Angels Don't Die in Heaven [ToW Halloween Mystery Event]

The SHIRA agent's amusement turned to confusion, as Suguru attacked the problem from yet another angle.

He turned to the Medical-Nin, who was clad in white from head to toe and beckoned them over.

]"Did you check her lungs by any chance?" He asked.

"Of course. Standard procedure."

"Was there any water in the lungs, or signs of drowning, by any chance?"

"What? No. She was stabbed to death. Why would you think she was drowned?"

"Ask the Konoha detective." The agent pointed to Suguru.

The genin chewed on a fresh unlit cigar which had magically got into the crook of his mouth. He had to stir this ship back on course, or else they were all doomed.

Possibilities flowed in front of his eyes, piecing together the wreck.

Was the medical-nin paid off by Big Water? Possible, but there were too many variables that they could not control.

Did they use a different execution method? That is counter-intuitive to sending a message.

It was seeming that his watertight conviction was in fact a leaky one, but once more Suguru's mind wormed itself into a new mode of thinking. The detective was never wrong, he was simply walking a road that bent and curved at every impasse.

They wanted to make this look like a hit from Big Water, while actually it was done as a frame job.

"You can bring the heads of Big Water, but not because they are the perpetrators, but also victims dampened by the acts of this crime."

The medical-nin panicked.

"Mr. Monhagmery is dead?" He asked, his eyes wild, the only part of his autonomy visible in the white suit.

Mother's milk. What could it be?

Relaxing under the sink Yuichi had the privacy he needed to think clearly for a moment. He knew he wasn't going to be leaving or participating in the investigation, but he couldn't help but contemplate the mystery. Clearly, people much smarter than him were very interested.

He thought of it as a metaphor of some kind. It was a substitute for something in the equation. The question was what it symbolized or alluded to. Maybe it was some kind of drug. Or something that gave life, that everyone shared. Something like chakra or souls or something. He couldn't see how he could possibly solve the equation this way though. Even if he knew what mothers milk meant he wouldn't necessarily have a way to quantify it.

Hmm. Perhaps this whole thing was completely unnecessary. This DID seem like the rants of a mad woman. Yuichi should know. He stuffed it into the back of his mind. The only answers they would get would be from the professor or the dead woman herself, and Yuichi had no intention of leaving the cupboard until the smart man performed his jutsu, so he couldn't search the house for more answers. Even if he could, it seemed doubtful that he would find anything.

Sitting there under the sink was comfortable enough that Yuichi found himself falling asleep. Despite his efforts, he eventually drifted off and fell asleep under the sink with his backpack in his lap.

Renny's affirmation of his status as free agent was peculiar. He was assisting a Kage yet didn't appear to serve the village in a formal capacity. It reminded Cuomo of his status with respect to the Land of Moon and the world writ large. Just a couple of intellectual renegades, squeezing value from challenges and selling the juice to the highest bidder. Renny offered to give Cuomo exclusive license regarding his Senjutsu ideas. He also implied that he would keep under wraps Cuomo's designs for Rini's former friend. Both were valuable in of themselves. Cuomo had shown his hand in how quickly he had snatched up the papers. The knowledge he now possessed with respect to Senjutsu was worth a fortune but if Renny told others, it/s price would diminish. Lavender mask had salvaged his earlier blunder and it caused the Professor to grin.

Renny was bullish on their prospects of communicating with Chel. Cuomo less so but the prospect of exclusive Sage knowledge sweetened the deal. If they failed there was no harm done. If they succeeded now that'd be quite a turn of events. The man was deferential, offering him flattery, praise and some tangible benefit.

"Not bad.....but what else you got? I don't know i-" Cuomo paused and turned to look at Yuichi who had encroached on their conversation. He mean mugged the genin until he made himself scarce. Although he doubted the young man could understand what they were plotting to do, he didn't like the idea of others listening in. The genin probably had nothing to offer him so his presence was not welcome. These were sensitive negotiations. Once Yuichi had left, Prof. Cuomo turned back to Renny.

"Assistant to a Kage you say? Pray tell which one." He wasn't sure if Renny would even disclose something so sensitive but it was worth a shot. Cuomo hoped that it was a Kage of significant stature. It would be nice to have an in with a world leader. Regardless of whether Renny divulged the truth, Cuomo would then offer his deal. He leaned in close and whispered into Renny's ear:

"Very well. Lend me your aid in seeing if we can capture this being. Give me exclusive license on your Senjutsu research and give me 3 million Ryo and you'll have my help in solving this case. If we come across anything interesting, this might be the start of a fun little 'assistanceship.'"  Cuomo's use of the word came with implied scare quotes. He wasn't necessarily convinced that someone as smart as Renny was into being an assistant. He was playing his own game and if he didn't want to elaborate further that was fine. Cuomo was content to let him keep his charade so long as he got what he wanted in the end. Of course, it sounded like he expected something out of this whole deal as well. Renny was fairly presumptuous in assuming he'd create something for him but he saw no reason to disabuse the man of the notion. Depending on how their research turned out, he might very well discover something and if he did, he'd be inclined to reward Renny. If for the possibility of future deals, Kage favors and other mutually beneficial trades.

