NOTE: I have been to London, in fact, even though I live in Michigan, USA. When I left London by train, however, I don't believe I went southwest, so forgive me if the observations are wrong, they are from my memories of that one trip.

Kousei

By princessofplanets and Angel

E-mail: princessofplanets@hotmail.com and taura12@hotmail.com

Part 5 / ?

Alex sighed as she stretched at her desk and checked her watch. "Almost one," she commented to herself. "No wonder my stomach is growling!" She stood, getting ready to leave for her lunch break before she heard once again, "KYUU!"

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The blonde frowned at her lunch, which was sitting to her left in the passenger seat. "ANOTHER job?" she mused to herself. "Two in one day? Sure, this one's in South Hampton and the first was Seishirou-san's victim, but…" she sighed once again as she parked her car and entered the train station. She shifted uncomfortably as she passed beggars; finally stopping when she saw a girl huddled in a corner in her mother's arms she bit her lip and thought of all those she had passed, guilt rising in her throat. A shiver raced up her back as she leaned toward the girl. "Here," she said softly, extending her lunch to her. "I apologize I don't have any money to give you. But you can have this."

The girl stared at her while her mother gaped. "Th—Thank you," the woman managed after a moment. Alex nodded hesitantly before she stepped back.

"Even if I did have money to burn right now you wouldn't want it," she murmured to herself as she stepped onto the train. "It's dirty." She sat alone and in silence as the train left for South Hampton, attempting to forget what she was subconsciously preparing for. The woman carefully regulated her breathing as she stared out at the English countryside. She closed her eyes in feigned sleep; in reality she was taking comfort in the blissful darkness behind her eyelids.

Her eyes opened quickly when the train reached its station almost an hour and a half later and she slung her bag over her shoulder, quickly checking that it had all its contents. She left the train for the even noisier bustle of the city of South Hampton, made busier by the news of murder within its limits. The blonde hailed a taxi easily, and when she arrived at yet another blood-covered scene this one was more realistic. The death had taken place in a small, dark alley that still smelled of death, a fact Alex took note of as she examined the area quietly. She knelt on one knee as she listened to the doctor list the condition of the body. From what she could see, the doctor had said, the victim had been beaten, raped, and drained of blood before whoever the sadistic murderer had been skinned her with a handheld knife.

Alex kept her face carefully expressionless as the older woman pulled away the white sheet covering the female victim. The male officer beside her grimaced and turned away. Hakujou, she reminded herself firmly. Unfeeling, heartless. That's what they called you in Japan; that's who you are. A wall of ice.

"Would you like to examine the body now, Miss Seika?" The doctor's words only just registered, and she shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm going to check out the alley first."

"Miss Seika?" the officer asked in disbelief.

"If the walls could talk, Detective, what would they say? My job is to make them talk." Alex strode into the alley followed hesitantly by three officers. Her palms tingled with dread and anticipation; she slipped her black gloves off easily and shoved them into her pocket.

Alex swallowed as she reached out and delicately pressed her palm against the blood-splattered wall. Scenes flashed in front of her eyes, starting with those most recent and working back through time. Suddenly the blonde saw it was the previous morning and stopped, moving slowly forward to the previous night.

She forced her breathing to remain steady and her expression nonexistent as she watched the event. "It's a man," she reported evenly. "With long, scraggly brown hair. He's raping the woman now."

"How DARE you not be a virgin!" the man shrieked at the woman as he began to beat her. "How many men did you sleep with before me? You filthy whore!" Screams pierced the air only to be quickly muffled by the man's mouth before he knocked her over the head.

"He's standing up now; I'd say he's about six one, he's a good head and shoulders taller than me. He has hazel eyes and his features are really sharp. He has a large, crooked nose and his eyes are very small for a white man."

The woman weakly crawled toward Alex. "Help… me…" she choked out. "Please… Hel…"

'I can't,' the blonde replied, using her mind. The man came over and grabbed her by the shoulders, throwing her roughly into the wall.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO RUN AWAY!" he roared. He kicked the victim brutally with large, dirty boots.

"The victim has shoulder length blonde-brown hair and green eyes. She had very soft features," Alex noted aloud, hearing the scrape of pencils across paper. "A small nose… Button nose, almost. And a very round face."

"The attacker was wearing dirty jeans and a t-shirt with muddy boots; my guess is he works on a farm somewhere around here." Alex frowned as she listened further. "He has a strange accent, different from what I've heard in native Londoners, but I haven't been here long enough to be able to place it. And he mentioned having gone into a store for hunting gear, but he didn't give a name."

"Michael…!" the woman panted desperately as the man brought out his knife. "God, Michael, please…" He began to skin the woman while she was still alive, digging the blade brutally into her collarbone and one partially exposed breast. He knocked her out to silence the screams and attempted to drain the blood from the wounds.

"She called him Michael, so she must have known him. The murder weapon was about twenty-seven centimeters long altogether, and the blade was about fifteen centimeters. I'd say it's Boker in design, a combat knife." The blonde woman continued to watch the scene. "Do you need anything else?" she asked levelly.

"No, I think that's it Ms. Seika," the detective told her. "Could you please come here and take a look at these sketches?"

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Alex yawned as she stepped off the train and into the London Waterloo station at five thirty-two. She drove back to her office in silence, half of her glad no one had accompanied her, the other half longing for the comfort her friends could provide for her.

