A/N: There is an important author's note at the end of this chapter. Also sorry for delay, I was caught up in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and the apprehension for the game's arrival.

Fool in Reverse

Chapter 5: Wings of a Butterfly

"That sounds like incompetent police work to me," Souji said after Yosuke told him about the blood-stained comforter, voice low as to not spook the other bus riders.

"Really?"

Nodding, he continued, "Sure does. This is a homicide investigation. Photographs or not, the police more or less gave Yukiko's family the green light to tamper with evidence. Maybe I should tell me uncle."

Yosuke scowled. This little Investigation Team was his idea, but he had to admit that Yamano's murder was definitely out of their league. It had been a passionate, frenzied crime that warned of danger and chaos. Chasing after the murderer wasn't something he was prepared to risk. "If you want, man. Like, what if he already knows? Better safe than sorry, I know. I'm just sayin', dude. It's gotta be stressful."

Souji smiled. "Uncle Ryotaro has always been a little high strung." The smile faded. "He was gone this morning, though. Working. Anyone could have guessed he would be, but it was a little sad this morning when Nanako told me she was used to getting ready by herself."

With a soft sound of surprise, Yosuke sat up straighter in his seat, less cushion and more plastic over the bus's extended lifetime. "You're tellin' me she's really that thick-skinned?"

"What?"

"Uh, well. See, Inaba isn't the most private of places to live," Yosuke admitted, scratching at the back of his neck. "Stories from all over the town can be heard in every nook or cranny. Can't take a lot of 'em for granted, though."

Souji nodded slightly. "And about Nanako?"

Yosuke was getting to that. "I asked some ladies at Junes once, back when I first came to town, about the little girl that always came shopping by herself. Obviously, I was askin' about Nanako, but I didn't know that back then.

"They told me that she lived with her dad, the detective. They spun a whole lot of yarns, though, about calling child services, but nothing was ever done. Nanako seemed fine to me, and sometimes I'd see her and your uncle out at the park," he shrugged. "So I thought that a lot of what I'd heard was crock."

"It might not be all crock," Souji said firmly. "I've only been here a few days, and the situation is sensitive, for what I can tell you, but Uncle Ryotaro deserves his daughter." His gaze wandered to the window, the lucky guy laying claim to the window seat, but from the dim reflection off the glass Yosuke could just barely read the flat expression on his face.

The mood was officially sunk and Yosuke really didn't like bad atmospheres. He clapped a hand on Souji's shoulder, shaking the other boy a little. "Yo, man, I believe you. We're partners now, and having trust in your partner is just a little important, don't you think?"

There it was, that charming smile, even if it was wavering. "Perhaps it is." Already that funk was lifting. Good, Yosuke thought, because being down in the dumps sucked.

Souji's hand shot out from nowhere and yanked the line. "Pay attention, Yosuke. I almost didn't notice we were coming up on the shopping district."

The shopping district meant close to home which meant...Yosuke sighed. "I really hope my parents don't find out I legged out of school. I'm gonna be in deep shit, you know, if they find out. And Dad'll probably make me work more hours to make up for it. And you know who I'm gonna blame? For once, not Dad. It's gonna be all you."

Souji gently pushed Yosuke up from his seat as the bus slowed to a crawl, and eventually, a stop. "What happened to trusting me?"

"I know you've got my back, but my parents are maniacal, bro."

It seemed Souji didn't have anything to say about the topic that wasn't immersed in jackassery, and they stepped out into the late evening air, relatively normal with just a hint of winter's chill still biting. There was certainly more of a skip to their step after leaving the gloom of the bus behind, chattering about little things like food and books (and Yosuke accidentally committed himself to the Timid Teacher series through a sly trick of Souji's; Yosuke forced Souji to promise to try the Man series). With Yosuke's attempts to delay the possible disaster at home and Souji's lax nature to help him in his endeavor, they wandered aimlessly through the shopping district. Yosuke hadn't even noticed they'd reached the apex of the northern section until a door sliding open to his left slammed against its frame with so much force he was surprised the building didn't rattle. When the girl displayed more abuse on the poor door as she closed it, Yosuke was even more surprised the building didn't collapse.

"Konishi Liquors," Souji murmured at his side.

