Thanks again for my girlfriend for proofreading this chapter and once again providing a title.

Warning: Gore.

Shiena was walking through a dark corridor weakly lit by flaming torches. Her heart racing and her hands shivering, she continued to walk, fearing what she might find at the end. She eventually reached a door and, with a moment of hesitation, opened it.

She arrived in what appeared to be a dungeon. Facing the wall was a tall woman with long black hair. Shiena stopped for a moment, before cautiously walking towards her.

The woman eventually turned back, revealing that she was wearing a mask, a smiling drama mask. Shiena froze immediately.

"... Jackie?" she called softly yet afraid.

Jack nodded as she stepped towards Shiena, who was paralyzed by fear. Jack now stood in front of her and cocked her head, as if she was observing her. Shiena, despite the terror, managed to move her arm, reaching her hand towards her mask, until she touched it with her fingertips, ready to remove it and finally see Jack's face.

Shiena suddenly felt a terrible pain in her chest. Slowly, she lowered her head and discovered with horror that a blade had pierced her. With a slash, Jack ripped open her chest, before digging her hand in it. Shiena screamed in agony as Jack ripped out her heart, still beating in her bloody hand.

Shiena coughed up blood and fell to her knees, her chest heavily bleeding. Jack tied her heart to a rope and put it around her neck as if it was a pendant, then grabbed Shiena's chin with her clean hand, raising her head. With her hand dirtied with blood, Jack traced a red smile on Shiena's face, similar to the one on her mask. Shiena tried to see through her mask to at least see her eyes, in vain.

As Jack released her, Shiena collapsed to the floor, as everything became dark around her.

Shiena woke up with a jolt, heavily panting and sweating. Instinctively, she reached for her chest and let out a sigh of relief when she felt her heart beating, quite loudly and fast. At least it was still there, safe in her chest.

What an awful dream. Yet not surprising, judging by the recent events. Shiena ran a hand through her messy hair and rose up, taking a look at the clock. It was still pretty early in the morning, but she had no desire to go back to sleep, too afraid she might have another terrifying nightmare.

She couldn't help but think that Jack was close to her, so much so that she could almost remove her mask and uncover her identity, but that if she did that, she would most likely get killed.

She headed for the kitchen, needing her dose of caffeine to fully wake up. But as she arrived, her eyes were instinctively attracted to the fridge. With a shivering hand, she got closer to it, reached the handle and opened the freezer.

Inside, wrapped in a bag, was the bloody human heart she received yesterday.

Shiena sighed as she closed the door back up. She spent the entire previous day wondering what to do about that. Her first instinct was to call Chitaru and tell her what happened, but she realized it might get her into trouble.

There was no doubt that this sinister gift was from Jack. What was the meaning behind it? Shiena wasn't sure. A gloomy way to show her love, and perhaps also a way to tell her that she could be next. An act of love yet also a threat.

If she told Chitaru, then she would have to admit that she had some connection to Jack. This would only make Tokaku feel like she had been right to suspect her, and maybe make Chitaru feel like she couldn't trust her anymore. They will both realize that she hid clues from them, and they will probably tell Sumireko, which, as a result, might lose Shiena her job. And if she lost it, it would be harder for her to track down Jack- she wouldn't have the support of AKA and the police anymore.

So she made a decision. She chose to hide the heart and not tell her coworkers, and took it upon herself to use this to uncover Jack's identity. To know she received a human heart would probably not help them anyway in their investigation, so why tell them? There was no way it could possibly come back to bite her.

But doubt was in her mind, a fear. If Jack sent this heart to her apartment, then it meant she knew where she lived. Jack could come here at any moment to murder her. Shiena wasn't safe here anymore, in her own home. Yet, if Jack wanted to kill her, she could have done it so many times now, right? So what was the chance she would come to assassinate her?

