The Killer
written by ejo

Summary: "I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over." – The Killer

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"Only death will set her free."

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betaread by Tearless Sonnet

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MIKAN SAKURA;

I died.

This is how my story begins—I am dead. Murdered, to be exact. I died last eighteen hours ago, back when I was supposed to send my love letter to him. Ruka Nogi. All the things he had done for me, I will never forget them. I told myself a week ago that I'd do my best to properly express my feelings for him in the form of a letter. I made the letter, but he won't get to read it now.

After all, I'm dead.

I couldn't clearly remember how I died. I was entering the classroom at that time, trying to insert my letter in his bag when I heard a sudden rush of footsteps. When I was about to turn around, I felt something make contact with my head, immediately knocking me unconscious. If I tried to think really hard, I can remember blood flowing endlessly from me.

Now, I'm nothing but a ghost—a memory of the past.

I could see a couple of police cars right outside the school's gate. Students had been advised to avoid the third floor where the crime scene was located. So far, there were no witnesses who had seen the culprit's face. I was starting to get restless. There was no way I'd let my case go unsolved.

I could see white bits of tape plastered on the floor, shaping my body, revealing that its location was where my body used to lie. Caution warnings were wrapped around the front door, making the backdoor the sole entry and exit for people. I could hear the policemen whispering to themselves, discussing their list of suspects.

I used to feel my chest—where my heart should have been—throb. Now, it was nothing but a hollow space.

"Bring in Hotaru Imai," the chief ordered, gesturing one of his men to call forth my friend. How could Hotaru be a suspect? Out of all people, she seemed innocent to me. She had nothing to hold against me, except when I attempted to eat her mango pudding. But I don't think she would actually kill me because of that.

A raven-haired girl came in, her fists curled up into a ball. I could see her eyes all puffy and red—she must have been crying. I wanted to hug her, to comfort her but there was nothing I could do but listen.

"Where were you yesterday at 2:00pm?" the chief asked as he lit up a cigar.

"I was at the library, researching for more ideas for my next inventions," she replied, her voice wavering. The library was a floor below the classroom; I hoped the chief didn't get funny ideas out of it.

The chief narrowed his eyes at her, eyeing her suspiciously. His cap covered most of his brown hair, but you could see stray strands of hair popping out. He was a chubby man with stubble on his chin.

"I heard that you're the victim's best friend, is that correct?" She nodded, her eyes staring farther in the distance. "I also hear that you're bullying her."

She looked at him in disbelief, I did too. "Oh my god," she muttered. "That's what we do. Our r-relationship is like that."

The chief raised one of his brows, peeving Hotaru on the spot. "Relationship, eh?" he muttered as if he had found a piece of golden information. "Speaking of which, did you have any feelings for her? Feelings that, as a friend, you shouldn't have felt?"

I could see her eyes darkening. "W-well, I did. But that was in the past."

It was true. I couldn't deny it. Hotaru used to have feelings for me; she told me herself when we were in fourth grade. It ended bitterly when she saw me making out with one of our upperclassmen, Tsubasa Andou. But that didn't end our friendship, which I was thankful for.

"That could serve as a grudge," he claimed impatiently. Hotaru's expression turned in scepticism and she stared at the officer like a gaping monkey, unsure on whether she should shut his trap or ignore him. The latter choice seemed a better option.

"Sumire Shouda," the chief said finally, gesturing his men to escort Hotaru out. The raven-haired girl shot him one last deadly glare before she disappeared out the door.

Soon, a green-haired girl walked in. I knew her but barely talked to her ever since I found out that in fifth grade she created false rumours about me. Some of them included losing my virginity to Yuu Tobita and my being a total playgirl. She also used evil tactics to gain high grades.

"I didn't kill her!" she barked out immediately.

"We're not accusing you," the chief assured, rubbing his nose fervently.

"Oh," she mouthed, playing with the curls in her hair and looking around the room. The chief gestured her to sit down, but she refused, claiming that this wouldn't take long since she was innocent.

"Where were you 2:00pm yesterday?" he asked, his eyes dripping with curiousity. He put out his cigar and turned to her once more. She bit her lower lip, uncertain on whether she should believe that this guy really was an officer or not.

"I was at the gazebo," she replied, pointing her index finger at the window. One of the officers clarified her claim by making a thumbs-up. "Waiting for someone."

"Someone?" the chief repeated, wanting to hear more. "Who?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her eyes cast downwards. It was true that her testimony seemed suspicious but I didn't think she would kill me. After all, we used to be friends.

"You don't know? Why?"

"I received a letter telling me to go to the gazebo at one-thirty," she started. "I waited for thirty minutes, but no one came."

"Then why didn't you notice anybody coming out of the room?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

"You fool!" she roared. She couldn't suppress the urge to not yell at him. She was still the same Sumire I knew—temperamental as ever. "Of course I couldn't see it. It's three floors above and the room on the farthest aisle!"