Cries followed her through the thin walls. "Get back here, we're not done, young lady!" and "Sis, hold up a minute!" met Yosuke's ears, but he was uncaring about the voices beckoning her, because he recognized the girl. Her name was Saki Konishi, eldest child to the family that ran the liquor store, one of his co-workers on the odd day that they were scheduled together, upperclassmen at his school, and absolutely smokin' hot and single.

Nevermind his encounter with Yukiko, Yosuke thought with fire in his heart, because he had not been crushing for four months on Yukiko. Saki Konishi, on the other hand... "Hey, Saki!"

Immediately the light-haired girl spun around on the spot, crimped locks flying into her flushed face, and the fire dimmed in his heart. There were tear stains on her cheeks and she looked just about ready to thrash any fool poor enough to get in her way. "Hanamura...?"

Toeing the line between concerned and suicidal, he waved to her. "Yo."

"Are you fighting with your parents?" Souji asked without provocation. Yosuke wanted to punch him, punch him real hard, because that was personal and if anyone was going to comfort Saki it was gonna be him. He'd have to stealthily get Souji to hit the road, but it would be worth it if he could rise from Junes co-worker in her eyes to true-blue friend, or something more.

"What's it to you?" Saki snapped like a whip, fingers hooked like claws. If she was going to attack, Yosuke wanted to stay very far away from her nails, long and evenly painted scarlet, but he supposed that Souji was his buddy now and he'd probably end up scratched trying to rescue him. Then, like magic, Saki's vicious visage melded into something softer, a little dazed. "I...I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been so defensive. I don't even know you, so this is hardly a good first impression."

Well, damn. How the hell had Souji managed that? Yosuke was willing to bet if he tried such a blunt tactic he'd come to in the hospital missing an eyeball. Or both eyeballs. He shuddered.

Souji waved Saki's temper off easily. "I'm Souji Seta. I just moved in with my uncle."

Saki nodded slowly, that confused expression still on her face. Yosuke thought she looked tired, and was so dazed because she was just tired of thinking about something. "I'm Saki Konishi," she replied in even, shaking his hand when he offered it before withdrawing hers close to her chest.

"So what's going on, Saki?" Yosuke tried. Saki shuffled on the spot, chewed her lip.

"Miss Konishi?" Souji prompted.

"It's...it's nothing you need to worry about. I'm just...I'm just going to go for a walk to clear my head. You guys carry on." Saki finally answered after a strained silence. "I'm serious. It's just a stupid fight, it happens all the time. I'll see you at work, okay? Bye, Seta."

They stood outside the liquor store, watching the girl until she turned a corner and out of their line of site. Without warning, Souji said, "I don't think she likes you much."

Confused, Yosuke asked, "What gave you that impression? We're totally chill. You're crazy, man." He paused before he remembered he was supposed to be a little angry. "And, um, no, kid, I'm totally after that. You back off of Saki, got it?"

Souji smirked. "Oh, is that how it is? Puppy love's cute, maybe she'll defrost a little."

"Shut up, dude! You're trying to read into something with nothing to read into!"

School-wide announcements were always curious things. Yosuke usually preferred to sleep the Saturday morning away until lunch when he could go home (and home was a safe place because neither his mother nor father heard any ill-fated news, though he suspected his mom knew something) and do a whole lot of nothing, but the principal had called the school together in the auditorium. It was a situation that peaked Yosuke's curiosity and he went along with it without complaints.

Neither did Souji, for that matter as they sat shoulder to shoulder, and Chie was yawning as she sat in the seat ahead of them. Yukiko was still absent, and Yosuke winced at the memory of the Amagi Inn's current critical nature. Throughout the entire room whispers bounced off the walls like frantic bugs. He hoped their gossipy rampages died down soon, or else he might have to run away back to the city in order to give his ears a break from the decibels, and that was saying something.

He tapped lightly on the girl's shoulder and she turned her heard just enough to see them. "What?" she mumbled under her breath in order to avoid Morooka's uncanny ability to kill any conversations during oh-so-important assemblies. The man had it in for every single one of them, Yosuke figured.

"How's Yukiko?" asked Yosuke.

Chie shrugged a little. "She was exhausted last night, and she didn't answer my text this morning. I can only figure she's sleeping in or working herself to the bone again."

