After much consideration I have decided to opt for my specialty and thus came up with I'm not sure how to call it, you may all decide for yourselves...

- Chapter 7 -

Ginoza

A light throbbing in my head is the first thing that greets me as I open my eyes, blinded by the light over me until my eyes get accustomed gradually. My vision is a bit blurry at first before it slowly starts to adjust.

I feel woozy and even though I know I just woke up I feel so tired and weak. It took me a few minutes to figure out where I was… The memories from earlier quickly come rushing back through my mind. The images, the sound and his voice all of it is as if they are still happening but I know it's all in my head but it won't stop.

I'm uncomfortable, my back hurts but I can't move to change my position, the restraints on my wrists and ankles won't allow me and I feel like it's suffocating me. My eyes trail down to my wrists, much to my surprise that they've been treated and covered in bandages. I remember from earlier I had tried so hard to get free, pulled and pulled until the leather straps had cut into my skin but all of that effort came in vain in the end. The only thing that it did me was cause more pain and the constant burning and throbbing in my wrists serves as a reminder that it all had been real, that none of this is a nightmare and it's not something I will wake up from no matter how many times I close my eyes.

I'm not sure when I passed out from having so much blood taken from me or how long I was out cold but it would seem that whoever this man is, decided that he no longer wanted to drain me of my blood since the needles that were in my arms are no longer there and have been replaced instead by bandages and an I.V has been attached on my left arm to keep my body from becoming dehydrated from the blood loss and such.

Can't say that I'm thrilled… He's never going to let me go as long as I'm still alive, I know that… He's not keeping me alive just for fun and the more I think about it, I can't stop my body from trembling. I've seen a lot of crime scenes, so many corpses, I've seen more than I should and yet I'm afraid. I know I shouldn't but I'm just so afraid.

I take a deep breath to try and calm myself and at the same time trying to ignore the bad taste in my mouth from the gag as I look around as much as I can. This room looks like an art studio except some things in here sure as hell isn't used for art, well it's not supposed to be but considering how mentally unstable this man is it wouldn't surprise me if he would use it for something totally in-human.

Please let be that he's not planning on using those sharp things on me please. I don't know if I can handle it. It was already bad enough listening to my own blood dripping in a glass jar not being able to move or anything, just that alone was torturing enough I don't think I can handle much more… My neck is still sore from where he bite me earlier and somehow I can still feel him there.

I don't know who this man is and yet I know I've seen him somewhere before, his voice is familiar to me and yet I can't remember where I could have met him. I honestly thought that he was going to kill me when he started draining my blood, he could have but he didn't so why unless he plans to do something even worst with those tools over there and just the thought of it that he could use those diabolical things to further cause damage to my body, they seem even more frightening with each passing minute.

The sound of a door opening in the distance made my heart skip as I quickly close my eyes pretending that I'm still asleep and hoping that I can pull it off without him noticing that I'm in fact awake. Maybe he's the type of killer who enjoys torturing his victims when they are conscious so if I can fake being unconscious I might get spared for any further pain for now.

I hear footsteps getting closer and without a doubt they are definitely his. Slow, heavy, long steps as I feel his hand brush on my chest down to my stomach.

"Are we the sleeping beauty?"

My eyes jolted open at his words as I met his dark eyes locked unto me like a craved animal. This man creeps the hell out of me, no worst he really scares me. There's something seriously wrong with him and I just don't like the way he looks at me.

"You know in Giambattista Basile's tale?" He asks as he removes his jacket, never removing his eyes off me and for some reason I can't look away either. It's as if something bad will happen to me if I happen to look away.

"A king happens to walk by Sleeping Beauty's castle and knock on the door. When no one answers, he climbs up a ladder through a window where he finds the princess lying on the floor near the spinning wheel. He calls to her, but as she is unconscious, she does not answer." He explains as he brushes his hand into my hair and at the same time holding my head so I can't shake him off.

"He then carries the princess to the bed, takes her virtue and afterwards he just leaves. Nine months later the princess awakens after she gives birth because one of her twins sucked the flax from the spindle out of her finger." He further tells me as I can't control my body from shivering anymore.

