Author's Notes: Here I come to wreck the day! … Of Nida that is. Two new characters shall be joining us this chapter, Miss Ellone Loire and Detective Seifer Almasy. You heard me right. There will be some stuff in this chapter happening in the present, and some of it as a memory of Nida from the night of the first chapter. Yes, part of this story is done in the present, part in the past, and part as memories and third person information.

Lots of credit and love for this chapter go to Fluff-man and Tess for their continued support and lack of prodding, and to my one true Nida-reviewing love, 2sidez-samecoin, because she is the bestest person ever and puts up with my Nida-based junk!

Music selection for the chapter: My Immortal by Evanescence because it suits Nida's mood when he thinks about how things were with Rei before the whole homicidal manic thing.

To prevent some of the confusion of the last chapter, the italics shows where the story tells of the past, okay?

Summary of the story so far: Nida is put in jail in the night after an encounter that left Rei in the hospital. He is thought to be the serial killer called the New York Butcher, but Rei Yamamoto, someone from his past is the real culprit. Nida's past is gone over and the knowledge that he was told all the details about the murders from Rei becomes known (all of this in last chapter). Nida is arraigned the next day for assault in battery of Rei Yamamoto, pending trial upon the recovery or death of said man. A day comes and goes with Nida still in jail as investigators search for proof of Nida's guilt or innocence in the killings (not in chapter but it still happened).

Chapter 2: Enter the Detective

"Detective Almasy! Detective Almasy!" a feminine voice called through the noise and the crowds of the side walks of New York.

Seifer let out an annoyed groaned and stilled in his progress towards the small food cart at the corner. When the woman finally caught up with him he didn't allow her a moment to catch her breath before continuing on. He expected her to follow him if she wanted to talk.

"Must you really interrupt my morning coffee walk?" the blonde asked of the petite woman.

"This is important Detective," she responded, ignoring the pain in her feet from running down the street in heels.

"If you're going to tell me that the guy we picked up didn't do it, then I don't have time for this Miss Loire. I've heard it all," he said, annoyance written in his regal features.

"But who else can give you proof?" Ellone countered, "Who else profiled the real guy in the first place? Seifer, please listen to me."

"Sorry Ellone, not happening. We've got the man. Caught him in the act."

"Not possible, that man was far to old to be an intended victim!"

Seifer halted before the food cart and nodded to the owner as he asked if the detective would like the usual.

"I'll bet your coffee on it," the dark haired female blurted out.

The blonde smirked, "Fine, you've got until we get back to my office to convince me my dear."

"I won't even need that long," she responded with a smile.

This earned her another annoyed humph from the slightly younger blonde male. Yet he waited for the brown-eyed beauty to pay for his coffee and her own before turning and walking off.

"Arrogant aren't you?" Seifer asked.

"Not nearly as much as you. I mean, you put a victim in jail."

"You believe his story that the guy in a coma in the hospital is the real killer?"

"Yes. Mister Nomura fits the description of the victims far better, don't you agree. It's in the eyes. The killer has a fixation upon the eyes of his victims, right? Nida had the same eye color as the other victims, among other things. And each of the victims had one other thing they have in common with him that they didn't have in common with the others. The first one had the same general appearance of Nida. The second was also an immigrant from Japan. The third moved here from California like Nomura. The fourth also had an extensive sword collection. The others we're yet to figure out. Seifer, it's not just a coincidence. I think we should let him go, but keep him under observation. I also think we should contact his family in California. Maybe they can tell us more."

There was a sigh from the male as he picked his way through the crowded street and back towards the offices. "Ellone, he took another man, who fit the description closely enough, and threw him off of a balcony after stabbing him in the stomach."

"Which doesn't fit the killer's MO in the slightest, and you know that. Nida doesn't fit the profile either, except in some of his manners and his background. The killer is someone obsessed, maybe with Nomura even. He's not some quiet businessman like the man you put away, but someone that can easily get where he needs to be, into positions of power so that he can get close to his victims. They trust him, but Nida isn't charismatic enough to win over boys like that. This guy in the hospital, this Rei Yamamoto, he doesn't show up ANYWHERE, little suspicious don't you think?"

