Haruka Tenoh is one of the best detectives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. She has a reputation for going with her gut and getting the job done, no matter what obstacles stood in her way. Michiru Kaioh, on the other hand, is a top-notch profiler for the National Police Agency, known for her rational thinking and thorough investigations. Both are above average in skill, and both put their occupation above all else. When a serial killer known as "The Heart Snatcher" becomes a major terrorizing threat, Agent Kaioh is sent to investigate with detectives at the TMPD. Inevitably, Haruka becomes her new partner in investigation, and the two go on an adventure that just may change their lives forever. Whether or not this change will be for the best or for the worst is a mystery that only time will unravel.

Details on any necessary information:  This is an AU story that takes place in modern-day Tokyo.

Restrictions: Only Haruka, Michiru, and potentially "The Heart Snatcher" are playable in this RP. Everyone else will be NPC.

Players:
Haruka Tenoh - played by Miss Moon Rose
Michiru Kaioh - played by Sailor Mercury

She had looked forward to sleeping in, damn it.

Impatiently drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, Detective Haruka Tenoh glared at the road in front of her. The one day she had looked forward to getting some actual sleep and enjoying a day off, she was called in on "unexpected developments" in a case.

This case wasn't even hers to begin with! So why where they calling her in? Frustrated, Haruka prepared for the explanation she would get from her captain.

Setsuna Meioh, captain of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, sat quietly in the passenger seat. She had known Haruka for long enough to know that she did not like being called in on her days off, especially since those days were rare. But Setsuna had no other choice. Haruka was, after all, the best detective she had. 

Haruka was not very patient. "You gonna tell me why I'm being called in today, captain?" she said, her voice cold.

Setsuna glanced over at the detective, her gaze just as cold as the tone in Haruka's voice. "Watch your tone with me, Tenoh," she commanded.

Haruka's expression changed, and she ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "Right, sorry," she mumbled. 

"The Heart Snatcher case has had a new development," Setsuna continued. 

"You told me that already," Haruka remarked, earning another pointed glare from her boss. "But why are you calling me in? I thought Kino was dealing with this case."

"Right. But that was while the victims were all high school students. There's been a change in our killer's pattern."

Haruka raised an eyebrow expectantly. 

"This victim has been identified as Hino Rei, local priestess at the Hikawa Shrine. Dark hair, violet eyes, acheived good grades. She was head priestess at her shrine - young girl, in her early twenties, with a bright future ahead of her. Her body was found this morning on the courtyard of her shrine by her grandfather. Ami will meet you there with more details. Any questions?" 

The detective's deep blue eyes narrowed as she made the final turn to their destination. Parking outside of the shrine steps, Haruka leaned back against her seat. "I know what I need to know," she said. Taking a deep breath, Haruka exited her car, followed closely by Setsuna. A crowd of civilians had gathered at the bottom of the staircase, all craning their heads to try and see to the top and find out more about the priestess's death. A group of police officers stood in front of the police tape, making sure to prevent any civilians from passing through. One of the officers met the eyes of Setsuna and Haruka, and immediately let them pass. Recognizing the officer, Haruka smirked and nudged him as she passed, causing his face to flush. Setsuna merely rolled her eyes and ascended the staircase, Haruka now following behind.

There were multiple officers investigating the crime scene, checking for footprints and any DNA they could find. Haruka immediately pursued the body she spotted laying on the ground, ready to perform her routine investigation. She had no time for formalities or conversation - she just wanted to get this over with and go home. This criminal, this serial killer, was starting to cause chaos all over Tokyo, and frankly Haruka had gotten tired of it. 

"Haruka!" a light voice quipped. Turning, Haruka spotted their Data and Forensics Analyst Ami Mizuno walking towards her. 

"What?" Haruka said, sounding slightly agitated. Embarrassed, Ami took a step back and held out a pair of white gloves. 

"You'll need these," Ami said, her voice quiet. Smiling slightly, Haruka accepted the rubber gloves and snapped them onto her hands. 

"Thanks," she replied. "Anything you found that I'll need to know?"

While waiting for a response, Haruka suddenly felt uneasy, as if something were out-of-place. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what was making her feel this way, but it was that same gut-feeling she got whenever there was a pressing situation at hand. More alert now, Haruka kept her back straight and her ears attentive.

Her day just got a lot more interesting.

Michiru didn’t often get a lot of action in her line of work; mostly it was boring administrative stuff, since the Keisatsu-chō tried to stay hands off with local crimes unless it involved national emergencies or large-scale disasters.

However, she had been following the escalating development of The Heart Snatcher case—as Tokyo’s newest serial killer had been dubbed—and how the police wasn’t having much luck with apprehending the killer. The gruesome nature of the murder was causing widespread concern over the city, and no one felt safe anymore. Finally, she had been instructed by her supervisor to go and help out the TMPD with their investigation. Perhaps with her profiling skills they could figure out who this dangerous killer was and find them before another victim fell.

Michiru pulled to the front of the latest crime scene, the Hikawa Shrine, and quickly looked over the case file one last time. She liked to be thorough and certain of her facts. She had talked to the TMPD police chief earlier to confirm that she would be joining the team today, and found that she quite liked the calm, no-nonsense woman. Michiru could tell a lot about a person from one conversation, and she definitely was going to get along well with Captain Meioh.

Finally ready, she stepped out of her car and approached the crime scene. A lot of civilians were gathered around, gawking at the scene, and she didn’t like it. Why hadn’t they closed up this area yet? Nobody needed to see a corpse in that condition. It would only cause even more panic and fear among the population.

She showed her badge to the police officer guarding the scene and ducked under the police tape.

There it was; the body. Michiru felt sick as she took in its condition; the gaping chest hole, the missing organ where a heart was supposed to be. What kind of crazy person went around literally ripping off people’s hearts? Did they collect them or something? She shuddered at the thought that somewhere in this city, someone displayed their collection of human hearts in some kind of twisted display.

The first thing she noted was the break in the MO’s pattern. Up until this point, all the victims had been high school students. Now it seemed the killer was escalating. But why target older people all of a sudden? She found, usually, that when serial killers escalated, they changed their methods. Became bolder or went for more grandeur. But very rarely they changed their victim type. Choosing their victims was one of the defining parts of a serial killer’s method, just like the weapon they chose or the manner in which they killed. But victims especially… there was something visceral about it. Something in them that called out to the killers, that manifested in specific ways. Red hair. Blue eyes. Beautiful young girls.

To suddenly switch it up was very odd indeed.

It was as if… almost as if the killer realized they’d been going after the wrong people all this time.

Michiru crouched beside the body, scribbling down her observations on her notepad. So far it seemed as if nothing else had changed. The way the gaping wound looked… it was still impossible to tell what kind of object was used to open up the body. It did not leave any telltale pattern or print that could help them identify the murder weapon. It was just so… chaotic-looking.

As if the murderer literally used their own hands to rip the heart out.

Once again, Michiru shuddered despite herself. She’d seen a lot of gruesome things in her life, but something about this case felt particularly unsettling.

Ami was talking about her hypotheses regarding the murder, but soon her gaze wandered to Haruka's face to something behind her. Turning, Haruka spotted a woman with a notepad bending down near the body. A stern look appeared on the detective's face and she marched over to the ridiculous woman. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Haruka snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. For the first time, Haruka was close enough to the body to see the gaping hole in the woman's chest. It was crusted with dried up blood, and the woman's chest cavity seemed to be literally pulled apart to make a hole big enough to reveal her heart. 

