Travel to Paradise
Disclaimers: Don't own Weiss, but I just love toying with them. It's like an addiction!
Warnings: Contains Yaoi, or male/male relationships and cursing. So if you don't approve, gomen ne.
GA: Sigh. You know, I was fairly tempted to not finish this. But since I didn't want a plot to go to waste, I figured might as well stick with it. Sorry if this doesn't go as well as planned. =)
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Schuldich gave a yawn as he stepped into of the joint bathroom in hopes of getting a morning shower before starting the day properly. He had woken up a few minutes back but had noticed Aya had already gotten up before he did. The absence of the familiar rose scent confirmed his suspicions.
Giving a shrug, he slowly started to take off his boxers; the only thing spared from the Abyssinian's healing touch the other night. He remembered how the soothing touches of the younger man had slowly tended to his tired skin and how the katana master relieved the pain as he pushed the garter down his waist. Giving a wide grin, he had a wave of very lustful thoughts concerning the younger man pinned under him, writhing in joyful ecstasy. His imagination wandered a bit farther when his train of thought was abruptly cut short by a sharp pain in his lower abdomen during the mid-push of his underwear downward causing the man to plop down onto the bathroom tiled floor clutching his ribs in pain. The constant throbbing of the bruise caught him off guard, making him unaware of three pairs of eyes staring down at him. The German, at first didn't notice the three other men in the bathroom but soon after detected the presence of his teammate and the two kittens.
"Can't you think of somewhere else to conduct your philandering pleasures?" Nagi asked with a raised eyebrow as he noticed the fact that Schuldich was naked save for the boxer that slide down to his ankles.
"Hey!" the German shouted as he got up, yanked his underwear back up and grabbed the young Japanese telekinesis's collar in one swift movement it was a blur. "It's not my fault if you happen to come into the bathroom in a bad time. It's your bad timing not mine." A smirk appeared on the young Schwartz assassin's face as he used his powers to apply a slight pressure on a sensitive spot on the telepath's chest, causing the man to let him go and clutch his chest again in pain.
"Damn kid." Schuldich said as he slowly backed away in fear of angering him. He heard a soft chuckle come from behind him marking that the younger of the Weiss enjoyed the torture he was going through. "Yeah sure, laugh it up chibi, your next." That threat caused Omi to take a gulp and look to Aya for help.
"All right, that's enough play-time for today children." The young redhead said to the other three in the room. "We have better things to do than stay in the bathroom arguing on things as trivial as this." Throwing a mean smirk to the German.
"I agree. We must start our investigation as soon as possible. We can start by questioning the visitors." Nagi said as he took Omi's wrist into his hand and stated to drag the young Weiss hacker out of the bathroom. "Why don't the two of you go and visit the resident doctor of Shigin Island? I've found out that he was the one who performed the autopsy of Ms. Yuriko. I've also taken the liberty of finding and printing out his name plus any other FAQ's about him. You'll find the folder in your room. Omi and I, on the other hand will try and ask the stable boy when and where he saw the body exactly. We'll meet back in the dining hall for lunch and to discuss what we've gathered. Later" the young telekinetic ended as he tugged the blonde out with him.
"That kid." The German said as he started to take his underwear off again.
"What are you doing?" Aya asked as he caught a not so nice glance of the older man's exposed behind.
"Isn't it obvious?" Schuldich said as he successfully took off his undergarments. "I'm going to take a bath."
"You can do that later. We still have a doctor to visit." The younger redhead said as he exited the joint bathroom and spotting the flesh colored folder on the bedside table. Flipping it open and reading through it, he ignored the curses thrown at him about the man feeling sticky and needing a hot bath.
"Frankly, I don't give shit about how you are feeling now. What I need to take care right now is not how jolly your disposition is but how I'm going to crack this case. So, if you insist to take you bath, I'll leave you here and conduct this investigation by myself." A sly smile on his lips as he finished his sentence.
Raising an eyebrow, the German telepath retorted. "So. . . why the sudden vehemence? I don't remember it being there last night." He threw slight images of Aya's taking care of him the previous bringing a scowl to the katana master's face.
"Last night was nothing short of extracting your knowledge of the place."
"Oh, so last night was just a little interrogation game for you?" Giving a slight nod, the younger man answered the Schwartz's question. "Oh, this is rich." Brushing his hand through his hair, he ran his eyes thoroughly over the younger man's body beside him. The focused amethyst eyes and the scrunched up eyebrows marked his concentration on the files in the folder. He heard the smaller man give a sigh, closing the folder and looking up at him.
"Five minutes."
"Excuse me?" The telepath asked.
"You've got five minutes to take your bath. Anymore and I leave you here." The sword wielder said with a tone of warning. Deep inside, Schuldich knew that Aya just said it that way so that his badass reputation would go untarnished. Giving a wide grin, he hoped off to the bathroom and soon the soft sound of shower water coming down was heard through the mahogany bathroom doors.
Giving another sigh, Aya sat down on the bed and began to examine the file with more meticulousness. The picture attached to the papers showed a man in about his early forties. With dark brown hair, narrow yellow cat-like eyes, a high bridged nose, a smell jaw line, thin lips curled up in a small wicked smile toped off with him wearing thin framed glasses, he was quite handsome in a view though the way he looked gave the man an impression like he held secrets far better off not known.
