Doubt
Random beginning Note: I thought Eight Hands was a cheap low budget name. Stupid Eight Hands. I bet his hair's fake! It's a wig! Oh yeah... And this is once again more based on the manga. But it has to be... Man.

Chapter 2: Turning of the Screw

Hiei looked at the alarm clock he had on the desk. Five fifty-nine and fifty- seven, -eight, -nine, and! He slammed a hand just as the clock started beeping and listened in on the one next door go off. He knew he didn't need the alarm, but he kept it out of habit anyway. He sighed and pulled out a post it and marked the page of the medical encyclopedia he was reading. Maybe I should have gone out last night. I could risk her bitching at me. He sat at the desk still and stared out the window. Not much of a view, but it's better than the one he had in the past. He glanced at the clock again. Six-fourteen and fifty-eight, -nine, and...

There was a knock at the door. He called for her to open it.

"You up?" Mukuro asked in a partial whisper.

"Do you have to ask?" Hiei answered and he rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't hurt to make sure so I don't wake you up."

"And you know I don't sleep."

"Keep telling yourself that." She turned around and walked back to her room. He sighed and walked towards the kitchen.

"Hey, make me some coffee since you're up," Mukuro said as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Make your own damn coffee!" Hiei growled. The only response he got was the closing of the bathroom door and the sound of the shower kicking on. He sighed. This is how it's supposed to be. Tch. Everyone told me to go and live with some woman. I know damn well they didn't mean it like this. But this how it's been for ten years now. The first being the adventure, her being the teacher and the student, intending only to part ways once he learned enough English to pass on his own. And it decayed slowly. Or he thought it did. She just pretended nothing changed so she could sleep. (And that she could sleep, he couldn't help but think she was just a lucky bitch.) Locked together as partners once they started working here in Monterrey, that damn Lovecraft Department, and then it fell apart when took on her new position. And damn it, if there's any change it shouldn't come together like that all that once. And why don't I just leave...?

He groaned and set the coffee maker, then turned to the sink. No dishes. Right, he already did that last night. And mopped and swept the floors. And clean all the glass. But there was still someone who said he missed something. He had to follow. Story of every night.

"Something wrong?" Mukuro asked. He turned around and she was there fully dressed, hair still damp. He didn't answer, but then again, she already knew he wouldn't. "You want me to dirty some dishes for you? I could lick them if you want." He glared at her. "Well, don't stand there looking bored or I'd have to resort to desperate measures. I wish you could do that for me. Though that's kind of unfortunate, isn't it? You'd have to get a record for me to..." She rambled on. Once again, complaining about her damn promotion, since apparently all of her life she gets that sort of thing without asking. At least she could turn it down though. Once again, that damn, lucky bitch.

Then again, who's to say Santiago wasn't also one of the ones won over by whatever it is that attracts people to her like flies?

When she got in these moods, he always replied, "So why don't you just step down and shut up?"

"I honestly wish I could but I can't since no one else wants to take this job. Probably because they don't think they'll be paid near enough either way. I'm not sure. And even if I had the nerve to just tell them I quit, they'd just give me another slap on the wrist and drag me back anyway. Apparently, I'm still not reformed. I don't know how long they're planning to keep me on watch like I am or when they'll just bury that whole thing. It's been a little more than a decade, you know that?" She settled at the table.

"You know they never will. You give one person even a paper cut and they'll be all over you. I stopped caring since I never really did anything here. If they want to keep everyone on watch for everything then let them. They'll just wear themselves out in the end. That's the way it's always been, hasn't it? You could be in the Gulags all your life but they'll never forgive you even when they forget what the hell it is you've done." He glanced at the machine. Looks like it was about to go off. He walked to the refrigerator and took out the creamer.

"I'll do that. ...And I didn't do anything big either but..." She shrugged.

Yeah, you only gutted a guy. That's no big deal. That's no big deal at all. And for what, because he hit on her or something? Perfectly reasonable. He groaned. "You're probably better off going back to Canada or whatever they call it in the other world. I don't remember it in English."

"It's the United Republic of Canada... Or something like that. I haven't paid attention to it in almost a hundred years, remember? I think the United States split it with Britain by now. They've been fighting over who gets more trades with it or something like that. There's so many things going on there that I forgot who's fighting who anymore. I want to go back there as much as you want to go back to the Soviet Union because they all idolize you being what is it? The youngest general or whatever?" She stared at him. Damn it, it was like she could see through him. Reading through him.