"Do you want help again?" Souji offered.

Again, Chie's answer was a shrug. "That's what I asked Yukiko in that text. I'm probably gonna pop by after lessons. Thank goodness Saturdays are half days."

Yosuke grinned. "I dunno about Souji here, but I'll probably show up, but today and tomorrow are the last days I can for a while. Work, you know."

If Chie had anything nice to say to that, it was cut off by Morooka's shrill order to shut the hell up.

A moment later the buzz in the auditorium died. The cause was the principal shambling up front to face the student body, grim-faced and distinctly uncomfortable-looking. Then again, in Yosuke's opinion, any school officials were in a perpetual state of grim and discomfort. "It deeply saddens me to inform you of this," the man began in a wheeze of breath. Yosuke could have laughed, allowing himself to sneer a little. "but there has been a terrible tragedy. Last night one of your peers was stolen from us, her life ripped away from her like the wings off a butterfly."

The reaction was instantaneous. Frightened students came to life with nervous activity and Yosuke's light demeanor diminished. "What? Another death?"

"What is going on in this town?" he heard Chie gasp. Her shoulders were shaking.

The red curtains on the auditorium's stage pulled apart to reveal a gorgeous, ostentatious, and heart-rending altar. It was spread over two long tables covered in fine cloth, swamped with white flowers, most notably the arrangement of chrysanthemums around a single black photo frame. Yosuke was too far away to see the girl's picture and waited with his breath caged in his chest.

"Saki Konishi was a shining star that we were blessed with—" and Yosuke didn't hear the rest because what. The world closed in on him, surrounded him in a space of black with muted sound. His hands were tremulous on his thighs, but he stared straight ahead at the empty expanse.

He'd just talked to her. Saki was...Saki was...Saki Konishi couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible for her to be dead.

A hard hand gripped his forearm tightly and Yosuke gasped, inhaling for the first time in an unknown amount of moments. The aching in his lugs suggested quite a few, and the shocked breath was refreshing, giving his world shape and color again.

Following the hand on his arm, Yosuke met the eyes of Souji, stone cold gray as though the shutters had closed on the windows to his soul. "Yosuke. Yosuke, come on."

"W-what?"

"Hey, quiet down," growled Morooka, and Yosuke snapped his head up to see the teacher looming over them. "Have a little respect!"

"What the fuck!" echoed a voice from the other side of the auditorium, the section full of first years, and Morooka's intimidating gaze flew to the offender, with Yosuke and Souji's following it. Standing up from his class, arms clenched tightly to his sides, was Kanji.

"Tatsumi!" a concerned teacher called out to him.

"How the fuck did she die?" Kanji shouted. "This kind of shit doesn't just happen in Inaba. What the fuck is going on here, Teach?"

"Tatsumi, shut up and sit down, or shut up and leave," Morooka demanded as he and several other teachers prowled closer to the first years.

"Don't tell me what to do, Moron!" bellowed Kanji with enough fury to ignite a man. "Did you even know that girl? She lived on my fucking street, asshole! I used to play with her little brother!" Still, Kanji shoved himself through the sea of students until he was at the auditorium's doors, leaving the room in alarmed silence.

"Yosuke..."

Yosuke turned away from the doors to see Chie staring at him, twisted reverse in her chair, and there were definitely tears in her eyes. "What?"

"Are you going to be okay? I know you liked—"

"He'll be fine," Souji intervened suddenly and Yosuke jumped. The other boy's arm fell across his shoulders and pulled him into a weird half hug that Yosuke wasn't sure what to think about. He didn't want to think about anything. "He'll be fine because we'll help him through this. Right?"

Yosuke didn't hear Chie's answer. He was too busy trying to swallow the sudden urge to cry.

A/N: Murder number 2 in sleepy Inaba! Dun dun dun!

So, I seriously have a question I need answered by you guys, and I'm accepting answers until the next chapter is posted. If I were to write a Fullmetal Alchemist/Portal crossover, would anyone read it? Or a Code Geass/Final Fantasy X?

And it'd be good, too, because I hate shitty crossovers. Please answer in a review, even if you don't have anything to say about the story or chapter thus far.