The sneaking off genin had not gone unnoticed. Cuomo was keeping tabs on him with his sensory. Either the kid was a spy or just as lost as Suguru was.

The SHIRA agent raised his hand to pacify the medical-nin, before he could alert anyone else of the perceived death of Mr. Monhagmery.

"Let the man finish, Doc." The agent said simply, yet he winked to reveal his true intentions of simply wanting to listen to what wild theories the Konoha detective was going to spin.

"Thank you, Agent." Suguru responded with a nod, happy that finally, he was getting the respect the loose cannon wise-cracking detective always got in the manga. "Unfortunately, the Medical-nin is right, Mr. Momhagrey is dead."

It was now the turn of the SHIRA agent's jaw to drop, who was now seriously in the belief that Suguru must have been some prank sent by the fire department.

The Medical-nin, alarmed once more, began to retreat so he could alarm his comrades of this new murder, yet the agent had still enough sense to grab hold of his arm before panic spread.

"How did you go from Monhagmery being the culprit to the victim?" The agent asked.

"Do not waste time with such trivial questions." Suguru answered as he looked in the distance, which once again, was another wood wall. "Every minute the tide rises, a new body will wash at our feet."

"You do know this is a flying city with no beaches, right? So there is no tide." The SHIRA agent responded promptly.

"I think the Detective is simply using an euphemism, though I do concur that it is a rather odd one to use in the situation." The medical-nin, still shaken, answered. "But please, do explain yourself further. Is Mr. Monhagmery alive or dead?"

[8]

When Renny boasted of the caliber that his Kage possessed, he did so in non-descript terms. Cuomo was well versed in politics though. It was part of how he had become as rich as he did. Science could get you only but so far by itself. He had learned that lesson rather painfully back in his younger days as a doctorate candidate. The astronomer didn't interrupt as he noted that Renny must have either served the Raikage or Hokage. If going by resume then it was certainly Ryuko Shizu von Rose. The Queen of Thunder was the first to organize her nation in a post-village fashion. Power was removed from the feudal class and instead concentrated directly into her hands as monarch. If going by allies, he'd have to select the Hokage. Konoha was allied with Kirigakure and had taken on Iwa as a vassal at one point which made them an "ally" of sorts if not by friendship then by force. He couldn't be certain with Renny's vagueness but he didn't need to be. The point was that Renny was well-connected and it made sense given how smart he was.

He ordinarily wouldn't accept such opaque terms but Renny's genius along with the fact that he was not like to get a better deal from SHIRA had coerced him. The money sounded like it was off the table but Cuomo didn't walk away. He was persuaded by Renny's analogy. Investments were not his area of expertise but he understood the concept fairly well. Renny's stock might one day rise higher than Rini's or Menza's. He was gifted and this little adventure might be a bedrock for future expeditions. Prof. Cuomo stretched out his right hand and offered it to his counter-part. Cuomo's elderly hand was firm and calloused but his eyes were young and electric. The mark of a man who made miracles with his mind.

"Very well then Renny. Let's see if we can't catch ourselves a bug."

If the hand was shaken and the deal sealed then Cuomo would venture forwards with a fire in his heart. He knew their chances of success were next to zero but the celestial sciences were a fickle thing. Many a wonder was discovered purely by accident. There were all sorts of inventions one could find along the road to scientific nirvana. Serendipity. Cuomo thought back to his little escapade during the Meteor Wars. An upjumped brat, a mysterious rabbit ANBU, an alien, and a Jashinist. Mix them together in a land poisoned with tainted cosmos and allow un-nature to take its course. Cuomo grinned. This was what they were about to embark on here and now.

Cuomo continued to keep tabs on Yuichi. He did not disturb her but he kept himself aware of her location via sensory. Cuomo appreciated how deferential Renny was being. Even if the two were equals, he treated Cuomo like the lead scientist. It was fake but it stroked his ego and encouraged him to begin bossing SHIRA around. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing and the detectives began to fall back as Cuomo took full control of the crime scene.

"Everyone out! Its time for me to work!"

The placement of any chalk-boards, study groupings, and other assorted investigative implements would be set away from the sealing zone. Rini's body would be taken to the "living room" area of the cabin. Together, the two would begin the elaborate process of detection. Chel was around. What he was doing and what his intentions were could not be known. Even as the pair diligently worked on the ritual, Cuomo got the sense that their friend was not pleased about the situation. The longer they worked, the more frustrated Cuomo became. The ritual would inevitably fail. The angelic being was not sealed and the two had little to show for it. That did not deter the scientist however. He began to innovate as he continued the process. Reading Rini's notes, calling for his own observational tools and equipment, collecting residues and fragments that only he could spy. As Renny worked alongside Cuomo, he'd notice the man going stir crazy. He began to mumble to himself and speak of dying city-worlds, locusts, and chocolate people. He shut the door to the cabin and began boarding up the windows with whatever he could get his hands on. The SHIRA detectives were uneasy and some wanted to stop him but none did. He was the resident expert after all.

