Author's Note: Okay, I am still updating although there are no reviews (sobs). I hope to finish this story no matter what since it is my first written story ever. I am trying to write with as much 'mystery' as possible, but sometimes I just couldn't find the right words... English is my second language, so please be lenient on me.
Disclaiminer: I am the god of the story! (laughs)
Yuki: Hey, Ki, shut up! You talk too loud!
Ki: What? Do you want me to twist your story?
Yuki: (gasped) Oh... no, no, I am going to stay silent, Ki-sama.
Ki: Good, now ba a good girl and let's start the story.
CHAPTER 04 THE OUTRAGEOUS NEWS
Takeshi Akitsuki returned to his apartment and safely put his new discovery under a microscope. He put his head on top of the eye-piece and studied the sample.
With no doubt this is pure silver.
He examined the writings next. It looked like a very old-fashioned way of scribbling. There was no consistency in the size of the letters or the spacing. It looked like someone had been in a hurry to carve in the letters before the silver plate cooled down.
After his first step, Takeshi went to his personal photograph laboratory to produce the photographs he had taken.
Takeshi's lab was small, just like the size of a den of a normal apartment. He liked the idea to set up a photo laboratory in a room with no windows, so no renovations were needed from the start. A rectangular desk stood at one side, with metal basins filled with chemicals on the other side waiting quietly on some stools. On top of the desk was a dim desk light, shining on some white plastic sheets spread on the desk's surface.
Steadily Takeshi unlocked his camera and took out the films. He put them into a machine beside the metal basins and obtained bigger sheets from it. He then slowly placed the sheets into the basins and waited for the chemical reactions.
One hour passed. After enjoying his coffee in a relaxing sofa, Takeshi proceeded to his lab once again. He lifted the sheets from the basins and looked at them under the dim light.
A broad smile came across his face. A smirk of satisfaction.
This would be the biggest report ever in his life, he thought. The photographs he had just taken would keep his position in Mizume Daily, no, perhaps they would give him a greater reward.
He sealed all his photos inside a large envelope and switched on the television. Tomorrow he would be the man. The whole Mizume Daily would look up upon Takeshi Akitsuki.
His television beeped as it was turned on. It was the exact time for the evening news.
"According to our latest reports," the Mizume Channel news reporter, Haname Torioka, announced with her sweet voice, "the fire department declared that the fire scene in Mizume Fireworks Factory this noon was the largest flame they had ever encountered. What or who cause the accident remains a mystery, but the police suspected that the fire was caused by a chemical leak inside the factory which quickly tuned into a disaster in the presence of the vast amount of fireworks nearby. Now let us hear what our on-site reporter, Yuushi Hoshimiya has to say about the area."
The screen changed. A young man of about twenty-five, wearing a raincoat and holding a microphone, was trying hard to speak under the wetness and cold.
"I am now at the site where Mizume Fireworks used to locate. As you can see (camera focused on the background scene), this place is completely deserted in one afternoon. Investigation teams are on the run looking for any suspicious evidence of what caused the fire. A dead body was also found," he hesitated for a moment, and continued, "and discovered to be the owner of Mizume Fireworks, Ichi Takashiro, from his IDs. Together with him was a black briefcase which contained documental proof of some illegal trade transactions of Mizume Fireworks with some unknown foreign company. The police assumed that Mizume Fireworks was selling large amount of fireworks abroad for the production of bombs and bullets. Two of Mizume Fireworks' high officials, Ginya Kamachi and Yuuto Hiroshima, were detained and questioned about the matter."
Takeshi pressed on the remote control and the television screen was killed. He laid his head on the sofa's head rest and closed his eyes in deep thought.
They don't know the truth. The flames were set by someone. The Devil.
The next day, Mizume Daily chief editor Touji Kimura was sitting comfortably at his desk when one of his reporters broke into his office abruptly, almost knocking down his bookcase, with a cheerful look.
Gasping for breath, Takeshi Akitsuki emptied the contents in his envelope in front of Touji and spoke excitedly, "I have photos from the fire scene yesterday at Mizume Fireworks, I mean photos from inside the fire scene. I think you may be interested."
