Murders in the Night

by gaaleex

Chapter One: The Killing

The feeling that someone was following Ino Yamanaka haunted her all the way home. It was an extremely hot night. She was coming back from a mission on her own, from the Sand, where she was discussing the connections that they shared, ensuring they were still strong. It had gone well and the journey had started off with the blonde in a great mood. She couldn't wait to get back to Tsunade and report the good news. It was as she about a hundred metres from the front gate of Konoha when she got this feeling.

A scatter in the bushes stopped Ino in her tracks. She gazed around, nerves creeping their way up her shivering spine. Frowning, she stood her ground, straightening up. She was a Ninja, not some helpless civilian. She could fight.

"Who's there?" Ino called, trying not to let her voice shake. "Are you some sort of coward, not showing your face?"

The sound of shrill laughter reached Ino's ears. She thought she recognised it. The voice. Relief flooded her body, but so did anger. This was all a joke? She could kill them!

"God, you really made me think that you were an enemy-nin," Ino laughed, turning around to face her friend. "I could bloody kill you. I was actually getting scared. Stupid, right? I know. But what were you thinking? You knew I was on my own! I can fight a battle but there are many people better than me. You know that. I mean, I might have a chance if I used my mind transfer technique but people dodge that so easily nowadays, and -"

Her friend licked the kunai in their hand, then slashed a line across their wrist. Ino gasped. "What are you doing?" She asked, then noticed the expression in her friend's eyes. They were dark, and evil, and cruel. This was not a good situation. Perhaps Ino had something to fear after all.

"This isn't funny...joke's over, okay?" She frowned, stepping backwards and touching the back pocket in her dress where she kept her own kunai.

"No...no, this isn't a joke." Her friend smiled then, a smile that didn't reach their eyes. "You are not a joke." They stared at her outfit, her flat pale stomach on show, the clothes emphasising her skinny figure. "Watch this, Ino." They whispered. "Lust's passion will be served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes."

The friend lit a match, and was behind Ino in an instant. The match fell into her hair, all of the products used in it making her hair set alight very fast. The blonde screeched. "What the hell! Oh my God! Help me!" She ran over to some grass and dropped to the ground and rolled around, trying to put it out. Ino's friend lit another match and dropped it into the dry grass Ino was lying in. It was a blaze instantly, scorching over her body and burning her skin. Ino screamed, and screamed, coughing, choking. Meanwhile, her friend stood watching her, arms folded, scowling. Ino deserved this, they thought.

When her screams stopped, she was dead. The killer put out the rest of the fire, staring at the blackened grass around the blackened body. All flesh is grass.

Someone would come across Ino's body eventually; then the fun would begin.

xxx

Ten Ten yawned as she sloped lazily up the path. Her and Neji were picking some of Lee's favourite flowers for his birthday. He always liked simple gestures like these. They were just up the path from the gate, on the grass at the sides of the earth. Neji walked slightly ahead, marching forcefully. This was exercise for him. He had already gotten Lee some even heavier weights, and was going to challenge him to a sparring match. He may as well make this training too. Neji turned on his Byakugan, wanting to count Blackbirds, but instead, about a hundred or so metres away, saw the body of someone lying on the ground.

"What is it?" Ten Ten blinked, sensing Neji's mood instantly. She ran to catch up with him as he suddenly broke into a run. "Oh...!" She cried out as the body came into view.

Neji was already kneeling beside her, touching the temple. "They're dead." He stated, seeming numb from shock. "Someone has set fire to this person."

The brunette's eyes widened. A hand flew to her mouth and she crouched next to her comrade. "Who could have done this? Why didn't they defend themself? When did this happen? How long have they been out here? Who are they? Neji, we need to go tell someone -"

"Calm down, Ten Ten!" Her tone was getting hysterical, the Hyuuga placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go. We need to tell Tsunade immediately."

"And leave them here?" Ten Ten appealed, tears glistening in her eyes. This was all too much. She'd just wanted to pick flowers. "What if we hadn't come here to get flowers for Lee? Would they have been out in the cold...all night?"

"They're dead, Ten Ten. They won't feel the cold." Neji sighed, but he scooped the dead person in his arms, taking care not to damage the area around them too much. Most of the grass was burned to a crisp. When Ten Ten walked on ahead, Neji inhaled the scent of the body. It was disgusting, melting flesh. Then he started walking too.

The body was buried immediately, just two days later after a study was done on their body and the area they was killed. It was identified as Ino. All of her friends and family were present, most were crying. Some might say the killer was crying most of all. Not that they'd know it was the killer, of course. They just thought it was a distraught friend of the deceased.

xxx

Tsunade addressed the crowd solemnly after the hastily arranged funeral was over. "From my ANBU doing some scouring around the area, and looking at Ino's...at Ino, it is clear that she was only dead an hour or two before she was found by Ten Ten and Neji. It must have been done by someone from Konoha. Someone Ino trusted, because there is no sign of struggle, unless the fire covered that up. Matches were used, not a technique. Someone who was her friend, someone she trusted must have done this. Her father was on a mission, which eliminates family." Inoichi growled at this, and stamped his foot on the grass. He was furious with whoever killed his daughter.

Sakura glanced around at her friends. "Does she mean what I think? Is she accusing...us?"

By 'us' the pink haired Kunoichi meant herself, Naruto, Ten Ten, Neji, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru and Sai. Ino's friends. She didn't have any other. It was this group together, the same generation, and everyone knew it.

"Granny, you can't be serious." Naruto whispered, staring her straight in the eyes. "None of us would ever do this."

Tsunade eyed him straight back, unabashed. "Why would Ino allow herself to be killed so easily? It's easier for a friend to have the trust of someone, no? Maybe the friend reacted too fast for Ino to do anything." Here, Tsunade glanced at Lee, then Sai. "Or trapped her so she couldn't move, figured something out cleverly...?" She looked at Shikamaru. "Just used friendship, perhaps rivalry?" Choji, Sakura. "It could have been any of you. None of you were on a mission at the time."

Kiba snarled. Akamaru whined. "Tsunade, how dare you accuse us of this!" He shouted, seething. "I'm not a murderer. None of us are."

"On the contrary, Kiba. It was one of you. Maybe you. Who knows? I will be questioning each of you separately over the course of the next few days. Expect to hear from me." She stalked off then, without turning back, and the crowd wandered away. Inoichi remained, and clenched his fist at them all.

"When I find out who killed my daughter," he hissed. "I will kill you in your sleep. I can never forgive you."

Then he, too, marched away.

The group was left. Naruto seemed in shock. He ran a hand through his hair. "None of you could do this," he stated.

Shino shook his head. "This is...unbelievable. I agree with you, Naruto."

Everyone agreed. No one could have done this. Hinata was crying. Ten Ten, tears falling from her eyes, placed an arm around her. Kiba punched a tree next to him and scowled. Neji stood, numb and silent. Sai was knelt down, staring intently at Ino's grave. A flutter of breeze picked up some leaves and they blew past the damaged group. The group with one less person than there was a few days ago.

The killer smiled in their mind.

Author's Note: I know, I know! Sorry everyone, I changed this story quite a bit. It's not really that obvious at the moment, but you'll see why I changed it later. I had a shining idea, thanks to a reviewer asking me what the killer's motive was and such. Now I have a better idea. Feel free to review this chapter again, though it's only the beginning that has changed really. xD Thanks!