Cuomo would start chanting math as the impossibility of his task raided his mind. He ordered Renny about and used the full extent of his mind to uncover several secrets. Information that was trivial to a divine being like Chel but that was life-changing for a mortal like Cuomo. When all was said and done, they were no closer to solving the actual mystery of who killed Rini. Cuomo did realize one thing though. Whoever killed Rini was just getting started. The Heavenly Emporium was not safe. Cuomo jotted down some notes and laughed as he returned to lucidity. He turned to his partner-in-mad science and said:

"Renny my dear boy. If you have anything important on this rock, I suggest you move it now" He stuffed the notes in his pocket and made his way to the bathroom to take a leak. He had drank a quart of some illicit substance he had found in Rini's fridge. It was good. It made him see things. As he urinated, he remembered Yuichi. The child that had been snooping about earlier. In his hectic rush, he had lost track of him or rather he stopped caring. He finished up and washed his hands. He then crouched down to the cabinet underneath the sink where Yuichi was hiding. He opened the cabinet doors and smiled.

Yuichi would be greeted by an old face sporting a Hapsburg chin. He whistled and called out to Renny.

"Looks like we have a stowaway." He then turned to Yuichi. His breath was heavy with the stench of some inter-dimensional beverage. "You're a long way from home, aren't you? Haven't you heard curiosity killed the cat?" Regardless of how the child responded, Cuomo would attempt to grab her arm and escort her to the living room or wherever Renny was.

"I doubt this one is smart enough to work out what we were doing but try to scare him into not tattling. No violence of course" Cuomo rolled his eyes at the rules of the Heavenly Emporium. They were trite and had worn out their welcome as far as he was concerned. Fortunately, if his hunch was correct, then there may not be enough soldiers left to enforce the silly rule. "Disciplining children isn't really my thing. We'll be in touch Renny." The Professor winked to his new ally.

The sub-text of Cuomo's statement was clear. Renny would be able to taste the fruits of his research. He could either appeal to Cuomo directly for the substance or perhaps he could work it out himself. Either way, the reward had been earned.

Prof. Cuomo walked out of the cabin, yawned and glanced at the chalkboard with the equation on it. The purpose behind the numbers and letters suddenly became obvious. Like a puzzle piece being neatly stuck in the center, it all clicked into place. A grander picture was revealed. He walked over to the board and erased the "6" with his elbow. He then replaced it with an F. He gave a malicious smirk and an air kiss to the tanned savant and then went along his merry way. If they couldn't figure it out now then they never would. He could have given them the full solution but where would the fun be in that?

Prof. Cuomo walked passed the detectives and pressed a few notes into the person closest to him.

"You're welcome." He didn't break his stride or even look at the Cursed One. He had picked someone he assumed to be in authority and given how Suguru was bossing around several of the detectives with his conspiracy theories, he guessed that the young man held some rank in the chain of command. The notes contained choke-centers, nodes and security points that were vulnerable to attack. They contained detailed descriptions of how one could slip past the city's defensive infrastcture and potentially wreak havoc on the inside out. What Suguru chooses to do with this information is up to him. He could readily hand it to the detectives or risk their ire by destroying it and keeping it for himself. The fate of thousands of lives might very well depend on how he handles this sensitive intelligence.

Prof. Cuomo then unceremoniously left the crime scene. He had some champagne on ice and an armada of concubines waiting back at the Stag Hotel. A great night was in the works. He'd leave in the morning right away though. Hangover be damned, this place was doomed.

First Clue Now Reads: F = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's¹ Milk²


[Cuomo Exit; Fifth Clue Solved]

Yuichi awoke to a whistle, and less than a foot away, crouched just in front of the sink, was a familiar looking professor. For a moment, Yuichi thought he was once again in the hospital. Soon enough, the man said something that Yuichi was not awake enough to understand.

He turned to Yuichi. He could smell the man's foul breathe as he spoke, "Your a long way from home aren't you?" Yuichi awoke fully upon realizing that the man in front or him was the professor Cuomo. Yuichi had fallen asleep hoping to see an advanced technique. "Haven't you heard curiosity killed the cat?"

He reached to take a hold of Yuichi's wrist, and despite his impulses, Yuichi allowed Cuomo to grab him. He proceeded to lead him into a living room, out in front of the man that Yuichi recognized as the man who would be performing the advanced technique. Cuomo proceeded to insult Yuichi, calling him a child and insinuating that he was stupid.

Yuichi silently accepted the insults and sat down on a couch nearby. He watched as Cuomo erased the "6" from the equation and put down an "F". Even Yuichi could tell that it was unsolvable. Cuomo simply left after that, and Yuichi was left feeling a bit trapped.

He wanted to see the justu before, but now he could tell that something strange was going on. He fiddled with his earrings a bit and watched as Renny prepared whatever he was about to do.