Feeling her stomach lurch, Haruka turned away from the victim and focused her attention on the crazy woman who was daring enough to sneak into a crime scene. 

'Reporters these days.'

A couple different emotions fought for control inside Michiru as she heard the rude voice yelling at her. Irritation came first. Had the captain not briefed all of her officers about the fact that she would be here? That seemed like a gross negligence. Then, her blood went cold when she realized the voice sounded sort of familiar.

No. It can’t be.

She braced herself, turned around, and felt her own heart plummet into her stomach. Of course. Of course it’s her.

She stood up briskly, not liking the difference in height between them or the fact that she had to look up to talk to the detective looming above her. Michiru took a deep breath. Remember to be zen. You’re the mature one.

“Fancy meeting you here, Haruka,” she said casually, as if this was not at all an unexpected development. “It’s been years, hasn’t it?”

But not nearly long enough. She couldn’t believe hotheaded, charging bull Haruka Tenoh had actually managed to become a police detective. What kind of crazy person would let her carry a gun? She might have to look into the TMPD’s standards if they were letting people like Haruka be a part of their team. Michiru had purposefully not kept tabs on her since they graduated high school and went their separate ways, because she’d decided the next time she saw that ex of hers, it would be too soon.

And it was too soon indeed. But unfortunately, she held her professionalism in very high regard.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my presence is requested here,” she flashed her badge once more, holding it perhaps closer to Haruka’s face than necessary. “Your captain has decided you need my help to solve this case.”

Of course she does. Can’t imagine she’s been doing much but charging blindly around all this time, probably arresting innocents left and right.

Haruka always did wear her emotions on her sleeve. While Michiru was masking everything she was feeling to appear casual, as if nothing bothered her, it was very easy to see what was going on in Haruka’s mind from her expression. Surprise, amazement, interest… and was that even a flash of guilt she saw? Good. Michiru would never forget one of the last words Haruka had said to her; that she was an emotionless doll who could never love someone for real anyway, and how much it had hurt her.

Because Michiru did love her. As frustrating as Haruka was, as impatient and impulsive and reckless she could be, Michiru loved her.

And so to be accused that she didn’t had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. She could take all of Haruka’s flaws and still care about her with all her heart, but she could not take the fact that Haruka did not believe in Michiru’s feelings.

She suppressed a smile at Haruka’s reaction toward seeing her badge. Enjoying the brief exchange between Haruka and the captain, Michiru waited until the latter walked away, reading everything going on between the lines easily. This was why she was so good at her job. She could read most people on first glance, and Haruka especially had always been an open book.

Wondering what the captain whispered to Haruka, dismissing a small stab of—what was it? Not jealousy, surely—something, she smiled.

“I suppose it would be weird to have you call me Agent Kaioh.” She returned to her notepad and then glanced at the body again. “So… not that I don’t want to catch up, but we’re kind of in an emergency situation here. Do you have any leads? This is the… what, fifth victim so far?”

Haruka grew agitated by Michiru's unmoving expression. God, she made the perfect agent.

Stepping past Michiru, Haruka ignored her question and knelt down beside the body. Based on what Haruka had heard about the other murders, this one looked to fall in the exact same pattern. Torn chest cavity, missing heart, bruised skin from an obvious struggle.

The only difference was the age of the victim. This woman looked to be in her twenties, while the other victims were all high school students. So what was the distinction?

Ami came over and knelt down beside Haruka. "As you can see," Ami began to explain, "there was an obvious sign of struggle with this victim. There are bruises on her neck, arms, and torso. This girl definitely had more of a fire in her than the other victims. And get this - according to her grandfather, the man she lives here with, there was not a single disturbance here last night. No screams, no sounds of a scuffle, nothing. So that means -"

"This is a dump site. Not a crime scene," Haruka finished. Ami nodded.

"Right. There aren't any bushes or plants around here that show any signs of a scuffle. But that's all I could really get - Eudial should be here soon to -"

"Did someone say 'Eudial?'"

Haruka and Ami turned to find their forensics specialist, Eudial Majoichi, standing behind them next to Michiru. Her bright red hair was reflecting the sunlight in an almost blinding fashion, and her smile was tight and professional. Haruka stood, clapping Eudial on the shoulder, causing the shorter woman to wince. "Michiru, this is Eudial, our forensics specialist. She's the best out there, that's for sure," Haruka said. Eudial nodded curtly to Michiru and looked past Haruka's tall frame at the lifeless body behind her.

Silently, Eudial lifted the victim's arms and head, checking her skin for bruising and other injuries. Finally, Eudial examined the chest cavity, taking notice of the missing heart and examining the torn skin.

Ami stood next to Haruka, quietly watching. They all knew not to interrupt Eudial when she was working. After what seemed like an eternity of silent observation as Eudial muttered to herself, the forensics specialist stood and brushed the dirt off of her lab coat.

"Despite the obvious injuries, this woman was hit in the head by something - probably the killer's fist or a rock. The way her chest cavity is split is slightly different than the other victims. The lining of her skin along the split is perfect - no jagged edges, no diagonal curve - it's a perfect straight line. The killer took their time with this one. There is no way we can tell what the killer used - we can try to find that out later with an autopsy. But there is a high chance the autopsy will prove futile, like with the other victims. Anyway, based on the landscape of this shrine, I would say this is not the crime scene. You probably figured that out already," Eudial paused to glance at Michiru. "And as for a lead, you may want to take a look at this."

In one swift motion, Eudial whipped out a blacklight from her pocket and knelt down,
pulling up Rei's wrist and shining the light on it. Three five-pointed stars were stamped onto her wrist. "The stamp is fresh," Eudial continued. "She had to have gotten it within the last 24 hours for it to still be present. As to where the stamp leads, I'm not su -"

Eudial was interrupted by a gasp from Ami. Haruka turned, raising one eyebrow at the bluenette. "I know that sign! It's the mark for the Three Lights' Fan Club! They just had a meeting last night over at that really popular bar...oh what was it called..."

"Ryū Kurabu," Haruka stated.

Ami blinked. "Yes! That was it. Not that I was there or anything, I just...um..."

Eudial pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and adjusted her lab coat. "Right, well there's your lead. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be heading back to the lab where I belong."

Ami bowed to Haruka and Michiru and followed Eudial, leaving the two women alone.

"Well," Haruka spoke, running her fingers through her hair, "shall we get going?"

Michiru listened intently to Haruka’s colleague, noting the woman’s bright eyes and obvious intelligence with ease. She spoke methodically and clearly, obviously used to seeing dead bodies and gruesome scenes like this.

So the shrine wasn’t the crime scene. Finding the real one would have to be the first thing on their list; it might have more clues about the perpetrator.

When yet another woman showed up, Michiru gave her the same once over she did everyone else, sensing an odd mix of coldness and fire within her. She, too, didn’t seem bothered by the body at all, and seemed content in taking her time examining it.

She felt mildly frustrated that they couldn’t even figure out the weapon; what kind of object left no obvious trace? Was the killer being creative by using something unusual?