She entered the building in silence before one of her few work friends called out to her and started chatting with her amiably at Alex's desk. The blonde felt the slight beginnings of guilt seep into her mind as she remembered her bluff to the Minister of Magic. Me? A detective? Yeah, right. I'm only the freak they need when they run out of leads for a murder case… "Seika, you were saying you were single, right?"

"Yes, why?" Alex responded.

"Well, I was just confused why you were. I mean, almost all the people you talk about are men, and don't you live with those two men? 'Toya' and 'Yuki', I think you called them."

The blonde laughed slightly. "Yes… But they are like my brothers."

"But they're HOT!" her secretary gushed. Alex laughed again.

"The only reason why they're here is that they are convinced I can't take care of both Aya and myself without help." She had a far-off look in her eyes as she said, "But even Yuki is starting to get mad at me for interrupting their make-out sessions. I think I'm going to have to take Aya out for a day trip tomorrow if I don't want her listening to them all day," she murmured to herself.

"They're GAY?!"

Alex blinked in surprise. "You didn't know? All of my male friends are gay except Ron, and he's married."

"Uh… Oh." The blonde forced a laugh as she saw the older woman's expression. "Ah… Hello, Mr. Kinomoto! Mr. Tsukishiro!" The forced smile faded slightly as she turned to her friends.

"Hey, Toya, Yuki." Touya frowned, seeing through her façade immediately.

"You had a job today, didn't you?" he demanded darkly.

Alex sighed. I can never hide anything from them, can I? she thought. "Futatsu," she informed them. Two.

"TWO?!" Yukito's eyes widened in shock and concern. "In one day? Already?"

"Hai." Yes.

The shorter man frowned. "Is there anything we can do for you? Anything we can get you?" The blonde shook her head.

"That's not necessary, Yuki. Thank you, though."

Touya's frown deepened. "Come on," he muttered gruffly as he grabbed her arm.

"Nani?" she demanded worriedly. What? "Toya?" Yukito shrugged to himself and informed the secretary that the blonde wouldn't be working the next day. He climbed into the passenger seat of Alex's car as his boyfriend tossed the younger woman into the back.

"Are you two abducting me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," Touya growled back. "We live with you, where would we take you?" Silence filled the car as they drove home and Yuki paid Serena, who had been watching Aya. "Go to sleep," the older man ordered roughly, shoving her to her room.

Confused, Alex lay down on her bed, hugging a dark pillow to her quietly as the day swept over her. Her body was frozen in the crouched, fetal position. Why am I so alone? she wondered to herself. All my friends have lovers, why can't I? What kind of mother can I be if I have to teach my daughter something that I've never known myself? Love…. The word seemed to resonate in her mind. Why can't I have it? Is there something wrong with me? Or is it that everyone can sense the evil that created me? In the darkness of her bedroom the woman cried herself to sleep.

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The next morning found Alex being shaken awake by Touya. "Wha…?" she asked weakly.

"Get dressed, Seika," the older man ordered.

"What's the point?" she asked softly, turning over so her back was to him.

"What do you mean, what's the point?!" Touya demanded, worry sweeping through him.

"Everyone dies sooner or later, why not have it be now?"

"DAMN IT, SEIKA, GET DRESSED!" Fear filled his movements when she remained lying down. Touya turned and slammed through her drawers, yanking out a short black skirt and a form fitting blue shirt, both of which he didn't even realize she owned, despite the fact he had been living with her for the past three years. He tossed them at her, but frowned when she remained apathetic and unmoving.

He groaned quietly as he moved over and quickly replaced her sleep-rumpled clothes with the ones he picked out, attempting not to look at her. He handed her a brush, and sighed in frustration when she did nothing with it.

"Damn it, Seika, why aren't you doing anything?"

"What's the point?" Alex repeated. "I don't have anyone who loves me. Anything I touch is ruined. Aya… I can barely look my own DAUGHTER in the eye! She's better off without me here to taint her innocence. I have no reason to stay, so why am I still here?"

"Seika, that's not true!" Touya said firmly as he finished brushing her hair and braided it neatly. "What the hell happened yesterday to make you think this way? I haven't seen you this bad since I met you!"

"Yesterday… the victim was raped before she was killed," she informed him in an emotionless voice as they left the apartment and Touya maneuvered easily through the busy London streets. "It… It brought back so many memories. I… I'm a murderer, Toya! And my daughter… she wasn't even conceived out of love, it was rape!" Her breathing grew ragged again, but the tears refused to fall.

"In my entire life I've only known love once, and that was unrequited. And now… I'm supposed to teach someone else love? I can't do it!"

Touya frowned in sympathy. "Seika…." He sighed. "Come on. I have a surprise for you."

The two walked up to a closed store with a metal barrier. Touya gestured her to move before him, and she paused in front of it in confusion. Kitty flower shop? she thought, reading the large sign posted above the store. What?

Suddenly the metal began to rise noisily. "Hey!" a man's voice with a heavy Japanese accent called back into the store. "There's a new woman here! And she's hot!"

Alex flushed, knowing that he was talking about her and embarrassed as well as unused to the attention. Is that…? No, it can't be, can it? It can't be normal to meet so many people you know from so far away in such a large city, right? she wondered silently, patiently waiting for the man to open the barrier and grant them access.

*Long silence.* I think I do depressing angst stuff too well. *Frown.* AND I DON'T EVEN READ IT! That's Angel. L . I don't like sad stuff, I'll have to write a nice, HAPPY chapter when I'm with Angel tomorrow. J Then we can get hyper. Then it will be happy! I guess I'm just the realist of the two… There has to be a bit of reality in it. We'll try to update soon!