whole force" he mumbled while rubbing his temples. He had a hard day.
He opened the door to his office and switched on the headlights on his desk. The inspector dropped down on his big chair and checked for missed calls. He'd been through a lot that day.
First the murder case, then checking out some files, then getting curious about three reckless drivers, then fumbling around with the trainee's examination schedule, then researching the upcoming rookies and exams participants, then the usual planning how to fit the clues together and then the hearing of everyday usual crimes like street robberies, missing items etcetera.
One may wonder why a rich guy like him work as an inspector. The answer was simple. He anted action.
"Hello, onii-chan. It's me, Mokuba. Look, I won't be coming home tonight like you expect me to. I've to finish this assignment with my group since it's due tomorrow. So in a way I'm staying over at a friend's house. Please don't wait up for me and please get some sleep. You looked awful this morning. Having two jobs is giving you too much stress. Just pick one already! Anyways... bye!"
The inspector looked up from his laptop and smiled when he heard his younger brother's message. Hearing the younger youth's voice made him feel at ease.
The younger Kaiba was studying at one of Japan's finest University [5]. Mokuba was aiming for the medic classes. He'd wanted to study medicines and such.
Inspector Kaiba sighed and listened absentmindedly to the next few missed calls. All of them were the usual upcoming meetings and news about the Kaiba Company. At least he did a great job on giving his younger brother a lot of opportunities to choose his future instead of one big onii-chan to hover around his life.
Unlike him, Mokuba would definitely do something he chooses to do with his own free will. He instead got stuck with the family business and a job that was also as stressful as the family business.
Inspector Kaiba booted his laptop and started scanning his projects. He noticed there were a few changes in his work. Must have been Mokuba helping a hand, he noted and began tapping the keys, resuming his unfinished project as a CEO [6].
Not long after delving himself into the Kaiba Company's business a small bell chimed, letting him know he got a new mail. The inspector froze in his work. He looked up at the clock on his computer screen.
00:30 AM
It was time.
He stopped working on his project and clicked open the unread message. His cobalt-blue eyes narrowed instantly as he concentrated on the italic message.
"Tell me dear,
if roses are red
bathed in fear
and covered in sweat
what's the only thing in mind
that an make me this hard to find?"
The inspector read the first verse and frowned. Why is this killer always notifying him with riddles and bunch of nonsense rhymes? Now that he thought about it, how did the killer know his e-mail address? He scanned the rest of his message.
"As for the rest of the sweet phrase
don't worry, it will come.
Just hope you can race
because my treat had yet begun.
If it may, if it might
I know I'm making sense here.
Roll up your sleeve and take up our fight.
You know I'll win, you know I'm near.
How may I say this
how may you figure it
how about just this kiss
and then the kid?" [7]
The inspector narrowed his eyes at the message and read the whole message all over again. He tried to make some sense in the riddle. He grumbled impatiently and clicked on different messages from the same sender.
Why he didn't check out the whole Internet network searching for the killer's identity was because he'd already done that. But the smallest clues led him to a dead end. The killer knew how to erase his tracks completely. Amazing. He was like a hacker behind a killer's mask.
He went to the message that was sent days before Tanaka Koizumi's murder. The killer always sends him a riddle a few days before he kills his victims. The inspector noted that maybe the killer was choosing his victims beforehand and sent him the little clues. The clues that hardly made sense. But why notify him? Especially at 00:30 AM?
"Have you found what you crave
in the middle of one's work?
I don't think so. You're still stuck in your cave
ordering around, hovering around senseless junk, aren't you, you jerk?
Boiled in anger, sweetened in taste
just look at him: eyes wide, mouth open. The lifeless face..."
Inspector Kaiba rubbed his chin thoughtfully and noted that the killer really had this fetish of 'modeling' his victims just like in his message. He sighed and ran his fingers through his brown hair.
He glanced at the folders, which he'd dropped haphazardly on the table. Maybe if he checked out all of the rookies first and then notify the older officers to look after them then maybe... just maybe they could save the younger ones.
Setting up a trap for the murderer's next move was out of the game. Sometimes whenever he wanted to set a trap, it always seemed as if the killer was one step ahead. The murderer would always escape them in front of their noses. The murderer must have a lot of ears here and there.
The inspector snorted and flipped open one of the folders.
"Just great! About ten rookies are stationed while the rest of the five hundred and thirty ones are going to be stationed" he muttered darkly and flipped to the next few pages. Most of the contents were about the rookies' scores on their exams.
Quite impressive scores for a certain someone named Tenryuu Reiji [8]. The guy looked like a police officer already in his graduation attire: the black uniform.
