Demon Detective Agency

CHAPTER 7 IN PROGRESS

2008-04-18T06:09:32Z

I’m still in the process of working on the next few chapters or so. Please wait a little bit more. ^^;

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 6_Poison-Part III-

2008-04-13T06:07:46Z

Ishigaki turned around with a slight twitch of annoyance as he heard that familiar voice. Bad enough he had to deal with this weirdo who showed up out of no where, now he had to deal with Ms. Nosy here too.

"Oh, it's you." He gave Yako a disapproving look as she came up to them.

"Sorry Ishigaki-san, but he's with me." She decided it was best to keep Hour out of trouble by keeping him close to her. Knowing him he might have ended up causing a scene or something that would drive attention to them, and that was the last thing they needed now.

"This guy's with your lot?" He looked at her disbelievingly as Hour scratched his stomach absentmindedly as he continued to space out.

"Well, um, yeah. Eh heh heh." Yako smiled nervously. She wasn't too good at lying in these situations, that was more of Neuro's talent.

"Then how come I've never seen him before?"

"Th-That's because....we just recruited him. He's um, a new member of the Demon Detective Agency." She said this in a matter-of-fact tone in hopes that this would convince him. Although it was never too hard to pull one over a guy like him.

"Is that so? Well what's his job?" Ishigaki was quite persistent in at least getting someone who looked half-way suspicious to senpai.

"Well, he...." She shifted her eyes in his direction. He was dusting some bits of lint from his shoulder.

"...dusts for finger prints and um...DNA analyzing...." She broke into a sweat as she told him these false positions of someone she had met only a week ago.

"Well if that is his job, how come he didn't come with you guys before?"

"Er, he was held back in the lab. He tends to be a little tardy is all." She walked beside Hour as he let his gaze follow her. She patted his arm and laughed nervously.

"Heh heh, you should learn to be more on time Hour. Being late is not something I approve, but I'll uh, let you slide on this one." She smiled back at Ishigaki-san as if this was proof enough.

"Okay...?" Hour raised an eyebrow at her as she took him by the arm.

"Well then we must be going Ishigaki-san, got to get as much done as possible you know." She quickly dragged Hour along with her, to which he followed indifferently. Ishigaki still kept looking at her with a wary eye as she returned to the table with him.

"Jeeze, teen girls these days....hmm?" Something had just clicked in Ishigaki's head as he said this.

"She's a high school girl 'prodigy' with her own Detective Agency. In addition she hired an older guy assistant, who she takes every where with her. She also has a kind of bodyguard or odd jobs type who hangs around there too with a pretty gruff streak. And now she's got another guy for finger printing and DNA analysis....." After connecting all these ideas together using his fingers, he came up with only one conclusion....

"EH!?!?!?! Reverse Harem?!?!" He exclaimed so loudly that he caused an old lady who was nearby to topple out of her seat.

"She's so young to be in such circumstances! N-not that I care," He said this dismissively to himself.

"but still what type of immoral lifestyle is that girl living?! To be surrounded by a bunch of men who might fond over her from time to time, and who in all likely cases use her in their games of love and other illicit situations...." He started to get all misty-eyed as a warped image of Yako surronded by men surfaced on his mind.

"To be part of such a life...."

"Hmm?" Sasazuka looked up from his last attestor who he had finished questioning. He sighed wearily as he saw his partner having another awkwardly warped moment with himself.

"What do you think you're doing here Hour? You know you shouldn't draw attention to yourself like that, it's a standard demon's code isn't it?" Yako had stopped halfway to the table of Kurojima-san to demand an explanation of Hour's sudden appearance.

"Yeah I know. But I find it a hassle to search out a cover up for myself. I've already got my job to do, so I don't like to do more than is already necessary..." He started to rummage through his pockets.

"But, that's really necessary." Yako thought peevishly.

"Besides..." He pulled out his insect-like detector once again. "I sensed there was something a little more lethal here, so I had to come. Though I probably wouldn't have come for like another month so..."

"Erk!" Yako winced at the idea of a more lethal demon substance spreading around the vicinity. Good thing he didn't wait until then, there probably wouldn't have been a soul left within a hundred miles of here.

"Uh, Katsuragi-tantei,"

"Gah! Kurojima-san!" She quickly slapped Hour's detector out of his hand, sending it flying across the room.

"Ah, the Miasmic Sensor..." he looked broodingly in the direction that it had flown, knowing that he had to go after it.

"I-is there something that you needed?" She hoped that Kurojima-san had not noticed that weird little tool of Hour's.

"No not really. But I was hoping you would accompany me to the restroom. I know it seems foolish, but I feel a bit uncomfortable going alone right now." She smiled embarrassingly, feeling like a child.

Yako smiled at her. "No of course not. Um, Hour?"

"Hm?" He looked at her dully.

"Could you please stay here and wait for an old man name Mateo to come? He should be coming with our drinks soon." It was a few short pauses before he answered.

"Whatever..." He scratched the back of his head. At least he didn't have to go after the Miasmic Sensor yet.

"Thanks a lot."

"Yes thank you." Kurojima-san bowed politely to him, realizing that she must have appeared rude for interrupting him and the young detective.

"Do you know where the closest one is that isn't sealed off?" Yako asked her as they began to walk.

"I believe the one in the lobby is still available..." She walked pass Hour as she said this, causing Hour to react in a way that was unusual of him. His eyes became attentive as his body seized a little, as a sudden winter chill had brushed pass him. He turned to look at the two girls as they left, staring mostly at Kurojima-san. He sensed something exude from that woman's body as she had passed by him, making a twinge of numbness course through his veins as he inhaled.

"Looks like another long job for me..." He took a small tube from his pocket with a little squid like mouthpiece. He squished the squid-mouthpiece into his partially open mouth, causing it to squeak as he squirted some bluish-gray substance into his mouth. He sighed as he placed it back in his pocket. "This'll be quite troublesome." He decided to take this opportunity to find his sensor tool before sitting back down and waiting for the old guy that Yako was talking about. Things were getting more complicated by the minute.

-----

In a far off part of the building was a jungle-like garden that contained a tower-of-a-green-house resting a few miles away from where it was located. Next to this shadowing structure was a broken down metal shelter where corroded tools and rejected auction items were tossed. It gave a sad and decrepit look, with only two chipping gargoyle sconces that served as stylish trimmings.

A shadow crept from out of the nearby shrubberies as it tip-toed towards the door. It slid a key from a secret compartment of one of the gargoyles mouths and unlocked the large shed door. Creakily sliding the rusted door open, it slowly walked back into the abyss of the room, echoing footsteps following suit. The stranger was searching around the place for something, but what? After a few short minutes of searching, the figure finally found it behind a painting of a weeping woman.

It shifted the painting aside to reveal a loose floor board. Inside was a black box covered in a dust-covered burlap. It swept the cloth out of the way and pulled the heavy container out from it's hiding place. Using another key the mysterious figure opened the box, and were surprised to see that nothing was inside it.

"Ah, so this item here was the object you had been searching for after all."

The silhouette turned in shock as it saw someone standing by the doorway, tossing it up and down like a coin. It looked to be a large stone piece.

"Unfortunately for you, I am more than capable of finding even the most ambiguous evidence that most overlook."

Neuro had shifted so that half of his sharp features were bathed in the moonlight. He rolled the piece between his fingers to reveal some illegible scribbles on the front side.

"This little piece of stone here is much more valuable than it appears, containing the last few words to an ancient tablet that foretells of a priceless heirloom that was seized by a kingdom who sought power over its people. It was one of the ulterior motives of the late Kurojima-san, and why you had decided to end his life in the process to obtain it for yourself. Am I right...."

He slid open the door, bathing the stranger in the moon light.

"Mateo-san?"

The old butler winced as he tried to cover his eyes from the blinding moonlight. There was no way around it now that Neuro had finally cornered him.

"Wha...what could you possibly mean Nougami-san?"

"Oh there is no need for the false pretenses anymore." His plaster smile glinted with the acidic anger that had been coursing through him since the abortion of the case.

"Eh?" He looked at him confused as he continued to look cool and collected, leaning against the doorway as he flipped the rubble between his fingers.

"In fact why don't you start by not letting your toy here speak for your audacious actions of poisoning my food."

He swiftly took the stone in his fist and shot it at a blinding speed behind him. The artifact flung passed a figure cloaked in black, grazing the wrinkled face and embedding into the wall. Blood dripped from the cut that had been induced by the sharpened rock, but it did not faze the old woman who was now smiling malevolently at Neuro with eyes that flickered red.

