Selina nearly jumped to attention when she was reminded of the concert. "Oh no! I completely forgot." She panicked as her hands ran through her hair. She then took a deep breath and brought her hands to her sides. Selina turned to the Arashikage and bowed fully. "Thank you again Lord Arashikage." She said. She then turned to Kameyo and smiled. "It was great meeting you! Don't be a stranger." She said cheerfully. Finally she turned back to Reach, who she waved at fondly. "I hope you continue to find your light." She said as she then bolted off. Lord knows how far behind the production was since she disappeared from assisting. Now that she was a ninja, however, she could go back with pride.
Kameyo wore a warm expression when Selina told her to not be a stranger. It stayed when the Arashikage offered to escort her, and after seeing such a complex technique as the imaginative dimension, she definitely wanted to get to know him more. "Of course, I'd be honored. You'll definitely have to lead the way, though. I have a bad habit of getting lost, it's why I don't often travel alone.
"I'm a little surprised you're interested in getting to know me. I figure you're so busy - this is a huge village. Well, I'm assuming. I've only got Gimangakure for reference, which is hardly a village in of itself. I'm glad I came, though, murderous bot and mad scientist aside. My brother, Taketori, and I came here just to sightsee..." She sounded wistful, unsure she could part from the eccentric village for long without feeling a burning hole in her chest.
Selina entered the core compound after showing her badge as an APD officer. It felt good to her that the badge actually meant something, and was no longer a relic of her past. She marched over to the reception desk and introduced herself. She then asked if there was a chief other then Kenshin around to ask for some police business. The secretary gave her an off-putting look at her request, but she checked her files. Sure enough, there was a local officer at the compound, and Selina moved herself to the man's office.
"Let me get this straight." The man said as he took a seat and gestured for Selina to do the same. He was a large man, and he looked deeply annoyed at Selina's presence. "After your actions endangered countless of my men, an action you did not sanction with the Core Compound mind you, you now want to ask for some work?” His tone was sure that the question carried a sense of venom with it. Selina could sense the man’s aggression, which made her a bit timid. Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and answered.
“With all due respect, Reach was really dangerous. And if we didn’t bring him here, then he could have hurt a lot of people. Plus, we did have the Arashikage with us, right? That had to count for something?” Selina pleaded. The man took a deep breath as he started to fidget with a pen. “You’re lucky that the Arashikage was here. And that he personally re-instated you into this organization. Since he did, I might as well not fight it until Captain Kosei has a chance to look it over.”
The fact that Kenshin was going to be involved greatly worried Selina, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. The officer moved through his desk and pulled out five files. Selina’s eyes widened as she recognized the names. “These are the files of the victims.” She said hesitantly. “Good eye. You’ll need that for what I ask next.” He said as he took to his seat. “Each one of the victims were led to the agricultural district. We know now that they were used as human sacrifices for that b*****d. What we figured out recently, however, is that these five people were all brought to that destination to die.”
“Someone… led these people to their death…” Selina said mortified. Her face expressed great concern as she looked at the files and imagined the poor people who were murdered. “Multiple somebodies actually. We have five of them in lock up.” The man said. Selina looked up in anguished as she heard this. “Five people willingly signed these people up to die?!” She was mortified. “That shock may be cute for your idol career, but you’re going to need to be a bit more stoic if you expect to survive here.” The man said sternly. Selina looked hurt, but then took a deep breath.
“What do you need me to do?” Selina asked. “Despite finding circumstantial evidence which connects these people to the crimes, we have nothing concrete. Look over the files and review the evidence. See if there’s anything we missed. If there is, then use that information and get these sons of bitches to confess.” The man said. Selina stood as he raised a hand to gesture her to stay. “Two things. The first is that these people belong to an organization. If we could get a name for that organization, then that would go a long way to preventing anymore kidnappings.” He said. “The second thing is that sniff out if they have any accomplices. As horrible as it is to think, there may be more targets, and we need to stop them from ending up another file.”
Selina nodded. She walked over to the desk and grabbed the files. “One more thing.” The man said as Selina turned her head to look at him. Her eyes fixated on the strange mask he had in his hands. “The APD is affiliated with the ANBU initiative of old. Because of that, all official interrogations are done with mask. Make sure you wear yours when you’re ready to do your job.” Selina nodded as she took the mask. She placed it on top of her folders as she then moved out of the office, found a quiet place, and started to read.
Selina opened the red folder, which was that of Sadayo Yamanaka. Sadayo’s folder showed her license picture, her brown hair bound in a bun and tied back. According to her file she was thirty four, was married, and had a stunning career as a botanist. The background information stated that she had no previous record. The report said that, although she died in the afternoon, that the husband had not seen her that day since that morning. Once she moved the initial picture, she saw the bloodied corpse left behind by the scientist. Selina flipped the picture around as she took a breath. Seeing the dead so brutally mutilated reminded her of the horrific ordeals she struggled with back in Saizen. However, with determination she flipped the picture back over.
Naturally the only thing Selina was first able to note was the dismembered body without a heart. Blood covered her business suit, and her eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth hung open from screams. Selina looked intently at the information on display and was trying to see what was not meant to be seen. Everything else aside from the blood seemed normal, however. Her hands were also coated in blood, which meant that she must have tried to fight back. Wait, her hands… Selina’s eyes widened when she caught something profound. If she was right, then she knew how she was going to get her assisted murdered to talk. Because of this, Selina took her folders and moved toward an interrogation room. She slid her mask over her face as she was ready for her first interrogation.
Selina was seated in the interrogation room when Kazumaru Hibuhara was dragged and forced into the chair across from the table. The two APD officers who brought him in stood in the back of the room while Selina’s mask kept her expression stoic. “Look b***h, I ain’t telling you s**t.” The man said pompously. Kazumaru was a man in his late twenties. He had features which would deem him attractive to most, although Selina was grossly repelled by his attitude and criminal record. “None of the other people got a word out of me, so your chances aren’t looking fresh either.” He said as he leaned back into his chair.
