2008-01-15: The Story of a Complex Murder

Starring:

Hiro_icon.gif Ando_icon.gif Peter_icon.gif

Summary: "If a person avoids fate today, it will catch up with them tomorrow." — Kaito Nakamura

Date It Happened: January 15th, 2008

The Story of a Complex Murder


Bangkok, Thailand

The office set aside for the most important visitors to the small Thai branch of Yamagato Industries — and certainly, the CEO is a VIP — is the largest they have. It's small, in comparison to Kaito Nakamura's own office, but it makes up for its size in its bold, expensive furnishings, all of which have a distinctive decor local to the country.

It's a bright day in Bangkok. The whole city is up and at 'em. The lights of the office are on, giving the windows that overlook the river and the colourful Grand Palace a faint glare. A high-backed office chair is turned at an angle between the desk and the window, and the profile of Kaito Nakamura sits there.

Hiro and Ando appear just outside the office door, potentially to the amazement of any of the uninitiated nearby but they are quite a good distance beyond worrying about who spots them beaming about throughout space. In his hand the youngest Nakamura holds his cell phone, the video message sent to him by Kaito frozen on the screen. As he moves towards the door to open it, he speaks to Ando in Japanese, "<I recognized the office from a business trip that Father took there a few years ago. This is where he sent the message from.>"

Hiro pushes open the door, spotting the profile at the desk, "<Father! You are here! I am sorry.>" He bows and continues speaking, "<I know you did not want me to look for you but I had to know what you meant.>"

Ando is not far behind Hiro, a little confused, but not altogether harried. "<I hope you're right,>" he mutters, glancing over his shoulder at any of the surprised faces nearby. Otherwise they're going to look pretty stupid beaming in here all of a sudden. But tada! There is Kaito. And Ando shuts up almost immediately, bowing respectfully to the man. And saying nothing. Because Kaito is kinda scary.

There is no answer from Hiro's father. The sliver of his face visible from the angle Hiro and Ando see him from remains still, the side of his mouth pulled harshly down. He doesn't acknowledge the visitors at all. One hand lays on the arm of the chair, unmoving.

Hiro glances sidelong at the bowing Ando for a moment, giving him a look that all at once says 'Oh man, do you think he's mad?' without any actual verbal communication. But all the same he exhales sharply, squares his shoulders and approaches the desk. He skirts around to the side, his head lowered in a respectful bow of his own as he goes.

"<I know you did not want me to look for you,>" he repeats, "<but what sort of danger? Why are you in Thailand?>"

Does Ando think he's mad? Yes. And it's growing increasingly evident by the man's expression. He returns the sidelong look with one of his own helpless, even frightened frowns. Uhoh. They've pissed off the Dragon. When Hiro skirts around the desk, Ando takes a few tentative steps forward as well, though his aim is more to keep in the shadows than actually approach the man further.

Still no answer. No movement. Nothing. Kaito's expression remains stony, statuesque.

The further the pair sneak around the desk, the more obvious the reality will become. Something is off about this picture. Kaito's lower body is set at a slightly askew and awkward angle, as if he fell into his chair. His face, as it turns out, is not set in a stern moue of anger, but contorted into horror and agony. A deep cut has been sliced vertically across his forehead and bleeds darkly down one side of his face. The blood has stopped running. He's grown pale. Eyes that were once full of knowledge are dead.

Here lies Kaito Nakamura at the end of an era.

The phone in Hiro's hand drops to the floor, clattering noisily. Indeed, it is the only sound made by Hiro as he stares at Kaito seated in the chair as he is. He reaches out tentatively to touch his father on the shoulder, trying to discern one thing: is this an illusion? Is this really his father? The man who always seemed so strong and confident and in control now bloodied and horrified?

Hiro may be a dreamer with, at times, a tenuous grip on reality but he knows death when he sees it. He has seen more than his fair share of it. He stares at Kaito's corpse for a long moment, eyes venturing to the cut on his forehead. His jaw locks, his brow furrows in a sort of rage that is rare in Hiro Nakamura. He clenches a fist at his side and begins to concentrate …

Ando can only stare in silent horror. It's very surreal, this vision. Kaito seemed invincible, a towering, looming presence of power that could never be destroyed. Yet there he sits — dead. It takes the now former assistant a moment to reconcile this fact, but when he does, the only thought that surfaces is that of his friend. He glances over toward Hiro, opens his mouth silently for a moment before he manages to squeeze out, "Hiro …"

Hiro shakes his head, still not saying anything as he squeezes his eyes shut and he screws up his features with concentration. It may be difficult to discern exactly what is happening to Hiro if the person observing didn't know him, but the person who is observing should know him very well.

