1000 hours, Aesculapium - Mental Ward
Nobuyuki entered the arts and crafts room with a nod to the ANBU who had secured the area. For the purpose of the interrogation, that had aquisitioned some time alone with Shima Ai in this room. It happened to be the most secure in the ward and had the necessary tools to kept the alleged murdered amiable while being talked to.
The sennin looked around the empty room, save for his ANBU guard, until he found the solitary boy sitting at a table. “This is the one who was responsible? Killing three shinobi twice his age, and he didn’t step one foot in the ANBU branch. Puzzling…” thought Nobuyuki as he approached the table AI was at and sat down. That was another question added to the few that he had for the young man. The sennin placed the voice recorder on the tape and hit record, and then turned to make sure the video camera was also recording.
“Hello Ai, my name is Nobuyuki. When they brought you here, did they explain why?”
“I guess, they said you had questions about why I was brought here?”
“That’s right. I’m not here to judge you or take you somewhere else. I am here to get information regarding what happened. Sound good to you?”
“I guess.”
Nobuyuki cracked a half smile. The lovely doctors here in the ward recommended that he not drill the boy hard. He hadn’t ever given them trouble and was all around a sweetheart. Of course, they didn’t know the truth, but neither did Nobuyuki. There was a chance that Ai was a convenient scapegoat for the real culprits, just as much as there was a chance he was the death dealer.
“Cool. Where to begin,” he paused. Aside from Kitsune’s confession, there really wasn’t much to go on. He sighed behind his mask. “Why don’t we start with the day Hayata Shin was murdered. What can you tell me about that day? Why were you in that room to begin with?”
“Haruka-chan asked me to come along. I had been secretly trying to win her affection and I think that was the day she finally looked at me for the first time!” said Ai with some enthusiasm, his eyes never left the project he was working on with the various craft tools.
“So you weren’t asked there by the Raikage?” Ai shook his head. “I see.”
“Perhaps it had been Haruka’s plan all along to use this boy’s affection to her advantage. Was this really so premeditated?”
“I don’t think it’s disputed that there was a fight there that day. Do you remember how it started?”
Ai seemed to hesitate. “Pretty sure that dumb guy Shin said something dumb to Mr. Hoshikata. Yea, he got all bothered by it. Can’t remember what they said though. Buncha gibberish really.”
Nobuyuki’s expression shifted at Ai’s choice of words. “Why did you call him ‘dumb guy’?”
The boy with blue hair shrugged his shoulders. “He just kept saying dumb stuff until he finally shut up.”
“Until he was killed? Who killed him Ai?”
This was when Ai looked at Nobuyuki with a pause. As if he finally realized what was going on. “Uh oh. Well that’s not good.” he grumbled looking around at all the ANBU around him. It seemed he was looking for escape.
“Settle down Ai, I’m only here for information. Can you tell me who killed him?”
“No nononooo. I can’t; bad things happen if I tell you.” said the young man, ignorant of what happened out in the real world.
Nobuyuki looked at him confused. What had he said that caused such a change in attitude? “What pieces of the puzzle am I missing.” questioned the sennin. He took some time to review his notes and check if he missed anything.
One audible sigh later he tapped his fingers on the table. The reason he had begun with Ai was because he was one of the few about which very little information existed. All that was really known was that he was put here after that day for one reason or another. Official records stated it was because the fight had broke his spirit. That wasn’t unheard of, often times shinobi lost their minds and that’s what the mental ward was for. On the contrary, there were Saito’s speculations along with Kitsune’s confession regarding what happened. But Nobuyuki trusted that woman about as much as you could trust a poker player. But that was speculation for another day. He needed to get more out of the enigmatic boy.
“What bad things will happen to you?”
Ai shook his head. “I dunno, bad things! It’s been awhile I forgot what was said. “
“All right, let’s forget about that. Why did they bring you here to the hospital?“
“Ask them, I got no idea. Easiest place for them to keep an eye on me. I am unstable you know!” chimed Ai, winking at Nobuyuki. Just what did that mean?
“Come on Ai, help me out. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this.”
Shima Ai’s demeanor shifted and turned serious very quickly. His hands slammed down on the edges of the table and he thrust himself forward towards Nobuyuki. His head turned sideways maniacally. “It’s because if they didn’t, your boys and their masks would be piling up faster than you would be able to recruit. It’s because if I was let out, you’d find out what fear really is... “ he trailed off, picking up a sheet of paper and tossing it towards Nobuyuki.
Nobuyuki looked down at the sheet and sighed. He slowly lifted it up so the camera could see it. It was Nobuyuki adorned with all sorts of clown gear. The rainbow afro, big red nose, rosy cheeks and white face. Of course, it was his mask painted, but still it was obvious that Ai was a dead end. But Nobuyuki couldn’t help but shake the feeling he still had from that wink. Either Ai was truly insane, or one of the best actors he had ever seen.
The sennin decided it was time to take his leave, and perhaps come back another day. It was clear the boy knew what happened, but someone had him under lock and key somehow.
