A/N: Welcome to chapter 4 of Salvation for the Broken Children!
Sadly, I haven't been able to catch up fully with my writing. Chapter 5 is only just under halfway done while I prefer to be one chapter ahead. I should still be fine with getting it done in two weeks though, so I shouldn't have to miss any updates.
Also, I've been looking at my plot outline a bit and figured out how many more chapters I'm going to need. As it stand right now chapter 7 will probably be the last chapter.
That's it for now. Also, an early Merry Christmas! I hope your days will be filled with family, friends and peace.
Warnings: If you got through chapter 2 alright then you should be fine now. Don't worry about details of what happened to those children, since I don't go into them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters.
0o0o0
Chapter 4
It was well into the afternoon when Tseng and Reno reached their first destination. This was where the Wutaian girl they were going to investigate first was living. It was a decently sized home in an average neighbourhood. It wasn't a poor area, but certainly not a rich one as well. Godo Kisaragi might be the ambassador of Wutai, it didn't mean that he was rich or anything. More like middle class, with the neighbourhood consisting out of rows of modern family homes and a few apartment buildings in the distance; suited for small to slightly larger families.
At least Tseng was glad to see that his countrymen were apparently doing well for themselves, despite being outsiders. Not all people from Midgar took well to foreigners, especially if they hailed from distant lands that didn't utilise Mako energy. It showed how much of a commodity the energy source had become, despite the numerous resistance groups that had stood up in response.
As both investigators stood in front of the door, Tseng gave a firm knock on it. They heard some noises coming from the inside, and just a few moments later a man opened up the door.
"Can I help you?" The man asked with a heavy accent and frown, obviously not expecting visitors.
"I am detective Tseng from the MPD and this is my colleague Reno." Tseng introduced them as they flashed their badges, "Are you Godo Kisaragi?"
"Yes. What do you want?" The man confirmed, but kept up his guard.
"We are investigating the death of Sephiroth. We would like to ask you some questions. May we come in?"
Mister Kisaragi continued to look at both investigators sceptically. He seemed to take note that Tseng also hailed from Wutai, which was probably the reason why he hadn't closed the door on them yet. Still, it was very clear that he didn't want both investigators here. Whether it was because he was confused about why they had sought him out specifically, or because he was guilty in some way, wasn't clear.
"Waarom zijn jullie dan hier? Ik heb daar niets mee te maken." He eventually asked in a language that Reno didn't understand, though Tseng recognised as his native tongue.
Tseng shook his head in disapproval. By switching to Wutainese Godo had essentially shut Reno out of the conversation. But what was even more difficult for Tseng to handle, was that the man had pretty much wiped away any professional barrier there was between them. Speaking the same language brought them slightly closer on an emotional level, and Tseng had to make sure he wouldn't overstep any boundaries, especially after his internal slip up back at the office.
Still, in order to hopefully appeal to the man's sense of camaraderie and thus make him more compliant, Tseng replied back in the same language, "We hebben bewijs gevonden dat de mogelijke betrokkenheid van uw dochter met het slachtoffer suggereert. We zijn hier enkel om dat uit te zoeken."
"Mijn dochter?" Godo questioned suspiciously, "Wat voor bewijs heb je gevonden?".
"Het is beter om dat binnen te bespreken. De foto's zijn erg schokkend."
"Schokkend?" Mister Kisaragi repeated the last word with puzzlement in his voice.
"Ja." Tseng confirmed in his own language before switching back, "So it's better to continue this conversation inside."
The man regarded the two men for a final time, seeing the serious look on his fellow countryman's face. He relented and opened up the door a little further, allowing the two detectives to come inside. He then gestured for them to sit down at the table.
"Vertel me meer over de foto's waar je het over had." He said, continuing in his own language where Tseng had not.
Tseng shook his head again, "Please sir, though I understand that speaking in our own tongue is easier for you, I must request that you speak Common."
The Wutaian shot Reno another look, thinking that the request was made in his stead. This was true, if only in part. The other reason being that Tseng wanted to stay as professional as he could. There was no way around hiding Sephiroth's activities from this man if they wanted to investigate his daughter. As ambassador he would have the means and the authority to bring this news to the public, which complicated matters a lot. If Tseng wanted to prevent this from happening, he needed to be sharp and not be distracted by feelings of loyalty towards the Wutaian.
Luckily, Godo's interest was piqued, so he complied, "Fine then. Tell me more about these photos you were talking about."