Turning his attention to the facts about the man, he found out that the doctor's name was Raiku Nagoi and sure enough he was forty-three years old, a man who engaged in different experiments concerning the underworld. He served a well known kingpin in his early years as a doctor and had been in the employment of the Shigin's for the past eight years. But this didn't mean he didn't engage in different jobs in between. As stated in whatever Nagi found, the man also conducted blackmailing and had gotten rich by intimidating high-up-the-food-chain aristocrats with their secrets. In his mind, thoughts of what questions and in what order he was going to ask him when they meet formulated in his mind, but it was cut short when the door opened to reveal a wet German clothed in what he regularly wore, brushing back drenched red hair with a wide grin.
"Ha. Done with a minute and a half to spare."
"Good. Let's go." Aya said as he got up and headed down the hall, after carefully locking up their room. If they were going to start investigating, they had better keep their possessions safe.
"Wait, what about breakfast?" The older man asked as he caught up with the fast paced assassin.
"I already ate breakfast." Was the young katana wielder's response.
"But what about me?"
"What about you?" Aya said throwing a glance to the man.
"What am I going to eat? I'm starving." He tried to persuade the Weiss assassin to allow him to grab a proper meal.
"You should have thought about that before you woke up late." Both started to descend the large staircase.
"Wha. . . how am I to know that I was going to wake up late?" The German retorted in attempts to bring the man around.
"Just grab a bite later. Now come on." Aya led the cursing man through various turns and ended in the front yard of the mansion. And what a yard it was. The lawn stretched out as far as the eye can see. Filled with healthy green grass and different floras, the place was beautiful.
"We have a bit of a walk before we get to the laboratory the good doctor uses for his researches and clinic. When we get there, we can page back and ask for some one to bring you something edible." Aya said as he started down the stone path.
"Ok. Wait, are you sure you haven't been there yet? How do you know that it's a fair walk from here to there?" The suspicions of the German apparent to the younger man. In response, Aya took out a white sheet of paper from the folder with some drawings on them and handed them to the telepath.
"That is the map of Shigin. You can thank Omi for that." Giving a small smile, he continued to walk.
"The kid thinks of everything doesn't he?"
"It's just a rough sketch since he did that in a rush last night when Nagi gave him the house tour."
"Ah, I see."
The rest of the time they took to walk to the lab was taken in silence.
--
Nagi and Omi walked in silence as they made their way to the stable to the southeastern part of the island. It seemed as if they were comfortable with their current situation thus no one bothered to start a conversation. As they reached their destination, they were both greeted by a very cheerful and glee young boy, about their age who. He had light brown hair that reflected against the sunlight turning it to a nice shade of yellow, azure eyes that showed his happy disposition and a smile that didn't seem to go away.
"Ohayo minna." He said with a huge grin as he welcomed the two young assassins.
"Ah, Ohayo. My name is O-." Before Omi was able to say his name and reveal his true identity, Nagi stepped in. "This is Morabe Setsu, a companion of Mr. Hajime. We are here to ask you a few questions."
"Nagi, what a pleasant surprise." Turning to Omi he continued. "My name is Yutaro." Taking Omi's hand in a friendly gesture, he shook it. "Please come in." Yutaro said as he pulled the unresisting sharpshooter inside the barn leaving a slightly angry Schwartz hacker outside. Closing his eyes and giving a sigh, Nagi followed suit.
The barn, in which about a dozen horses, each of different breeds and gender resided, was actually huge and a bit over adorned with various riding tools and food. The sunlight entered beautifully through the windows of the stable making the place cozy and somewhat pleasant to stay in. It would stand out from the rest of the landmarks in the island with out question. Yutaro led them to a beautiful white horse with a wonderful black mane and patted the horse's neck giving a small carrot for it to munch on.
"Her name is Clair, the fastest horse in the whole barn and the favorite of Mr. Shigin and Ms. Yuriko. She's a beauty isn't she?" turning to Omi and giving him a smile.
"Yes she is. Can I?" he asked slightly gesturing if he can touch her.
"Sure, here." Yutaro said as he handed Omi a carrot who fed it to the mare with ease. Clair, after devouring her second vegetable, gave the young blonde a nudge under the chin causing him to chuckle softly and pat the horse's neck softly. An exasperated sigh was heard form the telekinetic as he stood witness to the obvious flirting of the all too cheerful boy with the innocent young Weiss hacker. Honestly, Omi would be the only one in the whole entire world who would be in the middle of conversation where the other would already be picking him up and he's still ignorant to it. It was high time he stepped in.
"If the two of you are done, would you mind answering some questions now?" That got the attention of both boys who were busy petting the horse.
"Go ahead. I've got nothing else to do anyway." Yutaro said with another smile. Nagi vowed then and there that before they leave this god forsaken island, he would rip it right off.
"What was the exact time you found the body of Yuriko floating on the ocean?"
"Well, I brought Clair out to have some fresh air and to stretch her legs. She hasn't gotten any exercise for the past few days. It was around noon and I remembered it was Clair that spotted her. I have to say, I was slightly surprised to see Ms. Yuriko floating dead. I quickly road Clair back and contacted Mr. Nagoi."
"The house physician?" Omi asked as he heard a familiar name he and Nagi had searched through the previous night.
"Yes." He said with a nod, looking at Omi at his words. "He was the one that told the rest of the household that Ms. Yuriko died. He said that her appropriate time of death was around nine in the evening the night before you came. Mr. Shigin was furious when he found out."
"Yeah, we reached that part." Omi said with a chuckle as he remembered how outraged the old man was when he found out his daughter was murdered. He could just imagine what Schuldich went through.
"Who would you say would have wanted Yuriko killed?" Nagi said, having heard enough of how Omi played through.
"No one that I know. Ms. Yuriko is a nice and respectable woman. Very kind and heartwarming. That's how she is." Giving a shrug.
