Shiori Novella One-shots

Detective Shiori

This is supposed to be a nice neighborhood. Houses with white picket fences line up and down this street. Parents rush their children inside as your siren blares while you drive by. No previous records of any emergencies or complaints during your entire career in this town. You're not sure what to even say or think as you enter the house and see what awaits you. What you do see makes you regret being one of the first to respond to this call.

You expect a body on the floor with the report of an ear-piercing shriek coming from this house, but all that remains is a carpet completely soaked in blood, various organs strung across the kitchen counter, and charred bones in the fireplace. However, your nose took the brunt of the shock as the smell of iron and rotting meat assault your senses. Your lunch nearly comes back up your throat, but a hand on your shoulder stops you from emptying your stomach.

"Oh jeez. Whoever did this was sloppy and outright insane."

The voice comes from your partner as she steps in behind you. Somehow, she remains as stern as ever as she surveys the room. After you wipe away the tears forming at the end of your eyes after choking up from the stench, you study the room. All the drawers have been pulled out and ransacked. Despite the mess inside the house, all of the doors and windows remain locked and intact. There's a spilled grocery bag with dried, melted ice cream leaking out. Were they after something? No, maybe they were...

"Well? What do you think?"

~~~~~

You arch your eyebrow at her incredulously.

"What do I think? This is disgusting," you sigh at her nonchalance, taking a moment to recenter yourself.

You signal her to be quiet, placing a hand on your weapon and nod at her to close the door. She nods in response and closes it with a loud thunk and click of the latch.

The two of you move quietly through the house, clearing each room, searching for a sign of anyone.

However, despite feeling eyes on you, and a general unease, there's no trace of anyone else living here, or even of anyone else being here. Feeling thoroughly creeped out, you meet up with your partner back outside the front door, not wanting to spend any more time in that house than needed.

"Did you find anything?" you ask her, hoping she saw something to explain the grisly scene inside. She tilts her head and brings a forefinger to her chin, thinking.

"Well, she seems to have lived alone and there's no sign of forced entry. Haven't dusted yet, so no clue on if someone snuck out, but all the windows I saw were locked, so that'd be a heck of a magic trick," she rattles off, counting on her fingers. "So, nope." She shrugs. "Want to hire an exorcist?" she grins.

You just stare at her for a moment. "Can you not? Seriously? Felt like I was being watched the whole time," you reply, making your exasperation at her antics clear.

"Sorry, sorry," she smiles lightly. "It is... weird in there. It's also a heck of a job for the cleanup crew... Glad I'm not them."

"Honestly? Same," you look over your shoulder as the ambulance and your fellow officers arrive. "I don't even know what to write in the report...

"You don't seem bothered, though..."

"I am, it just isn't my first time seeing something like this. After all, causing stuff like this was how I got here, remember?" she chuckles.

You stare blankly for a moment. "Wait.... Did we consider that there could be someone else like you? It's not like you're the only one who can use 'magic' or similar abilities, after all."

"I actually did look for signs, but didn't notice any. We'll need forensics to check for distortions and traces; we're not equipped for that."

You close your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose. Next thing you know, you feel cool, soft hands on your cheeks, her hands turning your head to look at her.

"Wanna go grab dinner?" she smiles gently, her thumb tracing your cheekbone. "Let's take our minds off this."

"... I'd like that, thanks," you smile weakly, placing a hand over one of hers, leaning into her touch.