Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat!

Thanks to Elfnftzu for beta-reading. He was a victim to my forever-changing-mind in writing (lol) as I sent him a second version of this chapter AFTER he was finished with the first one, meaning more works for him. *bow*

Interficere: Yes I'd done some researches. But I imagined the scene myself. My imagination is good in this particular area lol. (and only for this area...*sigh*)

Serina: I read them too. They're one of my favorites!

Chapter 2

Friday, 2030 hours.

Kyoko tucked herself in her home office to study the case files. After hitting so many dead ends, she'd decided to start from the very beginning. Fresh.

She brought up the information on Izumi Mai and narrowed her eyes as the data flashed onto the screen of her computer.

Her father was Izumi Masaki, the president and CEO of Izumi Corporate. It was a leading industrial enterprise with diverse and global interest in automotive. The company had expanded beyond Japan. It has international presence in Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and United States. The estimated gross worth was eleven-point-nine-billion.

She lifted a brow. Could it be a part of the conspiracy to destroy the company from a rival?

Unlikely, she mused. If that was the case, it would have been better to go for the president. It was more direct and the result would be quick and beneficial since the share was likely to drop.

Her mother, on the other hand, was a housewife. She had her own social circle but did not seem like the outgoing type. And she'd been remarried to County Commissioner Tozawa Yasuo three years after her divorce, while her ex-husband remained single.

Kyoko sighed. Looks like she needed to play politics in this, and she did not have the slightest interest to do so.

Pushing the thought aside, she continued.

Izumi Mai debuted last year, 2018, at the age of twenty-one, as a model. Kyoko called up visual and the victim's face was brought up on the screen immediately. She was young and pretty, with flaming red hair, rosy cheeks and a pair of brown eyes. She'd participated in a few fashion shows, photo shoots, commercials, and acted in a drama with Tsuruga Ren, albeit not the protagonist.

Tsuruga Ren…What's your connection in this?

She read the reports again and picked them apart, looking for holes that she'd missed. She took out a paper and wrote a To-Do List.

Interview Tsuruga Ren

Interview the neighbors (witnesses?)

Revisit the crime scene

Trace evidences

Look for more connections (Family/Friends/Enemies?)

Have an appointment with—— — —

She was almost done when her desk-communicator blipped. She glanced up and heard her commanding officer's voice filled the room.

"Lieutenant."

"Commander." She straightened her sitting posture even though she can't be seen.

"I'm sorry to disturb you outside of working hours." The apologetic tone in Sawara Takenori's voice was clear.

"No, sir. It's alright."

"Tomorrow there will be a meeting in my office, with the Chief, at eight o'clock." He paused. "The parents would be there to meet you, and the Commissioner too."

She rubbed her eyes resignedly. Should have seen this coming.

"Lieutenant, there's also a press conference scheduled at nine, in front of the building. You'll be briefed"

"A press conference, sir?" She asked, confused.

"Yes. The Chief and I will be there too. Izumi Mai was a public figure and her death had caused an uproar. The media had asked to speak with the primary." He said calmly.

She frowned. "Yes, sir. I'll be there on time."

"Good."

And there was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Off duty, Kyoko-san. For God's sake get some rest. You sound like one that'd been ran over by a car."

She stared at the communicator, stunned by his remark. "I—I'm very sorry, sir. Bu—"

"I said off duty, Kyoko-san. I'm not the Commander now. This case came to you almost immediately after your previous one. You need to rest."

"I—I hadn't have the time." She stammered.

"Well, then make time."

"I—"

"It's an order, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

When the transmission clicked off, she just simply sat there and stared at it, wondering what to do.

As a police, she would follow the "order", but deep inside, her heart was warmed by the concern that had been shown to her. Sawara Takenori was one of the cops who'd helped to bring her family justice. He'd been kind to her, a child who was left with nothing. For that, she would be grateful and remember it for the rest of her life.

Smiling, she rose to head toward her bedroom. The previous case was complicated, leaving her in exhaustion and the dream hadn't been kind to her.

The moment her head hit the pillow, she was engulfed by the darkness.

Saturday, 0730 hours.