He cringed at the thought. "Never mind then." He felt a strange sensation in the back of his mind. "Don't you dare think about..."

"Never mind then." And that was the end of it. "By the way... I think he's in town... I was looking at the files."

"For...?"

"Your case. I think you would hear about this one..."

And for once, he returned the stare.

-:-:-

Shuichi walked into Mukuro's office after knocking as though he was trying to make as little noise as possible. Mukuro glanced up at him and indicated for him to sit. Shuichi glanced at the bookshelf, where Hiei was standing, a book of Freudian principles in his hand and staring back at him.

"You know, you don't need to knock. I'm always in here expecting someone. I'm not going to die of cardiac arrest if you don't," Mukuro said. "I have your badge and your gun here. They came in pretty quick. Apparently the person who does all this was really happy to finally..." She paused. "...do what he has to do. I did the job of sticking your ID in there. The academy was kind enough to send us a picture for that. And let me give you one piece of advice for this." She held out the gun. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. The bullets are silver and most people are really weakened by it. I'm not cautioning you against using it because of the cost of the bullets, but because it's actually really inconvenient to use in most cases. I'm sure you're well versed in other forms of combat though."

They both glanced at Hiei, whose back was turned. In one of his four belts was hanging a sword. "That being said, since your partner is also kind enough to meet us here..." She turned to him, held out a hand ready to poke him.

"I'm listening. I can't tune the world out like nothing," Hiei replied, clearly resisting the urge to smack her.

"Lovely. Well, for your first case, I want you to take care of the murderer. The story behind that is that teenagers, typically young women but there have been quite a few groups of boys too, went missing. They found some traces of the bodies left as if they were eaten. I have a suspect in mind but I want more evidence before jumping to conclusions. You know what they say about assuming."

"No, I don't actually."

"Yeah and you can't even spell potato right, Zamyatin, so don't talk. Anyway, the last few groups of victims were found at an abandoned mannequin factory. Whoever's doing this finally found a place to hide out since no one in their right mind would just go to a place like that on a whim. In the beginning when it was usually a bunch of girls, they were usually walking around at night in different parts of town. Partygoers of course. We finally got some sort of a lead on this one. There was a witness who noticed the boys as they were on their way to the factory. He happened to follow them to see what they were up to but he never saw them leave. He ran away after hearing screams coming from the inside. He wasn't willing to see what was wrong. I want you to interview him again. You'll find him at the college off in Seaside. Here's his name and what information we can give you. Now you do what you have to do." She turned to Hiei. "Which means..."

"Yes, yes..." Hiei growled under his breath. "If we don't take care of it, I'll contact you. Butterfly effect, getting STDs from a toilet seat, No sex, drugs or booze, and whatever else you have to say. I get it. This one doesn't need it either, I'm sure. Let's go." He practically dragged Shuichi out.

"The college in Seaside. I think I know the name. It's CSUMB, isn't it?" Shuichi asked.

"I know it's there but I don't know the name. All college names are the same to me here. All look the same too."

"Oh, well..." He paused. "I don't recall introducing ourselves properly. I'm..." He paused went he saw Hiei writing something on a piece of paper.

"Here's my age and birthday and my social security number." Hiei gave him the paper. Shuichi just stared at him wide-eyed. "You're an idiot if you believe me." He held it up and all was written was his name Hiei Heinrichovich Zamyatin. "We just need to know each other's names. So quit living in a broken record, Minamono. We don't need to hear each other's life stories either. I'm sure if I asked you I'd be bored out of my mind and mine's no business of yours. Let's just go so we can get this done as fast as possible."

They arrived at the university after twenty minutes and took another fifteen minutes to find who they were looking for. Hiei stopped Shuichi in the lobby of a dorm which was almost empty save a few visitors, most likely the parents of the students. Hiei gestured for Kurama to come closer.

In a low whisper he explained to Shuichi, "Okay. I want you to wait here and look pretty while I talk to him. (Hiei probably figured that his partner was in need of some flattery.) If someone asks what you're doing just tell them you're waiting for someone or something of that nature. But do not tell anyone that you're here for an investigation. You'll start an uproar if you do that and everyone would go from thinking there was a murder to thinking they'll be on COPS or have a chance to date some whore named Tela Tequila. I've had that happen before and I don't want to deal with it again. If you ever do anything stupid, don't expect me to bail you out-not now or ever. Same goes for me too. Got that?" Hiei asked and Shuichi nodded. "Good." He walked away.