"Last, where were you on the time she was said to have died?" Nagi said as he narrowed dark brown eyes.
"Right here, where I always am."
"Do you have someone to prove that you were?"
"Clair here. Isn't that right girl?" he said as he petted the mare beside him.
"I'm afraid you'd need a more reasonable alibi than that Yutaro." Nagi said as he tugged at Omi's hand, motioning him that it was time to leave.
"Wait. Don't leave yet." The stable boy said as he took hold of Omi's other hand ceasing the two assassins' steps. "How about a ride on Clair? I'm sure she'd like you to." A pleading smile now replacing the usual cheerful one.
"Ah. . ." Omi started but Nagi cut him off.
"Mr. Morabe would love to but as of this moment, we have other things to do. How about some other time." The telekinetic said trying to shake the young horse tamer off their tail.
"But I'm sure he would like to take a ride now." Azure eyes said as they narrowed.
"It would be better if you tended to your 'Clair' first before she gets irritated." Nagi retorted as he accompanied it with an invisible slap on the horse's behind with his ki causing the white mare to buck and start a commotion in the whole barn. Yutaro acted quickly and tried to calm the young horse, oblivious to the two slinking away during the chaos that soon ensued.
"That wasn't nice Nagi." Omi said when they reached an acceptable distance from the stable. "Yutaro was just asking if I wanted a ride or not."
Nagi, ignoring the comment about the stable boy, changed the conversation. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the obvious clues he left behind."
"What do you mean Nagi?" the young blonde asked, now curious as to what the telekinetic saw and heard that slipped past him.
"How old would you say he was?"
"Um," Omi said as he thought of a suitable age. "Around seventeen I think."
Shaking his head, Nagi corrected him. "He's sixteen."
"So?" Omi asked a bit confused as to why Nagi was telling him this.
"How would you act when you see a dead body floating in the ocean?"
"Fine I guess. I'm already used to it." He said with a small shrug.
"But you're a trained assassin. What would your reaction be when you're still at that ripe age in your life and you saw a dead body for the first time in your entire life? Especially if it was someone you knew lived here and rode the horses in your barn frequently?"
"Hmm, I guess your right. But he did saw he was shocked to find out that Yuriko was dead."
"Did he seem shocked to you a while ago?" the young telekinetic asked the Weiss assassin with a side glance. "Nobody recovers that fast from an incident such as this."
"Ah." Omi said with a slightly heavy heart. He couldn't believe that one such as cheerful as Yutaro could have something to hide.
"That's not the only reason. He also said that he took Clair out for a walk because she needed the exercise after saying that she's Akuro-san favorite horse. And from what I gather, Akuro-san is the type of man who enjoys riding on horses."
"Nagi, you must be jumping to conclusions." Omi said with a chuckle as they took a path through the garden.
"Hmm, maybe." Nagi said as he thought of how the stable boy Yutaro fits into the picture all the while continuing to walk in silence beside the young Weiss hacker in silence.
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The two assassins stood outside of the fairly large house that lay at the western part of the mansion feeling the same creepy lurch in the stomach as the main house presented. Even though this was the doctor's lab, the eerie sheet that covered it was strong enough to make anyone scared. Gathering enough courage, Aya leaned forward to the front porch of the house and was about to knock when the front door opened to reveal the overworked secretary of Shigin island.
"Mr. Hajime, what a pleasant surprise. I take it you are here to ask Dr. Nagoi a few questions?"
"Yes, we are Ms. Shigin." the young katana master said to the stern woman.
"Well, I mustn't keep you then." Taking her leave, Sakura left a part of the door open to reveal the man Aya saw in the picture previously.
"Good morning Mister Nagoi." Aya said in his most courteous tone. "We are. . ."
"Mr. Hajime and Mr. Schuldich correct?" the man said finishing his sentence for him. The voice that greeted them was smooth and welcoming. Something Aya wasn't expecting.
"Ah, yes. We were wondering if we can ask you a few questions about Yuriko."
The statement caught the man slightly off guard but soon after he allowed the two undercover assassins in. Offering a seat to the two men, he allowed the German to use a phone that was connected to the main house to call for a sandwich to be delivered there. This bought the younger redhead some time to glance around the lab.
The place was dark and unwelcoming as the outside presented and the only light came from a table lamp. The test tubes he placed his experiments in emitted a soft blue glow giving a more than suitable ambiance to the place. A door on the farther right side of the room led to another part of the huge laboratory. No doubt more research belonging to the brown haired man.
Schuldich soon hung up the phone on top of the doctor's oak wood table and a somewhat stern look came over his face as he stared at the house physician. It was as if the German was irritated at the man yet refusing to show it. It was weird though, Aya concurred. He had never seen Schuldich try and hide his anger from any man before. If he had a problem with anyone, he would show it, no questions asked. Deciding this was no time to worry about the telepath, he focused on the man sitting on a dark brown leather chair before them.
"Mr. Nagoi, can you tell us all you know about Ms. Yuriko?" Aya said to start things off.
"Well, Yuriko was a very fun and compassionate girl, very cheerful and a talented singer. Though, she does have a slight tendency to be a bit too clever for her own good." Taking note of this, Aya continued.
"Mr. Nagoi, I found out from Mr. Shigin that it was you that performed the autopsy report on Ms. Yuriko." He had gotten the information straight from Akuro so there was no doubt there. What he was after was what he found in the autopsy.
"Yes, this is true." The man relied with a nod.
"What time would you say Ms. Yuriko was killed?"
