Disclaimer::::
I do not own Harry Potter or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro characters. Only my OC Character (s).
I don't make any profit from any of my stories on this website.
Rated M for future sexual content and language
"Characters Speaking"
Characters Thinking
/Author Comments/
~~~Chapter Seven~~~
~~~Previous~~~
I catch Yuuki around her waist before she hits the ground. Her body must still be recovering from the change it went through. Even now, I can still see her wings and feel the energy flowing from her body in waves.
She is immortal; I have figured that out. She wasn't at first. Her soul was, but her body was not. But now, after what she went through, her body is immortal to match her soul. I still haven't figured out what type of immortal she is. She has magic, making her a very strong witch, but she has another energy source that is entirely different and darker.
"Yuuki-nee!" Yako shouts worriedly.
"She is fine, you louse. She is merely tired." I comment.
I wrap one arm around her back and the other under her knees. I lift her, and automatically, she rests her head against my chest. "I thought I told you. It's about time you evolved. If you subtract all that expended power, this meal's calorie count is zero. Just when are you going to change?" I demand before disappearing, Yuuki still in my arms, leaving Yako behind.
~~~Yako's POV~~~
I couldn't help but sigh as I gazed before me, Neuro's words ringing in my ears. In the end, I couldn't meet Neuro's expectations. No…It's not like I became a detective just to meet Neuro's expectations.
I release another sigh before I slowly walk home. But does someone like me really possess the kind of power that Neuro needs…?
~~~Present~~~
~~~3rd POV~~~
A German shepherd barks loudly, causing the two men dressed in raincoats to stop. One shines a flashlight around and moves the light down the alleyway to see a red box at the bottom.
The box is taken to the medical office to be examined. The examiners cut open the box before lifting the lid. The examiner looks inside and lets out a small sound from his throat.
While this is happening, the news is talking about it. "The Phantom Thief Sai is known to always take one person." The first male states.
"After murdering the victim, the culprit grinds the body and packs it into a box before returning it to the scene of the crime. This appears to be the culprit's MO., however…" The woman trails off.
"This time, the family living near the scene of the crime was confirmed safe, and nothing was found stolen. So far this year, five boxes, thought to be the work of Sai, have been found." The second male adds.
Sasazuka, walking by, lifts his umbrella and looks up at the large screen showing the news.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
I change into my royal azure and black princess dress (same as others), light blue coat, and bag. I'm lying on the couch at the office, still feeling unwell from my change.
Yako and Neuro sit at their desks, talking to a client. Neuro, of course, rejects her request, causing her to storm over to the door. "'the hell is wrong with this agency?! Bunch of savages!" She points her thumb downwards, a tick mark on her forehead, before slamming the door shut.
"What a rude person," I comment as I gaze at the door.
"Is it really okay to let her go like that?" Yako queries.
Neuro closes his eyes. "Not like it was an important case. Getting involved with a case like that is just a waste of time and intellect."
"Not that I mind, really..." Yako states as she takes out a large bento. "Plus, thanks to that, I can take all the time I want to savour my bento."
There is a knock on the door. It must have a mystery involved as Neuro opens his eyes. "Pardon me... May I have a moment of your time?"
"No problem! But, uh, right now, I'm in the middle of-" Yako starts.
Neuro quickly slams Yako's face in her bento before looking at the client. "Welcome to the Katsuragi Detective Agency!"
"Umm...I know it's rude of me to ask such a famous detective for a favour, but I'd like to ask you to investigate my musuko." The man comments.
Yako gets her head out of her bento. "Investigate...?"
Neuro twists Yako's head the other way before replying. "We'd be glad to! Sensei will take on any case, no matter how small! Isn't that right, Sensei?"
I sit up on the couch as Yako makes some tea, hot chocolate in my case. Yako sits beside me while Neuro stands behind me, arms behind his back.
The client sits down on the other couch. "Recently, my musuko's behaviour has been quite different from usual. Normally, he used to just stay home and play on his computer, but he's started to go out at odd hours of the night every day now. Whatever the reason may be, one night, I caught him coming home, his clothes absolutely covered in blood. And actually, my haha, who lives with us, followed him the other night, but she hasn't come back home yet. I asked my musuko about it, but all he says is he doesn't know a thing about it...I haven't told the police yet."