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 5_Poison-Part II-

2008-04-11T22:23:44Z

After the paramedics had confirmed Kurojima-san's death, his body was zipped up and taken away to the lab for further examinations. Usui, Tsukushi, and Sasazuka had finally gotten people back into the building, and were going through each party to see if the killer was among them. While the three (plus Ishigaki) continued to go about the room interrogating the witnesses, Yako was also doing the same on the other side of the room.

It had already been more than an hour since Neuro had left to survey the area for clues to the unexplained death of Kurojima-san. Since that time Yako had been trying to get some answers out of the people who were, to her misfortune, not very cooperative when questioned.

Maybe she should try the tall blonde first...

"How dare ya a'cuse me a bein' the killa ya lil' hussy!! Why th' hell would I kill that ol' timer!!" She practically screeched at her when she asked if she might have noticed something suspicious, since her table was closest to the victim. She decided to move on to the next one. A walrus of a man was nervously muttering to another beside him from the next table.

"Why of all the preposterous-...this is utter nonsense! I remained in my seat the whole time I'll have you know." He stuttered furiously at her when she questioned him if he saw something when he left his seat, as he had arrived at the time Kurojima-san had died. No good, she would have to ask the heavy-set old woman in pink next who was fanning herself with a matching French fan.

"Why of all the nerve! Can't you see that I am traumatized by all of this." She turned her nose up loftily at Yako as she catechized her if she knew Kurojima-san. She'd remembered that she use to be a former partner with him a few years back. She left as the woman demanded one of the waiters to bring her a glass of perrier lime water for her.

Yako really didn't blame them for being so defensive, but all the lack of answers were amounting to absolutely nothing. And with Chief Usui and the police force here it wasn't exactly going to be something she could accomplish on her own.

"Thanks Mateo, but I'm alright now." She looked across from her and saw Kurojima-san resting in one of the seats as Mateo offered her another glass of water. Although she tried to put on a weak smile of assurance, her tear-stained face showed clearly that she was devastated. Yako felt so sorry for her as she swept away a strand of hair behind her ear and kept up her poise.

"Are you certain Kurojima-sama?" The old man gave her a somber look as he retracted the tray from her.

"Really, I'm okay now." She nodded as she cordially smiled at him.

"Kurojima-sama, " He bowed to her as he quickly apologized, nearly knocking the cup off of the tray. "I must apologize for my lack of a better judgement. Had I not been so inclined to allow suspicions of your father slip by me while he was with us, perhaps he would have..." His hands shook as he asked for her pardon.

"No Mateo," She spoke in a firmer tone as she cut through his apology. "You did nothing wrong. I think if father were still here he would say the same, and would never consider you to be guilty."

"But, oh..." his hand slipped on the handle of the tray as he lifted himself up. The glass toppled off as the tray tilted forward, spilling the contents as it chipped off a large corner of the glass. He excused himself profusely again, assuring Kurojima-san that he did not require help as she got out of her seat.

But Yako noticed that he was endeavoring to pick up the pieces, and came forward to help.

"It's better if there are more people to help though." She smiled as she took a couple of smaller pieces that he had missed. "Ah, Katsuragi-tantei." Kurojima-san looked at her in surprise as she took a few more.

"Th-thank you Katsuragi-san." He bowed his head humbly again, feeling slightly embarrassed for being incapable of picking up bits of glass.

The two of them collected the shards and discarded them in a nearby trash bin before wiping the water with a cloth. Mateo then picked up the tray and assured that he would return with some more drinks for the them quickly. Once he was out of sight, Kurojima-san had sat herself back down and sighed.

"Mateo has been like a second father to me for the last ten years, so I could never bare to see him condemn himself for what has happened." Yako listened to her as she smiled fondly.

"Of course if anyone is to blame for what has happened, it should be me. Because back then I had that weird feeling that all those crimes were my father's doing, even though I knew he was dead." She folded her hands and rested her forehead against them as she said this to her.

"Really?" Yako's eyes widened a little at this. "You mean you..." Kurojima-san nodded a little.

"For how long?"

"Since I was thirteen, I definitely remember him acting peculiar when I reached that age. Although he still acted normal, he spent quite a bit of time in the office right after coming from work. Since it seemed like he was busy with papers, I didn't think to bother him, but..."

Yako edged a little closer. "One day he had come home late at night while I was in bed, or at least that's what he assumed. I was about to go out and greet him, but then I saw him dragging something across the floor. I watched him through the crack, and noticed that there was something trailing from it....it was blood. " She ran her fingers through her hair as she bit her lower lip recalling the memory.

"I was so afraid of what I saw that night that I couldn't go back to sleep. was it just my imagination or real? I didn't know, and I was too terrified to find out the truth. The next morning there were police surrounding the manor, and paramedics were rushing into the backyard. The next thing I knew, Mateo was comforting me as he told me that my father was found dead in the old warehouse-hung, burnt, and with his limbs...his limbs...." She gripped her forehead as she shook Yako clasped a hand over her quivering one in her lap as she recalled her traumatic memories.

"Since then I completely forgot what I had seen that night and accepted that it was all just a dream. But even so, I could not get the feeling out of me that there was something more to this...and that somehow it was my father's doing. If I had only said this all sooner, perhaps all this would not have happened for so long..."

"No, you're wrong Kurojima-san." Yako stopped her from going further.

"Hmm?" She looked up in surprise.

"Just as you told Mateo-san, no one is really to blame for what happened. Your feeling guilty for not saying anything back then is understandable, but you shouldn't keep dwelling on that. I've met a lot of people who felt like they were the ones who should hold the burdens for things that they constantly felt was their doing, so they couldn't move on. But by listening and talking with them I learned that they were just trying to protect something important to them. You loved your father very much and didn't want to believe that he was a killer. You wanted him to still be the father who cared for you with all his heart."

"Katsuragi-tantei..."

"People may think that is simply ignorance or foolishness, but I think there is never anything wrong with people cherishing the way they remember those who they care for. Because there are just some things that can't be replaced no matter what they may find out in the future."

Kurojima-san was speechless. She had never understood her self well, but this girl was able to analyze her plainly and honestly without so much as a stutter or wavering voice. Kurojima-san smiled back at her as she brushed away the last of her tears as she felt a little bit of the weight lift from her chest. "Thank you for saying those things. "

"Hey! Where the heck did you come from!?" Ishigaki had stopped someone from passing through the now barricaded center of the room.

"Hmm? What's going on over there?" Kurojima-san looked over Yako's shoulder as she noticed Ishigaki pushing the guy away.

"You look rather suspicious, I don't even remember you being around here." He pointed an accusatory finger at a guy dressed in black. He was much taller than Ishigaki, and had an untidy hairstyle. The stranger yawned boorishly as Ishigaki prosecuted him continuously. He scratched his head as he looked up at the ceiling, giving off the impression that he was here against his volition.

"Man, what a drag."

"Are you even listening to me?!" Ishigaki had just realized that the delinquent was completely ignoring him.
Yako stood up suddenly out of her chair as she recognized him instantly, taking Kurojima-san by surprise.

"Hour!?"

((Same disclaimer stuff, pics are not mine-didn't make them.))

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 4_Poison-Part I-

2008-04-05T06:52:17Z

Three days after Mr. Wakamiya had come to them with the request of solving the infamous "Serial Auctioneer Murder Mysteries" of the Kansai region, Yako and Neuro both find themselves in the usual situation of solving a case that the average police investigators could not. Little do they know that they were in for an unexpected result in solving the case.

Last week Mr. Wakamiya, president of the Kintsuru Kansai Private Auction Branch, had come to them with a delicate case that had heightened Neuro's interest. They had to solve a ten year mystery of auctioneers and buyers who were murdered in various scenarios at random times of each year. After three days of gathering evidence and setting up a trap they had finally caught the culprit Otaou Kurojima, who had long been considered one of the dead victims. After the two had exposed him of his crime he like many others confessed to everyone in the room that this was true, simultaneously letting the negative energy of the mystery transform him into a grotesque creature.

As usual it did not take very long for Neuro to entrap him in his Evil Illusion so that he could enjoy his course properly without anyone's notice. Once he had secured Kurojima-san with another tool, he was finally able to enjoy his sumptuous meal at last. But just as he was about to clamp his razor-like beak on to the energy seeping from his prey...

"Itadakima-" He stopped. The Evil Illusion dissipated into the air as he looked at his prey with a curious expression.Yako who was standing a few feet behind him had quickly noticed that something had gone wrong.

"That's odd." She thought.

"He released the barrier without even taking the puzzle. He's never done that before." She walked up to him as he stood there on the spot, still staring at the murderer.

Just as she was about to ask him why he stopped, a loud scream had suddenly pierced the silence of the grand room. Yako quickly turned her head towards the direction of the ex-victim, and felt a gasp escape her.

