Blood was splattered everywhere. They were on his clothes, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. He clutched his bleeding stomach. It hurt. It hurt so much.

The figure smiled, a sly, villainous smile. She stared down at the him, clutching the knife in her hand. "Know your place, rat. You are nothing before me." The boy lunged, tackling the lady.

More blood. The boy fell to the ground. The lady approached, raising her knife.

The boy pushed himself up against the wall, forcing himself as far away from the woman as he could. He looked for an exit. There were none. The whole room began to shake. "No…" The lone light bulb swung back and forth. "No… no…" The quake increased in magnitude. The light flickered. "No… No... NO!" She raised the knife. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"NO!" Rufus bolted up from his bed, covered in sweat. He was breathing heavily, and his heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. He stared around, almost confused by the sudden change in his surroundings. Yet another nightmare. He let his exhausted body fall back to the bed. How much longer did he have to endure of these cursed dreams?

He glanced at the clock. 2:30 A.M. This was the second time this night.

He drowsily got out of his bed, stumbling towards the window. The moon was full. It calmed his mind. He stood there for a while, lost in his own thoughts. All that had happened recently took a great toll on him: His job at risk, his boss's fatal wounds, and the sudden reoccurrence of his nightmares.

For some reason, he could never get on the right terms with Lime. The shock that she actually wanted to quit had a profound effect on him. Besides, it was his lack of training her that got the chief injured on the last assignment. He had tried, all the past week, to start helping her with investigations and gun use and just other general basics of police duties. Somehow, everything he said or did somehow went awry. Where was Ronan when you needed him?

Of course, Ronan had been in the hospital since that one fatal mission, still in a coma. The final examination revealed several cuts, bruises, and three bullet wounds. The third one Lime had missed on her initial examination, and had landed in the chief's hip. Though he refused to admit it to most, Ronan was one of his best friends. The chief had helped him out of many jams, one which almost cost both of them their lives. Now his life lay in the hands of fate.

Rufus jolted himself awake. It occurred to him he was falling asleep standing up. Somehow, this madness needed to stop. He yawned, and decided to get himself a cup of coffee. He would pull yet another all-nighter and sleep a full night tomorrow…

/-\

Rufus's strange behavior was beginning to scare Lime.

Part of it was the fact that he had been strangely nicer to Lime over the past few days. His creepily happy smile and awkward attempts to befriend the female officer had quickly scared her. Somewhere in her mind, she questioned to sudden change in behavior.

When she saw Rufus dosing off on his office desk that morning, she thought she had her answer.

Lime gently nudged the sleeping officer, trying to wake him for duty that day. He did not awake, or react, for that matter.

She eventually decided to leave him be, making her way out the door, to enjoy the company of the other officers. With Ronan's absence, Rin had taken over the job of managing to force. Due to this, many officers were busy on duty. Only Asin was available at the moment.

"Morning, Asin."

The aforementioned officer looked up from his desk and responded. "Good morning." Asin handed a set of papers to Lime. "Another murder, but this one's a little different."

"Hey, I know this sounds a bit odd, but can Rufus not come this time?"

Asin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is something wrong with Rufus?"

Lime nodded. "He's sleep deprived."

"How can you tell?

"He's currently napping on his desk. I think he needs another day off."

Asin smirked. "That is… interesting. Well, if that's the case, good luck on today's assignment! I'll go… buy a cup of coffee for Rufus. He'll catch up with you later."

Lime glanced curiously at the officer as he walked towards the door. Something about the way he said things made Lime very suspicious of what he was doing. She grabbed his shoulder before he left. He tugged his arm, but Lime did not let go. Her grip was strong. "Asin… can I ask you something?"

"U-Uh, sure." He replied, still trying to tug himself away.

"Will you be my partner for the day?"

