AIDEN DIDN'T exactly like how the investigation was going. He loved it at the start, when everything was going really fast and smoothly, but right now, literally nothing good was in his head.

And it didn't help that whatever he thought, Aru somehow found loopholes and problems within it. 

It made him frustrated that she was completely correct for all of them and that the plan could very well flop if the problems were there. Because why were they there? Why didn't he think of that?

At this point, both of them were on their last straw of sanity and just wished The Sleeper would be like "Oh hey sup" and then get him in prison. But that couldn't happen would it?

"There has to be something we've missed" Aru insisted, sitting in her office. Yes, she got an office and Aiden didn't.

"There isn't" He told her. "We've checked everything"

She glanced up at him briefly before looking down. "Lesson 764 of The Otherworld Agency's Guidebook of Investigative Research, 'You have never really seen everything until the criminal confesses all'"

"Gee, thanks. Don't start quoting guidebooks along with movies, now"

"I'm going to be quoting both, since the T.O.A.G.I.R literally is the only other thing than you that's helping me right now"

Aiden sighed. He knew they were both trying their best, but honestly, it felt like he was doing nothing. Aru had been the one that thought of the plan to play bait, it worked, she found their first suspect and helped interrogate him, it worked.

So why did none of his plans ever even go through the action?

"Hey" Aru snapped in front of his face. "Don't just sit there and stare into space! Do something. Try to look for something with me"

Well that didn't make him feel better.

He got up with an annoyed look on his face. "Well, Miss 'Sherlock Holmes Of The Era' if you're so great, why don't you find something? After all, I'm just Detective Acharya, some random guy who's trying to get up to your level for the investigation but nobody recognizes since he can never be as good as the troll who's good at everything!"

"Did you just call me a troll?" She got up too. "Well, you're a snob who's literally yelling at me for no reason because some random person gave me some random name that doesn't matter and he took it to heart? Get a grip. They're exaggerating and you know it, I'm not that great. If we're working together, I want us to work as equals and not me being your senior or whatever. That's it"

"But how come everything you do is so spectacular and the moment I bring up something, you immediately shoot it down?"

"Nothing I do is 'so spectacular'!" Aru exclaimed. "Plans are something thought hard and should be made to 'near perfection'. Nothing's 'perfect' and my plans aren't either!"

"If nothing's 'perfect' why can't you allow my plans?"

"Because, well. Um, I'm sorry for what I'm about to say, don't take it to heart" She took a deep breath. "Your plans are literally nowhere near perfection"

He glared at her. "I'm trying!"

"I know you're trying!" Aru's tone got lighter. "I know you're trying hard right now, but sometimes your hardest isn't going to work. I'm sorry. But I can tell you that you are one hell of an interrogator and you could see him shaking in his boots when you interrogated him"

"That was because of you" he muttered.

"No it wasn't. Your intimidation works"

"So what you're saying is...?"

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses" She started. "But no one has all strengths or all weaknesses. What matters is how you utilize your abilities and how well you can do"

Aiden stilled at her words. "Well, I didn't expect that from you"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aru squinted at him.

"Nothing" he said quickly. "I'm just, uh, gonna look through these now"

"That's what I thought" she huffed, but Aiden could see she was smiling. She started flicking through the files, trying to find something.

Before they knew it, they were hungry at 6:00 PM.

"I hate waking up and eating early for this reason" Aru said. "I swear, getting hungry at 6 is so- ugh"

Aiden stirred his tea as Aru drank her coffee. She was on her phone, so it gave him lots of time to think without her judging or commenting on his silence.

Aiden thought back to the files they could find that were remotely close to the case. He thought about The Sleeper and the things they had so far about him, which was not much but, anything was good enough.

He thought about Kristen. He thought about interrogating him again, when he touched back to Solis. And then he thought of a theory. 

'He treats her like his daughter' Kristen had said on a second interrogation. 'No one knows how she looks like, and he only ever wants to protect her'

He thought about his words, 'But what if-'

Aiden dropped his wooden stirrer. Aru startled and looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I got it" He snapped his fingers. His heart was beating fast, he couldn't even hear his thoughts over the sound of his heartbeat.

"What?"

"It's not much, but it helps the case. I wouldn't call it a lead either, but-"

"Aiden, you're stalling" Aru had put down her coffee and grabbed his hand. Curiosity and anticipation was written all over what would usually be her poker face. "What is it?"

"I have this theory. And it might not be correct. It's a theoretical situation. But if you could hear me out" Aiden picked up his spoon and started wiping the drops off the table with a tissue. "Solis is The Sleeper's daughter after all"

He got up and threw the tissue in the trash. He turned back to her and said,

"And that she has something to do with your memories erased. Because no one knows what she looks like except two people"

"And who are they?"

"You won't believe this"

"Gosh snob, stop assuming things and stalling" Aru got up, putting her phone on the table, face-down. "Tell me"

"There are two people who know how she looks" Aiden repeated, trying to get his thoughts straight. "And those people are you and The Sleeper- the one who erased your memories"

I wrote this all in one day???

How was the chapter? I brainwaved a lot on Thursday and made it.

-Loife xx