Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki, I only own the plot of these one shots and any original characters.
Author's Note: Last time another Devil victim was found and the serial killer contacted Chizuru; a quick note that I forgot to put in the last part, there are going to be sexual references in relation to Chizuru and Hijikata as they do have that kind of relationship, it is modern times and I could see Hijikata being willing to do that with someone he had a long term relationship with (same for Chizuru).
The Devil Part 2
"Toshizo, calm down…"
"Chizuru, a serial killer knows where you work and sent you flowers with a blood-covered card; how am I supposed to be calm?"
Hijikata demanded, violet eyes filled with fury; he had quickly rushed over when he heard about the note and Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center was now filled with both cops and FBI agents scouring the area for any evidence.
"Toshizo, think about this logically; if he wanted me dead he could have done it easily considering he was able to deliver the note to me, so he obviously doesn't want to harm me."
"That doesn't make me worry any less Chizuru..."
Chizuru sighed, placing her hands on her boyfriend's face to make him look at her.
"Listen to me; I'm fine, knowing you there's going to be a small protection detail put on me and the guy is smart, he's not going to attack me if he wants to avoid the police."
"Promise you'll be careful; try not to leave at night and if you have to, have someone escort you home, be cautious ok?"
Hijikata pleaded, staring at Chizuru; the brunette doctor sighed but relented, leaning up to give the man a quick kiss before heading back to work as Harada approached Hijikata.
"Well, whoever it was that sent Chizuru the note is long gone now; forensics are analyzing the blood, they're also looking for fingerprints but…"
"The guy's going to be smart enough to wear gloves."
Hijikata finished, his tone irritated as he ran a hand through his hair; this bastard had the nerve to make direct contact with Chizuru, threaten her at her workplace.
"I've contacted NYPD, they're going to put a small police detail outside your apartment building; plus Aya's going to hang out at your place when you're not there."
"That's…tell her thank you for me, please."
Aya Abe was Harada's long-time girlfriend, working as a prominent US attorney, and was a fierce and determined young woman with a strong sense of justice.
"Toshi, we've got something on the blood."
Okita stated as he walked up to the two men, pocketing his phone; a grim expression was on his face and made Hijikata frown with worry.
"The blood wasn't from one person; it contained DNA from Katelyn Parker, Louise Smith, Grace McKenna, Patricia Harris, Susan Allen, Ashley Thomas and…two unknown victims."
"God damn it…!"
Hijikata cursed under his breath, this guy had already taken two victims?
"He's devolving rapidly; my guess is he became restless with only one victim, he craves torture and two victims would be enjoyable to him."
The trio turned to see a young man with short dark blue hair and amber eyes walking towards them; he was Ryunosuke Ibuki, working as a FBI psychologist and often assisted when his profiling skills were called upon.
"Hey kid, what brought you out here?"
"Ok, first off? Not a kid, I'm twenty-three thank you very much and second of all I heard that the Devil sent flowers and a note to Chizuru and decided to lend my assistance."
Ryunosuke replied, sounding a bit miffed at being called a kid; he tended to be looked down upon because of his age, but was very intelligent and had provided a lot of help on past cases.
"So he's devolving…any idea what prompted him to make contact with Chizuru?"
"My best guess is he wants a challenge, he might have done research on the guys leading the case and wanted to rile Agent Hijikata up by going after Chizuru,"
Ryunosuke paused, taking a deep breath and pinching his nose; Okita frowned, crossing his arms and looking worried.
"What, Ryunosuke?"
"He's not going to stop with this, he's obviously taken a personal interest in Agent Hijikata and wants to send a message: the people you love aren't safe; my guess? He's going to try and attack her."
Hijikata's eyes widened before a growl escaped his throat, causing Ryunosuke to jump back; the Devil had awakened a demon, threatening Chizuru was a bad move.
And he was going to be hunted down, before he could get within a foot of Chizuru.
"Thanks for staying with me Aya, I'm sorry you had to be taken away from work…"
"Chizuru, a murderer contacted you; believe me, it's a good reason to miss work."
Aya commented as she handed Chizuru a glass of wine, sitting beside her; Aya was a rather tall woman with red curls falling past her waist and bright amber eyes, she was currently dressed in a dark blue turtleneck with a grey pencil skirt and matching heels.
"So, how's Hijikata holding up?"