“Mr. Hibuhara, I don’t really care if you tell me anything. I already know what happened.” Selina said as she opened up Sadayo’s folder and slid it in front of him. “This b***h supposed to be important?” He asked as his arms folded. “She should be. You had her wedding ring in your pocket. That was the evidence used to arrest you for crimes related to Sadayo Yamanaka’s death.” The officer said. As an idol, Selina was often expected to act out roles. In this case, the role of a stoic detective was what she needed in order to not lash out and smack this man. She knew that she couldn’t use it as evidence, but her powers allowed her to sense the delight he got from seeing her dead body. Selina had an idea why, but she needed to prove it first.
“For the last time, your people planted that ring on me. My finger prints weren’t on that ring if you recall.” He said. “I know that. And that’s because you didn’t take the ring off the woman.” Selina said confidently. She then took the picture of the mutilated corpse and slid it toward the man. “She took it off herself, and gave it to you.” Selina added. Kazumaru coughed nervously as he shrugged reflexively.
“What are you talking about?” He asked, his voice showing a bit of hesitation. “Sadayo was a married woman. When approached her initially, you laid your charm pretty thick, didn’t you? Said the right things, brushed your hair just so?” She said in a way which implied that she knew all too well what it was to be seduced by a jerk man. “She was interested, and once you had her hooked, you told her that you don’t play around with married women.” Kazumaru started to tap his fingers nervously against his arm. His eyes were locked on Selina, who did not flex a single muscle.
“I bet you played it coy too. You pretended not to notice the ring until you had her begging to have you. That’s when you told her that if she wants a taste, then she needs to yours, and yours alone.” Selina’s affect was confident, which made the man even more frustrated. “You can’t prove any of that.” He said dismissively. “I can actually. A passerby on the street caught the whole game right outside the flower shop.” Selina said. Of course this was a lie, but she knew that he would believe it. The report said that her husband only saw her in the morning, which meant that Sadayo must have been taken after work. Since this man was part of an agency, he would have known where she worked, and when he could talk to her while she was away from her husband. Therefore, the most logical place to target her was right outside her shop. Judging by the bullets the man started to sweat, she knew that he bought it.
“All that proves is that she gave me the ring. That doesn’t even prove theft anymore!” The man yelled, as that was the crime he was arrested for. He gave a nervous laugh as Selina’s body language remained neutral. “Unfortunately, that does prove something. Because back when you were trying to quote, “not telling me s**t,” you denied knowing this woman. That proves at the very least that you are a liar!” Selina voice rose quickly, which intimidated the man. “There’s no crime for lying to an officer!” He shouted back. “No! But there is a crime for murder Mr. Hibuhara!” Selina snapped back as she rose from her seat and both of her hands slammed the interrogation desk. The man’s face became as pale as a ghost.
“Murder? I didn’t murder her.” He said hesitantly. The two officers in the back of the room looked to each other as they both knew that this man wasn’t responsible for the woman’s murder. Selina sunk back into her seat as she never took her glare off of the man. “Mr. Hibuhara, do you know what it means when a murder is pre-meditated?” She asked with her voice lowered. The perplexed look she got from the man was all that she needed. “Allow me to explain. When a murder is pre-meditated, all people who assisted in the planning of the murder may be tried as murderers. Therefore, even if you never raised a hand against Sadayo, you will still be found guilty in court.”
Kazumaru’s face was flushed of color. He shook his head as Selina continued. “Furthermore, since you had the ring at the time of her untimely death, and since you admitted to holding onto the ring while you two had your fun, you would be found guilty of conspiring with the murderer. So congratulations Mr. Hibuhara. Your court case of petty theft has gone way out of the window, since you’re now under arrest for murder in the second degree.” Selina’s voice was cynical and malicious. “Officers! Take him away to be processed.” She demanded. The two officers walked forward as he shook violently. As they read him his rights he pleaded for them to stop. When they were halfway finished he shouted at the top of his lungs for everyone to STOP!
“I didn’t know that they were going to kill her. I was only told to bring her to the agricultural district.” He said as he looked pleadingly at Selina. Selina sensed his fear with her powers. She nodded for him to sit back down. The two officers backed off as he was allowed to take his seat. “You’ll have to do better than that. Who told you to bring Sadayo to the Agricultural district? I want a name for your handlers, as well as your organization.”
“If I tell you that stuff, then they’ll kill me.” He said desperately. “Why should I think that you deserve to live? Not a single thing you have done since entering this room has softened me to your genuinely unlikeable demeanor.” Selina said honestly. In truth, she would never allow someone to die. She was not as bad as the people she worked to stop. However, she needed this man to think that she would be that heartless. The man fidgeted in his chair as his look softened. Selina sensed a feeling of pain radiate within his emotions.
“Look… I know I come across a certain way…” He said hesitantly. “I use that. My looks, my smile.” He flashed a halfhearted smile. “But you have to understand! I am not a bad person.” He said as his lip started to quiver. “Good people don’t lead other good people to their death Mr. Hibuhara.” Selina said with her voice raised. “SHE SURE AS HELL WAS NOT GOOD!” Anger flared from his words and soul as he yelled. His eyes were now tearing, and Selina felt herself become unstable, although her body language appeared stoic.
“You have NO idea what kind of person she was.” He cried out as he broke eye contact. He bit his lip and whimpered as Selina wanted desperately to break her character and hug the pain out of him. However, since she was on the job, she instead strengthened her resolve and kept her actions professional. “I am always willing to listen to a story.” She said invitingly. Kazumaru turned his head as his eyes were still away from her. He took a deep breath as he resumed eye contact with the masked woman.
“I know I appear a ladies man, and that’s why I often get assigned to the women targets.” He said hesitantly. “However, I don’t”, he hesitated as he spoke; nervousness buzzed in his soul like a beehive. “I don’t really swing like that. It’s easy for me to say the right thing since I have no feelings on the matter.” He said. “She wanted to move quickly, and I was trying to dodge attempts left and right. When she became belligerent I just told her flat out the truth that I wasn’t into women.” His tears were in a steady stream now. “She was silent at first, but then she laughed.” Kazumaru looked away for a brief moment. “She laughed right at me! “I can help with that” she said.”
