Here's the next chapter of our little mystery. There's a little more action involved, which will increase as the story goes forward. Enjoy, everyone!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Nanoha, guys.

Chapter 4: Strangers on a Train

Yuuno woke up the next morning feeling extremely groggy and tired. He wanted to just bury himself in the covers and not come out, but he knew he couldn't bring himself to do that. For starters, it was already 9:30 A.M., and the checkout was at 11. Sighing, he kicked off the covers as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

He turned up the water to a near scalding temperature, trying to burn away the memories that played in his mind. That's what it would take, he thought, for no amount of work, no amount of distractions could erase the reminder that someone had died for his mistakes.

Maybe it'd be better if I died, he thought. After all, I caused it...and it'd be what I deserved.

A hand shot out and turned the faucet back a few degrees, making him sigh in relief. His skin was red from having the water on that high.

"No. I can't give up here. If I'm going to stop the Polonez siblings from killing anybody else, I'll have to look up the information that Mrs. Froy left me," he said.

With a new resolution in his head, he turned off the water and stepped out. After dressing himself, he set about gathering the rest of his things. Before he left, he noticed that there was a special announcement on the desk of the hotel room. He picked it up, and frowned when he saw what was on the invitation.

Atenza and Mariel Polonez, the sibling art collector team, would be honored if you would be able to make a reservation at their next art show, which will be held at the Hotel Augusta on December 17th, at 19:00. Guest speakers will include Joseph Today, James Ford, and Opel Lindsay.

Yuuno's hand clenched into a fist, crumpling the note. There was no way he was going to let these two get away with this. No matter what it took, he was going to find a way to stop them. Picking up his bag and computer, he walked out of the hotel room, his face set into a determined scowl.

"I know that she'd want me to do that...she'd want me to expose these two and put them behind bars."

Thankfully, the train station wasn't too crowded, so Yuuno found it relatively easy to get inside, have his ticket punched in, and sit back and enjoy the ride. He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a train to another city, as he tended to stay at home when he was off duty. It felt good to break the pattern for a change, but he knew that today wasn't going to be fun time. Right now, he had a mission to form in his head.

He figured that since the art show would be held in a day or two, he would be able to take the next two days off. He knew he'd have to lie to Chrono about why he was taking a few more days off, but he obviously couldn't tell the truth either. If he did, the Admiral would hunt him down and freeze him into stasis until he was brought back to the Infinity Library.

Yuuno shivered, his skin going clammy at the memory. The first time Chrono had done that, it was when he had enjoyed his last vacation a little too much. Yuuno figured he should at least be grateful it wasn't Signum, or Vita, or Nanoha who'd come after him; he probably wouldn't have survived.

As he started to set up the wi-fi connection, the doors slid open in front of him and a man in a brown trench coat stepped in. His dirty blond hair flopped over his eyes, although Yuuno swore that he had a hint of yellow underneath them. The rest of it was covered with a black fedora as he took a seat at Yuuno's table, shoving aside his bag.

Yuuno took one look at the man and though he was a spy. He did his best not to pay attention to him, but the man's eyes seemed to bore into Yuuno's soul, and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. After a whole minute, Yuuno couldn't take it anymore. Sighing, he shut the computer and looked the man in the eye.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

"You know, I've read this great book lately. It's about an innocent man who, after overhearing the murder of a spy, finds himself caught in a gruesome assassination plot," the man answered. "You ever heard of it?"

"Uh, no," Yuuno answered. "How does the story end anyway?"

"Eh, I'm not sure. But I will tell you I have a bad habit of starting books and never finishing them," the man said. "However, I think that you know more about it than you're letting in on."

Yuuno stared at the man, eyes wide. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing...just that you remind me of the main character in that book," the man replied, pausing to drink his coffee.

At once, Yuuno got it. "You know who I am, don't you? And why I'm on this train."

"Took you long enough to figure out, Mr. Scrya," the man said. He removed his hat, revealing a messy mop of hair underneath. "I'm Joseph Today, one of the head investigators revolving around the Polonez siblings."