"Doesn't defeat the fact that Nomura tried to kill him."

"Self defense, it has to be," she said, nervously shifting her coffee cup from one hand to the other as they grew closer to the doors of the precinct.

"You believe his fucking story?"

"Fully Seifer. What serial killer brings their victim back to their own place of residence? He admits that he stabbed the man, but only because Yamamoto had a katana pressed up against his neck. The man takes classes in self-defense you know, not just the normal martial arts you could expect of one from his background. Detective, I think he's been running from this man. I don't think he is the killer, but the target."

The glass doors were right before the pair now, and Seifer shook his head, "Sorry Ellone, you didn't convince me."

When the woman's face fell the detective smirked slightly. "Actually, I was convinced before hand because of some new information. I just wanted come coffee."

"What convinced you?" she couldn't help but demand.

"Gut-feeling. But that isn't going to get out. Come on, we're going to pay a visit to Mister Nomura."

The criminal profiler watched the detective enter the building with her jaw hanging open. After a few seconds she shook her head and took off after him. How dare he cheat her like that?

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He'd lost track of time when he'd finally found some sleep in the night. The lack of windows in the holding area didn't help at all, and he had only the fact that there was a new man at the guard's station to show him it was sometime in one of the next shifts. Despite his attempts to call out to the man and ask the time, all he'd received were glares and a few profanities mixed in with the occasional 'dirty asian fag'. So once more he sat on the cold metal slab that his sleeping upon had officially christened as something passing for a bed.

Silence had taken its toll upon him. It had come to the point that Nida would jump every single time that the 'click' of the minute arm moving on the clock cut into the absolute void of noise. The dull gray of the walls and the dark gray of the old bar gave him something other than the vibrant orange of his jump-suit to look upon, and in themselves they were almost a comfort. The bars looked like he felt on the inside: dull, dreary, stone and accepting of all of the pains he'd locked away so many years ago. Funny how the world had come to a point where it reflected what everything inside of him really was, which was bound by the past he refused to think about.

There was a squeak of an unoiled door opening, and the sound of heavy boots moving through the halls towards the guard station. Was this another change in his guard? Nida doubted it. The last time there was a switch had been maybe an hour ago. That would mean that they were coming for him, or bringing someone else in. Then again, the single set of foot steps hinted at something else. And there was another sound now, the jingling of keys on a chain, and the now familiar sound of the restrictive and cuffs and ankle-waist chains they used to escort around the more dangerous criminals. Nida, of course, didn't think he needed the things really, because he was the victim here, not that anyone else agreed with him upon that.

"You, get up," the gruff voice of the officer said as he came to a rest outside of Nida's cell.

With a sigh Nida rose and moved to the bars. He'd learned by this point that the small horizontal gap in the bars was not for delivering food, but so that the officers could reach in and cuff his hands behind his back without getting into the cell. This knowledge firmly in mind Nida turned and put his wrists through the gap. There was a wince from him as the guard closed the cuffs too tightly around his wrists. The thought that ceased the asian at that moment was that he hoped that the trip would be short, as to try and avoid his circulation being cut off long enough to do damage. Once the cuffs were on he took a step away from the door and waited patiently for the officer to open the door so that the next set of restraints could be put on. All through the process of having his ankles chained together and to his waist he stood silently, unmoving as the officer did his work. He'd heard once that good behavior could do a lot for you when trying to get out of jail, but keeping out of jail… Well, it was better to just not think of getting a sentence in the first place.

The last time Nida had been taken from his cell was yesterday morning when he'd been given food, a chance to clean up, and one of his suits from home so that he could go to his arraignment hearing. Too bad he hadn't even been allowed to speak in his own defense. Too bad the judge had thought he was too much of a threat to public safety to allow him bail. Too bad for a lot of things. Too bad that he'd not been able to escape Rei's attentions in the first place.

"There is someone here to see you," the officer finally informed him as he pulled Nida from his cell. This shocked the slender asian very much. It couldn't be Rei, because he was still in the hospital considering their encounter two days ago. It could not be his parents because even if they had found out after he'd been arraigned yesterday they wouldn't have had the time to get here and in to see him. It couldn't be his lawyer because the woman believed Nida was guilty and didn't care to see him. So who was left? Hopefully not that Detective that had interviewed him already. Maybe it was his friend…

"Hurry up, better not keep the Detective waiting," the guard said, shoving Nida a bit. It took all of Nida's agile grace to keep from falling. Well, that cleared up that did it not?