Selina was afraid that she knew where this was going. Sure enough, she was right. “Her hands made some handseal, and next thing I know, I can’t control my body. I can still see everything, but my movement isn’t my own. “Do you like this? Now watch me have a good time on my own.” She said that with my voice. MY voice! She undressed herself, and then she undressed me. She… she…” He stopped speaking. Selina recognized that Sadayo was of the Yamanaka clan, but she was not registered on any shinobi roster. Did she learn clan techniques from an ancestor and keep herself unregistered? Such things were common, but to think that her powers could be used for such evil. Selina was beside herself with grief.
“When she finished, I felt so humiliated. I hurriedly put my clothing back on as she asked for her ring back. She wanted her ring back so badly. I told her that I was going to give her ring to her husband and tell him what happened. She yelled that she would say it was all me if I did. I panicked, but before she could make that handseal again, another one of the targets showed up. She was distracted, and I ran. I ran as far and as fast as I could.” Kazumaru wiped his face as he waited for Selina to speak. In truth, Selina really didn’t want to speak. All she wanted to do was cry and curl herself into a ball. However, since she had a job to do, she forced her stoic persona once more.
“If you confess to working with the organization which you will name, then I will promise you protection while incarcerated. You’ll be safe from these people. I will also throw in early parole. This is the best deal I will make. It’ll only come once, so sign your life away or take your chances in court.” The man nodded as he made quick work of the paper in front of him. Selina took the paper and tidied everything back into her folder. She moved out of the room first as she turned a corner and then immediately collapsed.
Selina sobbed as she curled up in the quiet place that she made. The emotions she felt from that man were filled with such pain and sorrow. She was disgusted by what he went through, and disgusted by woman she had to pretend to be to nail that interrogation. The thing which disgusted her the most was the fact that, in the beginning, the character came naturally to Selina. She was willing to do whatever she needed to make him confess for her job. She felt like it was a betrayal to herself. However, she quickly composed herself as she slid back her mask. She turned to her chief, and once again showed no sign of emotion.
“You know you don’t need to wear the mask while you’re not in interrogations, right?” He said inquisitively. “Apologies. Just getting used to the feel.” She said while making no gesture to remove it. She did not want her tear stained face to show. “Anyway. I just wanted to say that you made great work with that confession. We have the other four ready for when you want to take a crack at them.” He said as he walked away. Selina nearly collapsed again when she realized that there were four more people to interrogate. Surely they could not have the same sad story, could they? Selina was terrified of what other horrors she would hear. Or what kind of person she must masquerade around as in order to do her job. It was for that reason that she took a long, hard break before she did anything further.
Hours had past and Selina had gotten no closer to solving the other mysteries. It took her half of the time to review the last file and have the man confessed to luring Sadayo Yamanaka to her untimely death. The details of that case still muddy her thoughts as she tried to review the other cases. No matter how much she tried though, she barely could get past the next victim’s bio before she would be lost to her own thoughts once again. Eventually her inaction caused the chief in charge to find her and demand that she make an appearance at her office.
Selina slung into the chair assigned for her. The man stood in front of his desk and looked down with contempt. “About six hours ago now I gave you five folders. In less than two, you managed to get the man to confess to crimes that, two hours before, he feigned ignorance of despite multiple interrogations. And now I gave you more than double the time, and yet I don’t have a single thing to prove for it? I recognize that lightning seldom strikes twice in the same place, but I didn’t think it would pewter out into nothing either.”
Selina remained silent. Her eyes were off of the man and on her mask. As she looked at the tool, she thought of the person she was when she wore it, as opposed to the person she was. Were the two truly separate? She thought of herself as a good person, but she recalled all of the tricks and stunts she pulled in order to clear Kameyo’s name. It seemed so simple, and yet now that she realized the kind of person she could be, she was afraid of her potential. She was too distracted to listen. Her attention was literally seized from her when the disgruntled man walked over and grabbed the mask from her.
“Is it this damned mask which is hindering your focus? I’ll break it in front of you if it’s too much of a distraction for you to do your job.” He said sternly. Selina shook her head. “I apologize for the delay. I will get results soon enough.” She responded softly. Selina stood and held her arm out for the mask. The man looked at her and then at the hand. He reluctantly placed the mask back in her grasp as she turned to leave. She got to the doorway when the man called out to her.
“The boy’s story got to you, didn’t it?” He asked. Selina’s froze as she turned around. Her face was contorted by the grief burrowed in her soul. She looked about to cry again, but did her best to keep it together. “Don’t get weepy on me girl. I don’t care if you’re the kage’s best friend or not, I’ll send you home without pay if you let your emotions get the better of you.” The man said gruffly. Selina took a breath and stood up straight. “I’m sorry.” She said decisively. “Good. Then do better.” He said as he moved to take a seat. His voice was still elevated so that it reached Selina.
“What the victim did to Kazumaru was horrendous, but that does not excuse his actions. It does not atone him for leaving a woman to die a brutal and inhumane death. And if you think it does, then this is the wrong job for you little lady.” Selina nodded as she understood the basics of what he said. She internalized the lesson as she excused herself and moved back to her workspace.
Selina took another breath as she looked at the next file. It belonged to Shiro Gamabuta, a young boy of only twelve. His file reported that he was an orphan transfer from the land of water back when the UHV pushed their massive armada throughout the village world. There were a few incidents in his juvenile record of petty theft, but nothing concrete to merit true jail time. Selina deduced that this was the voice of the heart who spoke out about Reach’s purpose. Selina studied the pictures of the crime scene for a few moments before she switched files.
The next folder she opened belonged to the case file of Minato Tsuchimi. Minato was a former member of the UHV who was held in prison related to war crimes. His file was filled with people he murdered and devastation he had wrought. The only reason for him being out on the street was that, during the Uzushiogakure attack, and when the Core Compound was destroyed, Minato managed to escape. He was being pursued by APD agents up to the point of his untimely demise. This did pose an interesting question to Selina how this group of mercenaries was able to find this man before they could? Selina decided to let the question ponder while she moved to the next folder.
