Katawa Satsujin

[Xanatos]

Author's note: Story based off a morbid concept. Can't handle it, don't read it. Also much shorter than planned because I got sidetracked by other ideas. And I couldn't decide on an ending so after the really dark ending, there's an alternate happier ending. Oh, and the title might be gibberish. My only translator is Google. "Satsujin" is supposed to be "murder" but if it's wrong, blow me.

*************************************************************************************

The Yamaku dormitories. Rin's room. The bed is disheveled. In one corner, a stack of paintings. In another, an unfinished portrait that will now never be completed. I cannot tell who is in the portrait but I can tell who is lying on the floor. An armless young woman, sprawled out on the red-stained carpet. Auburn hair matted with blood.

Rin was discovered this morning, dead in her room. The students were told to stay away but, well, curiosity gets the better of us all. There are no police stationed near Yamaku so Mutou's arranged to bring some people in from some outside the city as soon as he can. I have no patience to wait. Rin was a friend and somebody needs to pay for this. I need answers. But who could have done this...

"Feminists."

Who invited Kenji?


"I'm telling you, man. It was one of those chicks. How many guys even attend here? I sure didn't do it and the painter kid's blind. Did you do it?"


I sigh and turn to face him. "I'm not in the mood for this. What are you doing here?"


He plasters this smug smirk on his face and it occurs to me that he literally wouldn't even see it coming if I punched him in the face.

"You need a ballin' guy like me to help out if you're gonna find anything."

"You can barely see in front of you..." I inform him.

Naturally, he ignores this rational fact in favor of...Well, being Kenji.

"You need me. Women make terrible detectives. The best detective ever is Sherlock Holmes and he wasn't a woman. Case closed."

Ugh. I just nod my head and push past him into the hall, intent to put some distance between his nonsense and myself. Just as I reach the door, Kenji's hand springs out in front of me. He's holding a pair of glasses.

"You dropped these. Didn't know you wore glasses too. You should get a pair like mine. It'll be like our calling card to each other. For the men's club, y'know."

"There is no men's club, Kenji..."

His mouth turns down momentarily before he smirks again.

"Keepin' it secret. Good man, Hisao. There might be hope for you yet."

"No, Kenji, listen. Those aren't my glasses. Where did you find them?"

"They were on the floor in Tezuka's room. You sure you didn't-"

"How did you even notice them? You can't see three feet in front of you."

"I know glasses, man."

Well. That wasn't an answer at all but I'll take it. I snatch the glasses out of his hand and bolt through the doorway before he can start talking again. Time to start checking out suspects.

[Xanatos]

I stop by the library to check if Yuuko's in. I doubt she could be involved in anything like this but I can't just throw out the possibility either. The place is typically rather empty and today is no exception. The only presence seems to be Hanako curled up in her usual spot.

"Hey Hanako, is Yuuko here?"

She jumps in her seat and I can't help but chuckle a bit. She's more skittish than a rabbit.

"O-Oh...No, I h-haven't seen her. I just found the door open and came in to find a book. It's c-called 'Firestarter'."

"Hm. Could be she's at the Shanghai or something. Thanks anyway. Enjoy your book."

I give a short wave and receive a smile in return as she resumes reading. That alone makes this little detour worth it. Once I'm out the door, I stop by the vending machine for a canned coffee.

"Hiichan!"

A loud noise rings out and startles me, making me spill some of the beverage as I open the can. What a lucky day.

"Hello Misha..." I turn and, sure enough, bouncing pink hair greets me.

"You should be careful, Hiichan. Poor Yuuko could come back and slip on that spill!"

"I only spilled it because you yelled at me..."

"Wahahaha~! You need to take responsibility. Shiichan would be angry at you if she knew you were trying to blame me for your own mess!"

"Uh huh. Where is Shiich- I mean Shizune...Anyway?"

"She's in the student council room, of course! Unlike some people, she works hard and doesn't have time for coffee at the library."

Misha's lips turn downward into a stern stare and it's almost as if Shizune were somehow scolding me through her. But then she lets out one of her signature laughs and the illusion is ruined.

"She asked me to get some books for her. You can go talk to her if you want but she won't like her work being interrupted, Hiichan."

"She'll get over it."

