105Trigger warnings for murderers, a survivor of an attempted murder and trauma. And captivity.
Chapter 6: More than one Deal-more than one Devil
Natsuki rode fast, faster than she ever remembered going on her bike towards the office of the criminal known as Shizuru Fujino. She knew the psychopath's office location. In a hurry, she had looked it up on her phone. She, to be honest, had been surprised that it had been so easy to look up. She'd figure that she'd have to go through her station to learn the office's location. Personally, she was glad that she had just been able to find the location of the office on her phone instead of having to go to the station and risking an encounter with Tate.
The next minutes flying on by, with Natsuki focusing her mind solely on getting the information she needed from Fujino's old office, she increased the speed down the road.
The main psychiatrist's office:
Main road of Tokyo:
Natsuki parked and secured the bike next to the sidewalk, pulling her helmet off and marched quickly to the short and oddly plain brick building. It really was incredibly normal looking. Almost disappointingly so. It was almost flat in how low the black shingled roof was. The colors of the bricks inlaid in the building ranged from bright orange to salmon and maroon in some stripes above the thick, brown mahogany door in the middle of the front of the structure.
It was a fairly unassuming building. Probably one of the most normal she had seen in Tokyo in a while. She sighed, walking over and tightened her shoulders, getting ready to jump right into this. She raised a balled up right hand and knocked loudly. After three knocks, she waited a few moments. There was a clicking noise on the other side of the door and the handle turned, door opening. Despite her anger and frustration, Natsuki tried to keep up a polite smile when she saw the tall, pale woman with a heart-shaped face and short, light pink hair, wearing a charcoal grey business suit.
"Hello?" The woman asked, sticking her head out, a curious look on her face, "May I help you?"
"Yes," Natsuki began, feeling her chest tighten over knowing that she was actually doing this and reached into her pocket, retrieving her ID and flipping it open to the woman. "I am special Agent Kuga. I've come to investigate some of the records kept on someone seeing a specific doctor who once worked here." At the confused narrowed eyes, the woman finally asked, pink eyebrows lifted. "And that person would be?" As soon as the woman asked, Natsuki could tell that there was already some suspicion in the woman's voice, clearly aware of where this was going.
Natsuki decided to just be blunt. "Shizuru Fujino." The woman sighed, looking partially relieved. "Oh thank goodness." The woman chuckled dryly, "For a moment, I was afraid you were going to tell me that two doctors had committed crimes while working here." Natsuki held back a snort. Well that was a weird way of seeing it. "Nope." Natsuki said, putting her ID away, "Just Fujino. May I see the records of her patients? I know it's against confidentiality, but it's imperative that I see them." The woman sighed and opened the door further, gesturing for Natsuki to come inside. "Please come in." The woman said, smiling. Natsuki smiled back, though felt all her nerves going on the edge in defense as she walked through the doorway onto the green-carpeted floor.
The woman closed the door behind her.
Natsuki turned the sweetly smiling woman who cocked her head as she asked gently, "May I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Tea?" "Um, no thank you." Natsuki shook her head, "Can we talk about those files and the clients that saw Fujino, Ms.?" The woman smiled and waved a hand, "Oh no. Don't be so formal. Just call me by my first name. Fumi. And you, Agent Kuga, you're looking at this case? May I ask why? Hasn't Ms. Fujino already been sentenced and imprisoned for life?"
Natsuki chuckled, still tense, nodding. "Yes, she has been. But it's a little more complicated than that." The blue-haired cop hesitated, unsure if she should say this. How much information exactly did she want to risk getting out? But before she could say what she was thinking next, Fumi spoke up, "Is there any chance that one of Ms. Fujino's clients was involved with the murders?" The woman's bright green eyes shimmered with fear at the thought and Natsuki tried not to grimace. The woman had no idea how close she was to the truth, did she?
