FireCacodemon: Welcome back to another chapter of The Black Spirit. Darker Than Black belongs to Tensai Okamura.

Chapter Four

The streets were filled with laughter as drunken individuals' excited bars and took the long way home, gamblers excited mini casinos either with a big smile on their face of the look of debt, people commuting from work out of Tokyo to return back to the happy families waiting for them. No one suspected anything to happen during the night but night is when the monsters come out from the shadows, preying on individuals to satisfy their craving of theft or murder, anything that'll pump the adrenalin through their body. While shops still ran so late at night, most were either closing down for the night or promised that they were going to be open 24/7 such as large shopping chains. Pubs and bars were always open during the night much like night clubs and other places where more night dwellers waited for, while day dwellers were excited for the day, teenagers and individuals were the type of people who thrived during the night. There were the few individuals who didn't mind what time it was and enjoyed themselves in both the day and night.

The bell of the bar rang, drawing the attention of the two bartenders towards the visiting customer. A friendly smile was on their faces with the inviting feeling of the bar was something that all customers felt when they entered the building. The door which leads to the bar was heavier than most doors but no customer had any issues opening the door either by pushing or pulling it. The bar wasn't very popular as it was fairly new to the city. When you needed a quiet night, the bar known as Cat's Paw was one of the most inviting places to meet up, drink alcohol and just chat happily. There wasn't a clock on the wall or windows on the walls. The bar managed to block out the outside world's chaos but allowed one to drink at one's own speed, without the constant ticking of time threatening them to hurry up. There weren't many bars which managed to pull off the aura that Cat's Paw managed to. The counter was always polished with nice rounded coasters on from the last customer who sat at the stool in front of the bartender and the wall of alcohol behind them. Many bottles of alcohol lined up on the shelf from different years, brands, colours, bottle designs, nothing was the same as another bottle. Each bottle of alcohol had a story to tell and only the customer who drank the liquid would know the taste.

The bartenders each had their own traits and qualities that other bartenders didn't have. This tied in with the talents they possessed and how their observation skills were when it came to a customer. Each bartender treats their customers like this will be the first and last time that they will serve them. With this in mind, bartenders always made the best that they could make. It was rare that a bartender won't make the best they can while making a cocktail or filling the customer's wish. Very few bartenders have the trait known as the 'Glass of Gods'*, a term used when the perfect drink is given to a customer based on the bartender's own perception and understanding of the customer sitting in front of them. Another quality that a bartender must have is the ability to listen to the customer's complains, not taking a step in their problems unless asked directly. What a customer goes through is something that only the customer can deal with. That was something Li was very good at.

Li was a very good description of what the model bartender was but even Li had his flaws. He was still the new guy at the bar, still learning the ropes that every bartender must learn. Learning to listen to what the customer is asking of him and be someone that they can trust. Li was dressed in a white shirt with a black vest which went over the shirt; polished black buttons were presented with small pockets just above the waist line. A name tag was pinned on his chest with his name. Smart black trousers were essential to be worn along with polished, smart black shoes. Li preferred to wear shoes which slipped on and off easily but still comfortable enough to stay on his feet. Li had done his best to make his constant untidy hair as neat as possible but it wasn't happening. In his hands was a single polished glass, nothing super fancy but a bartender must always be doing something with their hands, many (if not all) bartenders preferred to polish their glasses until it sparkled before moving onto another glass. Standing next to him, was his boss.

A young female bartender with long black hair tied back into a pony tail which just passed her shoulders stood tall behind the bar. Her pale skin and natural beauty drew many customers to the bar. Her body figure drew the male gaze with how perfect her skin looked, her chest wasn't too large or too small that it interfered with work and her uniform was the same as Li's. The only difference were the shoed, she preferred to wear shoes with a strap running over her feet just before the ankle. Her black socks were exposed from where the shoe didn't cover up. Her name was Ayiko Shimido, her and Li worked together which made Cat's Paw the success that it was. Ayiko is one of the best bartenders in Tokyo. It was pretty amazing to see how different she was during work than when she's outside of work. All professional and no play others had described her without knowing her outside of work. Ayiko has a sweet tooth, a factor which played when the night at work was finished. Ayiko often treated herself and Li when she felt like it. Not that Li would complain at the chance to have something sweet.