Finally, as the forensics expert showed them the imprint of three stars on the victim’s wrist, Michiru looked at it closer. It seemed oddly familiar to her, somehow, though for the life of her she could not remember where she might’ve seen it. When Ami gasped with obvious recognition and exclaimed that it was the mark for the Three Lights Fan Club, Michiru had to admit she was surprised. She did not see that coming. She would not have pegged this serious-looking girl as a… what do they call it? A fangirl of a popular band.

And then Haruka supplied the meeting place, and this time Michiru looked at her with mild surprise. She hoped Haruka just happened to know popular bars, and not a secret fan of the band herself. If she were, she might never hear the end of it.

Michiru gave Ami a knowing smile as she tried to cover her being on the fan club meeting. As Eudial left, Michiru’s eyes followed her briefly, wondering about the brisk and no-nonsense way she’d acted throughout. Maybe she was just one of those… not so social persons. Smart people tended to be that way.

Now left with Haruka alone, Michiru sighed. She never expected her partner to be her ex, and hoped the captain would never catch on to that fact. She didn’t want to be dismissed from this interesting case so soon.

“Alright then. Your car or mine?”

She already knew the answer. Haruka loved her car—though she wondered if she still had the same one from high school—and she loved driving.

She did a quick search on her phone while they walked, looking up the fan club in question. “This says the headquarters of the fan club—if you believe there’s such a thing—is just next door from the bar where they held their meeting last night. And it’s run by a woman called Mimi Hanyū, or better known as Mimete. So what’s your member number on the Three Lights club, Haruka?” she asked playfully.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at Michiru. Did she seriously just ask that question? Who knew that just a few years could make Michiru forget that it was either Haruka's car or die.

After heading down the shrine staircase and to Haruka's car, Michiru asked what her member was and Haruka almost choked on air. 

Before unlocking the car, Haruka turned to Michiru. "You really think I'm a member of some petty fanclub? Aren't you a profiler? Or am I wrong about what profilers do?" she said, her eyes avoiding her ex-girlfriend's. "I go to the bar a lot. When you're a successful cop like me, you get lots of opportunities to celebrate." With a smirk, Haruka unlocked her car and slid into the driver's seat. She already had the car started before Michiru begin, and she playfully revved the engine. It was something she used to do to Michiru to scare the hell out of her when they were in high school.

The drive was not very long, and was filled with an awkward tension. Could this day even be happening? What were the odds that now, after so many years of absolutely no contact whatsoever, Haruka and Michiru were brought together again?

A part of Haruka felt that she would enjoy this, but another part couldn't wait for it to be over.

The car pulled up in front of the bar and Haruka parked it, taking out the key and glancing over at Michiru. "Here we are," she said flatly. In a swift motion, Haruka opened the car door and pulled herself out of the driver's seat. The bar in front of them wasn't open, but it was scheduled to open in an hour. Haruka knew the owner, so she figured it wouldn't be too much trouble for them to go in. Besides, it was police work.

Haruka led the way into the bar, opening the door and causing a little bell to ring above it. The manager, who was wiping down the bar counter, yelled, "We're not open for another hour! Come back later."

Haruka smirked and walked over to the counter, leaning her elbows against it and making fresh new smudges on the cleaned surface. "Actually, Motoki, we're here to ask you some questions. Care to give us a minute?" Haruka said, the smirk still on her face. Motoki looked up, his eyes narrowed and filled with agitation and fear.

"Damn it, Tenoh!" he yelled, throwing his rag onto the ground. "I told the other guys - I had no idea that kid was under age!"

Haruka leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "We're not here about the legitimacy of your bartending license."

Turning her head slightly, Haruka nodded her head slightly at Michiru. She was the profiler - she should be the one to ask the questions.

Michiru didn’t really think Haruka was a fan club member, of course. She just liked making the blonde woman flustered. And she was glad that, after all these years, she could still do that. Maybe, she thought in a pensive, wistful moment, Haruka would always be the person she could know outside in the best. It made her sad thinking of what their relationship had become, of the possibilities of what they could have been that were now discarded forever.

She noted Haruka’s mention about being a ‘successful cop’ and made a mental note to look up her file later thoroughly to check this claim. She found it hard to believe that someone who never thought twice before doing something in her life could be so good at this job. Perhaps Haruka was usually working with a different partner? Someone levelheaded to balance her out, whose coattails Haruka was riding?

She mulled over the case on the ride over, though her thoughts kept frustratingly straying back to the woman beside her. Michiru was going to need an extra effort to be able to concentrate properly around Haruka. She reminded herself not to get sidetracked or distracted. This job was important. Their relationship was over and should not be a hindrance now.

She stepped out of the car when they arrived, and was not terribly surprised to find that Haruka knew the manager of the place. She didn’t lie about being a regular here, then.

She suppressed a laugh as Motoki—the manager—immediately tried to defend himself from apparently selling alcohol to underage kids. But then Haruka looked at her expectantly, so she cleared her throat and regained her composure.

“Right. I’m Agent Kaioh of the NPA,” she introduced herself politely. “We’re sorry to bother you, but we’re actually here about a case. We believe you can help us with some information.”

Motoki’s expression softened when he saw her. “Ah, it’s… alright. I’m Motoki Furuhata. What information are you seeking?”

“We’re actually here about a case. Have you seen this woman? She should’ve been here last night, at the Three Lights fan club meeting.” She pulled out a picture of Rei from the case file, carefully selecting one that didn’t show her chest gaping open.

Motoki examined it for a few minutes. “Yeah… actually. She’s hard to forget. Strikingly beautiful, elegant…” Then his face paled, realizing what he was really looking at. “Is… is she dead?”

Michiru gently took the photo back. “I’m afraid so. When was the last time you saw her?”

Motoki sat down carefully on a chair. “About 10:00 pm, I think. Just before the late night crowd arrives. The meeting has ended by then, and I… I saw her going outside with that, uh… the lady that’s in charge of the fan club? With the bright orange hair?”

Michiru glanced at Haruka before pulling out her phone, the one still showing Mimete’s profile. “This woman?”

“Yes! Mimete, that’s her,” Motoki confirmed. “They walked out together, and I’ve seen neither of them since. That’s the last time I saw that black-haired girl.”

“Thank you very much, Furuhata-san. You’ve been a big help,” Michiru said sincerely.

“Ah… anytime. If this brute here interrogates me half as politely as you do, I’ll tell her more things, too.”

Michiru stifled another laugh and glanced at Haruka. “I think we owe this Mimete a visit.”

Haruka leaned back against a table, twirling a shot glass and listening as Michiru interrogated Motoki. It was clear Michiru was experienced, but she was so slow. Haruka would have had all the information in half the time Michiru got it.

When Motoki mentioned Haruka's interrogation strategy, she glared at the bartender. Of course he would make Haruka look like an idiot - despite being a regular, Haruka had caused quite a bit of trouble at this particular joint.

Still glaring, Haruka whisked her arm forward, acting like she was about to clap Michiru on the shoulder. The shotglass that was on the table was swiped to the side, falling to the ground and shattering. Haruka looked down, feigning a startled expression. "Oh god, sorry Motoki-san. I would clean that up, but we've got to get going. Let's go, Michiru," Haruka said, turned and waving for Michiru to follow. That would serve Motoki right.

As they walked towards the next building over, Haruka started laughing. "Do you treat all law-breakers with respect?" she asked Michiru, an amused look on her face. The reached the door of the fanclub headquarters, and Haruka recognized the large, three-starred symbol painted on the door. Haruka opened the door, motioning for Michiru to go in first.

