Lie Detector

- Chapter 1 -

The sound of new leather shoes hitting the ground had always sounded pleasant.

The steady food steps turned into awkward skips as the man's right foot hit the left wheel of a tricycle. "Idai idai…" He hopped on one foot, and then stood to stroke the hair of the rider. "Careful on the road, okay?" He walked on as the child watched. Large black coat and long sleeves suit weren't exactly the perfect clothes on a mid-autumn day, but as the captain of the police department, he was expected to dress more or less appropriately.

Tsuzuki Asato smiled as the wind blew gently on his face. He was feeling splendid; a homicide case just had a breakthrough today when the suspect was finally arrested. Three months worth of coffee and instant noodles finally paid off. He wasn't even mad at Watari for waking him up at eight this morning (after he got three hours of sleep) to come in and see them question the suspect.

Didn't even have time to stop by his office to drop down his coat, he walked into the police department and climbed three flights of stairs before he went directly to greet Watari.

Watari thought his taste buds must be dying one by one when he drank the six-hour-old coffee. He stared threw a single-sided mirror as some of his men cracked down the suspect. The door opened and Tsuzuki entered, taking off his coat. "What did I miss?"

"We just dragged Pearson out of his bed." Watari took another sip of the coffee, as if he had forgotten how bad the last sip tasted. "He feels cranky, but believe me, we feel crankier."

"I suspect we are." Tsuzuki smiled. "Tough guy?"

"Tougher than a rock." Watari scratched his head. "He let nothing slip out of that smart mouth of his. This might take long." He leaned back, and stretched.

"Jolly." Just when Tsuzuki thought he was getting a break.

"What can we do? We don't have enough evidence." Watari dropped the half-emptied paper cup into the trash. "All we can do is to make him talk. The truth is, if he keeps his mouth shut tight enough, we can't place charge."

"Well then let's crank his mouth open with a machine claw." Tsuzuki sighed.

Watari smiled. "Guess what? Chief is bringing in the machine claw."

Tsuzuki turned and faced him. "Is it…"

"Yup. The legendary Inspector Muraki."

The sky was getting gloomy.

A black SUV pulled over the curb in front of the police department. The driver pulled the handbrake, totally ignored the "no parking" sign and stepped out of the vehicle.

Muraki Kazutaka seemed too young to be having a head full of silver hair. Though the pair of glasses made him look more mature than his actual age, his face would have easily passed as a mid-twenty to early thirty gentleman.

Before he closed the door, he looked at the passenger and tilted his head. "Get out." A teenager who couldn't be older than sixteen sat nervously at the passenger side. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of light-blue jeans, he almost jumped when the older man barked an order. Reaching out with his thin arm, he opened the door and put on his hood.

The moment he stepped out and closed the door, drops of water fell from the sky, staining the road to a darker shade of gray. He waited on the side of the road as Muraki took out his keys and turned on the alarm. After hearing the SUV sounded two beeps to indicate its security, Muraki took the teen's hand and half dragged him inside. "Come."

Tsuzuki yawned and stretched. "This is going nowhere."

"Yeah, you're right." Watari sighed. "Let's just wait until Muraki the magnificent gets here before we carry on."

Tsuzuki scratched his head. "I've never seen this wonder boy before. All I've heard is that he could make any, and I mean any, suspect talk."

"Not only that." Watari said. "He could always tell if we've captured the wrong guy. He's much like a lie detector, digging the dirt out of a suspect, revealing the truth. He could do that by just one look at the guy."

"You're kidding, that amazing?" Tsuzuki couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Yup." Watari nodded. "I've never seen him before either. But words are there's something suspicious about our wonder boy."

"Yeah?"

"You see, he always brings this kid alone whenever he questions a suspect. They say it's his orphaned nephew that he is taking care of, but no one knows for sure. However, many of us believe that it's really the kid that makes the suspect talk, and Muraki is just taking all the credit."

"Creepy." Tsuzuki said. He rubbed his face, and headed for the door. "I got to go wash up. I got out of the house so fast today that I didn't even do that when I came."

"Wait, Inspector Muraki will be here any moment!" Watari warned.

"It'll just take a second." Tsuzuki waved him off as he headed out the door.