He bows his head, depressed, before reaching into his jacket and taking a single photograph. "This is my haha and my musuko."
Yako takes the photograph. I lean over her shoulder to look. "They look like they get along so well. Hmm...maybe you really ought to tell the-"
Neuro stretches Yako's mouth to keep her quiet. "Then it's settled! We'll take the case and follow your musuko-san!"
~~~Near the Client's House~~~
I put on my coat and picked up my bag before leaving with Neuro and Yako, following our directions. Due to not being able to walk fully myself, Neuro has his arm around my waist to keep me up.
Yako peers around the wall before moving her head back. "Hey, Neuro...don't you think that tailing someone dressed like this is a little conspicuous?"
Neuro places his curled fist under his chin. "I suppose so, it being so late and all. In that outfit, it's pretty clear you're up to something."
"Oh please..." Yako peeks around the corner. "If I were up to something, I wouldn't be standing out."
"That's right...You wouldn't. If that's the case, then let's really make you inconspicuous!" Neuro states as he grabs Yako's head, demon form out. "777 Tools of the Demon World...Evil Canceller!"
Liquid goes in the air before landing over the top of us. Yako backs away. "Eww, gross!" She tries shaking it off but stops when she notices the liquid disappearing. "What's going on?"
"This liquid warps colours and balances the differences between the colours of the background and you. You ought to be pretty inconspicuous now. But be careful not to make any noise or conversation." Neuro warns before looking ahead. "Here he comes."
Yako stops patting herself to look. He has just shut the gate behind him before walking to his right.
"Our target...has left the house." Neuro comments.
As we follow, we stay silent. In front of a truck, Sasazuka is there. He also seems to be following our target. Yako gets distracted and trips over a can. Sasazuka quickly hides on the other side of the truck as our target stops and looks in our direction.
"They can't see us. Just act natural." Neuro states.
Yako carefully gets back up. "You say that like it's that simple."
"Just stay calm, Yako, and stay quiet." I encourage softly.
Our target walks towards us. Neuro reaches over with his spare hand and stretches her mouth wide open.
"'The hell?" The son states as he sticks his hand in his pocket, pulling out a sharp pocket knife. He gets closer, so he is only a few steps away. I see Yako's eyes well up with tears as the knife sparkles in the night. He looks to the left as I use my magic (hand glows silver slightly) to create a black cat. The cat appears behind the pole and meows before running off. I undo the spell, and it disappears into the shadows.
The son closes his knife and puts it back in his pocket. "Damn..." He turns away and continues walking in the same direction he was heading earlier.
Neuro lets go of Yako. She places her hands on her knees as she catches her breath. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"You are a pretty tolerant servant!" Neuro praises.
We follow him to a set of old apartments with a fence around them. Sasazuka waits a few seconds before following him inside. Yako looks up at the building. "What's he doing in a place like this?"
"I don't think he's here for the ball," Neuro states sarcastically.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Yako queries.
Neuro claws appear on his spare hand. He holds Yako's head with the same hand. He dragged Yako closer to the building as she did not intend to do so herself. Sasazuka is at the top of some stairs. He looks around before going up the next set of stairs. We stay at the bottom until he does.
Yako places a hand over her mouth and nose. "Hey, do you smell something?"
"Perhaps it's just that you've passed gas," Neuro says sarcastically.
"A weird feeling from upstairs," I mutter softly as I narrow my eyes. Many visitors upstairs.
Yako takes a few more steps before freezing. She is pale, and her legs are shaking. Neuro stops to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"I... have to go to the bathroom." Yako stammers.
Neuro carries on walking. "Do it over there."
Yako snaps out of whatever is scaring her. "I can hold it!" She runs to catch up with us.
I let out a soft chuckle. "Snapped out of it?"
Yako nods before clinging to my arm as we walk further up the stairs.
We hear a door being slammed open. "Yuiguchi! Don't move! Get your hands up!"
I watch as the son is cornered as he runs to the window. But can't escape as more inspectors are outside, lights shining in the window. The other inspectors come in and handcuff the son while he sits on a chair.
"From the looks of it, it seems like you indiscriminately killed the animals you caught. Surely, this could only be the work of Sai." The other inspector comments.
"What's this 'Sai' thing?" Neuro asks as he removes the spell.
The older Inspector is the first to get over his surprise. "Who the hell are you?"
