Author's note: SO. How long has it been? Too long, yes, I know. Life's been quite hectic, some stuff happened, but do note that I've been working ahead~. I've got the next chapter finished, plus chapter 10 and am now working on chapter 11 (chapter nine is being annoying). I can safely say that you'll get an update next week!

Warning: Blood, gore and generally heavy stuff in this chapter.

Tokyo, Japan
September 16th, day 37, 9:38 am

From the very beginning, Yami knew he never should've agreed to those sessions with Ishizu. The more they talked, the more he despised her. She was thorough, very thorough and wouldn't stop nagging until he would spit out the answer she wanted. Of course she had reported to Kaiba ("That's my duty, Tanaka-san. I work for him.") and now Kaiba was also constantly asking him about the death of his mother and, worst of all, whether he was sure he wanted to be a police officer.

They were in his office after Kaiba had downright dragged him there and locked the door to make sure no one could randomly waltz in on them like this. Yami was beyond pissed off, not only because this was the last thing he would ever want to talk about, but also because he was going to be late for his interview.

"I'm worried about you."

"Well, you shouldn't be."

Kaiba pinned him with a glare, which Yami gladly mirrored. "I'm not saying that you're weak—"

"Yes, you are," Yami spat and gripped the door handle because he needed to squeeze something. His hand was shaking. "You and Ishizu think I can't handle it. I'll admit I'm not made of stone, but come on. I'm not Bambi."

"I'm not saying you are," Kaiba shot back and Yami's lips twitched at the lie. "All I'm saying is that you've gone through absolute hell. You might wanna reconsider your choice of becoming a part of this team."

The tremor in his hand was getting worse. There were hot tears burning behind his eyes and he swallowed. "I'll be fine."

"Look, it's been over a month and I've picked up some of your so-called quirks and they're becoming more severe. You're not exactly comfortable around bodies yet, you're still awkward around people, you're close-minded, you overlook important details, you're obsessed with this Mutou guy and…" Kaiba's eyes softened and Yami frowned in response. "You're upset."

"No, you're just pissing me off."

"You're upset because you know I'm right."

"I'm angry because you're infuriating," Yami corrected and he roughly pulled his hand back and shoved it in his pocket to hide it from view. "All you've done in the past twenty minutes is criticize my actions. That, and you're looking at me like I'm a stray puppy. I hate that."

A silence fell over them and Yami was thankful he had a few seconds to collect himself. He hated to admit that Ishizu digging in his past was very painful and that he still had to recover from his session with her, but it was obvious Kaiba was seeing things. Granted, he was not the best police officer out there, but that didn't give Kaiba any right to downright insult him and treat him like a baby.

"You need to be able to handle criticism," Kaiba told him, suddenly a lot more compassionate and patient, making Yami suspicious. "I want to ask you one more thing and then you can go."

"Fine. Shoot." Yami turned around to unlock the door, glad it was finally over.

"Why do you desperately want this job?"

The sound of keys hitting the floor echoed through the office and Yami shut his eyes in frustration and embarrassment. This was really not a good time to let items slip through his fingers. He couldn't help himself; his hands were shaking so badly that it was practically impossible to hold anything.

"Because I want to fight crime." Deciding that such a simple answer was good enough, Yami bent down to pick the keys, shoved them in Kaiba's hands and roughly yanked the door open. He wasn't going to wait for an answer, even though he knew that Kaiba had seen right through him and he half-expected his boss to shut the door and force the real answer out of him.

"Liar."

And there it was. Yami had to summon up every ounce of willpower not to turn around and argue. It would be pointless, anyway, and he couldn't risk getting fired, seeing that he was in a tight spot already. Instead, he decided to walk on and pretend he hadn't heard. Kaiba didn't chase him, or call out his name, and Yami's chest tightened. Some people in the department had looked up after he had opened the door and started murmuring things under their breath to each other.

The rumors had begun spreading already, but he couldn't care less. Everyone could go fuck themselves for all he cared because he knew he had what it took to solve this case. He couldn't afford any more mistakes, though, so he had to stay sharp and those sessions with Ishizu were not exactly helping.