Shuichi shrugged. He's young. I know that for sure. Especially saying things like that to your boss. Or maybe it's because he's in the United States. Being from the Soviet Union I would want to use all my rights as much as I can. That is, if what they say is true. He stopped. What is that smell...? He looked around and followed the scent into an area near the bathrooms. That can't be it. Not at... Then a semi-solid texture that began forming into a slime the color of mildew. Suddenly it started to form eyes that looked like a goat's and the substance continued to expand. It finally took the shape of a misshaped head on top of lopsided shoulders and cackled.

"Heh heh heh... Look, it's the king of thieves. You scum, I've found you now. And in a place like this... Heh heh heh... I'll kill you. I'll kill you with my own two hands, I will." The creature sprouted claw-like hands and shook a fist.

"Slime ogre. How could I have not recognized that putrid odor? Thank everything holy in the world that there aren't that many things in the world that smell like you." Shuichi glared at him. "Kill me, you say? Do you want me to forget that contract we made to spare you? I could kill you right here, right now if you really want to do that."

"What a joke. You kill me? That's a thing of the past now. I have a new ally now." He paused and shifted to the side a bit and sniffed the air. Then he went on, "I think you know him well, too. If you kill me right now it's time for you to kiss your new home goodbye! I dare you! I just dare you unless you want to look like a good boy for everyone." He cackled again but came to an abrupt stop. He jerked around and sniffed the air. "The smell of a human woman... It's so beautiful."

"Go or I'll slaughter you..." He kicked a think pile of dust and hair into the ogre's face as it melted away. He sighed. If what he said was true, that means there was a witness. There's one way to deal with a situation like that now...

"Oh my god..." He knew that voice. He turned around and saw Maya standing there, mouth wide open. "That thing! I just came here to get some Doritos and a Poptart and I saw this. It smelled so disgusting and- and..."

Not good. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't want to be so blunt about it but you were probably daydreaming. I wasn't..."

"Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed. I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret, okay? But I never knew you were in touch with the Otherworld. I think it's amazing. Say, do you know what could be happening with the missing people? I bet you know..." She started to grin, practically hopping in excitement.

"They're runaways, I bet. I don't know anything really."

"That's kind of boring though. What about aliens or spirits or... I mean, if that thing just now is real then..."

"You should go home. I don't want to have your friends waiting."

The smile faded. "Well, to tell you the truth there's no one here waiting for me. I was happy since we were friends in high school. I wasn't good at making friends then and I still am not. I mean, I was always so jealous because you always had a bunch of friends to talk to at lunch, but I had to sit back alone when you weren't with me. I thought that I would have more friends here since people are more aware of their surroundings but... But most people leave me the second they know that I'm interested in these kinds of things. I'm not as bad as I used to be but..." She sighed. "Okay, okay. Let's not talk about that then. There's other things I can say. Um, do you like watching Heroes? Or have you read the Twilight series? I love those books. Have you listened to the new Panic! At the disco CD? Um... You know, you look really good dressed the way you are just like the cops on TV. You are a cop, right?" He nodded. "Well, you wanna go get Starbucks or something? Don't they give you free coffee... Or is it doughnuts? Well, either way, we can still talk over there, right? And if they're not free, I'll pay. I just... Uh..."

Actually, it's coffee and I think that's only Denny's as far as I know... "I really want to but I'm afraid I can't go. I'm waiting for someone. A friend."

"Oh, so you're not on duty? I'm such a dope. You already have a friend? I'm sure you have a lot already. You're a nice guy. But that makes me feel so lonely..."

"Well, it's not that. But listen." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be glad to catch up tomorrow. Let's meet here at four and then we'll go from there. I really am happy to see you again. I missed you most of all. Yes, I had a lot of friends, but most of them didn't really care about me as a person. You know how things were back then. I liked to talk to you because you were actually honest about who you were or what you liked. And I knew that you talked to me because you genuinely cared about what I had to say. Not what I looked like. Really, don't feel bad. If you want any comfort, it's me who should feel bad because I never bothered to reach out to you after we graduated. And for that, I apologize."

"Really? No, that's not..."

Hiei shoved his way in between them though staring at the notepad in his hand. Maya jumped with a squeal of surprise. "That's enough fun-time for you. We have to get going. Who's this person?"