Kurojima-san was on his knees coughing out large quantities of blood to the ground as he struggled to breathe. It was as if someone was choking him to death with an invisible noose as he clawed at his throat, leaving red marks across his neck. His adopted daughter Shizumei was about to run towards him, but was stopped by Sasazuka before she could even reach him.

"Father...!"

"Kurojima-san, Don't! Get a hold of yourself now."

Chaos had ensued into the crowd as Usui and Tsukushi directed the unit to restrain everyone as Kurojima collapsed on all fours. He lifted his head up and looked about in desperation for a shred of false hope in the room. He spotted Yako just a few inches away from where he was, and began dragging his now blood soaked body towards her as quickly as possible. Feeling his body grow heavier with each inch he made, he lifted one feeble hand to her, and struggled to say the few words he could muster through the foam of blood forming in his mouth.

"Help.....me........" He whispered to her pitifully as she looked at him with confusion. Although she knew well enough that what he had done was unforgivable a small part of Yako had twinged with sympathy for the man whose glassy eyes reflected fear and loss. With one last shuttered breath he dropped his arm to the floor as his body twitched and writhed. Otaou Kurojima, a fugitive who had been wanted for ten years was now lying in a pool of his own blood dead as stone.

More people began to get riotous over the situation as countless bystanders that were closest began to scream in terror at the sight of a man dying in front of them. Usui ordered Tsukushi to quickly call the paramedics to the scene immediately, while Sasazuka struggled to hold on to the now-weaken-stated Shizumei. She was shaking as she stared at the corpse of her foster father, mouth partially opened.

"Kurojima-sama!" Her old butler Mateo had come rushing to her side when he was finally able to free himself from the crowd. He collected her from Sasazuka, and thanked him profusely.

"I am most grateful to you for stopping Kurojima-sama Detective. I will see to her right away."

He led her to a table that was a little farther off from the scene and the hysterical crowd that was conjugating at the exits . Ishigaki came from out of the crowd to report there orders from Usui, out of breath from fighting his way through the cluster of people.

"Senpai, Chief Usui wants us to round up the people here so that no one leaves. Once things have settled he expects us to place each one through interrogation in case the murderer is among them."

He was only half listening to what Ishigaki was saying, because his attention was on the duo who had remained in the center of the room. He was not sure what to make of it, but this whole ordeal was making him feel uneasier by the minute.

"Senpai...?"

"Mmm, It's nothing. Let's go." He took one final glance back at the two before he and Ishigaki began to herd everyone back into the building. He would talk to them later once things had been settled down.

Yako was still taken aback by what had just happened, and had nearly forgotten to ask Neuro about before. It wasn't until after she was able to regain her composure that she decided to ask.

"Neuro, what just happened? Why didn't you..." She looked up to meet his eyes as she asked, and was surprised to see an expression that she had never seen on him before.

"N..Neuro...?"

"It would seem that someone has tampered with this mystery before hand. So there was a hint of manufacturing after all....."

"Eh?"

"Yako, conduct some cross-examinations of the people who are here to see if there may be any with information of value to this."

"What are you talking abou-owowowowow!!!" He pinched a good portion of her cheek between his now claw-like fingers as he smiled devilishly.

"If I am not able to satisfy my hunger, I should at least be given the pleasure of finding the one who has obstructed me from doing so."

He let go of her skin like a rubber band, causing her to stagger back and fall on her butt.

"In the mean time I will check the premises of this area to see if there is anything that we may have overlooked during our previous investigation."

She rubbed her cheek vigorously as it burned red, glaring at Neuro's back as he vanished from sight using his abilities to escape detection of leaving the room. Although his actions were naturally difficult to read, Yako got the distinct impression that Neuro was not acting cool and rational like he normally would.

He usually would not carry out an investigation unless there was a potential mystery at the end, let alone giving up on one. And then there was that expression he had given a few minutes ago that made her wonder.

Yako remembered something that Godai had told her once a few weeks before while Neuro was still recuperating from the previous fights with the Bloodline. It was about the final battle he'd had between Sicks.

GODAI:

"I know that demon's one scary bastard to be reckoned with, but...I don't think I've ever seen him let loose like that. With the expression he gave, well...y'know, s'not like he usually shows it. Never thought he could get any creepier than he already was."

Other than what Godai had mentioned, and not counting the times that she had provoked him a little in the past, this had to be the first time Yako had ever seen Neuro with such a pure and readable emotion on his face. Although she was really worried about this, Yako decided that it was best to do as she was told and interrogate people for a bit. Though she had no idea what it was that he was hoping to find, she would just have to try and follow her instincts in order to find out what mystery had wrapped itself around this one.

((Please Note No images that I use here are mine, even if modified. All pictures go to their respectful owners.))

~Quick Note, Please Read~

2008-04-03T05:17:21Z

Just wanted to post this as a reminder to those that read my fanfic series. The pictures that I use to illustrate the chapters were not made by me. There are times in which I manipulate them, but regardless of that they are not made by me. All pictures belong to their respectful owners, and I apologize in advance to those who may identify their work here. I didn't mean to plagiarize or anything, I just picked what I could find in the photobucket site. ^////^;;

Other than that note,

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 3_Hour-Part II-

2008-03-31T22:54:29Z

Yako rubbed her head furiously before she gave a double take between Neuro and the young man in black whom he referred to as Hour. She gawked at the boy as he continued to wipe off the slime from his face and hair. "Your greetings have yet to change, Nougami-sama." He said this with that same mopish tone as he took a strand of rotting mucous off his head.

"Y...you know him?" She asked Neuro with absolute bewilderment as the man brushed himself clean. Neuro had his eyes closed as he responded.

Mmm, Hour is a demon who absorbs the apathetic energy of the demon world. He is also what you humans may refer to as a 'maintenance man'.'" while Neuro was giving his explanation, Akane had offered him a towel from the side as he looked around for something to absorb the excess liquids in his clothing and hair. She seemed quite enthusiastic to help him, and for some reason fluttered with excitement as he took it from her.

Yako was still frazzled by the whole thing as they all took a seat at the couches. She was still trying to work out the kinks in her head as Hour took the cup of tea offered by Akane.

"So do you know Neuro very well, Hour?" She asked ponderously as Akane handed her a cup. She decided to try and get to know this acquaintance of Neuro's.

" Uh huh. He'd throw me off a ledge or feed me to some of his pets once and a while." Yako sweat at the sound of this.

"I..I see."

"We demons usually do not have an exact caste system, but if you were to categorize Hour would be considered of lower class. However due to his position he is a little more above the commonalty." Neuro eased into the couch as he waved a hand casually at this statement.

Yako looked surprise that there was something like that existing in the demon world at all, and thought that this was very interesting. He hardly ever talked about it except through anecdotes when he was comparing things between humans and demons. "You mean him being a maintenance?" Akane took the cup from her as she continued to listen. "Yes. Were it not for his place in that field he would have been treated more differently."

"What do you mean 'differently'?" She had a feeling that it was something pretty horrific, but decided to pry anyway. "If he were like any other lowly demon, he either would have been eaten or dismembered to use as tools. " He said this with a malicious gleam that danced in his eyes. She knew it.

"Sadly he is only given light torture as special treatment, such as being dragged through a path of rusted nails or drowned in a tank of acidic poison." Neuro said this with that same oblivious expression that told otherwise. "'That's' light?!" She thought sarcastically.

"Yes it is an enjoyable pastime, however it becomes quite cumbersome as he absorbs the pain very easily." Yako looked at Hour and thought this was not a surprise. It made sense to her now why he did not seem perturbed when she trampled over him. Going through all those things in the Daemon World must have made it seem like a pinch to him.

"Why don't we try some of those things on you Yako? You'd probably give a more entertaining reaction..." He turned his oblivious expression to her, hinting that he was more than willing to. Hour was watching them as he continued to take lazy sips from his cup.

"No thanks. Anyway, what exactly is it that you do Hour? What is a maintenance?"

He gave the cup back to Akane, who took it back blushingly. "I am held with the responsibility of sealing any traces of shouki that are pouring through at an excessive amount, as well as cleaning up any potential demonic energy that are left by demons living in this world."

"Shouki? You mean the oxygen that you breathe?" Yako asked.

"Yeah. If too much of it leaks into this world it becomes somewhat of a hazard for both realms. And the left over energy by demons residing here is is no different." Akane offered him a snack as he talked with them, giving a selection of assorted cookies.

"I see, so that's why you're here." She looked at Neuro with the gut feeling that this could possibly have something to do with his past battles that he'd been through over the course of a year. He had used a lot of power while fighting, particularly in the battle with Sicks and his Bloodline.