"Ladies first," she winked.

Michiru bit back a comment about how she needed to apologize for her partner being a childish fool. No matter how much she wanted to, Haruka was her partner, and her job dictated that she never undercut her coworker’s respect like that, or no one would be taking either of them seriously.

When they stepped out of the bar and Haruka started laughing, however, she sighed long-sufferingly. “As you can see, politeness goes a really long way. You don’t have to destroy everything to get what you want, you know. Sometimes, asking nicely is all it takes.”

She glanced at the Three Lights symbol, raising an eyebrow when Haruka actually opened the door for her, and stepped inside.

For a fan club, the place sure looked pretty luxurious. It had a minimalist décor; all white, glass, and sharp edges, but the walls were plastered with Three Lights posters until there was almost no empty space. Plush couches sat in the middle of the room and yet more magazines featuring Three Lights on the covers were stacked on the coffee table. There was a rack full of brochures containing things like Three Lights concert schedules, information about being a member, and god knows what else.

Michiru wondered how much the membership fee was, and if the price was worth all the advantages. Surely a fan club leader couldn’t guarantee things like VIP tickets and the like? Did this Mimete actually know the Three Lights personally?

“Can I help you?” the receptionist sitting behind a huge white desk asked in boredom.

“Is the president of the fan club around?” Michiru stepped forward, flashing her badge. “We need to talk to her.”

The receptionist’s eyes widened. “National Police? What could you possibly want with Mimete-sama?”

Michiru raised an eyebrow. Mimete-sama? “That is a matter we have to discuss with her personally, I’m afraid.”

The receptionist looked unsure, but then dialed a number on her phone. “Mimete-sama? Two police officers are here looking for you. …. No, I don’t know... they wouldn’t say. ….No, of course not. ….I’m sure they don’t know about that…” A nervous glance at Haruka and Michiru as she realized what she’d just said. “…No, Mimete-sama, I told you, we tried our best, but clones are impossible… Yes, I’m positive there are no Three Lights lookalikes in our … Mimete-sama, we don’t even have an R&D department.”

She sighed and put down her phone. “She’ll be right down with you. Please, take a seat.”

Michiru looked at Haruka, wondering if she should take that ‘clones’ thing seriously. She knew some fans were overzealous, but this seemed a bit over the line. She barely had time to take a step toward the comfortable looking couches before a bright, cheery voice blared through the room.

“Good afternoon!” The woman she identified immediately as Mimete breezed into the room, glancing at Michiru once and peering at Haruka a bit longer. “Hello, police officers! How may I, Mimete, CEO of the Three Lights National Fan Club and Super Idol Chaser help you?”

Michiru did her quick internal assessment of the woman who called herself Mimete. Obviously very confident, perky, and clearly had devoted her entire life into idol-chasing, if she did declare so herself. Easily excitable. But wait… idols. She loved idols. That meant she loved charm. Charisma.

She could easily swoon for the right person.

“Ahem, actually, why don’t you take this one,” she said to Haruka, hoping she understood the tactic necessary to get this one to open up. “I need to make an important call.”

The overwhemling amount of merchandise having to do with the Three Lights was sickening. She hated all of those dumb boybands that were so popular - didn't people know what real music was? These preppy rich boys were a sorry excuse for musicians.

Michiru, on the other hand was a real musician. 

Haruka reminisced those days in the past when she would sit and listen to Michiru play the violin. She had always been a very talented young woman, and it made Haruka sad that she never pursued that talent. 

Michiru was already dealing with the receptionist by the time Haruka was done scowling at all of the posters and magazines. Walking over beside Michiru, Haruka rolled her eyes at how official and professional Michiru was. Didn't she know how to take a chill pill?

Despite her odd way of dealing with things, Michiru convinced the receptionist to call down the club president. A few minutes later, the so-called leader of the fanclub appeared, looking bright and cheerful, as if she hadn't a care in the world. 

Haruka immediately felt like vomiting. She was so fake. 

She reminded Haruka so much of those ridiculous cheerleaders who swooned every time Haruka walked down the hallway. Crazy for attention, crazy for boys, crazy for anything. This would be easy, Haruka thought.

Michiru seemed to remember Haruka's knack for charm and good-looks, for she nudged her and told her she was going to take an important call. Smirking, Haruka nodded and said, "You do that."

Turning back to Mimete, Haruka flashed her award-winning smile and took a step closer. "So, you're the one that puts all of the hard work into this club, right? That's pretty impressive - I've heard that the Three Lights are pretty popular these days. That must make you pretty popular too, right?"

Haruka was closer to Mimete now, practically a half step away from being chest-to-chest. Mimete's eyes flickered with pride. She smiled brightly, tilting her head upwards to meet Haruka's gaze. 

"Why yes, I am quite the popular one around here. I do all of the work - I enlist new members, schedule events, get my members tickets, you name it!" 

Haruka chuckled. "That's pretty impressive. It's sad we're here on business - it would be nice to get to know you better, since you're clearly so successful. But maybe after we get what we want here, you and I can go out for some..." Haruka glanced back at Michiru and bent down, putting her lips right next to Mimete's ear, "...fun."

Mimete giggled, brushing a piece of curly blonde hair out of her face. "Sure, anything for you," Mimete said, smiling. "What can I help you with?"

Haruka stood up straighter. "I don't like to be the one to spread bad news, but one of your club members happened to be murdered last night. We found the stamp on her wrist for your fanclub, and so we're here to ask a couple questions."

Mimete began to fidget slightly, picking at her manicured nails. "Oh...yes. I heard all about that poor girl in the news. It's so sad - Rei-chan was such a valuable club member. Please, ask away. I'll give you any information you need." 

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Right, yes, very sad. Did you happen to notice any strange behavior in Miss Hino last night? Did she leave the meeting with anyone suspicious?"

Mimete shook her head. "No, actually - I was the one who left with her. We were talking about some new ideas for the club, and we said goodbye and went our separate ways. That was the last I saw her..." 

The small woman's eyes filled with tears and she began to sniffle. Haruka looked back at Michiru again, motioning with her head for her to come forward.

"I'm very sorry to have upset you, Mimete," Haruka said, reaching for her belt. "I have one more question for you, and then we'll be out of your hair."

Mimete nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. "Okay," she whimpered. 

"How did you know the victim was Rei Hino? That information was never revealed to the press."

Mimete gasped, her eyes widening. "I - I must have heard it somewhere, on the news, or on the street, or something..."

Haruka completely turned off her charming personality and became the cold, gut-following cop she was born to be. "Mimete, you are under arrest for the murder of Rei Hino."

In one swift movement, Haruka had spun Mimete around and slapped a pair of metal handcuffs on her wrist. The shorter blonde began to thrash and scream, begging for Haruka not to bring her in.

"Please! No, you don't understand! I'm not the murderer, I would never hurt someone, please let me go! I can explain, please!"

Michiru pretended to hold a phone to her ear while listening to the conversation going behind her. It was obvious that Haruka was putting on her charm—she’d forgotten how good she was at that. Hearing her try to be all complimentary to Mimete made her feel annoyed somehow, which was stupid, because that was the exact point of letting Haruka do it. She knew it wasn’t real, and yet it brought back memories to the old days, when Haruka would always do the same thing to other girls, even when they were already in a relationship. It was one of the sore points that constantly bothered her when they were together. She was unavailable, so why did she have to keep acting like she was?