Having taken Cuomo's hand, Renny didn't change much of his course. Following Cuomo, Renny didn't mind the time, and it's not like he wanted to ever help Rini reach justice. Taking Cuomo's warning to heart, Renny thought about whether he should warn others. Nay, the others will have to wait for an official announcement of danger.

Disappointment leaks out of Renny, despite him winning the original reward. This disappointment crawls into his gaze, that rests upon Yuichi. Taking a step toward them, Renny then pauses. If the HE is in danger, then will anyone care if Renny permanently traumatizes a lurker? The cabinet looks like a good coffin. After a minor contemplation, Renny decides against it. Without Cuomo present to take responsibility, Renny will just take potential blame.

Licking his hand, Renny minds what he's learned out of this outing. By luck or cowardice, Cuomo has avoided Renny's true plan. The allies Renny referred to were long-established people in the shinobi world, even if tensions in Kumogakure simmer. The true plan of Renny goes as so: he'd seal Chel back into Rini, as promised to Cuomo, and then Renny would take ownership of Rini's body per the decree of Kumogakure.

Since the start, Renny has wondered when Shimiko and Ryuko gave these people permission to hold the body of a Kumogakure shinobi. The property would have been best picked up by Renny, even if he had to spite Cuomo and lose out on the original reward. For the angel, with it's ghostly echoes, Renny could of made an excuse that it's a threat to the HE gracefully resolved by Renny. Alas, Chel didn't want to listen, and hadn't appeared for this entire investigation. Now that Cuomo's gone, Renny takes a final look around to give the angel a chance to make itself known.

If Cuomo is a coward as Renny thinks, then he must be running from something, and Renny isn't going to stay long either. Renny can only count himself as unlucky here, to not have learned his sealing technique beforehand, and now the opportunity vanishes. Blind to the fortunes, Renny just counts himself as blind and as unfortunate as Rini. Taking a final look at the body, Renny isn't going to pick it up now that it'd just make Cuomo mad for no reason. Rini was blind, not missing, but they're still a Kumogakure shinobi.

Innocently absolving whoever hurt Rini in past and present, the wanderer turns away from the facility. There's supporting matters Renny has to attend to. Candidates for furthering Renny's research are abundant. A shame Renny hadn't read Suguru's mind again.

[Renny exits]

It was once again Suguru's turn to pick up the pace of the investigation and lay down some hard truths, not to just one, but two confused SHIRA agents.

"You see, this is all a set-up. The genin began. |"They want Big Water to take the fall, and most importantly, they want to make a big splash."

"But what about Mr. Monhagmery? Is he dead or alive?" The medical-nin pleaded.

"Dead or soon to be dead." Suguru answered simply. "They want him dead."

"And who is this they? You keep-" The medical nin questioned once more, but found himself cut by the SHIRA agent.

"A moment, doctor. Why would someone want Monhagmery dead if they want him to take the fall? That makes no sense."

Before Suguru could answer his question, they found themselves being evacuated by the singular orders of Cuomo.

Outside, they continued their conversation. Finally, it was time for him to shine again.

"If he is dead, how can he defend against the set up?" Suguru smirked. "The whole case would be...dead in the water." He put on the smudged glasses once more, feeling as he had gotten the upper hand.

The two agents looked at each other and realized that somehow, this man was making a valid point. It might have been a valid point on top of a mountain of bizarre and invalid points. But neither of them wanted to risk having to have the death of Mr. Monhagmery on their hands either.

The agent took the initiative and asked for a wellness check to be sent on Mr. Mohagmery.

Yet before the conversation could begin once more it, was disturbed, this time by the effort of everyone moving back into the crime scene.

As Suguru swaggered inside, nearly slamming into the wall due to the smugginess of his glasses, a sciencey looking man handed him a stack of papers with a 'you're welcome', before heading out.

[9]

Takara was one who was always observant, and thanks to her amazing memory, she didn’t need to worry about scooping up the paper’s that the odd older man had dropped earlier; she had read one of them before they had been scooped up and memorized what was written before the information had been snatched away.  She took a mere moment when no one was looking to transcribe the information into a small notebook for later analysis, instead opting to work on the equation in front of her.  Time seemed to slow, but she kept her ears and eyes open, despite her attention being a bit split; that was what shadow clones were for, after all.  Cumuo was even working on sealing and whatnot, and it was a simple matter to move what she was working on slightly further away, only mildly irritated at the delay that it had caused.

6 = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's¹ Milk²

F = G x the proportion of the variance for a dependent variable divided by Mother's¹ Milk²

F = G x R² / Mother's¹ Milk²

The detective from before hadn’t really explained what he was talking about all that much, but instead grabbed the chalk and dropped it several times.  Dropping it over and over again… odd.  Something to do with gravity?  That was when her eyes went wide and she rapidly scratched down some more information on the board and compared it as the equation for gravity came to her mind.