"Yeah. I was suppose to do some cleaning up around this area, but I'm a little behind schedule." He took one of the cookies before going through one of his back pockets.

"Hmm? You mean you were suppose to be here earlier?"

"Mmm hmm, here." He handed her a little blackish blue book from his pocket as he took a bite from the chocolate chip sandwich. "This is a list of the places I have to be working in where there is excess shouki pouring out." She took the book and opened it at the leaflet that was marked.

Her eyes popped as she looked at the schedule-most of the places he was suppose to be working at were marked from as far as a year to ten years back. One of them stated that he had to be somewhere in South America a hundred years ago.

"Why are all of these so late?!"

Neuro looked over her shoulder at the schedule. "Because he is a demon who absorbs apathy he himself has little incentive for most things, including his own job." Neuro threw the schedule back to its owner as Yako looked at him aghast. She was beside herself at the thought that anyone could be this lazy, even for a demon.

At that moment Godai had come in with a huge box full of articles and files. "Hey I got another shit load for you from Mochizuki. Also I think there may be someone downstairs who has a case. Hmm?"

He looked across at Hour as he let out a yawn. "Who's the kid?" Neuro stood up and walked towards the doorway. "Hmm, I do sense a hint of a mystery." His eyes grew keen with interest at the scent of a promising case. He walked passed Godai and headed for the stairs.

"Hey you didn't answer my question!" He heaved the box up as he yelled at Neuro to answer him.

"Contact Mochizuki for another vehicle Slave 2, I believe we will need another form of transportation in the future."

Godai boiled at this. "Are you crazy!!? You've already totaled at least seven or eight cars, three helicopters, and a naval submarine! If you think I'm gonna do you the favor of....!" He smacked Godai in the face with the box he had brought.

"You have no need to complain if you are able to obtain them so easily." Godai fell back as the box full of papers slammed into his face.

As Godai cussed out loud, Hour got up from his seat and stretched. "If you don't mind Nougami-sama, I think I should get to work around here." Neuro looked back at him.

"Do as you wish Hour, but I would appreciate it if you did not stay here for long. I prefer to have my meals in private." Yako wasn't sure of it, but there was some kind of frigid ring in Neuro's tone as he said this.

"Sure." Hour accepted his request very casually as he made his way to one side of the room, rummaging through his pockets again. "Well then I will see if our client has a mystery that is worthy of my time." Neuro disappeared from view as he turned the corner towards the stairs while Godai slammed the box of papers and files on his desk. He then stormed out of the room, muttering about killing Neuro one of these days, but Yako knew too well that he was going to do as instructed to avoid provocations.

She was finally left alone with Hour, who was busy working along side the wall. Yako watched him as he took out a long device that looked like a miniature metal detector with feelers at the end. It beeped as he skimmed the corners, shifting it's appendages to and fro.

"Sorry to bother you Hour, but could I ask you a little about Neuro?" Hour stopped his pursuit as she called to him. He didn't look like he was in the mood to talk, but he didn't look annoyed either.

"Why? What do you want to know about him for?"

He found it peculiar for her to be so concerned over a demon like Neuro, let alone talk to one that she barely knew. She looked down nervously, feeling embarrassed for even asking in the first place. "Well it's just that I've been around him for quite a while, but I don't know anything about him from before we met. I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but I would like to know just a bit more about him."

Hour scratched the back of his head as he let out strenuous sigh. He wasn't use to questions or humans in the least, he preferred to simply do his job so that he can go back to sleep. "It'd be pointless to tell you much, seeing as you've been with him for so long. You're more than likely aware of how powerful a demon he is by now and can guess that the position he holds in our world is quite esteemed. But other than that I don't think I can tell you much else on a personal level, as almost every demon with a higher rank keeps to him or herself in each domain." He continued to scan the corner, listening to any change in the rhythmic beeps.

"But...he does seem different somehow from when I use to know him on the rare occasion we met."

Yako looked up curiously at this remark. "Really? How?"

"I don't know. I guess it's just the way he acts when he is around you and your kind. He seems much more lively when he is around this place, probably why he's pissed to see me here." He stopped as he heard a loud squeaky beep emit from one spot. He pulled out a bottle of clear solute, and began to pour some on the spot.

"What do you mean? How did he use to act then?" She was getting more and more intrigued by the minute at this. She knew Neuro was changing, but it was more fascinating to hear from someone affiliated to him in the past.

"Back in the Daemon World he would occasionally torment us when he was not eating. But seeing as we naturally absorbed the pain, he would become bored easily and return to satiating his hunger. He never once gave an indication of interest in anything other than mysteries, because there was just nothing that he thought was worth challenging to him. Even the mysteries that he feasted on regularly lost their taste over time, and he began to grow even more despondent of that place." Hour placed the bottle back in his pocket as he returned to scanning.

"But looking at him at present, I can sense that he's way more active than he ever was back home. Maybe even relaxed," He stopped at another corner as it screeched again. "especially around you."

"Me?" Yako looked a bit confused at this remark. She never really thought all those moments of torture with him were exactly what you'd call "relaxing", least of all for her.

"His vibes are completely different around you. Back then his only focus was on finding mysteries to slake his hunger, but now it's changed. Now his mind seems to have expanded on a new level that is unfamiliar even to me. That's probably not the best thing for him in my opinion, but I can hardly be a judge of anything really." He took out his bottle again and poured a few drops on the affected area.

"Huh? What do you mean by....GAAH!" She fell backwards hard as Neuro pulled her back without warning. She slammed her head against the tiles and saw stars flash before her eyes.

"Let's go Yako. Our customer wishes for us to meet them at a restaurant to discuss the details." He grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, dragging her by her heels.

"Ah Hour. If you still need to scan the room further, you might want to check my desk just in case." He left with the turn of his heel and with Yako dazed and flailing like a ribbon.

Hour scanned the desk as Neuro and Yako left, watching them as they went on their way. It was funny that he would strike a conversation while he was there, let alone with a human. "How troublesome." He thought discontentedly. He would have to catch up with his work now that he had encountered an aristocratic demon like Neuro. As he was about to tap the top drawer of Neuro's desk, a large eyeballed Venus Flytrap lunged out, swallowing him in one swoop. Akane panicked as the animal-like plant began to chew the boy, leaving only his pocket book and instrument behind. It would be a while before Neuro and Yako would get back.

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 2_Hour-Part I-

2008-03-31T22:53:17Z

Yako was rushing back to the office, knowing full well that Neuro was going to abuse her in some sadistic way. But she was not counting on running into an old acquaintance of his from the Daemon World.

((2 part chapter since I write way too much stuff, sorry. ^^;))

Yako had to really huff it once the school bell rang. She'd spent too much time eating lunch with Kanae at the cafeteria, as usual. But she couldn't help it, she just had to have at least thirty-two helpings of the cooks new Flambe Squid. It was just so delicious to the pallet, cooked rotisserie style and marinated with a creamy rich shitake mushroom sauce. Simmered and mixed with a slight hint of wild herbs.

The thought of it was enough to make her mouth water. Unfortunately with her mind occupied with nothing but food, she failed to notice the person she had just trampled on a few feet away.

"Geeeck!" He cried out painfully as her feet jabbed his gut hard and fast. "Eh?" She snapped out of her hungry stupor as she came to the realization of stepping on him, her eyes bugged as she let out a scream of surprise. He slowly brought himself up as he clutched his stomach painfully, struggling to get on his feet.

He was a tall young man, though not older than her from what she could see. His jet black hair which was very unkempt matched his black attire so well that he seemed almost like a shadow, were it not for his icy-blue eye and pale skin tone. But in spite of that he was quite good-looking, with a brooding expression that gave off the feeling of listlessness.

Yako immediately stammered out an apology, bowing furiously to him as he wiped away the dirt off of his shirt. "Wah! I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't see you there...Er I mean I didn't notice you were lying there...Ah, I mean....!" She tried to look for the right words, but only came up with nonsensical gibberish. But it didn't seem to matter either way because the boy was not even paying any attention to her, or rather he did not seem to look agitated. If he had not looked up at her, she would have thought he was ignoring her completely.

"Um, uh, are you alright now?" She asked him cautiously as he looked at her. Not the slightest hint of annoyance was in his expression. He looked at her blankly for several minutes, which only added more to the awkwardness of the situation. He finally opened his mouth, but rather than say anything to Yako he just yawned out loud. He stretched his arms in the air as he turned around and walked away. She looked very confused at his reaction and called out to him as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Wait a minute, I asked if you're alright." For some reason she felt annoyed by him as he left, acting as if nothing had happened when she was so concerned. He finally stopped and turned his head towards her, causing her to hold her tongue fast. Now she had done it, she could have just let the guy go without him yelling up a storm. While she braced herself for his reaction, he just continued to look at her with his blank stare. He finally turned away and scratched the back of his head as he let out a wearisome sigh. "Whatever, I don't really care." With that said he continued to walk on without looking back again.