"I'm a friend of Shuichi's from high school. I'm Maya Kitajima. So... You're his friend, right?" she asked once she regained her composure.

Hiei glanced at Shuichi. "Sure."

"So you're investigating the disappearances, right? I see mannequin factory on the notepad. I know a few things about that place..."

"We're not investigating anything. Go away."

"But why would you have stuff about the factory? If you're just normal cops I don't think you would go anywhere near there without reason. And you can't be investigating just like this because some cops have already come around asking about this stuff. Wouldn't that be kind of redundant? Unless you're like in the X Files. I know a little more about the missing people that the investigators didn't wanna hear about. I heard someone in my Italian class talking about it since their brother was one of the ones that's gone. I've been in the building a few times to look for ghosts, cause you know what they say, right? About that fire and all the workers died there? I didn't find anything when I was looking for the ghosts, of course. It was too dark, really. I can show you the way there if you want. It's a crack in the wall so it might be hard to find."

Hiei stared at Maya. He glanced at Shuichi and back at Maya. "Fine, but if you cause even the slightest trouble then you're taking your happy ass home. And that means that if you piss me off, then you're walking home."

"Um, okay. You're not mad right now, are you?"

"Ask again and I might be."

"Okay... Well, about your sword. Is that a real one?" She pointed to the part of the hilt that was sticking out behind his back.

"Only if your breasts are."

"What?" She covered herself up. Of course, he didn't comment further on the subject. As they went on their way to the factory, Maya asked, "Hey, are you Russian? I can tell by the accent. What's it like there? I always wanted to go there."

He glared at her. "It's called the Soviet Union, and it's a goddamn hell hol,e but what the hell do you care? Are you planning to go over there any time soon? That's what I thought. Another question like that and I'll throw you out altogether."

"Um, sure..." She leaned to Shuichi. "I thought they went back to being Russia."

"I dunno. I wouldn't ask about that either," Shuichi replied.

When they arrived, Maya was the first one to get out of the car. "Um, I have to go find a rock to keep the door open. We need light as we're going in, and I have no flashlight with me right now. And sometimes the door closes and you have to fight with it to open it up. I think the wood swelled up on the door what with all the moisture in the air." She started walking away. "You should just wait here. I won't be long. Or go in and have one hold the door open."

Shuichi opened the door and threw a rock in. When he heard nothing he turned back to Hiei. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Maya was out of the vicinity. "It sounds like the coast's clear. Let's just start searching since you wanted to get this done fast. I can kind of see in the dark right now..."

Hiei unsheathed his sword. "Now we can take care of this more easily. I probably won't hear the end of this if that girl sees..." He pointed the blade at Shuichi. "That explains your sudden appearance. You were with Eight Hands all along."

"Wait, Eight Hands? He's in town? Is that what this was about? Well, that explains why you up in a place like this. That's quite a stretch going from Russia to the United States, or moreover, the United States in this world. But as a youth, I suppose we've all done stranger things."

"Am I supposed to be scared right now? I know that you have her somewhere."

"Her? I don't know what you're talking about." Maya sure is taking a while. Hiei pressed the blade to Shuichi's throat. "I won't hurt you and I know you can't hurt me. I guess it's time to cut the crap and tell you that even in this body, I still won't let you take me down even with a blade at my throat. You think I'm weak, don't you?" Hiei's gaze faltered a bit before a smirk crossed his lips. "You're wrong. I have some of my abilities. I don't want to use them unless you make me. You have business with Eight Hands and so do I. Let's drop this now and get on with it." Hiei shook his head. They heard Maya's scream. Shuichi turned around but he felt the blade on the nape of his neck. "You didn't hear me, did you?"

"I won't until you give me more answers."

"And I wish I could give you the answer you want so we can get over this. If that girl dies, it won't just be the head of Spirit World and the Chief that would be after you."

"You don't scare me and neither do they."

"Well, well, well... Look who we have here..." Shuichi was suddenly aware that Maya's screams stopped and he noticed the presence behind him. They both looked in the direction of the voice and saw the outline of tangled arms. One of the arms smashed a window open.

"So it is you, Eight Hands. What did you do with Maya?" Shuichi growled.

"Maya? Is that- Oh I mean, was that the girl's name? Pleasant for a good meal. One of many beautiful women. They're a delicacy now. Quite hard to come by easily these days, you know. I needed something to get the taste of that slime ogre out of my mouth. Thank you for the sacrifice. Here have the leg. They're the best part on the women. You're not too good to eat it are you?"