"Well, he's instructed me not to leave work without someone else, so about as well as you would think."
Chizuru sighed, curling her feet under her; she had removed her bun and had changed into a heather grey pullover with an off-the-shoulder collar cinched into a bow, navy blue jeans and brown flats.
"I'm worried that because this guy threatened me, Toshizo will throw himself into the case and start neglecting himself…"
Chizuru shook her head and took a sip, placing it down on the end table beside her; the two women looked up at the sound of a key turning in the lock was heard, the door opened to reveal a tired Hijikata and Chizuru quickly bounced up.
"Hi sweetie…"
She mumbled as she leaned up to give him a kiss; Hijikata smiled and kissed her back, the two of them were lost in each other and didn't notice Aya grab her jacket and exit with a smile on her face.
"Oh, um…guess Aya left."
Chizuru pointed out as the two broke apart, her face turning pink at the realization; Hijikata let out a low, throaty chuckle that sent shivers down Chizuru's spine.
"So, did you get anything off of the card or flowers?"
Chizuru inquired as she moved to the kitchen to make dinner; Hijikata made a frustrated noise as he hung up his jacket, removed his tie and kicked off his shoes.
"No, the card was handmade and the flowers were bought with a stolen credit card so there's no way to trace him."
Hijikata replied as he rolled his sleeves up and grabbed a beer from the fridge before leaning against the island; Chizuru gave him a sympathetic look over her shoulder as she chopped up the ingredients.
"Sooner or later, he'll get cocky and make a mistake; that's always their downfall."
Chizuru stated wisely as Hijikata took a sip and nodded; that was the one thing he liked about Chizuru, with his past girlfriends he had never felt comfortable talking about his cases but with Chizuru, she didn't mind listening and often gave him a different point of view.
"Perhaps, you should look at the victims again; what exactly were their perceived sins that made him target them?"
Chizuru offered as she began to sauté the chicken on a skillet; Hijikata moved to help her, chopping up the vegetables needed as his mind wandered to the case notes.
"The first victim, Katelyn Parker, had gotten pregnant from a one-night stand while the second, Louise Smith, had gotten an abortion,"
Chizuru nodded along, gesturing for her boyfriend to continue as he added some of the vegetables to the chicken while watching the pasta.
"Grace McKenna and Patricia Harris were both involved with married men while Susan Allen was well-known for being promiscuous; unfortunately I have no idea what sin Ashley Thomas was believed to have committed."
"Do you know if there's a common place where they hung out?"
Hijikata's silence made Chizuru frown, looking over with a worried look; she was stunned when he quickly picked her up and spun her around, kissing her passionately.
"All the victims frequented the same bar where Ashley Thomas worked and I'll bet anything that's where the two unknown victims were last seen; Chizuru, you're a genius!"
Hijikata exclaimed after he moved away from her, a grin on his face as he moved to make a call; Chizuru shook her head, chuckling softly as she removed the pasta and chicken, putting them together on two plate.
"Do you know who the blood comes from?"
"Not yet, we're still waiting for the results."
Hijikata replied, pocketing his phone and moving to grab his plate; he sat down at the island with Chizuru and the two began to eat, focusing the conversation on Chizuru's job after the long discussion around his case.
The sudden sound of the doorbell ringing made Chizuru frown, looking at an equally confused Hijikata, as she moved to answer the door; she checked the peephole before opening the door, where a white box with a blue ribbon was resting on the doorstep.
"Toshizo, did you send me a gift?"
"No…"
Hijikata replied, trailing off; his eyes widened when he saw Chizuru enter with the box in her hands, quickly standing up.
"Don't open that yet."
Hijikata ordered, moving to grab a pair of rubber gloves as Chizuru slowly placed it down on the counter; he moved over to the box, sharing a look with his girlfriend before untying the ribbon and lifting the lid.
"Oh god…!"
Chizuru exclaimed, covering her mouth as she turned away; Hijikata gritted his teeth, lying in the box was a bloody heart lying on a satin pillow with a note and a rose.
"Damn that bastard…!"
Hijikata cursed as he moved to pick up the note and read it aloud, staring at the rose.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Be careful Chizuru,
For I am watching you.
I know, cliffhanger again, but I wanted to keep up the suspense; I promise it will get resolved in the next part so enjoy!
