A/N: Gah I can’t believe myself!!! When I was almost finished writing this chapter I realized that September 30th was coming up and I was like OMG if I can get this chapter out on that date then it’ll be so cool because that’s the date of the two murders in this chapter!! But alas, I had a ton of homework on September 30th and I had Japanese Club and my mom was going to go into surgery the next day. So I was only able to finish writing the chapter on that day but I wasn’t even close to starting to type it. So now, a gazillion days later, I posted it. But oh well. At least I tried. Anyways, this chapter is mainly investigation stuff, and there’ll be more investigation stuff next chapter, but there’ll also be more of the storyline that’s not investigation.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto, but I do hate disclaimers.

Ashes Ashes, We All Fall Down

Chapter 8: The Double Event and the Message on the Wall

2:30 AM

The two brothers allowed the constables to lead them to the earliest scene of murder first. The four of them entered Dutfield’s Yard and Itachi went immediately to the officer who was keeping watch near the body. Sasuke listened to Itachi’s questions and recorded the answers in his notebook but he refused to step any closer. He knew he was being a coward and probably paranoid too but he wanted to delay seeing the body, or rather the identity of the body, for as long as he could. Thank goodness it was dark…

“What time did you discover the body lying there?” Itachi asked the officer who was stationed by the scene.

“Ehh, a little after 1:00, maybe 1:10,” the officer estimated. “I was just doing my rounds when some chap with a pony and cart came rushing up to me, telling me he came across a body. So I followed him here and he tells me that he thinks the killer was still in the yard when he got there!”

Itachi stood a little straighter. “Where can I find this man?”

“Well I told him to stay until the inspectors got here, but he excused himself to take a pi – to use the loo ten minutes before you arrived and he hasn’t returned yet.”

Itachi frowned. “Where is his pony and cart?”

“He took them with him, sir.”

Sasuke looked up, shooting Itachi a quizzical look. Why would the man need to take his pony and cart to relieve himself? He locked eyes with Itachi and realized they seemed to be thinking the same thing. Itachi nodded at the notebook and Sasuke scribbled some rough notes.

“Do you want me to try and find him, sir?”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I’ll contact him later. Did he give his name?”

The officer beamed proudly. “Not willingly, but I got him to cave. He said his name was Asuma, and that he’s the steward of an adjoining club.”

“Did he say which club?”

The constable deflated a little at this question and scratched his head. “Well, not that I recall…”

“That’s fine. We can work with the information you’ve given us.” Itachi clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Thank you for your help. You’re dismissed.”

The officer seemed to be both relieved and disappointed at his being allowed to leave but left without another word. The other two constables remained and stayed out of Itachi’s way except to hover close enough to the body to provide light in the insane darkness that the early morning held.

Sasuke didn’t even realize that he’d been staring intently at the cover of his notebook until Itachi called his name. He reluctantly looked up and gave his brother his attention.

“Sasuke,” he said softly. “It’s not her.”

The sigh of relief that escaped his lips was unintentional and he bit his lip when his eyes scanned the face of the woman who was lying there. He knelt down by the body of Kurenai Stride and stared into her glassy eyes. They stared up into the black night and Sasuke suddenly felt sorry for her for an entirely different reason. He lifted his hand and gently closed her eyes.

“Sasuke?” Itachi questioned, curious as to his brother’s intentions.

“I don’t want her to be bored in the afterlife,” Sasuke answered as he retracted his hand. “If her eyes are left open, staring into nothing but the empty sky, then her spirit will never be able to dream in peace. But if her eyes are closed then she can imagine all sorts of wonderful things and make it her reality. I want her to be able to do that. It’s the least I can do.”

Itachi smiled sadly and laid a hand on his brother’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Some would say you’re naïve for saying such things, you know. But I don’t think that’s right. You’re wise beyond your years, little brother. I’m glad to have you on this investigation with me, even though it’s hard for you.”

Sasuke gently removed the hand as he stood up. He turned, the corners of his lips curved slightly upwards. “And I’m glad to be on this case with the greatest detective in the world.” He let his smile fall and opened his notebook, clutching his pen in his fist. “Now let’s not allow Jack the Ripper to tarnish that reputation.”