The orange clad man shuffled on along before the officer out of the holding area and down many halls until they reached the proper area of the office building that was the 'downtown' that most cops referred when they meant taking people in for questioning or in to file police reports. It wasn't a glamorous place, everything painted the same off-white shade, and all of the desks that he could see down the hall were identical save for amount of paperwork and the personal touches. Of course he didn't get a closer look because of the fact that he was steered to the door of one of the questioning rooms instead. Inside the walls were a dark gray more like those of the cells, and it was lit with a single cliché light over a metal table and a few metal chairs. The room lacked the feature of a window with metal bars over it, but the traditional two-way mirror lined one wall, but Nida hardly cared. He waited for the police officer to move him to the chair. He was seated in it, his ankle chains were hooked to a loop of metal installed in the floor so that he couldn't get up and walk away. His hand cuffs were removed and his right arm only was cuffed to his chair. It was quite amusing really; that they took such precautions with him when he figured Rei lay in his ICU bed with no restraints at all.

Once all of this was done the officer left the room, leaving the door closed behind him. Great, another room with total silence and nothing to look at… Wait, there was a mirror this time. For the first time since his arraignment Nida caught sight of himself, and he did not like it one bit. His normally perfectly brushed and tended to hair was everywhere from his sleeping. Not that he didn't look good with disheveled hair though, but it just wasn't him. And the bright orange of his jump suit made his skin look so pale and sickly. How could that man in the mirror be him? No, he decided, that wasn't him. That man there was just some victim, and Nida was not a victim. He hadn't been a victim then and he wouldn't be a victim now.

What was then? He didn't want to think about it, but wanting wasn't going to stop it was it?

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At first it had been so easy for a young Nida Nomura to become friends with Rei Yamamoto. Where Nida had been timid, unnoticed and jumpy, Rei had been cool, suave, and sure in everything that he did. He was the star of the school's soccer team, the top student in his grade level, and beloved by all the faculty, students and parents that came to the school often. Everyone who was anyone wanted to be part of the small group of people Rei counted as his friends, especially the lowest of the low in the ranks of popularity. Even Nida looked up to him, but more so because Rei was accepted even though he was asian, where Nida was shunned because of it.

Why Rei chose Nida no one could ever say. If one knew that then maybe so many young males would not have died. But the fact remains that Nida was chosen by Rei. Under the wings of the young man, Nida flourished. While Nida had previously been on the soccer team, with Rei's help he became almost as good as the other male. With Rei's help Nida learned to handle computers, how to get attention, how to relax, how to perfect my skills with computers, and even how to dance and sing. It came as no surprise in the end when the two became a couple really, or that they even went to a school dance together.

Through out the end of Rei's last year in middle school the two were inseparable, but then had come the day after the school year ended…

They had spent the whole day together at the mall, celebrating the first day of summer vacation. It had been great in Nida's opinion to have all of that time alone with his boyfriend, especially since most other times that they went they were hanging out with the rest of Rei's friends. Having a day just for them had been great. Rei had even bought him a few things, just like a proper boyfriend should.

It didn't surprise the youth that his parents were no where in sight upon returning home. They so rarely were anyway. With his mom always away talking to clients and his father always off taking care of some major problem at work Nida was used to being home alone. Like a proper host he offered Rei something to drink before agreeing to let the young man come up to his room for the first time.

This was probably where Rei's long plan had come into play. Before Nida was completely sure of what was going on Rei had begun to touch him. When Nida told the older teen to stop, Rei rewarded him by tying him up. Try as the younger boy might, he couldn't stop Rei from what came next. In the end Rei just smiled and called Nida a good little whore, and after untying him, the boy had walked out of Nida's life for years. Nida hadn't told his parents about the incident. He didn't explain why he didn't sit down much for a while, or why he had to wash all of his bedding so soon in the month. He just went on as if nothing had happened. Except it had, and he'd never be able to forget despite his best efforts.