This man is sick, he's twisted… No he's worse than that, he's not human. How can any sane human being be interested in such a tale? It's monstrous. His tone, his eyes, he's enjoying everything as he recounts this sick twisted story. Who in their right mind would even write something like that?

"The king comes back, and despite him having raped her, they end up falling in love. However, the king still married to another woman. His wife furious, not only tries to have the twins killed, cooked, and fed to the king, but also tries to burn the princess at the stake. Luckily, she is unsuccessful. The king and the princess get married and live happily ever after." He ends his story with a sick smile as he continues to play with my hair before finally removing that damn gag from my mouth before walking away.

His hue must be extremely clouded for how mentally twisted he is and at this rate what about mine? What's my crime co-efficient? I can't become a latent criminal I just can't. I don't want to be locked up, it isn't fair and the more I think about that fate I've been trying to avoid so badly for all these years I can only feel my eyes burn as I try to hold in the tears that want to escape. I don't want to give him that satisfaction.

"What do you think about the old fairy tales Nobuchika?" He asks as he places a canvas on the large table.

"I think they're psychotic just like you." I blurt out without thinking about what could be the consequences for my actions. The words just slipped through and even though I'm scared I meant every word.

I'm tired from all the blood loss, even though I'm on an I.V and I've been unconscious for who knows how long I just can't think straight. I feel impatient, nervous and scared and the only thing I want is to close my eyes and wake up in my own bed with Dime licking my face like none of this ever happened.

"Maybe so…" He acknowledges much to my surprise with not much emotion in his voice and yet I can't help but sense a tone of mockery in it. "What do you think Nobuchika?"

He shows me the canvas he had placed on the table only a few seconds ago and I can't believe it as I have a sudden urge to be sick. It's me but worst of all it's been painted with my own blood. How can someone so mentally deranged have been able to avoid the street scanners?

"My game is going on very well but it's time to add some obstacles don't you think my Nobuchika?" He simply states as he admires the sick work he's done. "I think things are going much too quickly" He adds and I can't help but wonder what the hell is he even talking about, what game? Is it what this is to him nothing more than a game and I'm just a pawn to further his enjoyment?

He places the canvas back on the table as he picks up a syringe on his tool table with that same wicked expression as before. He doesn't say anything as he removes the I.V from my arm and sticks the needle of the syringe in my arm quickly injecting the fluid into my veins.

It doesn't take long for my vision to get blurry again as the room begins to spin. I hear him say something to me but I can't make out what it is as everything is getting dark and I no longer feel anything… Dad… Please find me…

XXX

- Chapter 7.5 -

Aoyanagi

This investigation is just one big mess in another pile of mess. For starters nothing makes any sense and yet things just fall into place so smoothly and that alone, just doesn't make sense to me. Yes it's great that we were able to locate and retrieve Izaya Hinamiya within a single day but it's just too easy.

Kougami was right though as usual, I had no luck in locating him within the abandon parts of the city, no matter how many people I asked I got nothing and instead it was Mizue that managed to get the information needed from one of his coworkers from his former job. Actually Mizue was able to find out that Izaya had not been fired like it was stated on his file but he was instead suspended for refusing to take time off and refused to get therapy but once he does get the treatment he is required, his employer will take him back with open arms claiming that Izaya is an excellent technician and employee.

From the statement that Mizue gave me, not a single of his coworkers or his employer believed Izaya to be capable of harming another human being. That yes he had been touched by tragedy but he wouldn't be the type to hurt another. None believed that he could murder five people, let alone one.

After his suspension, one of his coworkers claimed that Izaya left his family home for whatever reason and went to live with his younger sister who works as a free lens photographer. Her working studio being in her own home but what came to me as odd was the address. She lives in the same building as Ginoza and what came to me as even more strange was that she also lives on the exact same floor too and when we got there, my memory had been correct that her condo was just down the hall from Ginoza's.

Coincidence maybe but it's just odd. Just thinking back at what Kougami and Masaoka already assumed about the killer it just doesn't make sense for him to be so careless. Yes he wants to play a game but it wouldn't be much of a game if he got caught within the second day and of course my doubts became quite clear when we arrived to pick Izaya up for questioning.