She realized that it was too dangerous to take that chance. It would be for the best to leave for some time. Taking her decision, Shiena took a quick breakfast before she put on some clothes and went to retrieve her suitcase in her closet. She put a couple of clothes inside, bathroom stuff, a few spares of her glasses, her laptop… Shiena tended to be a hoarder and gathered a whole bunch of useless stuff in her apartment, but when it was time to pack, she only brought what was necessary.

She then spotted the pendant Otoya gave her as a present. She took it, gently stroking it. She had a wonderful day with her, so why did it get ruined at Christmas by Jack? Even if it wasn't a useful item, Shiena decided to bring it with her, so she can at least have some comfort linked to a happy memory.

Once she had finished packing her stuff, Shiena went to the front door, put on her boots and coat, pulled out her key, and left her apartment. With some regret, she locked the door and finally left the building.

Otoya couldn't help but smile. She was wondering how Shiena reacted to her special gift. She was more curious if she would get the obvious hint she just gave her. A silver heart, a human heart, the connection wasn't that hard to make. But it was Shiena we were talking about. The poor girl was blinded by love, and everyone knew that love made one stupider than usual. Not that Shiena was dumb now, but whenever Otoya was involved, it felt like she lost a few gray cells.

It only made Otoya want to laugh. It was hilarious to drop obvious clues right in front of Shiena's nose yet she couldn't grasp them. It was so fun to toy with her like that, just like a cat playing with a mouse. But one day, she'll have to eat her. That was how this game will end.

Otoya had a relatively good Christmas. After dropping her present in front of Shiena's door, she spent the day at her uncle and aunt's house with a couple few more relatives she barely even knew. But it was pleasant to wear her mask around them, to deceive and fool them. What was family meant for if not to be used? At least she received a couple of interesting gifts and even money.

On her way home after a walk, Otoya went through a backstreet, and as she was about to exit it, someone suddenly blocked her way.

"Takechi."

Otoya stopped walking, surprised yet not impressed by this sudden meeting.

"Hey, Hashiri… or should I say Kuzunoha?"

Nio was facing her, her face blank, yet her gaze so cold and threatening.

"Why did you do that?" Nio simply asked.

"Huh? You gotta be more specific, I did a lot of stuff-"

"You gave the heart of one of your victims to Kenmochi, didn't you? Why have you done such a stupid thing?"

"Ah, but it's not stupid at all. You see, Kenmochi-san is hiding clues about the investigation to AKA, so her receiving a human heart from the serial killer they are tracking would only make them suspicious of her. That will make them realize that Kenmochi-san is hiding stuff from them. And since she was targeted by the killer, it's highly possible they would remove her from the investigation. Isn't that you want? She's a nuisance, right? So better to get rid of her, but without killing her, just like the higher-ups want."

Nio looked at first unconvinced by what Otoya just said, before she was left pondering, then annoyed.

"If I remember correctly, I told you not to do something without our approval first."

"Hm, no, you said to not kill without your approval. This heart belongs to a woman you asked me to kill, so it isn't like I disobeyed your order. And you did ask me to get closer to Kenmochi-san to tamper with her investigation, which I just did."

Nio clenched her fist like she was fighting the urge to punch Otoya before a cheery smile appeared on her face.

"Ah, Takechi-san, tell me why I haven't killed you yet?" Nio asked cheerfully.

"Not sure, but I think that somehow, the higher-ups think I'm valuable. Sucks to be you, huh?" Otoya said with a cocky smile.

Nio continued to smile, but it seemed more forced, and even threatening.

"Don't abuse your luck, Takechi. Everyone is replaceable, especially a puny serial killer such as yourself."

Otoya replied nothing to that, simply smiling with such arrogance.

"Let's not get violent in this holy season, shall we? Did you have a nice Christmas, Nio-chan?"

"Don't call me that. And what I did on Christmas is none of your business," Nio replied, becoming serious again.

"Aww, don't be like that. Do you perhaps have a special someone?"

"If you don't shut up now, yesterday will be your last Christmas."

