Chapter 1: Scrapes & Bruises

** Warning: A case of sexual assault is implied in some parts. **

Shinjuku City, Tokyo.

Like other large cities, the streets were filled with milling crowds and vehicles. Wide screens flashing advertisements hung overhead, designed to tastefully blend with the architecture they were built on. The buzz of people and cars mingled, a dissonance that every ear was already used to. This was Shinjuku's typical scenery.

Kanbara Forensics lay in one of the smaller streets away from the noise. The office was built closer to the Hospital districts and the local Medical Institute. It was a snug, but convenient spot.

Its location was out of consideration, of course. As much as they can afford to rent a prime location closer to the busy intersections, it was poor taste to insert a morgue among the classy boutiques that lined the heart of the city.

Plus, the office wouldn't have anything that would be appropriate for display.

Think about it: cadavers in body bags are the last thing anyone in the world would like to have as house decors. Not that the people working here would mind, they were already immune to getting spooked by dead people.

The morgue today was quiet, except for the sound of the front desk's TV.

"Now for the today's headlines! Last night, a body was found at the banks of Kanda river--"

The reporter's voice can be heard from behind the examination room's door. A lone figure stood over the body bag that had been delivered in the wee hours of the morning, half-listening to the news as he slipped on a pair of sterile gloves and a mask. His hand reached for the zipper, and carefully opened it.

Koizumi Arata quickly skimmed the state of his current "patient".

"... authorities suspect that the victim, 27-year old Matsushita Niina, was a target of foul-"

"Haaaah," he breathed, shaking his head. "No shit."

Lacerations across the chest, a blackened bruise around her neck, and her lips were badly misshapen on both sides. It looked like she had taken a good beating to her face. A waste, she was easily one of the prettier types judging by company ID. Her clothing was clumsily torn at the seams in some parts, and had dirt and smears of blood. They were still soaked with river water. Arata pried the body bag a little wider. Matsushita Niina was still wearing her office clothes... from the waist up, that is.

"Think they had one too many (bottles), and played too hard?"

Arata's lip twitched slightly at the corners, and he turned to his colleague with a raised eyebrow. "Really now?"

Chika shrugged his shoulders and brandished the camera he brought in with him. He was dressed in the same way Arata was - gloves, mask and a sterile lab gown. Arata stepped aside to let him take photos of the victim, moving only to help give a clearer shot. After looking at the woman's clothing, Arata proceeded to remove these for additional evidence. A regular person might turn away in shock and discomfort from seeing a (dead) naked body on a table - but coroners like him are used to it.

So much so, that they can even eat lunch on the table right next to one.

Not that they are allowed to do so, of course. Their boss would kill them.

"Inspector Hiyama will be here later. Says he wants to have a word once we're done with all this," Chika muttered while he plucked out a strand of hair from the victim's office jacket. Arata didn't turn towards him this time, but gave a small nod in reply - he was busy examining Niina's teeth through the mangled lips. "Note - traces of assault evident in oral cavity (missing teeth), attempt at strangulation."

He finished swabbing the insides of the mouth, put it away for analysis, and moved to wards the victim's lower half to gather fluid samples for analysis.

Arata can agree that his job can be rather gross. The pro that he gained from being constantly exposed to different levels of disgust, was a stomach made of titanium.

Skrrt, skrrt.

He scribbled the final notes of observation onto his clipboard before tucking it under his arm. All that was left was to have the body go through an X-ray and PMCT scan. Ah, the nitty-gritties of homicide cases. Just another day at work. "Chiaki, when is Hiyama-"

"Inspector."

"Inspector Hiyama," he corrected himself. "Coming?"

"Three o'clock this afternoon," Chika shuffled towards the door with the samples and camera slung around his neck. "Working us to the bone, that stiff. Same old, same old."

And with that, he exited the examination room. Arata sighed, and set about to doing the last procedures on Matsushita Niina's body. Only then, did he decide to take a break on one of the benches outside the morgue, allowing himself to rest his eyes. The front-desk receptionist, a lady well above her 40s, walked past him with a stack of papers. "Koizumi-kun, another long day?"

"Yes. Thankfully, it looks like I won't be staying for overtime today." He offered her a wan smile.

"You look like you could use an early time off. Isn't that nice?" she chirped, and returned to her post in time to greet the guest that had walked in through the front doors. The newcomer was a man some years older than Arata, sporting a heavy coat over a neat, tailored three-piece suit. The pair of sharp eyes that came with otherwise gentle expression made his features seem unnatural. However, the man himself didn't seem to mind the jarring impression he leaves people.

After writing on the log, he politely expressed his request.

"Koizumi-kun! Hiyama-san is here for an appointment."

Guess that's my cue, Arata peeled himself off the bench and straightened the creases on his uniform.

He may not be wearing a N*rds*r*m, but he had traces of Niina's Ch**el-5 that managed to cling to it. Women's perfume can be really powerful shit, I swear.

He may as well rock it when meeting the Inspector.

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*** Let's learn some words today! ***

✦ Cadavers - bodies used for medical examinations by students and scientists. They're usually unclaimed or donated.

✦ Lacerations - cuts on the body; cuts can be small, while lacerations can be larger and jagged.

✦ PMCT - Post Mortem Computed Tomography - like an X-ray, but doesn't focus on bones. This one helps examiners figure out the person's cause of death.

✦ Swab - often used to collect tissue samples, usually from the mouth, the vagina, penis, urethra and even the rectum.