@Llyloo: *gives some cookies* Hai hai, onee-sama.
@kurogumi: That's an excellent question to ask. Though I'm pretty sure Yuki wouldn't blame it on Ayame since she's only a small child at that time.
@Wmatsui22: It is Mayuki (and I did say it'll come painfully slow for their moments) and wMatsui... I won't say anything about it because I'm such a troll. And don't apologize about the late comment! I understand that we always can't be glued to the computer 24/7.
Thanks for the comments everyone and I decided to upload another chapter early (since I'm sick and just came back from school. *planning to sleep after posting this*
) I already have seven chapters typed out at the moment, hur hur... But I must edit them and make them as good as I can make it!
This chapter should explain the last main character~ (In case I didn't make the last chapter clear, there was both Yuki and Shelby introduced.)
[Chapter 5]
Takahashi Minami was driving through the street, early in the morning. It was raining. To be more accurate, it was raining hard. Thanks to the bad weather, the setting made it feel as though nightfall had descended upon the town. The car’s windshield was moving left and right as fast as possible, trying to swipe away the wet surface. Same amount of raindrops came to replace the ones that were wiped away. In the driver seat with her left hand on the wheel, she stared straight ahead with a firm look on her face.
She was heading straight toward the crime scene of where the seventh body of the Origami Killer’s recent victim was found and located. Her dark brown hair tied in a pony tail, she frowned as she saw the ambulances and police sirens seen from the distance. They were getting nearer and she arrived closer to her destination.
Minami reached over to the location and parked right behind two police cars that guarded the area. Before getting out of the car though, she noticed immediately noticed that her right hand, which was on the stick shift, was trembling violently. Then on her left hand, which was formed into a fist, unravel her fingers. A blue liquid in a test tube was at the palm of her hand. On the top of the bottle was a corkscrew, which kept the liquid from escaping. That liquid contained the drug, Triptocaine. An illegal drug that Minami is forced to use for one specific reason. And that reason was for using the equipment that only she was given.
There was a slight hesitation before she dropped the bottle into her black jacket’s pocket. ‘Yamatte,’ she thought to herself as she unbuckled her seat belt. ‘I can’t take the drug… Not now. The cops can see me.’ Minami clicked the car door opened and stepped out into the rain. Immediately upon coming out, she was hit with a massive downpour. She frowned. ‘Damn this rain. If I get a cold on this job, I’m going to be real sure I don’t get dispatched on another mission like this.’ Dressed in a suit with black pants, black jacket, and white buttoned shirt inside, she looked like a person with high authority.
With a small sneeze escaping from her, she sniffled for a couple seconds before walking up to the two cops. There was a yellow caution tape stretched all around the area, making one impossible to cross without directly facing the police.
“The zone is sectioned off, ma’am. Please step back.”
Minami raised her eyebrow at the old male cop in front of her. He was wearing a rain jacket that had its white outlines shining brightly in the dark atmosphere. His hand was held up into the air, stopping her in her track. She felt slightly awkward when he had called her ‘ma’am.’ The short girl wondered to herself if she was really that old-looking already. Minami then spoke up. ”Agent Takahashi Minami, FBI.”
“You got a badge or something, Miss Takahashi?” He doesn’t look convinced, but it was normal for police to be asking these questions. Posers and fakers are always out here in the world. Without any hesitation, she pulled out from the right pocket of her jacket her identification card. It showed a picture of her face with the information proving her status. Once shown to the cop, he gave a nod. “Check. You can pass,” the officer confirmed and stepped to the side for Minami to pass through.
She breathed out of her nose loudly as the sound of rain hitting the pavement beneath their feet hid the noise of her action. ‘I’m REALLY gonna love it here…’ she sarcastically thought as she went under the caution tape.
Minami is a native Japanese girl, but she works for the FBI in America. They decided to let her stay in Japan and give her a call for the need of her assistance. Of course, she lived alone and had no friends or family to begin with. If she ever did have a parent or two, they apparently didn’t hang around to look after her. And friends. There’s no need for friends. The only person she would consider a ‘friend’ is her right-hand, Yokoyama Yui. Minami saved her from her dark past and the two now are somewhat in a mutual relationship. Other than that, there was no one she can rely on. No one. Thus why she always accepted any requests from the FBI and freely traveled around the world.