The door was pushed open as the sound of laughter filled the bar. Ayiko and Li both smiled and greeted the group of young adults entered the bar. All of them were dressed in suits so it was clear that they were here for a business meeting or just to celebrate something successful which had happened to them. They all quickly sat down at one of the tables in the room before they pulled out the menus to have a look at what Cat's Paw had to offer. Ayiko looked at Li from the corner of her pale blue eyes, giving him a message. Li nodded, understanding the message.

The Black Spirit – Chapter Four

"How was the arcade?" Amber asked Hei as he sat down in one of the bean chairs. A laugh escaped from Hei.

"I swear Li's becoming more childish as each day passes," Hei smiled, thinking back to how excited Li had looked while playing the arcade games with Hei. Hei dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small blue bird soft toy. Looking directly at the black bead eye of the bird he smiled. Amber watched Hei with a smile on her face. Clear that the bird was won by either Hei or Li that it didn't matter, it was just another token from the arcade which was going to be hidden away here on a shelf with the other prizes won from the skill crane machines, another memory from the arcade. Just a simple touch from the toy and Hei or Li would remember the night there.

"Are you sure that's a bad thing?" Amber let out a small childish giggle in response to Hei's comment.

"When his grades start dropping, then I'll class it as a bad thing."

"Do you have a new room-mate?"

"We do, her name is Misaki Kirihara. A new police woman who joined the force, she's nice don't get me wrong. Li's taken a shine to her already which is natural."

"He can play anyone if he wishes."

"Li's not a player. He's blind, just like me when it comes to love. The only love that we know is family love."

"Even you take that a bit too far sometimes," Amber said as she walked towards the computer room.

"Going to check the CCTV?"

"It's too quiet," Huang spoke up, startling Hei on the bean bag. He quickly got up and looked in the direction Huang was in. It wasn't surprising to see Huang returning from having a smoke outside. "It it's too quiet then you're more likely to notice something that isn't right. Meaning, you're more likely to spot a crime or someone suspicious..." The logic was there, all three of them knew that. "...We can't count on Li until he finishes work too."

"Hei, I think we have something," Amber called to Hei. Both Hei and Huang went running over to Amber.

On screen was what looked to be a young couple but the male didn't look right. He was keeping himself shrouded in his clothes, making sure his face was out of sight. An obvious trick to try and avoid getting noticed by the CCTV but it wasn't enough to stop Hei, Amber and Huang getting a good look at a possible monster of the night. They didn't know the details or anything about the two but the way it was looking on the CCTV, he was going to be bad news. What they could do was to keep an eye on him as much as possible with the CCTV around. All they needed to do was to find out where he was living so that they could track him down and search the den for clues if possible. It depended if the was a monster or not. The three watched patiently before he escaped from the CCTV. There was a small groan but it was to be expected. CCTV wasn't perfect but it was all they had without going out there.

"Hei, can you get ready and watch?" Huang asked.

"No problem."

The Black Spirit – Chapter Four

"You did a good job tonight, Li," Ayiko smiled after flipping the sign on the other side of the door, she let the door go and it closed.

"Thank you Miss Shimido," Li said happily as he was happily cleaning the counter. She let out a sigh of relief before she walked back over to the counter and sat down on one of the stools. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Not a customer, when are you free again?"

"I don't know, I'm pretty booked for the weekend...Saturday I'll be studying and then on Sunday, Carmine's coming over to see us," Li said moving the cloth in a circular motion. Ayiko nodded.

"Well, when you're finished I'll let you lock up and head on home. Go and get some rest," with a wink, Ayiko spun around on her chair and got up, leaving the keys for Li and picked up her coat to leave. Li watched her go with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for visiting Cat's Paw, have a good night."

"Same to you," she gave Li one last smile before she walked out the bar and headed off home.

Li stood at the entrance to the bar and looked back. Seeing how neat and tidy the bar was after Ayiko left was astonishing. If Li had cartoon vision, everything would be sparkling and twinkling with how clean everything was. Smiling at the work he had done to make the bar look very presentable for the following Saturday night was something Li enjoyed doing. He never really did see her face the following night but the fact she was never displeased with him and gave him enough trust to be left in the bar after hours meant that she was pleased with his work. Flicking the light switch, he watched the bar become swallowed up by the darkness. Opening the door, Li slipped outside and locked up for the night. Looking up at the starry sky, Li headed for home.

The Black Spirit – Chapter Four

Misaki's phone buzzed in her pocket; withdrawing from some reading she reached over and picked up her phone off the table. Checking the caller ID, it belonged to Saito. She pressed the green phone button and moved the phone up to her ear. "What is it Saito?" She asked.

