Pairing: Mukuro x Dino (69D)
Prompt: Liar Game
Summary: AU. There's a murderer on the loose but all is not what it seems.
Word Count: 2771
Written for the second round of the KHR writing contest. I'm not sure I like how this turned out.
The wall is cold against his back, the surface of it rough even through the layers of clothing that he is wearing. An arm is pressed hard against his throat and he struggles to draw breath, sucking in short, sharp gasps like a fish out of water. He has dropped his gun, he heard the metallic clang of it a few moments before as it clattered against the concrete before being kicked away somewhere further down the alley.
The man presses closer, sneering, and he can smell a disgusting mixture of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. Wild, bloodshot eyes rimmed with dark circles struggle to focus on his face and he chokes when the other presses down harder on his windpipe, cutting short his breath. His vision is starting to go hazy and he can barely even focus on what the man is saying.
He closes his eyes, sending a quick prayer skywards that his death is a quick and painless one. A moment later there is a spurt of hot blood, splashing against his chest and filling his nose with the cloying, metallic scent.
But it is not his own.
The man in front of him slumps, making a choked gurgling sound in the back of his throat before falling to the ground, the weight of it dragging him down as well.
A shadow falls him across him.
Light glints off the blade in the stranger's hand.
"There's been another murder."
Dino jumps when a folder is slammed down on the table right near to where he had been resting his head with his eyes closed, jolting up into a sitting position and bashing his knee against the leg of the table in the process. As he is busy wincing and rubbing at his knee the man who spoke originally flips open the folder which contains numerous pictures taken from various different angles, all of the same dark haired man slumped in a pool of his own blood.
"Cause of death, loss of blood from multiple stab wounds." The man is still talking, jabbing his finger at various parts of the photographs to illustrate his words. Pictures likes these used to turn his stomach and make him feel nauseous but now they are almost routine and Dino has hardened himself to them.
He glances up at his superior, a slightly overweight, balding man who is starting to show the effects of being stuck behind a desk doing paperwork rather than being out on the streets like Dino often is. "That's the fourth one now, right?"
"Exactly, and that's four too many," It's the same kind of joke that the man makes every single time there is a murder but Dino smiles anyway because he doesn't want to be stuck on cleaning duty for a week for not agreeing with his superior. After the man stops chuckling at his own joke he reaches up to wipe his forehead with his handkerchief, expression sobering. He motions with one arm and a person that Dino didn't realise was standing there before steps forward. "Cavallone, I want you and Alessio to join the case."
Alessio is one of the newest recruits in the force, near fresh out of his education and with an overzealous and determined attitude that makes even Dino worn out just by being around him. The boy comes from a long line of policemen and so nobody is really surprised that he decided to follow in his ancestor's footprints. He bows hastily when he sees Dino looking at him and he inclines his head in return.
"Well, let's see what you can do."
It isn't long before they are put to the test, called to an alley way in one of the older parts of town. The body had already been removed earlier that morning but they had both seen the pictures. A young man, barely in his twenties, found slumped against the wall by a horrified housewife with various knife wounds littering his body.
Although the body had still been removed the blood had yet to be cleaned away, garish splashes decorating the walls and the floor. Clearly whoever has done this isn't very interested in keeping discreet. Dino glances out of the corner of his eye to his companion who is looking paler and more wide eyed than usual. He jerks when Dino places a hand on his shoulder, blinking rapidly and apparently snapping himself out of his daze.
"We just have to give it the once over right for anything they might have missed, right?"
Dino nods in agreement. There had already been a team down here earlier and so all they have to do is give it a brief once over to see whether there was anything major outstanding. It's tedious work but somebody has to do it and it gives the kid some good experience at least. Directing Alessio to one side of the alley Dino takes the other and together they go to work in silence.
After a while of the sun beating down on the back of his neck he can feel his shirt starting to stick to his skin from sweat. Straightening up he rubs at his eyes which are starting to hurt from the glare of the sun and lets out a sigh.
"Find anything?" Dino can tell from the disappointed look on the other's face that he has had as much luck as Dino has. That is, none. It is clear from his expression that he had been hoping to find that one piece of vital evidence that could be used to solve the whole case.