Broad shoulders adorned with a finely shaped head on top. Big, slanted penetrating green eyes and in between a crooked nose. During his physical training he must have broken it.
It was a shame though, the inspector really thought he would look handsome in the famous blue, police uniform.
Too bad... Tenryuu could've been one great officer. He got shot though the head a few months ago.
The inspector wondered why he was checking on the lists of dead rookies that had been killed. He grabbed a different folder and flipped it open. He instantly froze.
It was the same file of the intriguing, dirty-blonde-haired driver that afternoon. He'd caught himself reading the rookie's statistics a few times [9]. He frowned. Why, was the question he wondered. Why was he so interesting? Maybe it must be the fact that officer Jounouchi came from a broken family?
Because it seemed like the rookie had registered himself for the training school. His father had died of too much alcohol when the rookie was still ten. It couldn't have been his father. His mother wasn't an option. She'd left him for Okinawa [10] when he was six.
Or maybe must have been the fact that the rookie was a driving maniac without a licence? All in all the rookie sounded interesting. The inspector just had this feeling that maybe, just maybe it had something to do with the rookie's surviving skills in life [11].
*~*~*~*~*~
00:40 AM
Chief Crawford sucked in the taste of the cigarette in his mouth and closed his eyes briefly. He turned away from the computer on his desk and opened his eyes to look out at the dark night. Stars were twinkling weakly compared to the city lights.
Tonight was going to be quiet like the previous nights, he noted.
The chief of station 6 blew out the smoke and sighed contently.
"You know, it could've been better than this" he spoke out and waved his hand around, explaining his meaning to no one in particular.
He grabbed hold on one of the reports and scanned the contents. He chuckled lightly when he noticed some vague scribbles here and there. Agent Haku must have been harassing the rookie about his handwriting and his usage of words for a whole hour.
He hoped the rookie wouldn't leave the post just because of a certain silver-haired agent that loved to criticize everyone in the office. It would be a shame if the rookie was such a coward.
A malicious smile crept out of his lips as he dipped away the ashes. It would be fun to watch him suffer under station 6's most annoying AGENTS.
*~*~*~*~*~
00:50 AM
Somewhere in a small apartment a certain brown-eyed, dirty-blonde rookie sneezed [12] a few times while he was munching down his sister's cooking.
"Are you alright, onii-chan?" shizuka asked worriedly.
Katsuya looked a bit dazed, but smiled brightly. "Of course I am"
"I must have put too much pepper in the food. I'm sorry" Shizuka bowed apologetically.
"Oh no, no, no, no. It wasn't the pepper that made me sneeze" Katsuya smiled reassuringly and wondered why would anyone want to talk about him when he's at least nice to everyone.
*.*.*.*.* End chapter 3*.*.*.*.*
End notes:
1: -_-;; Just like "Yuuki Yami". A lame name for Yami Bakura -_-;; but this is AU so it really doesn't matter ^_^;;
2: Please be very aware this is AU and the mother is quite OOC. Of course I know Shizuka's mother wouldn't treat her like that, right? Right?
3: Let's keep it like the killer doesn't know about Katsuya's sister living with him. He only knows that Katsuya's family had been broken a long time ago.
4: *winks* I'll spoil you people. Here's the hint. *winks*
5: Insert a name for the school. Any name... I'm not even sure if Japan has one of the greatest Universities there x_x.
6: XD How stressful, eh? And this is OOC too in my opinion. This guy sounds like a real work-a-holic in my story. Aa... x_x his back.
7: XD Cheesy, isn't it? Or was it crappy? ^_^;; But anyways, it's still a riddle... I just wrote it, tried to rhyme a bit and voila! Quick work there ^_^;;.
8: XD Just a name, but we won't see him around.
9: XP Nope, no "love at first sight here". Never believed in that phrase, nu-uh. Not going to be that reason.
10: Can't think of any good cities.
11: Yep. There's the Katsuya I want to create. Survival till the fittest >:D quoted from a certain swordsman. He's no wimp or wuss.
12: XD Okay, it's sort of a habit of putting some sneezing in my works. In Japan they believe when someone is talking about you behind your back, you sneeze. XD How superstitious, ne?
Jou-pup: ^_^ I see you've noticed the OOC. Does this chapter explain your suspicions? :P I know it's stressful to have two jobs but can you blame this work-a-holic? Lol. Anyways sankyuu for reviewing again ^-^.
Angel-Belle: Close ^-^. It's very easy with the 'sir' part, ne? Right now I really want to kill someone >:D It sounds just right to do so in this story. Sankyuu for reviewing.
~_~ Can't believe my notes are THIS long. x_x Sorry for the inconvenience. And GRRR... the story is still slow.
=^_^=cin