A/N: So this is late... oops.

On a somewhat serious note, I am sorry this is so late. And I'll explain why in the bottom A/N. For now, enjoy the chapter.

Beta: TwistedFilms

"Cyber-crime has been on the rise in Japan lately, with criminal gangs banding together to commit a multitude of heinous virtual deeds. One such criminal ring was recently put down in Tokyo by the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force. According to the JGSDF, an off-duty operative was walking down the street when he noticed a building being guarded with illegal firearms. What ensued was a bloody shootout that ended in the arrest of Hagiwara Nobuhiko, a known cyber-terrorist. When asked about the identity of the JGSDF operative, we were informed that he wanted his identity to be kept secret.

With the new wave of cyber-crime, and the large increase in illegal firearms entering Japan, everyone listening should wonder; are we really safe anymore? This is Miki Okudera of Tokyo news, signing off."

/-/

The car door shut close with a slam as Sinon looked over the crime scene. It looked to be a large, traditional Japanese manor, with an armoured gate out front. Her attention was immediately drawn to the sound of commotion near the front of the yellow caution tape. She sighed and made her way over to the officers gathered there.

"We have every right to be here! Step aside."

The argument was clearly getting heated, and Sinon could see why. The SDF had taken over the crime scene and was denying entry to all other officers. The one who shouted was one of the sergeants in the Emergency Response Team. Sinon recognized him well; after all, he was the one who had told her off after the recent hostage fiasco.

She walked up to the tape, before speaking to the soldier behind it.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?"

She tried to be polite, but it came out forced. The SDF agent looked tired to say the least. All these police officers constantly trying to get in was probably wearing him down.

"Sorry ma'am. GSDF has complete jurisdiction over this crime scene. Only SDF and Special Unit officers may enter. Thank you for your understanding."

His monotone voice suggested this was not the first time he had had to say those words, and she highly doubted he truly expected her to understand. What he definitely hadn't been expecting, however, was for Sinon to pull out her badge.

"Special Unit Shino Asada. May I enter?"

The soldier's eyes widened for a moment before he raised up the yellow tape so she could step through.

"Sergeant-Major Hosaka is in the main building ma'am. She told us to expect you." She thanked the guard before heading towards the large property. When she passed through the gate, a startled gasp broke through.

Bodies littered the ground. At least six or seven of them. Sinon could see the wounds on the closest one. Some had slashes and cuts, but most had a more uniform set of wounds. A bullet to the chest and head.

It was clean, efficient. Nothing about it suggested brutality except the sheer amount of bodies. Thankfully, Sinon noticed that, while there were plenty of dead, more still had been left alive. Ten guards were cuffed by the front wall, each being questioned thoroughly. They didn't all come out unscathed, and she could see visible bandages on them, but the placement of these injuries suggested an aim to disable.

Clearing her head of the scene, Sinon made her way into the manor. Walking through the main entry, she spotted a certain Rat shouting out orders. As soon as the short girl noticed Sinon, her eyes lit up like a christmas tree. The small SDF soldier darted over to her and attempted to hug the soul from her body.

"Sii-Chan! It's been too long!"

Sinon hugged the girl back softly, cringing at the force on her rib cage.

"Argo, we went for coffee three days ago."

Argo squeezed even harder, as Sinon looked towards the other SDF members nearby for help. They just shook their heads in amusement, as if they'd seen this scene play out many times before.

"That's still too long!" Argo finally released her, and Sinon gasped for air.

"Oops, got a little carried away."

Sinon composed herself for a moment before continuing.

"So, what's the situation with all this?"

Argo's amused expression faded away in an instant, replaced by a more serious look.

Say what you will about her, Sinon thought, but she's a true professional.

"This gang was wanted for more than a few cyber-crimes. A member of Kiku-sama's 'Freelance Unit' was sent to arrest the leader. The operative was discovered, and executed lethal force."

Sinon nodded along while Argo explained.

"Do we know which Freelancer it was?"

Argo let out a winded sigh as her shoulders slumped.

"Take a guess."

Sinon's own shoulders dropped in response, and she looked over the crime scene.

"He did all this?"

Argo nodded, looking more than a little crestfallen.

"Kikuoka was pissed. Kirito was suspended last night."

Sinon let out a shuddering breath. It was shocking to see what Kirito was truly capable of.

"I'm gonna swing by his place to check on him. Knowing him, he's either deep in the bottle or deep in a woman," Argo sighed.

The imagery that conjured up made Sinon grimace.

"Would you mind telling him that I want to see him, too?" Sinon asked. Argo nodded before answering.

"Of course, but I hope you don't mind me fibbing to him a little. I'll probably tell him it's for the investigation or something. He won't come otherwise."