She tried not to gag as the conversation turned into Haruka pretending to ask Mimete out, and hoped it could all be over soon. Her ears perked when she heard Mimete saying the victim’s name; something she knew the police were still keeping from the media until the full autopsy was done. Haruka caught on too, and Michiru uncharacteristically felt the urge to cheer when she turned off the charm like a switch and cuffed the silly ginger-haired woman.

She didn’t think right then there were any other words that could make her feel as happy as Haruka announcing Mimete under arrest for the latest murder.

Could they have found The Heart Snatcher? On one hand, it seemed so easy… but on the other, maybe they shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Well, you can explain down in the station,” Michiru said, enjoying watching the girl squirm, maybe just a tad bit too much.


At the TMPD precinct, Mimete was safely in the interrogation room, and Michiru was reviewing her profile from what she could gather on the internet. She had to admit; while the situation looked immensely suspicious, Mimete did not fit the average serial killer profile at all. She was too… public. She loved the spotlight, and maybe that was her way of flaunting her untouchability (overconfidence was one trait she often found in serial killers, after all) or to taunt the police in some way, but something about it felt… wrong.

She was too delicate, too fragile-looking, maybe it was all an act, but watching the woman sobbing in the interrogation room before they even began made her wonder if Mimete was just a really good actress or if she was genuinely upset. Usually serial killers were more reserved, more assured of themselves. Not this bundle of excitement that was a bit all over the place. Not someone who cracked under pressure so easily.

She walked to Haruka’s desk, knowing they’d let Mimete sweat long enough in the room and that it was time to talk to her soon. “So… do you think it’s her? The Heart Snatcher?” she asked, wondering what Haruka’s gut was telling her. She’d become a police officer, which meant she had pretty good instincts, right? Even if Michiru still found it hard to believe that her recklessness hadn’t gotten her killed already.

Haruka sat at her desk, impatiently scribbling on the form she was required to fill out for arresting someone. This was the worst part of being a cop - paperwork. Honestly, couldn't they hire someone to do this crap? Haruka didn't belong in the precinct. She needed to be in the field, kicking butt and saving people.

As she finished filling out the form, Haruka felt Michiru walk up behind her. It was weird how just Michiru's presence made the hair on the back of Haruka's neck stand up. Straightening her back, Haruka turned and placed her arms behind her head.

"Definitely not," Haruka answered. "If that girl's a serial killer, then I'm straight. No, she's not the one. But there's a connection, for sure."

Haruka stood, straightening the leather jacket she always wore. "Ready to go in?"

"Tenoh."

The tall blonde cringed, turning around to find Setsuna walking towards her. 'Here we go,' she thought.

"Before you go in, I want to make myself clear in saying that I don't want any nonsense like your last case. Am I understood? Mimete's lawyer is Kaori. Don't. Push her," Setsuna threatened. She turned to Michiru. "Keep her in line."

Setsuna left to go into the observation room where she could watch the interrogation and step in if need be. With a sigh, Haruka ran her fingers through her hair before throwing open the door to the interrogation room. Mimete's lawyer had arrived moments ago, and she was making herself comfortable. God, Haruka hated Kaori. She was by far the one of the best, most annoying defense lawyers in the city. It took every fiber of Haruka's being no to strangle her every time she saw her.

But maybe with Michiru here, it wouldn't be so bad.

Haruka hated sitting during interrogations. She needed to stand, to be able to pace and remain intimidating. By standing, she was releasing more energy, and she was less-likely to pull Kaori's bright red hair out.

"Detective Tenoh, I'll have you know that I have advised my client not to speak during this interrogation. Any questions you have can and will be answered by me. I hope that isn't a problem," the lawyer said, her gray eyes challenging Haruka to snap. But she didn't. Haruka simply stood back with her arms crossed and her fists clenched.

Michiru was pleasantly surprised at Haruka’s certainty. So she, too, felt the same way. She nodded when Haruka asked if she was ready, but then the captain interrupted them. Michiru noted Haruka’s reaction in amusement, and raised her eyebrows when Setsuna warned her about some ‘nonsense’ in the last case. Ooh, what had Haruka done? Michiru was dying to know. No doubt she’d lost control again and acted with her heart instead of her head. She must’ve done that whole bull-charging-in-a-china-shop thing. So Michiru was right; Haruka was still impulsive and reckless. She wondered how Haruka hadn’t been fired yet. She must also be really good at her job in some other way.

“Yes, Captain,” she answered solemnly as Setsuna asked her to keep Haruka in line. Only after Setsuna moved away did she add to Haruka playfully, “With pleasure. One of these days, you’re going to have to tell me that ‘nonsense’ story.”

She stepped into the interrogation room, noting the red-haired lawyer who apparently had had some unpleasant history with Haruka.

“It’s quite alright,” Michiru was the one who answered her question, seeing that Haruka didn’t seem like she was going to say anything. “I’m Agent Michiru Kaioh of the NPA. I will be the one asking the questions.”

The lawyer seemed partly pleased that she didn’t have to fight Haruka, but also wary of her. Michiru arranged the papers in front of her and stated calmly, “Miss Kaori, I am afraid things aren’t looking good for your client here. When questioning her earlier, we got her to mention the victim name from the latest murder we believe is performed by The Heart Snatcher, when we haven’t released that information to the press yet. We need to know how she knew that name.”

Mimete fidgeted on her seat, but Kaori remained calm. “Yes, there is an explanation for that. Mimete-san has received correspondence from someone claiming to be The Heart Snatcher.”

Michiru looked up with obvious interest. “Has she? When?”

“Since around the second murder.”

“How come she didn’t tell the police?”

“She was understandably scared. Especially since The Heart Snatcher threatened to kill her.”

“What did the killer want with her? And you understand we will need to see this correspondence to verify its authenticity.”

“Of course. We will give you Mimete-san’s e-mail and password. And the killer wanted money. They were blackmailing her.”

“I’m the victim here!” Mimete exclaimed indignantly, apparently unable to stay silent anymore. Her lawyer glared in warning, and she quieted down again.

Michiru turned back to Kaori. “Why her? Why blackmail her of all people?”

“I don’t know, who knows how serial killers think? They’re crazy. They probably have some kind of personal grudge against Mimete-san. They did keep referring to something about snails, which Mimete-san swears she has no idea about.”

“I don’t!” Mimete blurted out again. Kaori sighed.

“Are you sure? Perhaps the killer is someone you know,” Michiru spoke to her directly now.

“No, I swear! ‘Snails’ don’t mean anything to me! I’ve never been mean to anyone! But a lot of people envy me because of my position and my connection with the Three Lights.”

Michiru doubted that was enough cause for murder and blackmail, unless… it was an overzealous fan. But still, this felt more personal. She wrote down ‘snails?’ on her notebook, wondering if that lead was ever going to get anywhere.

“Mimete-san, how do you know it’s really the killer you’re talking to?”

“Because they keep telling me who they’re going after next, and the next morning that person would die for real! And it’s always someone from the fan club!” Mimete wailed, tears streaking down her face freely. “They’re killing my fan club!”

“Mimete-san!” Kaori warned, but it was too late.