Apparently he had to prove himself to everyone, which was fine. From the very beginning, Yami knew damn right that this job would be heavy and that he would struggle, but he had told himself he would pull through. This interview with Yugi Mutou's grandfather was the perfect opportunity to make up for all his stupid mistakes and he was going to show Kaiba that he was perfectly capable of handling his job.

So, once he had arrived, Yami straightened his tie, cleared his throat and walked up to the Game Shop that sent him into a small state of nostalgia. Him and Mana used to play there all the time when they were younger and Sugoruko always let them try out his new games and make them his delicious chocolate cookies. While he was going through all of his memories, he tried to remember if Yugi was ever there, but he couldn't remember anything about him. They had lived in the same neighborhood; surely he had to have some recollection of the guy, if not just a glimpse of him passing by.

However, his mind remained blank. All he could remember was the faint scent of chocolate and his smiling sister, which made his heart clench. As soon as he stepped into that house, he would have to refrain from getting overwhelmed by the haunting memories and stay professional. This was probably his only chance of clearing his name.

After knocking on the glass, Yami shoved his hand in his pocket and kicked a small rock that was lying on the ground. Only a few seconds passed before Sugoruko opened the door and smiled up at him.

"Hey, there," he greeted politely, but it was clear as day that he knew what happened. Yami saw the look in his watery violet eyes: he was feeling sorry for him, but there was also hurt because he had known Mana as well. He was the one who watched her grow up and for the first time, Yami realized that he was not alone. Sugoruko was the only thing closest to family he had left, and Yami felt his hands shaking in his pocket.

"Morning," Yami managed to bring out, his voice wobbly and bowed. "You gonna let me in, or…?"

"Ah, of course. Sorry." Sugoruko stepped aside and Yami reluctantly entered and found himself looking around the small shop that hadn't changed at all. They were surrounded by games, hidden behind glass cases. Yami forced himself to look down at their feet and followed the man to the living room upstairs.

The area was exactly like he remembered: a grey floor, white walls, the small kitchen attached to it, the green couch and very old TV that only had a few channels. Mana would always kick it and tell it off for not showing her favorite cartoons back when she was a toddler. It surprised Yami that it was still there after all those years.

Sugoroku motioned towards the kitchen. "You want anything to drink?"

"Coffee," Yami smiled and sat down at the dinner table with a small sigh. After some fumbling around with his jacket, he had managed to unbutton a few of the lower buttons to get more comfortable and folded his hands together.

A minute or so later, Sugoroku came back with a cup of coffee, some sweets and a cup of tea. Yami grabbed his notepad and awkwardly twirled the pen around in his hand.

"I guess we'll get started right away."

"Yami…"

Don't, Yami pleaded in his head. I really don't wanna go there.

"I'm fine," he quickly brushed it off. "Now, about Yugi—"

"You don't look fine."

Pressing his lips together, Yami slowly looked up at the sorrowful violet eyes and gripped the pen. "I didn't come here to talk about my sister or my father. I'm here to talk about your grandson."

It came out a lot harsher than he had expected and he regretted it right away. Sugoroku looked at him as if he had just been slapped in the face and Yami bit the inside of his cheek.

"… Sorry," he apologized genuinely and bowed his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"She was like a granddaughter to me, you know."

The familiar hollow feeling in his stomach had returned and all Yami could do was try to find his voice. Breathing was becoming harder and a sharp pain shot through his head as his heart started beating faster and was pumping adrenaline through his entire body.

"We don't know if she's dead."

"I'm not an idiot, Yami," Sugoroku's gentle tone changed into an annoyed one. "I know that you're fully aware of the situation and so am I, so let's not pretend. You're here for an interview, I know, but if you want to talk about it, then I'm all ears. This stoic attitude of yours is not gonna get you anywhere, son."

