Channel 9- Chastity

"So how come we're not going to the docks right now again?" said Inui as he and all those in COLOR followed Oshitari and Atobe while they walked in the opposite direction as the docks.

"Because it's morning." Oshitari answered. "And Big Mac only works at night."

"How can you tell it's morning?" Eiji asked, huddling under his umbrella. "It looks as dark and foggy as it did when we first got here."

"By the way," said Atobe as he turned around and tore the umbrella out of Eiji's hand. "How many times do we have to tell you? You're going to draw too much attention to yourself if you use a freakin' umbrella."

"Why can't I use an umbrella?" Eiji demanded. "It's raining!"

Atobe tossed it aside. "Nobody in this world uses umbrellas." Atobe reminded him.

"Then how come Taka gets to bring his horse around with him?" Eiji whined, pointing at Taka who, sure enough, was holding the reins of his horse. "I think THAT'S drawing more attention than my umbrella!"

They all stared at Taka.

"What?" said Taka.

"You know…Eiji has a point." Momo admitted.

"No he doesn't!" said Taka, grabbing his horse protectively.

"I thought you left it back at the office." Oshitari said. Then he turned to Atobe. "We should take the horse back to our place and hide it."

"I agree." Atobe said. "And maybe while we're there, we can pick up that other case and hopefully get it solved while we're waiting for it to get dark."

Inui stopped walking.

"OTHER CASE?" he said, raising his voice ever so slightly to show JUST how enraged he was.

"Yeah." Said Oshitari. "We don't usually work two cases at once, supposedly, but we made an exception because the dame's case as been cold for so long, and because of personal involvement in said case."

"Have either of you ever taken a moment to consider the fact that when the remote control told us to 'solve the case' they might have been talking about this OTHER case that you failed to mention?" Inui questioned of the two detectives.

Atobe and Oshitari looked at each other and then back at Inui.

"No." they both answered in that tone that suggested they were ABOUT to follow up with "So?" but didn't for unknown reasons.

"What does that mean now?" Eiji asked.

"It means we might have to solve both cases in order to get out of here." Inui replied.

"Two cases?" whined Momo. "ONE was going to be annoying enough."

"Okay, so why don't you tell us about this case then too?" said Taka, trying to remain more patient than the others, but that obviously didn't take too much effort.

"Very well," said Atobe putting his hand on his hat and dipping it down in front of his eye to go for the effect. "It all started with the dame. I knew she was trouble when she first walked in. Dames usually are trouble but this one knew something, something that was making her flock to the—"

"Could we skip that part?" Momo said.

"What part?" said Atobe, looking annoyed that Momo had interrupted him.

"Just go right to the part about the evidence and stuff like that." Inui advised.

"Mainly, she claimed she lost her identity." Oshitari said, waving his cigarette.

"Her identity?" said everyone else, except for Atobe of course.

"On the corner of 34th Street, no less." Atobe added. "That's the most dangerous part of town, but she refused to tell us what she was doing in a place like that."

"She was going to get her way whether we all liked it or not, and she liked her way when others didn't like it." Oshitari said.

"Stop talking like that!" Momo said angrily.

"So how do you plan on going about solving this woman's identity crisis?" Taka asked.

"I figure we can make all the regular stops." Said Oshitari. "Check in on Jimmy the Rat."

"Jimmy the Rat?" they repeated.

"Yeah, he's called that in this town for two reasons." Atobe said, holding up two fingers. "First, he's got his hands in everything happening on 34th Street."

"And the other reason?" Eiji prodded.

"He likes cheese." Atobe answered flatly.

"Aha…" said everyone with a nod.

"So where can we find this Jimmy the Rat?" Inui said.

"Right here." Said Oshitari as he gestured at an old abandoned warehouse. They went inside, and sure enough, there was a poker game going on in the depths of the abandonment.

"Let Oshitari handle this." Said Atobe, getting in everyone's way as he allowed Oshitari to go ahead. They watched curiously, wondering what exactly what was going to happen.

"Jimmy the Rat." Said Oshitari in a commanding voice as he rolled in.

