Rain pounded against the canvas tarp erected in a vain attempt to keep the
corpse dry. The pattering sound of water hitting the fabric was drowned out by the
grating noises of angry idiots. Sung Wei stepped up to the rope separating the crime
scene from the crowd of soaking wet morons wearing cheap red masks.
"Enough!"
Silence descended, once again revealing the sound of rain hitting his conical hat,
the tarp behind him, and every other surface exposed to the sky. The civil servant that
had been failing to contain the crowd bowed to the Inspector.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
The crowd once again erupted in a tidal wave of senseless noise.
"Stop!" Sung Wei pointed at a tall man in the front. "You. Why are you standing
out in the rain and screeching like wet cats?"
The mask crossed his arms. "We want to know what side did it? And if the city is
actually going to pursue the matter."
Sung Wei nodded and turned to expose his side. "What side did it? You mean to
ask what side killed this man?" All eyes slipped down to the mask hanging from Sung
Wei''s bag. Half of the mask, like all the others in the crowd, depicted a scared, red
skinned Oni-Sen girl. Unlike the crowd however, his mask wasn''t cheaply made and the
other half depicted the cat-like skull of a Shinigami.
"Ye, yes Po,” said the man.
"Taro," Sung Wei called.
"Yes Puno?"
"We do already have the suspect correct?"
"Yes Puno."
"It was the man''s wife?"
"That is correct Puno."
"Thank you Taro." He turned back to the crowd. "I''m afraid I have to inform you
that it''s been eight years since the war ended. There are no sides anymore. What you
see here is a domestic dispute gone too far." Sung Wei glanced back at the civil
servants surrounding the body. "I believe his wife caught him cheating. That''s all. Now
get out of here before I start arresting people for disrupting an investigation."
"Damn Rebel''s Day," grumbled Taro.
"It''s not the day. It''s the kids that want to feel righteous anger at a system they
don''t realize fell apart half a decade ago."
Sung Wei watched the cheap masks disperse into the streets leaving a lone
figure unmoving in the soaked street. The Inspector felt a chill run down his spine. The
girl, at least he was fairly certain it was a girl, was of average height. Black hair, a full
cloak, the slightly exposed hilt of a katana, and a mask. Not the cheap red masks the
others had been wearing. This one was not cheap. This one was not the scared red
skinned girl. A full Shinigami mask leered back at him.
"I''m sure you''re aware that it is illegal for the lower classes to carry a katana."
"Is that so?"
The voice was definitely female. Sung Wei considered checking if she was
allowed to carry the thing, but decided that he didn''t care either way. She turned and
stared off. Sung Wei watched her go. Watched the odd shaped prints she left. Her boots
were odd. Hard soled leather things in a decidedly non-Anorian style. Interlocking metal
plates ran from her toes to up pass what he could see of her shins. Foriegn armor.
Katana. Mask.
"Hey wait!" Sung Wei shouted ducking under the rope and running into the street.
The girl took off at a run.
"Wait!" Sung Wei pursued with all the power left in his aging body.
"Puno!" Taro shouted from somewhere behind him.
"I just have a question!"
The girl rounded a corner into an alley.
"Do you know!" Sung Wei rounded the corner. His momentum dying. "Riko…
Tomokazu?" His eyes swept over every little nook of the alley, but there was nothing.
Sung Wei bent over and tried to catch his breath.
"Puno." Taro breathed when he caught up. "What… happened?"
The Inspector straightened up, though he was still heaving. "Nothing… Just a..
wraithful spirit.."
"With, all do respect, Puno. What the fuck is, that supose, to mean?"
Sung Wei waited until his heart stopped trying to break through his ribcage. "I
think it was an exile."
Taro managed to look shocked. "An exile? You are serious?"
Sung Wei scanned the alleyway once more before turning back toward his job.
"Yes."
"We need to report this."
"Do we?"
Taro gaped at his boss. "O-of course."
"Female, average height, Shinigami mask, carrying a katana, and wearing
foriegn armor under a cloak. Got that?"
Taro repeated the description.
Sung Wei nodded. "Someone is going to die tonight."
"Are you sure Puno?"
Sung Wei nodded again. "Go now. Or don''t go at all."
Taro looked at his boss, no doubt trying to puzzle out why the Inspector seemed
apathetic. "Yes Puno."
And with that, he was off. Taro was a good kid, but still just a kid.