Despite those violent words, Nio remained perfectly calm, yet her voice was full of threat and her gaze was so sharp that she could stab someone with it. Otoya chuckled in face of danger and slightly raised her arms as a sign of surrender.

"No need to be so aggressive, Hashiri-san. Well, if it's all you have to tell me, then I'll go. If you'll excuse me, I have stuff to attend to at home."

Nio remained motionless for a moment before she got out of the way. Otoya nodded at her and she passed next to her as Nio suddenly grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

"If you endanger Black Guild in any way, no matter what the higher-ups want, I'll personally make you meet the same fate as all your victims," Nio said with a cold and gloomy voice.

Otoya felt nothing towards this threat. She smirked as she shook off her arms, walking away. But she stopped again to say one last thing.

"Merry Christmas, Kuzunoha-san."

"It's not Christmas anymore you dipshit."

"And a happy new year."

Otoya could almost feel Nio's murderous aura as she walked away, heading for her house. When she turned back, Nio had disappeared. Otoya continued to walk, satisfied with how the conversation went. Nio got fooled like everyone else. None of what she said was true. She had no interest in getting Shiena out of the investigation, quite the contrary. She knew Shiena would probably keep the heart a secret, so she wouldn't get into trouble with AKA. And even if she did, Otoya didn't really care. She knew Shiena would keep tracking her no matter what.

As she arrived at her house, Otoya removed her boots and coat and headed for her room. On her desk was the gift Shiena got her. Seriously, what a pathetic and cheap present. Otoya was tempted to throw it away, she had no use for such an item. She was far from being a hoarder- she only kept what was useful to her. Useless tools had no place in her life. An eternal blooming flower? How ridiculous. It was nothing more than fake flowers, there was no beauty in it.

But she could see Shiena's effort. She could see that she was trying to understand her. Yet despite this gift she had failed to recognize her as Jack? How funny. Otoya softly stroked the ornament, feeling somewhat moved by Shiena's attention towards her.

"An eternal blooming flower… I wonder if I could meet one one day."

Of course not. All flowers were fated to fade and rot, and it was up to her to preserve their beauty. The concept of a flower who would bloom eternally was absurd. Beauty was ephemeral after all. She then remembered something Shiena once told her.

What about inner beauty?

Otoya brushed that away. Inner beauty was something made up so ugly people could feel better about themselves. It had no value. All that mattered was outer beauty. After all, the world was made for pretty people, nobody cared if you were beautiful in the inside. And neither did she.

She laid on her bed. Today was December 26th. The year was almost over, and Otoya had specific plans for the new year.

Make Shiena fully hers.

Shiena opened her eyes. She didn't recognize the ceiling and for a moment, she became tense. Even the bed seemed unknown to her, harder and less comfy than her usual bed. She straightened up and looked around, worried, before she realized where she was and sighed in relief.

She was in the motel room she rented for a couple of days, trying to protect herself from Jack. She didn't know how long she would stay, and she didn't really think about it. All she wanted was to get away from her apartment so she wouldn't have an unexpected visit that may end in a bloodbath. But she had to admit, staying in a cheap motel wasn't the best. It wasn't that she didn't have the money to stay in a hotel, but she preferred to avoid spending too much, not knowing how long she would stay here.

She got up from the bed and put on some clothes, just regular jeans with her usual hoodie. She grabbed her laptop and put it in her bag, with her wallet. She then left the motel room and pulled out her key to lock the door, before leaving the motel.

She headed for the café down the street. A rather cheap café, but not seedy. Shiena wasn't particularly demanding, so it was well enough for her. She ordered a coffee and went to sit in a corner, far away from the other customers. She turned on her computer and started to do her usual routine of the morning.

She went on Facebook to look at her dashboard to see if there were any interesting articles to read. There weren't many murders that happened for once, it was kind of disappointing. Not that Shiena actually wanted people to get killed, but she did like to read about killers. She scrolled down to skimmed through all the articles, sipping coffee, before she saw everything new. One thing remained on her mind.

The Demolisher.