Neuro points his hands at Yako. "Ah, don't you know? This here is the rising star schoolgirl detective, Katsuragi Yako-sensei! And her older sister, Yuuki."
"What's a freelancer like them doing here?" The Inspector demands.
"We were investigating him as per the request of his family. So, just who is this Sai person anyway?" Neuro queries.
"Give me a break, you bastard." The Inspector states.
"Wait a minute!" The son speaks up. "You say I'm Sai? I have no idea what you're talking about. This is a false accusation."
"Say what now?" The Inspector demands.
"I thought I'd go see the city lights at night or something and came in here to get a better view." The son states dryly.
"Shut up!" The oldest inspector storms toward him. "If that's so, what the hell's with the knife?" He holds up a bag with the knife inside.
"It's for self-defence, obviously." He says before letting out a scoff.
The oldest Inspector grabs him by his collar. "Why you...! We'll hear your story at the police station!"
"Be careful! If that man really is Sai..." Sasazuka warns.
The Inspector looks at him. "Don't you worry. What the hell are you even doing here anyway? You're off duty."
"I'm the one who reported the crime," Sasazuka admits.
"Inspector, you've got it all wrong. If you don't take these handcuffs off soon, there'll be trouble." The son says as he lifts his hands.
"Is that so." Sasazuka is holding a piece of paper. "In the contents of the box from the other day, we discovered what seems to be stomach contests. Beef meal, tuna, ostrich, brown rice, while powered corn, peppermint leaves..."
"Sounds pretty gourmet." The inspector comments.
"They're all ingredients from a specific brand of pet food," Sasazuka adds.
"Pet food?" The older inspector queries.
"Right. The kind which includes peppermint as stress relief is particularly rare and high-class. I discovered that you were buying the pet food in bulk while I was staking out a store that sold such high-class food. And after three days of tailing you, I wound up here. So, there you have it. I don't know whether you're Sai or not, but it's clear that the creator of the recent red box, the pet killer, is none other than you." Sasazuka says calmly.
The son laughs. "Clearly, you're mistaking me for someone else. I mean, that red box was placed around 8 pm two days ago, right? At the time, I was at the convenience store in the 3rd district. Please go and double-check that."
The older Inspector stands up. "Well, alright then."
Sasazuka gets out his phone and calls Ishigaki. It isn't long before he gets a call back from him. "That so? Got it."
The older Inspector lets out a sigh. "His alibi stands, eh? Release him. We can't take him in today. "
"Yes, sir." The policeman agrees.
The son is released. I see a smirk appear on his face. Yako looks down before looking up. "Neuro." Neuro isn't where he was before. Yako looked around for him, but she couldn't see him. Yako continues to quietly call out to Neuro. "Hm? Neuro? Neuroo? Neurooo?"
"He's already left," I reply softly.
Yako lets out a sigh.
I let out a soft chuckle. "Let's head home for today. We'll head to the office early tomorrow."
Yako nods her head. "Alright, Yuuki-nee,"
"You'll be letting me get home now. And I will be sure to see it that you police are reprimanded for this." The son leaves.
"'Got some nerve humiliating us like that..." The older inspector curses.
~~~3rd POV~~~
The son lets out a scoff as he walks into the night. "Fuckin' cops. Oh well, not like it matters anyway." He stops and looks down at a bag moving about as if there was a person inside. The clouds cover the moon, causing the son to be covered in the shadows.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
~~~Next Day~~~
"Neuro...why'd you leave all of the sudden?" Yako questions as she opens the door. She looks around the room in surprise. "Wh...wha...what IS all this?!"
"Information about the Phantom Thief Sai from over the past year. I've had Akane pulling up information for me since yesterday, including information on that red box you're all so scared of." Neuro is sitting in front of his desk, legs crossed. His hair is floating in the air, eyeballs attached to the ends, reading information. He also uses his mini eyeballs to read.
"Oh really? Well, what about this? Did you know that Sai is a thief who never leaves any evidence behind?" Yako queries.
"Well, not evidence that a normal person can find, that is," I add thoughtfully. "It's carefully hidden or may be removed before it can be discovered, I think."
"You claim he never leaves ANY evidence behind?" He scoffs before throwing two pieces of paper in the air. "The mystery is already on the tip of my tongue." He states as his eyes glow.