“Wait… Are you telling me that you’re being told ahead of time who would die next and you kept it to yourself this entire time? Even though they’re all members of your club?” Michiru asked in disbelief.

“It’s a serial killer, okay? And they keep threatening to kill me! I don’t want them gouging my heart out of my chest! What was I supposed to do?”

“Maybe protect your members like you’re supposed to,” Michiru said through gritted teeth.

Mimete just continued to wail. “I’m sorry! I’m so scared! Please, you have to protect me!”

Michiru turned away from the women before her in disgust. This was unbelievable. “We will need your fan club member list to match it with the list of victims,” she said coldly.

Kaori handed a piece of paper to her without protest, apparently realizing the situation wasn’t looking good for her client.

“And one more thing,” Michiru added, still not looking at either of them. “When’s the next payment for the killer scheduled?”

“T-tonight,” Mimete sobbed. “That’s why I can’t be in jail! If the money isn’t sent, I’d be dead!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that,” Michiru said impatiently. “How is it done? Wired to an untraceable account?”

“N-no, actually. A dead drop. At the Ichi-no-Hashi park, under the park bench right by the entrance, at 9 pm sharp. 100.000 yen exactly.”

Michiru looked at Mimete in disbelief. That seemed awfully… risky. Was The Heart Snatcher sending someone else to pick up the money? Or would they pick it up themselves? Either way, if they followed that money, it would lead them straight to the real killer.

“100.000 yen? How often do you have to pay?”

“E-every month.”

“That’s a lot of money, even for you.”  

Mimete looked down in shame. “I-I might have… raised my membership fees and added some additional payments for a VVIP ticket lottery…”  

“MIMETE-SAN! I must insist you let me do the talking!” Kaori was one second away from pulling her own hair out.  

“You’re stealing from your members?” Michiru, too, was one second away from losing her cool. “So not only do you offer them up as sacrificial lambs for The Heart Snatcher, you’re also robbing them?”  

“I am the victim here!” Mimete insisted again, still weeping. “You have no idea how stressed I have been dealing with this… this terorrist!”

Michiru snapped her notebook shut with a thud. “Well, I’m done here. I can safely say we have enough to make sure not only you go to jail for aiding and abetting a known murderer, obstruction of justice, and embezzlement, but also that your fan club will be disbanded.”

“Agent Kaioh…!” Kaori said indignantly, but Michiru continued speaking as if she never said anything.

“I believe that is all. Unless Detective Tenoh has any more to say?” she looked at Haruka, waiting.

The temptation to speak up while Michiru went on with the investigation was driving Haruka nuts. She knew the Captain was watching, which meant she had better keep her mouth shut if she wanted to avoid another suspension, but she hated Kaori so much that she know the urge would take over sooner or later.

As Michiru continued asking questions, Haruka wondered how she was keeping her patience. Just standing there and listening to Mimete's story made Haruka want to start yelling. People had hearts ripped out of their chest, and Mimete could have stopped it.

Michiru stood, and Haruka immediately recognized agitation and impatience in her ex-girlfriend. Smirking, Haruka started to follow her, but stopped. She met Kaori's eye, which was filled with anger. "Don't worry, Kaori. Mimete will be safe - behind bars."

Chuckling to herself, Haruka left behind Michiru. She loved seeing the look of angry defeat on Kaori's face.

"Alright, so let's get going. We've got a serial killer to catch," Haruka said, spinning her car keys around her finger. "You wanna drive?" she asked, holding the keys out for Michiru to take. She waited three seconds, then pulled the keys back. "Sike."

Haruka was almost out the door when she heard the familiar loud cry of, "Tenoh!" With a grimace, Haruka turned around to meet her captain.

"You're going to need this," Setsuna said, holding out a briefcase. Curious, Haruka took the case and opened it, seeing lots of yen inside. After snapping the case shut, Haruka handed it to Michiru. "Thanks. We'll be going now."

"Do you have your gun?"

"What kind of question is that?"

A small smile played at the corners of Setsuna's lips. "Good luck, ladies. I expect a killer in cuffs when you return."

Haruka nodded and went outside, walking to her car. She slid inside and waited for Michiru before driving towards the meeting point. They had ten minutes until they were supposed to meet the "Heart Snatcher", which was more than enough time. Haruka took her time driving, bobbing her head to the rock music she was blasting. She wondered how long she would be able to keep this up until Michiru scolded her or turned off the music. The thought reminded Haruka of how much if a buzzkill Michiru was. Always so serious, so uptight. The woman needed to learn to live a little.

They arrived at the park entrance, and Haruka spotted the jet-black car parked a few yards ahead of them. Haruka looked over at Michiru and grinned. "Alright Ms. Do-Everything-Carefully. Go get 'em. I'll be right here if anything goes wrong."

Michiru didn’t bother answering Haruka’s trick question or try to grab her keys. She just stared at Haruka with an expression that said, ‘Yeah, right’. Haruka had never really allowed anyone else to drive her beloved car, and anyway, Michiru preferred being on the passenger seat.

She turned at the captain’s call, surprised that the TMPD managed to procure such a large amount of money so quickly. It wasn’t her job to ask, though, so she just followed Haruka to her car and thought about what they might find when they got there. Obviously, the killer was going to be dangerous.

It was really hard to think with Haruka blasting rock music as if they were just going on a road trip. Michiru scowled to herself but did not touch the volume button.

“Maybe we should’ve brought backup,” she said above the sound of someone yelling what was supposed to be legitimate song lyrics. “Like a whole grab team or something. This is a dangerous serial killer we’re talking about. Or at least put a tracer on the money.” Of course, a whole SWAT team might alert the killer to their presence and would prevent them from showing up at all, but were the two of them really enough?

She sighed as Haruka decided to send her out alone to potentially face a serial killer. Nice to know she still cared as much as she used to.

Back at the station, Michiru had borrowed Mimete’s dark sunglasses and her red scarf, and now she tied the scarf carefully around her head so that none of her hair was visible. She put on the tinted glasses, then grabbed the bag of money. From a distance, she should be able to pass as Mimete. Hopefully the killer wouldn’t try to look closer.

She dumped the bag under the park bench, then returned quickly to the car. Taking off the scarf and glasses, she shook her hair free again and dumped the disguise items on the back seat.

“Maybe we should circle around or something. If The Heart Snatcher is watching me, she’d know I haven’t left yet.”

Haruka laughed at Michiru's ridiculous proposal. The music had been turned down, and Haruka looked over at her partner. "Back-up? I gasp at the word," she said, adding a dramatic toss of her hair. She waited in silence as Michiru left the car to deliver the money, clutching her gun tightly in her hand. She was ready to shoot if anything were to happen  - there was no way she would let anything happen to Michiru.

They may not be together like they used to be, but Haruka still cared for her in a deep, forbidden way. She would always have those feelings for Michiru that she had in high school, no matter how much Michiru hated her. 

"I've got a better idea," Haruka responded, shifting the car into drive. She drove slowly past the car, straining to see through its windows. Unfortunately, the windows were tinted and it was impossible to see the person inside. Haruka continued driving forward, making a left at the next street and quickly performing a u-turn. The car was now parked, ready to speed into action as soon as their serial killer drove past them. They were hidden from their suspect's view.