AKA was closed during the holidays, but Shiena didn't feel like taking a break from the investigation. She was on a lead for the Demolisher and she didn't want to let go or wait any longer to catch them. She had a suspect in mind now, and all she needed to do is find a motive, some kind of logic behind those awful murders.

She almost had all the pieces to solve this puzzle, except one. What was the trigger to commit those murders? What did the victim do to trigger the killer?

Shiena was rereading her notes, reports and all. She noticed a certain detail, almost a pattern. Some of the victims had apparently offered a gift to that girl they met at their workplace. Could the gift be the trigger? Was there something special about receiving a present, almost sacred?

A gift from a kind person. Someone important to them, maybe. This gift, it was like it was some kind of charm, a relic. Something… to fill the void in their heart.

It suddenly gave an idea for Shiena how to catch the killer. A risky idea, but it was worth it. She was convinced she could deal with the culprit.

She then noticed that she had a notification. She looked and saw that someone had messaged her. Seeing who it was, Shiena sighed. She initially wanted to ignore them, but after the favour they did for her, she felt like it would be rude.

"Hey, Ichinose," Shiena typed.

"How are you? How did your date with Takechi-san go?"

Shiena blushed a little. A date… was it really that? She sure hoped it was.

"It went well. She even got me a nice gift, and she seemed to like mine. I had a wonderful dinner with her."

"I'm so glad! You were so pretty."

"What about you? How was your evening with Azuma?"

"Oh, well, Tokaku-san isn't really the talkative type, but we still had a nice time together. We ate dinner and watched a movie, a romantic one. Not sure if Tokaku-san really enjoyed it, but at some point, she held my hand. It must mean something, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. Azuma has a thing for you, for sure."

Shiena remembered how Tokaku threatened her to not cause harm to Haru, so obviously she must have at least some feelings for her.

"Ah, I gotta go. Seeya soon at work!" Haru wrote.

"Yeah, seeya."

And Haru went offline. Shiena was grateful to her for helping her for her dinner with Otoya, but she wasn't sure how she felt about the idea of her being with Tokaku, given the fact that the latter seemed to hate her. But in the end, she just wished that Haru would be happy with someone she loved.

As she was about to continue her investigation, her phone suddenly started to vibrate. Shiena picked it up and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Shiena-san."

Shiena felt her heart missing a beat.

"Oh, T-Takechi…"

"How are you? I passed by your apartment but you weren't there. Are you busy?"

"No, I'm just in a café right now. And… I stayed in a motel last night."

"Ah? Why? Are you in another town?"

"No, I'm still here. Let's just say that… I didn't feel safe at home anymore."

"Eh? Did something bad happen?"

Shiena hesitated to answer. She didn't want to get Otoya involved in this mess, but she also felt the need to have someone with whom she could tell what was going on, someone she could rely on.

"Shiena-san, please answer me! I'm worried…"

"I… Jackie knows where I live, so I didn't feel safe in my apartment anymore."

"Huh? How do you know that? What happened? Please Shiena-san, answer me!"

"I don't… feel comfortable talking about that over the phone. Can we meet in person?"

"Sure, just tell me which motel you're at and your room and I'll join you."

For a moment, Shiena hesitated to tell her. She didn't want to tell anyone where she was at for her own safety, but she trusted Otoya. She didn't see any reason to not tell her.

"I'll text you the address, meet me there in about an hour," Shiena said.

"Cool, thanks. I'll be there. I'm worried, I really hope you're okay."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern."

"Okay, seeya later then. Stay safe please."

"I will, thanks. Seeya soon."

And they both hung up the phone. Shiena sighed, before she turned off her laptop and put it back in her bag, grabbed her coffee, and headed back to the motel.

Not so long after she arrived at her motel room, Shiena heard someone knocked at the door. For a moment, she was worried that it might be Jack who had found her, before realizing that it was probably not the case.

Still a little bit nervous, she rose up and opened the door, and sighed with relief when she saw who it was.

