Week 10

Kyoko arrived home exhausted that night. It was the longest day in recent memory. She collapsed on her bed next to Jack as she recalled the events of the day.

It started off with the stalker and worrying about Max. Then it ended with a scene from a serial killer. Ren refused to let her upstairs to see the room with the bloodied clothes until after forensics came and removed them. Yukihito arrived quickly along with several others to control the crime scene. It was much more chaotic than the last time Kyoko was with Ren to investigate a crime.

The added chaos was due to the room apparently being the home base to a serial killer in the city. It was the first time a link was found to the killer that did not contain a body. It was an important break in a case with no leads.

Ushio Kurasaki, Ren's immediate supervisor, said last week that the killer used attack dogs to tear his victims to shreds. Kyoko couldn't fathom why he would want to keep the shredded clothes of his victims. It would take time to pick up the shreds after the dogs were done. There was always the possibility that the bloodied clothes belonged to the perp but that didn't make sense. If he used dogs to do his dirty work, then there was no need for him to be close enough for his clothes to be soiled. Perhaps a few drops would make sense. But it was more than that. It was bad enough that Ren refused to let her see them.

Speaking of the dogs, there were no signs of dogs in the room. No food or water out for them. No signs of dog hair. The animals were being kept in a separate location than their owner for some reason.

Kyoko sighed in frustration. She wasn't going to get anywhere running over the scene in her head. She sat up to get ready for bed when she was hit by a major hunger pain and a wave of nausea. She took a few seconds to wait it out and get her bearings.

"I guess I need to eat before bed. Huh, Jack?" She said looking at her orange kitty curled up next to her.

Once she was confident she was steady on her feet, she got up and went to the kitchen to check for food. Thanks to the surprise crime scene, she never ate dinner. Her entire mind was focused on what was going on in front of her and the implications of what she was seeing. She forgot all about taking care of herself.

Blessedly, there was some leftover grilled chicken and veggies. She wouldn't have to cook anything. Kyoko threw the plate in the microwave for a minute.

As she stood there waiting for her food to warm up, Kyoko realized she probably would have had dinner with Ren on the way home if they hadn't found the home base of the serial killer. She didn't have the chance to tell him what she wrote for her article, and she wanted to say thank you for coming to her aid.

Kyoko blushed remembering how he saved her.

"That's right," Ren said putting his arm around her. "My dear texted me earlier saying she needed a ride home from her volunteer work. So of course, I came. I can't say no to her," Ren swept down and kissed her on top of the head to accentuate his words.

The microwave beeped just as the image of Ren kissing her played in her mind. She jumped at the sound feeling like a schoolgirl caught in the act of doing something she shouldn't.

He surprised her with his actions. Not only did he come to her aid as soon as she asked, but he also pretended to be her boyfriend putting his arm around her and kissing her. It was just a peck on top of the head, but it was still a kiss.

His arm around her felt comforting, and he was really warm. If Kyoko wasn't careful, she could drop her guard around him and leave herself open to that disgusting feeling. That wasn't an option. Kyoko pushed thoughts of Ren's warm arm and protective kiss from her mind as she ate her dinner.


Week 11

Over the weekend, Kanae, Rika, and Kyoko got together to see a movie and hang out. Since Rika was unable to visit earlier in the week, she had not yet seen the ultrasound pictures.

"Oh! I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at, but this is exciting! A picture of the baby in your tummy!" She squealed smiling at Kyoko while gushing over the picture.

Kyoko giggled at the memory as she walked into City Hall Monday morning. She was excited for her new shadow assignment to start. Rika and Kanae warned her over the weekend about Eiji Sato. He was a thorn in the side for both of them while they worked with Hiou and his grandfather, the mayor.

Eiji worked in the PR department as the social media specialist. He posted online constantly about events the mayor's office was planning and anything he found interesting. Thanks to his efforts, City Hall had a major social following. He did good work. The problem was that he was insufferable to be around.

He thought of himself as God's greatest gift to women and couldn't fathom that one wouldn't be interested in him. Kanae said it took all of her self control not to knock out one of his perfect teeth. Rika said she avoided his presence whenever possible.

Despite an unpleasant coworker, both of Kyoko's friends enjoyed working in the mayor's office. Mayor Kotetsu Uesugi was strict but amazing to watch work. Kyoko was excited to see this amazingness for herself.

But first, she had to find a bathroom. Kyoko suddenly felt like she might throw up. Since the day she threw up at the sight of a dead body on her first case with Ren, she hadn't been sick during the day. And that time wasn't because of pregnancy. The last time pregnancy caused her to have a rough day was when she threw up on Ren. Please don't let today be like that day, she thought to herself as she ran into a bathroom.

After throwing up, Kyoko pulled her toothbrush out of her purse. Since she found out she was pregnant, she made sure to carry a toothbrush and paste with her just in case morning sickness got to her. The last thing she wanted was to have a nasty mouth all day, especially when she was in a professional environment.

Kyoko walked out of the bathroom when she was finished to look around the building. The entryway led into a big room with a staircase against the back wall leading up to the second floor. The staircase had metal railings with plexiglass sides to keep the space feeling open while also providing safety to those using the stairs. Even the second floor didn't have walls in the entryway. The same railing was all around the part of the second floor Kyoko could see making the room feel huge. It was a sleek and modern design.

While Kyoko was gaping at the space, someone approached her. She thought the individual was a woman at first with the shoulder length hair and necklace, but he was a man. His hair was light dirty blond with brown eyes.

"Good morning! Are you the new shadow for this week?" He asked her excitedly.

"Y-yes," Kyoko stumbled in reply thankful she wasn't starting her first conversation for the week with vomit breath. Thank you, toothbrush!

"Let me show you to where you'll be working," he said as he turned expecting her to follow.

Kyoko followed him upstairs and listened to him as he chatted away describing each of the offices they walked by. Most of the services provided by the city had offices in the building. She knew it was the administrative hub for the city but seeing all the offices made it real rather than figurative.

"Over here are the city council members' desks," her guide informed her. "In the back, is where you'll be working with Hiou and Mayor Uesugi. My office," he told her pointing to the left corner, "is right over there. Feel free to ask for my help anytime," he said with a slight bow and flourishing his arm to his chest.

"Um, thanks," Kyoko responded. "I didn't catch your name. What is it?"

"I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Eiji."


Sorry, it's short this week. Eiji is the guy Kanae and Hiou worked on that job together with. I never knew he didn't have an official name. So I made one up for him.

Starting this chapter, I'm labeling Kyoko's pregnancy week. It makes it easier for me and you all to keep track of how far along she is. I meant to do it last week but forgot.

I'm going to try to get through week 11 quickly. The characters and setting still need to be fully fleshed out, but it shouldn't take as many chapters as the last two weeks. Week 12 is the climax of Kyoko's first trimester. A LOT of stuff is going to go down and I'm excited to finally write it. I've been waiting to get there since the story started.

Thanks so much for all your comments!

-Besma0003