"Before or after her body was thrown into the sea?" the two assassins looked at each other before Aya continued.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the body was found around the time you came when the stable boy decided to take a walk by the beach. Quickly phoning me, I had the body delivered to my lab. By the time it reached me, the body had taken into Rigor Mortis. On closer inspection she was killed around an approximate time of nine o'clock two nights before yesterday, making her dead for four whole days. I also had a hard time extracting the arms curled up on to her chest but I soon succeeded."
"May we ask how you were able to take the arm away?" the young German asked the thin frame glassed doctor. Giving an evil smile, the man reached into his desk drawer and pulled out something Aya had never seen or ever dreamt of seeing. An arm, all white and veins outlined every portion. It seemed that the end where the rest of the arm was supposed to be was chopped off. No, Aya thought as he studied the end further. It was jagged with bits of flesh peaking out.
"You sawed it off?" The younger redhead said with a hint of disgust. A nod was his simple reply. "Akuro-san said that it was best." The katana master paled considerably as he imagined the job being done. The German noticed the uneasiness of the one beside him so it was he who continued.
"What happened next after you sawed the arm off?"
"Naturally I found Yuriko's cause of death."
"She didn't drown then?" Schuldich said as raised a curious eyebrow.
"Nope." Shaking his head he continued. "She was stabbed. Right here." He said pointing to the lower part of his chest where he discovered the stab wound. "This was also the part where the hand was covering. Interesting thought ne?" A slightly devilish smile crept up his lips as he finished his sentence.
"Would have any idea at all as to what kind of weapon was used?"
"It was a smooth thrust. Not by any knife I know."
"Do you know who would have wanted her dead?" Aya started as he regained his stability on the subject.
"The easier question to answer is who *doesn't* want her dead."
"Why would you say that Mr. Nagoi?" The sword master asked the doctor with an interested look on his face.
"Well, there are numerous people on this island who would want Yuriko . . . disposed of." Crossing his arms on his chest, he leaned back on his chair, continuing. "Take Lilika Mayu. Yuriko's best friend since she went into the music business. Even if they are the closest, Lilika holds a grudge because Yuriko stole Erik from her."
"Erik?" Aya asked curiously.
"Erik Lopez." Schuldich said helping the man out. "Is Yuriko's manager. He once dated with Lilika but broke up with her when Yuriko came into the scene. She was the one who was crying her heart out in the Dining hall the other night." Nodding in agreement, Raiku continued.
"Jintarou Koizumi is also one to be of suspicion. He is Yuriko's ex- boyfriend. She dumped him when she met Erik."
"What about you Mr. Nagoi? You said that everybody on this island would have wanted Yuriko dead. Care to give your defense?" the telepath asked as he stared at the man with utmost scrutiny.
"Well, I also have a slight disagreement with the young lady but I was no where near her when she was killed." He said with a chuckle.
"Where were you then?"
"Right here Mr. Schuldich. You can ask Lilika to vouch for me if you want." A raised eyebrow told them that they needn't to. The man was telling the truth.
"Will that be all gentlemen?" taking it as a cue, Aya and Schuldich stood up and gave a curt nod before making their way to the door, the doctor right behind them to escort them to the door. As they reached the front entrance, the katana wielder was slightly surprised to see a young lady with light blonde hair and cute little pink eyes stared up at them holding a tray with a ham and cheese sandwich on top.
"Ah, finally, my food's here." The telepath said with a grin, taking the plate of food from the young woman. "Arigato."
The girl though seemed not to have noticed the German take the plate. Instead she stared straight past both assassins and focused on the man behind them, who in turn paid her no heed.
"So gentlemen, I would trust that you'd be able to find who brought Yuriko here fateful demise." With that, the man closed the door behind them, returning to his work. The young woman, who seemed to be a maid, quickly brought herself out of it and ran back to the house probably to deal with other matters.
"That's Mira." The German said as he took a bite off his sandwich when they were making their way back to the main house. "She's a good girl, pretty too. She works for Yuriko when she comes here for vacation. She's a very loyal maid if you ask me."
"Maybe we can ask her some questions later. Right now, we need to find some clues in Yuriko's room." Aya said as they traveled back the stone path.
"In her room?" the German asked. Giving a nod Aya replied.
"Nagoi said that she was stabbed not by a knife but something else. We haven't got any other clues and it's high time we start looking in her room." Schuldich silently agreed as he took another bite off his sandwich.
--
Raiku Nagoi browsed through a file in his drawer concerning his latest experiment when a smile appeared on his lips.
"I knew you would come." Swiveling his chair to face his visitor, he continued. "Why don't you take a seat?" The figure, whose face was slightly covered by the shadows, gave a shake and just stood.
"Suit yourself. Now, let's get to business. I know you were the one who killed Yuriko." A wider smile appeared on his lips as he started to go on. "If you don't pay me one point five million dollars by the end of the week, I will tell everyone that you had gotten so low as to kill Yuriko. We wouldn't want that would we?" a glint in his eyes told his evil intentions well. "What will it be?" but before another smile was able to cross his face, a shocked expression was suddenly taken over as he was faced point blank to a black revolver with a small silencer at the end.
"Now, we can talk this over right?" perspiration now dotting his face. "I mean, we can lower the price a bit. How about one million?" The sound of the gun readying to fire jarred him awake.
"Ok, how about just five hundred thousand?"
Before he was able to change the price again, a shot was fired and the doctor lay with eyes wide open in shock in his brown leather chair, motionless.
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Ah. . . I finally got to finish my third chap. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. Please keep 'em coming. =)
-Gunning Angel-
Disclaimers: Don't own Weiss, but I just love toying with them. It's like an addiction!