He clenched his fists. "They don't just slap you on the wrist for eating humans in this world and you know that."

"I'm in the wrong. Here it is a body thief is preaching to me. What a joke. Wasn't it you who said that it's low for a demon to fall in love with a human or even give them any affection? You've weakened."

Hiei charged but was swatted away like a fly. "And here's another one. This is a real comedy. Am I watching a love triangle here?"

He jumped back to his feet. "That's not why I want you dead. I couldn't care less about that human girl. Did you ever partake in an Ice Maiden?" Hiei asked.

"Maybe. Maybe I didn't. What do you care?"

"No reason. But I still need an answer."

"Oh, I get it now, my Siberian-what's the word, oh right... My Siberian malchik. Pry the answer from my cold dead hands..." He smashed another window.

"Bastard!" Hiei went straight for the throat but was swatted away. Can't sneak up on him. He has an arm for every possible angle that you could close in on. He watched Kurama try to close in on him but with the same amount of success he had. Dammit. She was right about the guns then but what good did she think she was doing by giving us them if she knew...? When the hell are we going to need that anyway? On something like this, it's be like shooting a stump. I'm not a good enough with one to be able to blow off his knee caps. Even then he could still fight us off.

"Hiei. You really had me fooled that you wanted Eight hands dead," Shuichi whispered to him as he got to his feet.

"Oh, fuck you."

"We're not all out of options."

"What do mean by that...?"

Can you hear me? He saw Hiei indicate that he did. Good. I'm glad I found someone that could. I have an idea that could distract him enough...

"Are you saying your prayers?" He swung his hand so his nails punctured Hiei's stomach. Hiei sliced the hand off leaving only the wrist. Eighthands pulled back, screeching in pain. "I have seven more of those anyway." He swatted Shuichi away before he could get a hit in. He looked up and saw Hiei lunging toward him. "I see you! You're a real nuisance!" He smashed his face to pieces. At that moment his head was sliced from the back of his neck and Shuichi sliced him in half from the torso down. "What the hell...?" Wait... His body wasn't bleeding. Why didn't I notice that? "So you were more clever than I thought... I'll answer your questions... I never harmed the human girl. And I never ate an Ice Maiden. I would never eat anything so beautiful and if I did, you would have been the ones on the ground."

Shuichi sighed. The two walked out and saw Maya was left laying behind the building. She woke up just when Shuichi was kneeling before her. "Oh hey... I got some really great pictures today. Just before I left I took a picture of you and your friend. It wasn't a good one since you were both turned around. I have one picture left." She held it up with shaky hands and took a picture. "There's you. I don't think your friend can be seen well. It was so amazing today. I can't wait until we get that coffee."

"Maya. It's about time for you to wake up. The alarm's ringing."

"Really? I'm dreaming. Well, silly dream Shuichi my alarm doesn't ring- it plays the radio." She sniffed the air. "I don't wanna wake up. This dream's great. And it smells so sweet." She dozed off.

Shuichi turned to Hiei. "You said no one should know about these situations. It's Dream Flower pollen to erase memories." But she'll also forget her feelings too. And what a shame... I really did want to catch up with her... She was the only one worth seeing again.

"Only if you think it's necessary..." Hiei replied. He held out his hand. "Just shake my damn hand. The name's Hiei Zamyatin. That's what my name is on the records here. You already knew that but I have a feeling you won't stop bothering me about introductions until I do it your way."

Shuichi hesitated. "I'll call you Hiei if you call me Kurama." He shook his hand. "You look really pale. Well, more pale than normal."

"Yeah. I feel..." He sat against the wall. "Goddammit... He got me good..." He passed out.

-:-:-

Maya stood outside the nearest Costco after her pictures had finished developing. "Great! I get to see my... Wait, I don't remember these. It feels familiar. Where have I seen this guy?"

And the conversation nearby- "Hey, did you hear? People aren't going missing anymore. Weird, right?"

Maya put it in her textbook as a marker. To contemplate on the picture of the man who looked like her high school friend...

/And there was none.

Notes:

I know I put Minamono. I did that purposely and it has nothing to do with the dub. (Right, SHUichi MinaMINO) I've never watched Tela Tequila nor have I read Twilight. But I do love Panic! At the Disco.
Thanks for reading.
-Much love, JC

(edit: Malchik refers to a young boy.)