She swung by the morgue before heading to the station since it was just a stone's throw away. The morning air was cold and misty but the morgue was colder. The stench of death hung in the air, like thick clouds would on a rainy day, mixing with the smell of detergents. It was unpleasant, one of the things she couldn't get used to despite being in the force for six years.

Amamiya Chiori was waiting for her.

"Morning, sir." She smiled.

"Morning. So how's the cross-check?" She said, walking through the entrance.

"Hmm…Izumi Mai's name didn't pop, so I focused on the killer. I'd gathered the list of names across the country and eliminated females, elders and teenagers. Which got me down to…thirty-eight names."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "We need something better than that. If luck's on our side, then perhaps we will find him among those names. But if it was our victim who bought the candles using cash, then it's a waste of time."

"Yes. But I have a feeling that it was the killer who bought them. I mean…it was a ceremony—"

"We're not sure of that."

"But it looked that way, right? So if we follow this assumption, then he would be the one who bought them because he needed those. He needed the candles to complete the ceremony or ritual. The theory of him finding the candles in the suite coincidentally is too…opportunistic." Chiori said.

"Good. Give me those names later and we'll do another round of elimination." She scanned her ID.

"Yes, sir."

The door opened and she walked in to find Fuwa Sho removing a liver from a male body.

"Oh god, I haven't had my breakfast yet." Chiori gasped.

As for Kyoko, she stood her ground, although the sight in front of her was a little off-putting. It was another thing that she had never felt comfortable with. "Me neither."

Once again, she wondered why Fuwa had chosen this job.

"Liver belongs in the body, Fuwa Shotaro."

The man glanced up and glared at her behind the protective goggles which Kyoko deciphered as It's Fuwa Sho, you idiot.

"And Homicide cops belong in the station."

She gave a nonchalant shrug and walked over to lean against the sink.

"I want your take on the unidentified chemical."

Sho took off the gloves and washed his hands. "It's still undergoing analysis processing."

"I know. But the result would be slow. And I have a meeting with the Chief and Commander at eight. I need something."

Pushing up the goggles, he spoke, "Well, based on the report, it consists of three types of drugs. My take on it would be: Ecstasy, PCP and a very small amount of Toprol."

Kyoko frowned. "Wouldn't that be…deadly?"

"Not if it's in a controlled amount."

"Two of them are illegals." Chiori commented.

Sho nodded. "Yes. Ecstasy is a semi-synthetic psychedelic entactigen of the—".

"Human, Fuwa. Explain in human language." Kyoko's interrupted.

Sho crossed his hands. "That is your problem, woman, for your lack of knowledge in the chemical field."

"I'm a cop, Fuwa Shotaro. My job is to find out who did this. Not bumping my head into some weird incomprehensible chemical words."

His eyes flashed with annoyance. "You—"

"Hey, hey. Meeting at eight, remember?" She paused. "Sir?" Chiori's eyes drifted nervously between the two of them. Her partner was never in-tune with the handsome blond and they seemed to share a mutual dislike for each other.

And now this, she rolled her eyes, a childish debate over an explanation. She had to wonder why.

Surprisingly, the blond gave in first.

"Fine. I've got works to do too. Ecstasy is one of the common club drugs, heightens one's senses of feeling, elevates the pulses and often used with sex. On the other hand, phencyclidine, PCP, is a dissociative drug, commonly known as Angel Dust. It has potent effects on the nervous system, causing individuals to have confused thinking, delusions, become detached and animated."

"Since those two were used to increase her heart rate, Toprol was used to balance the speed and pressure. It is a legal, over-the-counter type, commonly used in sleeping pill. With these three drugs together under the correct composition, the girl would be very weak, but conscious."

"Sleeping pill, you said. So there could be other substance other than Toprol, right?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes, that's a possibility. But my bet is on Toprol. It's stronger than the others, enough to keep down Ecstasy and PCP.

"Alright." She checked her watch. Seven-fifty. Just nice.

"Thank you for you time, doctor." She said mockingly whilst walking toward the door with Amamiya.

"I suggest you take the heart out from Mr. Body and put it in yours." She paused. "Since you have none."

With that, she walked out the door with a grin on her face.

