The Memory of Murder

By E.M. Megs

Chapter 5 – Looking

He kept looking at her. She could feel his dark obsidian eyes boring into the back of her head as they worked. Finally, with a small smile she decided to humor him. "Is there something you needed, Kyoya?" she murmured, sparing him a single glance.

He smirked softly and looked at her. She rose an eyebrow in response but he said nothing, just turned back to the computer in front of him. She rolled her eyes and allowed herself to return to her own work. She looked over scene photos, switching between them with careful hands. She frowned gently as her gloved fingers brushed over the one of the female body.

"Haruhi," Kyoya's deep voice said close to her ear. She refrained from jumping and instead just shook her head when his hand landed on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" he breathed.

"It's so… violent. Angry. They're always so full of rage."

"Not always…" he replied softly.

"Kyoya, how many cases have we ever had that weren't out of anger? Even the accidents are caused by some form of it." She paused long enough to sigh. "I just… Wish that for once we could… Have a break from it. Couldn't it just stop for a single day?"

He licked his lips briefly, thinking, then said, "If that happened we'd be out of a job." She glared at him. He merely gave her a smile. "I'm just saying… If we lived in a society without violence then it would be rather boring. Human nature is violent."

"But this…" She shook her head again. "I don't believe that one man could do this. Especially not the man who married her." She looked up from the pictures to his face. He wasn't looking at her and a sudden feeling of secrecy ran over her. Of the secrets they kept from the world. The few they kept from each other. "Kyoya… I know there's something bothering you. Tell me."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. Did you know them?"

"No… Once a long time ago, I did… But now I can't say I do." Before he had to explain further his beeper went off. She glanced at it as he took it from his belt. He took a deep breath and explained, "Nekozawa's finished the autopsies. Coming with me?"

She shook her head, scowling. He shrugged and started for the door. "Just give me a copy of the reports."

"Of course." He stopped at the door and looked back at her hunched shoulders. She looked back at him smiling quizzically. "Haruhi… Let's go out tonight. When I get back, we'll go to dinner and I'll take you home. Hmm?"

She had to smile at the spontaneous request and nodded. "Don't take too long though. It's getting late." Kyoya stuck his hands in his pockets and continued to the mortuary with a pleased smile. The moment he stepped in he had to stop as the smell of disinfectant assaulted his nostrils.

"Kyoya-san! Come in!" Nekozawa's voice called from the darkened corner where his desk was.

"What do you have?"

"Your preliminary theory was wrong. Ray Takahashi did not kill himself. Appears as such but the trajectory of the bullet through his brain is at a downward angle he wouldn't have naturally achieved. The woman was killed second, tortured looks like, not raped. He fought back but was overcome and shot in the head to look like a suicide."

"Gun used?"

"Glock. 9 mil."

"Same for her?"

"Yes. They were most likely killed by the same person, same weapon. However, despite the brutality of the woman's murder, I think the husband was the source of rage."

"Revenge killing?"

"I may be speculating… But yes. I think it might have been. It's the only thing I can think of that would constitute for this kind of violence."

"Anything else?"

"Small things summarized in the report. Other than that no. I'll keep looking though." A small packet of papers that formed the report was placed in Kyoya's hand. He nodded his head at the coroner in a gesture of thanks as he hurried back up to his and Haruhi's office.

He took her to her favorite restaurant. One that was a bit fancy to her standards but still perfect for a meal. He finished eating before her as normal and resigned himself to watching her finish her seafood platter.

The moment she was finished, he stood and offered his hand for a dance. She almost refused but seeing the gentle look in his eyes she nodded and accepted with a smile.

The hand on her waist held her close while his fingers intertwined with hers. A feeling of contentment washed over her as her head rested on his shoulders. He rotated with her in his spot for a moment before allowing his head to lean against hers, his lips right next to her ear.

"Haruhi… I feel as though I don't say how much you mean to me enough."

She hummed under her breath in disagreement. "You say it every day… Just not verbally."

He chuckled and murmured, "Well… You deserve to hear it every once in a while… I love you."

"And I you," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut. His hand squeezed hers gently, twirling, spinning them in circles until he finally came to a carefully constructed stop toward the end of the song. His hand left hers briefly, causing her eyes to open.

"Haruhi, will you marry me?" he asked softly.

She drew back slowly to stare at the ring he was holding in his hand, bare of box. Then she looked into his earnest face and merely nodded. "Of course," she said calmly, simply. He pushed the ring on her finger and pulled her into his arms, his chin resting on top of her head.

When she woke the next morning curled up against his bare chest, she just smiled.

~o~

A/N: I'm failing rather horribly at keeping up my posting schedule for this aren't I? Sorry about that.

Still no comments from my end. Course, I also know everything that's going to happen soooo~

Kudos to Rin Hikarii and SkylarkOfTheMoon.