Selina recognized Gloria Grandiosa as the elderly woman’s voice whom she heard back in the realm of Toso’s creation. She was apparently a retired shinobi who was extraordinarily decorated back in Sunagakure. After the village fell to the sands, she retired to Arashi rather than go to Uzushiogakure like the majority of Suna ninja found themselves going. Her skills included sensory and puppetry, and she also was one who used a collaboration of poisons. That last part may actually give Selina a hint about how to prove her assailant. Selina asked for Gloria’s complete shinobi file as another officer ran off to get it for her. While she waited, she decided to explore the file of the fifth, and final victim.
The final victim was a girl named Tsubasa Rosewater. Selina looked puzzled as she read over the name. Then she read the file and found that the young sixteen year old had legally changed her name at fifteen. Apparently she was sought after by a rival pop idol industry, and Selina figured that the girl must have changed her name in order to gain more recognition in the pop world. After all, Selina’s name carried a lot of weight, and even if there was no weight between herself and Tsubasa, the name would cause people who otherwise may have been dismissive to take another glance at the resume. This signaled to Selina that this girl was resourceful and clever, which meant that there was no way that she went down without a fight. It was then that Selina started to look into the more horrific aspects of the investigation; the crime scene.
All four bodies were relatively close to each other. Only Sadayo’s body was a further distance from the other five, which works well with the narrative which Kazumaru presented about the assault before the ordeal. Despite Shiro having his heart taken from him, there were signs that suggested he managed to get up and try to walk away. He fell face down on the ground, and his right hand was extended in a way which the golden watch on his wrist was prominent in the picture. Selina analyzed the watch and asked someone if the watch was in evidence. The person confirmed that it was, and Selina demanded that fingerprints be ran on the watch. The officer nodded, and Selina moved onto the next folder.
Minato had the most wounds out of all of the victims. This implied that, out of the five, he was the one who put up the largest, or at least the flashiest, fight against the scientist. The multiple piercing wounds implies that the jiongu user created spikes out of his threads. It told her nothing about the person who dragged her to the location. However, as she continued to look at the picture, she took special notice of the tattoo on the man’s right wrist. It was an assortment of numbers which were standard for a sub-section of the UHV military to have in order to operate their weaponry. The numbers worked like a barcode so that if anyone else tried to wield the advance technology then it would backfire upon them. Selina had a wild thought as she asked for the mugshots of the men and one woman who were brought in. Selina looked through the pictures and found one piece which would be certain to assist her.
Gloria did not seem to die painfully as the others did. She apparently suffered from a heart attack before the fight broke out. Despite this, given that her heart remained in Reach, it still had to be somewhat functioning. Is that why did she not fight back? Selina scoured through the evidence collected with her case. There was no autopsy as the cause of death was apparent. As she thought of that statement though, her mind warped into a wild conspiracy. If it was true, then this case was going to be incredibly more engaging than anything she anticipated. However, the only way to get that truth out was going to be through the interrogation.
Finally, Tsubasa. Her face was frozen in a state of pain and fear. Selina could help but see herself in this girl. She was only a few years older than this teenager, and her appearance resembled her quite a bit. In fact, her long hair was artificially dyed to be pink, and she had blue eyes which Selina used for her stage persona. It was almost like looking at her own dead body in the pictures. It was as she looked at the pictures, however, that she realized why this was the last target. Her hands tightened on the picture as she closed the file.
Selina took a deep breath as she was ready to interrogate. She nearly gave the officer in question a heart attack when she asked for all four of the perpetrators to be in the interrogation room at the same time. Despite the lunacy it appeared to be, Selina had a plan. And for her plan to work, she needed all four of these people in the same room. She needed them to watch each other crack in order to soften their own lips. It was for this reason that, as Selina sat at one side of the interrogation table, four people sat across from her. The man to the far left was over eight feet tall, and he was wanted for bringing Gloria to her death. The woman to the far right was wanted for her part in luring Minato. Next to her moving inward was the man in a business suit allegedly responsible for Tsubasa’s demise. And finally to his side sat the older man who was arrested for his possible connection to the death of Shiro. Selina wore her mask and resumed her stoic persona. Now was not the time to dwell on the monster she was becoming. Now was the time to find and tether justice to those who tried to elude it.
“Before we begin, I would like clarification.” Selina’s head turned as she started at the far right. “Your name is Tsuriko Notareg, correct?” The woman rolled her eyes at the name. Selina turned inward. “Yours is Tetsuhiko Notaku, yes?” The man reluctantly nodded at the sound of his name. Selina turned her head to the next person. “You are Koroto Notamat?” She asked. The older man bowed his head gently. She turned her head to the final person. “Which makes you Daigoro NotaKondo.” Selina said. The man made a grunt as his name was called. Selina then looked back to the officers in the back of the row.
“You may book Mr. Notakondo for identity theft.” Selina said with a raised finger. Everyone in the room went silent when she said this. “What the hell are you talking about? He didn’t say anything?” Tsuriko snarled. Selina turned her masked face toward her as she responded calmly. “Exactly. Since this person is not dismissing the identity of Daigoro Notakondo, he is using his identity without consent.” She said. “I am Daigoro Notakondo.” The man growled menacingly. “No, you’re not actually.” Selina said. She then took out Gloria’s file and unfolded it to the picture of the dead woman on the ground. “She is.”
Everyone turned to look at the picture as the man in the business suit smirked. “Is this some kind of joke? That lady is clearly not the man next to us.” He said dismissively. “You must not be familiar with ninja training. I imagine idol companies don’t have to deal with them too often.” Selina said as she knew from her own contract that she was forced to sign a waiver forbidding the practice of ninjutsu back before Toso bought it out. Also she did so to break the ice about her knowledge about his day job, which immediately made him lean back to be as far away from her as he could.