I gulp down the coffee and rush toward the council room. Shizune is inside, huddled over a notebook and writing like a woman possessed. I start to ask her what she's working on before reality hits me. She can't hear me. I pull out a notepad and pencil, scribbling a few words and pushing the pad in front of her face.

{Hello Shizune. How are you?}

Her brow furrows ever so slightly as a sign of her frustration but she smiles and pulls out her own notepad anyway. It's the only way we can communicate without Misha so she's grown to begrudgingly accept it.

[I am fine, Hisao. I'm reading books on defense and security. After what happened to that girl...]

{Rin.}

[Right. As the student council president, I can't let the school be terrorized!]

I decide not to point out that she's basically the entire student council and pull out a chair to sit instead.

{Actually, that's why I'm here. I was looking through her room-}

Shizune starts scribbling away at her notepad and shows it to me.

[Pervert.]

I scrawl out a response and almost fling it at her, caught off guard by the accusation.

{Not like that! I was just taking a look to see if there were any clues about who did it. I found a pair of glasses...}

She perks up immediately and holds out her hand. I offer her the glasses and she stares at them for a long while before writing again.

[These are mine. Why did she have these?]

{I don't think she did, Shizune. They were on the floor with blood all over them.}

[Are you suggesting I had anything to do with this?!]

{Well...It's only a clue. I can't prove anything.}

[If you can't prove anything, you're not doing a very good job.]

{Look, like it or not, your glasses were at the scene. Do you have any explanation?}

"HIIIII HIICHAN!"

As I wait for Shizune's answer, a loud voice rings out beside my ear.

"Gah! Are you trying to make me deaf, Misha?!"

"Wahaha~! Then I'd have to sign for both of you, silly! Did you come to help us with the student council work?" Her cheery demeanor falls into a sulking frown as Shizune signs to her. "You think Shiichan did something bad? That's not very nice..."

I sigh and rub my temples. I really don't seem to be getting anywhere.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I had to check. Her glasses were at the scene, you know. I can't be faulted for suspicion, can I?"

Misha is about to talk when Shizune cuts her off with a swift hand gesture.

[I wasn't anywhere near that girl's room. Someone's trying to frame me! Probably that slacker Satou...]

"You honestly think she hates you enough to frame you for murder? That's too much even for you two."

I forget to sign this but Misha picks up the slack and Shizune looks like she's trying to stab me with her gaze.

[Look, I don't know! You said you have to check everything. Who else would frame me?!]

She throws her arms into the air in frustration. I can relate. She does have a point...But Lilly? I just can't see it...Then again, I couldn't see anything like this happening here at Yamaku. Can't really afford to prematurely rule anything out. With that in mind, I rush off to find Lilly. Misha's voice calls after me "Hiichan! Stop neglecting your council duties! HIICHAAAN!"

[Xanatos]

Next thing I know, I'm in the tea room. Lilly's pouring the tea in that skillful way of hers, using fingers to measure the amounts and everything. All things considered, her polite manner and the tea set are both rather bizarre considering why I'm here.

"I didn't expect you for tea, Hisao. What a pleasant surprise."

"Actually, I'm not really here for that. Thanks all the same."

I take a sip of tea and smile at her. She can't see it but she smiles back anyway.

"I'm actually here about the...Incident."

"Oh dear...I had heard about that. Terrible...Did something else happen?"

"Well, I've been looking into it. I found a pair of Shizune's glasses in Rin's room but she says she wasn't there. Thought maybe somebody was trying to frame her for it or something. And well, you guys aren't on the best terms..."

"I don't like her. That doesn't mean I would do something so awful."

"Well, yeah...But I had to check it out. I don't have much to go on, you know."

"Did you forget that I'm blind, Hisao? I don't even know what Shizune's glasses look like."

Damn. She had a point...But she also had a pair of eyes other than her own.

"Uh, well...Maybe you had Hanako ta-"

She cuts me off by slamming her teacup onto the table. This might be the first time I've ever seen her look truly angry...And it's directed at me.

"I think you should leave, Hisao."

She doesn't say a word after that. She just goes back to her tea. Nothing more to get from her. I sigh and head out the door. I probably deserve that for even thinking those two could be involved. Just when I think I couldn't feel any worse, I see a terrible red-and-gold omen: Kenji's scarf.