"Are you the same Joseph Today that was on the invitation to their art show?"

"The same. I've always had a passion for the arts," Joseph said. "But you see, I'm really here at this show to find any more information that'll put the Polonez siblings behind bars."

"Yeah..." Memories of the first crime scene spilled into Yuuno's mind, but he pushed those away quickly. "So, how long have you been working on the case?"

"I'd been working on it for a little over a decade," he said. "Melissa Froy...was a good friend of mine, and had reasonable suspicions about those two, like I did." Seeing Yuuno's pained expression, he sighed. "I heard about the murder, and how you ended up hearing it from the police. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. She was a good friend to me as well."

"I just can't help but feel I was responsible for her dying," Yuuno said at last. "I should have stayed there to at least protect her..."

"There wasn't much you could've done, Mr. Scrya. Chances are you would've been killed also. And the Polonez siblings would get away with more murders," Joseph replied. "But Froy was a tough gal. I know that she wouldn't want you to mope around and feel sorry for her. She'd want you to find a way to put those murderers behind bars and keep them there."

"That's the same conclusion I came to as well," Yuuno said. "And that's why I'm heading to Hotel Augusta."

Joseph stared at the archaeologist, eyes wide. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so. I'm the only one who knows about their plot; well, me and a few other people," Yuuno replied.

"Who? What other people?"

"Several people in the law enforcement," Yuuno admitted.

"I would say that you should let the law handle this, but unfortunately, that's not going to be the case." Joseph leaned forward, looking Yuuno dead in the eye. "You see, as the only person with contact from Mrs. Froy, you probably have inside information about the Polonez's inner workings of their plot. That makes you number one on their hit list."

Yuuno felt his skin go clammy, but he managed to keep his voice calm. "Which is another reason I'm heading there. I can't possibly put my friends in danger with what I know."

"That is true...but have you thought that you might get yourself killed?"

"Joseph, I have several childhood friends and a staff at the Infinity Library dependent on me. And I don't want to scare them by getting myself slightly killed," Yuuno replied evenly.

Joseph chuckled. "I like your sense of humor, Scrya. It appears that me and you are going to get along just fine."

And for the first time all day, Yuuno smiled.

It would be another hour before the train reached their destination. The two walked off towards the platform, but that was when Yuuno spotted a swirling mass of blonde hair.

Mariel. If she was here, there was no doubt that her brother Atenza was there too. He tried to see if he was there, but Joseph pulled him into the sea of the crowd.

"You can't let yourself get noticed by people like that," he said. "If they see your face, they'll know you probably tracked them down."

Yuuno kept that as a mental note to himself as they left the train station. When they got outside, Joseph turned to him.

"Sorry to leave you hanging, buddy, but I've got my hotel room to go to. Which hotel are you staying at?" he asked.

"Definitely not the Augusta. I do need to save money for the return trip," he said. "Probably a mid-rate hotel will do..."

"Same here. Well, enjoy your stay. And whatever you do, keep a low profile," Joseph said. Placing his hat back on, he bounded down the marble steps of the train station.

Yuuno started to make his way down as well, but that was when he heard footsteps pounding behind him. He turned around, stunned, to see a short man burst out the door. He turned around to address someone, and soon, Mariel and Atenza walked out. Atenza's eyes scanned the street until they landed on Yuuno, his eyes narrowing.

"That's him!" he yelled, and whipped out a gun. Yuuno threw out a shield just as a bullet crashed into it. It bounced off the shield, hitting the wall.

The little man also pulled out a gun, and started shooting, but with no luck as Yuuno's shields held up. The sounds of gunshots sent the remaining people running for their lives, screaming.

Mariel slapped the gun out of her brother's hand and began yelling at them. Yuuno could barely hear what she was saying, but he was more than sure that it had to do with them shooting out in public. Lowering his shield, he saw that the smaller man had stopped shooting, his attention now focused on the shouting Mariel.

Now was his chance.

His magic circle sprung to life under his feet as he started to gather mana for the spell. Thrusting his right hand out, he yelled, "Chain Bind!" Another magic circle appeared as five green energy chains shot forth, heading straight for his intended targets.