Yako just stood there rooted to the spot as he disappeared amongst the crowd of people walking. "What was with that guy anyway?" She thought. She was glad that he was not upset or hurt, but for some reason he made Yako mad. Perhaps his nonchalant attitude was just too easygoing for her to take, since she was so use to Godai's angry responses and Neuro's sadistic comments and actions. Contemplating on this had finally reminded her of where she should be. "Oh great, Neuro's probably going to slam my head into the wall again for this."

After finally reaching the building, she ascended up the stairs as fast as she could. It was pointless now that she was late, but she didn't want to take the chance of wasting any more time than she already had with the strange guy in the streets. Yako finally reached the brown door, and gulped as she turned the knob. Just as she had predicted, Neuro was not very pleased by her tardiness, and grabbed her head painfully as he pulled her into the office. "Late again Yako, that is not very efficient for me to work with you know." He flipped her into the air, causing her to scream as she came crashing back down a few feet away from the couch.

She had collided into the pile of binders and newspapers that contained new mysteries that were rising in the media, Godai had just dropped them off yesterday for them to look over. "I'm sorry alright? But I got into a bit of an accident on the street and...OWOWOWOW!!!!" He twisted her head around again as he examined her arms, twisting them together as well.

"Hmm? You don't look like you were in any type of accident....care to correct your use of grammar, or shall I fix it so that you match up to your excuse?" He began to pull her body back into a very painful position, causing her to shriek in pain.

A few minutes after that tortuous punishment for tardiness, the two began looking through the piles for potential mysteries to solve. After having a very good meal from the murder case of the Politician from Africa, Neuro was able to satisfy his hunger for a few weeks. But as top quality as it was, it was not enough to satiate him; compared to the Sicks mystery it was merely a morsel. He, Yako, and Akane continued to comb out the news for more stories that could lead to potential cases for Neuro to feast on again. He folded the thick article he was reading and pointed Yako to the next stack to examine.

"Look through those again." She looked at the insane amount of papers that she had just looked through twice. "But I've already gone through them, why don't you let...mmmmph!!!" He smacked one of them into her face, practically suffocating her. "A little newt such as yourself is so prone to overlooking possibilities, you should be more diligent than that....hm?" He looked up from his perverse game as Yako waved her arms furiously for him to get the paper out of her face.

She inhaled deeply and looked up at him furiously, but he wasn't conscious of her reaction at the moment. He had his attention completely on the door for some reason, which compelled her to look too. Was it a customer with a good mystery that he sensed?

He broke into a wide grin that held something impish as he shifted his hand. He held it out and snapped his fingers in a quick motion. Yako looked puzzled by this gesture and was about to ask, but her question was soon answered as she heard a loud bang from outside the hall. Out of shock and curiosity she went to look outside at what Neuro had caused this time. In that instant she shrieked in horror as a sluggish like beast with a gaping mouth roared in her face.

Had Neuro lost his mind?! What if someone other than herself or Godai could have seen this thing? Or worse, what if they got eaten by it? She was not sure what the motive was behind his impulsive actions, but she was not going to wait and find out. Just as she was about to shut the door in the monster's face, it suddenly let out a hacking noise and spit a large loogey straight into the office.

The pelted object crashed into the desk, covered in a slimy coating that smelled rotten. Neuro was still smiling wickedly as he snapped his fingers again, causing the beast to melt into the cracks of the floor and vanish. "Hmph." He scoffed in an very odd way.

Yako began to walk up to the ectoplasm-covered thing that the beast had thrown up. She felt a knot of sickness that kept getting worse as she got closer; the weirdest things always have to happen to her on even the most ordinary days here. She felt like her stomach had just gone through a pinball machine ride as she recognized the figure stooped against the now dirty and dented desk. He stood himself up and began to wipe away the glutinous substance from his arms, having that same aloof expression that he had had on the street.

"Ah! You're...." She gasped as she was about to confirm her thoughts, but was shoved down by Neuro as he sauntered by. The young man in black looked up at him as he approached, the grime still dripping off his face.

"Long time no see, Hour." He smiled in his good-natured way as he waved at the viscous youth.

The Daemonic Arc: Chapter 1 _An Ultimatum

2008-03-31T22:46:43Z

Sasazuka has always shrugged things off when it came to the Demonic Investigator team. However certain situations have caused him to become more apprehensive towards the assistant.

Sasazuka waited as the lights flashed against the numbers above the elevator doors. He had just finished interrogating a few witnesses on the murder case of the foreign politician. It had been a grueling day, what with Usui-san being on his case once again for not being there before that 'brat investigator' to gather evidence. However Sasazuka was not the type to let things get to him, normally he would just let this roll off his shoulders. But it was not Usui-san or even the case itself that was bothering him, what was really on his mind was the encounter he had made with the blind gypsy women about a week ago.

----1 Week Ago----

          During one of his out of country assignments he had run into Yako and her assistant once again. For him it was nothing new by now to meet up with them there, as she had the habit of turning up on very crucial moments. He wasn't even at all surprised when she had solved the case so easily within the week; even though he was already aware of how things worked. It was the brief interaction between him and one of the suspects that he did not expect, and the information which she had given to him.

       Perhaps it was the fact that he was use to people confining to him about almost anything, or that he had been through so many experiences that he had grown immune to subjects that were unusual. Whatever the case may be, this was something he was not entirely prepared to hear.

      He could remember quite clearly, the willowy old woman with glassy eyes like a fox and a very solemn expression. Her slight frame draped in scarves of black and deep red that were stained and tattered as if she had wandered the streets for years, with only a few rusty bells hanging at the tips.

      All throughout the case she would mumble random and incoherent words under her breath while observing the situation with a piercing stare. She would simply shuffle her peeling tarot cards and watch as they solved the case without a show of much interest. It was not until they had finished and were preparing to head home that she finally spoke up. In some odd way he kind of wished she didn't, because her voice gave off a foreboding tone that sent a chill down the spine.

    "Ah, that young man is a very curious one. I sense a nefarious aura emitting from him, and yet there is a flit of mortality that is gradually ebbing through the flow. " She was directing her gaze towards the assistant who was patting Yako on the back for a job well done, or beating her to the ground to be more precise.

     She absentmindedly took her cards in and out of the deck as she gazed at the two. "A most interesting fellow indeed..." She looked to the floor, placing one card to the corner. He thought it was strange that she should suddenly be so open to express a fascination for anyone at this point, seeing as she was quite reluctant to the interrogations and such earlier. But being who he was he just listened to her babble and agreed nonchalantly.

     "A pity for that young girl though for being in league with such a creature that can only bring her deeper into the ominous shadows that lie before her." She said this in a piteous tone as she began to shuffle her cards again. This brought Sasazuka's attention about. "What did you say?" He looked at her as if he did not hear her correctly, a hint of worry in his tone.

     "He is rather puzzling, with conflicting auras of ephemeral and perpetual that make it somewhat difficult for me to distinguish his sense of being..." She began to place her cards down one by one. "But nevertheless I can see quite clearly that he has marked that girl as his property, poor dear. She can do nothing but obey him and follow him to where he desires. And from what I can see, it can only pull her further into a terrible darkness where light can no longer reach." She placed another card down in front.

     He looked back at Yako as she trailed behind, huffing defiantly at his actions. He had always known that there was something about the guy that made him feel highly suspicious, especially since he had discovered his true identity only a few months ago. Before he could ask her more she was already retreating back into the misty alleys.

     "W-wait a minute..." He tried to follow her, but her silhouette had already vanished into the fog. Only her voice echoed the last of her chilling words.

He could not comprehend what they were because she spoke them in a language that was completely unfamiliar to him, however he could still sense the portentousness of it. The one word that he caught as the voice faded into silence was

"Neuberos".

----The Present----

   The light ring sound of the elevator had awaken him from his . He stepped into the vacant room and pressed the button for the ground floor. "Please wait a moment Sasazuka-keiji." Yako's assistant had made his way into the elevator, smiling brightly as usual. "Sensei had asked me to gather some evidence once again, so I must get back to her as soon as possible." He said this in his friendly manner all the time, which was pretty much natural to most. However as the assistant smiled and chatted, Sasazuka's perception had become slightly more tense.

   Before he was very casual with him and didn't let the odd aura he gave off bother him. But somehow he felt a little more on guard with him now, even more than usual.

"Ne? Is that alright with you Sasazuka-keiji?" The man looked at him with his usual grin.