Touji picked up the contents and studied them for a few seconds. Turning back to Takeshi, he gave a suspicious look, "How did you take these? Going into the fire was reckless!"
"I risked my life for my job, you know. So, how's my finding?"
"Excellent… incredible! I must be sure that we put these on our first page tomorrow. Takeshi, you have work to do. Go home now and hand in to me an article on this before midnight tonight." Touji stared at the photographs for a few more seconds and hand them back to Takeshi.
"Well, since you are inside the flames, anything interesting find aside from these photos?" Touji eyed Takeshi cautiously, as if what Takeshi presented were fake.
"Of course there is something else…," Takeshi began, thinking of the silver plate, "but I am not revealing this until I secure my position as a long-term chief reporter here."
"So that's your condition for revealing this information?"
"Yup, no negotiations accepted."
"Fine, let me think of this for some time. I will reply you when you hand in your article tonight."
"Sure, boss. I will be going then." Takeshi left the office and closed the door behind him. What enjoyment that is to see the chief editor getting interested in you.
The following few hours passed so fast in Takeshi's life that he had little of his mind knowing what happened. He quickly got a detailed wrap-up of what he saw, illustrated by the photographs he had taken, and printed them out neatly in a letter-sized white sheet. For security, he produced a second document highlighting the detail findings of the silver plate, just in case his boss gave him the position he wanted.
He started off again towards Mizume Daily headquarters. He was surprised that his boss was at the main gate to receive him cordially.
"What's up boss?" Takeshi greeted his boss as he arrived.
"Nothing in particular. I am eager to see how your article's been going."
"Pretty good, no worries," Takeshi handed Touji his envelope containing the documents and photos of the incident. "By the way, have you thought about the position I would like to have?"
"Yah, but I have one condition for you to become chief reporter. You are going to follow this case closely and inform the public of any unusual events. My instinct tells me that the fire accident is not that simple. I believe there is more mystery behind the death of Ichi Takashiro."
Damn smart. Takeshi thought. The only thing that made Touji Kimura the admiration of the department was the accuracy of his instincts. Those instincts had never failed, not even this time.
"Okay, deal." Takeshi accepted the contract from his boss and signed his name. He took out his other envelope and handed it to his boss. "Here, the other item I found on the scene."
Touji inspected the new information. The photos showed a nicely-cut silver plate with a few lines of scribbling carved on one side. He read what was written and stayed silent for a moment, thinking hard.
"I have no idea what this means, but I guess it was left behind by the murderer of Takashiro or the person who caused the fire."
"I believe so too," Takeshi added, "but the death of Takashiro is really shocking."
"How the death looks like is not a matter we have to worry about, that is the responsibility of the police. What we should do is to reveal to the public as detailed and as accurately as possible the facts we have gathered. The job of the news press is only to transmit information, and not to solve problems."
"You are right. So I am heading back now if there is nothing more."
'Sure, wish you good luck on your coming reports."
"Yeah," Takeshi walked away and disappeared into the darkness.
On the other side of Mizumemachi Yuki was returning home when she passed by a news stand. She took a quick scan at the leftover newspaper. On each and every front page of the newspapers were reports on the mysterious fire incident at Mizume Fireworks.
I sensed it. It is one of my kind. Yuki flipped over the pages as the stall-keeper was not looking. Nothing of interested was published, only a brief highlight of the cause of the fire and the losses.
Yuki put her left hand over her right arm. The emblem was not painful, but every time the pain came, Yuki knew there was danger, and she could not help herself but to prevent the danger.
That was the path she had chosen. That was the power she had gained.
End of Chapter Rant: Whew the fourth chapter is up! I am so glad I managed to update this story regularly (well, at least it is still regulaly at present), and I will try to keep my pace in updating! Please read and review!
Yuki: Ki... I was not in this chapter, excpet the last part.
Ki: (smiles) Because I forgot about you.
Yuki: Can you kindly repeat what you have just said?
Ki: (laughs more): Sorry, but I promise you will appear in the next chapter.
Yuki: Well, I am looking forward to it.
Next On... Yuki was back to school for a usual boring day, but what was so different about this day was that someone tried to spproach her. Was this person planning something? Or was it just pure out of friendliness?