Whether he's about to travel through time or teleport away, it is quite clear that he has almost reached 88 miles an hour without Ando in the DeLorean alongside him …

Ando knows that face. No way is Hiro leaving him here with Kaito's dead body. So the man leaps forward to grab hold of Hiro's shoulder just as he's about to beam out.

And suddenly—

One hour earlier

Morning. The sun is higher in the sky than it was moments ago. This is, after all, another point in time. The office is empty. It certainly doesn't look like the scene of a crime. Nothing is out of order. The only unusual detail about the office is that it is notably lacking Hiro's father: the chair that he occupies, dead — in what, from this point in time, is the future — is empty.

And so Hiro beams back in time with Ando hastily tagging along to avoid being left behind in Bangkok.

Pushing open the door, Hiro looks around frantically for any sign of his father. Any sign of the murderer. He still hasn't said a thing, moving towards the windows to look out at the cityscape - maybe they're out there? Yes, outside a skyscraper however-many feet in the air.

Frustration is evident in Hiro's features as he continues to search the office, even searching the most unlikely places. But it soon becomes evident to him that nobody is there. Finally he rounds on Ando and asks, "<Where are they!?>"

Sure, he doesn't know there was a murderer for certain but people's heads don't split open naturally.

Well, it's not like Ando would know. He just stares around the office as well, but it's obviously quite empty. "<Why didn't you kill Sylar when he didn't have powers?>" he asks. Not that this is the best time to start pointing fingers and planning guilt trips (not that Ando would do that intentionally anyway), but it's the first thing that springs to mind. Top of skulls cut off = Sylar.

The office is empty. The sun continues to get higher in the sky over Bangkok, but no one is in the office. Not the father, not the murderer— only two wayward time travellers who want to see what happened.

Just like they appeared suddenly, someone else does as well. Two someone's. The body of Kaito laying on the floor a few feet from the desk, the chair that would have held his body a few moments later. Blood is traced in a thick line across his forehead, only halfway, cutting into his flesh and skull until he bled. Beside him, a man's knelt down, head lowered, eyes closed. There's blood on the hand that touches his shirt, as if he tried to stop the bleeding, blood on the suit worn by the man as well. He's not as well coffed as he could have been, as if the collar of his suit was loosened.

Dressed in a black coat, the other man isn't difficult to recognize. It's not Sylar at all… But Peter Petrelli.

Hiro, standing as he is a short distance from the desk, looks dumbfounded when the killer appears and sets Kaito in place. He almost freezes time to reach for the sword he wears, he almost charges forward to shout and demand why and how and when. But the killer before him is not the killer he expected. Not at all.

So he does nothing.

Hiro just stands there, mouth contorted into an almost-comical 'o' as he stares at Peter before he speaks aloud, "Peter Petrelli?"

Ando can't believe it. It's got to be a trick. Just as Kaito's death is a trick. All of it. It's an elaborate trick. He stares slack-jawed at Peter and the body. "<What's he doing here?>" he asks of Hiro. Ah, the tables have turned in this game of questions.

From the look in his eyes as he catches sight of them, Peter's surprised to see them there, stunned almost. Nevermind that there's the distint hint of moisture on his face that has nothing to do with blood. It's not falling any longer, but the redness that was left behind remains. "Hiro," he says in response, voice hoarse and deeper, more whispered. "You're weren't supposed to be here…"

Time doesn't stop, but it might seem to slow as he straightens and gets to his feet.

"<I don't know … >" Hiro answers Ando. Strangely, his utter confusion has returned his voice to normal from the angry tone that he was using only a moment ago.

But he looks at the corpse and then at Peter. Wheels spin in his mind and he jumps to a conclusion. The anger quickly boiling up in him once again, fists clenched.

"Why are you helping him?! WHY?!"

Ando reaches out to grab hold of Hiro's arm, as though to hold him in place in case he gets the idea to run Peter through. He's not quite ready to make the leap to 'Peter Petrelli is a villain'. Maybe Peter found Kaito this way. Maybe he was trying to save Kaito. This is the gut-reaction that is fueling that hand on Hiro's arm, but Ando's gaze is fixed on Peter, questioning.

