-Chapter 2-

Taji sat across the desk from a young woman in the blue scrubs with a white coat to show, her blond hair was held in a tight bun. She smiled at the two men in her shared office, which was set aside to allow her to have the privacy that was required when taking a call or meeting. Shosuke stood by the window looking out towards the street watching the cars pull in and out of the hospital parking lot. His eyes turned towards a young woman steps out, a man's hand on the back of her neck, she smiled but there was no warmth, no happiness, fear flashed through her before being schooled. Shosuke eyes flash violet for a moment before looking towards the sky instead.

Taji smiled warming at the woman in the office, "Thank you for meeting with us Mortia-san, I'm Takeshita Taji and this is my partner Nataga Shosuke. I called you about Shigeki Yumiko."

Mortia looked between them both her smile didn't falter but she was not making eye contact with either of them. Her eyes lingered on the profile of Shosuke her face flushing slightly as his eyes turned towards her before she quickly looked away. "Yes… of course." Shosuke looked back out towards the window. Completely comfortable with allowing Taji to lead the interview.

Taji smiled leaning in his chair, his ankle resting on his knee, "Wonderful, so you were the intern who treated Yumiko correct?"

"Yes, I was." Her eyes never looking directly at him as she answered. This wasn't missed by Shosuke from her image reflected on the glass window.

"Can you tell me what you remember?" Asked Taji while Mortia fidgeted with some of the paperwork on the shared desk she sat at.

"I've already gone through this with the police. Can't you just get my statement from them?" she asked.

Shosuke eyes trailed towards her before looking back out the window "We don't work for the police." Shosuke saw no point in lying, maybe if they were different than other people. Yet that wasn't the case. No, they could get information that people didn't want to share, they could influence people to do things that they didn't want to do. A sad smile played across his lips. Mortia eyes darted towards Shosuke before quickly looking away again, clearly not comfortable with the way he was conducting himself.

"Then I don't see a reason to tell you anything at all. If you would…" she said pulling open a drawer as if to look for something.

"Mortia-san, my partner and I were hired by her father Shigeki Takuji," Taji watched her eyes lifted back towards him, slowly narrowing yet she refused to make direct eye contact with either of them, looking at his forehead, his mouth anything but the eyes. It was like she knew right away that if Taji or Shosuke caught her eyes directly she would spill everything.

"I'm sorry for his loss but the police found us innocent. Now I really must…" she said turning her eyes back to whatever was so interesting inside the desk.

"Taji" the single word from Shosuke was enough for Taji to sigh. Though even Taji clearly couldn't deny that they would not get any information out of this woman this way. Taji moved forward so he was leaning over the desk. Running a hand down the side of her cheek, he smiled warmly at her as she jumped slightly at the touch but it got the desired reaction she looked at him. Her hands no longer moving as Taji thumb traced her lips, moving her face just slightly to look him straight in the eyes. Taji's once blue eyes began to glow violet. "Mortia-san I need you to answer our questions."

"Yes…. of course." his hand fell from the side of her face.

"Good, how about you sit properly Mortia-san" she did as requested of her, never once breaking eye contact with Taji. "Now she was your patient and..."

"Yes… she was the last patient I admitted before I could take my leave for the night. She was dramatizing her symptoms, so I order a chest x-ray. I was pretty sure at the time she had bronchitis but I figured it would ease her mind and her father's mind if I made sure. So I put her to the side to wait for a bed, I honestly didn't think she was that sick at the time, still people die every day." The last line seemed almost too rehearsed into her subconscious as a way to ease her guilt perhaps.

Shosuke, "People don't die of bronchitis" his eyes turned towards Keji and the girl that his partner had trapped in his gaze.

"She had pneumonia, a lot of people die from that these days." sweat was pilling up on her forehead, she was trying to fight the pull from Taji's gaze, "It is more complicated when it's chemical pneumonia. She had a fever and fell unconscious. She must have aspirated some of her contents in her stomach. Stomach acid and lungs don't mix well."

Taji eyes flashed more brightly, "Does it happen fast?"

"Yes it can…" at that moment the phone rung breaking the spell. Her eyes snapped towards her phone, "Excuse me, I'm a rather busy woman. I'm sure you can see yourselves out." She said picking up her phone and then leaving the office.

Shosuke moved towards Keji his hand falling on the man's shoulder "Are you okay?" the concern was clear in his voice.

"Yeah… there is more here Shosuke" he said leaning forward taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. Shosuke asked him nothing more allowing him to collect himself from the draining experience. It didn't help that she began to fight his pull. Taji nodded his head once before he rose to his feet.

Shosuke watched him carefully as he stood, "Was she telling the truth?"

"I can't be sure." Taji looked back at him, "It might be the truth she has chosen to believe in." Shosuke eyes looked away from Taji. "It can also be what she was told in the end. Regardless I get a feeling that there is something more to her story, something that she doesn't want to admit." his eyes looked at Shosuke's back, "Something she doesn't want to believe, turning a blind eye to."

Shosuke nodded his head before walked out of the office with Taji following after him. He watched as Shosuke's eyes trailing the halls, he tilted his head slightly. "Is there something else here?" he asked Shosuke knowing the man could sense things that he had yet been able to do.

His eyes turned towards Taji, "we have more people to talk too." Taji sighed putting his hands in his pockets.

"Not a real answer you know right?" Taji said pulling out a cell phone looking at the time. "We will see Takuji at the bar later and we got two different stories."