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For the mysterious unsigned idividuals...

Smirn - Muhaha! Here's the update. xD

Dark - Aww, thank you!

Vanhei - Thank you so much for the compliment! I'll try my best to make this fanfic as interesting as possible!

Misaki and her team had barely made it back to the station before she received a call from Sakeda Akira, head of the forensic team. The man seemed a thrilled when he told Misaki about what his team had discovered, but she could tell that he was also extremely anxious. The information he was going to tell her was going to be much more disturbing than she could have hoped.

"What are you two saying?!" Kouno and Saitou screamed at the same time, leaning over their seats to stare smack dab in Misaki's face.

"Shh! Calm down you two!" Misaki admonished, waving them away. "I'm still talking."

The two men blushed and nodded in embarrassment, sitting back in their seats and fixing their seatbelts.

Sakeda was about to speak again, before someone began talking to him in the background. Misaki could hardly hear the conversation, but she heard enough to know what was going on. There was something about the bodies that terrified them, but made them excited at the same time. Whatever it was, she was sure she probably would not want to know.

"Kirihara-san, we have new information! It's…it's well…amazing really."

"What is it?"

"Some of the bodies have teeth marks on what's left of some of their necks, like a large dog had mauled them."

"WHAT?!" Misaki shouted, causing both Saitou and Kouno to jump and peer over their seats with unabashed curiosity again. "How could a dog have done that?"

"The incisor marks appear to be canine teeth, but we can't be one hundred percent sure until we have run a test over the bodies."

"Oh my God…" she whispered, shaking her head.

"What's even more shocking is the fact that the bodies are missing certain organs. One of them, a young lady, is missing a heart. It seems to have been torn out, and yet we cannot figure out how. A knife could not have cut it out as cleanly as that, nor could a dog have done it. After all, the body was completely intact. There was no sign of being torn open. It's...it's a scientific mystery."

"What about the knife marks?"

"Those knife marks were caused by someone moving awfully quick I can tell you that much. Whoever attacked them was in a hurry. What's odd is how they could have caused so much carnage, and how could they crush some of the bodies? You'd have to be pretty strong considering bones are quite durable. It takes a lot of power to do that. Now then, if the bones had been old, it would have been quite easy…"

"Is…is that all, Akira-san?" Misaki did not want to hear anymore. This was just too much information. She was already still sick from earlier, and now that he was describing the carnage of the room so vividly, she felt like she was standing near that horrific scene once again.

"Yes, that's all for now. If we discover anything else, we'll be sure to contact you."

"Thank you…" Misaki closed her phone, staring at it vacantly. This case was a mystery. Every time she got more information, it just wouldn't add up. It was just confusing her even more.

"Chief…" Kouno whispered, watching her carefully.

"Hm? Oh, sorry you two. I was just thinking."

"What did they say?" Kouno asked, turning so he was completely facing her.

"Um…t-they…" she coughed, trying to stop herself from stuttering. This had affected her more than she had ever dreamed possible. "They said that the bodies were mauled by a dog."

"A dog?! Are you sure, Chief?" Saitou asked staring out the side of his window through the rearview mirror.

"Yes…a dog."

"They can't say that a DOG did all that!" Kouno shouted, glaring at nothing in particular.

"No, that's not all. Some of the bodies are missing organs. Akira-san said that they were torn out, but he said it was not by a knife. They…were not even opened. Their organs were just gone."

Kouno and Saitou were silent, a feeling of dread filling the small police car. It was stifling really. Misaki wanted to be strong for her team as well as for herself, so she put on a professional façade. However, if she could, she would most definitely be opening a window or even jumping out the car right about now.

"What. The. Hell." Kouno shook his head, turning so he was sitting back in front on the steering wheel, his eyes glued on something in front of him. "What is going on?"

"I honestly wish I knew…"

The case was not really going any further for the time being. The forensic team wanted to continue examining the bodies…though Misaki could not understand what their morbid fascination with them were. So for now, she was stuck in a rut. She wanted to leave her office and go out for a bit, but she was already behind on doing her report on other cases because of her lunch break earlier. Though she did not blame Jun for her advice, she did wish that perhaps she could have left her alone for a bit before bringing it up.

"Are you all right, Misaki?" Jun asked, sitting the files Misaki had asked for on her desk.

"Yes I'm fine…" She sighed, grabbing a cup of coffee and taking a gentle sip.

