Hello there! Another chapter and I'm using yet another nursery rhyme. Is it some sort of fetish? I'm quite excited about this chapter because it's my first time trying my hand at mystery/crime. Looong chapter this time, I believe the longest I've ever written. Well, without further ado...
Policeman/Detective
XX
"What's the matter, can't you move?"
Someone was laughing. Who was that damn bastard that was laughing at him? It did not sound anything like Fai's voice, or Mokona's childish laugh, and the kids wouldn't laugh at his immobility. This was different. A dark, sinister sort of laugh that threatened to choke him with only its sound.
He tried to move and found that he was indeed paralysed. As his eyes slowly opened he found that he was almost blind as well. He did not know where he was and the dark grey background was blurred and warped.
"Now that you've got me all figured out I'll have to deal with you quickly," the owner of the voice smiled teasingly. He was the only thing in the word that he could see with distinct sharpness, as was the meat cleaver in his hand.
Unfortunately, the man was wrapped in a black shroud and his features hidden from his scrutiny. However, Kurogane was sure that he had never seen such a man before.
"Don't bother thinking about him. He won't come."
He? Who was he? Who was not coming? Where was he?
"Did you drug me?" he groaned. That was the only explanation for the heaviness of his limbs and the cloudiness of his senses.
The man observed the edge of the cleaver, ignoring his question. Turning to him, he smiled wickedly and lifted the cleaver, the edge glinted brilliantly bright against the light of the moon.
"Here comes a candle to light you to bed."
Whack. The edge buried itself into the wall, mere inches from his neck. He had not realised that he was pinned to a wall.
Again, the cleaver rose. "Here comes a chopper to chop off your head."
Again, the edge was buried inches from his neck. No, it had come closer this time.
"Chip," the man laughed with twisted delight. Each time he rose the blade he swung it down faster and closer to his head.
"Chop."
"Chip."
"Chop."
It was a mere centimetre away. The man's smile had become wild and vicious, the smile of a demon. It seemed too big for his face. Exploding into maniacal laughter, he rose the cleaver far above his head, screaming with pleasure as he swung it down as fast as a guillotine's blade.
"The last man's…DEAD!"
"Kuro-chan!"
XX
"Kuro-chan? Kuro-pon?" Fai waved his hand in front of his face, startling him as he awoke. He sat bolt upright, staring wildly around him, unable to fully shake himself from his dream.
Fai looked at him, almost smiling. "A nightmare?"
"What?"
"Or are you nervous?"
He glanced around again, remembering where he was. It was horribly cramped and stuffy in here, their black car had leather seats that were positioned too close to each other with windows that were too small and wheels that were too big.
Fai sat in the driver's seat; he could not believe that he had let himself sleep while that idiot had been behind the wheel. Luckily, they were not moving but quite happily parked in the middle of a deserted street. Kurogane groaned and slumped against the seat, already tired.
Since he was paying Fai no attention, the man chose to lean closer, asking, "Are you really inside there, Kuro-pin?"
"Don't get so close!" Kurogane irritably shrugged him off. There was not enough space inside the car for teasing. Pushing the door open, he stepped outside into the night's air, the bitter winter chill bit him straight away but he shrugged and simply pulled his long coat closer.
The door opened on the other end and Fai stepped out as well, coming round to stand besides him despite his earlier warning. Though it was almost pitch black save for the oil lanterns swinging from nearby houses, the distant roar of traffic thundered by. Drunken laughter punctuated the air and, occasionally, strings of music from an accordion floated towards them.
It was the sort of night that gave pleasure to those indoors, away from the cold and sharp frost coating the cobblestones. Where they stood, the grey streets were gloomy and depressing, without another human life around.
Fai stamped his feet, trying to rid himself of the frost and stared curiously at the large, dark church they were parked in front of.
"The chief said we have to stick together on missions like this," he smiled despite the cold. "If I'm going to stick to you, I have to be close."
"Go stick to a wall," Kurogane grumbled and walked toward the church's entrance.