“You see, ninjas train in a whole bunch of stealth base combat maneuvers. We can make a body disappear without a trace if we so wished.” Selina said. “However, one trick that a few of us know how to do better than others is to take a corpse, and dress it up as someone else. It takes a lot of chakra to mold flesh, but those with medical knowledge can do so. Of course, that medical knowledge is also typically seen in puppeteers, which Gloria was well recognized as.” Selina turned her head to make direct eye contact with the person who was clearly not Daigoro.
“Might I ask, what evidence do you have for your wild theory?” The elderly man asked. It was clear that he was not fazed by Selina’s interrogation methods. Thankfully, Selina had the facts to check them. “Gloria allegedly died of a heart attack. At the time, no one thought twice about it since there were more pressing matters to address.” Selina said confidently. “That’s why I asked the medical time to run a full autopsy. I even had the robot Reach scanned with the heart which resides in his body. What was discovered was that, even though she did die from a heart attack, it was far from natural causes. No, it was a covert poison known infamously as the silent heartbreak during the battle in which Suna singlehandedly repelled the UHV and all other major threats. The poison was coined by none other than Gloria Gladiosa. Therefore, since she clearly did not kill herself, she used her ninja training to kill off the Real Daigoro, place his corpse where the other four gathered, and then took his identity.”
“But that’s insane. How would you even prove something like that?” The woman yelled. Before Selina responded, Daigoro disbursed into a puff of smoke, and the elderly Gloria sat amongst the shocked and surprised people. Only Selina remained unfazed, even though behind her mask Selina was beyond giddy with herself for cracking this case. “What gave me away dear?” Gloria asked with a strained voice. “Your abilities. As someone who also has sensory powers, I know the gifts better than most. In particular, your death was the only one which didn’t fit the pattern of the other death. You were not surprised by the attack, nor did you fight back or try to run. To have life taken from you by anything aside from battle did not fit the record you established yourself back in Sunagakure.”
Gloria nodded at the praise. “It’s been quite a while since I needed to use my talents. The man tried to literally snatch me out of my house like I was a bag of potatoes! The poor brute never even felt the senbon I stuck into his back as he slug me over his shoulder. Of course, after I ended him, I had to make sure that no one else was coming. Since these people apparently wanted me, I figured that I would give them me! I dressed up the body as you said, then I used chakra strings to move the corpse along. I took the man’s identity, and planned on keeping it until I could flee Arashi. Of course, it was in the fleeing that I was caught by the APD. With no ability to know who to trust, I figured that it was safer to just keep quiet and let the storm blow over.”
Selina listened to the story, and she suspected something similar. Why else would she keep the identity even in the midst of the investigation? “Am I still being arrested for identity theft?” Gloria asked. Selina shook her head. “You may leave.” She responded. The other three looked alarmed at the comment. “But she literally admitted to killing Daigoro!” The business man shouted. “That’s what you heard? I heard that a large man barged into the house of an old lady who, by the grace of a higher power, dropped to a heart attack. And then that frightened lady decided that she needed to hide in plain sight. Honestly I wonder if we even heard the same story.” Selina said. She smirked behind the mask as the woman thanked her before she walked out the interrogation room.
“I have been known to hear different accounts. If anyone chooses to speak now, perhaps I’ll hear a tale where you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Selina began. “However, if no one starts speaking, then I’ll need to make the story up myself. And I’m afraid when I start weaving the narrative, that some people may look worse for wear than others.” She said. While she doubted any of them would understand, she was practically quoting line for line one of her favorite magical girl series, where the lead magical girl offered the evil lizard people a chance to confess. It was a rather obscure show, which was why she felt confident in delivering the speech. “So how about it? Anyone want to talk now and tell me what I want to hear?” She asked.
The man and woman looked sheepishly at each other as they were both reluctant to speak if the other did not. The man remained stoic as he kept his head turned to Selina. His glare radiated intimidation. Despite this, or perhaps in spite of it, Selina remained level headed. She closed Gloria’s file and opened up Shiro’s. She then slid the picture in front of the man.
“Mister Notamat, do you recognize the watch which the young man is wearing?” Selina asked. “Should I?” The aged man respond. “I would imagine you could, since it’s your watch.” She said. The man chuckled slightly at the accusation. “Ma’am I am a humble man. I could not afford such a watch.” He said. “Then why were your fingerprints on the watch?” She replied sharply. Selina could sense the flicker of doubt in the man’s chest as his stoic demeanor did not flinch. “I believe you’re mistaken. I have never touched that watch.” He said. Selina knew that he was going to call the bluff, and it was a bluff. Despite the fingerprint request she made, there were no fingerprints on the watch aside from the boy’s. It was wiped down beforehand thoroughly. However, since she knew that the man felt hesitation with the lie, she decided to double down on it rather than confess.
“You must not have done as good of a job wiping prints as you thought. You did do a good job though. Why do you think that you were brought in for the crime?” Selina interrogated. “I was brought in because I was in the area and the tear in my shirt was enough faulty evidence for your corrupt police system to accuse me of being complacent with these crimes. Well, when I am able to make a call to my lawyer, you’ll see how much of a mess you and your APD made for yourselves.” The man barked out. Selina started to get nervous behind her mask, but allowed her persona to take command and keep the investigation in her command.
“I’m glad that you’re going to be calling a lawyer. That’ll probably be the only person in the world who can help you escape the death penalty from a murder involving a juvenile.” Selina then looked at the man in the business suit. “You should also be looking to call one as well, since Tsubasa was technically still a minor despite living on her own.” She added to help install the fear she needed into the man. He shuddered at the thought until the man looked squarely at him. “Ignore her, she has no evidence.” He said diligently.