She won.

0800 hours.

She and her partner were sitting in the Commander's office when the Commissioner and Izumi Mai's parents arrived.

"Good morning, Commissioner, Izumi-san, Tozawa-san." Takarada Lory gestured to the three of them. "I believe you'd met Commander Sawara Takenori. This is Lieutenant Mogami Kyoko and her partner, Detective Amamiya Chiori. They are heading the investigation of your daughter. I am very sorry for your loss."

The woman rushed forward and gripped Kyoko's hands. "Please find the monster who did this to my daughter." Her grip hardened. "Please."

Kyoko looked at the woman, and all she saw was a grieving mother. Her skin was pale and her eyes were puffy and full of tears.

"I will find out who did this, Tozawa-san. I will. Please sit down." She led the woman to one of the guest chairs and signaled to Amamiya for water.

"I—I talked to her on that night." Tozawa Itsumi's voice quavered. "Before she attended the dinner. She was so happy, so excited."

"Did she talk to you about who was she having the dinner with?"

"No…Not really. She said it was going to be a surprise. She said it was perfect, it was all she ever hoped for. And I told her to tell me all the details on the next day." Her eyes swirled with disbelief and grief. "We were going to meet in the morning, the next day. She was coming to our house. She—She—" Her voice hitched. "She never made it."

Tozawa Yasuo sat beside his wife and draped an arm around her trembling shoulders.

"She was a good girl. We—We shouldn't have let her moved out. We shouldn't—"

Yasuo took his wife's hand and gripped it tightly. "Itsumi."

Her lips trembled. "It was our fault. We left her. We left her alone."

"No." Kyoko reached forward to her. "No, Tozawa-san. It's not your fault. You're not responsible for this, the man who did this is. I'm going to find him and you can help me."

"…How?" Grief and guilt burned in her eyes.

"By telling us what you know about your daughter. It would be useful."

Itsumi looked up to her husband for support, and nodded. "Yes…Yes I will. I will do that."

She started to ask questions. And from the corner of her eyes, she saw the Chief and Commander talking to the girl's biological father, Izumi Masaki. She heard they'd been closed.

A man who lost his daughter, she thought.

She'd promised to find the killer, but it would never be enough. Their daughter won't come back, and they have to live with the grief for the rest of their lives.

Itsumi broke down again after all the questioning and Kyoko had Chiori lead her out for fresh air.

Izumi Masaki walked over to stand in front of Kyoko. His face was solemn.

"What have you done to find the man who had killed my daughter?" He demanded. He was a well built man about six-four, his hair was dark with a hint of grey, his eyes were brown, and she could see grief and anger in them.

Yasuo patted a hand on his shoulder. "Masaki, it's not—"

"What progress have you made?" He pinned his gaze on her.

Meeting his eyes, she stood up and spoke. "We're currently gathering evidence and interviewing the residents of the building. We have a list of names of those who'd purchased one of the evidences. We're doing crosscheck with others she met before the incident."

Before he could form a reply, the Commissioner intervened. "You have to let them do their jobs, Masaki. It's the only way to help Mai."

His eyes swamped with tears the moment his daughter's name was mentioned. "I—I'm sorry. I'll be going." With his hand pressed onto his eyes, he turned and headed for the door.

"Commander." Tozawa Yasuo's voice was stern and cool. He was more composed than Izumi Masaki. "I believe in your confidence in your officers, I hope I'm not wrong."

He turned to Kyoko. "Lieutenant, I hope my belief in your capability and tenacity would not be gone to waste. Please bring her killer to justice. And Chief Takarada, I'll expect the current and future data on the investigation later. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. We appreciate it."

"What?" Kyoko asked her superiors in surprise when Yasuo shut the door behind him. Takenori's face was puzzled and Lory had a grim expression on him.

"The data on the investigation? To him? ...Sir?" She asked again. Takarada Lory was the Chief of Police for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He was solid and those fourteen years off the field hadn't taken away the cop in him. He certainly wasn't one of those who would give in easily.

"Politics, Lieutenant, is always a pain. He is the Commissioner, and a powerful one. If you don't oblige, the chances of the case being snatched away from you is pretty high. I'm sure you don't want that."