The man seemed rather confused but never the less he did not try to flee and was rather cooperative with us and his hue was healthy. Well he's not over a hundred but his hue is recovering, even now it slightly lowered so he's not even stressed about being here to get interrogated which only means that he's got absolutely nothing to hide or maybe he's just one smooth individual but to me it just doesn't feel right. Deep down I just know, it's not him…

Having to walk past Ginoza's home gave me chills down my spine just knowing something terrible happened to him that night in there but also knowing that I had stopped by to see him that very same night after my shift. However, he didn't answer when I knocked although I knew he was home at the time I didn't press on the matter that he didn't answer, I just brushed it off instead. He seemed so tired after he was done with his shift so I simply figured he must have already gone to sleep and I didn't want to disturb him so I left.

Knowing what I do know now, was it already done? Did I arrive after Ginoza had been taken away or was it only minutes before the attack took place and the criminal was just watching, waiting for the opportune moment to attack? Either way it's a question I don't think I'll ever know… Chances are that I was the last person to see Ginoza alive and that alone is hard enough to swallow as it is.

The last thing I saw of Ginoza was his exhausted face, my last memories of him… I don't want that to be my last memory of Ginoza, no I just can't accept that. I won't accept that.

So far the interrogation is going nowhere and to make matters worse for this investigation his hue is clear which means that we have no reasons to further detain him but considering how he lost his wife and daughter three years ago and then two years later gets suspended for deteriorating hue, I have to say that I'm impress that his crime co-efficient is only at sixty-seven at the moment and if he'd only go into therapy it would most certainly be even lower. Why he refuses to go is beyond me but he's doing very well on his own.

"Mr. Hinamiya tell me where you were between the late night of October fourteen and early mornings of October fifteen?" I ask.

"I already told you I was with my sister, helping her with her photography. To help her in choosing a background for her next photo-shoot. How many times must I say it?" He states, never changing his story no matter how many times I asked him the same question but just in different context at random times.

The more I ask and twist the questions he always answers them without hesitation but the more I continue my interrogation I can sense the frustration starting to build up in his tone and yet he never loses his cool and remains neutral still. I seriously doubt it that he's lying to me, he would have slipped by now which isn't the case.

I take a file and carefully place a picture of each victim on the table in order and then under each one I place a picture of their corps under the respective victim.

"These men were stalked for thirty days before being abducted and were tortured for another thirty days until they died of blood lost; they had their blood completely drained out of their bodies. Now another one has been abducted, where is he?" I ask, carefully observing the expression of the man before me as he looks at the pictures with evident disgust and yet there's a bit of sorrow in his eyes.

"I don't know any of those men. I haven't killed anyone." He tells me, taking his eyes off the pictures and directly looks at me in the eyes. "I lost my wife and daughter. I know how it feels to lose someone you love, someone that is your whole world. Do you think I'd kill someone and place others in the same misery I've been for the past three years?" He adds, tears starting to flow down his face as he spoke.

I believe him, I believe that he knows nothing about the victims and I strongly believe that he did not kill any of these men but the problem still remains. The fact that he had those blood paintings and sold them, it still ties him to the real murderer.

"Wait a second…" His voice was low after he managed to regain his composer as he dried the tears with his hands off his face. Taking the picture of the last victim within his trembling fingers and his eyes just widen in slight horror.

"I sold a painting about three weeks ago, it looks a lot like him… Actually they all look like the people in the paintings I sold." He confirms. His expression filled with horror and then quickly turned to guilt as he held his head in his hands finally realizing why he is here and what he's done.

"That's how we acquired your face at the museum. You sold five paintings of murder victims." I answer quickly taking out pictures I took of the blood canvas. "These paintings were painted with the victim's own blood. If you did not murder these men then who did and how did you get your hands on these?" I add.

"All I know is this guy came to me a year ago. He told me that he was an artist and that he had a painting to sell but he didn't have the time so he told me that he'd give me twenty percent of how much the curator would be willing to buy if I agreed to sell it for him. I didn't see a reason not to; it didn't seem like a bad idea at the time." He explains. For someone who doesn't have a job it makes sense that he'd take the offer but it was foolish.