"Any leads on the case, partner?"

"I'm not your partner, Kenji. And no, I've got nothing. I'm getting nowhere fast and my head hurts. Did you want something?"

"Me? Want something? Nah. But you want something, you want clues, and I've got them. Hey, can I borrow some pizza money?"

"...You're bribing me with clues for pizza money? This isn't a game, you know."

"Not bribery. You want something, I want something. We trade somethings. Capitalism, bro."

"I'm not sure that's what capita-"

"Whatever. Look, forget the pizza. Just go out and get some air. Clear your head. Too much time with these feminists can ruin a guy, y'know."

Well...He's as out-of-touch as ever but he's right. I could use some time to clear my head. I thank him, not that he notices, and head off down the hall. Maybe I'll go to the Shanghai...Nah, too far away. I'd be ready to come back by the time I got there. I decide to settle for somewhere closer and head down to the track. Emi's there running laps. I wave to her and take a seat on the bleachers.

"Don't you usually run in the mornings?", I ask her while she flies by for another lap.

"Usually, yeah. But there's a big competition coming up. I gotta train, gotta beat my last record!"

Of course. The track team's going to be up against some other teams from the area. No doubt Emi will leave them all in the dust. She always does...And she's always competing with Miki too. She keeps circling the track while I just zone out. Shizune's glasses at the scene but Shizune didn't put them there. She accuses Lilly but that's a pretty big stretch considering Lilly's lack of eyesight. Accusing Hanako as an accomplice proved a bad move...No evidence for that anyway.

[Xanatos]

That leaves only a few suspects. I can't assume Kenji wasn't involved, especially given his...Unique ideas about the female population. He could have thought he was doing some great deed. Rin could have had enemies in the art club. Rivals, maybe. Could have even been Nomiya, he gets so furious about her 'budding art career' sometimes. I can't sort this out...I just slump down in my seat and watch Emi zoom past once...Twice...Three times...Fou- Something catches my eye then. A scuff in the dirt left by her running blades. I recall seeing a similar mark on the floor of Rin's room. Could Emi really have something to do with this...My thoughts are interrupted by a pocket-sized notepad shoved into my hand.

"Write it down. Gotta stay organized to win the war."

Okay, seriously, why is Kenji here?

"Why are you here?"

"I've been tracking you. Helping, looking for clues."

"Tracking me...What am I, a deer?"

His usual casual smirk disappears into a frown of consternation.

"You could be a deer and I wouldn't even know it. Feminists blinded me, y'know. But deers don't know human language and deers aren't manly so I don't think you're a deer."

"...Right. How did you know I'd find anything?"

"It's a track, right? Feminists like to run. Helps them escape when they get caught spying."

Note to self: Stop asking Kenji questions. Anyway, this could be a new lead. I move to go talk to Emi but the track is empty. Where did she...

"She ran off when she saw you talking to me. They don't like me. They know I'm onto them."

I roll my eyes and start heading back to the main building. On the way, I pick up a rock and toss it over my shoulder. It hits the bleachers with a ringing sound. Kenji scrambles to hit the ground when he hears it. I can't help but smile.

Back at the girls' dorm again. I've spent more time here today than ever and I can't even enjoy it. One knock on Emi's door and it's open, the short girl greeting me with hands on her hips.

"If this is about Rin, just go away."

This has gone well. Ignoring her glare, I let myself past her into the room.

"Your running blades scuffed the floor in her dorm. They were fresh marks..."

"So? I visit her room a lot."

"On the morning she was found?"

"Didn't see her. I visited the night before."

"Did you happen to see any glasses lying around?"

Her gaze shifts now to look out the window and she goes quiet, a sulking pout stuck onto her face. I wait a few moments before going on.

"Shizune's glasses were in there. She thinks she was framed. Do you know anything about that?"

"I...Well...No. Are you done yet?"

I sigh and shake my head. Naturally, of all the girls, Emi is the least willing to deal with all this. Living in the moment and all that. I open my mouth to speak only to be cut off.

"I don't wan't to talk about this. It was just a prank...She was mean to Rin so I swiped her glasses during the night and hid them. But I hid them in my room, not Rin's."

"They were found with Rin."

