"Mom! Dad! Seira! Grandma! Grandpa!"
'Meiki...' A voice said in her head.
'Aunt Angela?'
'We're all in a car. We've been kidnapped!'
'Why?'
'Still not sure, but your mother wanted me to tell you NOT to try and save us...'
'What? Why?'
'She's your mother, dear. It's what we do...we don't want you to get into any trouble...'
'Oh...'
"Detective..." A familiar voice called. He appears before her.
'Ok, Aunt Angela.'
'We'll find some way out of this. Don't you worry.'
'...Ok.' She looks at her admirer. "Alias...you weren't caught?"
"Beg your pardon?" He said, confused.
"I know who you are, Alias..."
"Do you now? Listen, Detective, there's no time for this. Your family, friends and friends' family are in serious danger...this has the Bloodboys written all over it...they're trying to break you..."
"Well, it's not going to work..."
"Do you know where they are?"
"No, but I can find out..."
"Another one of your abilities. You never cease to amaze me..." She blushes. "Do what you have to do, Detective..." He was about to walk away when...she does the unthinkable and grabs his coat.
"Wait! Please, help me...I don't think I can do this alone..."
"Very well, Detective. Under one condition..."
"Ok."
"You say you know who I am, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then, don't try to find out who I am...for now." iWhat? That doesn't make any sense.../i
"O...k...you have a deal." She pulls out her hand.
"You're doing it already..." She quickly sets it down. iHe's good.../i
"Sorry."
"Have you discovered their location?"
"Just one moment..." 'Uncle Alex, can you hear me?'
'Loud and clear, Mei.'
'Where are you guys?'
'We're tied up and gagged in an empty room...'
'Did you notice anything when they were taking you guys in?'
'The only thing noticable is that this room is completely painted red...' iSo it IS the Bloodboys.../i 'We were blindfolded, so I can't tell you of our location...'
'Are you all Ok?'
'Yes, we're fine...'
'Is everyone there?'
'Hmm...let's see...yep...wait...someone's missing...'
'Who?'
'Well, Minoru's missing...oh, Elly's missing, too...and her parents...'
'Weird...'
'Yeah. Oh wait...the door is opening...oh, my, god...'
'What is it, Uncle? Who's at the door?'
'I can't believe it...Meiki, you may have to disregard what my wife told you...we're gonna need help on this one...I don't think your mother and I can do this alone...'
'I can't help if I don't know where you guys are...who was at the door?'
'...Elly and her parents...' iElly? She's part of the Bloodboys, too? And her parents? Who may not be her parents at all...'
'Whatever you do, Unc, stay with me...'
'I'm here.' She looks at Alias.
"They're trapped in a red room, and Elly and those people who came with her are behind it all..."
"They say the person you're looking for is the one you'd least suspect..." Alias quoted.
"Yeah..." She said, agreeing.
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'm not sure what to do...I have nothing..."
"Don't give up now, Detective...it's not your style..."
"How do you know my style?"
"I just know..."
"...What do I do?"
"You're the Detective. I'm just an unknown source of information..."
"Then you should know where they are, right?"
"I do not."
"..." Her head goes down...Alias can hear sniffles.
"Stop crying, Detective. Crying doesn't help your problem..."
"..." A hand touches her chin. It lifts her head up.
"Meiki...where is everyone? And why are you-" She looked around and noticed Alias was gone. She holds Minoru as she continues to cry.
"I...don't...(sniff) know..."
"Calm down. I'm sure we'll find them..."
"How?" Then, she noticed a piece of paper fall from ceiling. "Huh?" She reads:
62 32 83 32 73 41 43 83 32 82 71...81 42 43 62 52, 31 32 81 32 23 81 43 83 32. 81 42 43 62 52. iThink of what? There were no-/i
"Clues...this isn't just a kidnapping..."
"Meiki? What are you-"
"This is..." She lets go of Minoru and looks on the dining room table, and saw a note. She reads it. "A ransom...look." Minoru goe over and looks at the note left behind.
"'Quit your meddling forever or your friends and family will suffer...' Meiki...are you...going to..."
"...No. It's not my style...I WILL find them..."
"I'm with you...whoever did this took my family, too..."
"It's Elly...she's the kidnapper..."
"From what Seiji told me about her, she was pretty sick...though she didn't seem sick today..."
"That was long a- Seiji!"
"Huh?"
"I need to settle something...please, stay here...wait for me..."
"...Well, I haven't eaten at all..."
"Go on. Eat. I'll be right back." She runs out the door and calls Seiji. iPlease, pick up.../i
"*Hello?
"**Hi.
"*Meiki? What do you want?
"**I need your help, please...my family and friends have all been kidnapped...
"*What? How?
"**Elly...she's one of the Bloodboys...
"*Stay there. I'll be right over.
"**Please, hurry.
"*I'm on my way." She hangs up. Miutes later, Seiji arrives, practically out of breath. "I'm...here..."
"As a Detective, I must ask you some questions about Elly..."
"All right."
"You have to tell me her sickness..."
"I can't..." She grabs Seiji.
"You listen well, Seiji Saila. Since you know the kidnapper, I can arrest you as an accessory to kidnapping..."
"You couldn't prove that..."
"Granted, I can't...but you will be held in custody..."
"Ooh, I'm so scared...if you're done trying to interrogate me, I must be going..."
"NO!" She grabbed him. "Please, I'm sorry..."
"There are times to become Detective Asuka, Meiki, and other times to just be Meiki Asuka."
"I need to know..." He sees the pleading in her eyes.
"...She has a rare sickness...in the mind."
"Huh?"
"It's a disorder that shifts the way she acts...she may act innocent one moment, and cruel the next...it's close to Multiple Personality Disorder, but she is actually aware of it."
"I see..."
"Meiki, I think I may know where she is..."
"Show me...please..."
"Guess you'll listen to me next time, right?"
"...I'm-"
"Shh. Let's go save them." She stops crying and nods her head.
"Right!" She walks back inside her house. "Minoru, let's-" She noticed a chair on the floor. iNo...not Alias, too.../i She sees another note. "'Got your boyfriend, too...give up and they will all live...'" iMy family, Minoru's family, and Seira's family...this just got personal.../i
"Meiki?"
"Take me to her..." She said, angry.
"Meiki..."
"Let's go! I can't wait any-" He holds her. She blushes. "This is no time for..."
"Meiki...I need you to calm down...don't come at this with anger in your heart...we will get everyone back..." She nods, calming down. He lets go of her. "Let's go."
To Be Continued...