Week 15

One thing Kyoko learned this morning: Ren isn't a good cook. The food was edible, but the breakfast he made was slightly burned with strange seasonings on it. For some reason, he put allspice on the eggs. When she asked him about it, he said "doesn't allspice go on everything? It's an all-spice." That told her as much as she needed to know about his cooking ability. She decided she would let him have the bathroom first every morning and make breakfast.

She also discovered that his lack of eating habits he exhibited at work existed at home too. He rarely thought of eating. If Kyoko didn't plan the meals, she didn't think he would be eating regularly.

They were currently on their way to see her senior. She contacted him over the weekend to ask what he knew about the attempted murder case he wrote about previously. Kyoko didn't think the lead would pan out, but they had nothing else to go off for now.

Rick gave them a clue about art but they couldn't make any sense of it. He left the supernatural flower sign on an old art kit. Ren and Kyoko had poured over all the case information looking for links and hadn't found any. Hence their now seeking out a lead that was a stretch.

The car ride was amicably silent. Ren didn't speak much to her throughout the weekend. He spoke enough to make plans and navigate their new living situation but that was it. He spent quite a bit of time lost in thought. Kyoko let him be as she wasn't keen on the new living situation and wanted her space.

She touched her neck and felt the bandaid she placed on her cut earlier. Ren offered to help her put it on but she turned him down. She was determined to take care of her day to day needs herself. The cut and bandage were a reminder that she was unable to protect herself. It made her bitter but resolved to figure out some way to not be a hapless victim. She experienced too much of that lately. She did not want to be a damsel in distress needing saving again.

Ren drove the car in silence. He was getting used to the idea of living with Kyoko. She was clean and kept her place in order. Sleeping on the couch made him feel like he took over her living room. The lack of walls in the place was disconcerting. He could hear her sleeping and even watch her sleep if he wanted to, but that would be creepy so he never did.

Jack stuck pretty close to her side preventing Ren from straying too near. It was a nice protective measure. He didn't appreciate getting hissed and growled at all the time, but he was at least in no danger of becoming too familiar with Kyoko. The cat was doing him a favor by constantly warning him off.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kyoko reach up and touch the bandage on her neck. A shock of rage raced through his body as he thought of the man who put it there. He hoped they would get information out of the stalker but Ren knew that was unlikely. The attack on Kyoko was a warning from Rick. Even though the stalker was carrying a cursed dagger, he likely would not know anything useful. Rick would make sure it wasn't that easy for Ren to find him.

His eyes travelled briefly to her stomach as he thought about the baby. He was struggling with some concept around the baby that he wasn't quite sure of. Not long ago he felt happy that he was continuing his race. Then he felt excited after Kyoko let him touch her belly. Now he felt uncertain and nervous towards the baby. It was confusing. He didn't get it. So he tried to ignore the feelings and focus on the job.

He knew just as well as Kyoko that the lead they were following probably wouldn't pan out. But with no other leads, they had nothing better to do.

The case they were going to ask her senior about was pretty slam dunk. A woman was attacked late at night while she was walking home from the bar. She had several stab wounds. Her alleged attacker was an ex-lover. The dagger used was one from the cursed set. All those factors led Ren to believe that the police had the right guy in custody, but for some reason, Kyoko's senior thought otherwise and sent her to get proof that the dagger used at the crime scene was part of a set. Ren wanted to know why he had doubts about such an easy case.

Once they reached LoveME, Ren followed Kyoko to her senior's office. She stopped at a desk with the nameplate 'Leon Tavers'. "Hi Leon, are you available to speak about that case?" She asked the man sitting behind the desk. His hair was buzz cut which only managed to emphasize his extremely round face. Normally, a face like his would be found on a heavier set person, but Leon was of average weight. His face structure was just super round.

"Morning, Kyoko. I was expecting you and the detective. Let's go to a closed office and speak" Leon led them to a small room where they all took seats around a table. "So what is it you would like to know?" Leon asked them.

"I was wondering why you think the man on trial is innocent," Kyoko began. "The weapon used in the murder is part of a set of daggers that is of high interest to something we're investigating," Kyoko said motioning between her and Ren using her hand.

"It's quite simple," Leon told her flicking his eyes to Ren briefly. "There was more than one to that set. Anyone with a similar dagger could have done the deed. It may not have been that man."