"Ready for some fun?" Haruka smirked. A few minutes later, the sleek black car sped past them, and Haruka sprang into action. Her foot slammed onto the gas, pushing the car forward at a remarkable speed. 

Yeah, she had some work done on it since high school. 

She followed behind the black car, weaving in and out of traffic to avoid getting any scratches on her baby. "I really hope your seatbelt's on," she said, speeding the car up even more. By this point, their culprit knew Haruka was following them, and the chase officially began.

Horns blared and people yelled from their car windows as Haruka sped past them, avoiding pedestrians crossing the street and speeding past red lights. The one thing she hated about Japan was the overwhelming amount of people that were always in her way. 

The black car was starting to get farther and farther ahead of them, and instead of going straight Haruka made a hard left, driving down the street and making a right. They were driving through a narrow alleyway - definitely not a place for cars to be - but it was the perfect shortcut. Haruka came out directly behind the suspect's car, and now she was hot on their heels. 

"I'm sorry baby," she muttered, wrenched the steering wheel to the side. The front of her car slammed into the back of the black car, and said black vehicle went swerving to the right. It slammed into a light post and Haruka hit the brakes, looking over at Michiru in concern. "You alright?" she asked, making sure the constant hard turns and their recent "wreck" didn't cause any harm to her partner.

Michiru let Haruka drive the car around, waiting until the killer passed them. She had no idea if they were even watching the right car, but there hadn’t been any other vehicle around the park at this hour. She grabbed the handle above the door to brace herself as Haruka showed her ready to race face, knowing full well what was about to happen. As the mysterious black car passed, Michiru jolted forward when Haruka hit the gas.

She was pretty sure this car should not be this fast, but she wasn’t surprised that Haruka had made it so. She’d always been such a speed-addict. Not that kind of speed, fortunately. Michiru wasn’t foolish enough to ever ride a car driven by Haruka with her seatbelt on, so she just rolled her eyes when Haruka said it had better be on.

After a long chase filled with a lot of near misses, Haruka managed to catch up by taking a shortcut. Michiru yelped when Haruka actually hit the other car with her own. For a moment, she thought Haruka had muttered the apology to her, until she realized Haruka was talking to the car. Of course she is. She watched with heart beating rapidly in her chest as the other car swerved and hit the lamppost.

At Haruka’s next question, Michiru turned to make sure that, this time, she was indeed talking to her. “Yeah, fine. We’ve got to get them, though,” Michiru unbuckled her seatbelt quickly and jumped out of the car.

The car door ahead of her opened and someone was already stumbling out. Michiru drew her weapon at their back. “Freeze! Police!” she commanded.

The figure pause, their back to her. At first, it seemed as if they might actually surrender, but then there was a sound like a whistle, and something whizzing through the air. Michiru did not realize what had happened until the pain exploded.

She gasped and dropped her gun, looking at the point of impact from which the pain spread. A knife had embedded itself on her right shoulder. She looked at its gleaming handle in disbelief. When she looked up again, the perp was already moving again after throwing the deadly weapon. She tried to grasp her gun with her left hand, but she knew she wasn’t trained to shoot with her left arm and it would be a futile attempt.

Haruka got out of the car and started to run, but was yanked backwards onto her butt. A string of curses left her lips as Haruka realized her jacket had gotten snagged in the car door. She continued cursing as she struggled to free herself, and she finally was released. She turned to start running, but paused when she saw Michiru standing several yards away from their suspect. The familiar glint of a knife caught Haruka's eye, and her eyes widened in horror. "MICHIRU!" she yelled, her voice filled with so much anguish and panic. If Michiru was killed, she would never be able to live with herself.

She could not let Michiru die.

Haruka started sprinting as fast as she could, but the world seemed to move in slow motion as the knife flew from their suspects hand and through the air, embedding itself into Michiru's shoulder. The agent's gun fell to the ground, and Haruka wanted so badly to grab it and shoot the hell out of the person who dared to try and kill Michiru. But Haruka ignored the gun and dropped to her knees beside Michiru, cupping her face in her hands.

"Michiru. Look at me - don't focus on anything else. Don't move, alright? Help is on the way. You scared the crap out of me, you know that? God..." Haruka glanced at the knife in Michiru's shoulder, instantly feeling a sickening lurch in her stomach. If that knife had gone anywhere else, Michiru would be dead.

The thought of holding a dead Michiru in her arms made Haruka close her eyes in a desperate attempt to remove the thought from her mind. Michiru was going to be okay, she told herself. She was not going to die. Not if Haruka could help it.

Quickly, Haruka made a 911 call, but she knew it would take about five minutes for the ambulance to arrive. With a sigh, she absentmindedly took Michiru's hand.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you about my suspension, huh?" she said, smiling slightly. She knew Michiru would love to hear about that. "I was on a case regarding a homicide about two months ago. It was the governor's daughter who was killed. After a little investigating, I found out that it was the governor's daughter-in-law who commited the crime. But there was more to it. The mayor's son was a filthy little ba -" Haruka paused, taking control of her anger. "Uh, jerk. He beat her and harassed her when no one was around. That's why she killed his sister - revenge. Why she didn't kill him is a mystery to me, the son of a -" Haruka paused again. "The jerk deserved it. So when she was arrested, I met her husband at the town hall and I punched him in the face. Probably not the best call, since I was suspended for three weeks, but I don't regret it one bit. If you ever see him, the missing front tooth is thanks to me."

Michiru’s entire attention was on the killer. They were getting away, and her pathetic attempt at shooting ricocheted off the black car uselessly. She winced at the pain on her other arm and was about to yell at Haruka to go on and chase them when suddenly Haruka was beside her. Touching her face.

“Wha..?” she couldn’t even get a word out, since Haruka was immediately talking to her as if she was dying. She was decidedly not dying. “Haruka! You need to go after the killer, they’re getting away!”

But Haruka wasn’t listening.

Haruka never listened.

Another glance at the killer told her they were long gone. Michiru sighed in frustration. She was touched that Haruka cared so much about her to drop everything, but that wasn’t the proper way to do her job. As a police officer, she should have put the killer as her top priority. They had The Heart Snatcher cornered. Haruka could have taken her down. They could have put a stop to all the killing.

These thoughts haunted Michiru as she half-heartedly listened to Haruka continuing to babble. Why was she telling an anecdote about her suspension? Did she really think she needed to keep Michiru’s attention so she’d stay awake or something? Or to distract her from the pain? It actually wasn’t too bad. And the knife hadn’t hit any major organs so it wasn’t as if a few stitches wouldn’t fix her up. What worried her was not being able to properly use her dominant arm for a while, especially now that they still had a perp to catch.

Michiru gave a long-suffering sigh and managed a smile at Haruka. “You’re still an idiot, you know that?” she said finally. “This is why backup is necessary. And by the way, I’m surprised you’ve not been fired yet with your tendency of going around punching important people.”

The ambulance came in another few minutes, and Michiru was hauled inside. As much as this was an inconvenience, she was graeful that at least she would not have to be the one to explain to Captain Meioh why they had let their suspect get away.

Haruka was going to be in serious trouble.

Haruka tried to laugh lightheartedly, but as the ambulance came around the corner she felt as if her stomach had been flipped over. "If you think an abusive man is an 'important person', then you need to get your priorities straight," she said.

