Chapter 4

"Oh, I'm Kyoko Sasagawa. I was in your class during high school." Kyoko offered a timid but cheerful smile. Oh well, I didn't expect him to remember me but still…I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. "We never really talked so don't worry if you can't remember me." That's what I get for getting my hopes up. Kyoko suddenly noticed Tsuna had sat up straighter in the bed and his whole figure stiffened a lot more.

"Huh? …Sasagawa? You…wouldn't happen to be the younger sister of Ryohei, would you?" Tsuna asked, he narrowed his eyes a bit. "I seem to remember Ryohei mentioning that he has a younger sibling."

"No way! You know my big brother?" Well THAT idiot never mentioned it to me! Kyoko mentally added. "He's in Italy right now though. You two know each other well?"

"Well I guess you can say that, did he say that he'll be coming back to Namimori soon?" Tsuna tried his best to steer the conversation into what he considers safer waters. "Because I heard he is."

"What? Really!? He hasn't said a thing. Last time he spoke to me was two weeks ago!" Kyoko was getting more and more frustrated at her secretive big brother. I'm his sibling and he never tells me anything! "Tsunayoshi, You wouldn't happen to know if he's dating anyone right now, would you?"

Ruth coughed discreetly in the background, Kyoko ignored her.

"Eh…you can just call me Tsuna, and I haven't heard anything like that from him," Tsuna honestly looked caught off-guard on that question. I haven't had a conversation with normal girls for so long I completely forgot they don't think like men at all! "Why not ask him yourself? He said he'll be back in two weeks time."

"Ahem," Dr Shamal waved his arms in the air to catch everyone's attention. "As much as I enjoy having a lively working place and the company of such lovely ladies, this conversation is starting to sound like it belongs in a café on a sunny day between two old friends catching up…or dating, which ever you prefer." Tsuna raised an eye brow as he wondered what Shamal is up to and Kyoko did her best to not blush.

"That's right; I'm here for those forms Dr Shamal, if Kyoko doesn't feel like going home as soon as possible to do some serious sleeping that's her choice. I'm becoming a zombie here!" Ruth cut in while opening her bag for her medical referrals and various test results. "Ask for his number Kyoko, you guys can do all the talking you like later."

Kyoko shot Ruth a murderous glare.

"Well Kyoko, Ryohei will be in town as well so I don't mind if we all have a get-together some time." Tsuna held open his hand for Kyoko's phone to put his number in. I guess I'll just give her the number to the phone I use for interacting with normal people I guess. "Here's your phone back. But I probably wont be available these couple of days since I'll be in hospital."

"Oh it's fine Tsuna," Kyoko paused as if remembering something. "That's right Tsuna, what happened to you-"

"Please! Ladies!" Dr Shamal's disapproving tone has started to sound decently annoyed now. "I was actually talking with a patient before you all barged in and decided to befriend him. Now Ruth I will get those forms filled and sent for you so no worries. You can get off my back now and go get some rest."

"Sheesh all right my good doctor, no need to be so irritated at us girls. We'll be going then." Ruth crossed her arms after throwing down a pile of paper onto Dr Shamal's desk. "Come on Kyoko, we're obviously not needed anymore here."

"Right, well you take care, Tsuna. Bye, Doctor Shamal." Kyoko nodded and walked out of the room with Ruth following closely behind. The two of them made their way to the staff car park area in silence and then Ruth smacked Kyoko on her back none too gently.

"You can thank me by inviting me to high tea at that expensive café downtown by the way!" Ruth gleefully nudged Kyoko with her elbow.

"Thank you for what?" Kyoko was looking for her car key in her bag.

"Hooking you up with your old crush of course!" Ruth did a twirl before facing Kyoko fully. "I never thought I'd be so good at setting up possible romances! You think I should get into matchmaking?"

"…But you didn't do anything."

"Excuse moi! I was the one who suggested that you get his number, and now you have it."

"…Hmmm, how about I pay half your cost at the next high tea?"

"Only half?! Is the price of love so little?"

"Have you ever made it to the actual price section of that café's menu?" Kyoko snorted at her friend's expression of aghast. "With the price they have for those cakes, I'm expecting them to be sprinkled with actual gold dust."

"…Hey I hear that they really do that you know?"

"That'll kill most of their customers Ruth. I highly doubt encouraging heavy metal ingestion is part of their objective."

"…What is this, Douglas?" Detective Longchamp stood in the middle of the street, blinking sleepily at the bright yellow tapes saying "DO NOT CROSS" in front of him.