F = G (Mm/R²)

That was the universal law for Gravity.  Takara glanced at the painting again, and her breathing began to slowly accelerate in combination with the comment that Cumuo had made just moments before his departure.  "Renny my dear boy. If you have anything important on this rock, I suggest you move it now"  That was exactly what it was…

The Heavenly Emporium was going to fall.  “No…” she whispered.  She quickly looked towards any of the detectives and other nin still present, knowing that if she was right, they were all in trouble. “This is the universal law for gravity.  Considering what Professor Cumuo said, and the painting that is depicting Angel’s Falling into the pits of hell, this can only mean one thing.  Whoever did this is going to make this ‘Heaven’ fall out of the sky, or at least that is their intent.  I highly recommend both reinforcing whatever it is that keeps the Heavenly Emporium flying and trying to find out if it has been tampered with, and a mandatory evacuation of everyone here until it is safe.  Also, send word to anyone on the path of this thing between here and the sea, and try to get over water to minimize the damage to anyone below!"

That was the only thing it could be.  F represents the force in Newtons, M and m represent the two masses in kilograms, and r represents the separation in meters. G represents the gravitational constant… 6.674⋅10⁻¹¹N(m/kg)² Because the magnitude of gravitational force is very small unless large masses are involved… but the Heavenly Emporium was absolutely huge.  Hundreds of thousands of tons at a minimum… she had to act quickly and convince whoever was in charge of this hunk of rock of the impending fate that Rini Nakamura had foretold… and likely been murdered to conceal.

[4]

Claims so I don't Forget:

Renny gave Yuichi a look of disappointment. He stood a step toward Yuichi. He seemed somewhat menacing to the boy. Yuichi was tense until Renny just up and left the cabin without a word. Did Yuichi do something wrong? So much for seeing the jutsu. Everybody was in a hurry to get out of the cabin, and Yuichi wasn't an idiot. He knew that if a bunch of people were running from something, it was a good idea to join them.

One ninja, a beautiful woman who was talking to Cuomo before, was announcing to every one that the HE was going to fall, and had some pretty good evidence to back up her theory. Yuichi was tempted to ask why the windows had been boarded up, if the HE was falling from the sky. Perhaps somebody had a meltdown. Cuomo did seem pretty frenzied when he dragged Yuichi out of under the sink. If smart people thought the HE had to be evacuated, who was he to argue.

He thought that perhaps he could help evacuate citizens or warn somebody in charge that this was about to happen. He didn't know if anyone would believe him, though. Perhaps the best he could do right now was keep himself safe.

Thinking about it, how far would he have to be away from where ever this thing lands to be safe. It is likely to have a pretty big impact, enough to cause significant damage to whatever country it landed in. If it was over the Land of Fire, for example, would his home even be safe. Perhaps if he sought shelter underground.

Unable to sort out what the best course of action was, Yuichi decided his best option was to just ask. He approached the woman who made this discovery, as she seemed to have a good grasp of what was going on.

He struggled to find the words for a moment before speaking for the first time during the entire investigation. "Excuse me, I apologize if I'm distracting you from your work, but I was curious if there was any way I could assist you? I'm... I'm only a genin but I'm pretty fast, and I could probably, um, warn someone in charge or something. I'd just need to know where to go."

Suguru did not need to be told what the stack of papers was. He had read enough Manga to know.

It was the famed paperwork that all detectives had to fill out after they cracked the case.

Now that Suguru thought about it, he realized that they never really showed how the paperwork was to be filled out. Only that it was long and boring. He stuffed them inside his inner coat pocket, where all important documents should be stored, and took out a match, lighting up his munched cigar.

Oh well, he'll fill it out later when he cracked this case and get given a medal by the Hokage himself. Probably. Maybe even a village-mandated girlfriend for his services?

"Konoha detective, would you kindly join us back inside?" The Medical-nin interjected as Suguru was thinking how big the bust on such a girlfriend would be.

"One second, just need to finish this cigar." Suguru puffed, as he quickly sucked on the chewed cigar in his mouth. It tasted awful, and he should have definitely gone with the pipe, he couldn't back down yet.

He needed to buy time to think, and every single ember was a second passed by.

He went to dispose of it somewhere discreet, when his foot crunched down on something.

Suguru's eyes shone.

A missed piece of evidence.

He needed an extra pair of eyes.

There was only one man he could trust.

Making sure nobody was around, Sugru formed a seal and concentrated on his chakra.

[10]

A young man appeared as she relayed the information to the investigators in the area, and she looked to him and gave a small warm smile three times over... because there were two shadow clones and the original of her standing before him. "Rini Nakamura was an absolute genius. While the others go let the powers that be know what was happening, we should save anything we can study later. She saw this coming, perhaps she saw more, but we will never know unless we save what she has worked on. Scrolls, books, anything, and everything, let's get it all loaded into bags if we can." She turned towards the others in the area. "If anyone has talent with sealing, it would make the process of saving what is here a metric ton easier to seal all these books into scrolls." She then turned, not waiting to find out, and all the clones began to work on finding bags and fitting as much as possible into each one.