Reno was glad that he had switched between languages. Though he could make up some of the words that had been spoken, he still understood squat of Wutainese. Though it was obvious that Tseng was the one to handle this part of the investigation, he still preferred to actually know what was going on. He hadn't noticed any internal struggle within his boss, indicating that the latter hadn't shown any clear outward signs. Right now he just sat back and let him take the lead.
The tension in the room was palpable, which wasn't odd the Tseng. The Wutaian ambassador probably had to deal with scorn every single day, and now he was being confronted with evidence that tied him with the death of one of Shinra's most influential people. Still, it wasn't really the man himself that was being targeted, but his daughter, and he wanted to know what was going on.
Tseng decided not to delay any longer, and took the photograph of the man's daughter from his pocket and showed it to him, "This is your daughter, Yuffie Kisaragi, right?"
The man gasped and paled as he took the picture from the investigator's hands. Like with Tifa's it was one of the least obscene pictures, but it was still very clear what it meant, "Great Leviathan. So that is why…"
He closed his eyes then while he pushed the picture away. He then took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. Both investigators allowed him that brief moment of time. It was obvious that he needed it if they wanted to continue with this interrogation properly.
After a few more breaths, he opened his eyes and turned his attention back to the detectives, "Who did this to my daughter?"
"Sephiroth." Tseng admitted truthfully, knowing there was no way getting around it, though he kept the real reason why they were there to himself for now. Keeping Veld's words in mind, it was best to reveal as little as possible.
Godo clenched his fist, "Why? Why would he choose to hurt my daughter? Though not exactly at peace, I thought our countries were on good terms at least."
"Sir, I don't believe Shinra has anything to do with it."
The man shot the investigator a hard look, "Why else would he have targeted my daughter if it wasn't to bring me down?"
Tseng quickly went over his options in his head then. It was clear that he needed to reveal a little bit more to appease his countryman, but he needed to tread carefully, "We found this picture and many others while investigating his home. Sadly you daughter wasn't the only victim, and most of the others weren't connected to anyone of note."
"So what are you saying? That he is a sadistic paedophile acting completely on his own?"
"Yes." Tseng confirmed with a nod.
A silence fell as Godo tried to comprehend what he had just been told. If what the detective said was true, then it was likely that Sephiroth had acted on his own. Shinra would have nothing to do with it. But still, considering the tense relations between him and the company's president, hearing that his most distinguished employee was responsible for such a horrible act only fuelled his distaste.
"Where is your daughter actually, yo?" Reno piped up, having wondered about it from the moment they'd walked in.
Godo lifted his head to regard the redhead, "She's upstairs, but I don't want you talking to her."
The tone that he'd used was much more clipped than the one he used against Tseng. It was obvious that Godo was being very subjective in whom he'd rather talk to, and Reno had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at that.
"She is the one victimised here. I would actually be interested in hearing her story." Tseng stood by his second in command.
"That's not going to happen." He said with a tone of finality.
"And why not?" Tseng challenged.
Godo let out a pent up sigh then and both investigators noticed how his shoulders drooped a little in defeat. He picked up the picture again and looked at it with a sad expression. Though nothing rolled down his cheeks, the tears were glistening in his eyes.
"Yuffie hasn't been the same for the last few months. She used to be such a happy girl, vibrant, full of energy and always ready to defy me in any way possible." He smiled weakly then as he reminisced the good times.
"A daughter of Wutai defying her own father?" Tseng said sceptically with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not what you're thinking." Godo defended his daughter, "She really loves Wutai, and hates any kind of influence Shinra has on it. She felt that I wasn't doing anything to stop it. Then, when I was chosen to be the ambassador, and we moved here to Midgar two years ago, she just feared she couldn't hold on to her origins. She wouldn't look at me for two full weeks, and even after that she was always being difficult."
"You took her away from the home she loved and into what she considered to be enemy territory." Tseng concluded.
"I guess you could see it like that." He sighed and shook his head then, "But it is my responsibility to my people to be here. I also hoped that being here would make her see that some changes are necessary in order to preserve our traditions as well as we can. I think she was starting to see that. Though she still doesn't really like being here, she even made some friends and was doing well. That is, until about four months ago. She suddenly grew very quiet and withdrawn. At first I thought she was just angry at me again, but when she wouldn't even go out with her friends, I knew something had happened. I tried talking to her, but she just kept pushing me away."