The teen left his hood on when Muraki dragged him into the elevator. Water was dropping from his clothes when the metallic door closed and the elevator ascent. Muraki eyed the young boy. The hood was covering most of his face, but his pale skin was still visible. The teen looked like a fragile piece of art. There were only two kinds of reaction when someone saw such elegant work of nature: to protect or to destroy.

Muraki's reaction was the second kind.

He swallowed hard before the elevator door finally opened. He took the boy by the hand again and headed towards the questioning room.

The blonde man almost jumped out of his skin when Muraki opened the door. Muraki's first impression on the blonde was that he desperately needed a hair cut. His long hair was loosely tied behind with a red ribbon. Muraki wondered how such man would survive for a day in the police force.

"You must be Inspector Muraki." Watari reached out to shook his hand. He then looked at the short and thin figure and asked. "And you are?"

Muraki lifted his arm protectively, separating the boy and Watari. The smile on his face was not one bit real. "He's…just a relative that I had to take care of. I hope you don't mind since he will be joining us as we investigate. He…has a little mental problem, and can't leave my side."

"Ah…" Watari was about to protest when he suddenly remember that an inspector never answered to a lieutenant. "Sure, that's fine." He said unwillingly. So this was the legendary "nephew". Watari noted mentally.

Muraki turned to the single sided mirror and said. "So, how's the questioning going?"

"Um…" Watari turned awkwardly. "Not good, sir. We've been here for at least four hours and this guy wouldn't let anything leak."

Muraki smirked. Brushing his hair slightly, he turned to open the door to the outside. "Let me give it a shot." Taking the boy's hand, Muraki jerked the boy to signal him to leave. The boy gave a soft gasp, and managed his best to catch up.

Now, Watari could see them entering the questioning room through his single-sided mirror. Muraki gave a nod, and the men cleared out, leaving only the suspect, the inspector, and the boy.

Watari watched as Muraki spoke to the suspect. The suspect didn't pay much respect, and seemed about to spit at the inspector any moment now. Muraki didn't seem to care much about his disrespect; instead, he stepped up to the boy, and whisper in his ears. Watari lifted an eyebrow. That was rather unusual.

The boy recoiled, and shivered, as if he had just seen a ghost. Clenching onto his clothing tightly, the boy gave a slight nod. Muraki's lip curved upwards, and began to question the suspect more intensely. Watari couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seemed that the suspect was refusing to cooperate in a more dynamic manner. He seemed more frustrated and nervous than before. It was the first sign that he was slipping.

Once again, the inspector whispered to the boy. The boy seemed reluctant, and placed both his hands on his own shoulders, tightening his grips with those pale hands. This time, Muraki bended down, and put his ear close to the boy. The boy whispered in quivering lips, and Muraki swirled around with a smirk.

With full confidence, Muraki talked smoothly and spoke with more pressure. The suspect's attitude took a turn for the worst. He stood up, and began to argue loudly with Muraki. The intense verbal fighting went on. Then a moment later, the suspect sat down and buried his head into his hands.

Watari stared at the scene as if he had just witness a magic show. Muraki took the boy's hand and approached the door. Hastily, Watari also reached for the door, and met them at the hall.

Muraki smiled at the lieutenant. "He's ready to talk. Make sure you record everything he says."

Watari's face brightened, and reached out to shake the inspector's hand without hesitation. "Thank you so much, inspector! You have no idea how much this means to us! This is a major breakthrough for the homicide division!"

Muraki seemed to be unpleased about the handshake; however, he let it go. Taking his hand back, he brushed his sleeves. "It was my job. You chief asked me to do you a favor and I simply followed orders."

"Yes, to you it was nothing, but to us…I mean…wow!" Watari said excitingly.

"Really, it was nothing." Muraki's smile was getting more forceful. "Let us go now, Hiso…" He turned around, and froze in the middle of the sentence.

The boy was nowhere to be found.

At first sight, he seemed like a convicted teen on his way to escape.

Then when Tsuzuki took a closer look, he seemed more like the victim than the convicted teen with those pale skins and the thin body.

On either case, he was trespassing.

Tsuzuki Asato was on his way back from the restroom when he saw a hooded boy running up stairs. He looked more than suspicious. Tsuzuki was going to halt the boy to a stop, but he was already out of his sight. Cursing softly, Tsuzuki followed closely behind.

The boy reached the rooftop, and gasped for air. He didn't care about the rainy weather; he stepped out from the shelter, and into the rain. Walking all the way to the side of the building, he knelt down, and gripped the rail tightly.