Of course, Fumi thought by the "murders" that they were about to talk about the murders Shizuru committed. No. These were a new set of horrific murders entirely. Clearly, this woman had no idea how close the Hime Killer actually was to Shizuru. And that was perhaps for the best. So, knowing that perhaps this would be protecting Fumi and other civilians, Natsuki forced a calm smile and the lie out of her lips, "It's possible. We don't know for sure yet. But we think that some of them might be able to tell us about other victims. I'd just like to look at the clients. If I'd be allowed to?" She looked hopefully at the woman, and Fumi's face was etched with hesitation.
"I'd like to, Kuga." Fumi began slowly, and Natsuki already knew what the answer would be, "Really, I'd like to. But I don't have that authorization. You'll have to speak with our supervisor. Tomoe Marguerite? She became in position of controlling the office after Shizuru was sentenced."
Natsuki smiled, just relieved that this woman at least wasn't trying to withhold information from her. "Thank you. I will. It's perfectly understandable if you don't have authorization. Is there a way I can speak with Ms. Marguerite? Over the phone or email? Or better yet, personally?"
Fumi smiled. Perhaps. But not here and not now. I'll give her a call, and see if she can meet with you personally. Ms. Marguerite is not very forthcoming about any information on files. I doubt she will be very eager to tell you anything, even if she does know what your looking for."
Natsuki kept back a growl. She had been afraid of that. "That's alright." Natsuki answered, keeping her thoughts at bay, reminding herself that there was a paperclip slipped over the left top corner of the stack of papers on the brown table just in front of Fumi. "Please tell Ms. Marguerite that I'd like to speak to her and look at those files. With her permission, of course. I understand if you can't give me any information on Marguerite, but will you just relay this message to her? That I'd like to meet with her and talk about Shizuru Fujino's files and her patients? If she would?"
Fumi nodded, smiling. "I certainly will tell her. I of course, can't predict the outcome, but I will tell her. I'm sorry you came out all this way just to hear that." Natsuki waved a hand, keeping a fake smile on her face, green eyes occasionally bouncing to the paperclip on the desk, holding the ream of papers together. "No. I assure you, Fumi, it's fine. Thank you for your time. May I have your number so I can hear from you about it?" Fumi smiled as Natsuki pulled out her phone. "Of course, Ms. Kuga. I'll give you it." Natsuki grinned, moving on her legs to the left where the table was, left hand starting to press the "add contact" button as her right hand wandered to the table where the papers were, going up towards the paperclip.
"Thank you." Natsuki exclaimed, heart beating for each second her hand got closer to the paper clip. As Fumi obliviously told the special agent her number, the dark-haired woman snatched up the paperclip from the stack's corner, picking it up in her palm and slipping it into the right pocket of her jacket. Step one of being a criminal completed! She wondered just how far she needed to take her illegal actions before she really would be found out and considered a criminal. Natsuki added in Fumi's contact and smiled, ignoring the sweat bursting out over her pale brow. She nodded and backed out, bowing to the pink-haired woman.
Fumi said her goodbye and closed her door. Natsuki let out a huge breath, putting her phone away and pulled out the paperclip, checking around the walls of the building in front of her, making sure there were no cameras anywhere affixed to the building. There didn't seem to be. She quickly unfurled the paperclip from its long, oval-like shape, looking around, making sure there was no one around. She leaned in and pressed her ear to the door, listening in. She heard footsteps descend down the hall and smiled, realizing that Fumi had left.
She quickly turned to her bike, walked over and grabbed it, dragging it over to the bushes and hiding it.
She came out and walked back over to the door, leaning down in front of it and inserting the end of the paperclip into the lock and started jimmying it around inside the bronze colored, metal slit. She held back a hiss. There were times she really was regretful for hanging out with thugs at the orphanage after she had been taken from her abusive father and uncle. Thugs that had taught her how to pick locks and steal crap. This was not one of those times.
Who knew learning from a drunk, closet thief would be so beneficial? And of course, Natsuki would need to figure out where the files on Shizuru's patients were. She really doubted that they were just in Shizuru's old office. They likely had been confiscated by this Marguerite herself. Natsuki thought for a moment about that name. Marguerite. It sounded foreign. Tomoe was an Asian name, but Marguerite was definitely foreign. Natsuki pursed her lips at that thought. It wasn't necessarily strange or unheard of for someone who was foreign or of mixed race to work in Japan or gain power of offices. Still, a little strange to hear.