Itachi answered with a nod of his head before he crouched down next to the body. “Prepare to record this.” He motioned to one of the constables to shine the lantern closer. “There’s one clear-cut incision on the neck. Extreme blood loss so I’m assuming a main artery was severed. Kabuto will confirm this later.” Itachi moved down the body and paused at the abdomen area. He suddenly frowned and took the lantern from the waiting constable. Sasuke watched in confusion as he shined the light on the abdomen and continued down to mid-thigh, feeling the body as he went.

“Itachi?” Sasuke asked when his curiosity could no longer be contained. “What’s wrong? Did you find something?”

Itachi looked at him and for the first time in his life Sasuke saw pure confusion in those black eyes.

“No, quite the opposite. I found nothing. Rather I found something that I was expecting to be missing.” Itachi turned back to the corpse and indicated toward the filthy dress. “What’s different about this victim’s dress that doesn’t match up with all the other victim’s attire? I’ll give you a hint – I’m not talking about color or design.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “This dress isn’t ripped.”

“Correct. With the other two victims, the killer ripped their dresses from the bottom so that it wouldn’t get in the way when he disemboweled them. However, this victim’s dress is intact. Why?”

After a moment Sasuke’s eyes widened. “He didn’t do anything to the abdomen?” he asked, mouth hanging open in shock.

Itachi shook his head. “Not a single thing. There’s no injury other than the cut to the throat.” He returned to staring at Kurenai’s body, resting his mouth on his hand, brooding.

Sasuke gave his brother some time to finish pondering before he asked his question. When Itachi’s eyes finally started rotating to observe the surrounding area Sasuke knew he wouldn’t be interrupting any important thought processes. “So what does this mean, Itachi?”

Itachi’s eyes darted to his face and he dropped his arms to the side, signaling that he was about to speak. “I’ve concluded that there are three possible options, but I’ll need to investigate the second murder before I can decide for sure.”

Sasuke waited for Itachi to explain these three options but when his brother said nothing more he assumed that he would find out later. He closed his notebook with a soft ‘whoosh’ of London air, and he was suddenly overcome with the fact that he was breathing the very same air that Jack the Ripper inhaled hours earlier. A chill danced up his spine. This unsettled Sasuke greatly. It made the murderer seem more human. Too human. Sasuke refused to see the killer this way, as anything more than a monster.

“Could you take us to the scene of the second murder, please?” Sasuke heard Itachi ask one of the constables.

“Right away, sir,” the constable replied.

“Thank you.” Itachi turned to the other officer. “Could you remain here please?”

“ ‘Course, sir.” He exchanged a few words with the other constable, reminding him of shortcuts to take, before he waved the three of them off, the lantern clutched in his other hand jostling from the motion.

The location they arrived at was Mitre Square and they were led to the south corner by the wavering light of a lantern. They approached it and greeted the constable to whom the lantern belonged to. He looked extremely relieved to see them. Sasuke couldn’t blame him. The poor man must’ve been standing there for at least forty minutes, keeping watch over a mutilated corpse alone in the dark with nothing but a fading lantern for comfort.

“When did you discover the body?” Itachi asked the relieved constable.

“About 1:45 AM, while I was doing my rounds,” he replied.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder to mumble to Sasuke, telling him to write down this time and an estimate of how long it took them to arrive at Mitre Square. Then he turned back to the constable. “And you didn’t see her before on any of your rounds?”

“No, definitely not. It was very dark but there’s no way something like…this…would’ve escaped my notice.”

“I see. Thank you.” Itachi turned his attention to Sasuke. “Ready to begin?”

Sasuke nodded and flipped open his notebook. His anxiety returned but it wasn’t as strong as before. Sakura was smart. She would’ve heeded his warning and remained indoors like he asked…he just didn’t know for how long.

He sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was now or never. He stared intently at the dark outline of the body on the ground and watched as it was slowly illuminated by the light from the constable’s lantern. The first thing he saw was blonde hair.

“Temari,” he breathed.

Itachi’s head turned sharply to look at him. “You know this woman, Sasuke?”

The younger Abberline nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. “She’s friends with Sakura. I’ve seen her a few times.”