The fact that everyone kept telling him he should talk about it was really starting to piss him off. They didn't know that he didn't want to talk about it, because he didn't know what would happen if he let the dam collapse. He'd rather not take that risk and besides, he had already let out all his frustration and sorrow with Kaiba right beside him. Surely, he didn't need another opportunity to voice his feelings.

"Thank you, but like I said, I'm fine," Yami declined and avoided eye contact for the time being to make sure he wouldn't change his mind. "I'd like to start from the beginning. Yugi has lived here his whole life?"

Obviously aware of Yami antics, Sugoroku went along and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, his parents got divorced not too long after he turned eight, which was about fourteen years ago, and my daughter decided to move back in with me and bring Yugi along. Her husband, ex-husband, moved to another city to live with that other woman he had fallen in love with. So, Yugi lived here for about a decade and then moved out when he went off to college."

While he was writing all of this down, Yami noticed he was putting more pressure on the pen than necessary. "Yugi's in his twenties now, right?"

"Yes, he turned twenty-two in June."

Yami swallowed. No wonder he hadn't noticed Yugi at the time. He had been so busy dealing with his own issues at the time that he didn't even took note of Yugi moving into this house.

"How come Mana and I have never seen him?"

Sugoroku tipped his head to one side and gave him a skeptical look. "Yugi was a very closed kid. He'd often lock himself up in his room and only come out when I called him down for dinner. The divorce of his parents nearly broke him. He was also very shy and avoided guests like the plague. It actually doesn't surprise me he never came down to play with you and your sister." Then, he licked his lips and leaned a bit forward. "Though, I'm sure you've seen him at school?"

Blink. "School?"

"You went to the same high school," Sugoroku said, the hurt evident in his voice. "Don't tell me you never noticed."

Cursing himself a good few times, Yami hung his head. "I forgot for a second. We often saw each other during breaks. Never really talked to him, though."

The lie came out so smoothly that Yami could hardly believe it. Nor could he believe Sugoroku's relief and he felt even worse than before. After the interview, he would have to think about this more thoroughly and slap himself in the face a few times for forgetting they went to the same school for four years.

"Your job must be very stressful. Though, I have to agree that he was always very quiet and shy. He never brought any friends with him, but passed all of his classes nonetheless. Sometimes I would really worry about him," Sugoroku continued and Yami started writing again. "That is, until he graduated and went to college. He changed in the blink of an eye."

"Oh?" Yami inquired, not being able to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Sometimes I would ask if he knew what he wanted to do as soon as he graduated, but it wasn't until the last few weeks of school, he came up to me and told me he wanted to become an illusionist. Before that, every time I asked, he'd shyly tell me he had no idea."

That sounded very odd coming from a guy who was insanely good at his job and was already so full of himself that he would probably burst.

"… I see," Yami answered dully to keep the conversation going.

"I'm very proud of his achievements," Sugoroku said gleefully and a lovely sparkle appeared in his eyes. "He doesn't have time to come visit me anymore because he's so busy, so I watch him on TV whenever I can and he manages to impress me every time."

Yami's eye twitched. "What about his mother? What was her response to this sudden turn of events?"

The sparkle disappeared right away and Yami felt like he had just stabbed the man in the chest. "My daughter um… She was very upset about the divorce as well and often went out after work and got home late. I advised her to find a therapist, but she wouldn't listen to me. I think this affected Yugi as well. She…"

There was a small pause. Yami looked down at his coffee and brought the cup to his lips to give Sugoroku time to formulate his answer. The liquid had already gone cold and Yami tried not to grimace. Just like him, Sugoroku hadn't touched his drink and the cookies lay there, untouched as well, and to Yami it looked like they were out of place. The air felt even tenser than before and Yami somewhat wanted to take it back, but the answer could be important.

"My daughter committed suicide not too long before Yugi's graduation."

Tightening his grip on the pen to make sure he wouldn't drop it, Yami stared at him. His wine-colored eyes lingered on the other's for a moment before he quietly laid the pen on the table. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, you don't have to apologize," Sugoroku said with a forced smile. "After all, I think her death is what drove him to change. Maybe she was holding him back with her depression and suicidal thoughts."