"Not my fault. Maybe someone moved them. But I didn't kill my best friend, Hisao!"

I could swear I saw tears in her eyes at this point. I decided not to push it any further for now.

"No...I don't think you did either. But I really need some direction to go on this...I'll find whoever did this, one way or another. I promise you that."

[Xanatos]

With that and a pat of her head, I take my leave. At the hall's end, I turn a corner only to feel a swift blow to the head. I fall down and my vision goes dark. When I wake up, I don't know exactly where I am. Wherever it is, I'm pretty sure I'm in a closet. Too small to be anything else. I rub my head and feel drying blood. Not enough to worry about though so I shake my head back and forth to clear it before pulling the door open. I'm in the art room. It's empty except for Nomiya. He looks up from his work with surprise on his face.

"Nakai, what on Earth are you doing in there? If you wanted to see some of my fine art for yourself, you only had to ask, my boy!"

"It's a long story...I think I got hit in the head."

"Oh, you really ought to be more careful going down stairs then. Have you tried the elevator?"

"I didn't fall. I think I was hit by someone. I was just talking to Emi about what she might know about Rin's d-"

"Stop."

I look over to see a darkness looming on his face. It'd be frightening if not for the little pink glasses.

"You quit asking about that. This is a matter for the police, not some boy playing detective. Tezuka's assailants will be brought to justice, rest assured of that!"

"...Assailants? What makes you think there was more than one?"

"Well...I don't know! I just assumed...You know..."

He looks flustered and moves from his chair, grabbing my arm and throwing me out of his classroom.

"You shouldn't be meddling in adult affairs. Leave it be!"

The door slams in my face. Talk about suspicious. But he won't talk to me anymore, at least for now. Might as well go see if Kenji's snooping has uncovered anything more. On my way to his room, I'm met by Lilly and Hanako.

"Hisao. About earlier, I wanted to apologize...You're just trying to figure out who did it, after all."

"It's fine, Lilly. I shouldn't have been so suspicious..."

"No, an investigator has to be suspicious. I took it too personally. Come, have tea with us."

She turns and leads the way, Hanako and myself following close behind. I notice then a spattering of red on the end of her cane.

"...Lilly? Did you step in some paint?"

"Paint? Don't be silly. Hanako would have told me so...She's always with me, after all."

I stop dead in my tracks. That blow to the head...Red on her cane. Not paint...Blood. Assailants...I had been right all along. It was Lilly. Hanako watches me and fidgets while Lilly stands in wait.

"L-Lilly...H-He knows..."

"Oh? Well, we can't have that...Apologies, Hisao."

Before I know what to do, her cane strikes my shins and I go down. I can see Hanako standing there, trying to be as small as possible, timid as ever. Then someone standing over me, putting a cloth in my mouth and a blindfold over my eyes. I'm being carried.

A few minutes later, I feel myself lowered into a chair. Someone's tying my hands behind me while someone else ties my legs to the chair. The blindfold is removed. Two figures stand in front of me, one behind me. A hand reaches from behind to pull the gag from my mouth.

[Xanatos]

"What the hell?!"

"Do not speak so impolitely, Hisao."

The way Lilly talks, you'd think she hadn't just helped abduct me into a sports shed. But in my position, I could only play along for now.

"Fine, sorry. Why am I here then?"

"You are here to end your investigation."

"So Shizune was right. You framed her, and you used Hanako."

She smiled then. It was an eerie sight to see in these circumstances. Less pretty now and more frightening.

"No, Hisao. Framing Shizune was my doing, yes, but this was all Hanako's idea. I suppose you do deserve some explanation. Hanako?"

The timid, reserved girl steps up into the light of the shed's one lightbulb and bows her head, almost as if in apology for all of this.

"W-Well, it a-all started years ago...Not long before I lost my p-parents. W-We were at a s-sort of summer camp. Me, Lilly, E-Emi and Rin...They had their legs and arms then. We went into the woods for a hiking trip, and Rin got us lost looking for some kind of special tree or something."

"The worry tree?"

