A/N: Hi, everybody. Firstly, I'd like to welcome you to this new Fic I'm writing. Secondly, if you've read my other stuff, welcome back! I love seeing all faces old and new! And thirdly, although this mainly applies to the 'secondly', this Fic is very different, once again, to the previous ones, just purely because of the tone and atmosphere. Also, I usually aim to write 2,000 words per chapter, but this one aims for 3,000 words instead.
I'd also like to add that this concept is mine as far as I'm concerned! The characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya, but I don't think China and his friends get the attention they deserve, so naturally, I had to make them the main characters! The love the Asian Nations, and I sincerely apologise if, when making puns, someone finds that offensive. I want to assure you that I love all the countries in Hetalia, and that the Asian Nations are actually some of my favourites!
I'll also be using the Nations' Human names, as this is a Human AU. If there is confusion about names, I usually put them at the bottom for the first few chapters for reoccurring characters.
I'm really excited about writing this Fic! I got the idea in my mind and just new it had to be! So, without further ado-
Oh, hang on. I want to say sorry for not posting this sooner! I've been at parties on Friday and Saturday, and I was just too tired on Sunday to do anything, only to have people round on Monday. I've started study leave now, you see, so the past four days have all been about celebrations! From now on, though, I have all the time in the world alongside my revision to post these chapters!
So without further ado, enjoy Investigasians: The Musical Massacre!
Prologue
It was night, the city alight with banners and beacons that shone all kinds of vibrant colours. They all stood stories high, towering over all humans, making them appear as ants would. Their glassy windows either reflected neon colours, or remained pitch black and expressionless. They appeared as rows and rows of vacant eyes that saw nothing, and revealed nothing. In those areas where the city lights didn't reach out to, it was known that danger of all kinds lurked for the average, well-meaning citizen. The dismal skyscrapers blotted out any light that could potentially extend loving fingers into the darkened alleyways, a saviour that was prevented by a mere wall. Many times had people been victims to whatever lurked in the darkness and people who had succumbed to it. The city was proud and believed its big street lights and banners and beacons provided the pathway for everybody. Instead, the stars were eradicated and the moon blurred. The concrete maze had stood for many years and threat of its collapse was unheard of. It was a city of the new generation, and that was exactly why dangerous people were hidden from innocents by the shadows. A natural divide had somehow been set in place, and that divide was the only thing from preventing the dark consuming the light. It was a well-known fact that light created shadows. There was always a bad side to everything. Light was easier to get rid of than darkness; the bad were more likely to prevail. Therefore, the divide was needed.
However, there was no divide between Mother Nature and the city. Up on the rooftops was a hazardous place. Wind gusted around in a fury that couldn't be stopped. It was violent and threatened to push the sturdiest man from the top of the skyscrapers. One misjudged footstep, and that was the end of a life. It was even more difficult to concentrate on where one's feet were when you were running in pursuit of someone. Detective Wang was usually fond of safety, so a lethal drop from a seventy floor building certainly wasn't something he'd ever been enthralled about. However, profit was something he liked very much. To see the Target suddenly veer to the side and take the staircase running had been one thing, to actually find himself chasing afterwards was another. Money made even the weariest of men daring, he liked to think. Usually, he would get Yong Soo to do the dangerous work, but he'd sent his sidekick off to guard the outside entrance the Target had been expected to take, so he had to cut that one out of the equation. He hadn't worked alone in quite some time, so this new thrill in his gut was probably caused by that.
In horror, Detective Wang watched the Target launch himself from the building, only to land on its neighbour's head. The man he was chasing was a heavyset, burly man – Yao wasn't sure he could make the jump, even if these buildings were set close together. He was a dark area of the city, where there was almost no light, and the concrete blocks squatted together in dirty abandonment. These weren't the flash, glassy skyscrapers that were shown to the tourists. People lived in these. However, there was also that impressive sum that had been laid on offer. Just as he reached the edge of the building, Yao suddenly found himself gliding through the air. The wind was in his eyes and whipping his hair back, and the moon above was the only witness to his daring behaviour. His stomach did a flip and he only relaxed his tensed muscles the second his feet hit the floor. Never would he do that again. Until the next building came along. Money was a powerful thing.