“…Ah.” Itachi gave his brother a long look. “Sasuke -”

“Let’s start.”

Itachi was taken aback by Sasuke’s tone but knew he had to continue. “Alright. Write down everything I say.” He kneeled down beside Temari’s body and began his rough examination. “Her throat is severed by two cuts and her abdomen is ripped open by a long, jagged wound. And…” Itachi leaned towards the mess of the abdomen and moved parts of dress out of the way. “…I think at least one of her organs is missing, but it’s most likely more. However, we won’t know for sure until Kabuto sees her.” Itachi made to stand up but suddenly stopped. He reached over towards Temari’s outstretched hand and grabbed a bloodied note that was resting on it.

“Is that a letter?” Sasuke asked curiously, leaning in to see it.

Itachi didn’t answer but carefully opened the note and flattened it. “It says this:

Here lies one of two little whores

who could’ve helped but chose to ignore

and now her corpse lies on the floor

Ha ha.”

Two pairs of black eyes simultaneously narrowed in disgust. “Jack the Ripper left this,” Itachi stated, his voice hard. “The handwriting looks to be the same as the letter we received and his morbid sense of humor is definitely the same.”

“What a bastard,” Sasuke spat. “Trying to turn a gruesome murder into a poem.”

“Yes, it’s most definitely revolting,” Itachi agreed. “But notice what he wrote in the second line; ‘who could’ve helped but chose to ignore’. What does he mean by that? He makes it seem as though he personally knew Temari.”

Sasuke tilted his head to the side and chewed his lip. “You’re right. When we get back to headquarters we should try to locate any men in Temari’s life that she may have angered or had a squabble with.”

Itachi grunted in agreement but didn’t say anything. His eyes were glued on the corpse and his eyebrows were knit together, screwed up in concentration. “It doesn’t make sense…” he mumbled, seemingly to himself.

“The note?” Sasuke asked.

“Yes, but I was actually referring to this murder in general.”

Sasuke, for once completely understanding what was going on, pondered alongside his brother. “Yeah, you’re right, it doesn’t make sense. This seems to be a typical Ripper murder, yet completely different from Kurenai’s case. I don’t understand.”

“No,” Itachi corrected, his head shooting up. “I mean, yes, it’s a typical Ripper scenario, but it’s also much more violent and gruesome than the previous three, especially Kurenai as you pointed out. And why is this?”

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. “Well, the murders seem to escalate in viciousness as more occur.”

“That’s true, but I’m referring to these two murders in particular,” Itachi reminded gently.

“Oh.” Sasuke ran through the facts and the images in his mind, trying to fit two and two together, as Itachi waited patiently. Finally he found the right train of thought and grasped it. “Was he trying to make up for what he deemed as a poor performance when he killed Kurenai?”

The corner of Itachi’s mouth twitched. “Good job, little brother. You’re finally starting to understand the criminal mind.” Sasuke smirked at the praising jab but allowed his brother to continue. “But you know the three options I mentioned earlier involving Kurenai’s murder? We’ll now use the process of elimination to figure out which one is right.” Sasuke practically beamed when Itachi said ‘we’ll use’. Finally, he wasn’t just sitting on the sidelines! Itachi seemed to notice his sudden uplift in mood and tried to bite down a smile. “Focus, little brother. So, the first option I considered was that Jack the Ripper merely changed his modus operandi to simply slitting throats rather than disemboweling. While this is possible I deem it as highly unlikely. We’ve already determined that the murders are becoming more and more violent, so there’s no reason for him to step down a level. Also, Temari’s murder shows the usual Ripper style, so this option is too confusing and unreliable to put much faith in. We’ll cross it out.

“Now, my second idea was that this is not the work of the Ripper at all, but of another individual. It’s not a rare happening to find murdered prostitutes in Whitechapel, you know.”

“Wait, are you talking about both murders or just Kurenai?” Sasuke asked.

“Just Kurenai Stride. Temari Eddowes is most definitely a Ripper victim,” Itachi answered. “But, continuing on, I don’t place much value in this theory. The letter that was left with Temari’s body suggests that the Ripper killed both of the women, or at least knew about both of the murders. However, we won’t discard it until we’ve gathered more information. We have too many witnesses to interview.”

