[Summary: With Saki's help, Nanako begins to recover from the shock.]

Saki rubbed Nanako's back and cooed at her until she was all cried out. When it was over, it was difficult to tell what had soaked her clothes more: the tears or the rain.

"S-Senpai..." Nanako eventually croaked after a several coughs and sniffles. "You're all d-dirty... Y-you shouldn't have..." She gripped Saki's school uniform blouse and tried to dust it off, but only succeeded in smearing more dirt over it.

"That's not important right now," Saki told her. "Nanako, really... You worried everyone."

There was a long moment of silence before Nanako muttered, "Mr. Morooka's dead." She stirred restlessly in Saki's arms. "He shouldn't be dead, no, no."

"You're really... You really cared about him," Saki noted with quiet wonder.

"He w-was my teacher..." Nanako's eyes grew heavy with more tears. She tried wiping them on her sleeve, but it was ineffective due to how wet it was already.

"Honestly, Nanako..." Saki murmured. "I'm jealous."

Nanako blinked at her.

"I'm jealous," she repeated. "I'm jealous that you are able to show grief. I didn't cry when my brother died. I went straight from stunned to resentment with no room for grief." She brushed away some of Nanako's tears with her fingertips. "I think you're the only person I've seen truly grieve... well, aside from my parents..."

"N-no one knew him, Senpai," Nanako said.

"People are sad that someone died, but that's as far as it goes. Few seem to be sad that Mr. Morooka, in particular, is dead..."

"He could be a dick," Nanako admitted. "B-but there was so much more to him. I was working on it! I w-was gonna figure him out. But he's dead and now... now I'll never get a chance to... to find out what made him Mr. Morooka."

"If anyone could find out, it would have been you," Saki murmured.

"He was worried about me, did you know?" Nanako looked her in the face. "A-and other students, too. He wasn't what everyone thought, what he showed the world."

"I was told he said some awful things about my brother," Saki said, "but when I met him in the hall, his face held nothing but sympathy. I wasn't sure what to think."

Nanako sniffled again, and for a long while, the only sound was the patter of rain and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Nanako, are you ready to go back?" Saki asked softly.

"Don't want to," Nanako muttered.

"I'll stay with you as long as you need me," Saki told her.

"Wh-what if I decide to stay right here for a week?" Nanako joked weakly.

"Aiya delivers anywhere," Saki said, smiling at her. "You have to be starving." She opened her purse and handed Nanako a candy bar and forced her to eat it.

"Gotta use the bathroom more than anything," Nanako admitted in a mutter. It hit her all at once right then: hunger, weariness, exhaustion.

"Come on, come on." Saki stood up and pulled her up by an arm. Nanako staggered weakly, her stiff legs not ready to handle her own weight, but her friend caught her and kept her upright. "Let's get you home and cleaned up. You might not be alone, by the way. A detective was there earlier."

Nanako knew she was not in any state to be seen by Adachi-san or Shirogane-san, but couldn't bring herself to care. "What time is it?" she asked. "Is school still in session?"

"It's early afternoon. Yes, I skipped to look for you. What are friends for?" Saki smiled at her without much humor. "I don't know if your other friends skipped, but I do know everyone's been calling you nonstop. That's how I found you. I found your phone on the road at the bottom of the cliff." She held out the phone, its screen and frame cracked from the impact of its dive.

She allowed Saki to lead her down from the overlook. Saki held her arm and carried the simple yellow umbrella between them. They didn't speak for the first five minutes until Nanako told her she could get the rest of the way home on her own.

Saki gave her an unamused look. "I don't think I trust you. Besides, you don't have an umbrella."

"Really, Senpai, I'm f-fine," she claimed. "I'm already wet."

"We aren't that far from your home," Saki said, and her tone brooked no dispute.

Soon they reached the familiar quiet street that was home to the Seta Residence. They passed the untended garden situated against the house's western fence and stopped at the front door. Nanako hardly acknowledged that there were two cars parked under the carport.

She fumbled for the keys in her school bag, but Saki tried the door and it was already unlocked.

"Told you someone was around your place," Saki murmured as she pushed open the door. She lowered her umbrella, set it against the inner wall, and turned to Nanako. "All right. Over the stoop and in you go. Shoes off."