~~~3rd POV~~~
Two people in a store watch the person standing on the step ladder. "Excuse me…sir! You can't just—"
The man turns around to show that it is Sasazuka. He takes out his police badge. "Is this security camera wireless?" He places his badge away.
The older store clerk walks closer. "Umm—yeah, we're uh, high-tech around here." He places his hand on the back of his head. "There was this guy who came around, installed them for cheap, and so…"
Sasazuka reaches up towards the camera again before his eyes widen.
~~~Later that Night~~~
~~~3rd POV~~~
In the same old apartments, the son makes his way to the same room. He drops the person to the ground before letting out a laugh. "With this, I'll be just a bit closer to one of my goals." He laughs loudly, shoulders shaking.
A light flashes on him, causing him to turn to look, his arm in front of his face. "They say the perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime…but to think you would do it like this…" The older Inspector commented.
"What's this all about?" The son queries.
Sasazuka takes a step forward. "Your alibi has fallen apart."
The son lowers his arm. "You stubborn bastard…"
"Seems you had a part-time job as an interior electrician, am I right?" Sasazuka continues. "You saw that the convenience store's security cameras were old and approached the manager, saying you'd install new ones for cheap, and replaced the models with wireless ones…All just to put in this mechanism which would allow you to manipulate it." He holds up a bag. "As for your crime, you would send a feed to the camera to replace the actual feed. With the camera under your control, you could create an alibi any time you wanted. We've also confiscated your home computer."
"By the way, just what the hell is that thing at your feet?" The older inspector demands. He shines a light down, and they see a hand sticking out, causing their eyes to widen. The older Inspector runs over. "Out of the way!" He pushes the son out of the way and lifts the cover. A sound comes out of his throat as he lowers the cover. "To go as far as killing humans…Are you really Sai after all?"
The person on the ground is an elderly woman with knives sticking out of her back, eyes and mouth open wide.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
We head back to the old apartments. We get to the door to see the older Inspector had removed the sheet from the body to show the grandmother dead, knives in her back. Neuro pushes through the Inspector near the door, Yako in front of him after clapping his hands, quickly gaining all their attention. "So sorry, but may we have a moment?"
We head over to the body where the older Inspector is still crouching. "You again?! What the heck do you think your-"
Yako kneels. Neuro walks around the other side, taking me with him. "Right, right, please DO excuse us." He lets go briefly to move the Inspector out of the way. "If you could just move over a teensy little bit..."
"Hey, let me go! I'm telling ya, LET GO!" The Inspector shouts.
"This is horrible..." Yako turns to glare at the son. "You...you killed your own Oba-chan?!"
"Despicable!" I say angrily as I glare at him along with Yako. "How could you do such a thing!"
The older Inspector and Sasazuka let out a low gasp of surprise. Neuro finally gets a look at the body, pulling me along. "Oh, dear...she's been stabbed all over..."
The son starts laughing hysterically as a light shines on him. He stops and turns to the side. "Well, I guess it's all out in the open now since you've found the body."
"So, you admit you did it?!" The older inspector demands.
"Yeah. I'm the one who did it. And now I'm one step closer to Sai." He says with a smirk.
"What? So, you're saying that you are...nothing but a copycat!" The older Inspector states, undoing his tie.
"Sai! Everyone is afraid of him! He's an artist more than a criminal! Just thinking about him, I get all these evil ideas in my head..." The son's appearance has changed. His hands are large with claws, he has large teeth, and his face has changed to look more like a cat. "All I want is to just try and get close to his fame! His supreme fame and status!"
His head turns to the left. "For three days, I researched how and if it would be possible to be him!" His head turns to the right. "And then I created my alibi! I started training on animals, and now I've finally killed a human!"
"Killing your own Oba-chan...How could you...?" Yako trails off in disbelief.
"Even though she followed you because she was worried about you!" I scolded with narrowed eyes.
"Turned out to be pretty handy, eh?" He spreads his arms out to his side in the air. "I'm no ordinary human being! I have the power to set everything free! So what'dya think of that?!"
"I think that no one is interested in your shallow incentives. Isn't that right, Sensei? Yuuki?" Neuro questions as he picks Yako up and places her before him.
"Yeah, I'm not. It's pathetic." I agree.
"What?!" The son shouts.
"The one responsible for the string of multiple Sai murders...The culprit is...YOU!" Yako points at the older Inspector, who looks surprised. Neuro throws a knife, hitting the older Inspector in the chest.