The little guy jumped, while the siblings remained oblivious until they were bound head to toe in green chains. Lowering his hand, Yuuno prepared to fire off another set of chains at the short man...

...but that was when the man fired, sending a bullet slamming into Yuuno's side. The impact of the shot sent Yuuno flying backwards, blood gushing out of his wound. Screams of terror filled the air as he tumbled down the stairs, stopping only when he was a few feet away from the road.

Pounding footsteps resounded through the air as people gathered around Yuuno, fear on their faces. He tried to speak, but acid bubbled in his throat and his side was in unbearable pain.

"Someone call a freaking ambulance!" someone yelled, and similar calls started resounding throughout the crowd. Out of the corner of Yuuno's eye, he saw more than a few people charge up the steps and attack the man who had shot him.

"Please..." he begged. "They can't...get away..."

"Hold on, son," an older man said. "The ambulance will be on its way soon. Just stay with us, alright?"

"I'll...try," he said.

Try as he might, Yuuno's mind couldn't help but drift towards his friends. He could only imagine how they would react if they found out he got shot on his day off. They wouldn't take the news calmly, he knew. If anything, the higher-ups would probably have to stop them from outright killing those two-which they would most certainly do if he died.

Everyone, he thought to himself, I'm sorry...

The screaming of the ambulance was the last thing he heard before everything melted into darkness.

Mariel and Atenza growled as they were marched towards the squad cars sitting outside on the curb. Despite their protests, they were all shoved into the car, cramped painfully together until the police disarmed the binding chain that Yuuno had placed them in. They didn't enjoy their freedom for long, however, for they were soon handcuffed.

"State your names, you three," the cop said.

"Are you kidding? They don't need to state their names!" his partner said. "They're the two art collectors that are supposed to be at Hotel Augusta this weekend!"

"And how do you know this?"

"Uh...I keep up with the times."

"Uh-huh...well, there's not gonna be an art show. Enforcer Testarossa-Harlaown has issued a city wide warrant for these three, and for good reason," the cop said. He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to his partner as they drove. "Read the rap sheet."

His junior's eyes widened upon seeing the list of offenses on the sheet, and turned towards them, utterly shocked. "H-How did you manage to-"

"We're not talking until we have our lawyers!" Atenza said.

"We won't be talking to them either, brother," Mariel replied. A soft clicking sound filled the room, as she was currently using her nail file to pick open the locks on the handcuffs.

"What makes you say that, lady?" the other cop snapped.

"This, my dear boy." There was the sound of a click, and then Mariel lunged forward, her hands grasping the other officers neck. She then slammed his head against the headrest with enough force to knock him out. The officer slumped forward in his seatbelt, and the driver turned worried.

"What the-" He stopped the moment he felt cold steel against his head. He turned to find Atenza holding a gun...but his eyes were glowing a bright yellow. A wave of power washed over the officer, and his muscles tensed up.

"Take us to the hospital where Yuuno Scrya is. We have a message for him," Atenza said.

The officer whipped around, and made an abrupt swerve to the right. After mentally warning the officer of the repercussions should he disobey, Atenza turned towards his sister.

"Well, that was pretty violent of you, Mariel," he said.

"He won't wake up again," she said, "at least, wake up to find out where we've gone off to."

"That's great and all, but what about the public? Have you forgotten that they're not out of our hair?" Jasper pointed out.

"We'll deal with them later," Atenza replied. "Right now, we have a certain Head Librarian to take care of..."

Yes. Mariel and Atenza have mind controlling abilities. Yuuno's not going to have an easy fight against these two...

As stated earlier, though, the two of them are pretty weak against someone like Yuuno, and they're pretty lousy on the offensive front; this is why they use guns and other ordinary weapons. When they do decide to use their powers, they have to rely of stalling tactics to gather the right amount of mana.

And like Hayate, their raw power is not natural. That is something that you'll have to learn about later in the story as well.

So, what happens to Yuuno? Wait until Chapter 5 to learn more! Read and review, please!

God Bless, iheartgod175