“I already told you that I have your fingerprints on the watch. Can you not hear me well enough behind this mask?” Selina asked coyly. Her antics started to get under the man’s skin as she felt the sharp tension of anger awakened in him. “You do not have my fingerprints on that watch. Otherwise you would have already have had your guards read me my rights.” He said through gritted teeth. “I only need to read you your rights if I intend on arresting you, Mr. Notamat. Now why would I do that if I can bring justice myself for that poor boy’s death?” Selina said as she took out a kunai from her thigh holster. She then drew her arm back and stabbed it squarely into the center of the desk. Everyone in the room looked hesitantly at Selina, including the two cops. Koroto in particular was particular mortified at the masked woman.
“You wouldn’t…” He said softly. “So it’s alright when you end the life of a child, but me taking vengeance for him is going too far?” Selina said as flower petals started to bleed off of her body. They swarmed the room as the two officers in the back became tense. However, a knock on the door caused the two to stand down. The three people being interrogated, however, sweated profusely.
“You’re really going to kill me over the life of some orphan thief?” Koroto shouted over his fear. “It’s not nice to call someone a thief if you don’t know them.” Selina said as the flower petals started to swirl more drastically. The tension in the elderly man accelerated his breathing. “Why do you think I wore that gaudy watch? I knew he would try to pickpocket me if I wore it. That sewer rat didn’t deserve to live, and all it took was a little chase to get him to that field.” He yelled over the swarm. Selina suddenly stopped the petals as they all fell harmlessly to the ground. Everyone took a collective sigh.
“So… you’re not going to kill me?” Koroto asked. Selina giggled amusingly. “Kill you? Of course not, we’re the good guys!” She said with a hand wave. “Of course, you did just confess to the crime. So enjoy prison!” Selina then nodded to the boys in blue in the back. The one toward the right came forward and read the man his rights. He then handcuffed him and brought him toward the exit. The other two people were extremely nervous. It wasn’t long until the man’s hands slammed on the table.
“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything that you want to know.” Tetsuhiko pleaded. “You better not! You know what happens to snitches.” Tsuriko snarled. “Oh I can’t imagine whatever happens to snitches will be worse than what happens to you. Especially given your record as a war criminal.” Selina chimed merrily. The woman’s face froze with fear. “Or did you not think that I noticed that tattoo on your arm?” Selina asked as the woman instinctively moved her arm under the table.
“You know, I was trying to rack my brain on how, despite our very own APD officers trying to track down Minato, that your group of people managed to find him first.” Selina wondered aloud. “But then I thought, what if you guys didn’t find him, but he found you? And just any you, a fellow UHV solider who served on the same battalion? Maybe even shared the same numbers?” The woman was shaking in her seat. She knew that she was caught. She took a defeated sigh as she straightened herself out.
“I knew Minato alright. b*****d was my ex-husband.” She growled. “We UHV soldiers didn’t find much business after the collapse of our group. Some joined dumb cults, but I was always about the money, not the ideas. When the village got smashed up, Minato found me. Apparently these dumb tattoos can track one another. When I got the mission that his sorry a** was wanted for a snag and grab, I was more than happy to get him out of my life.” Selina nodded as she listened to the story. She did not sense any regret in the woman, which made it easier when the officer moved forward and read her rights to her. As she was dragged away, Selina was now left one on one with the man who wanted to confess. It was for that reason that she gave him a pen and paper.
The man was more than forthcoming with information. Although Kazumaru gave the name of the organization in his confession, this one elaborated that the organization, known in short as Tumble, had found a small niche for itself even in the flying fortress of Arashigakure. Apparently agents sign up anonymously to work for the organization, and then when a client is chosen for them. No one in Tumble is aware of each other, which keeps the amount of people who can spill the beans down to a minimum. However, the leader of this organization, known only by his codename as the Gatekeeper, is very much still in Arashi. After Selina had his written confession she folded it and slid it into her pocket.
“Just one more question.” Selina asked. “Why Tsubasa? I don’t believe she was your original target.” She said. Guilt radiated from the man as he looked down from eye contact. “Because of my connections to the idol world, I was supposed to target the current idol sensation Selina Rosewater. This girl looked just like her, and her file even said that her last name was Rosewater. It was supposed to be a simple snag. She was never meant to die.” He said remorsefully. “She did though, and that’s on you.” Selina said.
“I confessed though, right? That means I get a deal?” The man said. Selina stood up as the petals she materialized rose and spun once more. “Of course. The deal is that, since you confessed, you won’t just get anyone putting the needle in your arm for the death penalty.” Selina raised her mask as she looked squarely at the man. The look of shock on his face was palpable. “You’ll get me.” She sneered. The petals fell to the ground, and Selina exited the room.
Upon leaving the room, she was congratulated by the chief. She smiled faintly at him, but then retreated away. To lift her mask took a lot more out of her than she thought. It was easy to pretend to be someone she wasn’t when her face was covered. However, the sheer fury she felt for that man was unrivaled. He was going to lead her to her death, despite him not knowing her at all. And, because of that, he ended up killing a completely innocent girl. Selina knew that she was a good person, but even that was too much for her. She wanted justice to come through, and she was going to be more than happy when that man got what he deserved.
After solving her five cases, Selina went to work on the cold case folders. She was writing notes and memos on each one in relations to the files. She continued for hours. Her mask rested on the top of her head while she worked. Coffee became her best friend as she tirelessly worked. As the sun rose on a new day, however, the chief pulled her into his office once more.
"Selina. Do you realize that you pulled over two dozen folders out of cold case?" The man asked with his arms folded over each other. Selina nodded as she rested her hands on her thighs. "Is that one too many folders?" Selina asked hesitantly. The man shook his head. "It's certainly more than you need. Especially since you can rest on your laurels for a moment. You already made the five perpetrators confess..."
"Four, actually. Notakondo was really the person he tried to kill." Selina corrected. The sudden shot of aggression she felt from him told her to never correct him again. "Four of the people to confess. And at your current shinobi title, we cannot progress you any further in the APD ranks." He said. Selina shook her head. "That's quite alright." She said with a smile. "I just want to do my part and help." She added. "And when is the last time you thought of going home?" The man asked. Selina tilted her head in confusion.
