Author's Note: The cases that will be presented in the story will be somewhat based off on the cases I've seen through detective shows. Note that I am trying to make them as original as possible. If any details seem inconsistent, I apologize.

As for the RokuNami I originally planned for this story, I am not even sure if that will be the case now. It might just be a Namine and Roxas friendship/partnership in the end, since I'm not going to force romance if it'll ruin the story. I'll just see how it turns out as the story progresses.

Again, if you spot any glaring grammar errors, please let me know.

ONE – Prisoner (Part One)

She was unable to meet his gold eyes that were staring intently at her. Nervously chewing on her bottom lip, she heard the wheels of his large black chair roll against the floor. Her eyes gradually fell on him and immediately, she stiffened.

"This is your last warning," he said. "Any more of your reckless and useless attempts, I'll have you thrown out before you can even think of using any of your stupid excuses."

She nodded silently, knowing that Ansem was a force to be reckoned with. To her, it took a whole lot of effort just to converse with the guy. His stoic countenance was like an iron mask, one that he kept on twenty four seven. Not to mention that he was the tallest out of all the males in the department which probably meant that he was at least twice the size of short, little Namine.

Suddenly, the door to his office swung open, and a breath that Namine knew she had been holding left her lips louder than she had intended. Ansem gave her a look before turning his attention to a well-dressed man standing at the doorway.

"We have discovered another victim, sir," the man started. "Similar to the others, she was found with her hands and feet tied. The victim had also been confined in her own home."

"We will start the conference right away," Ansem said.

"Yes sir."

Namine left the office soon after. And as much as she wanted to sit in her office with a hot cup of coffee, she knew that it would be in her best interest to not be late for the conference. But...a quick drink for the walk there wouldn't hurt, right? The rookie stopped in front of a vending machine, flipping a coin with her right hand as she quickly debated on a drink. She inserted her coin and just as she was about to press the button, a drink had already been dispensed.

"I don't think now is the best time for a coffee break, Mimi."

Namine sighed at the male voice that she knew all too well. Demyx, her outgoing cousin, was standing beside her now with a bottle of pop in his hand. His smile widened as he caught her glaring at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What's wrong? Got lectured by Mr. Big Bad Wolf again?" he continued.

"Shut up," Namine snapped, brushing past him.

"Whoa, someone's not in a very good mood today." Demyx snickered as he fell into step with her.

"Do I look like I'm ever in the mood?"

"No, not really," Demyx grinned. "Usually you look like you just got out of bed. Scary, lifeless, total freak show."

Namine playfully shoved him into a wall just as the rest of the crew members came around the corner. Axel laughed upon noticing the pitiful look on Demyx's face as the latter rubbed his bare arm that he thought would snap if Namine had pushed him any harder. Xion chuckled after greeting the cousins politely and as for Roxas, he simply rolled his eyes, unable to believe their level of childishness.

"Hey, you survived the wrath of Ansem once again! Congratulations! I think this must be a record," Axel said, nudging Namine's side.

"No, I already died a million times inside," she mumbled.

"I'm surprised he hasn't fired you yet," Roxas said bluntly, and Namine shot him only a half-hearted glare since she had been wondering the same thing herself.

Demyx opened the bottle and chugged half of the drink. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned at his friends, "So, what was up with that last case you guys dealt with? Let me in on the juicy details!"

"There wasn't anything 'juicy' about it," Xion said quietly, "Just an average guy with a very delusional mind."

Demyx chuckled softly, "Like always?"

"Like always," the four said in unison.

"But why did he shoot his victims in the throat though?" Xion questioned aloud.

Roxas was the first to answer, "Think of it as a trademark."

Xion nodded, "Fair enough."

As soon as the quintet was standing in front of the large double doors, Axel pushed it open and revealed a bunch of officers seated at the desks. They quietly stepped in and took their respective seats at their table before the conference officially began.

"Today, at approximately four o clock, twenty four year old Melissa Ross was found dead in her home...like all of the recent victims," a man began. "As of now, the killer's motives are currently unknown, but his preferable method of killing seems to be strangling his victims."

Namine slowly flipped through the pictures in her hand. The first picture had been Melissa Ross, eyes covered by duct tape and face full of bruises. Her fingernails were extremely dirty, and her hands and feet were bounded by a rope. She was lying on her stomach, half exposed, and as Namine came across the close up of her face, the first thing she noticed was the thick line that looked like a stretched bruise around her neck.