“Ok,” Sasuke mumbled, jotting down the word ‘possible’ next to Itachi’s second theory in his notebook. “And your third idea?”

“My third idea can’t be proven until we interview that steward, Asuma,” Itachi said. “But I have a lot of faith in this theory. According to the constable, Asuma claims that when he turned into Dutfield’s Yard he discovered Kurenai dead, and he also said that he thought the killer was still in the yard. Without further details the only thing I can draw from this is that Asuma interrupted Jack the Ripper before he could finish his gruesome work.”

Sasuke’s pen flew over the paper. When it finally stopped he kept it remaining over the page. “So this Asuma is an important man to contact.” At Itachi’s nod Sasuke circled the name multiple times.

“Inspector!” The brothers turned to see a new constable approaching the scene. “I’ve been ordered to bring you with me.”

Itachi’s eyes narrowed. “By whom? What’s happened now?”

“Constable Alfred Long sent me. He found something that you should see, some writing.”

Itachi’s dark eyebrows furrowed further. “Writing?”

“There will be an explanation when we arrive, sir. Follow me, please.”

The two brothers exchanged looks but did as they were told. The constable who had been with them the entire time knew the protocol and remained at the scene. When the constable led Itachi and Sasuke to Goulsten Street, both men were startled at the number of policemen in the area.

“Why are there so many officers here?” Itachi enquired.

“Well, we were all searching the area near the crime scenes to try and find the killer, and we all passed by here after constable Long discovered the writing and the apron. He called us over as he saw us, so we all ended up here,” the constable replied as he led the way. “Ah, here we are sirs.”

The three men turned into tenement No. 108 on the street and the constable held his lantern high so they could see the scene. A large, chilling inscription was scribbled on the dark wall in white chalk. Although scribbled wasn’t exactly the right word. This was a practiced hand writing very carefully. A message that wanted to be heard.

It read:

The Juwes are the men who will not be blamed for nothing.

“…” Itachi stared at the writing soundlessly which Sasuke took to be a bad sign. Still, he knew without words that jotting the message down would probably be smart. However, when he finished getting it down he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He squinted at the darkness of the stairwell underneath the writing, trying to make out the outline of the strange object.

“Constable, can you shine your light over there?” Sasuke asked, pointing toward the stairs.

“Oh, yes! I forgot about that for a moment.” He lowered his light, allowing it to flood the area, revealing the object to be a stained piece of some soft of garment. “This was found with the writing. We think it’s a piece of bloodstained apron.”

Itachi’s attention was finally drawn from the wall. “Let me see it.” He kneeled down and wrapped his hand in a handkerchief he drew from his pocket. When his skin was covered he prodded the piece of apron and turned it this way and that. Then, seeming to have seen what he was looking for, he wadded up the handkerchief and stuffed it in his pocket. He stood up and turned to Sasuke. “This is most definitely clothing taken from either Kurenai Stride or Temari Eddowes after their murders. I think it’s safe to assume that it’s Temari’s because of her being the most recent victim, but we’ll double check to be sure.”

“Yeah, that’s hers,” Sasuke confirmed. “I remember seeing her wear it when she was alive.” After saying this he returned to finishing up his notes but repeatedly paused to glace at his brother. Itachi was pacing back and forth, rubbing his chin, mumbling to himself.

“This isn’t connecting,” Itachi grunted as he passed Sasuke again. Finally he abruptly stopped and turned to his brother with a determined stare. “When we return we need to list all the possible motivations of the killer based on what little evidence we have. But first we need to figure out what ‘Juwes’ refers to.”

“That’s all very good gentlemen, but I’m afraid you’ll have to conduct this business elsewhere.” A tall refined looking man with a chocolate brown toothbrush mustache approached followed by a short, stout constable. He shook the hand of each brother. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Charles Warren. I believe that Constable Long sent for you, correct?” he asked, gesturing toward the stout man at his side.

Itachi nodded. “Yes, so we came to see what was going on. Do you know when the apron and writing was found?”

Alfred Long took a step forward. “I discovered it while I was searching the area. I think the time was about 3:00.” While Sasuke wrote this down another man appeared beside Constable Long. “Oh, sir, the man with the sponge is here.”