They unlocked the iron gates quite easily, with the latest string of murders occurring in churches all over the city, they had been given express permission to enter any chapel, church or cathedral they chose.Moving silently, they slipped through the heavy double doors and into the place of worship. Rows of benches along white stone columns led to the pulpit where a large, expensive organ stood before an arched stained glass window. Fai moved forward and lit a cluster of candles at a table, the light created islands of gold that illuminated splashes of the wooden floor and spheres of a cherub-painted ceiling.
"Looks like no one's home," he murmured. Everything was absolutely still.
Kurogane grunted his agreement. It seemed like a waste of a trip to be sent so far from the office just to investigate. Though there was a growing trend of worshippers finding dead girls in white on their altars every Sunday, this one seemed quite empty.
He was on the verge of suggesting that they leave for tonight when he felt Fai suddenly stiffen besides him.
"What was that?"
"What?" he warily searched the empty benches. "Don't freak out over every little thing."
Fai's eyes were scanning the painted ceiling, unconvinced. "But I really thought I heard something, Kuro-chi," he muttered.
Kurogane frowned. It might just be nerves or a trick on the ears but he was reluctant to dismiss it. Even though it would be troublesome, he pulled away with a sigh, moving purposefully towards the furthest bench from the pulpit to where a small staircase led to the bell tower.
"I'll check it out. You stay here," he said.
Fai quickly grabbed his sleeve. There was something in his manner than made him grow tense. "Something's not right. I can feel it," he whispered and, as quickly as he had caught him, he released him again to search another part of the church.
XX
As soon as Kurogane left him, Fai made for the back of the platform. A dark green door stood hidden behind the brass organ. Glancing back once, he grabbed the handle that led to the priest's study and swung it open.
The door creaked on rusty hinges, in the silence the sound was so loud and grating and Fai could not help but wince.
He stepped in, instantly becoming rigid at the sight of a single, lit candle. Someone was here. Even without the candle as an obvious signal, he could feel the presence of someone else lurking amongst the shadows of the tall bookcases, watching and waiting to waylay him
A slow step forward took him to a desk and a wide set of windows. He could see better here but his watcher could see him more clearly as well.
Then he turned around. He almost shouted in surprise. Blood stained the wall opposite the window, leaking from a girl slumped at its foot.
The crimson blood was deeper and darker against the white of her dress, which seemed to glow in the light of the candle and there, painted on the walls in that very same blood was the words - he knew enough of the language to read it - Oranges and lemons.
Before he could make a move towards it, something suddenly leapt from the shadows. An arm barrelled into his chest, knocking him off his feet. A loud clatter of books falling from the shelf. The sound of metal being drawn. Fai quickly jumped to his feet but when he tried to take a step forward he found that he could not move an inch.
Looking down at his feet, he almost wanted to curse. The blood, almost invisible against the dark carpet, now began to glow in the shape or an intricately drawn circle. A sealing spell.
The thing the had attacked him crept behind his back. Something cold touched his neck and the next thing he knew he was in a stranglehold, pinned to the wall.
Wincing with pain, Fai opened an eye. The thing was a man, his face and body almost completely covered by a dark purple cloak and hood.
The man stepped forward, smiling maliciously. His head bent forward, he buried his nose against the folds of Fai's coat, inhaling deeply as though he were smelling some sort of divine perfume. "You smell like…magic. What are you?" he spoke in a lazy drawl.
"It's rude to ask someone for their name without giving yours first," he coughed, choking, and tried to smile in defiance.
The cloaked figure laughed. The sound made him shiver. It was a delicate, musical laugh, lighter than a feather, dancing on the air. The man moved gracefully, waving a hand in the air as if performing some kind of dance. "Nevermind. I think I have an idea what you are anyway," he smiled, releasing him from the stranglehold.
Fai coughed, gasping for breath. He tried to clutch his throat but found that he was still unable to move. He cursed himself for his carelessness. He did not think that there would be magic in this world.
"A barrier."
"You are knowledgeable," the man could not hide the admiration from his voice. "Then, do you know about Oranges and Lemons?" he asked hopefully.
"What?"
A finger was pressed against lips. In the dim light, Fai could just make out those red lips and a dark green eye from under the figure's hood.