"What're ya doin' here, Oshitari?" Jimmy the Rat looked up and discarded a piece of cheese he had been eating. Everyone else at the table saw Oshitari and scattered like roaches under the light.

"Tell me about the dame." Said Oshitari.

"About the dame?" said Jimmy the Rat.

"You know what dame I'm talking about."

"I don't know nothin' 'bout no dame." Said Jimmy the Rat.

"You know what dame I'm talking about." Said Oshitari. "You know her. She lost her identity on 34th Street, and something like that doesn't just happen without you knowing about it, or somehow being apart of it."

"I ain't sayin' NOTHIN'!" said Jimmy the Rat as he sat down and crossed his arms so he was facing away from Oshitari.

Big mistake. Oshitari gave a heavy sigh and removed his cigarette that had just been hanging out in his mouth and grabbed Jimmy the Rat around the neck. "Tell me about the girl, Jimmy!" Oshitari ordered.

"I don't know nothin'!" Jimmy the Rat yelled as he flailed around helplessly.

"Tell me, I know you know!" said Oshitari as he extinguished the cigarette on Jimmy the Rat's skin.

The others observing winced and tried not to look.

Jimmy the Rat wailed in pain. "GO TO MIKEY!" he yelled.

Oshitari stopped and let go of Jimmy. He took two steps away from him and then stopped.

"Mikey DiKlepto?" Oshitari clarified.

Jimmy the Rat nodded, still caressing his singed cheek.

"I'll let you off easy because you told me to go to Mikey." Said Oshitari, coming back over to Jimmy the Rat. Then he started to walk away, but at the last second, he spun back around, grabbed Jimmy the Rat's head and snapped his neck, then flicked his cigarette at Jimmy the Rat's limp body.

Then he went over to where everyone else was standing with their mouths hanging open.

Except for Atobe, of course, who just handed him another cigarette.

"You let him off easy." Atobe commented.

"What can I say? I'm a softy." Said Oshitari as he lit his cigarette.

"Oshitari!" said Eiji. "You just KILLED a man!"

"So?" said Oshitari, adjusting his trench coat.

It was impossible to argue with logic like that so they followed Atobe and Oshitari to their next destination.

"This… Mikey DiKlepto…" Inui started. "I trust you know where to find him as well?"

"Yeah…" said Atobe. "He runs a business up here, but it's hard to run an honest business with a last name like 'DiKlepto'."

The others nodded in agreement as they approached a run down looking building.

"DiKlepto!" Atobe called as he marched into the building. This time, Oshitari held the others back and assured them to let Atobe handle it.

"Atobe." Said a man who was standing behind the counter as he looked up dramatically with music that suggested the pianist had just slammed his hands down on as many keys as he could reach.

"Tell me what I want to know, DiKlepto." Said Atobe.

"I don't know nothin'." Said Mikey DiKlepto. "You know me. I run an honest business. I left that life behind me a long time ago."

"Jimmy the Rat sent me." Atobe said.

This made Mikey DiKlepto look a little nervous. "This about that dame?" he said, his voice shaking.

"So you do know her." Said Atobe.

"What can I say?" Mikey DiKletpo said. "Old habits die hard."

"So I've heard." Atobe said. "So tell me what I need to know and I'll be on my way."

"I ain't gonna talk to you, Detective." Said Mikey DiKlepto, trying to look smug. "I already told you I gots my life on track. I'm an honest man with an honest business."

"Is that so?" said Atobe as he grabbed Mikey DiKlepto by the collar from across the counter and pulled him up over it. He shook him a bit, and then reached his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He let go of Mikey DiKlepto and waved the wallet. "This is MY wallet here, see?"

Sure enough, Atobe revealed that the wallet's interior belonged entirely to him.

"I'll say it again…old habits die hard." Said Mikey DiKlepto.

"Come on out here." Atobe ordered.

Mikey DiKlepto walked around the counter and then sat down at a table. Atobe stood beside him.

"Listen," he said. "Go to…" he paused and pulled another wallet out of his pocket and handed it to Atobe, looking briefly at the inside first. "Mickey Two Times."