Warnings: Contains Yaoi, or male/male relationships and cursing. So if you don't approve, gomen ne.
GA: Sigh. You know, I was fairly tempted to not finish this. But since I didn't want a plot to go to waste, I figured might as well stick with it. Sorry if this doesn't go as well as planned. =)
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Schuldich gave a yawn as he stepped into of the joint bathroom in hopes of getting a morning shower before starting the day properly. He had woken up a few minutes back but had noticed Aya had already gotten up before he did. The absence of the familiar rose scent confirmed his suspicions.
Giving a shrug, he slowly started to take off his boxers; the only thing spared from the Abyssinian's healing touch the other night. He remembered how the soothing touches of the younger man had slowly tended to his tired skin and how the katana master relieved the pain as he pushed the garter down his waist. Giving a wide grin, he had a wave of very lustful thoughts concerning the younger man pinned under him, writhing in joyful ecstasy. His imagination wandered a bit farther when his train of thought was abruptly cut short by a sharp pain in his lower abdomen during the mid-push of his underwear downward causing the man to plop down onto the bathroom tiled floor clutching his ribs in pain. The constant throbbing of the bruise caught him off guard, making him unaware of three pairs of eyes staring down at him. The German, at first didn't notice the three other men in the bathroom but soon after detected the presence of his teammate and the two kittens.
"Can't you think of somewhere else to conduct your philandering pleasures?" Nagi asked with a raised eyebrow as he noticed the fact that Schuldich was naked save for the boxer that slide down to his ankles.
"Hey!" the German shouted as he got up, yanked his underwear back up and grabbed the young Japanese telekinesis's collar in one swift movement it was a blur. "It's not my fault if you happen to come into the bathroom in a bad time. It's your bad timing not mine." A smirk appeared on the young Schwartz assassin's face as he used his powers to apply a slight pressure on a sensitive spot on the telepath's chest, causing the man to let him go and clutch his chest again in pain.
"Damn kid." Schuldich said as he slowly backed away in fear of angering him. He heard a soft chuckle come from behind him marking that the younger of the Weiss enjoyed the torture he was going through. "Yeah sure, laugh it up chibi, your next." That threat caused Omi to take a gulp and look to Aya for help.
"All right, that's enough play-time for today children." The young redhead said to the other three in the room. "We have better things to do than stay in the bathroom arguing on things as trivial as this." Throwing a mean smirk to the German.
"I agree. We must start our investigation as soon as possible. We can start by questioning the visitors." Nagi said as he took Omi's wrist into his hand and stated to drag the young Weiss hacker out of the bathroom. "Why don't the two of you go and visit the resident doctor of Shigin Island? I've found out that he was the one who performed the autopsy of Ms. Yuriko. I've also taken the liberty of finding and printing out his name plus any other FAQ's about him. You'll find the folder in your room. Omi and I, on the other hand will try and ask the stable boy when and where he saw the body exactly. We'll meet back in the dining hall for lunch and to discuss what we've gathered. Later" the young telekinetic ended as he tugged the blonde out with him.
"That kid." The German said as he started to take his underwear off again.
"What are you doing?" Aya asked as he caught a not so nice glance of the older man's exposed behind.
"Isn't it obvious?" Schuldich said as he successfully took off his undergarments. "I'm going to take a bath."
"You can do that later. We still have a doctor to visit." The younger redhead said as he exited the joint bathroom and spotting the flesh colored folder on the bedside table. Flipping it open and reading through it, he ignored the curses thrown at him about the man feeling sticky and needing a hot bath.
"Frankly, I don't give shit about how you are feeling now. What I need to take care right now is not how jolly your disposition is but how I'm going to crack this case. So, if you insist to take you bath, I'll leave you here and conduct this investigation by myself." A sly smile on his lips as he finished his sentence.
Raising an eyebrow, the German telepath retorted. "So. . . why the sudden vehemence? I don't remember it being there last night." He threw slight images of Aya's taking care of him the previous bringing a scowl to the katana master's face.
"Last night was nothing short of extracting your knowledge of the place."
"Oh, so last night was just a little interrogation game for you?" Giving a slight nod, the younger man answered the Schwartz's question. "Oh, this is rich." Brushing his hand through his hair, he ran his eyes thoroughly over the younger man's body beside him. The focused amethyst eyes and the scrunched up eyebrows marked his concentration on the files in the folder. He heard the smaller man give a sigh, closing the folder and looking up at him.
"Five minutes."
"Excuse me?" The telepath asked.
"You've got five minutes to take your bath. Anymore and I leave you here." The sword wielder said with a tone of warning. Deep inside, Schuldich knew that Aya just said it that way so that his badass reputation would go untarnished. Giving a wide grin, he hoped off to the bathroom and soon the soft sound of shower water coming down was heard through the mahogany bathroom doors.
Giving another sigh, Aya sat down on the bed and began to examine the file with more meticulousness. The picture attached to the papers showed a man in about his early forties. With dark brown hair, narrow yellow cat-like eyes, a high bridged nose, a smell jaw line, thin lips curled up in a small wicked smile toped off with him wearing thin framed glasses, he was quite handsome in a view though the way he looked gave the man an impression like he held secrets far better off not known.