After a few minutes of monkeying with the lock, Natsuki's smile split her face when she heard a small 'click' inside the lock's cover and pulled the paperclip out. She dropped it into her pocket, stood up and pulled out some tissues. Pulling out one tissue from her package, she wrapped the tissue around the doorknob, and turned it, not allowing her fingerprints to show up.
As she started pushing the door in, stepping inside, a slice of light leaking through the increasingly growing crack of the opening door, Natsuki's heart pounded as the agent wondered just what in the hell she was doing.
This was a criminal offense. She knew that. She was breaking and entering right now. She was committing a crime. She could lose her right to be an officer. She might even go to jail for this. Not even Tate would be able to protect her. That thought suddenly dashed away any doubts that Natsuki had about doing this. Her brow narrowed and her teeth clenched, lips hardening in an angry line. Tate. Why should she care about him protecting her? Had he done so before? Had he protected her from Shizuru? From her past? She almost growled at the thought. Fuck Tate. She threw away all restraint and walked through the doorway, looking around cautiously.
There was no one in the room. She slipped through and quietly and slowly closed the door, tissue still in her hand, keeping her fingerprints from touching the door. She walked in as she closed the door fully and shoved the tissues back in her pocket. She slipped stealthily through the hall and looked at the different closed office doors. None of them were Fujino's of course. Perhaps Shizuru's office had been closed off from the public after her arrest.
Natsuki peered at all the different plaques with the names, written in gold lettering. Finally, she came upon one office. One that had no plaque, no gold writing on the door. Just a bare door and a bare plaque. There were leftover indents of letters on the black oval that was the plaque. Natsuki squinted as she looked at the said plaque. The light in the hallway was bright and Natsuki could make out the indents fairly well. "Shizuru Fujino." That's what the indents said. Natsuki smiled. This was the once supposedly good doctor's office. She found it. Natsuki whirled around and scanned the area. No one was looking and it didn't look like there were any cameras around. She reached into her pocket and retrieved the paperclip.
She turned to the office door and slipped the tip of the clip right into the lock and started jiggling it around again. She was breaking so many rules and laws right now, and Natsuki knew it. But there was a dangerous criminal running around and there were lives on the line. She had to find out who the Hime Killer was. At all costs. Even if she lost her job or went to jail, she had to tell someone who it was that was committing these crimes.
After hearing a clicking noise in the lock of the door, Natsuki reached into her other pocket and pulled out a tissue, wrapping it around the knob of the door. She turned it and pushed the door in, stepping inside and pulling the paperclip out of the lock. She stuffed the tissue back in her other pocket and looked around the room. The first thing she noticed was the pungent smell of fresh paint. Her nose wrinkled. Seeing how dark it was, she pulled the tissue out again and used it as a barrier between her fingers and the white light switch lodged into the wall.
The bright lights went on quick, illuminating an incredibly normal looking office. Natsuki frowned. She hadn't been sure what she had been expecting. But given whose office this used to be, she had expected either a more elaborate room, or something almost sinister in the content of the room. There was sign of neither. The four walls were a pale green, something Natsuki knew must have been new if the smell was anything to go by. The floor was bare and wooden, but there was a big rolled up maroon rug up against the wall, wrapped in plastic.
There was an oval-shaped mahogany table up against the wall, to Natsuki's right. The special agent checked out the top of the table. There appeared to be four small imprints of paws on the table. Natsuki was guessing Shizuru had owned a statue of a large cat of some kind that had been taken. There was a large gold-framed mirror above the table that had been covered by a plastic see-through sheet. Natsuki looked around the room. Nowhere did she see any file cabinet of any kind. She sighed in dismay. She'd have to find the files in most likely the main office. Natsuki took one last wary look around. She noticed a patch of the wall that had not been coated over with green paint.