"Look, this job is a great responsibility. If you let it consume you, then you'll lose yourself to it. That's why I'm ordering you to go home." The chief said. Selina gasped as she rose from her seat. "But I'm an APD officer! You can't just demand that I leave." She retaliated. "Miss, I could have you fired if I so wanted." He said. "Although I'm not doing this to punish you. Take some time for yourself and then you can come back." He added. "But what should I do?" She asked. "Take a walk. Eat a nice meal. Paint something I don't know! Just do it enough that you find yourself again." He barked. Selina's eyes watered as she left the office. She slammed the door behind her as she exited the precinct.
It had been some time since Kojiro had been back to the APD. The core compound was where he had suffered yet another rather sizable war time strike against him. He sighed heavily, readying himself to stop in and see what he had been missing. It was there he would notice a young woman who quite anyone would know by face alone. Selina. He however had a deeper connection. He would. " Miss Rosewater, good to see you again." He said rather formally. He hadn't actually spoken to her since the compound tower was stricken. He had unfortunately been at the mercy of it's destruction when Selina had pulled him from the collapsing area, saving his life. She herself had joined the APD it seemed and was working within the village. He stood awkwardly before her, scratching the back of his neck, not sure how the conversation would go or if she even remembered who she had saved. He was in awe and yet frustrated with the fact this was the second Kunoichi that had saved him. At least this one was still living.
Selina was in a disgruntled state while she was at the APD core compound. While everyone wanted to be her friend while she was cracking confessions left and right, now that she wanted to set up the contest she was getting no support from her other job. “This doesn’t seem like APD business.” They chanted in a chorus. Despite this, Selina kept herself in high spirits. She was doing her best to keep her positivity when a tap on her shoulder startled her. She turned at the unfamiliar voice and nodded passively. Her initially assumption was that this young man was a fellow officer and was going to be the first to help her. However, wide eyed consumed her face as she recognized who this boy was.
“You’re Kenshin’s pupil.” She said absentmindedly. Her smile and joy became overwhelmingly apparent as she ignored basic human boundaries and pulled him into a deep hug, giggling wildly. “I’m SO glad you’re okay.” She gleefully cheered as her enhanced strength may make it just a tad difficult for him to breathe for a moment. Selina then broke from the boy and looked him up and down, her hands clenching his shoulders. “You look so big! You didn’t at all look like this when you were...” Her tone dropped, and her grip loosened considerably. The horror which befell Arashi was still fresh in the village’s mind, and this young boy was one of the only few survivors they were able to save. A beaming smile then crossed her face once more. “Well, I’m glad that you’re alright!” She said as she allowed her arms to fall back to her sides. Her arms folded in front of her chest, and her left index finger rose to her mouth as she pondered with a side glance. “Does Kenshin know that you’re back yet Mister...” she asked, leading into the fact that she did not know his name. Kenshin only told her that he was his pupil when she rescued him. In standard Kenshin form, no other details were given.
Kojiro would blink absentmindedly as she spoke in the same manner. He wasn't sure of what this girl was about, but she seemed genuine. Suddenly, he found himself embraced by the pop idol. His face remained unfazed while others his age would be woo'ed to no end by the gesture and most likely rendered brain dead. He sighed as she commented on the events prior to their meeting. " Yeah. Guess things were chaotic and all that day." he resented the fact that he had been knocked unconscious during the event instead of assisting those inside escape as well. He would carry the guilt of this for years to come. He shook his head, moving past the topic to her next question. " Not yet." He said dully. " Honestly I was supposed to be on leave of absence for a few more days but I needed to get back. No time to dally." He would then press his own question, unsure of some connections. " Do you know where my teacher is....and how do you know him?" He had a hard time imagining Selina and Kenshin meshing well in most social settings, but he was often surprised by the man.
Selina smiled at Kojiro's determination. She appreciated the desire of his to return to work. As someone who recently returned to the KPD APD herself, she knew how having a place helped. She giggled when he asked how Kenshin and her knew each other. "Oh Kenshin and I have been buddies for years. Although the last time I picked him up on my sensory abilities he was off with Ada doing something." She said with a wave of her hand. Their legacy went far beyond the formation of Arashigakure. It was perplexing to think that the horrors that she witnessed somehow connected her to the people who have continued to be formidable allies to her. Selina nodded as she gave Kojiro an up and down glance. "You know, since Kenshin probably would force you to take some time before you come back, you may not be able to do any of the APD fieldwork." She said. She then smirked as her right hand rose in a thumbs up. "So how about you join me in spreading the word of a singing contest?!" She asked excitedly. Selina was revved up with the idea of working with Kenshin's prized student. Plus, she also wanted to hang with the boy to watch when Kenshin saw that he was alright. Selina was positive that she may finally see a smile from Kenshin when that day came.
Selina. Kenshin. Ada? Kojiro finally had a moment of clarity. He drew his head back in shock as he raised a single finger towards her. " I never would have thought that you were that Selina as well!" He would nod to himself as he finally put the puzzle pieces together. " You were part of the group at Seizan that arrived after Emiko showed up." He reached out and clasped Selina's hand within both of his. " Your group helped reclaim the village after the UHV laid waste to our people. I had just escaped after your arrival!" Selina would know the chance of this encounter was slim to none as Emiko was a name only given to her and the rest by Hachiro, their missing shinobi from the war who found his sister's body. Emiko's body after saving countless villagers and guiding them out of the town. " Honestly, Emiko is the reason I became a village ninja. She told me how brave her older brother was...how he had used his sword to try and save his elder brother before. It's why I use them myself." Unfortunately, he realized he had teetered off subject, but it was too late to tie it back in, he would gladly help a hero of Seizan with her mission, no matter how small. " Oh. Of course...my name is Kojiro, if you hadn't already gotten it.I'm so happy to have met you, finally."