Turning his attention to the facts about the man, he found out that the doctor's name was Raiku Nagoi and sure enough he was forty-three years old, a man who engaged in different experiments concerning the underworld. He served a well known kingpin in his early years as a doctor and had been in the employment of the Shigin's for the past eight years. But this didn't mean he didn't engage in different jobs in between. As stated in whatever Nagi found, the man also conducted blackmailing and had gotten rich by intimidating high-up-the-food-chain aristocrats with their secrets. In his mind, thoughts of what questions and in what order he was going to ask him when they meet formulated in his mind, but it was cut short when the door opened to reveal a wet German clothed in what he regularly wore, brushing back drenched red hair with a wide grin.
"Ha. Done with a minute and a half to spare."
"Good. Let's go." Aya said as he got up and headed down the hall, after carefully locking up their room. If they were going to start investigating, they had better keep their possessions safe.
"Wait, what about breakfast?" The older man asked as he caught up with the fast paced assassin.
"I already ate breakfast." Was the young katana wielder's response.
"But what about me?"
"What about you?" Aya said throwing a glance to the man.
"What am I going to eat? I'm starving." He tried to persuade the Weiss assassin to allow him to grab a proper meal.
"You should have thought about that before you woke up late." Both started to descend the large staircase.
"Wha. . . how am I to know that I was going to wake up late?" The German retorted in attempts to bring the man around.
"Just grab a bite later. Now come on." Aya led the cursing man through various turns and ended in the front yard of the mansion. And what a yard it was. The lawn stretched out as far as the eye can see. Filled with healthy green grass and different floras, the place was beautiful.
"We have a bit of a walk before we get to the laboratory the good doctor uses for his researches and clinic. When we get there, we can page back and ask for some one to bring you something edible." Aya said as he started down the stone path.
"Ok. Wait, are you sure you haven't been there yet? How do you know that it's a fair walk from here to there?" The suspicions of the German apparent to the younger man. In response, Aya took out a white sheet of paper from the folder with some drawings on them and handed them to the telepath.
"That is the map of Shigin. You can thank Omi for that." Giving a small smile, he continued to walk.
"The kid thinks of everything doesn't he?"
"It's just a rough sketch since he did that in a rush last night when Nagi gave him the house tour."
"Ah, I see."
The rest of the time they took to walk to the lab was taken in silence.
--
Nagi and Omi walked in silence as they made their way to the stable to the southeastern part of the island. It seemed as if they were comfortable with their current situation thus no one bothered to start a conversation. As they reached their destination, they were both greeted by a very cheerful and glee young boy, about their age who. He had light brown hair that reflected against the sunlight turning it to a nice shade of yellow, azure eyes that showed his happy disposition and a smile that didn't seem to go away.
"Ohayo minna." He said with a huge grin as he welcomed the two young assassins.
"Ah, Ohayo. My name is O-." Before Omi was able to say his name and reveal his true identity, Nagi stepped in. "This is Morabe Setsu, a companion of Mr. Hajime. We are here to ask you a few questions."
"Nagi, what a pleasant surprise." Turning to Omi he continued. "My name is Yutaro." Taking Omi's hand in a friendly gesture, he shook it. "Please come in." Yutaro said as he pulled the unresisting sharpshooter inside the barn leaving a slightly angry Schwartz hacker outside. Closing his eyes and giving a sigh, Nagi followed suit.
The barn, in which about a dozen horses, each of different breeds and gender resided, was actually huge and a bit over adorned with various riding tools and food. The sunlight entered beautifully through the windows of the stable making the place cozy and somewhat pleasant to stay in. It would stand out from the rest of the landmarks in the island with out question. Yutaro led them to a beautiful white horse with a wonderful black mane and patted the horse's neck giving a small carrot for it to munch on.
"Her name is Clair, the fastest horse in the whole barn and the favorite of Mr. Shigin and Ms. Yuriko. She's a beauty isn't she?" turning to Omi and giving him a smile.
"Yes she is. Can I?" he asked slightly gesturing if he can touch her.
"Sure, here." Yutaro said as he handed Omi a carrot who fed it to the mare with ease. Clair, after devouring her second vegetable, gave the young blonde a nudge under the chin causing him to chuckle softly and pat the horse's neck softly. An exasperated sigh was heard form the telekinetic as he stood witness to the obvious flirting of the all too cheerful boy with the innocent young Weiss hacker. Honestly, Omi would be the only one in the whole entire world who would be in the middle of conversation where the other would already be picking him up and he's still ignorant to it. It was high time he stepped in.
"If the two of you are done, would you mind answering some questions now?" That got the attention of both boys who were busy petting the horse.
"Go ahead. I've got nothing else to do anyway." Yutaro said with another smile. Nagi vowed then and there that before they leave this god forsaken island, he would rip it right off.
"What was the exact time you found the body of Yuriko floating on the ocean?"
"Well, I brought Clair out to have some fresh air and to stretch her legs. She hasn't gotten any exercise for the past few days. It was around noon and I remembered it was Clair that spotted her. I have to say, I was slightly surprised to see Ms. Yuriko floating dead. I quickly road Clair back and contacted Mr. Nagoi."
"The house physician?" Omi asked as he heard a familiar name he and Nagi had searched through the previous night.
"Yes." He said with a nod, looking at Omi at his words. "He was the one that told the rest of the household that Ms. Yuriko died. He said that her appropriate time of death was around nine in the evening the night before you came. Mr. Shigin was furious when he found out."
"Yeah, we reached that part." Omi said with a chuckle as he remembered how outraged the old man was when he found out his daughter was murdered. He could just imagine what Schuldich went through.
"Who would you say would have wanted Yuriko killed?" Nagi said, having heard enough of how Omi played through.
"No one that I know. Ms. Yuriko is a nice and respectable woman. Very kind and heartwarming. That's how she is." Giving a shrug.