It was a sad fact, but one Sinon could not argue with. The only people Kirito would see these days were Kikuoka and Argo. And only because one paid him and the other was too stubborn to leave.

"That's fine. Just let me know where to meet him."

The smaller girl nodded before returning her attention to the crime scene. Sinon did the same, as she surveyed the damage Kirito had caused. The bloodshed concerned her, more so than she was willing to admit. However, the surviving guards were proof that Kirito was still savable.

Sinon just hoped she could help him in time.

/-0-\

Sirens blared around her as she walked towards the narrow alley. The call had been an unexpected one. Murders in Saitama were pretty rare, after all. Her hand drifted towards the Glock 45 on her thigh. As first corresponder on the scene, she was the most at risk. She unclipped the latch on her holster before calling out.

"Armed Police!"

She drew the gun and advanced down the alleyway. Ahead of her, she saw three figures, although two looked to be unconscious or dead. It was hard to tell with the rain. The third was on their knees, head drooped downwards.

"Please put your hands where I can see them, sir."

The kneeling figure did as he was told, before calling out to her.

"S...Sinon?"

Sinon's heart dropped as soon as she heard the raspy voice. Stepping forwards, the kneeling man finally came into view.

Kirito's eyes met her own, and he looked broken. At his feet lay Sinon's best friend Asuna, dead. And just a few feet away was the killer, his hood pulled back. When she looked at him, she almost threw up.

The empty eyes of Shinkawa Kyoji stared up into the night sky.

/-0-\

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Sinon groaned in annoyance as her alarm blared. She attempted to swat at the snooze button, and ended up knocking the clock to the floor, still blaring. A single eye opened to stare balefully at the offending piece of technology, before she finally gave up and rose from the comfortable embrace of her bed. Sinon turned off the alarm and made to start her day.

She made her way to the kitchen, not bothering to change out of her simple sleep-ware. She made herself some toast and fried eggs before sitting down in the small living area and turning on the TV.

"Today's weather report calls for a sunny day with little chance of rain. Some wards may be experiencing some fog-"

Sinon listened with half an ear as she ate. She pulled out her phone to check her messages. Most of them were friends or work, but one stood out amongst the rest.

'Kirito is going to meet you at the cafe you and I had coffee at a few days ago. I think it's called Misty's? Anyway, he said to meet at noon. Good luck.'

Sinon didn't even have to check the I.D. to know it was from Argo. Her eyes strayed to the time on her phone.

11:01.

The panic was immediate. She rushed around her medium-sized apartment, getting ready as fast as she could. Twenty minutes, and more than one mistake later, she bolted out the front door. Since Kirito was technically meeting her for work, Sinon had opted to wear a somewhat professional-looking black pantsuit. She hadn't had the time to properly do her hair, so it was tied up in a messy bun.

She took a train to Saitama, pining over every second it took for her to arrive. When she finally made it to the station, she ran as fast as she could to the cafe. Stopping outside the entrance, she checked herself in the reflection of the glass to make sure she didn't look like she just ran three blocks.

Satisfied, she opened the doors and made her way inside. Looking around the room, she couldn't see Kirito. Pulling out her phone, she checked the time and found it was still ten till.

Oh, I'm early. Guess I'll just wait.

Sinon opened up her cafe menu to pass the time.

As soon as the clock struck twelve, the chair opposite of her pulled back. She put the menu down again and looked up. She was fully expecting him to protest when he realized it was her, or perhaps even leave.

What she wasn't expecting, however, was for her eyes to meet the cold, grey gaze of Kazuto Kirigaya dead-on.

"Hey there, Asada."

He brought a lit cigarette to his mouth, looking vaguely amused as he took a drag, before setting it down in a nearby ashtray. "Long time no see."

A/N: So to start off I should explain why this is late. The reasoning is pretty simple. The Beta's had some issues of there own and couldn't edit the chapter till recently. Don't blame them however, its my fault for trying to push a weekly schedual on them. Speaking of which you may have noticed only Twisted being listed as a beta today. The reason for that is Tawnis didn't have a chance to look at this. But don't worry, I'll make sure the Betas have plenty of time to operate in the future.

That brings me to my second point today. This fic is now temporarily on Hiatus. Before you panic, just know that I swear it really is temporary. I already have the next 3 chapters written, its just I wanna go ahead and write more in advance, and get edited in advance, so I don't fall behind again.

I'll try to post some other oneshots so you know I'm still active, and I may try and write one of the other fics beta-less to test myself. Theres also the idea of editing some of the older Heartshot chapters, to make it more worthy of its planned sequal.

Also I'm gonna edit the A/Ns of previous chapters today so it may notify you. Sorry if it does.

See you next time. Senpai signing off.

TEMPORARY HIATUS