The second picture was the second victim, Bob Moore, a middle aged man who was found in his bathroom, head submerged in a tub of tainted water. Like the other victims, his hands and feet were bound with a rope. What struck Namine as odd was that he was dressed in nothing but boxers and his body was dry and completely unscathed. Though the cause of death could be drowning, the autopsy said otherwise. The man had first been strangled to death before found in that position.

The last picture was of Hana Reeve, a college student who, similar to the most recent victim, had her eyes covered by duct tape. There were no signs of abuse on her face or upper body, but her legs were littered with scars, fresh and old, and her fingernails were only slightly dirty in comparison with the other female victim. She had been found on the sofa, knees bent, hands tied and behind her, and facing the window. Again, like all of the other deceased, she had been strangled to death.

Namine put down the photos and propped both of her arms on the table, her hands cupping her face.

"What is your outlook on this case?" the man asked, snapping Namine out of her thoughts as she quickly glanced upwards. The sophisticated looking man was looking at their table, his gaze landing on each of the members.

Roxas stood up. "We did a quick sweep of the three crime scenes," Namine snapped her head in his direction. Since when? "–and there had been no signs of forced entry. Therefore, it is probable that the person responsible was acquainted with all of the deceased.

"It is hard to believe that they had been confined for seven days in their home without grabbing anyone's attention. Therefore, we can assume that he may have had a close relationship with their neighbors as well," Axel added.

"I want the four of you to go do a thorough investigation at the most recent crime scene. We already have another group investigating at another as of this moment." Ansem said. "Find out what you can and report back ASAP."

"Yes sir!"

Demyx leaned towards his cousin. "No fair. Even though you've been getting on Mr. Wolf's nerves, you still get to go out to the scenes," he whispered.

"You're the tech guy remember, Demyx?" Namine smirked. "Besides, you're not fit for the outside world."

Demyx scowled, "Shut up, you."

7:09 pm. Twilight City Southwest

Xion pinched her nose, "Ugh, it reeks in here."

"Tell me about it," Axel agreed.

Namine was the last to enter Melissa Ross's large house. The former's brows scrunched together as she inhaled the nasty scent that polluted the entire household. It smelt like rotten eggs and other trash that should had been disposed a while back.

"Someone didn't do a very good job of cleaning," Namine said, pinching her nose.

"I'll take the living room," Axel informed. "One of you can take the kitchen and two of you take the upstairs."

Roxas frowned. He wasn't one to follow orders. In fact, it annoyed him greatly when he was being ordered by someone other than Ansem, and surely Axel knew that well as they had been partners and friends ever since they entered the department together. Out of the corner of Roxas's eye, he saw Axel grin mischievously before heading towards his said destination.

"Namine and I will take the upstairs, and you can take the kitchen, Xion," Roxas said.

Xion nodded and instantly, they parted ways.

The first room they entered was the master bedroom. They ducked underneath the yellow police tape and stood near the doorway, carefully examining the crime scene. The sheets on the bed were messy and stained with droplets of blood. Surprisingly, the carpet was relatively clean despite the sloppy room. Clothes were strewn about and some of the drawers of the dresser had been opened but never closed.

"She must have been here majority of the time," Namine said.

"But why the master bedroom?" Roxas muttered. "If I was the murderer, I would keep my victim someplace small."

Slipping on a pair of white gloves, Namine entered a large walk-in closet located at the far, left corner of the room next to the bathroom.

"Gosh, she really liked to go shopping. It's like a jungle in here."

Roxas followed Namine inside. The latter was flipping through clothes, all of them free of stains.

"I guess she would be what you would call a 'fashionista'," Roxas said.

Namine gave Roxas a look, "I'm surprised you even know of the term."

Roxas rolled his eyes, "I've heard enough of your disturbing conversations with Xion to figure it out myself."

"Excuse me? They were far from what anyone would call disturbing," Namine scowled. "It's called 'girl talk', genius."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Roxas said sarcastically.

Namine bent over upon noticing a piece of rope lying on the floor. The knot was still in place but the rope had been severed by a sharp object – possibly a knife? However, that wasn't what caught the rookie's attention.

"Roxas, come over here," she called.

"Found something?"

Namine pointed to the rope, "Do you notice anything odd about this?"

Roxas leaned downwards. "The direction's different," he said quietly.

"Exactly," Namine said quietly, "he didn't tie this. She did."

Roxas's brows furrowed. "Did you bring the photos with you?"

Namine bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "Was I supposed to?"

Roxas sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Did you not think that we would be comparing the crime scenes at all?"