"Nothing," Alessio kicks a stone in frustration and they both watch as it skitters down the alley before hitting the wall. "There's no weapon, no fingerprints, nothing left behind."
"Isn't that normal for a murder scene?" After all, there is no point in even leaving in the first place if you were just going to get caught straight away. You might as well have just stayed sitting with the body and saved the police the trouble.
The boy frowns at that even though he must know that is the truth, "I know that but still…"
Dino strolls over and gives the boy a friendly pat on the back, giving a grin to try and lure him out of his sombre mood. "Cheer up, you'll do better next time."
I doubt this is over anyway.
Of course, Dino is correct and it is not more than a few days later that they find themselves at the newest crime scene. The location is different, they're out in a busy market street this time around, but once again there is very little difference between anything else. The victims are all young men, there's no trace of anything left behind and they all died from grievous blood loss.
Once they have given the scene a thorough going over again Dino takes a seat on the curb as he watches the body get carried away. It isn't long until Alessio comes and joins him and the two sit in companionable silence. Naturally he doesn't expect it to stay that way for long and he is right for the other starts speaking after only a few moments.
"Don't you think that it's a little strange?"
Dino tilts his head in his partner's direction and lets out a small hum to indicate that he is listening even though he is sure the other would carry on talking on regardless.
"Isn't whoever this person is becoming more bold? I mean, the first murder was in a tiny little back street somewhere but now we're right in the middle of one of the main roads." He pauses, rubbing at the back of his neck in the way Dino notices that he does when he is deep in thought. "Do you think it means something?"
It is something that Dino has noticed before but he doesn't mention it and lets Alessio believe that he is the one who has figured it out. It's the least he can do really, he doesn't know how much more disappointment the boy can take.
"Well I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
Predictably it doesn't take too long for the newest body to appear. The latest victim is also a young man, maybe in his early thirties or so. There is blood all around him just like all of the other bodies and his blue eyes are frozen open in an expression of pure fear. Typically, just like the other crime scenes, there is no murder weapon and no witnesses around who saw anything unusual even though it is late afternoon on a busy Saturday and it is clear that the body has only been there for a few hours at most.
"Hey, look at this." Dino is supervising the clean up of the area when Alessio calls him over. The other is standing where the body is laying under a heavy white sheet, staring at the victim's arm which must have slipped free from the coverings when it was moved. The younger male points to a small tattoo on the skin of the victim, a tiny, brightly coloured flower intricately designed to look in bloom.
"It's just a tattoo, plenty of people have them," Dino points out. In order to emphasize his statement he rolls up the sleeve of his jacket, showing off his own myriad collection of tattoos which had gotten him into horrible into trouble with his boss. Alessio barely even spares them a look and instead furrows his brow in contemplation.
"Now that I think about it the other bodies had tattoos exactly like this one, I don't think it's a coincidence. If only we could figure out the link."
"I've got it!"
Dino is used to people just barging into his office now and so it doesn't surprise him anymore and he just glances up enquiringly when Alessio comes charging in, all flushed and excited with a handful of folders in his arms. He doesn't wait for Dino to question what he is doing here and dumps the folders on the desk in front of the blond.
"Garofano." He looks triumphant and almost ridiculously pleased with himself.
"Excuse me?"
"Garofano," Alessio looks exasperated and only just refrains from throwing his hands up in frustration. "They're a mafia family in the west of the city, along with drug pedalling they've also been investigated for child trafficking."
"I don't see your point." Dino comments. He reaches for the folders but his hands are smacked away impatiently.
"I spent all night trying to figure out a link between all of these people and look," He flips open the folders himself and Dino can see that they are confidential police files that he must have stolen from the archives.
"Where did you get those? You aren't allowed to-"
Dino is cut off by Alessio giving an impatient wave of his hand before he points to the first picture where there is a mug shot of a dark haired Italian man smirking at the camera. On his arm is a small tattoo exactly the same as the one on the bodies. "Emanuele Garofano, the Piciotto. The first victim found."
Dino falls silent and so the other takes the opportunity to continue onto the next page where there are two more images of Italian men staring dully at the camera, standard prison uniform in place. "Domenico Garofano, the Sgarrista and Lorenzo Garofano, the Caporegime."
