~*D-L*~

I watched as Link read through one of his textbooks out of the corner of my eye as I flipped through my own, highlighting some parts. My phone went off and I silenced it, feeling as it vibrated beside me. I read another column, highlighting a piece, absentmindedly silencing the phone as it went off again.

Finally, it rang a third time and I picked up a piece of paper I had ripped off to make a paper square forever ago when I was making a paper tulip (yes, I was that bored) throwing it into the book and shutting it as I snatched up the phone and walked into my room, slipping it open, answering it as I leaned against the window.

"What?"

"Am I interrupting something?"

I glared at the door halfheartedly and opened the third-story window, leaning my head out of it as I listened to the gruff voice. "Since when have you cared, Byrne? What do you need, I'm in the middle of studying."

"In my day, we only studied when mid terms were coming up! Oh, how you children have grown," he fawned, falsely, and on any other day, I would have played along, but I really wasn't in the mood.

"You're only eight or nine years older than I, idiot, there is not an in my day. What do you want?"

"Well, we need some help at the lab-!"

"No."

"But-!"

"No."

"It'll give me a chance to get you back those results."

There was a pause and I finally growled, answering, "I fucking hate you man." There was a pause as I grabbed my dorm keys off the computer desk, slipping it into my pocket as I walked out of the room. "What do you need?"

"Handwriting partials"

"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me," I mumbled, hoping as to not distract Link as I grabbed my jacket and shrugged it on, stepping into my shoes and leaving them untied for now as until I finally sighed and replied, "I'll be there in five… as long as the building hasn't moved in twenty years." I shut the phone before he could say anything else, dropping it into my jacket pocket.

"Where are you going?" I looked over my shoulder at Link and smiled.

"I'll be back soon; no worries. An old friend just needs some help with something." He nodded and smiled as I added, sadly but hiding it from my voice, "Don't wait up." He nodded and I opened and shut the door.

For a week, I was busy deciphering different letters from some Serial Killer in the Suburbs (the small town between here, the City and Kakariko) who was trying to get publicity from their newspapers—and getting none of it. Byrne had only been there that first night to make sure I actually came in, but I see his car parked outside often, so I know he's here, somewhere.

I heard the door open in front of me, the metal cold against my hand as I continued to reread over the newest letter. It didn't make sense—the handwriting was original, the depictions of the crimes the same, the demands; everything (and this was one of the things that wasn't released to the public)—how could I have missed this earlier?

I looked up, only when the door was open enough so that I could slip in just beyond the frame, only to see Byrne and the top Forensic Scientist, glaring at each other, clearly both of them in a heated argument. When I cleared my throat, they both looked over at me and I nodded a bit. "When you get the time, we need to talk."

The door shut behind me silently and I walked out of the hallway, heading back to the area they had me working at—it just so happened that the time line of the murders, a few crime scene photos and antemortem pictures of the women that were smiling into the camera were in there, too. But before I could get there, I heard my nickname being called and looked over to where Link and Naa were waiting, the latter waving excitedly.

I shrugged inwardly and walked over silently dodging under a man's arm as he waved a clipboard around in the air, talking to someone else—I didn't care to find out who it was. When I got near them, Naa charged forward, wrapping her arms around me and pulling her legs off the ground. I set her down after a minute of hugging and felt her press her lips to my cheek. I frowned and wiped at it, sending her a half-hearted glare as Link smirked gently and walked over. "Midna said that she saw you walking into the Police Station and we got worried."

"Yeah, well, she failed to mention that I was walking in willingly… in a not in handcuffs sort of way," I added with a lopsided grin.

Naa added for me "for once." I glared at her half-heartedly and finally broke, chuckling and nodding, rolling my eyes. Link sent me a confused, cautious glance and I shook my head at him. "It's a long story, Link. I'll tell you back in the dorm, ok?"

"D-L!" My eye twitched at the nickname and I looked over my shoulder to watch as Byrne walked up to us. He sure knows how to get me pissed off. "I was just looking for you!"

The fuck is with him? "The fuck do you want, Byrne?" I growled. He pulled out a white letter and handed it to me, a smirk glinting in his as I realized what he was doing. The bastard! I glowered and took it, cautiously. "What's this?"

"The test you asked me to pull, of course"—figured that out, jack ass—"I think you'll like the results, by the way."

I screwed my face up, making it look confused expertly. "I haven't asked you to do any tests, Byrne, what are you talking about?"

"Just last night!" He reasoned, shrugging. "You asked me, remember."

"Last night I was studying in the library, idiot." I rolled my eyes and stopped for all of five seconds. "Vaati's going to get his head chopped off." I mumbled under my breath.

"Either way, you said you needed to talk to Ethan? He's free now."

I turned to my friends and smiled at them, warmly. "Gotta go; I'll text you when I need bail posted." They both laughed gently and nodded, turning to take their leave. I waited for the door to close before hurrying to catch up to Byrne, slapping the back of his head as hard as I could with the envelope. "Try that again and that won't be paper," I threatened. He nodded his understanding and I hurried into the room where Ethan was talking to his Field Investigators. He turned to me and arched his brows, waiting for me to continue.

"I figured out why we're not getting any leads," I pointed out, holding up the letter I had had earlier. "You're all focused on men—these letters are from a woman."

"You're sure?"

"Most likely from the Desert."

"Positive?"

"Would I be telling you if I wasn't?"

I walked into the dorm to the sound of Link's light snoring from the couch and walked over, leaning over it to see him lying there, eyes shut with soft eyelashes curled onto his cheeks. I couldn't help the small smile that touched my face as I reached over and put the thin blanket over his shoulder, resting my arms on the back of the couch, watching the blissful look that crossed his face as his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Oscar Wilde once said "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." And I found it true the moment that he snuggled into the warmth and opened his eyes, looking up at me with sleep-fogged blue orbs that portrayed every bit of innocence I had always seen in him. "Mmmhm, Dark?" He asked, half-uncertain. I smiled at him, feeling my heartbeat slow.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Now, what do you think the possibility of me flipping a heads on that coin is?"

He laughed gently and reached up, rubbing his eyes for a minute before yawning and looking me in the eye, "Well, I hope it's one-hundred or else my professor is going to kill me."

I reached down, brushing his long hair off his forehead and resting my hand there. He smiled, leaning his forehead against my pale skin, closing his eyes instinctively. That was probably going to be the only time that I ever saw him do that, and it hurt my heart to realize it. I quickly took it off his head and finished, "Get some rest, bags are starting to form under your eyes," I remarked and smiled at him, forcing it a bit before walking into my part of the room.

I sat down on my bed and reached into my back pocket, pulling out the envelope and unfolding it, opening it to reveal the tests I had asked for all but two weeks ago (even though he admitted that it had been ready the day after). It opened easily and I looked to the farthest-left column, noticing that it came up with two results.

The first had the small hand-scrawl of "stain" over it, while the box said:

Blood Type: AB Neg.

Male

Donor: Dark Link

I stopped reading there (and not because I don't want anyone to know my last name or anything….) and stared a little shocked. Wait, it was my razor from all those years ago? I let out the breath I'd been holding in and laid back, ready to fall asleep when I stopped, my eyes opening in a flash.

Two.

Who was the second (and do I want to know)?

I bit my lip, indecisively.

Blood Type: O Pos.

Male

Donor: Link Kesshi

Damnit! I balled the paper up and chucked it into the trash can, grunting as I lay down and rested my hands on my forehead, shutting my eyes.

Wait Dark, calm down, that doesn't mean he's cutting! It's a razor, he could have easily just nicked himself on it; Goddess knows how many times you've done it yourself!

Yeah, I didn't believe myself, either.