It was a patch of lavender. Natsuki felt an incredulous laugh start up in her throat.
Lavender. Maroon. These were not colors Natsuki would have associated with the cannibal that was Shizuru Fujino.
Blood red. Black. Wouldn't those have been her colors? Though Natsuki suspected that those colors most likely would have put off any clients. So perhaps not. Natsuki sighed, turning, pulling out her tissues, turned out the lights and closed the door behind her. She pulled out her paperclip and jimmied the lock of the door back into place. She stood up fully and looked down the hall. Okay, the building seemed to be just one long, squat building. There was no physical evidence that there was a second floor. So the files had to be on this floor. But where?
Natsuki peered down the hall, freezing when she heard footsteps hurrying her way. She quickly hid to the right. Behind a tall corridor across from her. She heard the footsteps pass by and ducked out, seeing two shadows cast against the pale pink carpet. Breathing out a huge sigh of relief, the special agent walked around another corridor, seeing three doors lined up. One had a glass panel with gold letters spelling out, "Tomoe Marguerite; director."
The other two doors didn't interest Natsuki. This one had the director's name on it. It was unlikely that the files were not in this office. Natsuki dared to shuffle closer, looking closely; squinting through the glossy glass to see any outline of a person in there. She saw the shape of a chair, but no person sitting in it. Natsuki's heart thudded with excitement. This could be it. She could find Shizuru Fujino's files and find out who the Hime Killer was. She turned and checked down the hallway. No one seemed to be coming.
She turned back to the door, heart thundering even harder than before. It would have to be now. No matter how suicidal or illegal this was on so many levels, she might never get another chance like this. Pulling out both the tissue and the paperclip, she leaned down to the lock, slipped the paperclip in and got to work. After several frustrating moments, her heart leapt again whens she heard a click.
The knob, wrapped in a tissue, separating the round piece of metal from her clenched hand, started to turn, thanks to her aching, shaking hand. Natsuki slipped the paperclip out of the lock, but kept it close, thinking about there most likely being a lock on the file cabinets-that is, if they were actually in the room like she suspected they were. She turned the door and pushed her way in, stepping onto a beige, wooly carpet. She looked around the room. There were two large windows covered with drawn blinds. The tan bars of the blinds were tilted slightly, allowing some golden sunlight to leak into the office.
The gilded light illuminated several stacks of paper on a short, wide rectangular desk, bearing two silver desk lights with curved necks. There was an empty leather bound desk chair behind the desk. Relief flooded Natsuki and she smiled. No one here. She looked down the hall again. There was no one coming. She turned, pulling herself away from the door and closed it with a tissue-covered hand. She turned back to the room and a huge grin split her face when she saw the big, tall, grey towering file cabinets. There they were. She walked over, not needing any light yet, thanks to the sun spilling in through the blinds. She looked at each letter grafted into the file cabinets. The Japanese character for "Fu" was on the fourth file cabinet away from the wall. The tissue and the paperclip were out and in Natsuki's hands in moments.
She clasped her tissue-covered hand against the grey metal door of the top file cabinet and slipped the end of her paperclip inside the lock. Natsuki's excitement, she knew was getting to her. She could feel her heart slamming against her chest and ribcage. Her right arm was shaking as it delicately held the paperclip-her greatest hope right now. She tried not to smirk at that. Who knew that solving a series of murders would depend on a paperclip? She'd have laughed if anyone had told her that.
She was so close to the answer of who the Hime Killer was, she could feel it.
I'll find out who you are, you bastard. Natsuki thought to herself through the sweat accumulating on her brow, teeth gritted in her frustration.
At last, there was a clicking sound and she pulled her hand and the tissue away, wrapping the tissue and her fingers around the silver metal handle of the cabinet, pulling the drawer out, revealing a long line of files in a row. Natsuki leaned over the files, using the light of the sun to see the names on the files. Natsuki's heart almost stopped. There. There was Shizuru Fujino's clients' files.