Sasazuka was not really paying attention, but he did catch most of what he asked from him. "Yeah, sure." He agreed politely.

"That's good, sensei will be pleased to hear that. With everything taken care of this will all go according to her plan." He looked up at the numbers as it counted down, his eyes closed as he continued to smile. A few uneasy minutes of silence had passed between the two before one finally spoke.

   "Tell me, how exactly did you meet Yako-chan?" Sasazuka decided to try and make some kind of small talk to interrogate him.

Since he was such a laid back person he hardly ever felt the need to pry in other peoples affairs, but this was an exception. The assistant took his gaze off from the flashing numbers.

"Hmm?" He acted as though he did not understand what he meant by that, but Sasazuka could sense that he understood him perfectly. He knew that the assistant could read minds, but that didn't stop him from pursuing to questions.

      "I just never really bothered to ask for some time, but I've always wondered how it was that you two had met." He figured this was a wasted effort with a supernatural being like him, as he only continued to act like a simpleton to even people who already knew.

"I found sensei a long time ago when I was struggling to understand a mystery of my own. She of course used violence and threats of eating me in order to obtain a new slave and assistant..."

     "But you seem pretty sharp, not to mention very inclined to explain her plans and theories for her." He put out this fact to him.

     "Oh that? I'm just really good at public speaking. It's sensei who has the real talent for conducting the investigation, she's just not good with declamations is all." The assistant looked to him.

"Was that all you wanted to say to me?" Sasazuka eyed him warily, still feeling that shiver of apprehension that would not leave.

     "Just one more thing..." In one swooping motion he pulled the gun from inside his coat, cocking it once as he pointed it towards the assistance face.

"S..Sasazuka-keiji, what do you think you're doing? That's rather dangerous..." He lifted his hands up in fear, though there was a slight hint of mockery in his manner of speaking.

"I've always let things go with you two because I didn't think there was really anything to worry about with the successful cases you've closed in the past, and the fact that you've manage to avoid risking Yako's life on the line by barely a margin; I even thought that your teamwork could benefit us at some level or another. However..." He kept his gun at point blank as he looked at the assistant with a cold glare.

    "Should I ever find that there is some kind of underlying motive to this partnership that could endanger Yako-chan's life like the way it had before..." He cocked the gun again as he referred to the incident with Sicks. "I will not hesitate to find a means of killing you." The assistant merely smiled and looked up.

     "What are you talking about Sasazuka-keiji? I would never even consider putting Sensei's life on the line...." Suddenly the atmosphere had changed around him from an aura of friendliness to one of pure hostility. Sasazuka's heart had actually stopped in that one brief instant as the mans eyes became unusually dark and intense. He'd seen him use this type of atmosphere before on suspects and opponents, yet it was a different experience when it was directed at him.

      "Even if I am threatened." He ended that statement in a hiss-like tone. Sasazuka's composure had shaken a bit at this sudden change, he had been through many situations before and encountered people of many calibers that were quite intimidating; but never had he been in the presence of a person like this. In fact he did not even feel like a person anymore as he poisoned him with that stare.

       The light ringing from above signaled that they had reached the ground floor at last, Sasazuka's arms were slightly lowered as he came out of the hypnotic stand off with the assistant.

"Ja, this looks like our floor." He had returned from his vicious stance to his carefree personality in an instant.

The doors opened to reveal the posh lobby of the hotel. In the seating area directly in front of the elevators was Yako, sitting with one of the suspects. She looked like she was listening to him intently as they came out of the metal doorway. The assistant gave his usual abusive greeting to signal that he had gathered what was necessary. He grabbed her roughly by the head to stand her up, as she rubbed it furiously.

     "Well then we'll be off to make the preparations, until than please have everything ready for us Sasazuka-keiji." He began to walk off with Yako following him. She waved back at Sasazuka and smiled innocently as she caught up to her assistant. In that short moment he saw a flashback of his younger sister as she waved, followed by the terrible memory from ten years ago.

     "Sempai, it looks like all the other suspects have returned to their rooms now. Would it be too much to ask if I can go to the gift shop? They have these 'kuru''kuru' fighter dolls that I've been collecting for some time..." As his assistant ranted on about rare figurines and collectibles, Sasazuka continued to ponder the strange gypsy womans words...particularly the word Neuberos.

     Even though he still felt an overwhelming feeling of malevolence from the assistant, Sasazuka was quite determined that he could not afford to let anything happen to Yako. He had already lost his family once before, he was not going to lose another important person to him like that again. He would have to work on this another time and just keep a watch on the demonic man more carefully from now on. For now he just had to concentrate on the case at hand.

     "Good. Until then you're on watch duty Ishigaki. " He passed by him as he said this and headed for the exit. He wanted get some cigarettes from the stand close by.

"Eh?! But I wanted to get a Ace 1 kurukuru fighter..."

     "No." He said this in his usual bluntness that sent tears to Ishigaki as he went out of the building.

He made his way to the stand, passing by a narrow alley way that was completely deserted. Perhaps if he wasn't so preoccupied he would have noticed the old woman sitting in the damp floor with tarot cards in hand.

She looked up at him with those same glassy eyes and firm expression, which suddenly broke into a crooked smile. Her eyes that were glassy were suddenly glowing a devilishly yellow glow as she gave off an eerie chuckle.

    As a car flashed by she vanished into thin air, leaving behind the presence of a sinister premonition yet to come.

((Phew! - w -
    This took me quite a while to do, but I finally got it done.))

The Daemonic Arc: Prologue_Changes

2008-03-31T22:44:39Z

Ever since the arduous battle with Sicks, Neuro has remained in a weakly dormant state. Yako waits anxiously for him to awaken again, unaware of the conflicts going through his mind.

((I've decided to post my fanfic series for the show MTNN here in my journal. I'll still post in the Community of course, but this is so people don't have to search through all the pages for them. So enjoy!))

     The office was empty as usual with only one occupant resting on one of the couches. While the few cars that drove by in the middle of the night streaked by, and one or two strays toppled a trash can here and there, Neuro remained completely undisturbed from his rest.

   The long winded battle against Sicks had really taken a toll on him, forcing him to sleep for weeks on end. Yako and Godai continued to return to the office to see how he was, while at the same time keep their eyes open for any mysteries out there to satisfy his hunger once he woke up.

   Yako was especially worried about him, coming early in the morning before going to school and leaving late in the evening to her place. She would sleep over from time to time when ever she let her anxiety get the better, and that was pretty frequent. She just couldn’t shake off the guilt of being no use to him once again, and felt fearful that he may not be so lucky next time.

Godai tried to comfort her in his own gruff way, even coaxing that he would watch out for him so that she could take a break. It just wasn’t enough. She really appreciated it of course, as well as the support of their other friends.

     Sasazuka was kind enough to check up on them once and a while when he wasn't too busy back at the station. Akane being who she was continued to comfort and serve Yako during her long stays at the office. And Higuchi was considerate enough to take half the work of searching for new cases-even outside the country.

     But nothing they did or said would keep Yako from leaving his side. She even didn’t eat as much in the office, and started to really get serious in searching for new cases to take on; which was even more shocking than her depressed state to everyone.

Little did Yako know that Neuro was already well on his way to regaining his strength over the last few weeks, however something that was bothering him continued to toss and turn in his head. Normally Neuro would not even be fazed in the slightest by anything, yet the arbitrary voice that spoke to him in the previous battles just would not ease his mind.

SICKS:

“….Strange how you should be so entranced by the likes of such inferior beings, even if they are your nourishment and toys; particularly one such as this.”

“….I can not help but feel a sort of lingering weakness that is growing from you, which disgusts my palette to an extreme degree.”

“….Tell me my friend, is it really the fact that she has developed into the perfect cover up for you? Or has something beneath your worth wormed its way into your veins to make you feel such idle behavior ?”

“….You could easily replace this one here, it wouldn’t even take very long before her existence has lost its meaning; yet still you insist on salvaging this one trivial parasite.”

One last image swam into view of Sicks hacking and coughing out blood. “….Heed me well, demon Neuro, you are without a doubt worthy of being the top of the food chain; however your remainder here on earth shall truly be your own demise. I can see it clearly…you are losing the very essence of what you are, and soon you shall give in to such disgraceful weaknesses that shall make you an inferior as well…hahaha, my quite a fascinating thing to see; a demon becoming a human…hahaha...AH~HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!”

As if to here that diluted maniacs voice was not enough, other images began to stream through his once clear and logical mind as well. This had to be the first time he had ever experienced such neurological feelings of pain that were neither rational nor feasible to him as the demon of mysteries. After another odd flash of the opaque images, he blearily opened his keen eyes to see that he was back in the office again.

