A/N: 1st official chapter up. Sooner than expected. Anyways it should provide more info on what the story is about. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: No ownership over Rurouni Kenshin
Year 1893, 10 Years Later
It was a peculiar scene one afternoon for the Metropolitan police and it all started with a call from a frantic passer-by.
At first it sounded like pretty normal: He was a jogging early in the morning at his favorite park, where he happened to come across a dent in the bush. As he peered in he found a man lying on his front…oh…and he happened to be dead.
Within the hour, the investigating and forensics team arrived.
The body was of course retrieved and sent off for an autopsy while at the same time; efforts were made to identify the body.
Yes, all the same usual procedure. Nothing out of the ordinary…until the team was summoned to see the pathologist.
"I don't think I quite understand what you are saying…"
The senior pathologist scratched his head in irritation. He was a man who very much loathed the police force because he believed they are a bunch of "bumbling idiots" who do not possess the caliber to get things done. A "Wolf" was the term used to describe him, as he was a man who preferred working alone, by his rules only.
"Let me put to you in such a way that you would understand. This body you found here is a hollow shell. His features may look intact from the outside, but inside he is empty. No organs, no blood, no anything."
"Yes I got that part. But how is that even possible!"
"Well then, that's your job to find out isn't it?"
"Aren't you a pathologist? Don't tell me you don't know these things!" The police officer gulped as the last few words left his lips. The Wolf, ever so slowly turned to stare at his counterpart. If looks could kill you, those deep yellow eyes would.
"As I would recall, my job is merely to investigate the body present in front of me. I am not here to tell you how to do your job, as much as I would jump at the possibility of criticizing you and your team for your imbecility. As such, I don't think you are in any position to come tell me what my job entails. Understood?"
(Gulp) "Ye…yes."
"Good, I am glad we have come to a mutual understanding. Now I suggest you bring your little notebook full of useless facts back to where you came from. Leave!"
The Wolf watched as the police team scurried to make their way out of his sight as soon as they could.
"Imbeciles." He sneered under his breath, as he proceeded to light the cigarette he took out from his pocket.
Back at the Police Headquarters
"This is ridiculous! Unacceptable! To let him insult me in that manner!" The veteran leader shouted as he made his way down the corridor of office, ignoring the stares he received for his sudden outburst.
Following him behind was his younger subordinate.
"Ignore him Sir. You know what Hajime Saito is like."
"One day I tell you James. One day I will show him who's boss!"
"Yes Sir I believe you will."
As the two men reached back to their desks, the veteran plopped himself down on his large arm chair. He sighed as he massaged his temples, thinking to himself what a situation he has found himself in.
"A body void of its contents, yet seemingly undamaged on the surface. What a case we have found ourselves in."
"Sir this is not possible. Perhaps Sato has got it wrong?"
"Saito may be the very bane of my life, but he is undoubtedly the best forensic pathologist in this nation. Furthermore he is a man of pride; he would never lie to cause trouble for us."
"So…what would you suggest we do next Sir?"
At the thought of that question, the veteran laid back in his chair, lifting his head to face the ceiling. He then let out another huge sigh, and stated:
"I hate to do this, but looks like we don't have any other choice. We need to pass this file on to PASS."
"PASS?"
"Paranormal Activity and Sighting Sector."
"I never knew we had such a sector."
"Hmph. No surprise you didn't know of it. It is one of those underlying divisions set up to satisfy the public. Nowadays people tend to be more superstitious over everything, and we can't always have the investigating team see to all these ridiculous claims. We have much more important details to handle."
"In other words…"
"They are just either a bunch of weirdos who believe in the 'supernatural' or rejects from the force."
PASS office
"Let's see, ah! There it is, B5!" said the young lady as she pressed the button in the lift. She was at a young age of 20, fresh out of police academy. High-spirited and armed with a strong sense of justice, she eagerly awaited for her floor to arrive. It was her first day on the job, and all she knew was that she had the golden opportunity to be posted to this "special" unit.
"I wonder who I would meet on my first day! PASS seems like a place full of surprises!"
Surprised she would be eventually. As the doors of the lift opened at basement 5, she was greeted with a scene she had never expected.
A dark corridor, leading straight to only one room: no. 554.
She cautiously made her way out of the lift. In a sleek pants-suit, and new pair of heels, she slowly approached the lonesome door.
"Hello! Is anyone here?" she shouted as she knocked on the door. But she received no reply.
"Hello?"
*BANG! SPUTTER!*
"What on earth?" The young lady exclaimed jumping at the sudden outburst of noise.
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea afterall…maybe I should leave…maybe…wait a minute! Pull yourself together Kamiya Kaoru! This is no time to go all wuss! I did not slog my way all through police academy just so as to leave when opportunity presents itself!"
As Kaoru continued to comfort herself, the door in front of her suddenly swung opened. From there, a man revealed himself.
*Cough* "Well that wasn't such a bloody good idea!" *Cough*
Kaoru stared dumbfounded at the man who stood a few good centimeters above her. He had long shiny black hair, tied up in a ponytail. Coupled with his hard features, he was a sight for sore eyes.
"Oh why hello there."
"H…Hi!"
"And what brings this young lady all the way down to this god-forsaken place?"
"Erm…well...*eh-hem* I mean…My name is Kamiya Kaoru! I just got posted to this division from the police academy! Nice to make your acquaintance!"