It was then Asin realized the position he'd put himself into. With Rufus sleeping, Lime would need a new partner. Since Rin was busy… that left only him. This was unless he could get another officer to take his place; however he couldn't, as he was the one who usually gave out assignments. He recalled giving out a lot of them today. If that wasn't obvious enough, the police station was nearly empty. "I need to, uh, go get that, um, coffee now… YEAH, Rufus needs, er, coffee!" He nervously rubbed the back of his head.

The other officer's grip did not cease. "Please…?"

"Yea- No. Now let go of my arm."

Lime was not amused, therefore she did not let go. "I'll do something to make it up to you. Anything. Just please help me out today?"

Asin stopped struggling. "You'll do anything, right?"

Lime tilted her head a little bit. "Erm, yeah." Lime let go of his arm.

The male officer grabbed a suitcase from under the front desk. Asin smirked. "Then the deal is settled."

/-\

The scene was a mess. Blood lay all over the walls and floor. In the middle of the room, a body lay face down, knife sticking out of his back, blood spewed all over him. The amount of gore almost made Lime puke.

Asin surveyed the room. "Whoever was here before us made one bloody mess." The officer pulled out a suitcase, placed it on the ground, and opened it. Contained inside was a mini-computer, some clear plastic bags, a brush of some sort, several vials of different substances, a magnifying glass, and a small surgical knife. Lime curiously gazed at the contents of the case.

She decided to ask, "Asin, why do you have all of that… stuff?"

He looked over at the peering officer. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Lime gulped, but Asin let out a small laugh. "I'm kidding about the killing part." Lime sighed. "Mostly. I really can't tell you though."

Lime nodded slightly. "O-Okay…"

The male officer took out a large plastic bag and placed the knife inside. "This is… strange."

"Huh?" Lime turned her attention away from the painting on the wall to the speaking officer. "What is?"

Asin placed the bag inside his case. "The knife is never found at the scene of the crime. Ever. This killer doesn't do that." He closed the case and stood up. "This means three things."

"And those three things are?"

"Well, confidence is getting him lazy. He could be getting reckless, thinking it's all a game to him."

Lime nodded. "That makes sense."

"Number two: This is the work of a second murderer. Clearly, this one is breaking the trend, and there's a good chance it's not the same person."

"Okay, and three?"

"Well, this sounds a little far-fetched right now, but," Asin gestured towards the body. "I think whoever did this is trying to frame somebody."

/-\

Yet another nightmare.

Rufus woke up dazed and confused. He drowsily looked around his surroundings to ensure he was safe.

He was currently in his office, and was just earlier sleeping on his desk. The lights were dim, the shades drawn, and the door was shut. He didn't remember falling asleep.

Rufus sluggishly stood up and stretched. His neck hurt a little from the position he was in during his rest. He put his hand in his pocket and dug out his phone. The time was 12 noon. He had been sleeping for three hours.

He stumbled towards the door, somehow managing to find it in the almost pitch-black room. He made his way towards the front of the station.

It was then he noticed Lime's disappearance.

The officer drowsily made his way over to Rin's office. He somewhat crashed through the door, slightly slurring the words together as he spoke. "Where is she?"

"Gone, with Asin, on a task." Rin looked up from her desk filled with papers. "You were asleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry for that."

Rin sighed. "It's alright. Just… go get yourself some coffee. You still look half asleep. You can help me with the paperwork when you get back."

"Thanks." Rufus stumbled out the door.

/-\

"Asin…"

"Yes?"

"…Why are we at a Chinese restaurant?" Lime asked curiously. "There's no real reason for us to be here."

Asin finished slurping his noodles before replying. "We're on break. Are you going to finish that?" He said, pointing at Lime's half-finished plate of mapo tofu.

"I think I'll just take it home…"

"Suit yourself." He slurped some more noodles.

The two of them had come to the restaurant after investigating many other cases, including, but not limited to, a few thefts, one involving a cat in a tree, graffiti, and property destruction.

Lime stared out the window. So many things had crossed her mind lately. First was her partner's strange behavior. Although she blamed that on sleep deprival, something told her that maybe that wasn't all true. Perhaps there was something he wasn't telling her.