A brief silence fell as Godo took another deep breath and continued to fight to hold back his tears. In their culture it was considered an act of weakness if a Wutaian man cried in front of others. Tseng had to praise him for his efforts, though he wouldn't have blamed him or thought it dishonourable if the man had openly cried there and then. After all, having to deal with the knowledge that his own daughter was abused was bound to have any parent reduced to a crying mess. They should anyway.
But even though he could sympathise with his countryman's situation, it didn't stop Tseng from pressing the matter. Yuffie was a victim of Sephiroth and therefore a possible suspect. Only if he could talk to her directly could he judge whether she was capable of taken such an action. Yet Tseng also sensed that the man was not going to be swayed easily. Despite the hardships he had apparently faced with her, it was obvious that he loved his daughter very much. It wasn't strange that he wanted to protect her, but it did make their work harder.
"Het is belangrijk dat we met uw dochter zelf praten." Tseng decided to tell him in their own language, "Het zal goed voor haar zijn om te vertellen wat er is gebeurd."
"Met welk doel? Sephiroth is al dood. Zijn jullie niet op zoek naar zijn moordenaar?" Godo said sceptically.
Godo was clearly a smart man. With his reply he had questioned the reason why the two detectives were here. Sephiroth was already dead, so why would they be here to investigate the abuse?
Tseng quickly racked his brain to find a possible way to avoid revealing their true reason for being here. He had to conclude that it was inevitable though. It was clear from Godo's posture that he already suspected their real reasons, and relied on Tseng's sense of Wutaian honour to be truthful.
"Ze is een verdachte in de zaak."
"Wat?!" Godo stood up angrily, slamming his hand on the table, "Onmogelijk!"
Reno was shocked by the reaction. He hadn't expected it, because he didn't understand what his boss had been telling the man. Though judging from the heated response, he guessed that he now knew his daughter was a potential suspect.
"Pap? Waarom schreeuw je zo?"
The three occupants of the room turned to see a teenage girl standing in the doorway leading from the living room to the hallway with the staircase beyond. She flinched and hid herself behind the wall a bit when she saw that her father wasn't alone.
"Yuffie...het spijt me lieverd." Godo said in a calm and apologetic tone of voice.
"Pap, wat doen die mannen hier?"
Before Godo could answer his daughter, Tseng spoke up, "I am detective Tseng of the MPD and this is my colleague Reno. We are here to investigate the murder of Sephiroth."
Yuffie cringed upon hearing the name. It was clear from her entire posture that she was uncomfortable. But whether it was because of the abuse she'd suffered, or also from guilt was as of yet unclear.
"But why are you here then? What does it have to do with me?" She asked timidly.
"He did something awful to you, didn't he?"
Yuffie cringed even further, tears welling up in her eyes as she was remembering the awful fate that had befallen her.
"That is enough." Godo intervened, walking to stand between his daughter and the investigators, "I told you I do not want you talking to my daughter."
"Dad. It's okay." Yuffie spoke up, moving to stand next to her father, "He-he's gone now. He cannot hurt me anymore."
"Yuffie…" Godo turned to his daughter, hugging her close, "Why did you never tell me?"
"He-he said that i-if I did he would je-jeopardise your position as a-a-ambassador."
"Oh lieverd. I'm so sorry."
"Excuse me." Tseng intervened drawing the attention from both father and daughter, "I apologise for interrupting this moment, but we would really like to know what happened to you Yuffie."
The girl swallowed thickly, looking away as she tightened her hold on her father's shirt. Godo pressed her even closer, sensing his daughter's unease. Also the reason for his earlier outburst came back to mind. He looked at the two detectives and scowled.
"Zie je dan niet dat ze te aangeslagen is om hierover te vertellen? Trouwens, er is geen enkele manier waarop mijn dochter dit gedaan kan hebben."
Reno, who was getting fed up with being on the sideline all this time and having the man switch back and forth between the two languages, finally decided to speak up, "Look, yo, I understand that you want to protect your daughter, but we're only doing our jobs. I'm guessing that you don't believe she is involved, so there's no harm in us talking to her now is there?"
Tseng nearly scolded his subordinate for his words, but held off because it wouldn't look very professional in front of a potential suspect and her protective father. He could also understand the redhead's actions. He wasn't used to keeping silent and inactive for so long. He always did a great job whenever he could actually do something, but didn't have the patience Tseng had when observing people during an interrogation. Taken the additional language barrier into account, it had to be very frustrating for him to the point he just had to intervene.
For a moment it seemed that Godo was going to kick them out of his house because of Reno's bluntness, but it was once again Yuffie who stopped her father, "Dad, he's right. I've got nothing to hide anymore."