Picking up her hand, holding the tissue, wrapping the tissue and her fingers around the bundle of files, which was a large amount, Natsuki noted and slowly pulled them out, not quite believing she was finding this. Just as she held out the stack of files in front of her, the files of the clients of Shizuru Fujino, there was the sound of the doorknob turning and the door swung open. Natsuki nearly gasped as she swirled around, facing who had just come in, blood turning cold. The woman who stood before her was not that much taller than her. Only the black leather high heels this woman wore made her eye-level with the special agent. The woman had pale skin and dark green hair, the right side of her green mane longer than the left, going past the woman's jaw, almost past her shoulder.
Pale lavender eyes stared at Natsuki with shock and suspicion.
"Just who the hell are you?" The woman asked in a cold tone. Natsuki felt her throat go completely dry. Well, shit. What the hell was she going to do now? "I…," Even as Natsuki spoke, she knew she'd be doing something smart by keeping her mouth shut, but just kept speaking against her better judgment, "I needed information on a series of killings."
Natsuki almost gaped at her own words. She had just told this woman what she was here for! So much for her cover about more of Fujino's victims! The woman eyed Natsuki, lavender orbs traveling down to the paperclip in the agent's hands. "And you thought breaking in was the best solution?" Natsuki looked down at the paperclip and shivered. Well, she was fucked.
The frozen green-haired woman, dressed in a dark blue suit, walked slowly over to her desk, putting the files she had under her right arm onto the desk, black heels clicking against the floor that was exposed at the carpet's end. Natsuki followed the woman's movements, heart still pounding, wondering what would be worse, if she ran for the door or stayed and explained. Her eyes suddenly caught something beneath the dark stockings the woman was wearing. Marks. Multiple marks along the woman's legs.
They were crescent shaped. At least, some of them were. Some of them were cruder than others.
The woman turned back to Natsuki, smiling. "Are you an agent? If you are, let me see some ID." Natsuki, not wanting to tempt fate any more than she already had, quickly dropped the paperclip and pulled out her ID, flipping it open and showing it to the woman. The woman sighed and switched on one of the desk lamps. She looked closely at the ID. Seeming to be satisfied, the woman nodded, backing away.
"Very well." The woman said at last, making Natsuki sigh and put the ID back in her pocket. "Now," The woman began again, "Tell me what you're doing here. Given that I literally caught you breaking in, I assume you do not have a warrant. What are you here for?" The woman's eyes traveled down to the files in Natsuki's hands and the agent blushed against her will. She sighed, realizing there was nothing else she could do. "I'm investigating the Hime Killer." She said finally, facing the woman, who Natsuki could only assume was Tomoe Marguerite.
The woman stiffened and her eyes widened. "You think that the Hime Killer works here?" The woman said, "Or was a client of someone that works here? That's a hefty accusation, agent."
Natsuki nodded, trying to ignore the frost in the woman's tone. "I know. I know. And I don't enjoy giving that accusation. But it's something I highly suspect. I know that you have every right to report me to my station, but I implore you, let me look at these files." Natsuki stared at the woman and waited. The lavender-eyed woman sighed, "Whose files do those belong to?" Natsuki hesitated, sweat trickling down her back. Here it went. "Shizuru Fujino."
The woman froze again, eyes becoming wide. She looked down at the files. "Those are the files of Fujino's clients? The cannibal?" The woman asked, voice now strained. Natsuki nodded, now knowing both her fate and the Hime Killer's fate were up in the air. The woman's mouth parted and she slowly whispered something that Natsuki swore sounded like, "Shizuru…"
The woman looked numb for a few moments before she leaned back against the desk. "You think one of her old clients is the Hime Killer?" She asked at last, eyes now meeting Natsuki's. "Do you, agent Kuga?" Natsuki felt her muscles ache in their tenseness. Eventually she nodded. "Yes, I do." Tomoe (Natsuki assumed) almost shivered and looked at Natsuki in the eye. "You were assigned to the Hime Killer case? How did you come to the conclusion that the Hime Killer was once one of Fujino's clients?"
