Oliver had been shining the flash on his phone over the dumpster at the alley's entrance, trying to focus despite the loud crowd booming just a hundred feet behind him. It had began to irritate the young detective, his brow twitching as he growled softly.

  "Is this a serial killer that we need to worry about?! Our idols deserve to have answers!" One reporter called out to the officers who were unlucky enough to be put on bodyguard duty.

  Young had stood up, turning to face the audience before him. He strolled out of the alley, blank expression on his face as he slipped past the officer they greeted at the entrance. He stopped just behind the police on guard, which caused the smaller detective to catch a few stares from the officers on duty.

  But his presence also caught the attention of the reporters, who suddenly began throwing questions Oliver's way. But, he was quick to silence them.

  "Do you want answers? Then quiet down." He called out in response to the commotion, a veil of monotone indifference in his voice.

  The reporters had been so desperate at this point that they'd listen to any order if it meant having a story to run, especially if it was coming from someone on the force. So, slowly the voices began to subside, assuming they'd be receiving co-operation with Young.

  "Good. My name is Oliver Young, detective of Tokyo's serial homicide division. Now here is the situation; nobody knows a damn thing about this case and thats why I'm here. To find the public answers. But you see, I find it difficult to focus with a bunch of people demanding answers right behind me,"

  He sighed and then glared at the group, head lowering just a little as his hands balled into fists.

  "So shut the hell up and let me work or you guys are going to be out here for nothing!" He screamed, nose flaring as his words penetrated the group.

  Some of the reporters gasped in response, others flinching a little by Oliver's scolding. As the detective turned to leave, the area fell into a new feeling. A feeling of deafening silence.

  He returned to the dumpster, flashing his light back at it's surroundings, eyes narrowed to focus on finding some kind of useful information.

  That had been when a metallic reflection caught Oliver's eye, starting as a large accumulation of a grey, grainy like substance which began as a pile, but slowly began to spread down the alley, the trail thinning out the farther down it went until it was completely obsolete.

  "Interesting..." Oliver muttered, snapping a quick photo to examine later.

  Oliver had knelt down further, pulling a plastic zip lock bag from his back pocket and sliding it open. His gloved fingers pinched at the consistency, carefully sprinkling it into said bag.

  That had been when the blood curdling scream of Hiroki could be heard in the distance. Oliver's dull eyes shot ahead towards the alley once more, officers and reporters looking towards the source of the sound as well. A few of these officers had been ready to leave their post to investigate possible danger but the young detective was quick to raise his hand to them, halting the police as he slipped the bag in his hand into his back pocket before quickly reaching to his hip to replace the bag with a gun.

  "You all stay on guard and make sure those bastards don't breach the crime scene."

  Oliver had admittedly been a bit scared. The idea of something bad happening to Hiroki, it was a fear that played out in the detectives head often. So in the moment, it had been as if a nightmare came to life. He was quick to run, taking a sharp turn to his right and stopping in his tracks with wide eyes at the sight before him.

  What Young saw was even more surprising than what he would've expected. Nothing had been wrong at all. Hiroki however, seemed to be in a state of trauma in response to... A body? Hiroki's eyes had been wide and full of tears, hands pressed against the brick wall he laid against as he panted, a sight that relieved Oliver just as much as it pissed him off.

  The American had slid his pistol back into its holster, storming over with a look of utter frustration in his eyes. He broke Hiroki's view of the body, causing the the man to stare up at Oliver with those same wide eyes of pure terror.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?! I just got those reporters to calm down and then you had to have a panic attack over a damn body! Whats your problem?!"

  Hiroki blinked a few times, his head lowering as his mind began to sink back into reality, beginning to properly process what had happened. Was he hearing things? Seeing things?  Did his mind just take advantage of the discomfort he already felt?

  "Well?!" Oliver suddenly spoke up once more, glaring down at the other with crossed arms.

  Hiroki brought his palms to his eyes, wiping the tears from underneath as he shakily pulled himself to his feet.

  "S-Sorry..."

  Olivers brows furrowed in a mix of confusion and concern now, glancing back at the body on the floor.

  "Well then, what happened?"

  "I... I dont know. I guess I just let the scene get the best of me."

  That answer surprised Oliver even more. He knew this case was confusing, but the two dealt with much more horrific murders than this one. Oliver turned his face back to Hiroki, a skeptical look in his eyes as they narrowed slightly. He knew there was more to it and he knew he would have to question his partner later, but now wasn't the time.

  "Whatever, snap some photos of the body, finish your examination, and lets get out of here." He ended.

  Oliver made sure to go back to the cops, letting them know everything had been okay but aside from that, he stuck to Hiroki's side for the remainder of the night's investigation. It was a mix of worry and convenience on Oliver's part. He knew something about this case was getting to his partner and he knew leaving the man alone would only risk further trauma.

  Once the two had finished up their work, they stood beside the ambulance as paramedics rolled out Ren's body in a bag, planning to take the model to a coroner for a more proper inspection while the two examined the little evidence they managed to collect.

  In the end, Hiroki's encounter was the peak of the two's night. There was next to nothing in terms of physical evidence. Aside from the dust pile Oliver collected and the pictures taken of the body, the two had little to go off of.

  Despite his own shaky mental health that lingered from tonight's earlier events, Hiroki had focused listening as Oliver had been busy complaining. No matter the reasoning to what Akiyama saw, it only created a new fear within him. Oliver's problems were the only thing that kept Hiroki's sense of reality in check, so he would focus on that, reminding himself that he was okay.

  "How the hell did we only get a bunch of dust from a murder scene?! I feel like I'm a rookie all over again. We look pathetic!"

The two had began retracing their steps, making their way back to Hiroki's vehicle. The two had quickly adjusted to ignoring the prying eyes of journalists, tuning them out as detectives so often did.

  "Don't get so down yet, sure physical evidence is low, but Ren's friend is the first witness this case has had. Think of this as protocol. The witness is the real break we are looking for." Hiroki reassured as the two walked.

  Oliver rolled his eyes as Hiroki pulled out his keys, staring off ahead with thoughts of his own.

  "Oh yeah, I'm sure the interview with an unstable schizophrenic will really give us all the info we need."

Hiroki ignored that comment, though not without a small frown. He sighed, separating from his partners side as the two briskly brushed past everything they had just carefully examined, making his way to the driver's side of the vehicle.