When Kyoko nodded, he continued with a wicked smile. "And besides, His Honor the Commissioner did not mention "all" data to be presented, wasn't it? Therefore, my dear Lieutenant, I'm sure you'll know what to do."

She nodded again with a smile of her own. "Of course, Chief Takarada. I won't disappoint you."

Takenori checked his watch, and said, "The press conference is starting in ten minutes, let's go." Kyoko gathered her data and headed for the door with her superiors.

"Kyoko-chan." She jolted when Lory suddenly spoke from behind her.

"Maria had been complaining for a long time now about not seeing you. She missed her big sister very much."

Kyoko turned, embarrassed. "Ah—I was tied up during the previous case. I will—"

"There's a party tomorrow at my house, Kyoko-chan. Amamiya is invited too. Be sure to attend."

She smiled. Happiness lurched through her at the thought of seeing her little sister. She'd missed her, too.

"I'll be there."

0925 hours.

Lieutenant Mogami Kyoko let out a frustrated sigh in her car. Her mood was dreadful, awful, terrific, horrible, atrocious, gha—

Okay, it was bad. Very bad.

Well, she doubted that anyone could be calm and cheerful after twenty minutes of torture.

She hated press conferences.

Seriously, she should be in the field interviewing those residents, instead of standing in front of a bunch of never-stop-asking-why media reporters, leaving her partner to do the work all by herself.

She took out her cell phone.

"Amamiya, is the interview done?" She asked, feeling sorry for Chiori.

"Hmm…I need another twenty minutes."

"Alright. I'm meeting Doctor Woods later so I may be late. And Amamiya…" She gave a dramatic pause.

"Yes?"

"Please call Tsuruga Ren's manager for an appointment. We're meeting him today."

And she shut the phone call before her partner could blast her ear with her excited squeak.

0935 hours, Tokyo Building.

Doctor Jelly Woods was one of the most prestigious psychiatrist in the whole country. She was a prodigy and known as "The Witch" in the world of psychology. One simple conversation with her and she would have you confessing the things that you were hiding in the darkest corner of your heart. For Kyoko, she was both respectful and intimidating in that particular area.

It wasn't so much of a shock now to see her after their first meeting on a few years back. She was a pretty but unbelievably petite woman in her late thirties, with the forever-changing hairstyle and her big, round, emerald green eyes that showed understanding. She was also an outgoing and flamboyant woman, dressed in style and always seemed to have a lot of energy in her.

Most importantly, she was a friend Kyoko never thought she could have.

But now, at this very moment, the department's criminal profiler was scowling at her with a hand on her hips.

"Kyoko-chan! I haven't seen you for such a long time! How could you not answer my calls? How could you?" Jelly ranted as she continued scowling.

"—Ah! My phone was crushed during the previous case, it was destroyed …completely." Kyoko looked at her and blinked.

"You. Could. Have. Given. Me. The. New. Number." She was glaring now.

"I—um—"

"You'd forgotten." She sighed when Kyoko blushed in embarrassment at being caught.

"That aside. You're going to the party at darling's house tomorrow, right?"

And not to mention the weird but hilarious relationship between the doctor and the Chief of Police. They had been like that even before Kyoko knew them. She could not comprehend it at all.

"I'm going."

"Good. So, is this about the recent case? I'd seen you on the news just now." Jelly resumed to her seat behind the desk. Business-mode.

"Yes " Kyoko handed a file to her and she began reading.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. "Angry but smart; meticulous and cautious. A throat wound this deep required anger. He did it face-to-face. He needed to see the life being drained away from her, it was important to him, like a symbol. He was angry with her for something, perhaps a revenge. But at this stage I could not say if the anger was directed only to her or to all women. And I believe his use of white candles wasn't accidental. He planned it out, and took into account every detail."

"Ritual killing?"

"No. I don't believe I'd seen this type of ritual. But it was indeed a ceremony from his perspective. The white candles meant something to him. White represented purity, he may used them in a sarcastic way to state the girl wasn't pure anymore. And he had patience, he knew the victim, took his time to make out her habits, hobbies and routines. He chose her, targeted her specifically."