"Liar."

"I'm not lying," Misaki replied, trying to ignore Jun's presence as she searched for her missing pen.

Jun rolled her eyes, bending down and picking the pen off the floor, sitting it down on her desk. "Thank you."

"No problem," she replied, crossing her arms. "You need a break. This case has you all worked up. I've never seen you so upset before."

"I…It's nothing really."

"Uh huh, sure. Take a break, Misaki."

"But---."

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Jun hissed, leaning forward a little. "If you're too upset to work properly then you shouldn't be working at all. Take a break. If there's an update on anything involving this case, I'll be sure to call you, all right?" Jun's eyes softened slightly.

Misaki knew she had lost this battle. Jun was as stubborn as a mule when it came to things like this. She was like the mother hen who would just keep pecking you until you got into a neat little line with the other chicks.

"Well…all right, but just this once…"

Jun beamed. "Good. Now then, get going. I'll hold off your men so they don't go looking for you. It won't be too much of a problem." She flexed her small muscles and chuckled.

Misaki forced a smile, and stood up. "Thank you, Jun."

"No problem. What are friends for right?"

With one more glance at Jun, Misaki bowed, grabbed her umbrella, and quickly left the room. She was sure that all she needed was to take a little walk. That would clear her head so when she came back, she was back into professional mode. Yes, that's all she needed…

Her walk was aimless; completely without any sort of destination in mind. It was starting to become quite cold due to the rain that was falling in a gentle drizzle, but Misaki ignored it. Right now, her mind was on other thing; her case. A long time ago, Misaki had heard rumors about underground crime syndicates that tested muscle enhancing drugs on some of their members giving them inhuman strength and agility, but that was just a rumor. However, she was starting to wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, that rumor might have had some fact in it. After all, human experimentation has been going on for a very, very long time.

Are drugs like that even real? She thought, avoiding a large puddle of water she almost stepped into. Muscle drugs like that could cut the humans life short if it worked, right? But I guess they would be productive during that time…

She did not have a chance to really linger on this before a soft drizzle of rain became a torrent. Misaki ran into the nearest store she could think of. She didn't care what the stores name was. All she wanted to do was get out of the freezing waterfall of rain.

She sighed with relief, closing her umbrella and shivering slightly. She had ran into a ramen restaurant it seemed. Misaki could smell the strong aroma drifting over her, enticing her to buy some. But every time the thought came, she would shake it away, seeing those horribly disfigured bodies in her head.

"You're STILL hungry, Li-kun? My goodness you sure can pack 'em can't you?" the chef at the counter said, laughing jovially at his own words.

Wait…did he say Li-kun? Misaki looked around, her eyes instantly falling on a familiar figure hunched over an empty bowl. How could she have not noticed the stacked up plates surrounding him when she came in? He was dressed in a green jacket, which was probably why she did not look his way…but the food was a dead giveaway.

"Yes. I haven't eaten at all today. My job has been keeping me pretty busy."

"Yeah, you do look more tired than usual. If all that work is making you eat like this, then you really need to find another job," the chef mumbled, grabbing a spoonful of noodles and shoving them in a bowl. Without any prompting, Li leaned over his table, grabbing the bowl and continuing devouring the poor noodles. "Of course you're not going to listen to me. This is like my fifth time telling you this."

Misaki tried her best not to be rude when she gently called Li's name. "Li –kun…"

Li stopped instantly, looking around slowly before his eyes landed on her. Misaki smiled and waved.

"Oi, Misaki-san! You look wet."

"Yes, it's raining horribly outside," she answered, walking over to the table. "Um…do you mind if I sit here, Li-kun?"

Li shook his head, moving some of the empty noodle bowls out of the way so Misaki had more table room.

Misaki sighed, clasping her hands together and examining the mountain of empty bowls Li had accumulated. How could anyone eat like this? "Li-kun, don't you ever---?" She stopped, jumping when she felt warmth envelope her body like an embrace. "L-Li-kun?"

Li walked back to his seat, jacketless now. He had moved so quickly, that she did not even know that he had moved. "Hm? You just looked so cold I…well…"

Misaki blushed furiously, forcing herself to look away. Li had given her his jacket...which was beyond sweet in her mind. It was well, cute really, and very gentlemanly.

"Did I offend you, Misaki-san? If so, I'm very---."

