Here's the dramatical part three! Devising the murderer in all this mess is like trying to find out how to build a sewing machine from sratch . . . ignore that . . . Well, I only own my OC's and Kitten and the others belong to everyone else. Read, review, and ZERO flaming! Thanks! XD

Thunder boomed as the rain continued. It danced outside as it splashed onto the muddy ground and pitter-patted against the window's glass panes. As it flashed again, the group had now transferred into the living room and parlor addition. TL was one of the few standing, pacing the floor in a main pattern. D-Dude was on the couch with a terrified Meredith. DJ was sighing to himself every few seconds. Hikari was clinging onto DP, who was looking both puzzled and surpised and fearing all at once.

Other words, panicked.

A depressed Nukid and DW were sitting aside from a bloodthirsty Advent, scythe in hand, and a grimmer looking Kiva. Banjomaru was sitting across from his cousin. Phoenix was tapping her foot and glaring at Haru, who was sweating buckets near Mirasuka, frantic already. Janera was asleep, crazy as she was, along with Hanabi. Ranger cocked his gun for the seventh time and was aiming at some imaginary target. Conicidentally, Haru was the one who gulped at the gun. Dawn was growling as she clentched her fist as she also patted an upset Tia on her back.

Lunatic, who was watching his brother pace like a newer father, was sitting next to a shaking to death Kitten and Marcus, who was glaring at Lunatic. King and Scorpion had their swords to their sides just in case things got . . . out of hand later. Dairo was near Tanuki, and Tanuki was eyeing Advent and his scythe, thinking about already behedding him and then herself. Rook was glaring at Haru along with Wandrex, Keyblades out. Ookami was shaking near Air. As if on que, Air was already standing up then.

Lightning flashed.

" That's it . . . X is dead . . ."

" Yep," TL said.

" I can't take it! Haru shot the guy when he was down!" Phoenix yelled. She aimed her Keyblade at Haru and charged a spell.

" HOLY CRAP!" Haru yelled as Mirasuka got her powers channeled into her hands for a Psy-Blast.

" This is now bad," Lunatic said and pulled out a chakram.

" Guys calm down!" Kitten urged and pleaded, near crying.

Ranger then aimed his gun at Haru. " Allow me . . ."

" HEY!" Haru yelled jumping up. " We may have tussled, but I'm NOT the guy who killed him!"

" Dude's right," Dairo said. " The shot entahed his back, ya'll."

" His back?" TL asked.

" Yeah his back! What? Ya'll nevah studied anatomy befoh?" Dairo asked annoyed. " And Rangah, put the gun dahn."

" Someone mind shutting up Country boy?" Ranger asked annoyed and now aiming a second gun.

" I still say Haru's the guy who killed him," Phoenix growled. " Not unless I see the wound on X for myself."

" Likewise," DP said standing, HIkari still clinging. " Innocent before proven guilty."

D-Dude and Dairo left into the other room where X's now lifeless body was positioned as such. TL and Phoenix also tagged along to be backup checkers. The others all stayed in the other room and sat down and listened to the antagonizing sounds of the clock ticking and the music of the rain and thunder.

XXXXX

The three trudged into the dining room and saw the body of X laying peacefully. D-Dude coughed trying to avoud crying, Tl bit his lip, Phoenix shuddered and ran back out of the dining hall door, and Dairo sighed before gulping and said in a cracking voice," We bettah lift him up . . ."

D-Dude and TL placed their hands and turned over X's body carefully as to not disruipt rigor.

" Oh God I'm gonna be sick . . ." TL gagged.

Dairo helped then finish turning him over, but as a sudden occurence, his mask fell off and-

" Huh . . . so THAT'S what his real face looks like . . ." D-Dude said.

" Yeah, kinda cool and freaky since, well, you know, he's dead . . ." TL said.

Dairo nodded and gasped.

" CHeck out his back!"

There was a smoking hole on his back where blood was gushing from previously but was already leaving a puddle from minor droplets. His cloak was soaked in blood. it was in the dead center of his back.

" So he WAS shot in the back," Dairo said halfway excited. " Point blank!"

" Thank you Captain Obvious . . ." TL rolled his eyes.

" You know what this means?" D-Dude asked as he analyzed the bullet wound without touching the back of his now deceased friend.

" That someone killed X . . . and that someone is out there right now . . ." TL said grimly.

Lightning and thunder cracked at that instant, shadowing the room.