"I know this will be difficult for you, but I admire your strength. You are a true daughter of Wutai." Tseng praised her, putting the girl more it ease.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Yuffie started telling her story. It was fairly similar to what Tifa had told them before. Though instead of bumping into her, Sephiroth had actually actively sought her out. He'd told her that he had something for her father and had asked whether she would want to give it to him. Though she didn't really feel like it, she didn't want to do anything that could put her father's position at risk, so agreed. The man had offered her a drink before she left, and she soon found herself in the same position as Tifa had.
She told her story in a monotone voice. She also didn't make any gestures or looked at anyone in the room. She simply couldn't bear it and only managed to get her story out because she wasn't stopping to allow the emotions to get to her.
Tseng and Reno both solemnly listened to it. Both had by now reached the conclusion that there was pretty much no chance this girl had taken such an action. Her honour wouldn't allow her to lie, and even though she caused trouble for her father, it was mostly because she wanted to protect that very same honour as a Wutaian girl.
After Yuffie had finished the emotions finally overwhelmed her. Godo immediately took her back into her arms. The detectives had gotten what they came for though - another testament and yet another possible suspect to cross off their list – so they soon afterwards bid their thanks and farewell.
0o0o0
The remainder of the day was spent with the two detectives tracking down what victims they could from Tifa's list. So far it hadn't led to anything. There wasn't a single victim that stood out in his or her behaviour. They were all traumatised of course, and they all had varying degrees of coping with it. Some were hardly able to talk about it, while others told them their story after a little bit of struggle.
One name that kept popping up though, was Lucrecia's. After Tifa had first mentioned her, Tseng had already planned to pay her a visit at some point during the investigation. The therapist was a bit of a mystery to him. Though she wasn't suspicious per se, the fact that a lot of Sephiroth's victims had found their way to her was at the very least noteworthy.
What made it so interesting was that all of the victims claimed that they had been threatened in any way, shape or form before being allowed to leave after their abuse. This had ensured their silence. For children like Tifa or Yuffie it had been their parents to find her in an act of desperation, as had many other parents. But for others it had been the psychologist to seek them out. It seemed as if she was always conveniently easy to find, and that was actually quite suspicious. It made Tseng theorise that the woman knew more than she should. But if that was the truth, then why? And how?
It was getting too late to wonder about that right now though. Their tracking down victims had taken up the remainder of the day. It was time to head back home and resume their search tomorrow.
0o0o0
Before Tseng headed home, he made sure to remind himself to check up on Cissnei. After he'd sent her home he hadn't heard anything from her. He hoped she'd taken his advice to heart and took some rest while also doing something to get her mind off of the emotional impact of this case. He would prefer it if she could return back to work tomorrow. With the tapes still needing to be viewed, more victims to be investigated along with this mysterious therapist, they had their work cut out for them and Tseng needed everyone of his team.
He first stopped by her house, but there was no answer. He then decided to check the next likely place for her to be. Tseng knew Cissnei liked to spend a lot of her spare time at a local gym. It was on route to his own apartment, so it wasn't too inconvenient to check the place out.
Sure enough he easily spotted the curly red-head as soon as he'd entered the building. She was in a corner, dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and tight black running pants. Her hands were wrapped in black fingerless gloves, which she was repeatedly smashing into the boxing bag in front of her with force, keeping herself balanced on brightly coloured sneakers.
It was amazing how much force the petite girl could muster. The boxing bag never stood a chance as hit after hit made it swing back and forth. She might be a bit sensitive at times, but she was also not someone to mess around with. Underneath her usual uniform she hid some solid muscles.
Tseng was pleased to see her like this. Though she was sweating, she looked a lot better than she had this morning. Boxing always helped her in making her feel better. That much Tseng had learned about her during the years they had worked together. Whenever something bothered her, he could usually find her here, kicking the crap out of the boxing bag.
Since it wasn't too busy at the gym right at this moment, Tseng decided to walk up to her. She noticed him before he'd reached her though. It wasn't difficult considering that he really stood out with his suit still on.
"Boss." She spoke up, stopping her moves. She then quickly reached for a nearby towel to wipe down her face and took a few gulps of water from her bottle.
"How are you doing Cissnei?" He asked in a gentle, but firm tone.
"Much better." She said confidently with a nod, "You were right that I needed to get this out of my system. But I feel much better now and am ready to get back to work tomorrow."