Neuro gets up. "Isn't it about time you showed us your true colours...Phantom Thief Sai!" Thunder flashes outside the window, lighting out the room.
The older Inspector pushes the knife in before pulling it upwards, blood spurting from the wound as he drops it to the floor.
"It can't be..." Sasazuka queries in disbelief.
"Sai..." Yako trails off.
"I thought so..." I trail off softly.
His body starts changing its shape, size, and appearance. "Perfect!" Neuro states, eyes glowing.
Sai has short silver hair and eyes and is in his teens. He isn't much taller than Yako, either. He is slumped over before straightening up. He rubs his head sheepishly. "How'd you manage to find me out? Y'know?"
Neuro closes his eyes. "The biggest mystery about Sai is that despite committing so many gruesome crimes, he never leaves a trace of evidence. There is no one, criminal or otherwise, able to do that. Or so says Sensei and Yuuki!"
Yako shakes her head in denial when Sai looks over at her. He looks at me, and I look back and nod my head. "That's right."
"However, if the first Inspector to rush to the scene of the crime was, in fact, the culprit...he could dispose of any evidence carelessly left behind. Isn't that right, Sensei? Yuuki?" Neuro adds.
"Uh, right..." Yako hesitantly agrees.
"Yes, that's the only way for no evidence to be left behind." I agree softly.
"You've got a point." Sai agrees.
"However, I was unaware that you were able to change your form." Neuro comments, the interest shown in his eyes.
"Neuro, it's called shapeshifting," I add softly.
Sai lowers his arms and holds them out at his sides. "This is just one of my many, many forms."
"S-Sai?" The son queries as he crawls closer to him and grabs a hold of his shirt. "Y-you're Sai...? Listen, putting the bodies into boxes just never goes smoothly for me...C'mon, tell me how to do it. Please?"
I quickly cover Yako's eyes with my hands and place a pair of headphones over her ears so she can't see or hear anything. "Yuuki-nee?"
"Well, y'see...You do it like THIS." Half his face is covered by green goo that quickly covers Sai and the son, who start screaming. His shoe falls out, and the floor is covered by blood. "I don't mind if you imitate me...but vicious crimes like yours are bad for my image, so I'd really wish you'd quit it."
The liquid disappears. Sai is now wearing the son's clothes and is holding the shirt. He throws the shirt on the floor. The shirt slowly rips to show a red box. At this point, Yako has pushed away my hands. "How could you-"
"Oh, you mean that? It seems that my 'cells' are in constant metamorphosis." His face changes into the older Inspector's. "And after every change, I lose my memories' or something similar. I can't even remember the past." He changes his face back to his own. "I just don't know what exactly I am. And so, I'm trying to figure out just what humans are by opening them up. Hey, I wonder what I am? Do you know?"
"Wizard, probably. A male witch." I mutter softly, though Neuro and Sai heard me.
Sasazuka pulls out his gun and points it at Sai. "Phantom Thief Sai! People are NOT your toys! I would LOVE to kill a bastard like you right here, right now - but I follow the law. Surrender yourself to the police."
Sai puts his hands up in the air. "Fine, fine..." The cuffs are put on him. Three policemen walk next to and behind him. Sai stops ever so slightly when he walks past Neuro. "You're the first one who's ever figured out my REAL identity. It WAS you, right? You figured out the mystery, too, didn't you? I'll go quietly as my true self for today."
Yako falls to her knees. "Is that guy human...?"
"Who knows." Neuro comments.
"Even you don't know... " Yako trails off.
"He is human, just the immortal wizardkind," I add softly so only Neuro hears.
"Even though he seemed like he'd be the first solid meal I'd have had in ages...I'll just feast on you once you've fattened up even more," Neuro states with a small smirk.
There is a scream from outside. The police car has been painted completely red. "I give up. I thought I'd just behave, but man, it's just too hard! I just HATE being inside boxes, y'know..." I see him look at me briefly, confused, before looking at Neuro. "I've taken an interest in you. Don't worry, I'll be back to visit." He jumps in the air and disappears.
"So that's the Phantom Thief Sai?" Neuro queries.
Yako gazes up at Neuro briefly before looking back outside. I sighed and looked in the direction Sai jumped off in. His presence… is similar and familiar…I wonder why…
/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\