Nanako began to struggle with one of her shoes—so wet were her socks that it seemed to create a sort of vacuum within the shoe, keeping her foot trapped within it. Saki bent down and helped her out of it.

"Thanks," Nanako mumbled.

"D-don't thank me yet," Saki said uneasily, looking down the hallway. "Uhh... I think your family takes over from here."

"...You can lea—"

Nanako paused, because she had followed Saki's gaze. Standing there by the kitchen table was her father, Ryotaro Dojima.

"—ve," she finished tonelessly.

"Nanako?" her father said. His hard-lined face was paler than she could ever remember seeing it. "Nanako! Where the hell have you been?"

Nanako didn't answer.

He stalked forward and stopped, an aghast look overcoming his features as he took in her disheveled appearance. "What the hell happened to you!?" When she continued not to respond, he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Answer me, Nanako!"

"She's clearly in no condition for an interrogation," Saki interrupted with a look of defiance on her face.

Dojima turned his head and blinked at Saki. "What happened to my daughter?" he demanded in a low voice.

"She's not hurt. Not physically, anyway... She mostly needs a bath and a good meal."

Dojima turned back to Nanako and gently put his hand under her chin to force her look him in the eyes.

She stared back expressionlessly.

"I'll give her a bath," Saki announced. "Show me where the bathroom is."

After a long moment, Dojima silently led her down the hall, and Saki pulled Nanako along behind her.

Saki sat Nanako at the stool before the wash basin and began to pull the twigs and leaves out of Nanako's hair. After that, she unbuttoned Nanako's blouse and pulled it off. The wet clothing stuck to her skin so it took some effort to remove it. Her mind elsewhere, Nanako didn't help, so it was especially difficult for Saki.

"Arms up," Saki ordered. "Come on, sports bras don't come off that easy. You're gonna have to help."

"S-sorry, Senpai," Nanako murmured. Her bare arms were covered in goosebumps and she began to shiver. Saki had already began to fill the tub with hot water.

After removing her skirt and undergarments, Saki began to scrub her down with a long-handled scrubbing brush. "Your skin's not that dirty," she observed. "Just... your hair is a mess. I really resent what you've done to it."

There was no answer.

"Nanako, come on," Saki pleaded. "At least tell me about that man out there. That's your dad? He's not supposed to be here, isn't he?"

"Don't know why he's here," Nanako muttered. "S'posed to be in Tokyo."

"He's here because of you, Nanako. It's pretty obvious."

Nanako stared at the floor. Saki proceeded to clean her hair with shampoo and conditioner until it was in passable condition.

After she was all cleaned up, Saki pulled her up and guided her into the hot water of the tub. Nanako sighed as the warmth flowed into her. She felt somewhat more alive from it. Somewhat.

Saki stayed outside the tub, but leaned against it to look at Nanako while she talked. "He looked so angry that I thought he was going to hit you, but then he looked so scared."

"He wouldn't hit me," Nanako murmured, inspired just enough to defend her father.

"He came all the way from Tokyo," Saki said quietly. "I think—hey, Nanako, stay with me!"

Nanako was leaning back with her eyes closed. "T-tired," she muttered. She rubbed her eyes and sniffled. "J-just wanna... be left alone..."

"I know you want to, but you're going to have to stay up for a little longer, okay?"

"Senpai..."

"Yes?"

"Why Mr. Morooka? Why...?"

In the end, Nanako didn't stay conscious long enough to say even one word to her father. Saki had pulled her out of the bath and dressed her in her pajamas and dragged her right into her futon, where she dropped off almost immediately into dreamless sleep.

When she woke up, she remained lying in the futon and stared out at her room. After a moment, she heard the sound of someone turning the page of a book. She scanned the room and found her dad on her couch, reading what appeared to be one of her Loveline manga.

It didn't take him long to notice she was awake, detective instincts apparently in full swing. "Nanako?" He set the book down on the work table, stood up, and moved to her side, placing a rough hand on her forehead. "Are you all right?"

She looked into his familiar face. That square jaw and the stubble on his chin, somewhat shaggier than normal... The concern in his eyes was something new, though. "No, Dad," she admitted quietly. "I'm not all right."