"That is good to hear. I trust that you've shown this poor thing no mercy." He indicated towards the boxing bag.
Cissnei let out a short laugh, "Not really no, but I really needed that."
A brief comfortable silence fell between them as they both sat down on a nearby bench. Cissnei wiped her face again and took another swig of water. She hadn't noticed how hard she'd been pushing herself, but now that she'd stopped she surely felt it. It was a good feeling though. She loved pushing herself physically. It was a good way for her to let go of stress and clear her mind. She indeed was confident that she could continue working on the case now.
Speaking of the case, "How's the case doing, boss?" She asked him in a soft tone.
"We've been able to track down some of the victims. We haven't found a potential suspect yet, but I feel that we're moving in the right direction. We'll continue tomorrow."
"That's good. Did Rude manage without me?"
"He did fine. There's still a lot to be examined though, so I'm going to need you."
"You can count on me, boss." She reaffirmed with a nod.
"I have no doubt that I can."
Tseng stood up from the bench they had taken a seat on, indicating that he was about to leave, "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yes. I'll be there."
With the firm affirmation ringing soundly in his ears, Tseng nodded at the girl and left to go home. He felt that it was going to be difficult night yet still after all the stories he had to hear today, but at least he could draw strength from the fact that his team wasn't falling apart over the case.
0o0o0
The next morning began at the office of the MPD with the entire team brought together for an update about the case. It wasn't unusual to have one of these a few days into any investigation, but this time Veld had made sure to press for one. Despite his efforts to keep himself updated he was beginning to lose track of what everyone was doing. So even though Tseng had been able to avoid him yesterday due to being on the road so much, there was no getting around it today.
"The phone call reporting how the victim failed to come in for his work and wasn't responding to any call to his phone, came in at 10 am sharp two days ago. The caller was the victim's boss, president Shinra. Upon arriving at the scene we found the body of the victim in his living room. At that point he was already deceased, so a forensic investigation was set up immediately according to standard protocol." Tseng reported started off, turning his attention to Rude, who took it as a sign to speak up.
"Our investigation of the scene and interrogations of the victim's neighbours revealed no substantial evidence." The bald man continued.
"There wasn't even a single bit of evidence? Not even a hair?" Veld questioned.
"No sir." Rude denied, "We examined the scene thoroughly but couldn't find anything."
"I've examined the victim's clothes. They also have nothing but our victim's DNA. I couldn't even get a fingerprint." Cissnei added.
"How could someone be so clean?" Veld wanted to know.
"By being prepared." Tseng concluded, "The lack of physical evidence and the cause of death all seem to indicate so."
"How so?"
Tseng then turned to Elena, who scrambled to pick up her own report and started to speak, "The victim was found with a bullet wound on the left side of his chest, and a severely damaged face. Analysis shows that the chest wound was caused by a shot from a standard handgun at a distance no more than five metres. It went straight to the heart and killed him instantly. The wounds to his face were caused afterwards. No other DNA than that of the victim has been found on the body. There have also been no signs of a struggle."
"The state of the scene confirms this." Rude supplemented, "Everything indicates that he simply dropped dead where he was currently standing."
"So you're meaning to tell me that somehow the killer was prepared enough to bring a gun and able to keep all types of physical evidence from the scene, but the victim didn't try to stop him?"
"It all seems to indicate so." Tseng nodded.
"But why would that be?"
"Perhaps he wasn't afraid to die, yo." Reno piped up, causing everyone in the room to look at him with curiosity. He simply shrugged, "I mean, with the abuse of those children and all. Maybe he was secretly feeling guilty and accepted his death without any struggle."
"That is possible, but not very likely." Tseng disagreed, "The analysis of the evidence I found in his house of the abuse provides no indication that the victim was feeling guilty over anything."
"Then what do you suggest Tseng?"
"Overconfidence." He concluded after a brief moment of thought.
"How's that, boss?" Reno wondered.
"Just think about it Reno. So far everything we've heard about the victim is about how reserved he was. Most perceived it as arrogance, though there there're also hints that indicate a genuine lack of social skills. So far all the victims we've sought out reported they have been threatened by him after their abuse. The centre of his activities was located in a secret basement that was very well hidden. He knew exactly what he was doing and was meticulous and prepared in everything he did. He loved the power he could execute over others and for years he's been able to execute his activities without being at risk of getting caught."