Right now, the government from Washington D.C. has requested for her to investigate the crime of the Origami Killer in one poor part of Tokyo. Beyond and past the bright and busy streets of the city, there were some unfortunate parts that those who weren’t rich resided in. (Yuki lives in the city of Tokyo while Mayu lives in this part of the neighborhood due to her lack of work and money at hand) Seems like a perfect place for a crime to be committed. Though it probably is only a matter where the police of this area should have taken care of, the killer had done its deed for nearly three full years. The same method to kill his victim yet no one can solve it. That’s why Japan had asked for help and the FBI decided to act upon it.
Trembling hands. Her hands were trembling on both sides of her body. She grimaced. ‘My hands are trembling… I need to get a hold of myself…. At least for now. Come on, Minami. You’re on a job right now. Doesn’t look like I have any option anyway.’
The FBI agent took a couple steps forth and then came to a stop. Once she came to a stop, her two feet rooted on the ground, her left hand reached over to the right upper pocket of her jacket. She pulled out a black sunglasses. It wasn’t any ordinary sunglasses though. Putting it over her eyes, she also pulled out a black glove from the opposite pocket and pulled it on her left hand. Minami adjusted the glove for a couple good seconds. Assured that the glove fit comfortably, she stared straight on ahead at the scene before her.
There were a couple of police walking around in the field where the body was discovered. The surrounding has a good foot or two of grasses in certain parts of the area. Their flashlights were seen shining left and right from their view. In a couple of seconds, a train that could only be seen in such poor parts of the country were seen running through the tracks from the background. Smoke came out of its exhaust vent from above as it carried the carriages behind it.
Through Minami’s viewpoint, she saw a couple of options appearing before her eyes. From the lower left corner of her eyes, there was an orange outline of a hand. It showed option and the status of the glove that she wore. Then above it on the same side was a small ‘REC’ lettering along with sound waves right on top of it. Soon her vision was littered with multiple data and items that were scanning the scene in front of her.
“Video Memo recording,” she spoke out loud while observing the area in front of her. “Agent 47023, Takahashi Minami. Tuesday, October 4th, 2011. Time is… 08:14 AM.” Once she had finished speaking, the data that once covered her entire screen from within the so-called ARI glasses. Altered Reality Interface. This is the only piece of equipment aside from the handheld revolver hidden in her jacket that she carries around with all of the time. It was something that she needs for her investigation. Able to perform at a higher quality and faster rate of searching and collecting clues than an average detective or cop. The glasses were also able to accurately and specifically collect data in its near-unlimited memory bank. However, there was a dangerous side effect to using it. Constant usage will cause permanent damage to the user’s brain and thus, Minami is forced to resort to the illegal drug Triptocaine in order to relieve the symptoms. Ironic enough, she instead became addicted to the drug. Withdrawal symptoms began to show as of right now; the shaky hands being one of them. She needed the drug, but resisted the temptation and focused on the matter at hand.
She eyed a nearby police man and approached to him from behind. There was someone she was asked to meet and talk to earlier this morning. “I’m looking for Lieutenant Carter Blake.” The police right beside her didn’t utter a single word but pointed his flashlight in front of him. Where he was pointing at, there was a police and a man wearing a brown jacket seen from afar. Minami gave him her thanks before heading toward him. Quickly and hastily without wasting any moment, she came upon the Lieutenant. The American man had brown hair with black beard and mustache surrounding his mouth. Lips were curved downward as she listened to the other officer converse with him. This man doesn’t look like one that shouldn’t be messed around or provoked. Rather he doesn’t look like the friendly type. Minami kept note in her head to be cautious around this man.
She took off her glasses and deposited it back into her jacket's pocket along with her gloves respectively.
“Lieutenant Blake? I’m agent Takahashi Minami from the FBI. I went by your office this morning but didn't see you there. They told me you’d be here.”
A small pause. Then the so-called man Carter Blake spoke up.