His grip on her forehead unconsciously tightened. "Did someone hurt you? I need to know."

"N-no, Dad..."

"One of your little friends mentioned that you might have been kidnapped, but then he tried to take back his words, and..." He growled his frustration.

She carefully pried his hand from her head. "I wasn't kidnapped or anything. I was just out of it. Really."

"Your teacher," he said. "I heard through Konishi. Nanako..."

She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable lecture about being responsible, about how although what had happened was sad, she shouldn't have run away like she did.

"One of the reasons I sent you here," Dojima said slowly, "was to get you away from all the murder and violence that I have to deal with. And now I find that you're being exposed to it anyway." He paused, looking down at her. "I don't know what to do."

"Dad..." she said. She tried to sit up, and her father picked her up in an uncharacteristic embrace.

"Dammit, Nanako. What the hell is wrong with this world?"

Nanako was going to crack a weak joke that if they knew, he'd be out of a job, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a whimper. She clung to her father and didn't let go for a long time.

Her dad made breakfast for her, but it turned out to be lunch since it was Wednesday afternoon already. She'd essentially slept through the entirety of Tuesday.

"Ryoko called out yesterday, but she couldn't manage it today. And you're safe now, so..." he said while buttering up her toast. "You gave everyone a scare."

"I'm sorry," she said simply.

Dojima shrugged. "You're safe," he repeated. "You're going to have a lot of people to answer to, though. Had to turn that off." He pointed with the butter knife at her cell phone on the counter.

She blinked at it. So it was still working despite the cracked screen and being thoroughly soaked from the rain.

He set the plate of toast in front of her, then sat across from her with a serious expression on his face. "Do you think you'll be able to go to school tomorrow?"

She ate the entire piece of toast before answering. It was a hard question, and she was starving. She stared down at her plate, vaguely considering eating the crumbs. "I think so," she finally admitted.

"Your teacher won't be there," he said, not unkindly—he was reminding her that she'd be reminded of it as soon as she went into the classroom.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered. She glanced up at him suddenly with calculating eyes. "Do they know who murdered him?"

"That's the local police department's job, honey," he reminded her. "I came here because of you, not because of a case. If you're all right, I'll be heading back to Tokyo this evening."

She watched his face closely and waited. She expected him to offer to bring her with him, to take her back home. Away from Inaba and all this.

But he didn't, and she was confused and somewhat hurt by it.

"Dad," she said, her tongue thick in her throat. "S-so soon?"

"They need me."

She nodded. He was a homicide detective. His job was important. People were relying on him... But this knowledge didn't stop her from wanting to cry. "Wh-when did you get here?" she asked to distract herself. "You drove all the way..." She recalled it was his car that had been in the driveway along with Aunt Seta's.

"Late Monday night." He wiped his face and sighed. "Look, Nanako. I didn't tell your mother about this. Figured she was too far removed to be allowed to worry until we found you. It's up to you to tell her. She knows about your teacher's death, however. It's all over the damned news." Nanako grimaced, not wanting to think about explaining anything to her mother at this time.

"By the way," her dad went on, "that Shirogane detective kid was around earlier. Don't know what the hell he wanted with you. He claimed it was just a courtesy call."

Dojima was glowering with suspicion. Nanako couldn't help herself from smiling faintly. Never change, Dad, she thought. She didn't feel like teasing him, however. "Probably just making sure I'm okay."

He grunted. "He seemed professional enough. Are you hungry? You look like you're about to eat the plate. How about we order some Aiya? You know... There's so much variety in food around us in Tokyo, but I still haven't found a place quite like Aiya."

"They should consider franchising," Nanako agreed. "Order some pork buns, please?"

The good food lightened the atmosphere, at any rate. Her dad even told her a story about how he and his friend Takeshi sometimes ordered takeout while they were in school. "We didn't have cell phones, so one of us had to go out and use the nearest pay phone..."

He rambled on, trying to cheer her up, and it almost worked. It would've been a perfect opportunity to find out more about her dad's childhood, and especially that Takeshi guy, but she simply wasn't in the mood. She let him talk without interruption so that his smoke-coarsened voice could soothe her ears.