"Alright, I get it," Namine muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roxas mutter something incoherent to her. Frustrated, she snapped loudly, "I get it! I'm just stupid. Are you happy now?"

"I never said anything like that."

"You did a month ago," she mumbled.

Roxas stood up and pushed past her. "I don't have time for this. If you're going to get pissed over something completely irrelevant to the case, I suggest you pack your bags and head on home."

She watched as her 'arch-nemesis' stalked out the door towards the adjacent room. She hated getting upset over something so small, but words would spill from her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. It was like her second nature to talk back, and perhaps it was because of that that she was stuck with the title 'problematic child' given to her by her loving parents.

The walls in the adjacent room were littered with colorful paintings. It was much cleaner in comparison to the master bedroom. The blankets were neatly folded and the clothes inside the dressers and closets had not been touched.

Roxas walked towards a closed window. He reached for the blinds and pushed one downwards but instead of seeing the outdoors, he saw nothing but a blotch of red. He opened the blinds and pulled them upwards, and what he saw sent an unexpected shiver down his spine.

"Did you find—" Namine looked up and stopped, her eyes widening as she read the words on the window.

"Why didn't the neighbours see this?" Roxas asked aloud to himself.

In two swift strides, Namine was by his side. She turned towards the window, and her insides grew cold as she re-read the two words written in red on the window: HELP ME.

"The kids were always up to no good. One second they are like angels and the next they're running around screaming their heads off."

"Isn't it like that with all children?" Axel asked, his eyes once again landing on the face of the neighbour who lived across from the most recent victim.

"I always hear complaints about them," the woman went on, "Especially from…from Melissa." She choked on her words and for the first time, avoided eye contact with the investigators. Guess the news of Melissa's death was finally sinking in.

"Did Melissa always have visitors over? Friends? Family? Coworkers?"

The middle aged woman shook her head, "Not that I know of. Melissa's a very reserved person. She's not the type to throw wild parties in the middle of the night like some people I know. If she's not at work, she's at home, taking care of the children."

"Have you ever been invited over?"

The woman looked baffled, "Of-of course! That's how I know that most of her children are complete demons!"

"Would you mind elaborating a little more on that statement?" Xion spoke for the first time. Axel glanced at the obsidian haired girl standing beside him before the woman spoke again.

"They were disrespectful. But nowadays, that's how most teenagers are. They drew all over the windows and would sometimes write such inappropriate words!"

"I believe she also had a son around six years old?"

The woman nodded, "Rather quiet for a youngster." She looked up at the vandalized window. "In fact, that was his bedroom right there."

"And you didn't find that strange?" Axel asked.

"I just thought that the older ones were up to no good," the woman said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I never thought…"

Xion's gaze softened but Axel's stoic countenance remained unchanged.

The two investigators thanked the woman for her time and walked back to the black car sitting in front of the small house. As Axel buckled up, Xion stepped into the passenger seat and shut the door. Axel started up the engine as Xion noticed the look of worry etched onto the former's face.

"I know what you're thinking," she said softly.

"And I bet you're thinking the same thing."

They looked at each other, the same question popping in their minds: Where were the children now?

They were all gathered in a large conference room, all seven of them. It was silent except for the sound of a pencil tapping continuously on the round, light brown table.

"We've got no leads, no nothing," a low voice said, slapping papers onto the table and a couple of eyes landed on the man. His gold eyes swept the room, glancing at every single worried and annoyed face.

"What we do know, however," Xion started, "They all had children. At least, there were children involved in each case."

Roxas had his elbows propped on the table, his hands entwined and chin resting on his thumbs. His gaze was on pictures littered across the table as if mesmerized by them. Namine, who sat across from him, took a glimpse at the male blond and then at the photographs.

The most recent victim, Melissa Ross, had three kids: a fourteen year old boy, a twelve year old girl, and a six year old boy. It was also recently discovered that she had been a single mother for almost five years now. According to reports, ever since Melissa's death, they were never spotted at the house and no one had anyone filed in a report of missing children as they all assumed they had relocated to a relative's place.

The first victim, Hana Reeve, had a sixteen year old girl who had been staying with her. As of now, it was difficult to discern whether the girl was a relative or not. However, she had vanished before Hana's death. It was reported that the teen was last seen at school and was heading home after volleyball tryouts before she disappeared. The investigators managed to piece together that the child who had been reported missing a month ago was the same girl residing with Hana Reeve.