She had no idea that the transcription of the Cursed Seal information was flawed, but taking one more look at the painting she paused for a moment, looking towards the investigators. "Also, I might be off base, but I think that whoever is trying to bring down the Heavenly Emporium is a native here. Higher up on the food chain... might be worth taking into advisement." The angels in the painting, after all, were only cast down because they were being led estray by one of their own... which was particularly ominous. Whoever orchestrated this could have the authority needed to do what they were planning without arising any suspicion, but perhaps a little warning would give them the help they needed. That was when one of the clones working directly with Yuichi spoke to him.

"Thanks for your help. I'm Takara Kaiyo. May I have your name?" she asked sweetly, still packing things away as she went.

Yuichi nodded, he looked around at the three clones and quickly started getting to work. It seemed convenient to be able to clone yourself. Perhaps he would look into learning how to perform some clone jutsu when he got back home. The only clones he couldn't even actually interact with anything, they weren't solid at all.

As he began to work, he spoke to Takara, "My name is Yuichi... Uchiha. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He voice cracked a bit as he spoke. Sometimes people judged him differently after they learned he was a member of the Uchiha clan, so he kept it quiet most of the time. He didn't plan on telling her, but in his haste, he let it slip. It hardly mattered. It was probably better this way, in a sense, because maybe she would be under the impression that he could be of more use to her.

He found some boxes filled with an assortment of ordinary house stuff, which he placed neatly on the floor so he could begin filling the boxes with any scrolls, books, or paperwork he found lying around. He didn't check to see if they were important. She could do that later herself. He went through drawers, checked book shelves, and grabbed stacks of paper by the handful.

Takara nodded as he introduced himself, noting the pause that was given between the family name and given name. She was certain that there was a reason for that, but she wasn't going to pry unless he wanted to open up to her. Despite his fears, however, the clone working with him looked up and paused and there was a gentle excitement in her eyes. "Really? I'm a medical-nin, so bloodlines are a specific area of study for me, but I never got to meet an Uchiha before. Is it true that your eyes change color with the..." she paused, thinking for the word she had read, "Sharingan, right?" she finally finished, the excitement in her tone obvious, but not quite overwhelming either. Shaking her head while she waited for the answer, even if that was only silence, she began to pack things into the bag again.

Progress was steady, but there was a lot to pack. The original continued getting everything together, but if none of the Investigators had talent in Fuuinjutsu or were unwilling to step up, she was going to have to go into town and find someone who was willing to help. Not that she doubted their abilities, but this was going to be a lot to move. Even with Shadow Clones, there was a limit, and she already knew the clock was ticking. Takara then decided to pipe up again, furthering the conversation. "I really hope that we don't have to leave here. I have gotten to meet some people that I doubt highly I ever would have gotten the opportunity to simply because this place connects all the villages." That, and having a small country fall out of the sky could have devastating effects on the planet, but that was a little too much to think of right now.

[6]

She seemed slightly excited at hearing his last name. She told him that she studied bloodlines as part of her practice as a medical ninja. She asked about the sharingan, and Yuichi obliged her because she was polite and seemed genuinely interested. "You are correct. The sharingan is generally what most people think of when they think of the Uchiha. It is not a talent I have. The sharingan does a lot more than just change eye color, though."

Yuichi darted around as he collected stuff in boxes that quickly became very heavy. He wasn't entirely sure what the plan was for getting the documents out of here. Perhaps he could find some kind of wheelbarrow outside or something. He had confidence in the abilities of everyone at the investigation site. She continued to make conversation as the collected whatever may have value from around the cabin.

"I, umm... really have not spent that much time here. It would be unfortunate if I had to leave after such a short stay. Everyone I met except here for you has been kind of frightening, honestly. I suppose that I am, um, partially to blame, though, both by sneaking around and not making my intentions clear.

Takara nodded a little bit, having heard most of it through various sources but nothing confirmed. Naturally, he wasn't going to sit there and spill every clan secret about their bloodline, so that much was expected. She continued to work on getting things together, but for the moment, that was going well. The other clone, who had went to find help, came back with a couple of wagons, which would have to do for the moment. Considering they were all Ninja, it wasn't a stretch to say they could haul a wagon or even two if they used a bit of chakra, which was needed to get this stuff back to Kirigakure for study. She honestly wished that Yuichi would be allowed to come back with her, but Takara was certain that it was not that simple. Stupid politics and everything else involved would make it difficult at best.

It was odd to learn that everyone, aside from herself, had been frightening to Yuichi. "Sorry to hear that, but thankfully you found at least one non-scary person here." She flashed him another smile and then began to load the boxes into the wagons. It was still going to take some time, especially considering the other clone was still trying to find more wagons and other methods of mass transportation or someone with sealing. But steady progress thanks to the young man's help seemed to make it a lot easier, and she noted his impressive speed. "You weren't kidding when you said you were quick, huh? Want to start loading the wagons back and forth to clear us some space to work a little easier?" she asked, hoping to take advantage of his quick movement speed to get things loaded.