All too soon, however, Dojima stood up from the table and picked up his car keys from the counter. He told Nanako that it was about time he headed home. "If I leave now, I can be there before midnight."

Now she perked up. "D-dad? Already? Can't you at least stay until Auntie comes home?"

"Honey..." He sighed heavily. "That will end up with me staying far longer than I wanted. Or is that your plan?" His lips drew into a smile, but only for a moment. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, honey."

She wiped her eyes, and he hugged her, and then he left.

Alone now, Nanako stared into the empty takeout box in front of her. She wasn't going to regress into that mindless funk. The wheels were turning in her head.

Some bastard had killed Mr. Morooka. Some bastard that she was going to find, and... but first, she needed information.

All over the news, huh?

She turned on the television and stood there watching it. It was already set to a news channel. It was currently showing a weather report. She sighed in frustration and waited impatiently for it to end.

"And now back to our coverage of the Inaba Serial Murders. The third victim was Kinshiro Morooka, a schoolteacher at the local high school. The victim was discovered early Sunday morning at the apartment complex in which he was a resident. Authorities say he was killed by a blow to the head. The body had been strung up with bungee cords on the rooftop."

The camera cut to a shot of the crime scene, although the body had already been taken down. A cop was being interviewed in front of it. "We're currently pursuing motives," he said, "but we're dealing with a psychopath here. His motives might not make any damned sense to you or me."

The news narrator went on. "Mr. Morooka's loss has been a blow to Inaba, which had not seen another event like this since April."

"We thought it was over," said a female resident whose face was blurred out. "And it happened near the shopping district. It's going to kill business even more than Junes!"

They were turning a murder into a human interest story? Nanako growled at the screen.

"The serial killer has yet to be apprehended, and his identity remains a mystery. The police are offering a substantial reward for information that leads to his capture."

The segment went on to recap the identities of previous victims, then ended with, "The community's greatest concern: who will be next?"

"I know who's next," she muttered to herself, turning off the news in disgust.

This wasn't the serial killer's work. A copycat murder, that's what this was. Some sick bastard was bored and killed Morooka just to be on the news. Just to see the police scramble and to see the fear invoked in the public.

So now they had two killers to worry about. The original and this new one. The new one took priority—it was personal now.

She'd find him. She'd—

The front door opened and her aunt entered the house. "Oh, Nanako-chan," the woman said by way of greeting. "You're up and about. And I see my brother has left already."

Nanako ignored her because her eyes had locked onto the detective behind her. "Adachi-san," she breathed.

"Hello!" Adachi greeted. "Heard you went missing. Glad you turned up, Nanako-kun. It wasn't any foul play, was it?"

Souji stepped out from behind his mother's shadow, and the little boy's eyes lit up when he saw Nanako. With a small cry he ran to her and hugged her legs. "B-big sis...! You're back..."

Adachi's brown patterned tie was loosened, and he looked a little haggard. He might not have been allowed to sleep much lately. "Who are the suspects?" Nanako demanded of him. "Who killed my teacher?"

"Uh," said Adachi. "Well, we're still looking into the connection—"

"Not good enough," she interrupted. "I want names."

"Nanako-chan!" Aunt Seta scolded. "Tohru-san is here to relax. These last few days have been rough for him. You should understand."

"Big sis...?"

"I want names," Nanako repeated in a low hiss. Her next words were shot off in rapid succession. "And the details! Who found the body? When was it found? Estimated time of death? What caused the death blow? Was it instantaneous?"

"...Can I have dinner first?" Adachi gave her a wistful grin... which was wiped off by her withering glare.

"He wasn't murdered by the serial killer," she informed him. "It's freaking obvious. If your fellows are trying to connect them, it's a bloody waste of time and energy."

Adachi blinked at her. "Has Shirogane-kun been around here? That kid was saying the same thing. But, ehh, we shouldn't be talking about murder at the dinner table."

"Then let's go into another room," she suggested flatly. "Or better yet, outside." She pulled away from Souji's hug to stride towards the front door, where she made an impatient gesture for Adachi to follow. "You're going to tell me everything."

