[chaptered] Ouroboros: Chapter 7 (Chain Reactions)
Title: Ouroboros (Multichapter)
Author: Luna (dreamweavernyx )
Pairing: Inoobu
Genre: Crime
Summary: AU. As detective trainees, they were only meant to solve crimes that had already been solved, just to gain experience and prove their worth before stepping out into the real field. For this new team of trainees, their task was simple: solve the crime and graduate. But then, suddenly their mock crime becames reality, and they find themselves stuck in something far worse than they had expected.
Notes: This is an ouroboros.
Try to solve the crime along with Team Tsubasa, if you wish!
Previous chapters:
Prologue | Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 | Chapter 05 | Chapter 06
~
07: Chain Reactions
Three months later
Kusano pushed open the door, and the three inside the room looked up at the sound.
“Kusano-sensei!” Yabu said excitedly. “Are we getting a new case?”
Kusano smiled genially.
“Yes. You’ve been doing so well, solving so many cases in just three months, so this time you’re getting a more challenging case.”
Inoo’s eyes lit up, and he leaned forward interestedly, eyes on the envelope in Kusano’s hands.
“Do tell.”
“Have you heard of…Jack the Ripper?”
Hikaru blinked.
“The one in England?”
“Yes,” Kusano nodded. “A couple of years ago Japan had a case like that. A serial murderer went around killing people for no apparent reason, and even how his victims were chosen was a mystery.”
Sliding the brown manila envelope in his hands onto the table, Kusano clapped Yabu’s shoulder heartily.
“Good luck,” he said. “This is a case I worked on, and boggled our team at the time.”
Hikaru’s eyes widened.
“Sensei, this was one of your cases?”
“Yes,” Kusano smiled. “I have faith that as my students, you can solve it as well.”
He left the room.
~
Hikaru carefully slit open the envelope, and passed the investigation report to Yabu. Taking a deep breath, Yabu began to read.
28 October
Victim is Takahashi Satoru, age 38, salaryman. Victim was found dead in his residence by a neighbour who noticed that his windows had all been broken and notified the police, fearing a break-in.
There are no witnesses as of present, as it appears that the murder was done swiftly and silently.
Victim appears to have died of a stab wound straight to the heart. Also, it was noted that the kanji for ‘nine’ had been carved on the victim’s right arm. Rough autopsy shows that victim died around midnight.
Sorting through a smaller envelope of photographs, Inoo picked out one labeled ’28 Oct: Crime Scene’.
“Ew,” he said softly, looking at the photograph. “That’s seriously gruesome, the body.”
Hikaru flinched and looked away, slightly disturbed.
“Put it away.”
Inoo did so, and Yabu sighed, staring blankly at the report. Hikaru reached for the report, and flipped through it.
“There’s another one,” he said, pointing at a new report.
9 November
Victim is Shimazaki Erika, age 23, waitress. Victim found dead in her residence by landlord who noticed the smell of blood.
There are no witnesses, though victim’s neighbour says that victim returned late at night, around midnight.
Victim appears to have died of two stab wounds, one in each lung. The kanji for ‘eight’ has been carved into her right arm. Autopsy shows that likely time of death was 12.30 in the morning.
Likely possibility that the murderer is linked to the Takahashi murder case.
There was a corresponding photograph, but Inoo left it face-down on the table, not wanting to look at it.
“So the rest of these reports should be other cases related to these two?” Yabu wondered.
“I guess.”
14 November
Victim is Kitou Chiyo, age 67, retired. Victim found dead in the swimming pool of her residence by a neighbour.
There are no witnesses, once again it appears to have been a silent killing.
Victim appears to have died by drowning, though there are also three slashes down her jugular vein. The kanji for ‘seven’ had been carved into her arm, and autopsy shows she most probably died around 1 in the morning.
Seems to be the third murder in the Jack the Ripper case.
~
“Cloud reporting,” a raspy voice crackled over the radio. “I have begun to set the plan in place.”
The shadowy figure in the dark room laughed, a low eerie sound.
“Excellent.”
~
27 November
Victim is Urata Shota, age 47, doctor. Victim found dead in his residence by a neighbour.
There are no witnesses as both his neighbours are away.
Victim appears to have died after being hung from the ceiling, and there are two long slashes down the vein of each arm. The kanji for ‘six’ has been carved on his arm. Autopsy shows that the estimated time of death is 1.30 in the morning.
“…That’s the last one,” Yabu murmured.
Inoo frowned.
“But the numbers on the arms…weren’t they some sort of countdown? Why did it stop suddenly?”
“I have no idea.”
Hikaru groaned, stretching out across the table.
“Where do we start?” he whined. “Everything’s so cryptic!”
Yabu glanced at the papers again, and in a swift movement shoved them back inside the paper envelope.
“Let’s take a break. We can think again after we’ve had some food.”
~
The rest of the day was spend fruitlessly reading the reports over and over again, and the next morning Hikaru and Inoo trudged into their room sleepily, fully prepared for another day like the previous one.
Yabu sat at the table, scanning the front page of the newspaper.
“What’s so interesting?”
Yabu looked up, and showed them the headline.
Brutal Murder in Downtown Tokyo
“After all those mission reports I keep seeing every brutal murder as a possible continuation,” Yabu said, shrugging. He put the newspaper away.
They decided to draw out concept maps, and half an hour into discussions the door banged open.
“Kusano-sensei!”
Kusano looked rather out of breath.
“Come with me now,” he said firmly.
~
Kusano led them to a meeting room, with a lone young man inside.
“I’m Koyama,” the young man introduced himself. “I trust you have seen this morning’s headlines about the brutal murder?”
Yabu nodded, and Koyama smiled thinly.
“Good. I am the detective heading the investigation for this murder. Now, I have been told Kusano-kun gave you one of his old cases to work with, right?”
“The…Jack the Ripper one, sir,” Inoo said quietly.
Koyama nodded.
“That is why I have called you here. I have suggested that you three join me and work on this case - it is a good way to gain field experience.”
“But why?” Hikaru was bemused.
Koyama looked grim as he handed a couple of photos to the three of them.
“We believe,” he said softly, “that this murder is another Jack the Ripper case.”
A quick glance at the photograph showed them all they needed to know - carved neatly on the arm was the kanji for ‘nine’.
The countdown had begun.