"You were jealous of her, correct?" the chief asked, ignoring her statement.

She stood on her spot, silent about the entire matter, fearing that every statement she would tell would have made her the culprit.

He looked puzzled, unsure of what to do next.

She could feel his eyes all over her body. It was as if he didn't believe her. "Come on!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Don't you see it? Someone is framing me! The letter...her...her death! It's not a coincidence."

"There's a possibility that you, yourself, fabricated that letter to turn the suspicion away from you." the chief suggested as he lit up another cigar, irking the girl more.

"Fine!" she snapped, storming out of the room. "Since nobody can bother to believe me, then I won't give a shit about this case!" She slammed the door shut, leaving the officers flabbergasted at her outburst.

Was someone framing Sumire? There were loads of people who would love to see her downfall, so perhaps framing her was not out of the question.

The chief slumped onto his seat and called for the next on the list. "Call in Tsubasa Andou."

In a matter of few seconds, a young man came in with a few officers beside him. His dark, blue eyes searched the room. He never changed a bit, except for his height, though. He was my first kiss and my first love. Back when I was alive, we dated during fourth grade, but we never went to the point where we were in a relationship. He used me to gain experience for him to use on his real girlfriend, Misaki Andou, while I did it for curiosity and experience alone.

"Is it t-true?" he stuttered as he took a seat. "Is she really dead?"

The chief eyed him and then he nodded mournfully.

Tsubasa buried his head in his hands. Shaking sobs were heard in the room. "I never got to apologize to her about how bad I was as a senior student." I felt a strong pang in my chest. I knew what he was referring to. Years ago, rumors spread, saying I had lost my virginity to Tsubasa. He knew about that rumor, but he never defended my name. Now that I think about it, I was teased, insulted and bullied because of that. They called me a slut, even though they didn't know what that meant back then. All they wanted was someone to pick on. Apparently, they chose me.

"Enough of that," the chief chided. "What's done is done."

Tsubasa stopped his sobbing and turned to look at the chief. "Why am I here?" he wiped his runny nose with his sleeves.

"You're here because you're a suspect of the murder of your ex-girlfriend."

Technically, we weren't together so that doesn't make me his ex-girlfriend but people get the wrong idea nowadays.

"I didn't kill her!" he barked.

He didn't seem to deny the fact that I was not his ex-girlfriend.

"You got the wrong dude, man!" he swore. "I'd never kill her! I don't have any reason to do so!"

The chief arched a brow. "Don't lie, boy. I know your deepest secrets—I have my sources. You wanted to have sex with her but she had always refused you. You didn't even deny the rumours! You had always wanted to have your revenge on her."

Tsubasa groaned. "That was a long time ago! I totally got over it."

"Lies won't work on me," the chief warned as he puffed from the cigar.

Tsubasa kicked the table in front of him and left the room with bewildered officers. He never failed to surprise me. After that the chief called for Yuu Tobita who was my class president. He was a young boy who wore circular glasses, had yellowish hair and a gentle expression. I don't know why he was part of the suspect list, but still, I continued to listen to his interrogation.

"Is it true that you hated the victim?"

I laughed. Yuu could never hate me, I never did anything wrong to him. And he was not the type to hold grudges or loathe me—

"Yes." he replied.

—what?

"Oh, how honest of you to admit it. Care to tell me why?"

He cleared his throat. "Honestly," he started. "I never liked her. Ever since day one—the day she arrived at school—I had always hated her. Ever since she came to the class, my burden got heavier and heavier—she made my life miserable. Especially when the rumours of me and her having sex got publicized—which wasn't true—I lost my chance to become a candidate for valedictorian and school president." I knew Yuu was ambitious but I never thought up to this point. Whenever I was around, he always smiled and acted like everything was fine between us.

Now I guess it's true about what they say when you die: when you're a ghost, you'll know things that you didn't back when you were alive.

I felt a strong pang inside my chest. I felt betrayed and unsure about everything. Was I a good friend? Did I annoy people too much? Did my actions pain people? Questions like those entered my mind.

"But," Yuu added. "I wouldn't kill her because of that."

"You seem so defensive."

"I'm not."

The chief coughed. "Anyways, where were you 2:00pm yesterday?"

"I was at the gym. I wanted to work out and shape my body. I wanted to build muscles."

The chief looked at him in disbelief, and so did I. I never thought that Yuu would have interest on things like working out. The chief, I believe, couldn't trust Yuu's words because Yuu looked scrawny and weak. Yuu grunted and showed the chief his building, puny muscles. It was little but you could see bits of underdeveloped muscles.

"That doesn't prove anything at all," the chief spat.

Yuu gave out another grunt and walked away. His figure started to disappear in my vision.

"Teenagers, bah!" the chief grumbled.