Selina's thumb lowered when she heard Kojiro discuss the relationship she and he had. Selina was dumbfounded as he spoke, since she was never told that there were any survivors from the incident at Saizen. All of the reports showed absolute devastation. How did this one boy manage to survive? His words put Selina on edge, but she smiled despite her insecurities. "I'm glad that her bravery inspired you so." She said with her arms behind her in a cutesy fashion. In truth, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Saizen was the trauma in her life that she spent the majority of her adult life working through, and now it was brought into a new life nonchalantly. Despite her calm facade she felt like she could vomit at a moment's notice. The sole reason why she kept her cool was because Kojiro seemed to share this information like it was an honorably occasion. His satisfaction forced her to remain level headed throughout something which was going to result in a couple thousand ryo in therapy bills. "Would you like to join me in setting up the festivities Mister Kojiro?" She said in a way too formal for their interaction. Selina truthfully had no idea how to properly address him. All she knew was that everything she knew was wrong, and what came next was just as perplexing as the swirling sensations within her.
Realizing his misspoken words, Kojiro withdrew slightly, scratching the back of his head as usual. " Sorry. I get excited when I meet heroes like that." he broke from the conversation to nod his head. " Not a problem Ma'am. I'm at your service." Kojiro would follow the woman side by side on their way to prepare for the festivities.
Hero. The word sunk into Selina's soul like a rock in the ocean. To this young man, Selina was a hero. It was funny. In the duality of her identity as a shinobi and an idol, she never thought of herself as that. But, this boy called her that, and suddenly, that meant everything to her. The contract was sealed, and Selina smiled at the boy. "The first thing we need to do is spread the word of the contest here!" Selina said as she moved over to her work desk. She took from the top a bunch of fliers for the singing contest. "Toso Productions Presents: Arashigakure's First Singing Contest! Come sing the song burrowed in your heart. Winner takes 50,000 ryo."
Selina used the few police contacts she knew from her work in investigation in order to get people to listen to her. Now that she had Kojiro, she did not need to recruit anyone further for assistance. This freed her to list the benefits and the fantastic experience that would be the singing contest. Selina poured her heart into her words as she tried to enticed her fellow officers. Of course the majority of them stuck their noses in the air, but the several who did not laugh it off nodded in agreement to some of the points she made. Selina was able to make her case and gather a few of the officers to at least check out the production once it was going to be live. She smiled as she waited for Kojiro to make his attempt to woe people over. Once he took his crack at the policemen they could spread the word of the contest to the entire village.
Kojiro would take woman's smile as a gift. It hadn't crossed his mind how the events that transpired would have possibly effected her. She simply moved from the subject without another word on it and would move to her desk, handing him the fliers. Kojiro looked at the papers, the design was rather flashy, surly it would bring in attention. He smiled, nodding to the directive. " You know, this is probably good. I shouldn't return to the field yet, this is plenty of busy work." He took the fliers and moved outside. He wouldn't risk the office itself to recruit. He was positive the chief would have his head for it. He immediately noticed the pair of officers returning from an assignment. " Hey, Kanzaki. You're back!" one exclaimed as he waved at Kojiro. Kojiro waved in return. " Not officially. Giving the miss here a hand to keep busy." His co-worker would retrive the flier from Kojiro and take a look. The two police officers exchanged glances and took a glance at Selina. " She's going? We couldn't say no! Might even do some singing of my own hahaha." the second officer said as he folded the flier and pocketed it, moving into the building. Kojiro shrugged, looking to Selina as he would move to the next area.
__ Kenshin walked into the CORE Compound in a huff and most of his subordinates avoided making eye contact. They knew when the captain was in a sour mood such as this. He walked into his office and checked his files. He found cadet Kojiro's file and read over his missions. He looked up from the files to Kojiro and nodded. "Looks like you've done enough to be promoted to Chuunin and officially join the force." Kenshin then stamped his dossier and gave it to a courier. "The Arashikage will have to approve my recommendation first." Kenshin then wrote a letter for Toso's eyes only, stamped it, and sealed it. This was about the Tenseigan matter. "Make sure that these make it to the Spire. Lord Toso's eyes only." The courier then nodded and left for the Spire which was only around the corner. The captain then left his office and went to central command. He read over the substantial amount of work that needed to be done. There were gangs gathering in certain districts. He had fifty suspects listed with their distinguishing features. Kenshin showed Kojiro the files for his review. "In the mean time, I'll accompany you on some serious police work that needs to get done as soon as possible. There are fifty suspects associated with various gangs that need to be apprehended and brought to justice." Kenshin would assume that Kojiro was up for the task and after he was given enough time to study the materials they would leave together.
_______________ ≎Out Of Context≎ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Enter/Exit.
Personal Attributes • Piercing Accuracy | The clansman is more proficient than his fellow clan members at striking tenketsu. One's gentle fist application allows them to reduce 1.5 times the amount of chakra spent in a jyuken strike instead of 1.25. For example, if one spends 100 chakra on a gentle fist technique, the attack robs the target of 150 instead of the 125 normal clansmen would reduce. • Purest Lineage | The clansman's thoroughbred lineage allows them access to the Byakugan without the use of a hand seal, chakra cost, or activation. In addition, should they unlock the Tenseigan, they may have 50% less reserves to maintain it than other clan members and may also activate the Tenseigan without the use of a hand seal, chakra cost, or activation. • Physical Prowess | The Hyuuga gains a slight increase to reflex OR speed per body rank. This totals in a supreme increase for one or a moderate increase for both at S-Rank. In addition, the user gains a single custom slot to be used exclusively for the gentle fist style and one taijutsu slot. • Armory of Justice | Kenshin receives one free custom weapon.
Nuibari Attributes • Infinite Needles | While Nuibari functions perfectly fine as a long, thin blade that sits between a Jian and a Foil. It's comprised of infinite, instantly replenishing needles. If an opponent is stabbed, the blade will leave several needles inside of the opponent. It also never runs out of string either, with one at the base of the weapon, and one attached to each needle. Similarly, unhindered, the weapon always comes back when thrown for the techniques below, and can be pulled to the user free of activation via its wire so long as the nigh-invisible string is not cut. • Thread the Needle | This skill increases the speed of the wielder moderately while Nuibari is wielded.