"I'm not helping anyone," Peter says in that same tone, sounding tired— as if all hope has begun to fade away. He looks from the two of them and says, "You're time travelling." As he processes that, he raises the blood stained hands over his face, as if trying to rub his eyes. Some of the blood smears on his cheeks when his hands drop away. When he looks back, there's something else in his eyes, eyes that start to narrow. Anger? "Why didn't you go back further? Why aren't you stopping it?"

"Where did this happen?" Hiro demands, fists still clenched although he is kept from charging Peter for the time being by Ando's grip on his arm.

"How? When?!"

He has a million questions, although his gaze keeps turning back to his father's body in the chair. He has every intention of going back in time and stopping things - that is why he's here, after all. To figure out the how, why and when.

The admission that Peter isn't helping anyone falls on deaf ears for the moment.

Peter isn't helping anyone. Okay. That could mean that he tried to save Kaito. But the strange look in his eyes sets Ando on edge. He doesn't like that look. It's not a very Peter sort of look. His grip tightens on Hiro's arm, but again, his eyes are fixed on Peter, narrowing slightly as though it would help him see things better.

Oh, he tried to save Kaito. The blood on his hands came from the attempt to heal, the blood on Kaito's suit came from the attempt at CPR. It was too late. "Thirty minutes ago," Peter says, looking over to the window. It's an estimate, but he's fairly sure it's more than accurate for what he wants to tell him to do. "Get him out of this office. Out of Bangkok. Maybe you can stop it before it happens." If he stops it and makes it so it never happens, then it would never happen— that's the way it should be.

And then he closes his eyes. It seems very much like he's just about to teleport out, leave them here to hopefully prevent the mess from ever happening.

Hiro almost darts after Peter to give chase. He almost rushes over to grab him by the shoulders and demand to know what is happening.

But then it strikes home. Thirty minutes ago. He can save his father and he will save his father. He hangs back for the time being, ready to let Peter go. Whatever happened and whoever he is helping all place a distant second to his new mission.

Save Kaito.

And still Ando remains a silent observer to it all, keeping his grip on Hiro's arm (because he doesn't want to get left somewhere in time, thanks). And he's all ready to get back in the past and save Kaito.

As the time-traveller makes no move to stop him, Peter vanishes from the office much as he appeared. Who knows where he decided to go. Or when, for that matter.

Hiro stares at Peter for a long moment and watches him go. True, part of him wanted to ask his questions but he's far more concerned about saving his father than he is about chasing somebody around the world right now. So, he squeezes his eyes shut and travels back through time to around thirty minutes ago - Ando in tow.

30 minutes earlier

Kaito is sitting at his desk, quietly making a mark in a page of a book of figures. Flesh and blood, a calmly beating heart. Does he know that he's scheduled to die a short time from now? Did he predict it? When the familiar visitors pop into existence in the borrowed office, he looks to them, unsurprised. Gradually, he puts down his pen. «I told you not to come,» are the first words out of his mouth in native Japanese. The second words are: "«I have been expecting you.»

"<You are going to die!>"

Hiro does not mince words, moving towards the desk once he has appeared. At any other time he would bow, speak quietly to his father and generally do nothing until he was given leave to do it. But he has no idea how long it will be before the Murderer will arrive and he, of all people, cannot affort to waste time.

"<You are going to be murdered! We have to leave right now!>"

It's a little unnerving to see Kaito alive after finding him so brutally murdered. Twice. But Ando's quick to recover. He joins Hiro in the pleading, though his is much more respectful: quiet and spoken in a bow, "<Please come with us, Mister Nakamura. You are in very grave danger.>"

The elder Nakamura takes in this news seriously, but does not seem quite as alarmed by it. Although the man's brows are forced together darkly, he otherwise simply tips his head back, regarding Hiro, and to a lesser extent, Ando, levelly. «I expected this day would come, although perhaps not so soon. You have seen it?»

"<We … saw your body,>" Hiro admits, his tone quiet as he looks downcast at the desk, "<Your … Sylar. It was Sylar.>"

That may not necessarily be the truth, but Hiro doesn't know that. He's entirely unaware that Peter has taken to chopping open skulls using telekinesis.

"<We have to go,>" Hiro insists yet again, "<We have to leave Thailand and get you somewhere safe. I can teleport us.>"

Hiro's said all the important bits, and Ando is a bit scared of Kaito anyway. So he simply stays quiet and casts an anxious glance at the door, as though expecting Sylar to burst through any second.