"Take-"

Otoya burst into the room, not even taking the time to remove her boots. She grabbed Shiena by the shoulders and looked at her with an expression of concern on her face, as well as worry.

"Shiena-san! What's going on? Why do you think Jackie knows where you live?"

Otoya looked so panicked. Somehow it made Shiena happy to see Otoya be so concerned about her, it made her feel like she mattered. Like she was valuable and appreciated. Loved.

"Takechi, I'm fine. I'm safe here, you don't have to worry about me."

Otoya finally let go of Shiena's shoulders, still looking tense.

"Tell me what happened," Otoya ordered.

"I think you should sit down first."

"I think I prefer to stand."

"Please. You're kind of stressing me out. Let's just sit down and talk calmly."

Otoya took a deep breath as if she was trying to calm down before she sighed, a weak smile on her lips.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just worried, you know."

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks for your concern, I appreciate it."

They both sat down on the edge of the bed. Otoya seemed to have calmed down a little, while Shiena was nervous. She played with her fingers for a moment, before finally talking.

"On Christmas, I received… a gift."

"Huh? What kind of gift?" Otoya asked.

"Someone… left a box in front of my door. And inside, there was… a human heart."

Otoya remained stoic for a moment before an expression of true horror appeared on her face.

"You mean… a real human heart!?" Otoya exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah… I think so…"

"Did you call the police?"

"N-No… I… just hid the heart in my freezer."

"Why? It's serious, you should warn the authoriti-"

"I can't," Shiena interrupted her. "I want to continue tracking Jackie, but if the police know she targeted me, I might not be able to do so anymore."

"You're risking your life for that!?"

"I… yes. No matter the risk, I want to pursue my passion, and I want to catch Jackie. This is important to me."

Otoya softly stroked Shiena's hand before she held it, a gentle smile on her lips.

"... I understand. What you're doing is quite admirable, Shiena-san. I'll support you no matter what and help you."

"Thanks, Takechi-san…"

"That's why I can't let you stay here. I don't want you to stay in a cheap motel, alone, vulnerable, and unprotected… I want you to come live with me."

Shiena remained silent for a moment as if she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"You want me… to move out with you?"

"Well, just temporarily, until Jackie is finally arrested. This way you won't be alone, and I could protect you-"

Shiena let go of Otoya's hand and suddenly rose up.

"I can't! I don't want to put you in danger, what if Jackie finds us and hurts you, or worse, kills you…"

Otoya rose up too, softly grabbing Shiena shoulders again, a comforting smile on her face.

"It's fine, I'm not scared of Jackie. I just want to help you and protect you, so please, let me do this. Please, Shiena-san. You can't be alone in a time like this."

Otoya's turquoise gaze was so insistent, yet full of sympathy and concern. Shiena didn't have the strength to say no anymore, and living with Otoya seemed like a dream come true.

"Okay, I'll go with you. Let me just pack up my stuff."

"Take your time, there's no rush."

Shiena went to her suitcase. Luckily, she didn't have enough time to properly start unpacking, so most of her stuff was still in it. She quickly put everything back in, closed the suitcase, and turned to Otoya.

"I'm ready now, we can go."

"Perfect!" Otoya exclaimed. "Here, let me grab that."

Before Shiena could say anything, Otoya grabbed her suitcase, before she suddenly held Shiena's hand.

"I came in my car, so we'll be at my house soon," Otoya added. "Now, let's go, shall we?"

Shiena nodded, a smile on her lips. Everything was going for the better, after all, she won't have to pay for a motel room and will have a safe place from which to stay as long as she needed, with the girl she loved. How lucky could she be?

They both left the motel, Shiena carefreely following Otoya, feeling that perhaps, the heart incident wasn't so bad after all.

Shiena, leaving her apartment to avoid getting killed by Jackie

Also Shiena: Give her motel address to Otoya

Otoya is right, love does make you stupid.

How do you think things will end for Shiena? Let me know your thoughts!