"That's all you're going off of to doubt the police's arrest?" Ren asked with a cocked eyebrow. It was flimsy reasoning.

"I get you want to defend the work of your fellow officers," Leon said to Ren calmly, "but it's my job to make sure the truth is found and that the police are doing their job. We wouldn't want an innocent man arrested."

"Why this case?" Ren asked starting to feel that the man in front of him was hiding something. "There are plenty of open investigations at this time. Why do you have a keen interest in this one to make sure the police don't arrest an innocent man?"

Kyoko went on alert at Ren's last question. She saw he was becoming serious about the questioning and that this may turn from a cooperative information gathering session into an interrigation. She looked cautiously at Leon to see his reaction to Ren's intrusive question.

"I think the man is innocent," Leon said narrowing his eyes. "Do I need any more reason than that?"

"But why?" Ren asked leaning forward. "All the evidence points to him being guilty. Where is the flaw in the investigation that leads you to think he's innocent?"

"The dagger is part of a set. It could have been anybody," Leon said leaning forward himself.

"That's not a flaw in the investigation," Ren responded. "Weapons are usually made in factories and are no different than all the others of its kind. That doesn't mean that anyone who owns a weapon from the same factory of one that was used in a crime is a suspect."

"Maybe they should be," Leon said tightly.

Kyoko saw confusion flash across Ren's eyes. The emotion didn't stay for long. Leon probably didn't notice. Kyoko used the chance to interject.

"Leon, I think what Ren is getting at is wondering if there's something special about these daggers that you know of? They are special to our case. Do you know something about them that leads you to think that the facts may not be as they appear?" She asked trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

It seemed to work. Leon blinked and looked at her surprised. "Special? H-how so?" He asked.

"They're related to the person we're tracking down," she said evasively. She wasn't going to say they were cursed and filled people with rage.

"They certainly look peculiar," he said quieter than he was previously speaking. "I wonder if that's what makes them special."

Kyoko and Ren looked at each other quizzically. Leon was acting a little strange.

Leon shot to his feet and said in a rush, "it seems I've answered all of your questions. If you'll excuse me, I have work to do." He walked out of the room without looking at either of them.

"...that was odd," Kyoko commented staring at the open doorway.

Ren got up and closed the door. He came back down and sat next to her. "What did you make of what he said?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure, honestly." His responses were unexpected. "He doesn't seem to know anything, but his behavior was so strange."

Ren nodded in agreement. "There's something he didn't tell us. My guess is that he's connected to the case in some way. He insists the man is innocent but has no proof. He's making wild claims that anyone with a weapon should be considered guilty…he's not behaving rationally," Ren reflected slowly.

"What do we do with that information?" Kyoko asked him.

"We keep investigating," Ren told her. "I think he knows something about the daggers he's not telling. There's a chance this lead might not be the dead-end we thought it was."

"So do we talk to the victim?" Kyoko asked.

Ren shook his head. "First we need to read the reports from the case and let the detectives working it know we are going to do some extra digging. Don't want them getting upset over the fact that we are stepping into their territory."

Kyoko nodded realizing how important it was to keep good relationships with coworkers. Speaking of which, Leon might not be so keen to work with her from now on after that exchange.

Kyoko sat fuming at a desk back at the precinct. She was in Yukihito's office with a bunch of paperwork in front of her. Ren was who knows where. Once they got back to the precinct, they checked in with the detectives who investigated the case they were going to look through. They happily gave Ren everything they had on the case. Kyoko could tell they were newer to the office and looked up to him. They didn't take any insult from their senior being interested in their work.

Once they were loaded up with the paperwork, Ren took her to Yukihito, said he had a personal errand to take care of and was wondering if Kyoko could sit with him for a time while going through all of their newly acquired information. Yukihito looked surprised at the request but said she was welcome to stay. Ren promptly left after making sure she was settled in saying, "no one will harm you while you're here. Don't worry, you're safe. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Kyoko glowered at the door and thought over what happened. He left her here with all the paperwork to go through to go do only God knew what!

Ren felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he drove to the gym. He was pretty certain Kyoko was pissed at him for leaving her behind, but he couldn't let her know what he was doing. It was time for him to talk things out with Max… He had no idea how this conversation was going to go.

A/N:

Alright, working on the next section.

Hopefully, I can get the next chapter out in a couple of weeks, but no promises.

Thanks so much for all of your comments. I love reading them!

-Besma0003