“Now if you’re lookin’ for rain, dead bodies and highways, you’ve come to the right place,” Blake spoke in a rough, manly voice while tilting his head downward just barely. Looks like Minami found the man she was looking for. Then he straightened the position of his head, looking over at the officer across from him. “Mike, will you tell that asshole with the bulldozer to stop for five minutes. I can’t hear myself think here.” In a matter of seconds, the officer now left both the lieutenant and the FBI agent alone together.
Without any warning, Blake walked on ahead, leaving Minami behind. After a couple of steps, he stopped in his track and turned around. “Well are you coming, Takahashi-san?” he asked. It took the agent a short moment to realize that she needed to follow after him. Flashing an embarrassed smile at his direction, she was right behind the lieutenant.
“So… what exactly happened here?” Minami questioned.
“Some guy taking his dog for a piss found the body about six o’clock this morning. We don’t know much more right now. Based on what we have seen, it looks like the work of the Origami Killer.”
“Any witnesses?”
“None yet. Given the neighborhood, I’d be surprised if anybody saw anything… Any news on the coroner?” Blake’s attention shifted over to a nearby police at standby.
The man shook his head in response. “He’s on his way, lieutenant.”
“We’ve been waiting for an hour, for fuck’s sake!”
Minami raised her eyebrow at such foul language coming from the police. But then again, when she first saw the man, she immediately judged that he was an arrogant man. So it was no surprise. 'Language, man...' she thought to herself.
“Has the body been identified?” she hoped to steer his attention back at her instead of the coroner that he was angry about. Blake cooled down enough to be able to continue talking to Minami without snapping back at her. “No, not yet. We should know more later today.”
“Has the time of death been established?”
“Based on the rigor mortis, must be less than six hours ago. We should know more when the coroner has had a look.”
As they walked through the scene, Minami observed her surroundings. There were quite an abundance of police around for a crime scene. “There are a lot of people on the crime scene… Aren’t you afraid your men might destroy some clues?” Of course. One should worry that tampering the evidence and traces left behind by the killer. Especially with the huge amount of individuals scattering around the area right now.
Blake scoffed. “You don’t find proof sitting behind a desk… and we’re not in the habit of trampling things into the ground, even if we’re not in the FBI.”
His voice sounded dangerously angry. Hoping she didn’t anger him, Minami waved her hands into the air. “No! No, of course not! That’s not what I meant-“
“Tony, I don’t want to see a single shit-stirring journalist within a mile of here, you got it?”
Journalists. She did remember seeing a news truck of some sort parked right outside when she first came with her car. Those news casters are so annoying. Always trying to snoop and gather as much information as possible, hoping to get money and fame from their 'amazing story highlights.'
“…” Minami also tried hard to resist sighing out loud at his attitude. This guy was getting on her nerves. Was she really to work with him? Oh how she wants to work with someone for once that won’t irritate her easily. She’s known to have a hot temper. Mentally face palming herself, she continued asking.
“Do you have any leads?”
“My men are going all over the scene with a fine-tooth comb. If the killer left anything behind, we’ll find it.”
He stopped walking and turned around to the agent. “Listen, I’m a little busy here. Why don’t we discuss all this a little later back at the office?”
Minami doesn’t seem at all surprise that he wanted to cut the conversation short. As long as she could get some distance between the two of them. She doesn't like hanging around this guy for too long. Only reason she was able to keep calm and keep her respect toward the lieutenant was because she had to work with him.
“No problem, I understand. Do you mind if I have a look around?”
“Be my guest!" he exclaimed, keeping his expression still like a brick wall. Then he approached toward Minami a couple of small steps, closing the distance between the two just a bit. "Hey, Takahashi-san, come and see me if you find anything, okay? We’re on the same team now.”
It almost took all of Minami's will just to not roll her eyes at him. She simply smiled back at him until he left her view. Once it was clear, she sighed loudly and scratched the back of her head. 'Jeez. Why do I have to work with this kind of guy...' Soon Minami placed the glasses and glove back on.
'Time to start on my investigation.'
There was an option for her to command with a simple downward movement of her gloved hand to scan the area around her surrounding. The scanning is able to pick up anything related toward the case or something abnormal from the setting. Able to cover about ten given feet radius around, it was useful for gathering clues at a rapid pace without having to get dirty.