"The crime scene, didn't you want to be here?" Douglas grumbled as he approached the tapes as well, squinting into the distance. He can make out about ten forensic specialists walking around the place, there were also numerous police officers walking out of the abandoned buildings nearby. This section of town is known to be notorious for all the drug addicts, car gangs and street gangs that likes to hang around. This street especially, contains really nothing but abandoned townhouses and office buildings. There are graffiti literally covering all surfaces along the street and in the buildings.

"No, I meant, what are we doing on this side of the tape, we should be right in there!" Longchamp grabbed the offending quarantine police tapes and started to lift them in order to pass into the cordoned off area. "What are those losers doing there? Can't they tell they're completely demolishing this precious crime scene?! Those officers don't have any gloves on at all!"

"Hey, you crazy!? Stop that!" Douglas pulled Longchamp back by the collar of his coat. "We're not allowed to go contaminate the crime scene while the forensics are still working there!"

"Oh trust me; by now those guys have already done all the contaminating, I'm just hoping there is still some proper evidence left." The young detective shrugs off Douglas' hands and kicks at the stones on the street in irritation. "Douglas, you should know better than to call me in this late. Now I need to rely on the police and the forensics to tell me essential information and we both know how reliable they can be."

"You don't have to insult my profession every chance you get Longchamp," Douglas could feel a migraine coming on. "I was one of the first on the scene; I'll try to remember as much as I can."

"I don't mean to mock your enthusiasm, but the average person can only recall less than sixty percent of all details during an event they consider important and when the event takes place during the night even less, so it is likely that you remember approximately forty percent of all the minuscule details that I require." Longchamp squatted on the side of the road like a child and pouted with a dull expression. "Then there's also the strong possibility, no, certainty that you never saw some important clues because you simply didn't know where to look for them."

"Well, my dear detective," Douglas sat down next to the other man, doing his best to resist the urge to strangle the other with his scarf. "You can say I'm not the average person anymore. After all, this isn't the first case we've ever cooperated on." He reached into the pocket of his police uniform jacket and pulled out a slim digital camera. "Here are quite a few photos I took of the crime scene. The majority of the other police haven't arrived at the time. I did my best to walk around the scene, trying to get anything interesting and knowing you, I also took some scenic shots at basically just the buildings. I noticed you really like to look at the big picture while examining crime scenes."

"Oh? I must say that this is most unexpected," Longchamp snatched the digital camera away from the policeman and began to browse through the photos, looking fascinated and was oblivious to how much Douglas looked pleased with himself. "By the way, I really hope you had the sense to turn off the camera flash in some photos. Some clues could be the glow-in-the-dark type."

"You are fucking welcome."

"What did Reborn say?" Shamal continued to pry for information from Tsuna. He was still getting his head around all this news. If what Tsuna said before about disbanding the Vongola is true, then the 'attack' last night could just be the beginning.

"He didn't say anything because I haven't told him yet," Tsuna replied evenly. He was getting more edgy with all these questions Shamal was throwing at him but he forced himself to stay calm and answer as much as he could. He could no longer afford to get upset by such things like answering questions anymore. Rattled nerves never helped me before and it will not help me now. "To be honest, I have only hinted to the Ninth about my intentions. I have not made any official declarations of any sort. But the attack on us last night was more coordinated than just street gangsters brawling for territory. I think Vongola more or less had a hand in it. Which means my intentions for Vongola must have been leaked somehow."

"This is just getting better and better, why do I have this feeling like I'm witnessing a fucking train wreck?" Shamal pulled open a small fridge under his desk, there were a few soft drinks and iced coffee drinks inside, he then proceeded to open up the freezer compartment for a small glass bottle of vodka. "Here, I've rigged all your blood test results for alcohol but this is for just in case some police tries the breath tester on you." He tossed the bottle to Tsuna who opened it, caught a whiff and grimaced. I like my alcohol as much as the next guy but this is some strong stuff…

"Oh come on don't be such a baby now," Shamal noticed Tsuna's look of uncertainty as he flipped through the numerous paperwork on his desk. "And FYI, that is from my secret stash too so you should be feeling so very honored. Make sure you give some of it to all the members of your team as soon as you leave."

"Do all doctors have secret stashes of alcohol?" Tsuna took a swig with a semi bemused expression, the first time he really relaxed since early last night.

"You don't know half the shit we have to put up with." Shamal grunted and began typing away on his laptop. "The luckier ones get to prescribe themselves some 'happy' drugs as I call it."

"…I see."

The peaceful moment was shattered when Shamal's office phone started ringing.

"This is doctor Shamal, how can I help you?" The doctor picked up the phone without having his eyes straying from his laptop.

"Good morning, doctor Shamal," A deep smooth voice began. "May I have a word with Tsunayoshi Sawada please?"

"Goddamit…" Shamal cringed and turned to Tsuna, shoving the handset of the phone towards the young man who looked up in alarm. "It's Reborn."