"Last, where were you on the time she was said to have died?" Nagi said as he narrowed dark brown eyes.
"Right here, where I always am."
"Do you have someone to prove that you were?"
"Clair here. Isn't that right girl?" he said as he petted the mare beside him.
"I'm afraid you'd need a more reasonable alibi than that Yutaro." Nagi said as he tugged at Omi's hand, motioning him that it was time to leave.
"Wait. Don't leave yet." The stable boy said as he took hold of Omi's other hand ceasing the two assassins' steps. "How about a ride on Clair? I'm sure she'd like you to." A pleading smile now replacing the usual cheerful one.
"Ah. . ." Omi started but Nagi cut him off.
"Mr. Morabe would love to but as of this moment, we have other things to do. How about some other time." The telekinetic said trying to shake the young horse tamer off their tail.
"But I'm sure he would like to take a ride now." Azure eyes said as they narrowed.
"It would be better if you tended to your 'Clair' first before she gets irritated." Nagi retorted as he accompanied it with an invisible slap on the horse's behind with his ki causing the white mare to buck and start a commotion in the whole barn. Yutaro acted quickly and tried to calm the young horse, oblivious to the two slinking away during the chaos that soon ensued.
"That wasn't nice Nagi." Omi said when they reached an acceptable distance from the stable. "Yutaro was just asking if I wanted a ride or not."
Nagi, ignoring the comment about the stable boy, changed the conversation. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the obvious clues he left behind."
"What do you mean Nagi?" the young blonde asked, now curious as to what the telekinetic saw and heard that slipped past him.
"How old would you say he was?"
"Um," Omi said as he thought of a suitable age. "Around seventeen I think."
Shaking his head, Nagi corrected him. "He's sixteen."
"So?" Omi asked a bit confused as to why Nagi was telling him this.
"How would you act when you see a dead body floating in the ocean?"
"Fine I guess. I'm already used to it." He said with a small shrug.
"But you're a trained assassin. What would your reaction be when you're still at that ripe age in your life and you saw a dead body for the first time in your entire life? Especially if it was someone you knew lived here and rode the horses in your barn frequently?"
"Hmm, I guess your right. But he did saw he was shocked to find out that Yuriko was dead."
"Did he seem shocked to you a while ago?" the young telekinetic asked the Weiss assassin with a side glance. "Nobody recovers that fast from an incident such as this."
"Ah." Omi said with a slightly heavy heart. He couldn't believe that one such as cheerful as Yutaro could have something to hide.
"That's not the only reason. He also said that he took Clair out for a walk because she needed the exercise after saying that she's Akuro-san favorite horse. And from what I gather, Akuro-san is the type of man who enjoys riding on horses."
"Nagi, you must be jumping to conclusions." Omi said with a chuckle as they took a path through the garden.
"Hmm, maybe." Nagi said as he thought of how the stable boy Yutaro fits into the picture all the while continuing to walk in silence beside the young Weiss hacker in silence.
--
The two assassins stood outside of the fairly large house that lay at the western part of the mansion feeling the same creepy lurch in the stomach as the main house presented. Even though this was the doctor's lab, the eerie sheet that covered it was strong enough to make anyone scared. Gathering enough courage, Aya leaned forward to the front porch of the house and was about to knock when the front door opened to reveal the overworked secretary of Shigin island.
"Mr. Hajime, what a pleasant surprise. I take it you are here to ask Dr. Nagoi a few questions?"
"Yes, we are Ms. Shigin." the young katana master said to the stern woman.
"Well, I mustn't keep you then." Taking her leave, Sakura left a part of the door open to reveal the man Aya saw in the picture previously.
"Good morning Mister Nagoi." Aya said in his most courteous tone. "We are. . ."
"Mr. Hajime and Mr. Schuldich correct?" the man said finishing his sentence for him. The voice that greeted them was smooth and welcoming. Something Aya wasn't expecting.
"Ah, yes. We were wondering if we can ask you a few questions about Yuriko."
The statement caught the man slightly off guard but soon after he allowed the two undercover assassins in. Offering a seat to the two men, he allowed the German to use a phone that was connected to the main house to call for a sandwich to be delivered there. This bought the younger redhead some time to glance around the lab.
The place was dark and unwelcoming as the outside presented and the only light came from a table lamp. The test tubes he placed his experiments in emitted a soft blue glow giving a more than suitable ambiance to the place. A door on the farther right side of the room led to another part of the huge laboratory. No doubt more research belonging to the brown haired man.
Schuldich soon hung up the phone on top of the doctor's oak wood table and a somewhat stern look came over his face as he stared at the house physician. It was as if the German was irritated at the man yet refusing to show it. It was weird though, Aya concurred. He had never seen Schuldich try and hide his anger from any man before. If he had a problem with anyone, he would show it, no questions asked. Deciding this was no time to worry about the telepath, he focused on the man sitting on a dark brown leather chair before them.
"Mr. Nagoi, can you tell us all you know about Ms. Yuriko?" Aya said to start things off.
"Well, Yuriko was a very fun and compassionate girl, very cheerful and a talented singer. Though, she does have a slight tendency to be a bit too clever for her own good." Taking note of this, Aya continued.
"Mr. Nagoi, I found out from Mr. Shigin that it was you that performed the autopsy report on Ms. Yuriko." He had gotten the information straight from Akuro so there was no doubt there. What he was after was what he found in the autopsy.
"Yes, this is true." The man relied with a nod.
"What time would you say Ms. Yuriko was killed?"
