Chapter Two - Beauty
A girl stood, her face turned, tilted up slightly to the right with her eyes closed and a gentle smile gracing her face. Her perplextion was beautiful and smooth - she seemed to be at peace. Her long hair seemed to flow gentle behind her along her back, with only a few loose strands draped over her forehead and left cheek. Her right arm was extended out a little from her body at a twenty degree angle with her wrist slanted upright and her fingers stretched outward gently. A long trench coat hung off her right shoulder bearing her smooth skin and the strap of her tank top. Her left arm was stretched out straight only a few inches from her body. In her upturned left palm was a large foot tall, three inch wide candle. The girl stood on a very small stone gray base which was labeled 'Inner Beauty'. This girl's slender form was completely carved out of solid gray stone, all except for the red candle that burned slowly with a small flickering flame in her upturned left palm. On this candle's front was a carving in black in of the word 'CLOCK' written vertically. Each letter was an inch big and there was an inch between each letter, an inch from the bottom of the 'k' to the bottom of the candle and two inches from the top of the candle to the top of the 'c.
The hunters of the STN-J stood staring at their co-worker who was now solid stone. It was just about daybreak and the sun was slowly staring to rise into the morning sky.
"Amon... what... happened?" Michael asked as he continued to gaze upon Robin.
"I already said, we were attacked. Both frozen and then, ...this." Amon replied coldy as she stepped out of the break room, black coffee in his right hand and a bandage wrapped around his left.
"But...she's stone..." Dojima said as she stumbled into the chair at her desk.
"I can see that." Amon replied, still cold. He was running the events through his mind. Being as ignorant as he was towards Robin, he didn't pay attention to the words the man said. All he had left in his head was the sing-song tone the man was using.
"But she was right there. Robin... the man... how could you not -" Sakaki began but Amon cut him off.
"The misty fog was in the room. And the witch brought along a flashy light show. When he rose into the air, the fog and the lights were swirling around him and Robin, I couldn't see a thing!" Amon responded with an almost growling tone. He hated being interrogated, especially for something he felt was not his fault.
"What did he say?" Kosaka asked as he stepped out of his office, just finished with a phone conversation with Solomon HQ.
"I..." Amon hesitated. For one he couldn't respond. He truly had failed this mission. But he wasn't about to take full blame.
"I didn't quite hear everything." He replied. Kosaka stopped walking and looked up at Amon with slight surprise.
"Well, what did you hear then?" Kosaka asked.
"Just that stupid rhyme he kept repeating over and over again," Amon fibbed.
"Outer shell... flesh and blood... is all you see. yawn Behind the wall... deep inside... is what needs to be seen. yawn Some can see... but one can not... I shall reveal one's true being." Dojima said, her voice muffled from the sleeves of her shirt. Amon sighed a quiet sigh thanking god he didn't have to recite that stupid poem. Michael logged onto his computer and began typing in keywords. The morning sun was starting to illuminate the room, so the five flashlights were shut off and returned to their proper places, but still, no overhead lights.
"Outer shell... flesh and blood... is all you see. Behind the wall... deep inside... is what needs to be seen. Some can see... but one can not... I shall reveal one's true being." Michael read out loud from his computer screen. The others turned to look at him.
"It says here that the mayor's secretary heard the same rhyme. He was humming a catching tune when she found him the morning after the incident. That's all the profile says about the past cases." Michael scrolled down.
"The witch's personal states are that he is said to be in his late sixties and was born under the name Hiro Kasaki." Michael read out loud.
"Look up that name." Kosaka said. Michael began typing.
"Found it." Michael exclaimed.
"Everyone in the briefing room." Kosaka ordered as everyone filed into the back room and sat in their designated black leather chairs. They all looked upon the screens in front of them, which were still blank. Michael and Kosaka were the last to enter, Kosaka sat at one end of the long table, Michael at the other. Michael began typing and soon the blank screens were filled with pictures and information and small video clips.