"Yeah, you seem super nice!" Yuichi looked up from his work loading things into wagons. She was pretty too. She reminded Yuichi a bit of his mother, though she was much younger, and that may have helped him warm up to her faster. "I don't get to meet many people."

She remarked on his speed and asked him if he would help load stuff onto the carts. He shifted his focus primarily to that task.

"Yes, ma'am. It took a lot of training. Because of my heritage, I was raised to be a shinobi."

That seemed like a practical way of doing things. Yuichi started stacking up wagons as one of Takara's clones moved them back and forth. If he managed to get two filled up he would move them to where they could be easily transported off of the HE and where Takara needed them. He was under the impression that she would be taking them to her village, kirigakure, but he simply unloaded them into the same place that her clone had been unloading the stuff they gathered.

On the return trips or whenever he was not fast enough to get a wagon loaded before her clone returned, he made conversation with the Takara who stayed behind to continue finding whatever she could to take home with her. He wasn't sure who was a clone and who wasn't, but they were all Takara so it didn't seem to matter.

"I've never been to Kirigakure. May I ask what it is like?"

Takara smiled at the thought of being considered 'super nice' but didn't comment further on that. She knew that most people thought of her as cold and calculating, which she fully admitted in combat-related scenarios or events that required full focus and attention such as missions, but that was it. Normally, outside of that, she was pretty warm to most people who deserved it, and she was refreshed by the fact that someone recognized that outside of her village. His manners and such were spot on, although that also brought a few more questions to bear in combination with not meeting many people. "Did you want to be a Shinobi, or was it forced upon you? Not judging, but trying to get a full picture." She continued working diligently, but each little part of the puzzle was important when getting to know someone.

That was when he asked about Kirigakure, and she mulled over what could be said without divulging any sensitive information. "For the most part, it's like they say. Almost always overcast and foggy, really high humidity and raining more often than not. That was why we treasure sunny days and our visits to places that have plentiful sunlight; we don't get all that many of those types of days there. How about Konoha? What is it like? And what's it like growing up in a big clan like that? I just have my family, so it would be an interesting perspective." The house was rapidly being packed up thanks to their combined efforts, and things were progressing quickly and easily... it wouldn't be long now before anything of true value would be obtained and loaded up so they could get it out of the Heavenly Emporium.

[8]

(Cursed Seal information to study later - Cursed Seal Information denied. You're much too many turns late to claim knowledge or reaction to that. You did get the reward for Clue #1 this event though.)

The detectives were at a loss and some of them looked over to Suguru who had just been given a stack of what appeared to be very important papers. Apparently Cuomo had just cracked the case and given him the answer, some wanted to see it but before they could speak up, Takara did. She shouted out the answer and as if a lightbulb went off in the analysts' heads they all began to nod and shout in unison. It made sense! They scribbled notes down but then stopped as she revealed the full horror of what was about to happen. She began barking orders at the SHIRA shinobi and while most would be insulted at being ordered about by a mere genin, the fact that their own investigators were corroborating her story made them comply. They began to fan out and issue orders to place the city on lockdown. However less than an hour before the word could truly spread and measures taken, a blast was heard coming from the center of the city. Then another. Then another. Then another.

The crime scene began to clear itself out as it became obvious that Rini's death was the least of their worries. The Emporium was under attack.

Takara was now focusing on simply transporting everything and had gotten the most of it where she could pay a Caravan to haul it to her home in Kirigakure, having enjoyed the conversation with Yuichi thoroughly, but that was when the first major explosion happened.  She didn't wait and watch in awe before the second one, she was already moving, but took a hair moment to turn towards her new friend.  "Maybe we can continue this another time.  If you aren't confident you can help, go home.  I'm going to go help other people get out of here if I can."  She wasn't as strong as a dedicated combat ninja, but she was nothing to scoff at either, and she was more than capable of guiding people off this doomed rock.  Whatever was happening, she was not about to give up on saving lives, even if it meant taking one as the best method.

Looking towards the main hub of activity, she took careful measures to ensure that she went absolutely no where near the massive beast that was attacking the Emporium, leaving that to the more dedicated combatants.  She would focus on evacuation and quick medical care for those who needed it and saving as many people as she could.  Running towards the fray, she knew full well the peace that she enjoyed at the Heavenly Emporium was over and done.  Now there was nothing more than doing the best she could to have a positive impact on the situation, even if she was risking her life to do so.  Tipping the scales during a tragedy towards good... focusing on that goal, her feet pounded against the shifting ground as she felt the Heavenly Emporium beginning to descend towards earth.

Just save as many as you can... she reminded herself, entering the fray.

[EXIT]
[9 posts x 40 EXP + 100 Bonus EXP = 460 EXP]

Diana had been stumped on clue four, but it seemed that her work was enough to help out by just clearing recreating the picture. She had been absorbed in her attempts to understand it, but in the end she had to admit defeat and left it to the professionals. Someone had convinced Cuomo and the Water Girl had figured out the earlier clue, so overall she wasn't disappointed.