"Nanako-chan!" said Aunt Seta. She had her hands on her hips, the universal posture of a frustrated mother. "Really! You're being ridiculous. I didn't invite Tohru-san over for your benefit. I know you're Ryotaro's daughter and you want to follow in his footsteps, but I won't have you treat him like this. He is a guest."

Adachi rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, it's all right, but there isn't much you need to know, Nanako-kun. You should leave it to us adults. We'll catch him."

"You haven't caught the serial killer," Nanako pointed out. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because we already have a suspe—err." He cut himself off with an awkward chuckle. "J-just leave it to us."

"You have a suspect!?" she shouted. "Give me the damned name, and then you can eat!"

"Nanako Dojima!" Aunt Seta shouted in her scolding-a-child voice.

"It's confidential," Adachi replied. "It's more than my job is worth to tell you. But I will say this, Nanako-kun. I didn't go to police academy for nothing. We will catch the bastard... or I wasn't Sachio Seta's partner."

She stared at him, and he stared evenly back. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd used her uncle's name just to shut the argument down.

This man had cunning.

She grabbed her phone from the counter and marched out of the house. If Adachi was going to be like that, well, she could get the information another way.

Not far down the street, she turned on her phone. There were lots of read text messages that she didn't remember reading. She ignored them all, fingers automatically scrolling across the cracked screen to a number she'd never used.

It took a few rings before the person picked up. "Shirogane. Who is this?" Naoto sounded tired and possibly cross.

"It's Nanako," she answered swiftly. "Shirogane-san, let's not waste time. Who's the suspect?"

"Nanako-san," he murmured. "I'm glad you're with us once again. As for the suspect in Mr. Morooka's killing, the name has ridiculously been withheld from me as the local police are trying to pursue him on their own."

"That's bullshit."

"Indeed. What I have been able to ascertain, however, is that the suspect is a male high schooler. The authorities have apparently already built up a fairly strong case against him. It's only a matter of time before he is apprehended."

That would have been good news if Nanako hadn't wanted to 'apprehend' the bastard herself.

Naoto went on. "My concern is what they will do with him when he is captured. I suspect that they'll try to wring a confession out of him for the murders of Ms. Yamano and Naoki Konishi. I'm currently building a portfolio of evidence that indicates Mr. Morooka's death is not the serial killer's doing. Whether the heads of the investigation will listen to me is questionable, but my hope is that they won't be able to ignore hard evidence when it is set before them."

"What evidence do you have so far?" Nanako inquired. "The cause of death should be a huge point in your favor."

"Yes, and there is evidence from the crime scene as well. The previous victims were not strung up by bungee cords, for example. The body's display was a rather pitiful attempt at copying the true serial killer's methodology, and the victim's clothes were rustled up due to the killer dragging his body to the roof. There is high hope for some DNA evidence, but as far as I am aware, the labs have yet to report anything at the moment."

"As soon as you learn the suspect's identity," Nanako said, "or anything that will help identify him, let me know. I can help you investigate him among the high school students. Even if he doesn't go to Yasogami, someone might know him from middle school."

"Of course," Naoto replied. "And I trust you will inform me immediately if the 'other side' becomes involved in any capacity."

"I will," Nanako vowed.

She ended the call and scowled down at her phone. The call hadn't taken very long. She didn't want to go home and endure a pointless family dinner. She'd already eaten with her father, and Adachi would still be there.

It was still early. She marched on down to Junes. There were several things she needed to acquire.

[AN: It might have been amusing to have Dojima meet Adachi in this universe, but we decided against it since it'd take away from the point of the scene.

Thanks again to Dusk Clark for leaving a message~ I've been waiting for someone to ask about Rise. She will be in the story... eventually! We're messing with the timeline just a little. You'll see what I mean by that in a few more chapters, hehe. I don't know about a ghost social link, but Nanako will surely be 'haunted' by what happened to Mr. Morooka. And finally, don't worry about asking too many questions! You're the only one who's left a review on the last couple of chapters. If you didn't, I'd have no feedback at all. I mean, I can tell people are reading the story because of favorites and all that, but nothing beats actually hearing from someone!

Next Chapter: Resolve

Nanako finds a new resolution in her heart.]