     He lifted himself halfway off the couch, gingerly supporting his head in the palm of his hand. His body still felt a bit drained as his mind was heavy and numb from the long rest that he had taken for the last few weeks. His blue jacket and scarf were hanging against the wall as usual whenever he rested, while akane was drifting to and fro as she whistled in her sleep. Other than the unfamiliar feelings that weighed him down, he felt his appetite as strong as ever. It was still dark outside so his servants were not to be found here at this time, or so he thought.

     He looked to his side to see that Yako was asleep at the computer, which was still whirring away. He walked to her and looked down at her figure hunched over the keyboards with her arms folded to use as a pillow. Normally he would just pull her chair back fast to the floor, smack her against the monitor, or something along those lines for his own sheer amusement. But for that brief moment he didn’t want to do anything except watch her sleep.

The rhythm of her breath rolled in and out of her mouth in a peaceful way, brushing past her lips. A few strands of blonde hair fell into her face as she adjusted her head. Neuro automatically brushed them back, but then froze as he realized what he was doing.

He withdrew his hand and looked at the palm, as if he had gotten some sticky substance on it. Although he seemed nonchalant as usual, his mind was a different case all together. The words from Sicks echoed again.

“….Tell me my friend, is it really the fact that she has developed into the perfect cover up for you? Or has something beneath your worth wormed its way into your veins to make you feel such idle behavior ?”

Not only did he find his physical actions disturbing, but also his very internal being felt queer. He sensed a peculiar heat and rhythm reverberating that he had never experienced before, even within the realms of the demon world.

    When he thought about it more he began to vaguely recall that these inconceivable sensations had never happened to him before. On occasion they would arise, but they were so fleeting and meaningless that he would just ignore them; that is until he saw Yako stabbed through.

    In that instant he developed perceptions that he had never directly experienced before. All logic was engulfed by a conflagrant consciousness that was so foreign to him....so primitive....It had never occurred to Neuro, but that time had to be the first he had ever lost his ability to think clearly or feel any desire for mysteries.

All he wanted to do in that moment, all that he could think about, was that one instinctive impulse to tear out Sicks throat.

Perhaps he should conduct an internal examination on himself after a good meal…

“N-Neuro!?”

He looked up to see that Yako had awakened, and was looking at him with a look of surprise. After a few awkward moments of silence in what felt like an eternity, he broke into a wide smile.

“Ah, good morning warajimushi! We must search for another mystery today!” He grabbed her head and twisted 360 degrees once again.

“Gyaaah!” Yako yelped as her head turned, and she was suddenly put into a back breaking position like old times.

       She sighed and thought to herself through tears, “He hasn‘t changed one bit.” As he lifted her up to the ceiling, strangling her with his leg. Although she did not at all enjoy these habitual abuses and assaults from Neuro, she was for some reason happy. She smiled through tears of pain and joy as Godai had just entered and was looking up at them with a sigh of relief and exhaustion. Neuro gave his normal greetings to him, to which he responded with rage and cursing. Yako laughed as she looked at Godai's angry expression and Akane's nervous flailing towards her.

      "Well even if he hasn't, I'm really glad that things are like this again." She thought to herself pleasantly as she realized just how much she cherished their company while slowly passing out from the choke hold.

    However Yako was unaware of the fact that Neuro was changing to some degree, and was not too well aware of it himself. He was slowly developing what Sicks had felt and blatantly expressed before his death; he was definitely becoming more human like by the minute, and that this would be bring to him a new type of danger ahead.

((Hope you guys like it. It‘s just sort of a future thing there on Neuro’s whole dilemma of becoming more mortal like. And sorry, but I couldn’t help but make it another NeuroxYako thing again. ^^; ))

Do you have a Gaian Account? Plans -4- a Neuro Guild

2008-03-28T15:20:47Z

For those of you who do not know it or do not have an account, it's a fun little website in which you can create a little avatar of yourself (or an alter ego of your choice) and find random things to do. From art displaying, forum threads, to just plain randomness of making friends, you can find tons of things to try out here.

Well for those of you who do have an account and all, you pretty much can see what it is that I'm attempting. If you want to join in and help pitch in some gold to create the first official guild for Nougami Neuro. Other details will be worked out in the future, but for now we are just trying to gather as many people as possible. For more info just contact me there, my username is Halcyon100. :)
Here's the url to the topic that I posted.

http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/anime-manga-comics/form-a-majin-tantei-nougami-neuro-guild/t.39234845/

GOMEN, GOMEN! Really late post!!! >m<;;

2007-10-18T07:32:34Z

I'm really sorry it's taken so long to respond, I can be really lazy sometimes.

Anway the wedding three weeks ago was an absolute blast! The reunion the day before was okay, although I was still a little awkward being around my entire secondary family. They're really quite social, and I just a take bit more time to warm up that's all. But other than that that day was pretty good, and it was a sign for many things to come. Apparently my family can talk so loud that it requires a police officer to come with a warning of disturbance of the peace. 0_0;;

Well that was not the end of it. After the wedding ceremony, which was a nice small ceremony in a little church, we all went to the reception a few miles from there. I had no idea how many connections my cousin had, but they were able to get the former Honeymoon Get Away/Home of Jo Di Maggio and Marylin Monroe. And let me tell you those two celebrities really had class and style, even though the place must have been renovated and refurbished many times for the last 50-60 decades. But otherwise an incredibly charming Italian setting.

The food was delicious, and the dance was a lot of fun and was getting better....until the police came. Yeah it was all a matter of misunderstandings and misconceptions dealing with odd rules and paperwork that were forcing the police to come here, which apparently was more than once. I felt bad for the DJ when they took all his equipment. Despite the situation, it was the coolest thing you could ever see in a lawyer's wedding, because when the officer asked him, "Do you have a lawyer sir?" At least five or six of them stood up.

My cousin and his friends really know how to work things, each one was helping in some way to ease the situation....although there were a few who had a some drinks and were a little more flustered than the others. But one of them was really good, he handled it very well by not arguing with them or raising his voice in any manner. All he did was calmly ask what the problem was and what they should do next so that it wasn't a problem. My uncle (his dad of course) and cousin were a little upset, but they also listened just as casually as his friend. And once they had left....well, that's when things get even more out of hand.

No sooner did they leave the area, everyone went into the stucco manor and out into the pool area. And suddenly there was a loud splash and a roar of cheer and laughter. The bride had jumped into the pool, dress and all, and was swimming about with the biggest smile I'd ever seen. I just stood there with my mouth gaping, along with the rest of my family. Everyone began to follow suit, except for a few other people (including me. Hey! It was cold outside okay. >m<).

But of course I did regret it to some extent as I watched everyone jump in and play chicken and splash about, but just being there was just as exhilirating. It did get a little too wild when some of them began to strip 0x0;; (even with the few kids that were in there). And my Uncle was yelling, "God damn!!" Know one had ever seen him so angry that it was actually pretty funny. Eventually everyone got out and there was quite a line to either go home or use the three or four maytag dryers in the basement.

And of course the authorities had returned for the fourth or fifth time to tell us all off, and that was our cue to disperse while the loving couple remained to stay the night. (They did rent the place after all, so take that! XP) We came back the next day to have a really big buffet breakfast before leaving. And that was pretty much how we closed one of the most exciting and memorable weddings in the Alidio Family.

And I am certainly glad that we've got a new addition to the family as well. She is really a one and a million type of personality that enjoys life to its fullest, strongly reminding me of my aunt (his mother). That strong free-spirit and having fun is really something to admire, which is probably one of the qualities that caught my cousins eyes as well as his heart (bleh! I swore nothing corny).

I can't say that this really makes me want to marry any time soon, nor even consider a relationship at the moment. But it has reinforced my respect and love for my family, and how much I appreciate and cherish them in times like these when you just can't help but smile and let things flow at there own pace.

Busy Weekend-Wedding/Family Reunion

2007-09-21T06:15:24Z

As if I wasn't swamped enough. It's been a long time since any side of my family got together, and you can imagine how hectic it will get come Friday (Tomorrow 0_0;;). Plus from what it seems, it will be formal wear, so I'd have to look sharp. Normally I'd go in dress pants, a nice shirt, and jacket (I don't look so good in dresses.); but seeing that my family is making an effort to dress nicely, I felt I had the same obligation to. I'll let you know the outcome of this some other time.

Oh before I forget, has anyone seen this series? Zombie-Loan by PEACH-PIT. Licensed under Square-Enix. (Hey, if they took this series than it must be good.)