It's a mighty task to remain calm and accept one's fate when faced with your own mortality, but it's a task Kaito Nakamura undertakes. He quickly raises to his feet, but it becomes quite clear that it's not to follow his son. He stands solid, looking importantly at Hiro. «If I am meant to die. Then I will die.» He's resolute. «Myself and the people I have worked with in the past to make the world a better place for us all… have made mistakes. I have known for many years how unwise it is to play God. We are not gods. We cannot alter fate. We should not

"<What?>"

Hiro blinks twice. He knew his father was a brave, stoic individual but he did not conceive that if given the opportunity to escape death that he would not take it. They mightn't see each other all that often but the idea of Kaito not being there is difficult to come to terms with.

"<But … >"

Ando is dumbstruck. "<But Mister Nakamura!>" No, seriously!

«I left and travelled Asia to escape death. If what you say is true, I know that … I cannot escape this time. It is not meant to be.», Kaito explains. «My son,» the CEO regards Hiro all the more intently. «Use this as an opportunity to fix the mistakes of my generation, here in your time.»

"<But what do I do?>"

Hiro would argue but a lifetime of experience has taught him that arguing with Kaito Nakamura is an exercise in futility. If the man has set his mind to something then that something will happen.

"<I have so many questions.>"

"<But you can escape!>" Ando insists. "<We can teleport you out of here!>" Yeah, he's not seeing the whole 'can't escape death' thing. It seems so very simple right here and right now.

«If a person avoids fate today, it will catch up with them tomorrow.» Kaito sits down, tucks in his chair, places his hands on the desk in front of him. It is, more than anything, a gesture to express to Hiro and Ando that he means what he is saying. He believes it. It's true. Fact. «I, too, have power,» he admits, voice weighty with meaning. «I can predict outcomes.» He looks down at the stacks of figures in the book in front of him, and although they have nothing to do with the situation at hand, they serve as a focus for his power. «The variables are not in my favour any longer. But now I see that they are in yours, Hiro. It has taken me many years to see the man you are to become. You are him now.»

"<You are special too?>" Hiro asks, and despite the fact that he may have suspected such things it strieks home quite potently when it is said - there is no wondering about it now.

"<What mistakes?>" Hiro asks, resigning himself to his father's face with a solemn bow of his head, "<I will fix them. But what are they? Where do I start?>"

Hiro has a hundred questions and, he knows, only time to receive precious few answers.

Ando goes silent again. If Kaito isn't going to come with them, Hiro can ask his questions. Then Ando can insist they make Kaito come with them.

«Victoria Pratt. The virus.» Kaito, by this point, has looked up from the figures on the paper and regards the pair sternly once more. «Sylar. He was a product of the Company — a Company I admit I am a part of. I have been trying to fix our mistakes. He must regain his path of righteousness, or be stopped. Pay attention to the path of Nathan Petrelli, for he may need guidance. His mother, Angela Petrelli, is the head of the Company — as am I. I fear what may become of it. There are forces at work that even the Company may not understand. You will learn more on your journeys.»

As un-in-touch with reality as Hiro may be sometimes, he takes all of this in with a hero's attention to detail. He commits every word to memory, expression just as serious as that of his father. Despite everything that is being said and the sheer enormity of the task ahead of him, Hiro bows his head and simply says:

"<Yes.>"

Okay, answers finished. Ando gives his friend a nudge and mutters hopefully out of earshot, "<Hiro, just grab him and take him with us. Then he won't die.>" He'll be pissed, sure, but he won't die.

Nothing gets past Kaito Nakamura. Did Ando not listen to his speech at all? No matter. Kaito is putting his trust in his son. «You must go now.» Fate is coming. It doesn't want company. The man rises from his seat and walks purposefully around the desk. Once in line with Hiro and Ando, he bows deeply.

Hiro can hear Ando, of course, but in the end he knows that what he has to do and it does not involve saving Kaito. They cannot play God, after all, as much as they may want to at time.

He returns the bow to Kaito, taking a long moment to look at him and capture the image of him as he is right now. Knowing full well his death is mere moments away yet facing it with nobility, grace and honor. Hiro can only hope to be like that himself some day.

Without a word he steps back and clasps a hand on Ando's shoulder.

"<Goodbye.>"

And he beams away with his friend …

Or so one may think. They appear just beyond the door, Hiro staring intently through the gap in the blinds into the office proper. There is still one question to answer.