"So his wife pushed him out a window. Why exactly was I called here?" Sung
Wei asked as he approached the body. "Oh," he said as the corpse replied. Well, not so
much as replied as laid in the alley, chest ripped to shreds and making the answer
obvious. "Shit."
"His wife used a kitchen knife and clearly had no idea what she was doing," said
one of the aides.
"Let me guess. The heart is missing?"
"Yes Puno."
"And the suspect is magically incapable of saying why she did it?"
The aide shifted uncomfortably. "We haven''t determined whether or not the
suspects unwillingness to comply is magical yet."
Sung Wei stole another long look at the poor dead bastard. "That makes four
missing hearts."
***
Sung Wei let the pretty girl take his coat. The sooner it dried out, the sooner he
would feel comfortable wearing the damn thing again. He and Saito sat at a small table
on soft cushions in a small, but warm and comfortable room. He opened the leather
folder and began examining the documents inside.
Saito nodded to himself. "Good tea. Though I find it strange that a place like this
stays in business. All things considered."
"It''s a drug den," said Sung Wei as he flipped to the next page.
"Oh? That a hunch or a fact?"
"City keeps a few places open. Under the eaves type of thing."
"I see. Clever."
"Description matches. If this is our girl, her assailants would have been in for a
surprise."
"Already under contract?" Saito asked.
"Yeah. The well written legal kind," he closed the folder and reached for his tea.
"Pardon my inquiry miss," Sung Wei said to the pretty girl in the corner. "Could
you tell me why this is taking so long?"
The girl bowed. "Miss Liu was likely at home. We dispatched a runner to collect
her shortly after you arrived."
"That is far too much effort on your part. We could have gone to meet her
ourselves."
"As miss Liu is one of our own, we are obligated to mediate on her behalf. "
"Oh she''s not in any trouble."
The girl bowed again. "It is policy."
Sung Wei seceded the argument and joined Saito in enjoying the free tea.
It was nearly half an hour later when a short, attractive, Akumajin girl poked her
head into the room.
"Ah, Mika," said the hostess. "Come in."
She was a perfect match for the description the Bureau had. Not a child, just
petite. Long black hair, pretty face, decently shaped. She would be worth quite a few
Standards on the illegal contracts market.
Their hostess began introductions. "Mika Liu, this is Inspector Sung Wei
Tomokazu and high Magus Saito Matsumoto. They have a few questions for you.
Please answer to the best of your ability."
The girl looked confused. She probably had been expecting someone who
wanted her services, not to ask her questions. She bowed deeply to the two men in turn
and took her place on the far side of the table. She stared at her hands.
"Mika Liu," Sung Wei started. "Were you attacked in an alleyway four nights ago
by Pula Bridge?"
Mika looked up with recognition in her eyes. "N-no, but my sister was."
"Your sister?"
"Yes. Is, is she in trouble?"
"No. We just need to track down everyone involved in the incident to get the full
story. What is your sister''s name and where can we find her?"
"Her name is Rin. She lives with me, but right now she should be working."
"Where does she work?"
"The teahouse near Pula Bridge."
Saito started laughing, Sung Wei rubbed his temples, and Mika looked confused.
"So? The girl we''ve spent three days looking for, was the first girl you were going
to ask." Saito laughed, slapping Sung Wei on the shoulder. "Should have just asked if
she still worked there."
"Thank you for your time, Miss Liu, that''s all we needed."
"Oh. Okay." She bowed.
***
Asking for Rin Liu at what was arguably Sung Wei''s favorite tea house quickly
landed him and Saito in their preferred private booth with the Akumajin serving them tea
and taking a seat across from the Inspector and Magus. Rin was petite, pretty, and
basically identical to her sister minus a couple years and the eyes. The color and shape
were the same, but Mika had a certain tired weariness that likely came from life as a
contract worker at a brothel.
"I am Inspector Sung Wei Tomokazu," he motioned to the kitsune next to him.
"And this is high Magus Saito Matsumoto. We are investigating an incident that
happened in an alleyway not far from here four nights ago."
The girl''s eyes went wide. "I''m sorry. I didn''t think to report it. Am I in…"
"It''s fine. You''re not in trouble. We are trying to find an Oni-Kai woman that was
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.reported to be present."
"A''te Illiesku?"
"You know who she is."
Rin nodded. "She''s up front."
A grimace crossed Sung Wei''s face and was gone. He distinctly remembered
stating that the demon could have the Oni-Kai serving them tea.
"Thank you Miss Liu. Could you send her back here please?"