I just finished the 11th episode today, and have got to say that it is one of my favorites. It has a lot of potential, and hopefully will get better as it progresses. To summarize It's about a girl named Michiru Kita and her encounter with two unique boys, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana. They're good-looking, popular....and well, a bit undead (yes, zom-beizzzz!!). Well due to certain circumstances, Michiru ends up working with these 2 in order to pay off their debts so that they can live again. With each episode Michiru learns more about the Z-Loan business, her new friends, and about the importance of cherishing life as well as living it.

Naruto Manga Ch. 367

2007-08-26T03:04:49Z

Well it was inevitable (not to mention obvious) that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage (Minato Namikaze), but it was quite interesting to get the back story of him. And on top of that we learn a bit about his mother (Kushina Uzumaki), which was a real treat in itself. It's interesting how he physically looks like his dad (though the whiskers on his face could be from his mom. Cute! ^w^) and has his mothers skills and personality mixed with Minato's persistence. There are definitely a lot questions that have sprung up, and listing them will take along time, but we've all got plenty.

~~~~~~~~~~

The look on Itachi's face was one of those "What-The-Hell" priceless looks. I don't think I remember seeing him shocked like that ever. Even if it was just a shadow clone, he still looked pretty shaken by his little brother's speech. And the way he opened up their conversation after two years was pretty funny. It looks like the fights really going to get good by the next chapter ; unless they pull some kind of switch to another scene.....Or, maybe it's gonna be some great twist in which Itachi set Sasuke up so that Naruto can catch him so that he can try to explain the truth to him about what he did 15 (or 14) years ago. Plus I get this weird vibe from the Akatsuki leader that he intends to betray Itachi and recruit/use Sasuke to reach his goal, and that Itachi has somehow become aware of what his intentions are. Okay I'm thinking way to into it, but it just seems like a really fishy situation so just about anything is coming to my mind. And with the direction that this series it's going so many mysteries have come up again to the addition of Naruto's parents.

~~~~~~~~~~

I have mixed feelings about Jiraiya going it alone at the secret base of the Akatsuki Leader (Or vice leader from how I see it). I mean on the one hand he is insanely powerful from what the guy had stated, and there is no question that he will definitely kick a$$. But on the other hand there are probably more members with powers equal to Jiraiya, and the leader sounds like he is a lot more older and stronger than any of them put together. (Shocker, though not so much, that Tobi turned out to be the real ring leader). I just really really hope to God that he does not die any time soon in the upcoming chapters. He is way too cool first of all, and the fact that he is like Naruto's grandfather would make it even more harder to take for both readers/viewers and Naruto alike.

I'm so glad to see that Naruto is really hyping up the twists and suspense in the series again, that's what makes it such a good series. And I am definitely enjoying every minute of it. ^_____^Y

Video Games, The New Mainstream Art?

2005-05-13T01:36:55Z

As a French Game Artist would say, se magnifique. While I'm no professional art critic, I have to say some looked pretty cool, where as some had me questioning what the artist was thinking - -;. People these days consider video games to be a new choice of artwork, and I'd have to say they do have a point. The growth in creativity is phenomonal, from the boxy little characters from Nintendo to the beautiful CGI characters of the Final Fantasy chronicles. Some people would agree with this opinion, like on this one blog http://www.fort90.com/journal/?p=205. While there are others who think differently like on this blog I found, http://www.loonyboi.com/blog/archives/000835.php. Which do you consider more? Is it art? Or is it just another Pop Mainstream Theme? Read about this subject more on http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/05/12/video.game.artists.reut/index.html.

Hackers, the U.S. Military Computers Worst Fear

2005-05-11T06:28:42Z

We've all had them, they get in to your computer some how, and just start snooping around. And on the sly they'll drop you a little "present" before they leave. That's right, hackers, the one's you just can't seem to get rid of on the internet. Even the best firewalls and antivirus softwares can't get rid of them all. I was reading about some article about some Swedish kid that who was able to get into a U.S. military computer. Of course he didn't mean any threat, he was just trying to get his hands on some program to upgrade his computer, or something like that.

It makes me wonder about just how dangerous it is that the U.S. military forces, Nasa, and other important corporates could be easily accessed through the computer. Not only do we have to protect ourselves through physical means, but also through our own technology. Find out more here http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/05/10/govt.computer.hacker/index.html.

Honey, Could You Answer the Internet?

2005-04-14T07:07:22Z

When ever you go on long trips, does your answering machine just pile up with over a thousand messages? Ever go mad with anxiety of who could have called? Had the desire to check, but couldn't cause of the long distance? Well there's something out there that's going to blow your mind and wash away all these problems, and that's VoIP. To clear the confusion, VolP is the latest telephony technology on the market that's giving people a whole new way to communicate. It's a combo of telephone and internet, you can take your messages even from as far as China. Not only that, but it's for a cheap price too. Course there are a heck of a lot of set backs, but that'll take a while to get around. Check out this site for a more clear understanding of what I'm yacking about.http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/04/13/new.telephony.ap/index.html

The Brick That Became a Pebble

2005-04-12T05:39:47Z

In this day and age everyone has a cell phone at hand, right? Whenever we have to get picked up, need to know the last problem on page whatever, or just to hang out at Carl's Jr., our hand reaches for that miniaturized phone lying at the bottom of our pockets. But imagine living life 21 years before, (at the age you are now)when the cell made its first appearance. Instead of carrying a nearly weightless little phone, you had to lug a 2lb colossal walkie talkie. Oh and don't count on making a two hour call to your friends, you only had a 1/2 hour to do that, and afterwards you had to recharge it. And as for how much you paid for this techno mammoth, a whopping $3,995! So why make such a gigantic mobile unit? And why the high price?
Well first of all the people who created it could not get the parts small enough for the mobile phone to carry it. Believe it or not the phone was originally suppose to be a small wafer-thin size for convenience. And obviously this was a big technological break through in a long time, so it's no surprise that people were shoveling out a lot of cash to get their hands on one. To find out in detail on this story click here. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/ptech/04/11/motorola.first.phone.ap/index.html

Google's Latest Feature...Satelite Technology?

2005-04-06T06:53:56Z

Yeah I read this article that was talking about the search engine Google, and how the company had gotten there hands on some satellite technology from someplace called Keyhole. They plan to add this program to use as a type of map for users to have at there disposal. Can you imagine getting a satellite image of the directions you need to a place you have never been? It might just help a lot of people in a lot of ways. But of course there are some set backs to this too. If they do add this, that means users will have to upgrade there programs to get it. Also it could put a lot of other map sites (such as mapquest.com) out of business. to find out more click http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/04/05/google.maps.ap/index.html

Internet Surfing, Disease or Recreation?

2005-04-02T19:59:19Z

My sister was watching the news one time, and she heard that being on the internet constantly is a sickness. People who are almost never off can not live with out it. I kinda agree with her, but not so much. I mean yes I do depend on the internet a little more than I should, but to consider it some type of a symptom is a little overly dramatic. Internet surfing has just become another mainstream in our life, like driving, watching TV, or talking on the (cell)phone. Once it assimilates in our lives there's no way of weaving it out. What do you guys think about that??

Ordering On-line Suggestions

2005-04-01T19:06:36Z

A lot of people already know how to order stuff off the computer (even kids as young as ten would know). Well it doesn't take a genius to order things at on-line stores, but when it comes to auctions like ebay, it's not always cake for everyone. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bad product, or the wrong one. And unfortunately there are rarely refunds, so in addition to being stuck with it you lose a lot of cash. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to keep from being tricked into buying faulty items?

Surfing the Net

2005-04-01T18:19:56Z

I'm almost constantly on internet, whether it's for a specific reason or just cause I'm bored. Surfing the net might seem like a waste of time, but you actually find some interesting and cool sites that come in handy in the future. (Don't know what exactly, but they do). Like for instance I found a site that can give the meaning of behind a person's name and its origins. My name is derived from the Roman word for "nobleman"(ha, that's a laugh ;P)While my friend's name derives from the Hebrew name meaning "name of God"or "God has heard." If you want to check it out for yourselves, just go to www.behindthename.com. If anyone knows some other sites that might be worth taking a look at, feel free to send a comment.

And the #1 Innovative Invention is......

2005-03-31T07:45:45Z

I went to CNN.com to find out what was ranked the most ground breaking invention of this turn of the century, and what a surprise. Out of the twenty-five listed, Internet is the top of the chart. Now when they were talking about technology, I was thinking of a more physical object (like CDs,Cell Phones, and so on). But I'd never think of the intangible ones.
After reading the article more I started to see why exactly the Internet was voted the best of them all. Not only is the internet more convenient,it has become an essential tool in our lives. Mail service is faster than ever, people can find some of the most unbelievable items ever thought possible, information is almost easily accessible, and the list goes on. Knowing all these things that the internet is capable of, how could we not live without it? Can you imagine what your life would be like with out the Internet???