"Chief, there's been a murder!" Saito informed Misaki. Her eyes widened at those words but at the same time excitement filled her body. The thought that she was getting action so soon just made the night better. This was when the job gets interesting; it was possible that she was going to meet the Black Spirit too. Saito and the others had told her that the spirit wasn't to be meddled with. The spirit helped them catch the criminals and provided the evidence which the police failed to get...if the spirit turned on them, then criminals were going to get free and there wasn't anything they could do with the lack of evidence. She couldn't catch the spirit, she knew that but she still wanted to meet it. Even if it was silent, she couldn't let the chance go. "Chief? Are you still there?"

"Where's the crime scene?" Misaki asked Saito.

"I'll come and pick you up then, I'll be there shortly," and with that, the communication was cut. Misaki sprung into action, getting ready for Saito to come and pick her up to take her to the crime scene. Grabbing a light jacket, she threw it on and waited outside. Saito's car turned up and she got in.

"So, what are we to be expecting?" She questioned the male driver.

"Brutal death, the victim was an unlucky female who got lost from her friends. Her body was stabbed multiple times all over her body, strangely not the legs or the arms. Forensics is currently there taking blood and looking at the injuries, they suspected that she bled to death," Saito said while keeping his eyes fixed on the road. Misaki listened to what he had to say.

"Were there any witnesses?"

"The murder took place in a dark alleyway, without forensics checking for anything that the criminal may have left behind. Looking for any witnesses or even having any suspects at this current time."

"The press are going to love this."

It wasn't long before the two police officers arrived at the scene. The stench of blood was overpowering but this was the job, something that Misaki was looking forward to. The classic yellow tape crossed the opening of the alleyway but Misaki moved the tape out the way to enter the alleyway, walking down she found the corpse. The clothing was ripped off her and her body full of holes. The blood had sprayed up on the walls, the way the horror films presented a murder from a new killer. Pictures were taken of the body and forensics was working hard trying to find any clues from the killer. Misaki watched them working away on the body and the scene. The smell that was hidden by the blood was a strong scent of alcohol; she was an obvious drinker, out having a good time with her friends.

"What have we got here?" Misaki asked after a few minutes of silence.

"From the looks of it, the victim was stabbed multiple times with what we believe to be a, a common kitchen knife."

"The suspect used a kitchen knife?"

"It isn't impossible for a kitchen knife to be used. Anything can be used as a weapon if used correctly."

"I know that, I've read countless murder mystery novels to understand that anything can be used as a weapon."

"Let's see if we can move the body to the forensic laboratory to see how she died, I know it was probably from blood loss but there's no harm in checking the injuries on the body," Misaki said. The forensic team nodded in agreement. Saito watched as Misaki took charge of the scene but also kept his eye out for any sudden movement, hoping to catch any sight of the Black Spirit which Misaki was becoming fixated on. The forensic team did their best to move the body without disturbing any injuries. Misaki half kept an eye out for any sign of the Black Spirit too so that she would feel accomplished.

The Black Spirit – Chapter Four

Li unlocked the door to the apartment and gently pushed open the door. Hei was already at home but he was still awake, there was a small scent of food from the kitchen, Hei came home and made something for himself. Li smiled and walked over to Hei, wrapping his arms around the male and holding him close. Hei smiled and just felt a lot better knowing that Li had now just returned safe and sound.

"How was work?" Hei asked Li. Li nodded happily.

"Yeah, but in the morning, I've got homework and revision to do for my courses," Li told Hei.

"You sound like you need to go to sleep."

"I'll grab a drink of water before I head to bed, if that's fine?" Li asked Hei. Li felt Hei gently ruffle up Li's fringe affectionately.

"I'd feel better if you drink something before bed. Serving alcohol to everyone always seems to make you thirsty after."

"So much liquid and while on duty, I can't have any," Li released Hei from his grip and moved to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Hei's little job was to get the futons out and lay them down so that they could rest for the night. "Think Misaki's at home?"

"I've been meaning to text you about that, Misaki's currently at a crime scene. We have the current destination of the killer but we have yet to investigate," Hei told Li. Li nodded and grabbed a glass out from the small cupboard. Filling it up with water, he drank the water quickly.

"Well, we can work on that tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, yes we can. For now, let us get ready for bed."

* Bartender, belongs to Nagatomo Kenji.

FireCacodemon: Review, favourite and/or follow...but that's up to you. I don't have much to say so I'll be back next chapter.