Those words sounded so incredibly bitter that it sent shivers down Yami's spine and made goose bumps appear on his arms. He quietly wrote it down and kept his eyes on the blue ink. It did make some sense, but still…

"I personally think that her death is what helped Yugi wake up. To me it looked like he was stuck in his own world and he desperately needed a wake-up call. We were both upset for weeks, but that didn't stop him from going to college to chase his dreams. And look how far he's come!"

Yami gaped at him. There were no words to describe what he was feeling. Luckily, he didn't have to, and simply cleared his throat. "I guess that's a good thing, then."

"She was lost," Sugoroku added. "So very lost. She came home drunk almost every night, but I knew she was only doing it to forget about that asshole. Yugi avoided talking to her the most because all she could talk about was her ex-husband and ask herself why he left her."

It was becoming harder and harder for Yami to stay calm. "All right. Can you be a bit more specific about the day that Yugi changed? Did he go somewhere, did he meet someone, or…?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it was only a few days after her death. He was very upset at first and barely shed a tear at her funeral, but the very next day, he came downstairs for breakfast, walked up to me and said, "I've finally made up my mind, Jii-chan! I want to become an illusionist and amaze people with my skills!"

"… Nothing about making you or his mother proud?" Yami asked cautiously.

"Oddly enough, no."

A small frown appeared on Yami's pale face. "Okay. And you're sure nothing happened on the day of her funeral?"

"We went there and he was as quiet as ever and didn't look anyone in the eye during the funeral. After the ceremony, he followed me to the car, sat down and kept his chin pressed to his chest. When we got home, he just went up to his room as usual and refused to come down for dinner."

"Can I see his room?" Yami blurted out and his eyes widened in embarrassment.

Unfortunately, Sugoroku didn't appear to notice and smiled. "Sure. Upstairs, first door on the left."

Yami nodded, got up and walked towards the stairs. The steps creaked awfully beneath his boots as if they hadn't been stepped on in years and he blinked when he saw the tiny hall he ended up in. The wooden floor let out another squeak as he set the first step and fastened his eyes on the door on the left. It was as if he had ended up in some horror movie, because the air smelled like dust and as soon as he entered Yugi's room, he got the nasty feeling he was locked in.

The room was empty, except for a made bed on the left, a small desk in front of the window and a bookcase with only a few books. Yami looked around while he took a few more daring steps forward, not entirely sure what he was looking for. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, other than the fact that it was obvious no one had been here for a good two years.

There was absolutely nothing here he could use. The books he had quickly flipped through were merely old novels, there was not a single piece of paper left on the desk, no abnormal things under the bed and after a few moments of pacing, Yami dropped himself on the bed with a loud sigh.

Granted, Yugi was probably in some weird state of shock and probably had nothing to do with those murders after all. He was just a troubled person who had had a terrible childhood and had managed to get back on his feet all by himself.

Yami gritted his teeth and kicked the desk.

The bed was temptingly soft and Yami hadn't noticed how tired he felt until now. His eyes itched and his body was limp. He hadn't been sleeping well and he was pretty sure he had lost some weight, too.

"Gah!" he yelped when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Groaning, he reached for it and frowned when he saw who it was. "Yes?"

"Yami, you're not gonna believe this."

The stench made Yami want to gag. He couldn't look up, but the small pool of blood on the floor wasn't that pleasant to look at either.

"Fucking hell," Kaiba breathed next to him.

"Mother of god," Mai said from the other side. Yami was standing in between them and after shutting his eyes, he, too, looked up and pressed his lips together to make sure he wouldn't throw up.

A naked woman was hanging from the chandelier. Her dull eyes looked right past them, and her mouth hung open so a small amount of saliva covered her chin. The rope around her neck was so tight that there was still blood crawling through the tiny gaps. Her hands and feet were bound together and there was a small note taped to her chest that read, "Whore."

Mai had her hand clamped over her mouth and her eyes were filled with tears. "I've seen some heavy stuff over the past few years, but this… Oh my god. I-I need some air."