"N-No, of course not, Li-kun! Thank you…that was very kind of you."

Li smiled gently. "Are you hungry?"

"No…there's a lot on my mind right now. Eating would make me sick."

Li blinked, tilting his head in confusion. He looked so adorable. NO! Stop thinking like this, Misaki! He's just a friend, nothing more!

"What's wrong?" he asked kindly, his voice becoming soothing to her ears. How was it Li could make her feel so…happy? She had felt so downright miserable a few minutes ago, and now…well, now she just felt warm.

"Well…it's confidential…"

"Oh, I see. So it involves work then?"

"Yes…" she looked away slightly, wishing there was a window nearby so she could watch the rain.

"Well…if it's something I'm not supposed to know, then…" he trailed off, returning to his noodles.

Should she tell him about the case? It wouldn't hurt would it? Yes it was unprofessional, but she truly trusted Li. There was no way he could have been involved in the murder anyway. Besides, what happened would eventually get leaked to the public by the media…

"Li-kun, if I tell you this, will you promise not to tell anyone what I told you?"

Li seemed a bit taken aback, but nodded nevertheless.

"Well…" Misaki cleared her throat, looking over her shoulder to ensure that the head chef at the counter didn't overhear. However, the man had disappeared, issuing orders to the other chefs. They were probably making more noodles for Li. How he paid for all this food was a mystery to Misaki. This was probably why he had so many part-time jobs. "Um…earlier I was called in to check out a case in an apartment complex in Shinjuku. You know where that is right, Li-kun?" She hopped she did not come across as offensive.

Li nodded. "Yes, I've been there once for a job."

"Good. Well, at this apartment complex, I saw the most bizarre murder I had ever seen. It was…well…out of this world."

Li raised an inquisitive brow. "Really? Was it that peculiar?"

"Yes, very much so. This murder involved the death of two strange foreigners by the name of Marina and Alexander. Apparently these two were known for apartment hopping…and well, I guess they had gotten in with the wrong crowd…"

"Hmm...interesting…" Li's eyes landed elsewhere, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. He almost looked like a detective thinking of solutions to a case. Misaki was beginning to wonder if perhaps Li-kun would have been an interesting law enforcer…

"Yes, but that's not the interesting part, Li-kun. What's interesting is the way these people were killed."

Li slowly put down his chopsticks, moving his bowl of noodles away.

"Uh…they were…" Misaki coughed; a bit uncomfortable bringing this up again. "Um, they were killed in a way that baffled even our forensics. They had cut marks on their bodies from a knife of sorts, but the cuts were not deep enough to leave blood splattered all over the residence. The carnage was out of this world. To top it off, some of the bodies had been crushed, as well as mauled like by a dog…"

Li's eyes widened slightly then narrowed into something that almost looked calculating. Misaki had never seen such a thoughtful look on his face before. In all honesty, it was rather intimidating. His blue eyes that had been warm a minute ago had seemed to freeze over. "Li-kun…any ideas one what you think happened?"

Li smiled sadly, shaking his head. His calculating look disappearing so quickly, that Misaki honestly wondered if that was what she had seen. "Sorry, Misaki-san. I was never really good at things like this."

"Oh, it's all right. I'm glad I had a chance to get that off my chest with someone besides my fellow co-workers." Misaki sighed, leaning back in her chair until she was slouching. She felt old right now. Her back was aching as well as her feet. She had been standing almost all day. Why her back was hurting? She had no idea. Perhaps it was stress related.

Misaki blushed when Li put his hand on top of hers on the table. He seemed to be trying to comfort her by showing he had sympathy for her plight without words. Strangely enough, that was all she really needed.

"Misaki-san, don't stress yourself over this. The answers you want will come eventually. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Li-kun. You're a really nice person."

Li smiled sadly once again. His eyes softened, and at the moment, he looked so tired. She supposed she knew why. He worked too much. Despite her warnings to get a decent paying job that did not involve crazy hours of the day, or labor of any kind, it seemed Li was content earning a minimum wage.

Misaki opened her mouth to say something else, but her phone suddenly started ringing. She felt a bit disappointed when Li moved his hand away, but did not show it as she reached for her phone and flipped it open. "Moshi, moshi?"

"Misaki, it's me, Jun. I got some neat info for you."

"What is it?" she said, unable to be anxiety out of her voice.