The girl bowed.
"Are you ready for this?"
Saito''s ears flattened. "I''m sending a message for my aides to move to the
Bureau now. If she cooperates, that would be easier.
Sung Wei found himself sweating bullets and trying damn hard not to show it.
The girl, Illiesku Nar Arakna, seemed more than eager to take a trip to the Bureau.
Undeniable confidence radiated from the creature pretending to be an Oni-Kai. Within
thirty minutes Illiesku was sitting in the interrogation room, her elbows resting on the
desk, her hands leisurely folded in front of her, and her chin resting on her thumbs. It
looked more like she was ready to interrogate him.
Sung Wei pulled a piece of parchment out of an envelope and placed it on the
wide desk in front of him. “Hao Udo, cheated his business partner out of a lot of money.”
The girl didn’t even dane to look at the parchment. She just stared at him with
one eye covered by her hair. Sung Wei placed down another parchment.
“Tian Ling, the woman with two husbands.” Another parchment. “Natsu Zan,
consistently cheated on his wife.” The last parchment settled on the desk. “Liko Ru, tried
to abduct an Akmajin and an Oni-Kai. Do you know what all these people have in
common?”
The right side corner of Illiesku’s lips curved upward. “Their entire existence can
be relegated to a single sheet of paper.”
Sung Wei pushed three of the papers away. “Let’s talk about Liko Ru.”
“You seem nervous, Inspector.”
“He died four nights ago.”
“I shall make you a deal. You will not kill me and I will not kill you.”
“You were attacked by his gang. Is that correct?”
“That is not why I am here is it?”
“Miss,” he checked his notes, “Ar-ak-na. I am trying to conduct an investigation
into the deaths of several people. You are a suspect. Please answer the questions.”
The demon smiled. “Then, Inspector Sung Wei Tomokazu, perhaps you should
ask the question you really want the answer to.”
He glared at her, lips curved into a frown. She shifted, pushing the hair covering
her right eye out of her face. Sung Wei didn’t so much as flinch on the outside, though it
felt like his stomach had just hit the floor.
“Ask,” she said.
“Fine.”
She clearly understood that he already knew. Saito’s presence probably gave it
away. Now he was trapped in a tiny stone room with a demon.
“What are you doing with the hearts?”
“Building credit.”
Sung Wei blinked. “Credit?”
The demon smiled and leaned back in her chair. Sung Wei waited, but she didn’t
elaborate further.
“What is the point of this?” she asked. “Did I do something wrong? Or are you
accusing me of existence?”
“I have six corpses.”
“And you likely have four people in custody as well as a case of self defence. Is
that not correct?”
“They didn’t do it alone,” Sung Wei countered.
“Ah, but they did. Do you arrest the black smith when a vengeful house wife
stabs her husband?”
“It’s not the same.”
“Is it not?...”
A brief knock at the door broke the building tension that was twisting Sung Wei’s
guts into tiny knots. Illiesku’s good eye flicked over to the door, then back to the
Inspector. Sung Wei opened his mouth to speak, but closed it.
Illiesku smirked. “There is nothing you can do, is there? Does your boss know
you are trying to arrest a demon?”
“He does.”
“And?”
“And I am to treat you like anyone else. So you’re right. There is nothing I can do.
You’re free to leave.”
Her eye moved to the door, then back to Sung Wei again. “I shall make you deal,
Inspector. I shall stop helping people. You stay away from me.”
Sung Wei said nothing. Illesku stood up.
“What do you want, Inspector Sung Wei Tomokazu? I am sure we could come to
an agreement that would benefit us both.”
Again he said nothing, just waited.
She grinned. “You are too smart for your own good.”
She took a single step toward the door and stopped. Sung Wei’s heart was
beating so hard it felt like his body was throbbing.
She looked down at him and smirked. “A hunter of demons you are not. You
have no idea what you are dealing with, do you?”
And with that, she faded from existence. Sung Wei sat stock still. He didn’t know
if she was still in the room, if she was gone, if she was somehow both. Minutes felt like
hours. Another knock broke the silence before the door creaked open. Saito poked his
head in and looked around. The door closed. A minute later and the door opened again
with Saito thoroughly checking the room. A misty silver aura ringing his irises.
“Room’s empty,” he said.
Sung Wei’s shoulders dropped as he sunk into his chair.
“What happened?”
“She just.” Sung Wei waived a hand in the air. “Faded.”