Natsuki felt her stomach turn and her chest tighten. Natsuki almost regretted having the big lunch she had before going to the facility. She could just feel her nerves getting fried. Here it went again. "I was asked to interview Shizuru Fujino." Natsuki said at last, feeling cold and clammy. "My chief of police told me to interview her so that I could understand the Hime Killer's mindset. And in doing so, I learned that the Hime Killer was once a client of Fujino's. But she won't tell me who he is. That's why I'm digging through her files."
Well, there was a very condensed version of what had happened, but it was the truth. She watched Tomoe's lavender eyes narrow in thought. Finally, the woman sighed again and circled around her desk and dropped into her chair, crossing her long, slender legs over one another, giving Natsuki better access to see the marks all over those said limbs. Natsuki felt her heart pound harder as she realized what those shapes were.
Bite marks.
Tomoe had dozens of bite marks all over her legs. Natsuki felt her throat tighten. She really didn't want to think about what that meant. Considering the person they were talking about, it seemed very unlikely that those bite marks were from anyone else, but…
But no…that couldn't be, right? How was Tomoe still alive if those bite marks were from who Natsuki was so sure they were from?
Tomoe must have noticed where Natsuki was looking and followed the agent's gaze down to her legs. Tomoe smirked, looking back up at Natsuki. "Admiring my legs, agent Kuga? I have to say, despite the scars, I have a couple of nice ones, don't you think?"
Natsuki blushed, snapping her head away. "I'm sorry." She amended quickly, "I wasn't looking at your legs…I mean, I was, I was just noticing-"
"The scars, right?" Tomoe offered, a chuckle in her voice as Natsuki slowly turned back around. "Yes, don't worry. I've had to live with them for a while now. Goodness, if you're that easy to tease, I wonder how you've survived even a few seconds with Shizuru Fujino. Even with a cell separating the two of you." Earning a confused look from the agent, Tomoe smiled, "I know very well how much Fujino likes to tease people. I did work for her on a few occasions." Natsuki's stomach dropped, hearing that. She looked back down at the other woman's legs. "Is that the only history you have with Dr. Fujino?"
Natsuki already suspected the answer, but waited.
The dark green-haired woman shrugged, looking nonchalant, standing up again. She reached her right sleeve with her left, well manicured hand and pulled back her sleeve, revealing a set of bite marks identical to the ones on her legs, all along her right pale arm. Natsuki's mouth dropped open, eyes bulging. Tomoe's other hand went to her left sleeve, pulling it up, revealing more bite marks on this said arm.
Natsuki's heart thumped and thumped. God…
"What do you think, agent Kuga?" Tomoe asked, right eyebrow cocking up. "I'm the only one of her victims that survived her. That I know of." Tomoe lowered her arms and smiled, "I'll make you a deal, agent Kuga. I'll let you have the files. All of them. And I won't report you breaking in. But only on one condition."
Natsuki met that purple gaze, her interest and hope now caught. Tomoe smirked at Natsuki's expression. "If you agree to do something for me. At some point. I won't tell you what it is. Not yet. But you're in my debt if I do this, and you know it. I won't report you and you can have Fujino's files. But in return, you must do something for me. I know you don't want to. But can you think of any reason why I shouldn't report you now?" The green-haired woman smirked, making Natsuki step back, eyes widening at what the other woman was implying.
"You're…" Natsuki hissed, her wonderful anger starting to return to her, "You're blackmailing-"
"Yes I am." The woman chuckled. "You have an option. You are indebted to me and you'll have the files. I'll even say that I gave them to you willingly and that it was my idea. No one will have any clue that you broke in. Or you can defy me, favor your pride, and in doing so, give me fairly good reason to expose your crime. Go on, choose what you want to do, Kuga." Natsuki stared at the woman, not believing the bitch's audacity. Then again, she had put herself in this position, hadn't she? If she hadn't broken in or at least had been more careful, maybe she wouldn't be in this situation.
