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Chapter 10: Closed Room?
Thanks for the review guys ^_^ They really help me! I'm glad you all like Minako x Gaara! Kiba x Ino will be mentioned too, but not mainly. Maybe some of you haven't noticed, but this chapter will be a LITTLE similar to an episode in Tantei Gakuen Q. I just got the inspiration! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Flashes of cameras engulfed the seven agents as they exited the room.
"Hoshina-san had disappeared from the time Julie-san and Aria-san had left the room, correct?" Sasuke asked, ignoring all of the riot as they made their way towards the crime scene. Everyone nodded. "First of all, how much time do we have left until the wedding?"
"Two hours and fifty-two minutes," Minako answered.
"Wow," Kiba muttered," time went by fast."
"Second, we need to look over the crime scene." The Uchiha turned towards the sisters. "Did you notice anything suspicious when you walked in?"
"Nothing really," Aria replied. "She was just hanging her stupid coat when we left."
While the others tried to recreate the scene, Sasuke kneeled down beside the coat on the ground. That was when he noticed a small red stain on the tan carpeting. It was so small it was only noticeable if you really look for it. He looked back at the coat, then it all clicked. But first, he needed some answers.
"Aria-san, Julie-san," he spoke up," was she hanging the coat on a coat hanger, or in the closet?"
The girls thought back until finally answering: "The closet."
The dark haired wonder got up from the floor and headed towards the designated area. He opened the closet door, revealing a series of coat hangers. The closet was quite large actually- large enough to fit a human. Everyone watched as he inspected a hanger and nodded his head. "I know how they did it," he suddenly announced.
The whole crowd went wild. "WHAT?"
"If you look closely at the coat, you'll notice a small red dot; it mostly likely came from a small cut or scratch. Now if you look at the bottom of the hanger, there's a small needle. The culprit, knowing that Mai-san had to put away her coat, hid somewhere inside this room. He had poisoned the hanger, so when she accidentally cut herself, it would paralyze her body."
"And…?" Julie urged.
"Once you two left, Mai-san froze. The culprit took the opportunity to hide her body."
"So you mean," Naruto piped up," when Kiba and Sakura-chan entered, Mai-san was still in the room?"
"Ah."
"Where was she hidden?" asked Minako.
"The closet."
Everyone glanced at him in awe. From the corner of Sasuke's eye, he spotted the hotel manage talking to a maid. For some strange reason, he had an urge to listen onto their conversation, and edged closer until their voices were audible.
"Maki-chan, are you sure you didn't see anything?" Mr. Marako spoke. The teenage girl nodded her head viciously.
"No, sir, I didn't see anything," she replied. Out of curiosity, Sasuke spoke up. "What's going on?" he questioned. All of a sudden, Minako sneezed and a chorus of 'Bless You' filled the room.
"This is Maki-chan, the maid that cleaned Mai-san's room after you entered the basement. I was asking her if she saw anything unusual, but she insists she didn't," Mr. Marako explained.
Sasuke's attention averted towards the shy girl. "Who let you in?"
"Well... nobody was guarding it, and I only cleaned the bathroom."
His eyes bored into hers, causing Maki to shift uncomfortably. Once again, Minako sneezed, and she wiped her nose with her sleeve. Gaara noticed this and grunted. "Don't do that," he ordered," it's dirty."
"I-I should go," Maki stammered," I still have to clean the rest of the rooms on this floor." She quickly started to scramble away, but Sasuke caught her wrist.
"If you don't mind, I want to ask you one question," he said.
"Y-Yes?"
"Where were you at the time of the kidnapping?"
"T-Two floors below."
"Hn... you can go."
The Uchiha watched as the teen scurried away from the scene. His pink haired companion joined him. "What's wrong?" she wondered, watching the girl scurry away.
"Nothing."
The cherry blossom huffed. Nothing my ass!
The awkward tension between them disappeared when Sakura's cell phone rang. She took it out and read the text from the 'unknown number'. "Go to the basement if you want the truth," Sakura read. The cherry blossom locked eyes with her raven-haired companion.
Sasuke nodded. "Let's go."
X X X
The deafening silence was disturbed when Minako sneezed. Bits of dust engulfed everyone as they wadded away the unwanted substance. Minako felt her nose tickle once more, but ignored it. Then she noticed the main cause of her sneezing: rats! Whether if it's only a small strand of fur, she would always start sneezing .
"Can we please get out of here?" the blond female asked, bringing her sleeve to her nose.
"Why?" Kiba asked.
"She's allergic to rats," Gaara answered. "They make her sneeze." Then, turning to her, he suggested," Go upstairs. I don't want your allergies to become worse." Though he could tell she really objected, the blond-haired teen obliged anyways. However, before she did, she made him promise her one thing:
"If anything happens, you promise to call me?" she pleaded.
Gaara reached out to ruffle her hair. "Ah."
And with that, she left.
Sakura shifted some boxes away to uncover more space. "It looks as if someone hasn't been here in months. It's so dusty!"
Having the sharpest eyes in the group, Kiba noticed something no one else saw; and that was a dark figure hiding in the shadows.