As the ambulance took Michiru away, Haruka stood back with her hands shoved in her pockets. Defeated, she walked over to her car and glared at the scratches that had been made on the front. Overwhelmed with emotions, Haruka reared back and kicked her tire. "Damn it!" she hissed, flinging open her car door and plopping into the seat. With a sigh, she leaned her head against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. She let the killer get away. For what? For Michiru to yell at her later? For Setsuna to suspend her again? For a call from the agency suing Haruka for being so reckless? For scratches on her car?!

For Michiru. She did it for Michiru.

And Michiru wouldn't even appreciate it. That was why they had broken up. Michiru thought Haruka was reckless and impulsive, mindless and ignorant. Haruka never understood why Michiru thought it was so bad to feel things. To be vulnerable and reckless because of those feelings. Haruka was born that way. She had to do what she was meant to do, and that was that. Whether it broke the rules or not, if her heart told her to do it, she would do it.

With a sigh, Haruka started the car and drove towards the hospital, hoping that maybe Michiru would spare her (probably not) and that Setsuna would leave her alone for a while. After getting some directions from the front desk, Haruka found Michiru's hospital roon and knocked on the open door.

"Hey. They got you doped up on pain killers yet?" she said, walking into the room.

Being forbidden to do anything while the doctors fixed her up gave Michiru a lot of time to think. She thought about Haruka’s story, and how she had done her own brand of justice as usual. That didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her was that Haruka had chosen this career at all. Yes, working as law enforcement gave her a lot of opportunity to go after the bad guys, which seemed to be Haruka’s thing. But that also meant bureaucracy and working within the parameters of the law.

And Michiru had never seen Haruka as the following-the-rules type.

Michiru hadn’t blamed her for punching that guy. No doubt he deserved it. But at the same time, it wasn’t Haruka’s job to exact that punishment. Not if this was the profession she’d chosen.

But that hadn’t mattered to Haruka, the same way it hadn’t mattered to her that being a detective meant sometimes you have to abandon your partner in order to save the world. Especially if said partner wasn’t even in mortal peril. (Michiru could have managed to call 911 herself. Probably.)

After the doctors had stitched up her wound and got her some painkillers, Michiru tried resting as she was ordered, though it was hard not to feel anxious knowing that the serial killer was still out there. They could be plotting their next murder right this very second. And it was her fault. Her and Haruka’s. If only she’d reacted quicker. If only she hadn’t gotten hurt…

The knock on her door cut her train of thought and she turned her head. She smiled despite herself.

“If you were hoping to find me loopy from painkillers and telling you all my most embarrassing secrets, you’ll be disappointed.”

She nodded at the chair beside the bed, inviting Haruka to sit down. “I’ll be okay. So long as I don’t move this shoulder too much. Which sucks because how am I supposed to fire a gun now?” She sighed and glanced at the thick bandage. She hoped Captain Meioh wouldn’t take her off the case.

“Did you get people to track down that black car yet? I still remember the license plate, although it’s likely stolen and now abandoned, but… It was our best lead.”

It was their only lead.

Haruka laughed lightly. "You'd think they would train NPA agents to be able to shoot with both hands. You know, I never took you as the gun-wielding type."

Haruka leaned back and placed her arms behind her head - a habit.

"You should send the plate number to Amy. Not sure it'll do much help, but it won't do any harm. Besides the plate, all we have on our killer is the knife she threw and the fact that it is a 'she'."

Haruka stared at Michiru's hands. There was an IV needle in her wrist, and Haruka's guilt suddenly became overwhelming. It was her fault Michiru was here. If only she had gotten to Michiru sooner, if only she had went after the stupid killer, then maybe Michiru's sacrifice would be worth something.

But the important thing was that Michiru was alive, and she was going to be okay.

"Michiru, I...I'm sorry. For everything," Haruka blurted, not realizing she had said it aloud for a few moments. Her head snapped up and she caught Michiru's gaze, wondering how she would take her apology.

“They don’t let me use my gun much. I’ve honestly been in a desk job position until they assigned me to this case,” Michiru admitted.

At Haruka’s suggestion, she texted the license plate number, fumbling with her left hand a bit. Something Haruka said caught her attention, too. ‘She’. They hadn’t really seen the face of the killer or heard them, but based on build and movements, it was most likely a woman. Michiru had been rather distracted by the knife but she’d spotted that much.

Michiru did not expect the apology. She looked up at Haruka in surprise after sending the text to Ami. Putting the phone aside, she stared at her partner’s eyes, getting the feeling that she wasn’t only apologizing for letting the killer get away.

“Well. It’s… a long time ago, isn’t it?”

She would be lying if she said it didn’t still hurt that Haruka had accused her of unable to feel any real emotions, but they were pretty much children back then. Did Haruka still think of her that way, she wondered.

“But about what just happened… I don’t know what to think. Honestly, I never expected you to become a detective. But now that you’ve done it… you do understand the job must come first, right? Saving the world must come first. A lot of people’s lives depend on us.”

She took a deep breath and thought again about her injury. She was already going to slow them down, and if her being here only impeded Haruka instead of helping her…

She didn’t want to ask the question, but it needed to be asked.

“Do you think it’s a bad idea… us working together? Am I going to stand between you and the killer every time?”

Haruka nodded her head, thinking back to the day she and Michiru had broken up. There was never a moment in Haruka's life that had ever caused her as much pain as walking away from Michiru. They were complete opposites, two sides of the same coin. And yet, Haruka found that no one else quite understood her the way Michiru did. At the same time, no one understood Michiru the way Haruka did. 

The blonde detective suddenly stood, unable to sit still when her mind was working so hard. She started pacing the floor, clenching and unclenching her fists in frustration. "I can't do that," she said. "Michiru, I -" Haruka stopped. "I'm not going to just let you die. I'm not going to let anyone die. We can save everyone, together. No sacrifices necessary. We're partners, Michiru. I'm not leaving you behind."

Michiru smiled despite her concerns. It was touching that Haruka had this idealism, but it didn’t always work in the real world.

“Haruka… tell me… why did you decide to become a detective? That’s not really the career I imagined for you,” she asked quietly. Perhaps if she could understand Haruka’s reasoning, she could figure out why she was behaving in this confusing manner. Michiru realized that she was trying to profile her—that even from all those years ago, she’d always been trying to figure out Haruka unsuccessfully. They were just on such opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet…

Somehow, they had ended up in the same place today.

How did that happen?

Haruka's lips twitched upwards in a smile as she sat back down, having walked out her stress moments before. Leaning back in her chair, Haruka thought back to the day she had decided to enter school for law enforcement. 

Why had she decided to enter this career?

"I'm not sure how often you work out in the field, Michiru, but I work in the field almost every day. I experience the thrill of high-speed chases and saving people on a weekly basis. Sure, it might not be the best pay, but it's something I'm good at. Being a detective...gave me the freedom that no other job could. This job is all about going with your gut. Sure, I may have gotten suspended once or twice, but I would get suspended a million times if it meant I could keep doing what I love to do. This job makes me feel free."

Haruka looked over at Michiru again, a playful laugh rising in her throat. "Kinda cheesy, I know. But enough about me. What about you? It doesn't surprise me that you're a profiler, but why put your education towards law when you were so good at so many other things? You had it going for you, Michiru. Why throw all of that away for this?" Haruka glanced pointedly at the bandages wrapped around Michiru's shoulder, hoping to get her point across.