Saito let out a sigh and walked to the door. “Pack it up. She’s gone.” He turned
back to his old friend. “What’s next?”
The Inspector sat in silent contemplation for a while.
“Rin Liu.”
Rin Liu was the nervous, but helpful type. She answered every question to the
best of her ability and told her side of the story with as much accuracy as she could.
Sung Wei analyzed every detail she was giving out. From the first time she met Illiesku
to the altercation in the alleyway, of which the girl was unaware there had been a death.
Rin told him about their day exploring the city along with a half dozen ominous things
the demon said that clearly had gone over the girl’s head. Then there was the book and
scroll case Rin was keeping in her home.
“What is the book called?” he asked.
Rin shook her head and pulled at her fingers. “I can’t read.”
Sung Wei stood up. “Then show me.”
“But… They''re not mine.”
“They are in your home right. It should be fine.”
He didn’t give her the chance to weasel out of it. She kept her head low as the
roar of the falls grew louder. The tenant housing block looked ragged. Walls were
covered in graffiti. The lamps were missing their magical lights and the fences were
topped with vicious spikes. Sung Wei worked this section in his early, pre-Inspector
days. Back then it was, clean up the mess, ask a few questions, and it was a miracle if
you managed to get a leed. Rin entered one of the tenant house blocks, turned to the
left and bowed to the shrine of The Six and Iteyo. Sung Wei followed suit before
following the girl to her apartment.
The apartment made the small stone interrogation rooms back at the Bureau look
spacious. A small kitchen sat next to the entry, beyond that was a single room three
times longer than it was wide and filled with all the worldly possessions of its
inhabitants. Rin pulled out a tiny table and placed down a cushion for him. Then she
pulled out a book and a scroll case hidden under some winter blankets.
Sung Wei kicked off his shoes and sat down. He took the book first. Rin figited.
Mizuyamachi, a brief history. Sung Wei frowned. So the demon wanted to catch up on
the history of the kingdom. That wasn’t terribly helpful. At least not to him. He opened
the book.
The first page started with the basic origin story of the Anorian people as a
whole. How they were created. Where they came from. The prehistory that bound their
many races together into a single Anorian people. Scrawled onto the page at the bottom
right was a symbol in High Itean script. It was half an inch square and written in nearly
flawless calligraphy. Sung Wei couldn''t help his lips curling into a slight frown as
someone, likely Illiesku, summed up the entire prehistory of his home and its people
with one disturbing word. Wrong.
He flipped through the rest of the pages finding no more notations nor anything
stuck in between the pages. Next was the scroll case which revealed nothing more than
a basic map of Mizuyamachi and a scroll containing an update of more recent history
from about where the book left off to just after the assaination of Mad King Takashi. He
had nothing. Not even the slightest inkling of an idea about what the demon was
plotting. He looked at Rin who was staring at the floor and patiently waiting for him to
finish. He scratched at the whiskers on his chin.
“You should stay away from Illiesku.”
Rin looked up at him. “Why?”
“She’s a demon.”
He waited for her to process that. She furrowed her brow. He could almost see
the puzzle pieces in her mind snapping into place.
“Oh,” she said. “Ohh.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes Po.”
“You will stay away from her then?”
She lowered her eyes, but asked, “why?”
Sung Wei opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Why would the
Akumajin, the demon-person, care? Legend said that a powerful demoness gave birth
to their race. Well shit.
“That man you said Illiesku knocked out.” Sung Wei made his way to the door
and put his shoes on. “She killed him. Ripped out his heart.” He bowed. “Be careful.”
With that said he left. Sliding the door shut and making his way out of the tenant
block. Yes he was trying to scare the poor kid, but it was for her own good.
Sung Wei stopped as the door to the block snapped shut. The hair on the back of
his neck stood on end and his heart jumped into overdrive. The people seemed to move
slower, the breeze seemed to die, even the ever present roar of the falls seemed to
fade if just a little. The dull pale white of Illiesku’s right eye felt like it was examining his
soul. Stripping bare his flesh and bone to study the core characteristics of his being.
“I shall make a promise Inspector Sung Wei Tomokazu,” said the demon. “If you
harm my Rin in any way, I shall kill you.”
The words traveled across the street like thrown hammers. Slamming into him
and leaving bruises on his soul. It wasn’t a simple geas. It was an oath. One witnessed
by the universe itself and it hurt.
The demon pretending to be a pretty Oni-Kai girl smiled and bowed. “Have a nice
day Inspector.”