She walked around, scanning the area for a couple minutes. Left and right she looked, yet no clues she has yet to spot or find. Walking and walking, she soon arrived a couple feet away from where the dead body of the victim was kept. A clue popped up from within her view. The orange circular outline floated up into the air with a couple of information floating right next to it. Data and graphs were seen as a single crucial molecule to identify the object hovered in the air as Minami approached.
"Some Orchid pollen... The concentration of pollen in the air is quickly decreasing because of the rain, but it gets higher in direction of the body," she mumbled as her gloved hand came up to touch the holographic data. A frown crossed her face while turning her head toward the small, white tent not too far from where she stood. The tent that held the boy's dead body. How lovely.
Minami decided to head over and examine the deceased body. With every step, she could feel her shoes splash against the puddles and wet dirt from beneath her body. But then a slam of dizziness whacked against the side of her head. It nearly caused her to stumble forward and fall, but she luckily caught herself. Not to mention save herself from embarrassment too. Straightening her posture and clearing her throat nervously, she bit the bottom of her lip. 'Oh no. The withdrawal effect is getting to me... I have to keep focus at the investigation at hand now.'
Keeping her mind away from need of the drug, she came upon the entrance of the small tent. The short girl bent down on her knees and pulled aside the white sheet. From her standpoint, she saw the victim on his back, unable to see his face. Besides, his face was covered with mud, so she wasn't able to clearly identify who exactly he is upon first glance.
"ARI, Comment: The victim is lying on his back. No visible signs of violence."
A normal investigator or detective would not be able to gather evidence easily at this particular scene. Thankfully though Minami has the ARI glasses. With it, she's able to gather traces of clues. Reaching her gloved hand out, she did one swift movement above the body. That action resulted in three clues outlined popping up from the victim's body. There were also two other evidences seen that she could easily pinpoint out.
Her gloved hand hovered over the side of the victim, reading the description.
"An orchid was placed on the victim's chest."
An orchid placed on the victim's chest... When she thought about it, it was the same type of orchid that she had just looked up and collected data not too long ago. Her eyebrows scrunched together, deep in thought. 'I'll have to look into it more later... The pollen that I've collected earlier could lead me back to its source if possible.'
She then picked up an origami near the body's right hand, examining it. It was an origami folded to a dog-shaped figure. Its white body and black ears were seen. (Exactly the one Mayu had just dreamed about)
"A small origami figure in the right hand... Fingers were probably closed after the time of death."
'Just like the other kids...' Shaking her head from disbelief, Minami trailed her eyes down to the body's lower portion. Specifically on the legs.
"Superficial wound on the right thigh. Blood analysis suggested it could be post-mortem. Probably a scratch that occurred when the body was being moved. The blood report indicates an advanced and long-lasting state of exhaustion."
'Long lasting exhaustion... And blood? There might be traces of blood around this area if the body was moved.... Might as well find tracks here since only the killer can drag this body to where he or she wanted it to be.' She glanced at his face.
"His face is covered with mud... Like the other victims..."
All of these victims were killed in the same pattern, the same way, the same method, the same everything. Only difference was the kind of animal origami being folded and the location of where the body was found. Minami felt the corner of her mouth twitch, slight frustration crossing through her mind. This killer was very sneaky and it felt as though he or she was mocking them; especially the police force.
Her eyes wander over to the boy and identified him. "The victim is Jeremy Bowles. Declared missing five days ago. See reference file."
Reference file. The ARI glasses told her that she had to look it up in order to obtain more information. She plans on checking it when she comes back to the office. Getting up from her bending position, she closed the white curtains closed. Standing on her two feet, she decided to walk around some more to see if there are any more clues.
Her thoughts ran through her mind as she wandered around. 'The body was found adjacent from the nearby train tracks here in this area... Since the previous victims were placed in the same sort of situation near the tracks, could this tell me anything?' A quiet, angry groan slipped past her closed lips. 'The killer is just... It's like he or she knows what they're doing...'
Minami nearly bumped into a nearby officer unintentionally. Apologizing, she was instead replied with a glare from the man before he walked away. 'And... those damn polices. Way too many of them here. Why can't Blake understand that having too many cops will only tamper with the crime scene?'