“Good. He can start erasing it then,” Commissioner Warren replied.

“Wait, what?” Sasuke stared after the man hauling the bucket of water over to the graffito. “You’re erasing evidence?”

“No,” the commissioner objected. “We’re protecting the residents of this building.”

Sasuke opened his mouth to question but Itachi already had an answer. “Mostly Jews live here, Sasuke,” he said, eyes never leaving the sopping sponge in the man’s hand. “The people in Whitechapel are too frightened and desperate now to stop and think. This message seems to be blaming someone, so the people will blame that person, too. It’s safer this way, Sasuke. Trust me.”

And somehow Sasuke did, even as the chalky white lines of history were being washed away, letter by letter.

xXxJackTheRipperxXx

In the dead of night two men walked silently through the streets of Whitechapel, one man leading the other. The leading man glanced from side to side, skimming the tenement numbers until he found the one he was looking for. “Ah, here we are.”

“Goulsten Street? Why are we here?” the following man, the brawnier of the two, asked nervously.

“To throw the hounds off your track,” the leading man, the slim one, replied, beckoning for the other man to come closer. “That inspector gets closer and closer to figuring you out as the days pass. We need to confuse him. And seeing as you lack the intelligence to even realize how near he is, I decided to take matter into my own hands.”

The nervous man tightened his grip on his bloodied piece of cloth and clutched it to his body possessively. It seemed to give him strength enough to tentatively step under the archway where the other man stood. When he was within arm’s reach the slim man held a piece of white chalk out to him. The nervous man’s eyes screwed up in confusion as he stared at it. “What is this?”

“The means to prevent your discovery by Inspector Abberline,” the slim man said simply.

At those words the other man froze and his face contorted in an ugly way. “No,” he hissed, baring his teeth. “He can’t stop my work! I won’t let him!”

A smirk spread on the slim man’s face. “He won’t, but only if you take the chalk and do as I say.”

The brawny man’s eyes, still retaining rage, narrowed. He reluctantly let go of his bloody trophy and slipped it into his pant pocket, using his now free hand to grasp the chalk. Walking over to the wall by the stairwell, he positioned the chalk over the smooth, cold surface. Smooth and cold…like Kurenai’s unripped skin…

“Calm yourself!” the slim man barked sharply, recognizing the bloodthirsty aura slowly emanating from his companion. “You’ve done enough tonight. Don’t allow yourself to lose control.”

The man clenched his fists and bit his lip. If it were anyone else ordering him to stop his work he would’ve growled at them and lashed out. He forced himself to take deep, calming breaths and after two minutes of this raised the chalk back up to the wall. “What do you want me to do?” he asked in a steady voice.

His companion noted the sudden behavior change with interest but still remained wary. He spoke slowly. “Write what I say: The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing. Spells Juwes as J-U-W-E-S.” He watched as the other man wrote out the message slowly. “This may not be the type of message you’d want to leave in your name, but trust me, if you look close enough you’ll certainly be pleased.”

The man with the chalk did as he was told but after the sentence was completed he turned to his partner with questioning eyes. “What does it mean?”

The smirk was evident in the slim man’s voice. “What type of people make up the majority of the population of this building?”

“Jews,” the other man replied. “But what about the spelling?”

“The inspector will be asking the same question.” The grin spread wider. “But only if we leave soon. What do you say?”

When the two men left Goulsten Street, one of their pockets proved to be unreliable. When said man locked his door behind him, he discovered he no longer had a trophy to smuggle away. This man fell to his knees and screamed at the ceiling in fury. The other of the two men, when he found out later that day about a mysterious message written by Jack the Ripper, accompanied by a bloodstained apron, merely smirked. The Inspector was truly baffled now. Good. That fool finally did something useful.

A/N: Just as an FYI, I actually came up with the note that Jack the Ripper left myself. I was quite proud of myself lol. Also, there are a few characters in here who aren’t people from Naruto, but they’re not important enough to change their names so I just left them as who they really are. Another reminder is that Itachi and Sasuke knew all of the victims so far besides Temari from when they used to live in Whitechapel before their parents’ deaths (Temari came after they moved).