I don't tell him what crossed my mind but that alone should be rather suspicious but then again we live in a society where you believe everyone near you are safe, that they won't hurt you. So talking to someone, the thought that maybe he or she could be a murderer doesn't even cross your mind.

I study the man in front of me as he sits up straight, rubbing his temples with his fingers for a few minutes before asking him if he has a name for me but he denies having an exact name only that the man goes by an initial. Just N.G however, I told tell Izaya that the initial is also probably false. This criminal, this murderer is really starting to get on my nerves.

N.G that's Ginoza's initials and if he's been using that initial right from the start of his first victim then does that mean he always had his eyes set on Ginza right from the start? If so it changes things, we might no longer be looking at just a simple abduction, another victim to kill.

"Did this man ever come near your sister's complex?" I ask.

"No not that I know of." He answers much to my dismay.

Not really the answer I was hoping for. It still does not answer how he managed to abduct a man without having anyone noticing. He had to go up to the fourth floor, make his way to the elevator or the stairs. No matter how you slice it there is no way he could have done this on his own, he would have been seen so maybe he has an accomplice that helped him that would make sense… If he had an accomplice then it would explain how he was able to take down Ginoza and Dime at the same time.

"Mr. Hinamiya in the near future may we count on you for further information if need be?" I ask.

"Yes, yes of course." He confirms without hesitation. At least that's a little comforting but in the same time disappointing that we still don't have a solid lead to go on. I got nothing, just further theories.

I get up and give Izaya my hand to shake which he eagerly took as I gave him a farewell and that we would need his cooperation again soon. It did not seem to bother him much rather to the contrary he wanted to help in any way he possibly could.

I exit the interrogation room coming face to face with Masaoka, can't say he was the one I wanted to see right now. I don't have any good news to give him; we are just back at step one again with absolutely nothing except that the guy uses Ginoza's initials as his identity to sell his paintings to art buyers.

"It wasn't our guy inspector?" He asks as he follows me down the hall.

"No it wasn't… Are you not surprise Masaoka?" I ask him as I try to study his expression, he's trying so hard to have a poker face but it's starting to slip.

"I had my doubts but nothing to back it up with. I had to sit back and see what would unfold." He replies, stopping at the lounge to sit on one of the couch.

"Izaya told me that the guy uses your son's initials. What do you think about that?" I tell him as he lets out an exhausted sigh.

"What I think? I think this won't end well…" He answers.

I can see the pain in his eyes as he spoke those words. Even though he won't admit it, this case is hard on him mentally. He's not his best right now, the Masaoka I know would be better than this. He just can't think straight, he must always be thinking about Ginoza and that hurts his performance but I also can't blame him either. If I ever have a child and I find myself in his shoes I honestly don't know what I'd do, I'm not even sure if I could even do anything, I know I'm strong but I think I'd break apart if this would ever happen to me.

I remember when I was a rookie inspector and I got a case that didn't turn out too well. Masaoka was there to give me comfort when I needed it most even though I wasn't his inspector he still cared but right now I just don't know what to say to him and all I can do is walk away with a pain in my heart.

I exhale and inhale a few times before calling inspector Tsunemori letting her know that Izaya isn't our man. She tells me that they still have a few things to talk to with Saiga before they return to the MWPSB and I let her know that my shift just ended for the day as I make my way out of the building before ending the call.

I gave Mizue the rest of the day off after we brought in Izaya for questioning and I for one deserve a long hot bath once I get home. God knows I deserve it so badly and before I go home I better stop by the store to go get some treats for Nymph otherwise she won't stop meowing until she gets something. I chuckle at the thought of her begging for food, she's so adorable; home sure would be rather dull without her around.

I turn on my terminal, quickly checking if I had any unread messages when I get a sudden sharp pain to my head and I'm violently shoved to the ground hitting my head on the cold hard asphalt as everything goes black and all sounds seem to be getting fainter…

And that's all she wrote for chapter 7.

Review and tell me what you guys think.

For those who are currently reading Gone, the original do be aware that chances are Re-Boot won't have the same ending in a sense :3