I would like to immediately warn all readers, if you can't handle gore and brutal murders, I don't think this is the fic for you.

Chapter 1

Yang bent over her desk like a vulture, clawing at her prey: a report. One of the idiots who answered to Detective Xiao-Long had managed to mess up his record of an incident.

"I see you're keeping busy," Jaune said. His feet were on her desk, and lazily inspected his nails for dirt. He'd been there a while, Yang thought.

Though honestly, there wasn't much he could do without her.

Yang grunted, not paying attention to her partner. Chief Branwen had assigned him to her not long ago, and the detective was not pleased. Yang had practically lived at the precinct for ten years of her life.

She did not need a rookie.

"Is this what a detective does? Look at papers?" Jaune was only trying to be polite, and start a conversation that he'd failed at sparking for several days now.

The chief had told her Jaune had potential to become a great detective. Yang told him where he could stick his rookie.

Qrow Branwen hadn't liked that. And Yang hadn't liked being put on paperwork duty.

"Officer Arc, is it?" Yang asked, catching Jaune by surprise. He gave a nod, happy to have caught her attention at long last.

Yang frowned. "I have never wanted a partner. Nor do I intend to keep you as one for long. But so long as you're here, I'm going to make you useful." She grabbed her empty mug on the side of her desk. "Go fill this. Black, one sugar. And don't ever put your feet on my desk again."

"Yes, ma'am," Jaune replied. His voice lacked all enthusiasm a rookie typically possessed.

Yang almost felt bad for the way she treated him. Then she remembered the stack of paperwork on her desk. That feeling evaporated as soon as it arrived.

The phone rang, offering sweet respite from the bore of reports.

"Detective Xiao-Long speaking." The habitual words rolled out of her mouth as she leaned back in her chair.

"Yang, this is Ren." The woman perked up, happy that one of the people she actually liked at the precinct was calling. "She's killed again."

"Who? You don't mean…"

"Our serial killer has painted a new room red. I haven't called it in yet, if you want to get here first. I know the chief has you grounded—"

"Address. Now."

The flurry of a pencil coincided with Ren's voice as they took down what he said. She hung up, and began grabbing her things.

Jaune stepped back in the office. "Here's your—"

"Forget it. We're going somewhere. You can come if you keep quiet about it," Yang said. Jaune set the mug down, and grabbed his own things as well.

And just like that, the onesided partnership left to investigate the crime scene.

"Go on in." The man at the door's expression looked dourer than an obligatory funeral attendant. Annoyed with the fact that his assignment consisted of guarding a door, he made sure not to hide it from anyone.

Detective Yang Xiao Long didn't give a rat's ass. As long as the man did his job, enthused or not, she'd be happy.

Jaune grabbed the door for her. Had she been focused on him, she'd have rolled her eyes and called him out for trying to impress her.

But her mind was on other things. Chiefly what was in the house that Ren had called her about.

"Mornin', Ren," Yang greeted as she stepped into foyer. "What have you got for me?"

"Victim is in there." Detective Ren pointed to Yang's left at the adjacent room. "Might want to take off the coat. Leave the shoes on, though. The bitch got bloody this time."

The detective nodded. She took off her trenchcoat and hung it in the closet. Jaune followed her example, also removing his hat.

Fishing into his pockets, Jaune pulled out a cigarette. "What are the details of this crime?" He took a puff in, and exhaled.

Detective Ren addressed Yang, as if Jaune weren't there. "Victim's name is Mercury Black. Age twenty-two, and single. He lived alone in this house, from what the neighbors say. They never saw much of him."

"I suppose they won't see much of him now," Yang chuckled, stepping into the room. She'd have to clean her shoes off after. Ren hadn't been lying about the blood.

"I'll be damned," Jaune whistled. He'd quickly forgotten how he had been ignored.

"From what we've been able to…piece together, Black matches the other kills. His throat was cut up, destroying his vocal chords. Then he suffered lacerations all across his body before finally being chopped up and bled dry."

Hung by ropes to the ceiling, Black's upper torso had been strung up by his hands. But where the bottom half of the body should have been, there was nothing.