Second, there was the murderer. Lime wondered what his motive could be. Attention? Maybe he was a hitman? Or he was related or connected to-

"THIEF! SOMEBODY STOP HIM!"

Lime came to her senses, watching across the street as a human dashed out of the bank across the street. A man followed behind, shouting swear words before being shot by the first man. Lime bolted from her seat, dashing out the door and towards the being. "Where are you going?" Asin called to her. "Lime?" He then noticed the scene playing out.

The figure smashed the window on the nearest car, sticking his hand inside to open the door. He entered, and proceeded to highjack the car.

Lime bolted across the street, aiming her gun. "STOP!" She shouted. The car sped off, tires screeching on the street. She fired a few gunshots, chasing after him.

Asin called to her, "LOOK OUT!"

A loud blaring noise was heard behind her.

She turned. Her eyes widened.

Only then did she see the truck.

/-\

Rufus liked his usual coffee spot for various reasons.

First was that it was next to a bank. This way, he could monitor theft while sipping his beverage. At any given point in time, he needed to be ready. Second was the actual quality of the coffee itself. It was quite rich, and he very much enjoyed it.

He took his usual window seat when he sat down, gazing out and sipping his coffee. The scene was calm, peaceful, and tranquil. The sky was filled with sun and light. He almost spat it when he saw the thief bolt out of the bank.

Rufus charged out the door, knocking over his table, spilling his coffee, and angering another customer. He quickly apologized, somewhat crashing through the door as he left.

It was then he saw Lime.

She was going to die.

The truck spun out of control, into another building, flames lighting sky high almost instantly. Screams and panic filled the area. Dust clouded vision and clogged smell, adding to the hysteria. Asin dashed across the street, pulling off the door of the truck, and helping the driver out. He then turned back towards the street.

"Lime!?" He called into the black mist. "Are you okay!? Answer me!" The dust slowly cleared. Asin was relieved to see Lime unharmed, however…

…Rufus was on his hands and knees, just above her. At the very last minute, the male officer had leaped, forcing Lime out of the way of the incoming automobile.

Rufus realized his sudden predicament, and quickly stood up, dusted himself up, and turned his attention to his partner, still lying on the ground. She was shaking madly, murmuring gibberish under her breath.

"Are you okay?" She looked in fear at her partner, before shaking her head.

Asin approached the two officers in the middle of the street. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was getting my coffee. What are you two doing here?" Rufus eyed him evilly. "Clearly, you can't be trusted." He picked up Lime, bridal style, and carried her to the sidewalk, with Asin trailing behind.

"You're paying for my lunch." Asin said as he dangled Rufus's wallet in front of him.

"Give that back!" He shouted after the fleeing officer, to no avail. He placed Lime against the wall of the restaurant, and sat down beside her. "Troublesome."

"It was the same person." Lime said, staring off into space.

Rufus turned towards her. "Pardon?"

"It was the same person who tried to kill us. Me and Ronan. I recognized him. He had the exact same white hair and blue eyes" Lime turned towards Rufus. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier."

"It's… okay. I guess." Rufus sighed and stood. At this point, many other officers and numerous paramedics had appeared on the scene, assisting the wounded and those in shock. "Bloody hell…"

"Huh, what is it?"

Rufus scowled. "He stole my bloody car." It was then Asin remerged from the shop, bag of take out in hand. Rufus called to the officer, "Asin, can you give me a ride back?"

"Why?"

"My car was stolen…"

Silence, then Asin nodded, very slowly, realizing suddenly why that black car the thief drove off in looked so similar.

/-\

Rufus drowsily locked the door to his office. It had been a long day, and he was eager to go home. This eagerness was dampened by the fact that he had to walk the entire way.

As he left, he found Lime at the front, staring out the window. He then remembered his apartment was halfway across the city, and it was, currently, pouring rain outside. Rufus moaned.

Lime noticed him, turning around. "Oh, are you walking home?" Rufus nodded. "Well, do you want to borrow my coat?"