"Y-Yes...Th-That's what she calls it now. T-Turns out it wasn't far from where we'd all end up at Yamaku...Anyway, we were out there for weeks. We were starving...I-I couldn't take it. I d-didn't want to die so...When they were asleep, Emi and Rin, I...I took parts from them. I used some ropes we brought for the hike, just in case, to stop them escaping...And took Rin's arms. Emi's legs...Lilly wasn't any the wiser, she couldn't see. Started a fire, cooked the parts...They w-were both in shock but w-we fed them."

"You fed them, Hanako. I was asleep..."

"R-Right. When L-Lilly woke up, after she ate, I...I had to tell her. Sh-She said she'd protect me...We kept them gagged while we found our w-way home and stitched them up as best we could. Lilly bought some s-sort of drug for them. Made them...Susceptible. Put false memories in their heads, car crash, birth defect...Kept them out of public for a while so they'd heal up enough to make it believable. F-Families went along with the stories...Assumed it was a freak accident in the woods, and the memories were how they handled the trauma. Didn't h-hurt anyone so they let them believe it. We weren't friends after that...B-But I kept an eye on them until we moved away. Th-Then the fire t-took my family, and I eventually came here...I never expected to find them again. But I did...Lilly came later and we agreed to keep them quiet. E-Emi was no trouble...B-But Rin started painting...And eventually, her paintings r-reflected that t-time in the woods."

Lilly interrupted at this point. I could only stare, dumbfounded as they told their story. It was like a horror movie...But worse because I was in it.

"We had to do something. I...I had to protect Hanako. So I did. Her skull cracked with enough force from my cane. Shards of bone stuck in her brain. She died quickly. Then we covered our tracks. Hanako had overheard once during lunch with them on the roof that Emi had pulled a little prank on Shizune...So Hanako snuck into her room, swiped the glasses, and planted them by Rin's body. She borrowed one of Emi's running blades too to make some tracks too, just in case we needed to take out two birds with one stone, as it were."

"And...The third assailant?"

She offered that pretty-turned-scary smile again.

"Oh, he helped cover things up, actually...Mr. Nomiya, of course."

My mind went blank then. Why would he...But I didn't even have to ask. He stepped into view then to speak.

"Sorry to have to meet like this, boy. I bet you're wondering why I'd do this...Well, it's simple really. I'm an artist. I love art. Many have asked 'What is art?', and do you know the answer? Of course you don't. Art is something made to affect you. Painting, music, film...All art. My art never had any great effect, and I never knew how to improve it...Until the day he died. A close friend of mine worked above an art gallery in town. Found him dead up there, suicide...He couldn't handle the artist's burden. But seeing him...It affected me deeply indeed. Death, it seemed, is the most powerful affecting force there is...The highest art. Tezuka, she was no real artist. Her heart wasn't in it like mine. But she did enjoy art, she did try...So I thought it only proper to let her be a part of my greatest work yet. It was nothing personal...Just art. You shouldn't have meddled."

He stepped back again to make way for Lilly. Her cane was gone, replaced by a long thin knife. I couldn't even speak, my mouth was dried up from fear. I really should have left this alone...

As I was cursing myself in my head, Lilly stepped up and lifted the blade. Nomiya's hand tugged my hair, jerking my head back, and the knife slid into the flesh, slicing all the way across my throat. I just stared, in shock and horror, speechless as the blood poured out over my torso. It felt strange...Tingly, cold...My vision grew dark...I felt weaker by the second...So cold...

She stepped away from the blood, tossing the blade aside. Nomiya was already on his way back to the main building. Hisao was finally gone. Nothing would harm Hanako now. The blonde girl pulls her friend into her arms, one arm hugging her close while the other gingerly runs fingers through her long dark locks. Hanako looks up with tears in her eyes, and she wipes them away. Turning Hanako away from the morbid sight, she presses a kiss to the girl's forehead and smiles, whispering. "Happy Birthday, Hanako..."

[Xanatos]

Alternate ending:

*****************************************************************************

He stepped back again to make way for Lilly. Her cane was gone, replaced by a long thin knife. I couldn't even speak, my mouth was dried up from fear. I really should have left this alone...

As I was cursing myself in my head, I heard the door crash open. My eyes shot open and Kenji was standing there with a hand behind his back.

"Feminists!"

"Dammit Kenji, you didn't bring anybody?!"

He just gave me that annoying smirk of his and revealed what he was hiding: A big stick with a wet rag on it.