"Ahhh…the newbie! Yes we have been expecting you. Come in please! Mind your step along the way." Kaoru followed the man into the equally dark room.
"Ahh, wait give me a second." The man said as he abruptly left her side.
Just as sudden as the noise was before, Kaoru was soon greeted with a burst of light. She flinched for a moment, and just as she opened her eyes, a new scene surprised her.
It was a relatively large room, but its space had been utilized to its maximum capacity. To the left of where Kaoru stood were a small coffee table and sofa, presumably used for any necessary interviews. Couple of meters away from it stood a row of desks, and surrounding it were bookshelves filled to the brim with folders of paperwork and books. There were no windows, and the only ventilation came from the ventilation fans from each side of the room.
"I know it seems a bit messy, but we tried our best to fit everything we need here into this tiny room."
"Well…I guess it's kind of homely in way."
"Ah…sweet optimism. I like you already. Oh! Yes, I don't think I have introduced myself yet. The name's Seijuro Hiko. I am the head of PASS, hence your new boss. Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you!"
"Sorry for the earlier commotion just now. It was the generator. We had a short black-out, so I was trying to fix it to get everything back on. We would be literally freezing our ass off if the generator fails on us. Thankfully it works now!"
"A generator? Isn't this place connected to a main electrical point like the headquarters?"
"Well…I wouldn't say we are part of the headquarters."
"Eh? What do you mean? We are part of the police force aren't we?"
"You really are an optimistic one aren't you? Don't tell me you have no idea of what we do at this division?"
"Ermm…solve crime, kick baddies' butt?"
"If you consider the supernatural as baddies, then I suppose that's what we do."
"SUPERNATURAL?" Kaoru exclaimed at the declaration made. Judging from her reaction, Hiko sighed and shook his head. Another fresh police candidate, "tricked" into coming to this department. He had hoped that when he made his case a year ago that he wanted a fairer treatment from the police headquarters, they would have painted a better picture of his department to the new officers.
"Why don't you sit yourself down, and I will go pour us some tea. This might take a while to explain."
Kaoru did as suggested and plopped herself down on the sofa. She could not deny that she was indeed surprised about what the department she was posted to does. The supernatural? They were living in a realistic world where monsters from novels do not exist. How could it be possible that they are now going after such beings?
"Here you go, I hope you like Darjeeling cause that's all we have for now."
"I don't understand Mr. Seijuro."
"Hiko please."
"I mean, are you trying to tell me that we are a specialized department catered to solving the mysteries of the supernatural?"
"Basically so. Good job at summing us up."
"The supernatural…meaning to say ghosts?"
"Well not just that. We also look into zombies, vampires, the usual hoo-ha."
Kaoru could not believe what she was hearing. All she could think of, was how the simple answer of, 'I love challenges and am out-of-the-box thinker", could lead her to such a situation. Furthermore, the way this man remained so calm as he informs her of possible cases, makes it seem even more realistic that the supernatural actually exists.
"PASS, my dear lady, stands for Paranormal Activity and Sighting Sector. Face it honey, we are the real-deal."
"I…I am sorry. I don't mean to react this way. But I…"
"No need to apologize. You aren't the first one."
"You mean to say there are more seniors above me who came here to be surprised?"
"Haha. Fortunately for you yes. You see my dear lady we are a division in the police force that the heads above do not wish to publicize openly. For fear that it might start giving people the impression that the impossible actually exists."
"So they don't exist?"
"That's for us to prove, and for them to believe. And I wouldn't count on it not existing just yet."
"I don't understand…if all of this actually exists, why must the public be denied such acknowledgement?"
"Knowledge my lady…is a powerful weapon. If such information were to be released, it could very well send the whole of London into a fit of paranoia. The heads would rather have us silently ridding the nation of the unusual, and then use 'normal' circumstantial excuses to cover their asses. Oops! Pardon the French."
"None taken. I myself am about to swear at this stage."
"Haha! You are a very interesting lady. Normally at this stage, most candidates would have either left laughing, broke down crying, or start spouting insults about this department or otherwise towards me."
"I am glad you find this relatively funny Hiko-san."
"Trust me. I have seen way too many people come and go. 'Funny' is the way to approach this. Anyways you have two options. We welcome you to stay and help us. Or you could choose to leave like the rest of them, and have your old typical investigator job. Climbing up the ranks ever so slowly…"
"I see you are trying to make a last minute attempt to retain me."
"On the contrary, I am offering you a choice and a chance. Besides you can trust us to have your back when things go wrong."
Kaoru thought for a while, trying her best to put the piece together the information she was just given. Was it too high a risk for her to continue with this posting?
"We would love to have you here. A fresh face would help to lift this dreadful atmosphere."
"So far you have been mentioning a lot of 'we'. Is there really anyone else willing to work here?"
"Of course there is! You see as much as I have painted a devastating picture of our department, it still possesses a good team of individuals."
Right at that moment, footsteps could be heard at the corridor.
"Ahh…looks like the Calvary has returned."
Kaoru turned her attention towards the old metal door. She was excited because there are other people posted to this department, hence not being in this alone. Yet similarly she felt apprehensive as to who and how these potential colleagues are like. The day had already been weird enough for her, and she wondered whether she could take any more surprises.
Then the door slammed open.