And even if she was being blackmailed, she had a great opportunity here. She could have access to Shizuru Fujino's clients' files. She could get the answers here. She had access to the files that she needed so badly. She could find out who the Hime Killer was. The only price was that in return, she'd have to do what this woman said at some point. Who knew what that was? Perhaps it was something terrible, but maybe it would end up being something very simple.
Great. She was getting involved with really shady people.
Natsuki hesitated, eyes going to the woman's scars again. "Does my debt have anything to do with Fujino?" Natsuki dared ask slowly. The other woman smirked again. "Perhaps."
Natsuki glowered. Great. More ambiguous answers. Tomoe's "perhaps" was more than likely a "Yes, but I just want to sound coy." Natsuki thought about what she was doing here. If Tomoe's plan for Natsuki's debt, would that be so bad? Shizuru clearly had a history with Natsuki. And who knew what that meant. Natsuki knew what was formulating in her mind.
She wanted Fujino to get out of her life. She felt trapped with this beast being involved with her life. And she wanted the lunatic gone. If Tomoe really was going to go after Shizuru…
Natsuki already knew she was going to make this new deal before she even spoke the next words. "Alright. It's a deal."
Tomoe's eyes gleamed with triumph, making Natsuki clench her jaws, trying to keep herself from punching the other woman for her arrogance, but just nodded in the end. Tomoe put her hand out. Natsuki barely kept a growl out of her mouth, and clasped her right hand with the other woman's shaking the woman's hand.
"I'm Tomoe Marguerite." The woman said, "I suspect we should exchange information."
Natsuki nodded again, feeling self-disgust roil around in her gut. She didn't want to do this, but the cat was already out of the bag. She had gotten into this mess and she had to get out of it. And on top of it, she could have access to all the information she needed. As they parted, Natsuki reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and got ready to save Tomoe's contact information.
After that unpleasant experience and a haughty Tomoe waved Natsuki off who could barely contain her glowering at the other woman. Natsuki nearly ran out of the office, slamming the front door behind her, with Shizuru Fujino's clients' files under her left arm securely. Now in front of an empty parking lot, the sun beginning to go down, Natsuki buried her face in her right hand, exhausted. Two deals with two more than questionable people. One a cannibalistic murderer. And one a woman that might just be out for revenge.
And her chief of police had manipulated her.
Needless to say, Natsuki's life had taken a turn for the more complicated.
Natsuki snorted, pulling her hand away from her face, the phone in her pocket feeling like a big thorn in her side, now that she had Tomoe Marguerite's number and email saved in it. She stepped off the sidewalk and walked into the woods, keeping the files under her arm and grabbing her bike's levers and pulling it up to the parking lot, pulling off the helmet and grabbing her pack that was locked into the compartment of the bike, unzipping it and stuffing the files inside, zipping it up and putting it back in the compartment that she locked up again. She groaned, jamming the helmet on and jumped on the bike, taking her keys out and starting up the machine.
This was going to be a looooonnnnnggg night.
Back at the police station:
When Natsuki had reached the police station, she still couldn't quite believe what happened. Had that really happened? Was it possible that not only had she agreed to a blackmailing deal with a woman of questionable character, but also had the answers about the Hime Killer at her fingertips? Had all this really happened in one day?
Natsuki barked out a laugh, taking off her helmet and got her bike in a good position, locking it and pulled out the pack with Shizuru Fujino's files on her clients, throwing it over her shoulders as she walked to the station. The moment she entered, she stiffened when she felt the immediate aura of unease and distress. Everything in the station felt tense. "Guys?" Natsuki asked, green orbs falling to where Mai stood with Midori, the two seeming in deep conversation.
Mai turned her head to Natsuki, purple eyes relieved as she ran over to her friend. "Natsuki!" Mai called out, hugging the other agent. "I'm so glad you're here." Natsuki smiled, though she knew something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, Mai. What's wrong?" Natsuki eyed her friend, trying to understand what was going on.
Mai's face became ashen and Natsuki started connecting the dots. Shit. Not again.