"Mickey Two Times?" said Atobe, looking inside to see that the wallet belonged to said gangster. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah." Said Mikey DiKlepto. "And get out of my shop before you scare away the other fish."

"Right…" said Atobe as he started to walk away. "Oh, I almost forgot."

He spun around, grabbed Mikey DiKlepto's head and then snapped his neck as well.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!" said Eiji, waving his arms as Atobe came back over with the wallet.

"Could you guys stop killing people?" said Taka. "It's making me feel uncomfortable."

"He had it coming." Said Atobe, and Oshitari nodded in agreement.

"So what about this Mickey Two Times?" said Inui. "Let me guess…you guys know just where to find him."

"Of course." Said Oshitari. "Even though we've only been in this Universe for four days, it doesn't take long to find out where the scum lives."

"Mickey Two Times…" Atobe mumbled. "He got that name because he's stabbed everyone in the back at least twice. And he says everything two times."

"Let's get this over with." Said Momo. "And remember, stop killing people!"

Oshitari and Atobe glared at Momo and then led the group to an alleyway.

"We better handle this one together." Said Oshitari to Atobe.

Atobe nodded in agreement, and they advised the others to stay behind. They wanted to follow to make sure Atobe and Oshitari didn't kill poor Mickey Two Times, but the alley was scary, so they decided to stay where there was a little more light.

"Mickey." Said Atobe.

A man emerged from the shadows. "Detectives! Detectives!" he said.

"Tell us about the dame." Oshitari ordered.

"What dame? What dame?"

"You know what dame!" said Atobe angrily.

"I don't know nothin'! Know nothin'!"

Atobe didn't say anything else, he just reached over and grabbed Mickey Two Times and snapped his neck. As Mickey Two Times crumbled to the floor, Atobe looked at Oshitari and said, "It was getting annoying."

"I agree." Said Oshitari.

The Knights and Pirates stomped over.

"STOP KILLING PEOPLE." They said.

"You didn't even get any information from him!" said Eiji.

"Oh, I think I've got this case figured out already." Said Oshitari. Atobe nodded. "We have to go back to our office."

"Why?" said Momo.

"I agree." Said Inui. "The pieces are falling together."

"WHAT?" said Eiji, Momo and Taka.

They turned to leave, but Atobe pulled out Mickey Two Time's wallet and tossed it to him. "Mikey DiKlepto sends his regards." He said coolly.

So they all followed Oshitari and Atobe back to their office and when they opened the door, there was a dame sitting at one of the desks.

"Chastity." Oshitari and Atobe said ominously.

"Detectives." Said the woman, standing up.

"I don't get it," Momo whispered to Taka. "Is this Oshitari's past lover whose husband was murdered, or is this the dame that lost her identity?"

"Er…" Taka said slowly.

"Have you found my identity?" said the woman.

"Well—" Taka started to Momo.

"NEVER MIND." Said Momo.

"I think you've known where your identity has been all along." Said Atobe.

"What do you mean?" said Chastity. "Are you accusing ME, Detectives?"

"Damn straight we are." Said Oshitari.

"All right, the jig is up." Said Chastity. "The truth is…I never had an identity and I was hoping…" she paused and looked dramatically at the two detectives. "One of you could find one for me."

"Identity?" said Atobe as he took off his hat and flung it across the room. "I got an identity for you right here."

He approached her speedily, grabbed her and dipped her, engaging in a very passionate kiss.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" demanded the Pirates and Knights.

"Wow!" said Chastity as Atobe let her go.

"Was it good for you too?" said Atobe.

Chastity hardly had time to nod before Oshitari grabbed her and snapped her neck.

"You did NOT just do that!" said Momo.

"I never liked the lying type." Said Oshitari, flicking his cigarette.

"Never." Atobe said.

Then they all stood there for a while.

"So…we solved the case…" said Eiji. "What about that white light and that changing the channel business?"

"I suppose perhaps we're meant to solve the OTHER case." Said Inui, looking at the remote to see that it still told them to 'solve the case'.

"Well, at least that took up the day." Said Taka, looking out the window to see that the sun was setting. "We can go to the docks now, can't we?"

"We can." Said Atobe and Oshitari together.