" THAT, and my best buddeh is CLEAR!" Dairo laughed and skipped merrily. TL and D-Dude were sweating at this.

' Loony, you may need to be replaced as most insane here . . .' TL groaned.

" .22 Caliber," D-Dude said finishing.

" Huh?" the other two asked.

" The gun. It's a .22 Caliber, and the trajectory of the bullet wound would mean it was near the door when it was fired," D-Dude said, his tail lining up with his hand to the area he was standing.

" But . . . But everyone was already sittin' down! I should know because I was in heah as well! And Haru was standing, alright enough, but in front of the poor guy," Dairo said. " How can you fire a gun when you -"

D-Dude walked forward, as if in a trance, and notioned for the African American-Japanese boy and his hedgehog brother to walk over. He sharpened his claws quickly and tapped the wall in three measured feet. One was hollow, the third was hollow, but the SECOND was sounding like a stud was cut into it. The three were wide-eyed at the wall, where a picture of a man on horseback was stuck, a small hole in the cloth of the canvas. TL removed the painting and shivered as the literal smoking gun was inside the wall on a small plank of wood, brand new, and there was a string set to a timer and a small alarm clock.

" What the heck?" TL asked. " iut was set?"

" Check out the clock," D-Dude said.

8:00.

The time they had dinner.

" Someone set this up to shoot directly at where X was standing or sitting," Dairo said.

D-Dude nodded. " No one touch the gun. It could still have other bullets."

TL looked at the gun hole, then at the chair. He clicked his tongue and walked to where X had previously sat down while Dairo and D.D. were talking about the gun. There was a minor argument in the other room, one comment being " YOU KILLED HIM RANGER!" from a female mouth. TL tapped the chair, scooted it oiut, and cocked his head to the gun. It was aimed right at his head. He narrowed his gaze and shook his head.

" Hey bro?" T:L asked getting up.

" What?" D-Dude asked turning around.

" How many people switched places at the table at dinner?" he asked.

" I know King swapped places with Janera, but that's a fopa," Diaro said.

" Not sure . . ." D-Dude said.

" I don't think X was the target . . ." TL said. " Because IF he was the target, the gun wouldn't have been a .22. It would have taken a LOT more force to bring him down from his mask and his skull. The guy would have seen it coming for sure!"

" That's what Dairo and I were talking about. Why place the gun to aium there, unless X wasn't the intended shot for the shooter . . . " D-Dude said.

" Who swapped with X?" Dairo asked.

" Not sure, but we can't tell the others this until we realize who was sitting there . . ." TL said, the crossed his arms and added," Induces less panic."

" LESS?" Dairo yelled.

" YES, less, what are you, nuts?" TL laughed.

" I think I've gone and lost my ability to heah . . ." Dairo gasped.

" Let's just move along into the other room . . ." D-Dude said.

XXXXX

TL and D-Dude, along with Dairo to back them up, were now explaining the situation to the Authors as a light rain was still pouring down outside. They all listened tentatively.

" Alright, this was supposed to be a vacationing time for us all, a great anniversary? But NOW it's not . . . " TL said, " Because someone killed X."

" You sure about that?" Tanuki said shaking.

" Yep," D-Dude said," There was a bullet wound in his back from a .22 Caliber that we're not sure of who it belonged to. The bullet got lodged in his heart, killing him in seconds. The way the killing was executed was highly educated, using a timer and a clock to set it off JUST as the person who was being targeted was sitting."

" So, now what?" Haru asked.

Phoenix sighed and said," Doubt Haru's already the killer, so you think others are gonna die?"

" No duh," Kitten whispered. " Am I the only one who's read Agatha Christie?"

DW stood and said," It HAD to be Ranger! "

" I am NOT the only one who has a grudge and a gun, DW!" Ranger yelled.

Soon the room was a wave of arguments, strangles, and a few power blasts, D-Dude growled and yelled out " FOCUS EVERYONE!"

The yell echoed as everyone stopped and turned to D-Dude.

" D-Dude's right, Everyone calm down." DP said standing, a serious expression on his face. " Now we'll investigate this and NO ONE leaves this house until the murderer is caught. Leave no stone unturned for this. We'll organize groups for sleeping tonight so no olne is lost or ends up dead . . . This is now personal."

Everyone was silent as a thunder boomed in the distance.

" No one will leave until the find who killed X."

To be continued!