"Don't tell me." Natsuki whispered, mouth dropping. Mai nodded sadly as the also grim-faced Midori came up to join them. "Yeah. This one's name is Yukino Kikukawa. She's been missing for almost two days now. We were hoping it wasn't the Hime Killer, and there's a chance it might not be. But we know the time between the victims turning up has lessened. More and more bodies are turning up closer to each other in close time. We can't take the chance that this isn't one of his abductions. Even if it isn't the Hime Killer, Kikukawa has still been reported missing."
Natsuki hissed, hand on the strap of her backpack, her new lifeline because of the files in it, clenching. Dammit. Just fuck.
Natsuki was so lost in her frustrated thoughts that she didn't even realized she was being snuck up on. In seconds, a powerful force slammed into Natsuki, strong, but small, slim arms wrapped around Natsuki's waist, and a head lay against Natsuki's right arm. "Natsuki!" Mikoto exclaimed happily, looking up at her friend and sister happily, "You're alright!" The startled but now smiling Natsuki nodded, ruffling Mikoto's spiky black hair. "Of course I'm alright." The agent laughed, returning Mikoto's hug. "Why wouldn't I be?"
There was a sigh from Mai, "Please excuse Mikoto. She's been really worried about you talking with Shizuru Fujino. Especially after she found out more about her. Shizuru Fujino's a cannibal, so she's been panicked for you the past few days." Mai hesitated. "Come to think of it, I think we all have been, Natsuki." Natsuki turned and faced her friend, wincing at the concern and fear on both Mai and Midori's faces, identical to Mikoto's.
She hated admitting it, but they had reason to worry.
And they hadn't even learned about her past with Shizuru Fujino yet.
And they won't! Natsuki thought to herself determinedly, hugging Mikoto close. They would not find out what her history was with Shizuru. If they were already this worried and protective, they were not going to find out that Shizuru was there with her that night with the wolves. Even if she had to threaten to report what Tate had done, they would not find out. No one would tell.
In an unidentified location:
Yukino Kikukawa knew, always knew that she had to be careful with the people around her. Especially at night. Children, and especially young women were taught at a young age to be careful of strangers. And Yukino always had been. She supposed befriending a mentally ill woman who now had to be locked in a facility for rehabilitation wasn't a good sign of her caution. Yukino smiled sadly. Still, she couldn't help who she had fallen in love with.
Sadly, the brown-haired girl wiped the dirt and crud from her bespectacled face, looking around the dark, dingy cell where she had been locked up. A lot good reminiscing about Haruka and the blonde's mental state would do now. She looked out between the bars of her cell. She had no idea how these bars had been constructed. None at all.
But it looked like this place had been dug out. She was in some kind of cave-like cell. It was strange. So strange.
Well, strange was the nice way of putting it. Horrifying was another.
She heard a couple of footsteps and she whirled around, heart leaping into her throat, a chill going down her back.
There he was. Even in the dim, limited light she was granted, she could see his damnable figure. Black hair. Dark eyes leering at her. Tan skin. Face that she recalled from the night he kidnapped her, though handsome, was currently covered from his nose to all around his mouth and cheeks by a dark blue bandana. His body was nearly concealed by his night black clothing. He leaned back against the wall, watching her.
Yukino gulped and dared her words out, feeling tears start to well in her eyes. "Please sir…Let me go. I won't tell anyone about you. Please. Just let me go." Yukino pleaded, already sure of what the answer was. There was no answer though, just the figure rocking back and forth on his heels, mumbling the same word over and over again that Yukino had heard him use before.
No, not a word.
A name.
"Mikoto."
Author's Note:
Okay, I've got a new chapter in. Phew. I have the files I lost. Thank you so much RukaMichiSK. Thank you. You're a lifesaver, thank you for my old chapters. Thank everyone that offered as well.
So yes, Tomoe's being introduced a little early, but there you go. And don't worry, our beloved crazy Shizuru will appear in the next chapter, promise. And thank you again, RukaMichiSK!