"...Just what are you supposed to do with that?!"

He laughed and shrugged.

"Real men improv, bro!"

Nomiya moved then, running to grab him, but he ducked and shot a fist right into his groin. The man fell, clutching his bruised bits. Lilly took a swing with her cane, hit him square in the back. He went down but kicked out at her, sending her into an avalanche of sports junk. He pulled two pairs of handcuffs out of his pockets and took care of them both before turning to Hanako.

She lunged at him only to be sidestepped and the next thing I saw, he had a lighter in hand and that stick of his became a torch. Hanako paused then, eyes going wide as she stared at the fire. He brandished the weapon at her and she took a few steps back, tears rising in her eyes.

"This w-wasn't supposed to h-happen..."

Kenji started toward her when Lilly's hand shot out from beneath a junk pile and grabbed his ankle. Hanako took the opportunity to run out the door and he shook Lilly off to chase after her. Once they were outside, I managed to work my way out of the ropes and follow. Hanako was frantic, tears streaming down her face as Kenji gave chase, waving those flames at her. In her panic, she turned back to look and tripped, falling right onto her neck and snapping it. I heard the sound as I caught up with them. Kenji had stopped and knelt down to douse the torch in the dirt. When he stood back up, he looked at me and removed his glasses for only the second time since I've known him. His eyes were stern.

"That's that then. Not pretty...Had to happen though, right?"

"Yeah...Yeah it did...Better go tell somebody, eh?"

A few hours later, Lilly and Nomiya were being helped into police cars and Hanako was being loaded into a hearse. Kenji and I stood watch from nearby. We exchanged a quick glance to one another.

"Thanks for showing up when you did, Kenji. I don't think I'd be alive if you hadn't."

"Anytime. I told you before, these feminists are wily. You gotta stay alert."

Under other circumstances, I'd have to roll my eyes at his usual feminist paranoia. But feminists or not, his paranoia had paid off and saved my life. I just smiled and gave him a nod, draping an arm over his shoulder as we headed back to the building.

"Yeah...Say, Kenji, about that men's club..."

"Pretzels?"

"Whiskey?"

"No glasses, no napkins."

"Manliest club ever."

[forgetmenot]

Uhh... I... whaaa?

Ok.

[Archangel Gabriel]

This is probably the second-craziest KS thing I've read. First place goes to that video where Obama shot everyone.

[Mirage_GSM]

I forget to sign this

I think you meant "write". Hisao wasn't able to sign earlier.

As for the rest...
I think the whackiness of the alternate ending fits well with the whackiness of the rest of the story.

Oh and yes, "Satsujin" does mean "murder".

[mindtrapdragon]

Well, I can't say I saw that story coming.

Also Nomiya gave me some serious Art School Confidential vibes.

[BlackWaltzTheThird]

<fan fiction>

Uh oh.

glasses

framed

I see what you did there.jpg

Well, I guess I won't comment on the absurdities of this story, given that it is meant to be wacky and definitely non-serious. It suuuuure is wacky though, OOC writing notwithstanding. I'll note that you inexplicably shifted into past tense in those last two posts worth of text. You could also afford to use a linebreak in some of those longer paragraphs, and also when the focus shifts time or place, like below:

I fall down and my vision goes dark.

When I wake up, I don't know exactly where I am.

Good for a "for teh lulz ficshun", I guess. I wonder how you might go taking on something serious; I believe you have the technical skill to do so, so it comes down to whether your creativity allows that.

[Umber]

Insanity all throughout. I am...very, very confused, but for some reason, I liked it. The endings were the parts that I ended up enjoying the most, the rest felt a little off.

As is assumed is to be the point, judging from the previous comments - so I'll just put that aside.

I wonder how you might go taking on something serious; I believe you have the technical skill to do so, so it comes down to whether your creativity patience allows that.

My opinion.

[Xanatos]

Patience is something I have in very little amounts when dealing with other people but great amounts in my private affairs...And this was just something I tossed out while the serious work (the premise of which has garnered nothing but strange looks and uncomfortable shuffling from those who know of it...Jerks) is being worked on so your curiosity may be sated, Waltz.

[Xanatos]

I see what you did there.jpg

...I didn't even notice that, I swear.