He carries on flipping through more images until he stops on the last page where there is a shot of a young man and a face that Dino recognizes as the face of the latest murder victim. "Renato Garofano, the Capo Bastone. All charges were dropped against them all."
Dino opens his mouth to speak but Alessio beats him to it.
"Can't you see? The more important the person the more dramatic he's making these murders. He's working his way up the ranks! That means there is only one person left."
The Garofano family's hideout isn't anything fancy, just an ordinary house in the middle of a suburban town. It's not much of a surprise though, many mafia houses set up homes in places like this and set up their illegal trades in secret while masquerading as an ordinary family in order to avoid suspicion. It's a house that the police force have investigated before and so they know it's location.
They both know that something is wrong as soon as they step inside. It is eerily quiet and there is the strong scent of blood in the air. The two exchange glances before mutually agreeing to hurry on, although neither of them know that it's not going to be good news.
They instinctively avoid checking any of the rooms on the ground floor, subconsciously knowing that the boss' room will be upstairs and that that will be where he is. The first few rooms they check are just bedrooms but finally they swing open the door to what is obviously the study and where all the business is carried out.
They are too late.
The mafia Don is tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth, arms bound tightly behind him, and his throat has been slit almost from ear to ear. Dino's partner makes a choked sound but fortunately manages to keep himself together.
A figure in the room turns around when they come barging in, looking mildly surprised but managing to hide it well beneath a veneer of calmness. There is blood on his clothing, turning the material dark red.
"Oya? What do we have here?"
Alessio whips out his gun, pointing it at the man who takes a few steps forwards and looks completely unperturbed. "Don't move. You're under arrest."
The man either doesn't care or he notices how Dino's partner is shaking and his voice is wavering because he walks around the desk so that he is standing next to the victim again. He runs a hand through the Don's hair in a mocking caress.
"It's a shame, isn't it? That it had to come to this," He coos, smile widening exponentially when he sees Alessio visibly cringe. "Child trafficking is a horrible thing don't you think officer? Yet these people managed to walk free. Nobody cared about those poor children, about poor old me, ripped away from their families."
He moves again and steps in front of the gun which is trembling in Alessio's hand. "Do you have the guts? Shoot me."
"You bast-" Unfortunately Alessio doesn't get to finish his sentence for something hits him hard in the back of the head and the light goes out from his eyes instantly, even before his body hits the floor hard.
"Kufufu, I was starting to get worried."
Dino drops the heavy paperweight that he had picked up from one of the shelves, now with a crack running along the length of it, and dusts off his hands on the material of his jacket.
"He worked it out quicker than I anticipated, I didn't expect him to come charging over here." He pauses for a moment to regard the other carefully before adding. "Did you doubt me?"
"Of course not my dear Cavallone. You've always been incredibly helpful." Mukuro's tone is affectionate, like when talking about a particularly adored pet, and there is a smug smile on his face. "I would never have known where all of these rats were hiding without your help, those files were most useful."
"What are you going to do now?" Dino steps over the body of his former companion, knocked out cold but still breathing shallowly. He's always been something of a soft touch. "You've done all that you want to do."
Mukuro looks thoughtful for a moment as though he is truly considering it but Dino knows that it is only a pretence, the other man always has his moves planned out in advance.
"I'm leaving Italy. I want you to come with me."
He holds out a hand, stained with the blood of another, and Dino takes it without hesitation.
A shadow falls across him.
Light glints off the blade in the stranger's hand.
Drops of crimson blood drip from the tip of the blade, forming a small puddle between them.
Dino's gaze travels up from the dead body slumped at his feet to meet with a pair of amused looking mismatched eyes and a smile that is more of a sadistic smirk.
"My name is Mukuro and now you owe me one."
Somehow my random OC ended up seeming more important than Mukuro or Dino. There also isn't much romance because I got so distracted by the prompt that I forgot I was supposed to include that as well. Whoops.
Garofano: Carnation. A colourful flower.
Don: Mafia boss.
Capo Bastone: Second in command. Listens only to the boss.
Caporegime: Commands a group of ten or more soldiers who make up a crew.
Sgarrista: A soldier. Carries out the day to day mafia duties.
Piciotto: The lowest rank.
Review?