It was when she had stopped and began to take a drink when the commotion had started. And then thee sirens went off. At the time she had been preparing to go home and was going to get her coworker, but watched in horror as the explosions started. At a glance she knew it wasn't Kotōshura related, but the sight of it was extremely worrying. Her flight instincts kicked in, and she took three steps before slamming her foot into the ground as she felt her body & mind twist.

She didn't need to activate her sensory to know what was taken from her, the gap clear in her mind.

She the pain of the new feeling caused her to stumble, and she tried to activate her steel armor when she fell. Nothing. She tried to mold healing chakra to fix the scrape on her knee. Nothing.

An emotion she hadn't felt in a long time rose to the surface. Rage.

They took her heritage. her work. And now they were going to harm innocents. She got up and took off towards the explosions, her body screaming at her to go the other way. She was vulnerable, no proper plan to call her own. She had the constitution and strength of an average person, practically a genin in terms of physical prowess. But she was the head of two clans and had the power to help. She had the knowledge of how to apply her clan techniques to both protect the innocent and to take out the invaders.

They would learn why she took up the title of Creation & Cataclysm.

She was Diana Moneta, and she was not going to run this time.

{Exit}

Yuichi had known before the explosions that this place was doomed. He had been mentally preparing for this moment. Despite not being good for much, he knew that he had to help. It was his duty as a Konoha shinobi. A shinobi of any kind really. He froze for a moment after Takara left. His legs felt a bit weak. Takara might be able to heal others, but Yuichi could not do the same. Just because he was not be able to help the people of the HE the way that she could, doesn't mean he could not help her do what she needed.

He followed close behind her. Things quickly turned into chaos as he made his way to her. Some huge monster could be seen descending from the sky, the people were in a frenzy. It would be hard to help anyone in this chaos. He choked down his fear, stating, "I don't know if I can be of much use, but it feels wrong to just leave. Please allow me to assist you." He didn't know why he bothered phrasing it that way. He was going whether she let him or not. He wasn't going to just leave people to die.

[Exit]

And nothing happened.

Suguru thought maybe the jutsu was taking a while, but then he realized he was doing the ox seal, while the jutsu required the tiger seal.

After rectifying that mistake; his being bellowed in a smokey cloud, and then there were two.

Suguru smiled at himself.

"Seems like I am..."

"...beside myself!"

They high five'd each other in response.

"Konoha detective; You really need to hear this!" The medical-nin shouted from inside the cabin.

"Okay you-" Suguru began, but he was stopped by himself.

"I know what I need to do. I am you." He answered.

Finger guns were shot.

Suguru swaggered in, yet found himself stopped by a flow of people exiting.

"Case solved, right?" The genin sniggered proudly.

The medical nin looked at him with a gaze of hopelessness, as tears rolled down his exposed eyes.
"I will capture the bastard who did it. Or the bitch."Suguru announced in his coolest and deepest voice. "But it's a bastard, trust me. Unless it was those devious le-"

"The whole thing is going to come down. There is no hope."

"Come on mate, I am sure you can appoint a new head of Water Services." The genin patted him on the back. "Plus, a day or two without a bath is not going to kill anyone. I once didn't bath for seven we-"

"The whole Heavenly Emporium is going to crash down." The SHIRA agent was back. "That woman figured it out."

Suguru looked back at the man confused.

"Since when do we trust what wom-"

It was at that point the explosions began.

[11]

The earth rocked under Suguru's feet, robbing him of his balance.

He slammed to the ground, rolling back against a cupboard that smacked him in the head as its door were flung open.

"Okay, this is just a coincidence. Just a bad draft or convection current prob-" Suguru tried to reason with the two still standing SHIRA agents as he himself tried to get up, only to find himself the victim of another quake.

"A broken clock can be right twice a day." He assured them. "So let's get back to real deal. The murder of Mr. Monhagmery."

"Mr. Monhagmery is alive. We just received word from those who checked on him." The SHIRA agent countered.

"A murder prevented then." Suguru smugly arranged his tie. "Make sure to tell him that I, Suguru of Konohagakure, saved his life, and his honor."

"Just one thing, Suguru, is it?" The Medical nin queried. "Who is the culprit?"

Suguru raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say, he was a...bone head."

On cue, the clone kicked open the door, proudly brandishing a bone in a plastic bag.

In the distance, someone was playing the saxophone very badly.

"Wait, is-"

"Why yes. The culprit got himself incinerated by Rimi, who, as we know, is a mistress of elements. Yet, not before he killed her. "

"-that-"

"Of course. That is why he couldn't finish the frame up, and fill her lungs with water, to make it seem like a hit from Big Water."

"-a bone-"

"And so, Mr. Mohangamroy could not be killed either. All that effort, for a sunk cost."

"-from the chicken wings I ate at my lunch break?"

[12]