"The forensics were able to do a background check on those two foreigners and found out they used to work for PANDORA. Why they quit is beyond me."

"You're allowed to quit?"

"Apparently so. However, you have to do a vow that you won't tell anyone anything about what goes on in the HQ. I'm thinking PANDORA threatens them somehow. There's no way people are just going to waltz on out without spreading some info."

Misaki blinked. That made sense. PANDORA wasn't fooling anyone. "But why were those people killed?" she whispered, dropping her voice a little.

"Who knows? Apparently those two must have been planning on giving out information when they had company over. Now who killed them is where the mystery begins."

"Do you think they did it?" Misaki asked, putting an emphasis on 'they.' She hoped Jun knew what she was talking about.

Jun caught on rather quickly. "No. It would cause a major political scandal. It's too messy in other words. PANDORA would get shut down in no time for such an illicit activity."

Misaki sighed, trying to get comfortable in her chair. "Jun, this is just making me more confused."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But I have a feeling this whole case is going to continue to be that way until someone steps forward."

"Anything else?"

"One more thing. It's about how the victims were killed."

Misaki looked slowly, hoping that the young man had decided to ignore her conversation. Li seemed to have understood, because he was standing up and going to the front counter to order something else. "All right, tell me," she said when she was sure Li was going to be gone a while.

"There were five people total right."

"Uh…yes, I know."

"Shh, let me finish."

Misaki sighed, smiling slightly.

"Anyway, there were five people. Two had been mauled and crushed, and the other two, get this, Misaki, the other two had puncture marks strewn on certain vital points on their bodies."

"What?" she whispered. She had not noticed that! "I didn't see any puncture marks."

"You must not have been paying attention, because they're hard to miss. According to Akira-san, the other three individuals had knives thrown at them."

Misaki's eyes widened. Knives were thrown at them? Impossible! The people would have screamed if they had been hit. "That can't be it. Wouldn't the victims have screamed in pain?"

"No. It happened so fast and so brutally, they probably did not have a chance. Akira-san says that these knives were made for quick kills, so whoever killed them more than likely aimed for the neck."

"How horrible! How could they not know that someone was in their room? And how could anyone kill that fast? There were five people, Jun. Which means someone should have had a chance to call for help."

"Apparently not. From what I've seen, this has to be a Contractor's work, or someone who was aided by one."

"But that can't be it! Mayu…erm, Otsuka-san says that no stars vibrated."

Jun was silent for the first time since she called, and that bothered Misaki. "This is creepy…'

"Tell me about it."

"Misaki, I know I told you to go on break, but…"

"I need to come back." It was not a question, it was a statement.

"That's right. Sorry."

"Oh no, it's all right. I got a chance to relax. I'll see you in a minute."

"All right," Jun said, hanging up.

Misaki clicked her phone off and sat up. It was time to go…even though she honestly did not want to. Li-kun was such good company, and here she was wasting his time with her nonsense. "Li-kun," she said, turning, but as soon as she had completely turned around, she noticed that he was no where to be seen.

"Li-kun?" she said, standing up. Where could he have gone? To the bathroom? "Uh, excuse me, sir." Misaki waved her hand, trying to catch the head chef's attention. Eventually she succeeded.

"Eh? Can I help you, Miss?"

"Do you know where Li-kun went?"

The chef smiled. "Oh he left a little while ago. He said he'd get his coat back from you the next time he saw you. Apparently he was called back to his job."

"Oh…I see…" Wow, he sure left quickly didn't he? And in this weather? The rain had calmed back to its soft drizzle, but still…rain was rain and cold was cold. She hoped Li wouldn't die of hyperthermia…

Misaki sighed. Well, it was time to go back to work and try to figure out this case. She bet that if her everyday life at the job had been made into a TV drama, she'd be swimming in money right about now. That thought cheered her up a little as she stepped towards the front door still wrapped in Li's coat; his warmth never left her even when she stepped outside in the cold.

A/N : Dun, dun, dun! Well, the plot thickens! And we still don't know who this mysterious killer is, but hey, Li-kun was here, so yay! xD I doubt I could have Misaki's job. I'd be a nervous wreck in no time.

Yes, I know I said I was going to update on Thursday or Friday, but I got those three chapters knocked out the way pretty quick. Of course I need to correct them, but other than that, I'm pretty far ahead.