When Tsuzuki saw what he was doing, his first thought was that he was attempting to suicide. "Hey, save us some trouble and do that somewhere else, will you?" He halfheartedly joked. Slowly, the boy turned his head around, and at once, Tsuzuki regretted what he said.

The hazel hair was dripping regardless of the hood's protection. The boy's skin and feature seemed extra soft under the rain. His face was also damped, making it hard to tell whether those were raindrops or tears on his face. The pair of emerald eyes took Tsuzuki's breath away like he had never experienced before. For a split second, he wondered if this delicate creature was a girl.

Swallowing hard, Tsuzuki took small steps towards him. The boy backed up against the bar as he went. Ignoring the rain, Tsuzuki knelt down a meter in front of the boy, and reached out his hand. "It's okay. Come on."

The boy studied him. Observing Tsuzuki from head to toe, he seemed to have relaxed a little, and stopped backing up. Tsuzuki took another step forward, and took the boy's hand into his own. Standing up together, the boy clenched on to Tsuzuki's soaked shirt. That was when Tsuzuki noticed the boy was trembling badly; yet he couldn't tell if it was from the being cold or being afraid.

"It'll be fine. Let's go." Hand in hand, they walked back into the police station.

"There you are." At first sight of the boy, Muraki snatched him back from Tsuzuki, and said with quite a bit of suppressed anger. "How dare you run off like that."

The moment the boy's hand slipped from Tsuzuki's, his heart was suddenly attacked with a rush of cold and empty feeling. Looking at his own hand and up again, he stayed quiet as Muraki thanked him. "Thank you for bringing him back. By your state, I take it that he went out?"

It took Tsuzuki a moment to answer. "Only the rooftop."

"Well, in either case, you have found him. His is a very important person to me. I give you my deepest gratitude. Detective…"

"Tsuzuki. Captain Tsuzuki Asato."

"Inspector Muraki Kazutaka." They shook hands, but water ran from Tsuzuki's wrist to Muraki's as they did. Watari quietly giggled behind them.

Shaking the water off of his hand, Muraki nodded, and concluded their meeting. "Till next time then, Captain Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki didn't answer. He watched as Muraki took the boy's hand and hastily headed towards the elevator.

What a mysterious and beautiful creature that boy was, Tsuzuki thought. Judging by Muraki's tone of good-bye, it seemed that it was quite possible that they would meet again. Yet as he observed the boy go, he just remembered that he had forgotten to ask him his name. Beating himself mentally, he slowly turned around and faced Watari.

Moments later, the boy turned back, and released himself from Muraki's grip. "Hey!" Muraki yelled, catching both Tsuzuki and Watari's attention. The boy took a few steps towards Tsuzuki and stopped.

"Hisoka." The boy said softly.

"What?" Tsuzuki frowned.

For a moment, they just stood there, looking into each other's eyes. Seconds later, the boy repeated. "Hisoka."

His name.

"Oh," Upon realization, Tsuzuki's cheek suddenly flashed pink. "Um…okay. See you later, Hisoka." He waved.

For a moment, Tsuzuki thought he saw Hisoka blushed. Then, slightly rougher than necessary, Muraki pulled Hisoka's hand, and dragged him on. As they left, Hisoka's eyes never left Tsuzuki's, until he disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"Well," Watari said. "It seemed that Inspector Muraki has gotten himself a little 'Hisoka' (secret)." He turned back and was heading towards the questioning room. " Muraki really treasures that boy."

"Really." Tsuzuki said. He knew Muraki's behavior said otherwise. When he brought Hisoka back from the rooftop, instead of worrying about his health after being in the rain, Muraki scorned him. He dragged Hisoka around like a beast on a leash.

His is a very important person to me.

Yeah, Tsuzuki thought, my ass.

"I would too, if I were him." Watari said, chuckling. "Man, you should have seen Muraki question that guy! He was squeezing that guy out like a juicer juicing an orange. Well, though technically it was the kid I think." He turned around and faced Tsuzuki. "Hey you know, it was weird, because he was questioning the guy, but he was also whispering to the kid, as if he was seeking his advice. Then every time he did, he would nail the guy some more. It was like that kid could read minds!"

Read minds…Tsuzuki echoed the thought in his head. He turned around, and looked at the closed elevator doors.

How did he know I wanted to know his name?

To be continued…