The second victim, Bob Moore, was a single father with twins. Both were boys and would be moving on to middle school once the year was over. According to neighbours, the boys were obedient and even did odd jobs around the neighbourhood. Some thought that they had gone to live with relatives after Bob's death, but others thought they had seen one of them down by the ravine in some tall grass.

"Why would they take them? If money is their goal, we should have received calls by now," another man said, and a soft sigh escaped his pale pink lips.

There was a long silence before anyone spoke.

"Did you go down to the ravine?" Axel asked, now looking at the other group of investigators in their field.

"Where the boy was spotted?" one said as he glanced at Axel, though it was only with his left eye as the other was covered by his steel-blue tresses.

Axel nodded.

"We did," the other answered. "We didn't find anything suspicious. But there are traces that someone had been there. Some of the grass had been flattened."

"Perhaps it was the kid," Namine suggested. "Maybe he escaped and is hiding somewhere?"

"Well if he is, I would like to know why he won't come to the police.

"Maybe he's just scared," Xion said softly.

Roxas narrowed his eyes, "We're only making assumptions. We don't even know if it was the kid or not…or if he's even alive for that matter."

"Well, we do know that whoever is responsible is targeting households with children," Axel said.

"He doesn't have any accomplices either," Namine added.

"And how are you so sure?" a woman with a heavy British accent spat out rudely.

The rookie stiffened. She had never been fond of the third female out of the sea of males in the field. Her attitude was in dire need of fine tuning and her constant glares made one uncomfortable and intimidated. She, in Namine's eyes, was just like Ansem – a force to be reckoned with.

"Since the victims so far lived alone, the criminal is probably incapable of targeting families," Namine said, ignoring the woman's low scoff.

"Even if he was equipped with a gun or some kind of weapon?" Roxas asked, giving her his attention for the first time ever since the meeting started.

"He probably has low self-confidence," she continued. "Either that or he thinks he isn't strong enough if they were to fight back."

"So his job wouldn't involve any intense physical labor, huh?" Axel said, "Or maybe none at all."

Namine nodded, "I would assume so."

A male lightly slapped his hand on the table, "Well, if that's the case, then I have a good idea who it might be." All eyes were on him as he continued, "Heard from a nearby neighbor from Bob's neighborhood that a salesman would usually be found wandering around the area. Perhaps it's not some colleague or friend we're looking for here."

"If he was a salesman, they could have easily let him in," Xion added.

Roxas stood up. "We'll ask around if a salesman has been spotted in the area the other victims have been found in," he said, his eyes landing on Namine.

Namine looked from side to side and pointed to herself. "Me?"

"Who else?" Axel smirked.

The rookie reluctantly stood up. "We'll be expecting a report soon, Roxas," Demyx chimed in, "Don't keep Mimi too long!"

Namine's cheeks instantly colored as she heard a couple of snickers from her colleagues. "Don't call me that," she muttered, glaring at him.

"Let's go, Namine." Roxas's commanding voice made Namine snap her head in his direction. She nodded and quickly trailed behind him as he left the room in a hurry.

Other than the quiet music coming from the radio and the rain drops splattering against the glass, it was silent. The car rolled to a stop in front of a red stoplight and Namine took a quick peek at the male blond sitting beside her.

"Something on your mind?" Roxas asked suddenly, startling her.

"Uh...no, nothing," she said awkwardly.

There was another long silence. As the light flashed green, Namine turned her head to the window, watching the pedestrians with their multicolored umbrellas.

"Just spit it out," Roxas said suddenly as he shifted the gears and lightly pressed the gas pedal. The car started to move and gradually sped up as it passed the green light.

Namine shifted uncomfortably, "Why…why did you choose me to come with you?"

Roxas's eyebrow rose, "That's it?" he said, almost mockingly.

Namine blushed from embarrassment, "I'm serious!"

Roxas was silent, but anyone could see that he was suppressing a smile that was dangerously close to showing.

"You asked me if something was on my mind, and I told you. And now you're not going to answer me?" Namine muttered angrily.

"I just didn't know it was something so stupid."

Namine shot him a glare. "Excuse me? How is that stupid? I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be with someone I don't like."

"I never said I didn't like you."

The sudden and unexpected comment from Roxas made her turn towards him. His eyes were still on the road, but he could feel her stare on him and a smirk unknowingly spread across his face.

"What?" she said dumbly.

"What?" Roxas repeated mockingly.

Namine scowled, "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

She frowned and faced forward, crossing her arms across her chest, not hearing the barely audible snicker from the amused blond beside her.