"He raped her."

Jelly nodded. "When she was under the influence of drugs, unable to fight back. He had sex with her to degrade her status. If the hatred was directed to all women, I would say the perpetrator had an unpleasant past experience with women, probably female figure of authority, since the victim was a high profile public figure. And he wouldn't be able to maintain a long term, intimate relationship with a woman."

"But there wasn't any forced entry. The victim let him in voluntarily, she knew him, trusted him enough to open the door for him. Based on my meeting with the parents, she was cautious. He must had developed a relationship with her, in order for her to do that."

Jelly folded her hands on the table. "Temporary, I would say. I bet he's not bad looking, perhaps a real charmer. The victim was always surrounded by artists, models, producers. The people of fame. Yet he was able to blend into the environment, approached her, and tricked her into believing him romantically. As I said, he had patience. He was capable of doing that."

"So, from what you see, do you think he'd done it before?"

"Very likely. The wound was precise, he'd practiced. The scene was nicely staged. From the position of the victim, the lightning, to the candles. He was calm, knew what he was doing, and took pride in his work, displaying her like that."

"I'll look at similar crimes. He's not stupid, so I think he didn't start from Tokyo, had to be somewhere else."

"Agreed. And Kyoko-chan, it was not his first, and it won't be the last."

"I know." She stood up and bowed. "Thank you for your time, Jelly-san. I'm going to fetch Amamiya."

Jelly rose and went to hug her briefly. The memory of their first meeting washed through her head. This poor girl was broken at that time, helpless and alone. Although it took her a great deal of time to convince her into accepting the world again, it was worth it.

She looked into Kyoko's golden eyes and smiled brightly. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

1030 hours, Fuji Studio.

"The company is really something, bumped my call here and there and ended up saying they have no time for this."

"Tsuruga Ren is an important man, too busy yada yada yada~~~"

"And the manager too, "His schedule is packed and I'm afraid he has no time for this." What? It's a murder investigation! No time? Hah!"

"Wasted my time for—"

"Amamiya, stop babbling now or I'll have you walk back to the station." Kyoko said coolly, with both hands tucked in her pockets.

"But sir! They—" She shut up instantly when her Lieutenant turned to stare at her.

"That is why we're here right now." She grinned. "Without notice."

"Surprise, surprise." Chiori muttered.

They came to a stop when a door which had a tag written [The Last Message] on it appeared in front of them.

Kyoko frowned. "This…is the ongoing drama, am I right?"

"Yes! Yes! This is about—"

"The title is screaming tragedy to me."

"Yes! You're right! It's about Tsuruga Re—"

"Why don't you walk back now."

Chiori's eyes widen. "Eh? Okay! Alright! I will…I will behave. I promise!" She pouted.

"Fine." And she pushed open the door.

No one on set had noticed the presence of the two strangers as they entered. The set was unnaturally quiet, everyone seemed to have frozen on his or her spot. And Kyoko soon realized they were captured by the scene before them.

Following their gaze, she saw Tsuruga Ren.

There he was in front of the camera in a white suit and black slacks that were perfectly tailored to fit his tall and rangy body. He was standing alone, looking down at the woman who was laying lifelessly on the bed. His attractive face gave away nothing but you could see the emotions that swirled in them if you looked closely into his blue eyes. The mixture of guilt, pain and grief was clear, and so powerful that the sight itself would break your heart.

He bent down beside the bed and held the woman's hand in his.

"Mieko." He spoke softly. "I'm sorry." He held her hand tightly, his voice trembled. "I'm late, Mieko. I'm sorry." And a tear trickled down his cheek as he pressed his face against her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Cut!"

He raised his head, then without warning, he turned to look at Kyoko, his blue eyes burning into hers.

His eyes were beautiful, she thought, clear like a crystal; bluer than the sea. And their intensity was too strong to be ignored.

But she had work to do.

"I need to talk to you, Tsuruga Ren."

1100 hours.

They were sitting in his dressing trailer alone as Kyoko had Chiori to interview his manager, Yashiro Yukihito, in the other room.

He had changed into a casual T-shirt and a pair of jeans, sitting with his legs crossed, looking very much at home. She hated to admit that even a simple pose like this from him looked enticing.