In the following events, he called Koko who was accused of murdering me because I had bullied him; he called on Misaki-sempai on the account of helping her boyfriend, Tsubasa; and then Anna and Nonoko as accomplices because they had been jealous of me since second grade.

"Sir, may I take a break?" asked a young officer.

The chief swished his hand away for him to leave and take his break. He checked his list of suspects and scratched his chin. Only two more, he mumbled softly. "Bring in Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi," he ordered.

After a couple of minutes, the officer returned with both boys beside him. It was Natsume who first stepped into the room. His eyes were glued on the spot where my body used to lie with bits of tape plastered onto it. He took a seat and studied the chief's face carefully. He turned to Ruka who was about to take the seat beside him. Ruka looked pale and weak. You would easily notice his shaking legs and hands. His eyes were staring down at the floor, afraid to make an eye contact with the chief.

"What's wrong with him?" the chief asked.

"He's just freaked out with what happened to..." Natsume turned to Ruka. "Mikan."

The chief decided to shrug the topic off. "Hyuuga-kun," he cleared his throat. "Where were you yesterday at around 2:00pm?"

"None of your business, old man."

The chief pounded his fists against the table. "Speak."

Natsume grunted. "I was playing hooky, okay?" He crossed his arms and placed both of his legs on the table before him. The chief look flabbergasted at his actions. He studied the young boy's face. He had a piercing on both of his ears, a devilishly smug look plastered on his face and an expression that would instantly provoke you. He turned to Ruka. He was the exact opposite of the lad beside him. He had an angelic appearance, gave off a kind aura and looked as if he was a model student.

"Nogi-kun," the chief called. The blonde looked up and stared at him. You would see his eyes wavering and both of his arms and legs shaking. "Where were you—"

It felt like a decade since I had last seen him. It felt good to see his face, although I didn't like the manner of the situation. We knew each other but we weren't that close, well, not until Natsume came along. He was the one who introduced me to Ruka and culprit who made me fall harder for his friend. I was actually grateful for his help.

"I was at the Student Council's meeting room," he said.

"Why were you there?"

"She—Mikan—she told me to go there," he replied.

Well, technically, he was right. I was the one who asked him to go there—well, back when I was alive, that is. I didn't want it to be awkward when I went to the classroom and found him there. So I placed a letter in his locker, telling him to go to the meeting room. It was actually on the other side of the building so I had no worry that he might burst inside the classroom.

"Do you know why?" the chief asked.

Ruka shook his head sadly. With that done, the chief did nothing but sigh exasperatedly. So far, he found everyone suspicious—they had the motive to kill me and their alibis were shaky. He rose from his spot and dusted his pants. He turned to the boys and gave a low nod. "You may leave now," he said. "We will do further investigation."

Natsume pulled Ruka from his seat and both of them went out of the room.

"Sir, this might be the work of an outsider," one of his men suggested.

"Might be."

I went out of the room and followed the two boys. I noticed Ruka's teary eyes as he walked wobbly down the hallway.

"Pull yourself together, man," Natsume muttered.

"She... She's dead." Ruka stuttered.

"I know."

"It hurts."

"I know."

Ruka stopped in his tracks, taking Natsume by surprise. "Natsume," he called, firmly emphasizing his name. "Promise me that you'll help me find the culprit." Natsume looked at him carefully before nodding approvingly.

As they entered a room, they found themselves surrounded by the people who had been called by the police officers. Hotaru looked downcast as she saw the two boys entering. It was good to be surrounded by them, it made me feel like I was still alive in a way.

"G-Guys," Misaki called, her voice shaking. Everyone turned to her. She was holding a small piece of paper. "I found this on my way here." She shoved the letter to Hotaru whose eyes widened as she took in what was written on that piece of paper. She passed it around for the others to see. Apparently, everyone had the same reaction as Hotaru.

"What's that?" Natsume asked.

Yuu passed him the paper. I went closer and took a peek. I felt completely helpless as I read that letter to myself. It was written in red ink and the handwriting was fairly small. It was outrageous. This person was... crazy!

I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over. – The Killer

Hotaru snatched the paper and crumpled it. Her expression went stern and cold. "I may not know who you are," she said. "But I do know one thing: you're here right now, aren't you?"

"Imai-san, what are you talking a-about?" Yuu asked worriedly.

"The killer... That person is here, right underneath our noses."

"How do you know?" Sumire asked.

"He or she wanted to scare us with this." She held out that piece of crumpled paper and threw it in the trash bin. "I'll find you, and once I do, I'll make sure that even the angels won't take pity on you. I'll avenge my friend's death even if that's the last thing I do."

End of Chapter

A/N: Is it okay? LOL. Do review! I want to know your thoughts about this story. 8D Thank you so much for Isa who proofread this (and holy hell she finished it within the day. O.O;).