"Onee-chan? Where are we going?" Shou glanced up at his older sister who was dragging him through the streets of Tokyo City once more. She turned around and gave him a smile.
"Oh, I'm just going to drop you off at Miyako's house so I can go pay a visit to a friend."
Shou perked up. "Are you going to visit Aniki? Why can't I come? Are you going on another date?"
"No! We're not even going out! So quit calling him you brother!"
Shou sighed. "But I wanna stay with you, Onee-chan..."
Kaoru looked over her shoulder to see Shou's puppy pout.
"No, Shou. Not this time. Besides, Miyako's the one with the grandma that likes to make you cookies, remember?"
A huge smile grew on Shou's face. "Really? You think she'd make me cookies?"
Kaoru smiled at her little brother. "I bet she will."
-+-+-+-
Kaoru watched her ecstatic brother gleefully walk hand-in-hand into the kitchen with Miyako's grandmother. She turned to Miyako.
"Thank you so much for watching him, Miyako."
Miyako smiled. "It's not a problem at all, Kaoru! My grandmother just loves having someone little to watch after, anyway. So thank you for bringing him over!" Miyako's smile faded. "Did Professor tell you...?"
Kaoru looked down at the ground. "Yeah. I'm going to do some investigating, which I why I dropped him off."
Miyako raised a brow. "Oh, really?" She remarked sarcastically. "I thought you would be going over to a certain someone's apartment..."
Kaoru blushed. "Well, I mean... maybe he knows something about it, since I, uh, met him at the Haunted House right after and stuff and..."
Miyako put a finger to her lips. "Don't worry, Kaoru." She winked. "Your secret is safe with me. Just be sure to investigate after you're through flirting, got it?"
"But Miyako, I..."
Miyako giggled. "It's alright, Kaoru. Here, let me dress you up!"
"No, Miyako, I'm really okay! I promise! Oh God, there's no way I'm wearing that, remember what I said about that?!"
-+-+-+-
10 minutes later, Kaoru was waving goodbye to her friend as she walked away dressed in Miyako's teeny-tiny, not to mention skanky, blue jean mini skirt.
How do I get myself into these messes?! She sighed, walking towards Kano's apartment.
She bit her lip. And what do I say to him? "Oh, hey Kano, did you kill Kaiba?" That won't work at all. And like he'd fess up. I wouldn't. And how did he have the strength to dish out such a beating, anyway?
She climbed the stairs and nervously rang the doorbell.
-+-+-+-
Kano rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he fixed himself some Easy Mac for breakfast. He yawned, setting the bowl on the table and ripping open the package of additional add-in cheese.
He was about to take a bite when he heard his doorbell ring.
"It's 1 in the afternoon. No one sane would ring my door at this early hour." He grumbled, as he unhitched the lock and opened the door.
He came face to face with Kaoru. His mouth hung open as his eyes trailed down her body to her legs.
"Um, Kano? Can I come in? It's kind of cold..."
"Yeah..." He stammered, his eyes still glued to her legs. He opened the door wider, letting her squeeze in.
"So, um, what brings you here so early?"
She laughed, poking him in the chest. "It is not early and you know it."
Kano smirked at her. "It is when you were up half the night with your drugged friend."
Kaoru stared at him for a second, then proceeded to give him a big hug, which he happily returned.
She pulled away a bit, so she could see his face.
"But Kano, what happened to Kaiba?"
Kano stared at her blankly.
"What do you mean happened to him? I found you near the Haunted House, by yourself, and I carried you home. Duh. Now lemme go eat breakfast."
Kaoru bit her lip as he walked back into his kitchen.
Psh, that really worked well.
"But Kano, he died."
Kano spit out the macaroni he was chewing.
"He what?"
She dug her foot into the ground. "Yeah, he did. And since I thought maybe you'd seen him last or something, because I was with him and I don't really remember what happened and so I came to ask you but I had to drop by Miyako's to give Shou to her..."
Kano let out a forced grin. "Oh, and how's your brother?"
Kaoru smiled. "He's alright. Miyako's grandmother always makes him cookies. And..."
As Kaoru went on, Kano nervously glanced around the room.
I... I killed him...?
Yeah, but he deserved it! He was touching your woman!
She's not technically my woman yet...
And she was his?
No... But I killed him. As Butch. What do I tell Kaoru; she's obviously digging for answers. And it that skirt...
Kano let out a low whistle.
Kaoru shot him an incredulous glare. "Excuse me?"
Kano grinned sheepishly. "It's not my fault you're hot, you know."
He watched her speechless expression grow a huge blush.
"And okay, I totally beat up the guy. But I didn't kill him. He drugged you! You're my best friend; what did you expect? Me to just let him get away?"
Kaoru sighed. "No, but are you sure you didn't kill him?"
"Yeah, I said that. Don't you believe me?"
Kaoru stared at the ground and sighed. "I guess..."
Kano grinned. "Good." He patted her on the head.
"You get some lunch or something, I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home."
And with that, Kano was gone.
Kaoru whipped out her compact and called the professor.
"Professor Utonium?"
"Kaoru? What is it?"
"Are you sure he's dead? What caused him to die?"
Professor Utonium rubbed his temples. "It seems someone with superhuman strength broke his ribs, which alone wasn't fatal. But one of the ribs punctured the right lung, causing blood to flood the lungs, and therefore Kaiba couldn't breathe."
Kaoru bit her lip. "Well, are you certain it has to be superhuman strength? Couldn't someone really strong just break the ribs?"
"Possibly, but Korematsu Kaiba received other injuries that Ken and I deemed only possible by a monster attack. The bruises were too large for anything else."
"Thank you Professor." She hastily shut her compact.
So it could have been Kano, except then a monster must have come as well and finished what Kano started. So Kano didn't kill Kaiba.