If only Nobuyuki knew it was the woman who had fled the village when she learned of the coup.
[Ai’s Interview Complete]
The sennin looked around the empty room, save for his ANBU guard, until he found the solitary boy sitting at a table. “This is the one who was responsible? Killing three shinobi twice his age, and he didn’t step one foot in the ANBU branch. Puzzling…” thought Nobuyuki as he approached the table AI was at and sat down. That was another question added to the few that he had for the young man. The sennin placed the voice recorder on the tape and hit record, and then turned to make sure the video camera was also recording.
“Hello Ai, my name is Nobuyuki. When they brought you here, did they explain why?”
“I guess, they said you had questions about why I was brought here?”
“That’s right. I’m not here to judge you or take you somewhere else. I am here to get information regarding what happened. Sound good to you?”
“I guess.”
Nobuyuki cracked a half smile. The lovely doctors here in the ward recommended that he not drill the boy hard. He hadn’t ever given them trouble and was all around a sweetheart. Of course, they didn’t know the truth, but neither did Nobuyuki. There was a chance that Ai was a convenient scapegoat for the real culprits, just as much as there was a chance he was the death dealer.
“Cool. Where to begin,” he paused. Aside from Kitsune’s confession, there really wasn’t much to go on. He sighed behind his mask. “Why don’t we start with the day Hayata Shin was murdered. What can you tell me about that day? Why were you in that room to begin with?”
“Haruka-chan asked me to come along. I had been secretly trying to win her affection and I think that was the day she finally looked at me for the first time!” said Ai with some enthusiasm, his eyes never left the project he was working on with the various craft tools.
“So you weren’t asked there by the Raikage?” Ai shook his head. “I see.”
“Perhaps it had been Haruka’s plan all along to use this boy’s affection to her advantage. Was this really so premeditated?”
“I don’t think it’s disputed that there was a fight there that day. Do you remember how it started?”
Ai seemed to hesitate. “Pretty sure that dumb guy Shin said something dumb to Mr. Hoshikata. Yea, he got all bothered by it. Can’t remember what they said though. Buncha gibberish really.”
Nobuyuki’s expression shifted at Ai’s choice of words. “Why did you call him ‘dumb guy’?”
The boy with blue hair shrugged his shoulders. “He just kept saying dumb stuff until he finally shut up.”
“Until he was killed? Who killed him Ai?”
This was when Ai looked at Nobuyuki with a pause. As if he finally realized what was going on. “Uh oh. Well that’s not good.” he grumbled looking around at all the ANBU around him. It seemed he was looking for escape.
“Settle down Ai, I’m only here for information. Can you tell me who killed him?”
“No nononooo. I can’t; bad things happen if I tell you.” said the young man, ignorant of what happened out in the real world.
Nobuyuki looked at him confused. What had he said that caused such a change in attitude? “What pieces of the puzzle am I missing.” questioned the sennin. He took some time to review his notes and check if he missed anything.
One audible sigh later he tapped his fingers on the table. The reason he had begun with Ai was because he was one of the few about which very little information existed. All that was really known was that he was put here after that day for one reason or another. Official records stated it was because the fight had broke his spirit. That wasn’t unheard of, often times shinobi lost their minds and that’s what the mental ward was for. On the contrary, there were Saito’s speculations along with Kitsune’s confession regarding what happened. But Nobuyuki trusted that woman about as much as you could trust a poker player. But that was speculation for another day. He needed to get more out of the enigmatic boy.
“What bad things will happen to you?”
Ai shook his head. “I dunno, bad things! It’s been awhile I forgot what was said. “
“All right, let’s forget about that. Why did they bring you here to the hospital?“
“Ask them, I got no idea. Easiest place for them to keep an eye on me. I am unstable you know!” chimed Ai, winking at Nobuyuki. Just what did that mean?
“Come on Ai, help me out. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this.”
Shima Ai’s demeanor shifted and turned serious very quickly. His hands slammed down on the edges of the table and he thrust himself forward towards Nobuyuki. His head turned sideways maniacally. “It’s because if they didn’t, your boys and their masks would be piling up faster than you would be able to recruit. It’s because if I was let out, you’d find out what fear really is... “ he trailed off, picking up a sheet of paper and tossing it towards Nobuyuki.
Nobuyuki looked down at the sheet and sighed. He slowly lifted it up so the camera could see it. It was Nobuyuki adorned with all sorts of clown gear. The rainbow afro, big red nose, rosy cheeks and white face. Of course, it was his mask painted, but still it was obvious that Ai was a dead end. But Nobuyuki couldn’t help but shake the feeling he still had from that wink. Either Ai was truly insane, or one of the best actors he had ever seen.
The sennin decided it was time to take his leave, and perhaps come back another day. It was clear the boy knew what happened, but someone had him under lock and key somehow.
If only Nobuyuki knew it was the woman who had fled the village when she learned of the coup.
[Ai’s Interview Complete]