A crowbar caught him in the temple and he staggered off kilter. Rather than get shoved off the side of the building, Yao dropped to his knees and rolled across the ground, away from the edge. His vision was a little blurred, and there was a deathly pain in his head, but he still managed to catch the crowbar when the Target swung it down towards his chest. A sharp agony shot through his wrists, but Yao hauled himself to his feet using his opponent's weapon. With a single tug, the Target wrenched the crowbar free of Yao's hands and made for an instant attack. With a sharp intake of breath, Yao leapt backwards, his heart racing. He reached for the gun stored safely in his pockets and pulled it out in front of the Target – who preceded to run at him like a bull. The air let out a hollow hoot as the crowbar sliced through it and sent Yao's gun skittering across the ground. Next, was a boot given to the stomach.
Yao hit the ground hard with groan and squinted through his blurry eyes just as the Target took a step back. He couldn't let it end like this. The promised sum of money had been such an impressive amount that it would be a waste for it to be ended by disappointment. Yao rolled onto his hands and knees. Despite his aching wrists, he leapt to his feet and watched the Target sprinting across the building. With newfound strength, he raced across the flat rooftop, snatching his gun up along the way and taking swift aim of the Target. Although it would be a greater inconvenience for this man to end up dead, Yao was prepared to take the risk of at least slowing him down. He was running, so his hands were shaking. Two bullets were launched from the gun's barrel, speeding towards their prey in red hot annihilation. Both missed. Yao cursed under his breath as the gun clicked in protest and hastily retrieved the spare bullets he kept in his coat pocket. He despised it when Yong Soo borrowed his gun for target practice without telling him and ran down all his ammo. The worst part was when he didn't replenish it.
With a swift reload, Yao raised his gun to the Target's back one more time.
"Stop!" he called out, the first attempt to reach out to whatever morals the Target could have.
His blood froze as, for the first time in that darkened night, the man he was chasing after turned slowly to face him. Yao felt his feet bring him to a stop and he held the gun, poised. He wanted this man alive, and they both knew it. The lights of the distant banners and beacons illuminated the face Yao had been after for months. And, after all that time, it wasn't even his face. A studded, metallic mask covered the man's head, the hood of his jacket drawn up to hide any hair that the mask couldn't cover. He had pulled his zip up to the chin, hiding any visible flesh and thick, padded gloves covered his hands. He wore trousers, not shorts, and had even gone to the effort to tuck the hems into shin-high combat boots. Yao had never expected what type of person he'd be after, but here he was, standing before him now. The Target. Because he had no name, that's what Yong Soo had opted for calling him, and it had stuck. That mask, almost black in colour, reflected barely any light. The eyes were hidden in black pits, and it was carved into a wide grimace. Although the wind was blowing quite violently, Yao could see the Target had even procured his hood in place by strapping the mask on top.
"Raise your hands," Yao ordered.
Whatever the Target was doing here tonight was beyond him. It was a miracle they'd found him, but Yao also felt they'd interrupted something he'd been about to do. He had wanted to quietly watch, but Yong Soo and his awkward, lanky proportions had managed to draw attention. After that, the Target had taken off running up the staircase. Yao couldn't even say where he got the crowbar from. Hands were raised. His heart was racing. This was the moment Yao had been waiting for. His impressive check was mere hours away.
The Target suddenly spread his arms out wide and leapt backwards off the building, elegantly flipping in mid-air. For a moment, Yao was speechless. He'd never believed the Target would commit suicide when faced with capture. As far as research on him had shown, he'd displayed no tendencies for it, and his methodical approach to life made it seem he would attempt every possibility before death. Had he perceived this as the time to kill his secrets with him?
Yao approached the edge of the building casually as he took his phone from his pocket. With a quick dial to Yong Soo, he put his gun away as he traipsed the walk, and stared out towards the bright city.
"What's up, Aniki?" his sidekick sounded concerned. "Where did the Target go?"
"He ran upstairs, that's where he went," Yao scowled. "And I was the one who went after him. You know what, Yong? I'm too old for this; it should be you chasing after our enemies across rooftops, not me, aru."
"Sorry," the younger man's tone suddenly became ashamed. "Where's the Target now?"
"He jumped off a building, so go round the alleyways to find his body," Yao instructed. "I'll join you in a moment."
"Sure thing," Yong Soo hung up just as Yao reached the edge of the building.
There was a sudden humming noise and the wind rapidly picked up. With a furrowed brow, Yao peered over the edge –
-and only jumped back in time to avoid being diced by a helicopter's rotary blades. In horrified silence, Yao watched the Target's metal face leer at him from the helicopter, the crowbar in his hand and under his arm some kind of duffel bag. Fumbling for his gun, Detective Wang failed to prevent the flying vehicle from gliding away into the night. He took aim, but knew he would miss. Lowering the gun, Yao watched the Target escape and vowed that that would be the last time that happened.