The aforementioned officer shook his head. "It's still too long a walk on foot."

Lime frowned. "Well… if you'd like, you can stay the night at my house. I usually take a taxi, so you won't have to walk."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Rufus became immediately suspicious.

"You did kind of… save my life… so it's the least I can do to say thank you."

Rufus thought over it for a few moments. Perhaps this would give him time to convince Lime to stay in the police force. On the flip-side, he didn't feel like trudging in the rain halfway across town. "…Alright."

After about five minutes of waiting in the rain, Lime managed to flag down a taxi, and the two of them got in. Rufus managed to sleep through the whole ride, only to be awoken by the sudden stop of the vehicle arriving at its destination.

When Rufus entered Lime's house, the first thing he noticed was that it was a large and beautiful house. Lime shut the door behind him. "Make yourself comfortable!"

Rufus instantly started looking for a coffee machine.

/-\

After dinner, Rufus was lead up to the guest room on the second floor. He took a long, drawn out shower, trying desperately to stay awake and talk to Lime about his thoughts. But first, he needed to think of how to explain to her. Lying in his bed, in nothing but his towel, he formulated a plan.

Several soft knocks were heard coming from the door."Uh, Rufus, can we talk?"

"Come in." He replied. In came Lime, whom didn't react well to the fact that Rufus was essentially naked.

"R-Rufus! Y-You need to-"

"What's wrong?" The officer was approaching the girl.

"Get a shirt on!" Lime tried to close the door, but was stopped by Rufus's foot.

"Hey, I need to talk to-"

"GAH!" At that moment, Rufus's towel had fallen off. Rufus noticed the blushing face at his door, then realized his… predicament.

"Oh shit!" was all he said before slamming the door shut. Within moments, he found his clothes for the day, got dressed and returned outside. Lime was no longer there. He bolted down the stairs, finding her in the kitchen, making him a coffee. He approached from behind. "I am so sorry about that."

Lime was initially shocked, but when she realized who shocked her, she blushed madly once more. "U-Uh… it's… um… don't do that again!" When she yelled, her cheeks flushed up further.

At this point, Rufus was blushing a little from embarrassment. "I won't…" He scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, were you going to talk to me about something?"

Lime regained her composure. "Rufus… I-I'm quitting my job as a police officer. Too many times, I've been too scared or too hectic in situations to do anything right. I-I'm not cut out for this… I-I-"

Rufus put his finger on her lips to silence her. "No, you are. You just need some help."

"Bu-bu-bu-bu-"

"No buts." His gaze met hers. "I will help you, because I know you can do it."

For the first time in their partnership, the two finally saw eye to eye. Rufus moved his hand from her lips and pat her head gently. "Kid, don't stress so much. You're not going to die, at least not under my watch."

"…" What was she supposed to say? The words finally came to her. "…T-Thank you…"

Rufus smiled ever so slightly. "It's nothing."

"Good night, Rufus." Lime turned and made her way towards her room.

"Good night." Rufus briefly noticed a burn scar on the back of her neck as she entered her room. Strange. He had never noticed it before. He wondered how long it had been there. Rufus shrugged it off, turned, and returned to his bed. He was going to sleep well tonight…

/-\

It was midnight.

Lime dug through her drawers and found an old, worn picture. Its content showed father and daughter, smiling happily as they ate ice cream. Lime shed a brief tear as the memory returned to her mind. Breaking the silence of night, the girl whispered under her breath. "Don't worry daddy, you can rest in peace soon."

Somewhere, a murderer awoke.

Okay… I finally finished this chapter!

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I am sad to say, however, that this story will be going on hiatus for a brief period of time. During this time, I'll be planning out the rest of this fanfic. The first four chapters were essentially song-based, off of Skyfall (by Adele), and another song, that is rather fandom specific. I also plan to return to humor writing. I've got a humor fanfic to finish, and two more comedy one-shots to write as well.

I'm open to any ideas you may have for this story, so suggest anything and everything. You never know, it would be a brilliant idea!