And FWOOSH, more beaming. Ando blinks a couple times, but it soon dawns on him that they haven't returned. And noting somewhere deep in his soul the need for stealth, he whispers, "<What are we doing, Hiro?>" But then he soon also peers in through the blinds.

By the void and small rush of air in the spot where the two bodies used to be, Kaito stands for a moment, deep in thought. He then moves around to his desk and sits down, shoulders squared, head high. For an instant, the way in which he regards the door may lead one to believe he knows who is on the other side; but who can say, for certain? Either way, the man does not move. He waits, regally, bravely, for his fate.

Fifteen minutes, ten, five, zero.

Hanging in the door would have been a bad idea if the killer came from outside. He did not. One moment the room is empty— and then someone else appears. Peter Petrelli. Dressed exactly how he'd been moments ago, hair slightly neater. There's no blood on his hands or his sleeves, his clothes are more put together. He opens his eyes, looking directly at the older man, not noticing the two behind the door— watching. "Mr. Nakamura. I need to speak with you."

"<I have to know who it was,>" Hiro answers Ando in an equal whisper, staring through the blinds into the office without moving - even as a quarter of an hour passes.

And then Peter appears.

"<Peter Petrelli … >"

This time it isn't said with astonishment.

This time it is said with anger.

Ando's face contorts into one of surprise and confusion when Peter appears. Wait. No. It couldn't have been Peter. He lowers his voice even further, afraid of being overheard: "<Maybe he was just there to see. Maybe he's trying to save him like we were.>" It couldn't have been Peter. Peter is a good guy.

Kaito stands to look out on the Grand Palance, perhaps for the last time. Everything in his past has been taken care of. Business at Yamagato, the Company. Hiro. The sudden arrival of someone in his office does not suit Kaito Nakamura. He expects those to work for him to respect his privacy. However, when he turns, he can't help the shocked expression that crosses over his face when he sees Peter Petrelli standing in front of him.

He wasn't expecting the visitor to arrive this way; even Kaito wasn't expecting it to be…

"… Peter Petrelli," he says in his deep, commanding voice, recovering from the shock of seeing him here. "I require that people knock before they enter, but seeing as it is too late for that." The reprimand comes with a curt nod, and Kaito moves back to his desk, standing in front of it so he can look at Peter. "What is so urgent that you felt the need to teleport directly into my office?"

"Gabriel Gray," the man who should not be there responds, voice simple but firm. He steps closer to the man, where the desk is, not allowing it to fully come between them, getting closer. "I know you work with my mother— you work with the Company that tried to blow up an entire city," there's tension lines visible on his forehead, stress showing in the way he holds his shoulders. "Kill millions of people— and that Company is going after him. Your company— Yamagato? Was going to be the location they were bringing him. So you're going to tell me exactly what you planned to do with him." At this point, his hand lifts, reaching out toward the older man, as if he intends to grab onto him.

"<No,>" Hiro answers with a shake of his head. As much as he would like to believe that Peter is trying to save Kaito, there are little facts that cannot be denied, "<He is didfferent. He has no blood on him.>"

He continues to watch.

"<But he could be from a different ti— >" Then Peter moves to grab Kaito and Ando stops talking immediately. He clamps down on his lips and watches in wide-eyed horror. What is this? What is Peter doing?

Kaito says, "Gabriel Gray, Sylar, is the product of your mother's work. The Company has many objectives, but our utmost goal is to protect the world from people like Sylar. Our plan for him was simple: to capture him and keep a watchful eye over him. He is a danger to himself and those around him. Much like you have become." The two men, whose paths have never crossed quite so strongly, staring darkly at one another, facing off… their shadows strike the office floor as narrow, dark slivers shooting toward the door as the sun moves along in the sky, vivid. It's nearly the last image Hiro and Ando will see.

Anger and frustration comes to his voice as Peter's hand wraps around the man's arm, "I was watching him." It's a snap, carrying some venom and anger— and then the two of them vanish, disappearing from the office completely. Wherever the murder happened, it wasn't this office— but they knew that already.

Hiro turns to look at Ando, his expression a furrowed bow mixed with a look of anger and solemnity. He reaches out and plants a hand on the other man's shoulder, taking a moment to glance back at the now-empty office.

"<Peter Petrelli.>"

And then he squeezes his eyes shut and takes the pair of them back to present day Rochelle's House, New York City.

Peter Petrelli.

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