Chapter 1:
Chihiro looked around excitedly. She turned a corner, looking up and down each building. All the buildings were tall and looked the same, uninteresting. Come on, where is it, Chihiro was getting frustrated. She turned one more corner and looked up. There it was. It was a small office, on the second story of a small building structure. A fire escape ran down the side as an entrance for the second story. It was an old building, one of the only ones left with a fire escape, but it was her office now. Quickly, but carefully, Chihiro made her way up the stairs. At the top, she reached into her pocket, pulled out an old key and unlocked the door. Slowly, she turned the knob and peered inside the old building. Whoever owned the old office last had left all the furniture in place. Sheets covered a small couch, a desk and a bookshelf, with a fine layer of dust over the whole room. Chihiro walked in, gently closing and locking the door behind her. She pulled open the drapes and peered through the window. It overlooked a quiet street. Few people walked around, and those that did all avoided eye contact. Quiet, and low chances of anyone bothering her. The perfect place for Chihiro to operate her business. She yanked the sheet off of the couch and sat down.
Chihiro Ogino was a detective. She had moved from Japan to America when she was 14. Her family had consisted of her and her parents. They were loving parents, who were always there for her. While Chihiro she was out with friends, her parents died in an accident. She was only 16. When she closed her eyes, she could still remember the conversation with the police that called her that day.
Chihiro's phone rang. Surprised, she answered the call. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Chihiro Ogino?" an unknown voice answered on the opposite end.
"Umm, yes it is… May I ask who this is?"
"Hi Chihiro, this is the Los Angeles Police Department. We are sorry to inform you that your parents have died in an accident. We are very sorry for your-" Chihiro couldn't hear the rest. Blood pounded through her head, filling her ears with the roar. Before her friends could react, she was running out the door and taking a cab back home.
It was raining. The streets were crowded with bystanders who wanted to know what happened. Police cars filled the streets, circling around one area and keeping people out of their way. Chihiro ran through the crowd, ignoring the rain and the people. She pushed through, struggling to find a way into the center of the accident. Then, she saw it. The blood. The rain was washing it down the streets, but the vivid red was still burning across the street. The world stopped. Everything slowed down. "MOM, DAD!"
Chihiro shoved against the police officers that tried to hold her back. "Let me go, those are my parents!"
"Let her through!" A deep, rough voice stopped Chihiro's screams. A man walked over to the skirmish. He had a scar over his right eye and he wore a brown trench coat. He held a cigarette in his mouth, but it wasn't lit. Chihiro jerked her arm out of the officer's hand and stared at the man. He was tall, looming over her. His thick jaw was fixed and looked like it was stuck in a permanent scowl. Chihiro glanced at his police badge that he held out to her. Jones. Legendary police detective Lewis Jones. He had solved more crimes than all the police departments combined. Chihiro couldn't breath. How could such a famous and intelligent detective rule out her parent's death as an accident? Was that really what it was? Chihiro ran towards her parents and dropped to her knees by their side. Their bodies were soaked with blood and rainwater. Their eyes were open and staring straight into the sky, yet they saw nothing. Chihiro reached out a shaky hand and touched her mother's hand. It was ice cold. A broken sob broke through Chihiro's mouth. Her hands were red with the blood on the streets. Tears streamed down her face.
"How, how did this happen?" Chihiro sobbed, her voice coming out nothing more than a whisper.
Detective Jones looked down at her, then barked out "Sayaka!"
A girl who didn't look much older than Chihiro scurried out of a police car. She was holding folders that were overflowing with papers. "Yes sir!" she yelped. "Ichiyuko and Akiichiro Ogino, cause of death, exsanguination, sir… Heavy blood loss through a wound in their-"
"That's enough!" The officer named Sayaka jumped and froze. Jones knelt besides Chihiro and put his coat over her shoulders. Chihiro shivered. She didn't realize how cold she was until she felt the warmth of the coat. Her body shook with sorrow and cold. Jones stood and started giving commands to his men. Sayaka stood by Chihiro, then knelt besides her. She wrapped a comforting arm around the orphaned girl's shaking shoulders. On that rainy day, Chihiro cried her heart out in the arms of a new friend.
A few days after her parent's death, Chihiro went to the police department to claim their bodies. She had time to clear her head and wonder… why did Detective Jones stop Sayaka from revealing where her parent's injuries were? Did it have something to do with why he was so quick to call it an accident? She walked into the morgue and saw Sayaka standing by the coffins. Detective Jones stood close by, keeping a close eye on Sayaka. Why? Chihiro was more confused than ever. Sayaka looked up as Chihiro approached her. She shoved two folders towards Chihiro and quickly walked away. Jones squinted at the folders, then followed Sayaka through the office. Chihiro looked after her in confusion, then looked in the contents of the folder. It was her parent's autopsy report. Glancing through the pages, Chihiro stopped at the page that stated cause of death. She skimmed the report and froze. The report stated that her parents had died from blood loss through a wound on their chests. The streets were clear, with nothing to cause those injuries. A chill went down her spine. Chihiro whipped her head up. Jones was staring right at her. Slowly, he brought his right index finger up to his lips. They looked at each other from across the room. Cautiously, Chihiro turned and walked out of the building. As soon as she got out, she ran. There was no way their deaths were accidents. Nothing could've caused those injuries. Yet they all called it an accident. But she wouldn't allow it. She would prove it wasn't an accident.
Knock knock knock. Chihiro jerked awake. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep. It had gotten dark, and moonlight streamed through the window. Knock knock knock. The knocking continued, this time sounding more impatient. Stretching, Chihiro muttered "Coming" and got up. She yawned as she walked towards the door, but then froze. No one knew she had an office yet, and no one knew what type of business she did. Slowly, Chihiro reached towards her belt, her hand brushing against a gun. She had gotten a gun and taken self-defense classes after her parent's death. Since she was alone, she needed a new way to protect herself, and training was the best way to stay fit and feel safe. She reached for the door handle, one hand ready at her gun. Knock knock kn- Chihiro yanked open the door, and froze with her weapon pointed at a familiar face.