Whipping out his phone once more, he gave Yong Soo another call. "There's been a change of plan, aru."
"Aniki?"
"Just stay where you are," Yao started walking to the elevator at the top of this building. "I'll come find you. The Target escaped."
"What?" Yong Soo gasped from the end of the line. "He jumped off a building. How did he escape?"
"It seemed he wasn't alone tonight, aru," he scowled, stepping into the old lift and pressing the 'G' button. "There was a chopper waiting for him. I bet he was in contact with them throughout the entire chase, aru."
"Shame he got away," Yong Soo sighed. "So, what now? Any leads left to follow?"
"Well, he knows we're after him, now," Yao grumbled. "I think we'll have to be more tactful in our approach to getting info on him."
"Back to the drawing board, then?"
The elevator doors opened and Yao wandered out into a musty reception hall. An aged woman sat at the desk, filing through some kind of magazine with dirtied nails. She paid Yao no mind as he walked towards the exit doors.
"It'll have to be, aru," he pushed them open and the cool air was on his face once more.
"Aniki!" Yong Soo called from across the street. "What happened up there? Are you OK?"
"I need a break, if that's what you mean?" Yao disconnected their call and dropped his phone into his pocket as his teammate neared him.
"Aniki, you've taken a head wound," Yong Soo frowned.
Raising a hand to his temple, where the dull throb was, Yao's hand came away stained red. For a moment, he took a moment to comprehend what had happened. Memory of the crowbar making impact with his head was certainly something that came to mind. The adrenaline of the chase and the roof fight must've kept him going, because now that he'd slowed down, he felt lethargic and bleary.
"Shit, aru," he muttered. "OK, double change of plan. Rather than return to headquarters, I get myself patched up in the nearest hospital. This is A & E type crap…"
"Is that what your Arumeter is telling you to do?" Yong Soo asked. "Can I drive?"
"Well, I obviously can't, can I?" he snapped. "Otherwise I'd pass out and we'd crash, aru. And it's not like we have anyone else here, right, aru? So, yes, you will be driving."
Effortlessly, he chucked his car keys towards his sidekick. It was amusing to watch him fumble with them clumsily, and almost drop them on the floor. He would've had the young man lick them clean for all the germs that were on this grimy pavement. Their footsteps rang through the empty, dark streets. This was an area where tourists and other late night shoppers most certainly wouldn't be attracted to. Their mission had remained quiet and kept under the rug efficiently. Yao believed that if the general public were aware of a person like the Target being out there, the media would have something to say about it. That would be one problem after the other, and then his monetary reward would go down the drain as his commission was cancelled.
The car was where they'd left it: in an old parking lot alongside a mysterious white van that looked like it had received a recent clean, an old, beat up Toyota and a motorbike that was held firmly in place by a rusted chain. It looked like it hadn't seen human contact in several years. With a bounce in his step, Yong Soo unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat. Yao joined him in the passenger one, slamming the door behind them. The Old Honda Civic was a worn down little thing, but it served its purpose well. Yao allowed himself to doze off whilst Yong Soo took charge for once.
"I was lucky not to have concussion," Yao explained. "I've had some minor stitching, and that's the main reason I had to stay the night. The hit was a lot harder than I actually thought it was."
"Aniki was super cool," Yong Soo raved. "He was leaping from buildings like a flying squirrel and he almost had the guy under his-"
"Honestly, Yong Soo, it was nothing like that, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "Sure, we leapt across rooftops, but they're actually closer together than you'd imagine. And he got away with considerable distance between the two of us. I was duped, which I really hate…"
"Which leads to question what we do now?" Lei Siu murmured, tapping the report down onto his laptop.
Yao spooned up a large amount of ramen and slurped it up, savouring the taste that he'd been craving since the bland hospital food. "I dunno."
"That's great," Lei scowled. "As soon as we almost get somewhere, we lose all trace and have to start again. I know the pay check for this is huge, but are we ever gonna get it?"
"Of course we are, aru," Yao said. "Even if it means I die trying. Us Investigasians won't go down without a fight."
"Neither will your terrible puns," Lei shook his head, and went back to monitoring the screen.