"Before or after her body was thrown into the sea?" the two assassins looked at each other before Aya continued.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the body was found around the time you came when the stable boy decided to take a walk by the beach. Quickly phoning me, I had the body delivered to my lab. By the time it reached me, the body had taken into Rigor Mortis. On closer inspection she was killed around an approximate time of nine o'clock two nights before yesterday, making her dead for four whole days. I also had a hard time extracting the arms curled up on to her chest but I soon succeeded."
"May we ask how you were able to take the arm away?" the young German asked the thin frame glassed doctor. Giving an evil smile, the man reached into his desk drawer and pulled out something Aya had never seen or ever dreamt of seeing. An arm, all white and veins outlined every portion. It seemed that the end where the rest of the arm was supposed to be was chopped off. No, Aya thought as he studied the end further. It was jagged with bits of flesh peaking out.
"You sawed it off?" The younger redhead said with a hint of disgust. A nod was his simple reply. "Akuro-san said that it was best." The katana master paled considerably as he imagined the job being done. The German noticed the uneasiness of the one beside him so it was he who continued.
"What happened next after you sawed the arm off?"
"Naturally I found Yuriko's cause of death."
"She didn't drown then?" Schuldich said as raised a curious eyebrow.
"Nope." Shaking his head he continued. "She was stabbed. Right here." He said pointing to the lower part of his chest where he discovered the stab wound. "This was also the part where the hand was covering. Interesting thought ne?" A slightly devilish smile crept up his lips as he finished his sentence.
"Would have any idea at all as to what kind of weapon was used?"
"It was a smooth thrust. Not by any knife I know."
"Do you know who would have wanted her dead?" Aya started as he regained his stability on the subject.
"The easier question to answer is who *doesn't* want her dead."
"Why would you say that Mr. Nagoi?" The sword master asked the doctor with an interested look on his face.
"Well, there are numerous people on this island who would want Yuriko . . . disposed of." Crossing his arms on his chest, he leaned back on his chair, continuing. "Take Lilika Mayu. Yuriko's best friend since she went into the music business. Even if they are the closest, Lilika holds a grudge because Yuriko stole Erik from her."
"Erik?" Aya asked curiously.
"Erik Lopez." Schuldich said helping the man out. "Is Yuriko's manager. He once dated with Lilika but broke up with her when Yuriko came into the scene. She was the one who was crying her heart out in the Dining hall the other night." Nodding in agreement, Raiku continued.
"Jintarou Koizumi is also one to be of suspicion. He is Yuriko's ex- boyfriend. She dumped him when she met Erik."
"What about you Mr. Nagoi? You said that everybody on this island would have wanted Yuriko dead. Care to give your defense?" the telepath asked as he stared at the man with utmost scrutiny.
"Well, I also have a slight disagreement with the young lady but I was no where near her when she was killed." He said with a chuckle.
"Where were you then?"
"Right here Mr. Schuldich. You can ask Lilika to vouch for me if you want." A raised eyebrow told them that they needn't to. The man was telling the truth.
"Will that be all gentlemen?" taking it as a cue, Aya and Schuldich stood up and gave a curt nod before making their way to the door, the doctor right behind them to escort them to the door. As they reached the front entrance, the katana wielder was slightly surprised to see a young lady with light blonde hair and cute little pink eyes stared up at them holding a tray with a ham and cheese sandwich on top.
"Ah, finally, my food's here." The telepath said with a grin, taking the plate of food from the young woman. "Arigato."
The girl though seemed not to have noticed the German take the plate. Instead she stared straight past both assassins and focused on the man behind them, who in turn paid her no heed.
"So gentlemen, I would trust that you'd be able to find who brought Yuriko here fateful demise." With that, the man closed the door behind them, returning to his work. The young woman, who seemed to be a maid, quickly brought herself out of it and ran back to the house probably to deal with other matters.
"That's Mira." The German said as he took a bite off his sandwich when they were making their way back to the main house. "She's a good girl, pretty too. She works for Yuriko when she comes here for vacation. She's a very loyal maid if you ask me."
"Maybe we can ask her some questions later. Right now, we need to find some clues in Yuriko's room." Aya said as they traveled back the stone path.
"In her room?" the German asked. Giving a nod Aya replied.
"Nagoi said that she was stabbed not by a knife but something else. We haven't got any other clues and it's high time we start looking in her room." Schuldich silently agreed as he took another bite off his sandwich.
--
Raiku Nagoi browsed through a file in his drawer concerning his latest experiment when a smile appeared on his lips.
"I knew you would come." Swiveling his chair to face his visitor, he continued. "Why don't you take a seat?" The figure, whose face was slightly covered by the shadows, gave a shake and just stood.
"Suit yourself. Now, let's get to business. I know you were the one who killed Yuriko." A wider smile appeared on his lips as he started to go on. "If you don't pay me one point five million dollars by the end of the week, I will tell everyone that you had gotten so low as to kill Yuriko. We wouldn't want that would we?" a glint in his eyes told his evil intentions well. "What will it be?" but before another smile was able to cross his face, a shocked expression was suddenly taken over as he was faced point blank to a black revolver with a small silencer at the end.
"Now, we can talk this over right?" perspiration now dotting his face. "I mean, we can lower the price a bit. How about one million?" The sound of the gun readying to fire jarred him awake.
"Ok, how about just five hundred thousand?"
Before he was able to change the price again, a shot was fired and the doctor lay with eyes wide open in shock in his brown leather chair, motionless.
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Ah. . . I finally got to finish my third chap. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. Please keep 'em coming. =)
-Gunning Angel-