She paused. 'Blake... He doesn't seem pleased when he saw me earlier... Ugh. Just thinking about him could give me headaches.'
The FBI agent then stepped upon the railroad track. To her luck, not a single police came over to this area. 'Thank god! I was going to go mad if they mess up anymore than they should.' Immediately she found what she was looking for. Bending down from where she was standing, blue color highlights the dried blood in between the two railings.
"ARI Comment: Traces of blood on the railroad track... Analysis confirms it comes from the victim." And to make her morning feel a bit more luckier, she found yellow highlighted footprints just a foot or two away from where she stood. Quickly she walked over and examined. "The footprints continue just after the pollen trail... There's a good chance that they're the killer's."
Following the traces of footprints, it shortly came upon a metal fence that blocked the steep hill on the other side. Blood was seen highlighted from her vision. "ARI, Comment: There are traces of blood on the fence behind the railroad line. It comes from the victim. The killer came this way with the body and probably grazed it on his way through the fence."
'Urgh. Do I really have to really climb up the hill?' She looked up and swear she could cry just from seeing how high it actually was. 'Oh man. It doesn't look like I have a choice, do I?' Hesitating, she climbed up.
One by one, her hands reached out to grab a stable, firm edge parts of the hill in order to keep herself from tumbling backward. Though it took a while for her, she finally reached up her goal. And that goal was seen to be a highway just to her left. With a quick scan she created, even more footprints and tire tracks popped up. She went over to the tracks and kneel down, touching the ground with the tip of her fingers.
"ARI Comment: Tire tracks on the side of the road behind the railroad line. It may be the killer's car-"
Water suddenly splashed onto her. Alarmed, she rapidly got up and glared at the cause of her wetness. A car just drove right by at such high speed and ran over a huge water puddle at her direction. Angry, she flicked them off and almost wanted to yell out a couple of cussing words. (Rather she ended up substituting them with less effective wordings)"UGH. Don't you dare make me come after you, you son of a b-b-....BRICK!!!"
Pissed off, she didn't waste any moment getting back down on the railroad tracks. Though she stumbled and nearly tripped a couple times on her way down the steep hill, she made it safely. Apart from her wet clothing that is. And since there isn't much else to investigate, she decided to converse with the cops.
In a couple minutes, she was now standing in front of two very random police men that she has never met or known before. Hoping to strike up a conversation, she began talking to them.
"It's pretty chilly, isn't it fellas?" she commented as she rubbed her two hands together.
Silence. She didn't receive a single word or reply from them. Feeling slightly embarrassed and wondering if she asked such a bizzare statement, she spotted one of the men holding a plastic cup. Steam was wafting up from the cup. Just staring at it could make one want to drink something hot at this time of the weather. "Is that a, uh... coffee you're drinking sir?"
That finally caught their attention and made the two men turn their attention to the shorter girl. "If you want some coffee, just grab some from the thermos behind," he said as he pointed his thumb behind. Then as though Minami didn't exist, they resumed back to conversing with each other.
'So much for trying to bring up a conversation...' She exhaled loudly and slowly made her way over to the folding table. There were a couple of plastic cups with a single thermos containing coffee. Coffee. It was one of many favorite drinks that Minami always had. Or at least had in order to keep her addiction down for just a short amount of time.
Pouring it into her cup, she could smell the bitterness from the liquid. She doesn't look comfortable and sensed that the coffee won't be as good as she expected it to be. So Minami only poured a menial amount into her cup. Then she downed down the cup, making a disgusted face when she finished. 'I'm NEVER having that type of coffee ever again in my life. Seriously. What kind of brand was that?!'
Her tongue stuck out of her mouth, hoping that the rain would wash the aftertaste. While she did that, she saw Lieutenant Blake appearing from the corner of her eyes. She retracted her tongue back inside her mouth quickly and ran up to him. Blake saw Minami and halted. "I'm heading back to the office. You staying?" he asked her. The agent responded back with a nod. "Yes sir."
"Alright then. I'm going to stay here for a bit longer, so go on ahead first. I'll see you later."
Next chapter will move back to Mayu's POV for the moment.
Topic: How Far Are You Prepared To Go? [Mayuki] - Chapter 25 [Update: 07/16/14] (Read 56191 times)