She shifted in her seat and showed him her badge. "I'm investigating the murder of Izumi Mai."

He nodded, "I heard about Izumi-san on the news. I'd figured you would contact me sooner or later, Lieutenant. But I must say, I'm surprised to see you here."

"It was a difficult task to reach you, Tsuruga-san."

He smiled slightly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience I'd caused. I'd been busy."

"You're a celebrity, Tsuruga-san. It'll be easier to have the interview here. But if you prefer to have a formal one at the station, it could be arranged."

"Since you're already here, Lieutenant. Let's not waste time."

"Good." Kyoko took out a recorder from her pocket.

"How did you know Izumi Mai?"

"I met her two months ago at a perfume commercial. She was my partner."

"Did the both of you kept in contact?"

"Briefly." He calmly sipped his tea.

"You had dinner with her few hours before her death."

He frowned. "No."

Kyoko's brow lifted. "Her manager had stated that she had the victim's confirmation on the morning of that day. She said it was you."

"It was me, yes. But…" He hesitated, a hint of redness appeared lightly on his cheeks.

"But?" She prompted.

"She stood me up."

And who would believe that? She simply stared at him.

He sighed. "It's the truth, Lieutenant. She did not attend the dinner."

"Do you know why?"

"No. She just left me a voicemail, said that she was sorry and couldn't make it."

Really? She thought. He was tranquil, without any signs of anxiety and agitation. His face gave away nothing.

"Did you call her?"

"Yes. But it took me straight to voicemails."

"How many."

"Four. You could check the logs."

"I will. Then what did you do?"

"I had my dinner at the restaurant, then went home."

"Time?"

"Hmm…" Sipping his tea again, his mind drifted. "I would say it was around nine."

"Did you go out after?"

"No."

"Why?" She demanded.

"I was feeling unwell and decided to take some rest." And he spoke again before she could, looking straight into her eyes. "How old are you…Lieutenant?"

"That is not the issue here." It was sheer pride that stopped her from shifting her gaze.

"Did anyone tell you that you're beautiful, Lieutenant?" He looked at her, and once again his blue eyes sent her pulse racing.

"Please act appropriately, Tsuruga-san. Can you tell me where you were the night of her death, between 11:45 and 2:00 AM?"

"I have never seen a cop quite like you before. A woman so young to have such achievement. Must be something." Amused, he continued to stare at her.

"Are you questioning my capability in conducting this interview?"

"No."

She stared back at him, obviously annoyed. "Then you better start answering my question, Tsuruga Ren. It is your alibi that's at risk here."

"Are you worried about me, Mogami-san?" Idly, he sipped the tea again.

She eyes turned steel cold as she leaned forward. "You want to play, Tsuruga Ren? Then we'll have the interview at the station. Bring your attorney if you like."

Years of experience being an actor had taught him how to read people's expressions. It was fascinating to see her demeanor changed. Her golden eyes shifted from annoyed to cold in a matter of seconds. He wondered what more she could do but decided not to push his luck too far.

"I was at my house, sleeping."

She pulled back, the anger still stirred inside of her. She doesn't have the slightest interest at being teased. It made her feel stupid.

She would get back at him, she thought. "Do you have anyone with you during that timeframe?"

"I was alone."

"Did you speak to anyone, see anyone?"

"None that I recall."

"Then I will need the security discs of your house."

"Certainly."

"Please make no plans to leave the country until further notice."

"That won't be a problem."

She handed him a card. "Contact this number when you've cleared it. I will send a uniform to collect—" She stopped when he lifted a hand.

"My next job is two hours later, so I'm going back right now." He rose and took the jacket on the table.

"Why don't you come with me? Lieutenant."

A/N: Ate too much chocolate, sore throat *sobs* And I felt like I'd undergone a chemistry lesson on illegals and psychology stuff when I wrote this. My head was spinning... *You spin my head right round, right round~~~~~*

Ok, back to business. Do you think Ren will be out of the suspect list so fast? *grin*

And thank you to all who'd reviewed, faved, and alerted this story. Arigato-gosaimatsu xDDD