Kaoru smiled, letting out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding.
"Well that clears that up."
"Clears what up?"
Kaoru leapt 3 feet into the air. "Don't do that!"
"What? Walk into a different room in my house?"
Kaoru scrunched her nose. "It's an apartment."
Kano replied with a roll of his eyes. "You live in one too."
Kaoru turned around, plopping down onto Kano's sofa.
"I don't think you killed him. The news said it had to be a monster."
"A monster, eh? Are they sure they aren't confusing it with Kaiba?"
Kaoru laughed as he dropped next to her, tossing his arm around her shoulders.
"So, babe, it's me and you. Alone in my apartment. And your not really wearing anything."
Kaoru shoved him off the couch. "I am too! And don't even think about it, you pervert!"
Kano laughed, pushing himself up off the floor.
"Hey Kaoru?"
"Yeah?"
"I see London, I see France, I see Kaoru's underpants!"
"AH! YOU PERVERT!!!" She smacked him across the head.
"I BET YOU FELL LIKE THAT ON PURPOSE!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT PUSHED ME, WOMAN!!!" He sat at the other end of the couch.
The two sat quietly in a moment of sulkage, until Kano turned to Kaoru with an impish grin.
"I think black suits you."
Kaoru grinded her teeth, trying to ignore her flushed face.
"I think a black eye would suit you."
He grinned over at her, getting only a venomous glare in return.
"Ah, babe. You're so cute when you're pissed."
"Don't you try to 'babe' me to get your way out of this one!"
Kano hopped up. "But what if I made you some of my specialty dish? On the house?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "What is it?"
"White wine, Easy Mac, BBQ Potato chips, and I think I still have some ice cream."
She smirked over at him. "A real Emeril, aren't you?"
Kano returned her smirk with a huge grin. "Anything for the lady. I'll even use actual glasses instead of paper cups!"
"I'm proud of you."
"Thanks!"
-+- Meanwhile... -+-
(A/N: this was going to be another chapter. But it was waaay to short. So here ya go, a double chapter. We can pretend it's one, and it's the longest one in this story, yes?)
"Hm, and what have we here?"
A tall, skinny figure raised his eyebrows as he watched his screens with much interest.
"Ah, the little green pest has found an object of affection? How delightful!" Kare twirled his martini around, watching the olive dance back and forth.
Instantly, his eyes narrowed and an evil smirk crawled its way across his face.
"This will be fun!"
-+-+-+-
"How is he?! What did you find?!" A distressed, heartbroken woman cried out in the middle of the quiet building.
"Please, Mrs. Korematsu, keep to your seat."
One of the family's many butlers led the traumatized woman back into the plastic chair.
"This morgue only hires those who can perform the best autopsies, madam. The results are clearly stated. Your son is dead."
Mrs. Korematsu didn't bother to stifle her sob. "But there...! It can't be!" She choked out.
The man sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry madam. I truly am. I'd suggest preparation for his funeral. I have advisors and therapists if you need them."
Mrs. Korematsu cringed. "We can afford our own, thank you very much." She stood up, drying her eyes. "Thank you for your time."
She got up, leaving the room. She dried her eyes, remembering what her mother always used to say.
"A lady never goes into public crying or with puffy eyes. It's simply not proper!"
-+-+-+-
The coroner sighed, pulling off his remaining rubber glove and tossing it into the closest trashcan. He glanced over to his current work.
Poor kid. He had his whole life ahead of him.
The man didn't dwell on it long. How could he, when everyday he dealt with dead people with just as tear-jerking ends? He slipped on a new pair of gloves, returning to the dead body. He wrapped the plastic, clear sheet over it, tucking it in the other side to keep it secure. He then slid the wheeling compartment back into the freezer.
The coroner planned to move on to his next project, a convict accused of killing himself with poisons. He just turned the key of the compartment, locking it tightly, and glanced at the name written in boring, black font right below the keyhole.
Korematsu Kaiba
-+-+-+-
Kare giggled. Not an "Oh, boy! Cute new shoes!" giggle, but more of an "Oh, boy! I just got an absolutely evil idea!" cackle.
He twirled about, this time holding a strawberry daiquiri with a little green umbrella.
He smirked. "I chose the color in your honor, little powerpuff. Do enjoy my... gift."
He cackled as he opened his claw. He blew gently, sending spores floating out into open air.
He grinned. "You know what to do."
And with that, Kare continued his giggling as he watched his spores soar off to make mischief.
-+-+-+-
The coroner sighed again, glancing up at the clock. It read 3 AM, and he was still there, cutting open dead people.
It was hard to get dates. The ladies asked him what he did for a living, and all he could reply with was "Oh, I cut open dead people and see why they died." No one cared about such a morbid thing.
So the man resorted to listening to comedians on his iPod to brighten his thoughts.
As he was distracted, he failed to notice the black spores gliding in from under the doorway, crawling along the freezer searching for their target.
As soon as they found it, they slid in through the cracks and under the plastic sheet, infecting Kaiba's body.
The sliding table zoomed out, crashing against the opposing wall.
The coroner was alarmed; he instantly turned to see what had happened.
And he was face to face with a red-eyed zombie grinning down at him evilly.
And no one was around to hear his screams.
---
Oooh... incredibly intense, I know. And you still don't have all the answers. I know. I sure am a know-it-all.
And this one is long. Proud of me, aren't you? Say yes. It'll make me happy. We're getting close to the ending, I think. I'm not sure if I want to make a sequel or finish it up in this story. Decisions, decisions.
Let's go with 69 reviews this round. I know I'm being anal about it, it just gives me enough time to know people have read it.
Thank you for reading! Thank you even more for reviewing!
And hm. Do you all think a sequel would be good, bad, maybe? Just curious.