Pieces of Mercury were scattered around the room, arrayed to cover the room with as much blood as possible. The furniture and carpet stunk of the metallic scent Yang knew so well.

"What's that, detective?" Jaune asked, gesturing to the white box left on the table in the center of the room. It had no visible marks of blood on it.

"We haven't looked. Figured you'd want to get your hands on it first, Yang," Ren said. He already held out gloves for the blonde.

She accepted them, and slid her hands in. Taking careful steps not to disturb the bits of Black scattered about, Yang swiveled and pivoted to the middle.

Wiggling her fingers, the detective removed the lid. Tucking it under her shoulder, the supple aroma of water, iron, protein, oxygen and other various nutrients assaulted her nose. Looking down, the words 'I LOVE YOU' were spelled out with teeth and fingers.

"Does Black have teeth and fingers still?" Yang asked. She did not turn away from the box.

Ren cleared his throat. "All his fingers were cut off, and possibly his toes. We haven't gotten a look inside his mouth yet. I'm waiting on the mortician to get here."

"She left her calling card again. This time she used fingers and teeth," Yang replied. She didn't need to look back to know Jaune had gone queasy.

"Is there anything else?" Ren asked, relatively unfazed by the brutality.

Reaching into the box, Yang removed the top layer without disturbing the crude message. Underneath, completely spared from carnage, were the documents she expected.

"They're here. She left information again," Yang said. She picked up the files and began to peruse them. "Do we know anything about Black's criminal record?"

"He's only had minor felonies," Ren said. "Drugs, mostly. Shoplifting once or twice."

"Then our serial killer has done our work for us. Just like with the Tukson case, and the earlier ones," Yang said. "There's a full folder of documents. Seems like our Mercury Black was a bigger man than you thought."

Ren began to walk to the middle of the room as well. "That would line up with the pattern. And serial killers love their patterns."

"Thank you for calling me, Ren," Yang smiled. "I appreciate getting to look around first before everyone started taking pictures and mucking around."

"Just a one-time favor." Ren offered a hint of a smile. "I'll take those files. The chief is already going to want your head."

Yang handed them over. "Make sure to send me a copy of whatever you find."

"Let me know whatever further input you have." Ren accepted the papers, careful not to drop any. "You do know her best."

"I may be in charge of investigating her, but no one can know someone who does this." With a wave of a hand, Yang gestured to the crimson room.

"Fair enough. She's going after bigger dealers now. Do you think she's working her way up the ladder?" Ren asked. Together, they walked back out of the crime scene proper. Jaune had mostly recovered from his nausea.

"Beats me," shrugged Yang. "I ought to head out and let you and the boys get to work. Remember to let me know. And…not mention to the chief I was here."

"My lips are sealed. Expect a report on your desk sometime tomorrow," Ren said. He gave the room another look. "This report is going to take some description."

The two blondes walked out of the house, passing the inattentive man at the front. They entered the squad car.

"So your job is to find this killer?' Jaune asked, a new respect in his eyes.

"Yes, and I think this time we might have her," Yang said with a cocky smirk. "She left me a note."

A piece of paper fell into Jaune's hands. On it, blood spelled out, 'Love and kisses, detective.'

"That's terrifying," Jaune murmured.

Yang shrugged, "If she wants to fuck me, that's her business. It'd bring her to my door, and I'd finally get her."

"But what's so special about this?" Jaune waved the paper.

The detective fixed him with an odd look. "Chief Branwen told me you were bright. Kid, it's the killer's handwriting. This is the first step to her being behind bars."

Yang started the engine. Turning to Jaune, she put on her most intimidating face. "I'll make you a deal. This little venture stays between us. If you keep quiet on this, I'll let you tag along as I investigate this killer. Deal?"

"Deal," Jaune smiled.

Author Notes: One down, nine to go. I'm very excited to write this. Expect this to be around the minimum chapter length, I think. But my predictions are shit when it comes to that.

This second scene in here is from that teaser I posted, but important small changes have been made to it. If you skimmed it, you may want to give it another look. Forget that teaser ever even existed.