"Might I ask what this… target of yours is even like?" Kiku hesitantly raised his hand, bringing the room's attention to him. "If you saw him, you have an identity to work on."
"He wore a mask," the humble ramen worker's suggestions were always valid, but Yao knew basing the Target from appearance wasn't going to work. "I didn't see any inch of skin or hair. Nothing. I'd say he was around six foot. Either way, he was a big guy, aru."
"I see," Kiku wiped clean another bowl and set it down on the rack to dry.
The five of them were huddled before the bar of the ramen shop Yao's detective agency was located above. He was still paying rent after many years of staying there with his childhood friend, Kiku. The ramen shop was their hideout, their base and where their operations worked in the rooms above. Kiku's parents had grown frustrated with Yao scrounging off them after some years, so a rent had been enforced. Although he wasn't directly involved with Yao and his team's work, Kiku had always been there to provide sanctuary and good advice.
"Perhaps you could describe as much of him as you can?" Kiku asked, setting a piece of paper on the bar. "If I draw out what you say he looked like, then you place some theories around and search for the mask rather than the man?"
"I guess so," Yao wasn't sure about this plan. "Well… the mask was oval, so fit to match his face, aru. It had a grimace and really prominent cheekbones. The eyes were small black holes, so it was really difficult to see them. Um… he wore a hooded jacket. A dark grey or blue one. It could've even been purple, aru. Combat boots. Trousers, not jeans. He was big and heavyset – um… I say big, but he wasn't fat. Just muscular, aru. Tall. As I said. Is that good?"
Kiku turned the sheet of paper to let him see. Yao could see some kind of resemblance between his friend's drawing and the man he'd seen that night. It wasn't exact, but if there was one thing Kiku Honda was good at, it was getting a clear image. Several times Yao had turned to Kiku's impressive art skills to get down a rough image of a person of interest according to a victim.
"Pretty accurate," he took the picture. "I'll pin this up as picture evidence, aru."
"Glad to have helped," Kiku turned to the next bowl.
Yao thoughtfully slurped up more ramen as he stared at the man who had hit him with a crowbar two nights ago now. It was hard to believe he'd escaped so easily. Yao almost felt ashamed of himself.
"Perhaps you can get Lien to go out face matching and theorising?" Kiku suggested, gesturing towards the quiet girl sitting beside Yao at the bar.
He glanced at his colleague as she drew the paper close to her and nodded, taking a snapshot of it on her phone. She didn't say anything, but instead pushed the paper back to him and continued eating her ramen.
"I just feel like I'm getting nowhere with this, aru," Yao sighed. "I'm trying, but sometimes it's like we're not any closer than what we were to start with…"
"Keep on the bright side," Kasam beamed. "I don't think we're as far off as you say. We have a sort of face on this guy. I think all we need to do is start tabbing him. Besides, I just received a phone call that could give us something else to think about in the meantime."
"Really?" Yao sat up in his seat.
"That'd be good, since we still need to get paid," Lei glowered at him.
"Ah, yes, my parents are asking for this month's rent," Kiku added, unable to meet Yao's gaze.
"Well, what was it about, aru?" Yao asked, ignoring the inevitable truth that the month's rent was going to be late.
"He didn't want to speak over the phone," Kasam replied. "He actually wanted to meet you in person."
"What did you say?" he asked nervously. "Did you say you'd get back to him, aru?"
"I actually said you'd take the case and meet him tomorrow at eleven on the dot," Kasam smiled.
"What?" Yao gawked. "What if I was busy? What if my head injury meant I couldn't take the case? That would be one disappointed customer and news would spread about how terrible I am, aru. You could've risked my entire business!"
"Except I didn't," his receptionist smiled knowingly. "Even with a punctured lung, I can't see you refusing a case from this particular person."
"With a punctured lung?" Yao looked curious.
"The caller was none other than the Young Master," Kasam chuckled. "Roderich Edelstein has a case for you."
A/N: I thought I'd start with a little introduction! I really hope everyone likes this, and the main story itself will certainly pick up in the next chapter! Thank you for reading Investigasians, and I can't wait to continue posting these chapters!
Yao Wang: China
Yong Soo Im: Korea
Lei Siu Chun: Hong Kong (I know most people call him 'Li Xiao Chun', but his nickname 'Li' would've been too similar to Lien's name and Xiao is someone else's surname).
Kiku Honda: Japan
Lien Chung: Vietnam
Kasam Yodsuwan: Thailand