"It's a secret. Something passed down through the ages, hidden in plain sight. A…"
"Summoning ritual," he finished. He had studied volumes of magical lore in Celes and picked up odd pieces of knowledge from the other countries he had passed through. The circle of blood drawn in the priest's room was most definitely a magic circle of some kind.
"You're not familiar with the song?" the man looked disappointed, offended even, as if this ignorance had ruined his game. "That's a pity, and here I was thinking that you might have been of some use." Brightening, he smiled and cracked his fingers together. "Well, there's no harm in opening you up and looking inside, is there?"
As he stepped closer, his shadow was thrown over Fai's figure, swallowing him up in its darkness. A pale, thin hand stretched out towards his face.
Fai felt a flutter of panic spark in his chest as the hand loomed closer and closer. "W – wait, what are you doing?" he struggled, tried to fight his invisible bonds, but it was useless, he could not move.
"Pardon the intrusion."
That cold hand covered his eyes, shutting the light from his eyes. Nails dug into the side of his head but that pain was nothing compared to the feeling of something white and burning searing into his mind. A brilliant heat was burning his brain, slipping into his memory, taking his thoughts as fuel and moving deeper and deeper into his very being.
His heart was beating until it threatened to explode. In the midst of his pain, he heard his own voice screaming.
XX
Kurogane burst into a run the moment he heard that familiar scream. Almost tripping down the stairs, he ran into the main hall. No, it was empty. He glanced around wildly, his sword tightly clutched in his hand. The scream had come from further than the hall.
Running again, he jumped around the pulpit and towards the green door, wrenching it open. His thundering footsteps suddenly halted as he skidded to a stop in the centre of the room.
A single candle burnt its life away but he had no care for it. He stared instead at the picture of the dead girl lying by the wall and that large lines of blood streaked like a frozen waterfall down the wall.
Fai stood absolutely still, illuminated only by the orange candlelight. His head slightly tilted to observe the obscene words along the wall, he seemed more like a porcelain statue than a living being, his eyes misted with a far-away look.
Kurogane frowned, and stepped forward cautiously. "Hey, are you okay?"
Slowly, he came back to himself. His head slowly turned and blue eyes gradually became clear and aware of themselves. "Yes, I was just shocked, that's all."
"What happened?"
Fai blinked. It was an extremely difficult question to answer. He hesitated, a small frown creasing his brow. "Um…I…" he ran a hand through his hair. Another pause. He was deep in concentration, as though his mind was trying to grasp at invisible wisps of smoke. "I, uh, just stumbled upon her." His reply was given with a wobbly smile.
Kurogane sighed. "Come on, we'll get someone to come and look at the body."
"Sure."
By the time they returned to the car, Fai was already in a perkier mood. He gained his former cheerfulness and, as he fell into the driver's seat, began to hum a foreign song.
"What's that?" Kurogane enquired after the unrecognisable tune.
"Oranges and Lemons."
XX
He was humming that song again.
Kurogane's eye twitched irritably. He had not cared for it at first but it had been almost a week since he had first heard that song and Fai had been humming nothing but that same nauseating tune over and over and over again.
Sighing, he tried to block it from his ears, along with the complaints of the other members of the department.
"I don't believe it! This makes it the ninth girl to be killed in a month! This guy's a freak, he kidnaps girls, dresses them up in white, and then kills them, leaving this crap behind," a large, burly man flung a pile of paper onto the desk with a look of exasperation. "And what the hell do people expect us to do about a guy like him?"
"Fai-kun!" A pretty, young woman shook his shoulder, thankfully interrupting his humming. She pushed a piece of paper in front of him, adjusting her spectacles as she leaned over him. "Take a look at this. It's the same message that was found with every other victim."
"That garbage?" Kurogane grunted. He did not need to look at it to know what it was. Oranges and lemons - that same damn passage over and over again at every crime scene where every girl had been found dead and dressed in white, murdered in a church or chapel.
Fai nodded. He had a headache but he tried to smile anyway. "Do you have any idea what it means?"