"I'm gonna get a blanket," Kaiba mumbled and Yami could hear the slight waver in his voice. "Untie her."

"Shouldn't we wait for—"

"Yami." Kaiba shot him a glare and he swallowed. "That woman has been humiliated enough already. I don't want an entire team seeing her like this. Untie her."

Both of them left and Yami took a deep breath to pull himself together. Within a few seconds he had snatched a chair from the kitchen, climbed up and started untying the rope around the chandelier. Kaiba came running back in with a blanket and waited for Yami to get her down. After Yami had managed to untie the tight knot with his trembling fingers, he quickly put his arms around the body to make sure it wouldn't fall. Her skin was as cold as ice and Yami almost forgot to breathe when he felt the icy liquid sticking to his neck.

"Here." Yami got down and laid her on the floor. Kaiba immediately put the blanket over her bare body and sat down on his knees. "Jesus. And to think a kid did this."

"Kid?" Yami echoed incredulously, trying to wipe off the blood of his face and neck.

"Yeah, we got the call from her husband and he said he could only watch as his daughter completely lost it. He was so in shock that it took him over two hours to pick up the phone and call us."

"What's her name?" Yami had jumped to his feet and felt another adrenaline rush.

Kaiba, who was still making sure the woman was fully covered up, mumbled, "Chris. Chris Hayashi."

Yami couldn't contain himself. "She was the volunteer Yugi Mutou picked for the opening of his show. He performed this weird trick on her and she looked confused and a bit dizzy afterwards."

They looked at each other for a moment and Yami tried his best to show his determination. Mai got back and was continuously running a hand through her messy blonde hair. Her face was wet and Yami guessed she had either cried really hard or that she had splashed some cold water in her face to hide it.

"Sorry about that," she said and loudly cleared her throat. She got out an elastic band and started tying her hair back. "This is getting out of hand. We need to pick up the pace."

"Tell me about it," Kaiba growled. "Yami's saying that Hayashi's daughter was at Mutou's show and that he did something to her."

"What?" Mai marched over to him and gripped his shoulders. "What happened?"

"She volunteered for one of his tricks and he…" Yami's face fell at Mai's disbelief. "He did this weird trick and made her disappear."

"You're wasting valuable time," Mai told him off and let go of his shoulders a little too roughly so he stumbled back. "He fooled you. That's his job. She didn't actually disappear."

"He did something to her!" Yami argued stubbornly and Kaiba shook his head at him. "I fucking swear, it's his doing! All these kids went to his show and they all ended up killing their loved ones. I have proof that every kid committed the crime exactly two weeks after they went to the show."

A deadly silence fell over them. Mai slowly looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes on red alert. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Hate to break it to you, genius, but you forgot one tiny little detail," Kaiba called out and Yami clenched his jaw at the mocking tone. "You saw Mutou performing this trick on Chris on the 12th, which was four days ago. Or am I that bad at counting?"

"No." Yami felt his stomach drop and he paled. "Maybe it's different this time. Or—"

"Or it's just a coincidence," Kaiba snapped and got up to his feet as well. "You know what? Tell me about the interview. Tell me that old man told you his grandson is the very reason why we're standing there. Tell me that a fucking magician who merely outsmarted you is the reason why a kid tied her father to a chair so he could watch her ripping her mother's clothes off and hanging her. Tell me that a guy who has at least thousands of alibies did this. I dare you."

Yami stared at his feet, feeling the blood rushing to his face. The kind man who had offered him a second chance was gone. An entire team of police officers and paramedics made their way into the living room and Kaiba started informing them right away. The body was wrapped in a black sack and within a few seconds, they were gone, but the horrible smell stayed. The whole time, Yami hadn't spoken up and wasn't going to.

"We should get going. Interview the husband and send people after that girl. Someone must have seen her running away."

People rushed past him while Yami remained nailed to the floor, completely and utterly defeated and humiliated.

Author's note: The plot thickens... Yep. I feel so sorry for Yami uwu
See y'all next week and don't forget to leave a review on your way out~!