Tseng briefly paused to allow his words to sink in before he continued, "We believe one of his former victims is responsible for his murder. But put yourself in Sephiroth's shoes. Imagine a former victim shows up - one that has potentially been silent for years – and asks to be let inside the house. Though he might have suspected something, his own arrogance could have been his downfall. Since he's an accomplished fighter himself, he believes that he will always have the upper hand, possibly even have another go with his former victim. Besides, this victim of his is traumatised, possibly not able to pull the trigger even though he came there with that intention in mind. Even though he's facing danger he still believes that he is in control. Though sadly for our victim he underestimated his killer."
"That sounds plausible, yo."
Veld narrowed his eyes at the theory, "So you still believe one of these children is responsible."
"I do. As a matter of fact, I'm certain. Judging from what we know about the victim's character, there's only a handful of people who he would have allowed into his home without a fuss - them being his closest colleagues. They also have the means, because they all own a standard handgun. However, none of them have any motive and their alibis have all checked out."
"Basically there's no one other than his own victims that would have wanted him dead." Rude added.
"There are numerous people who oppose Shinra and Sephiroth by association." Veld objected.
"Indeed." Tseng agreed, knowing that the matter shouldn't be simply dismissed, but then continued, "But any resistance group would have simply chosen to kill the man as quickly as possible. Many of them would have also left evidence of their involvement on the scene. The fact that his face has been damaged so severely afterwards indicates that this was a kill for personal reasons. Having been abused by our victim easily makes it personal enough."
"That still poses one problem though. Standard handguns aren't exactly easy to get around here. I say it's a little too convenient that our victim was killed with one while his colleagues aren't suspicious." Cissnei prompted.
"Perhaps the killer is associated with someone who owns one, and was able to get to it in that way." Elena suggested.
Veld regarded the pathologist. This matter wasn't really her field of expertise, and the suggestion was a bit vague. Still, it was an interesting notion, "Care to elaborate on that Elena?"
The young woman grew a bit flustered then. The idea had suddenly sprung to mind and wasn't really thought out, "W-Well, I was just th-thinking, with the large amount of victims that Sephiroth has accumulated over the years there's a good chance that one of them is connected to one of his colleagues."
"That's actually not that long of a stretch." Cissnei agreed, "Though we haven't been able to find out who all of these victims are, of the ones that we do know Rude has been able to conclude that they all came from different walks of life."
"I have." Rude confirmed, "Just compare Tifa Lockheart and Yuffie Kisaragi. Tifa hails from a nondescript family while Yuffie is the daughter of the Wutaian ambassador. Clearly our victim didn't care who his victims were. If they…appealed to him, he would go after them."
"Cocky piece of shit." Reno grumbled.
"All right." Veld said, letting out a long sigh as he rubbed the area between his eyes with his thumb and index finger, "I guess there's really no denying it. No matter how much I want for this to not be the case, I cannot refute the theories you pose here." He looked at his team directly then, "That doesn't mean that I want you all to continue exercising extreme caution while handling this case. As it stands we simply cannot allow for the press to get any air of what's really going on here." He then looked at Tseng specifically, "What are your plans for now Tseng?"
"Elena has finished up the autopsy of the victim's body, so I would like to have her give Cissnei and Rude a hand. The two of them are going to continue working on trying to find out who these children are." He briefly glanced at Elena before continuing, "But with Elena's suggestion it might also be worthwhile to do additional background checks of all of the victim's colleagues to see if there are any leads there. Meanwhile, Reno and I will continue to seek out and investigate these victims in search of potential suspects. I would also like to visit one Lucrecia Crescent. She's a psychologist who has apparently provided therapy for a lot of Sephiroth's victims."
Veld nodded, "That sounds good for now. I want to be updated regularly on anything that you find. For now, get back to work."
With those words the meeting ended. Everyone got up from their seats to do as they were told. Elena briefly walked up to Tseng and timidly thanked him for taking her suggestion so seriously before she scurried off. Reno couldn't help but laugh slightly at her antics, while his boss just let out another exasperated sigh.
0o0o0
A/N: First of all, for those who wonder about the Wutainese, I've used Dutch. It's my native language, so now I know the sentences are correct (and for someone who has to deal with the horrors of Google Translate on a daily basis, that's a big deal). I hope the sentences weren't too difficult and the surrounding descriptions made everything clear enough. If all else, you're experiencing it exactly like Reno did :).
Ah, but the Yuffie scene was so hard to write. I hope I did Godo justice. I love the meeting scene at the end though. It allowed me to have the characters spout some theories surrounding this case that needed to be addressed.
That's all! Until next time!