"Hiro Kasaki. Only son of the late Dr. Jinn Kasaki and his wife, Mai-Li. He is middle child only to his older sister, Sakura Kasaki-Kogo and younger twin sisters, Heaven and Hope Kasaki. He was born in Kyoto Japan and was an A-student all through college. He moved out of his parents home at the age of twenty-six when he married his high school sweetheart, name unknown. They lived in Tokyo where he worked as a part-time teacher at the local high school. When his father died of cancer at age forty-nine, Hiro and his wife moved back to Kyoto to live with his mother. After watching his young sisters enter a modeling career, Hiro decided to take up the hobby of photography where he would spend winter days and summer nights photographing his sisters against the beautiful Mt. Fuji background. When his sisters submitted the photographs that Hiro had taken to their trainers, Hiro was hired as a photographer at the 'Apple Star Inc', the amateur modeling studio under 'SBS'. He took night classes to improve his skills and soon moved to another studio, 'Snow Blossom Studio', where his sisters modeled. Within a couple years of taking up the hobby, Hiro was an expert photographer. When his sister Hope was in a bad car crash, her face was badly burned and she went through numerous surgeries to try and rebuild her face. When all attempts were lost, Hope was fired. Heaven and Hope were always modeling together as the famous 'Tokyo Pop Princess Twins', but when Hope was fired, Heaven was demoted to a lower level of modeling, crushing her dreams. She became depressed, making herself believe that she was demoted because she was ugly. Her depression soon lead to suicide. Hiro's ambition towards photography soon slipped away and fell apart after Heaven's death. His last photograph was taken at his sister Sakura's wedding in the spring at Cherry Blossom Park. Witnesses at the wedding reception say that something must of just snapped, he was acting all fine until one of the bridesmaids mentioned how much more beautiful it would have been if the gowns were purple and not pink. Hiro was in the process of taking a picture of the bride and groom when he heard this. He just dropped his camera, backed up and ran away. He was never heard or seen from again. Numerous searches were put out for him, but he was never found. Soon all hope was lost." Michael read out loud to everyone who was looking at the images on the screens. Pictures of Hiro's family, some of the pictures he had taken, newspaper clippings of Hope's accident, Heaven's death and Hiro's disappearance also cluttered the screen.
"I've heard of them. The Tokyo Pop Princess Twins. They used to live down the street from my grandmother before she died. I always remember her complaining when I was very young how all the commotion about Heaven's death was driving her nuts. Always interrupting her daytime TV shows and naps." Sakaki said with a slight chuckle as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, pondering a moment about his grandmother.
"Well, at least it's a start." Karasuma said typing on the keyboard in front of her. She pulled up an article.
"Mai-Li Kasaki resided at 267 Yamaha Lane." She read out loud.
"Amon and Dojima, take the mother. Karasuma and Sakaki, you head over to Snow Blossom Studios." Kosaka said as everyone stood up and left the room.
"Michael continue to look for any leads, then update Amon and Karasuma. As for me, I'm gonna figure out what in the hell I'm gonna do with a stone Robin and why in the hell this candle says 'clock' on it." Kosaka said as he walked into his office, closed the door and sat down at his computer, typing away.
Amon and Dojima headed out the door. Karasuma and Sakaki followed. Michael began typing.
"Take one car?" Dojima asked, just a little too perky for Amon's taste.
"Whatever," He spit out and unlocked his car and got in, Dojima getting in on the other side. He turned on his phone and put the headset on. His car's engine roared as he turned the key and peeled away.
"Think he's in a rush?" Sakaki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well he needs to travel for at least an hour." Karasuma replied as she unlocked her car.
"Shotgun?" Sakaki asked.
"Sure, hop in." Karasuma replied as Sakaki got into the car.
"An hour, knowing Amon it'll take him thirty minutes." Sakaki said with a chuckle as he buckled up.
"Good point." Karasuma replied as she placed her headset on and drove away.
A/N-Well? Please R&R Constructive criticism, no flames and no commenting on spelling.