The woman looked at him oddly. "It's a saying, isn't it? It means 'It's all the same.' Like, if someone was complaining that a shop was overpriced and someone said 'It's all oranges and lemons to me' he would really mean 'It's all the same to me'."
"And? What does that have to do with this serial killer?" Kurogane grunted.
"Ah, you've got me there. I have no idea," she laughed, much to the disappointment of all present.
XX
"Two sticks and an apple say the bells of Whitechapel
Maids in white aprons say the bells of St Catherine's"
Daylight filtered through the rustling branches, gilding the park in gold. Though it was a bleak morning and still very cold, the sun made Fai brighten and the open air was refreshing compared to the claustrophobic offices full of paperwork and constantly ringing telephones.
All sorts of people passed him and he reclined against the back of a wooden bench; men in black suits and top hats discussing the races, ladies in wide dresses and heavy winter coats twirling parasols as they went, women in mismatched woollen clothes and dirty-faced, stout working men. They all passed without ever seeing him but he was focused on a group of laughing children singing a song as they played.
The church bells were tolling the hour and the children formed a line before two others who had linked their arms to form a sort of bridge. Or maybe it was a guillotine.
"Old father Bald Pate says the bells of Aldgate
Oranges and Lemons say the bells of St. Clements"
"Hey." Fai had been so absorbed in watching their game that Kurogane almost startled him when he appeared behind him. He smiled in reception and Kurogane frowned, taking a seat besides him. He was silent for a moment before he spoke "Don't get too involved. It's not like we'll be sticking around this world for much longer," he advised him.
"Oh, is Kuro-chi worried about me?" he smiled.
"It's just that every time you do something stupid, you get me dragged into your mess, that's all."
"You owe me five farthings say the bells of St. Martins
When will you pay me say the bells of Old Bailey"
"What an interesting game," he commented, pretending that Kurogane had never said anything.
"Oranges and lemons," he grunted. After listening to Fai humming that song for days, he was quite familiar with its tune. Fai laughed as if he knew what he was thinking but his laughter was short-lived and ended abruptly. "What's wrong?"
Fai rubbed his forehead. It was aching again, a dull, throbbing sensation burnt his head. "Nothing. Just a slight headache, that's all," he muttered. For some reason, he was thinking about their last investigation. It had been secretly bothering him for days. "Kuro-chan…what happened last week?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Last week at the church. What happened?"
Kurogane's expression told him that he had just asked a stupid question. "You found the dead girl but the culprit had long since disappeared. Nothing happened yesterday," he replied as if the answer was obvious.
"When I am rich say the bells of Shoreditch
When will that be say the bells of Stepney
When I am old says the great bell of Bow"
The air grew still and the wind died down. The frantic wings of a bird beat the air into motion, fluttering above their heads; a desperate distraction.
Fai stared at his hands resting in his lap. "…Is that the truth?"
"Of course it is!" Kurogane snapped with a start. Such a blunt question was the last thing he had expected Fai's pensive mood to produce. "Why the hell would I lie to you about something like that? Lying is your speciality, not mine," he bit back, offended that he was even suggesting that he might be lying.
There was a long silence between them, a terrible space of nothingness. Fai's lips moved slightly but uttered no sound. He could not speak. What could he say? His heart was pounding as though he had run a thousand miles but he did not know why.
"Fine, if you don't want to believe me then that's your problem," Kurogane grunted. Rising to his feet, he stalked away in a foul mood.
"Here comes the candle to light you to bed
Here comes the chopper to chop off your head"
Fai watched him leave, shocked, though he was not sure what was more shocking; the fact that Kurogane had left him so abruptly or that he had provoked him into doing so. He closed his eyes and slapped a hand over his forehead, sinking down the bench. Why had he said something like that? What was wrong with him?
The rustling leaves were reprimanding him. Sunlight burnt through his eyelids.
"Kuro-chan…"
"Chip, chop, chip, chop –
The last man's dead!"
No, that's not the end! This job turned out to be really long so I cut it into two parts. The conclusion should be up withint a week or so but I'll give a prize to whoever can figure out how the rhyme links in with the string of murders! Am I the only one who thinks that oranges and lemons is a really morbid song?
