Staring out the window of Phoenix's office a sigh fell through your parted lips. Your hands pressed against the rim of the window frame just staring at the WaterGate Hotel with a long expression. Maya had wandered off saying she needed to be alone and Phoenix was merely sitting at his desk picking at his pens with his feet slightly on the desk.

"What now?" You broke the long silence that had swept over the both of you, you heard Phoenix stumble off his desk a bit bringing his feet down to the ground.

"W-what?" He cleared his throat putting the pen down trying to play off what he had just done.

"I said, what now?" You sighed again turning around to lean against the wall with your arms crossed to stare at him. You couldn't help but smile he looked like a guilty child for a moment. "I mean...we're at a dead end, anyone with a functional brain would think Mr.Powers did it and the real killer could be anyone at the studio! What are we supposed to do now?!" You sighed a bit shaking your head.

"Well..." Phoenix trailed off a thoughtful expression of his own before his face fell. "You're right anyone could of done it" he groaned a bit running a hand along the side of his face. "You're right...We're fresh out of clues. Everyone's alibi is water-tight. We don't even have any promising leads. Things are looking pretty grim..." Phoenix trailed off.

"No kidding" you exhaled letting your head hang low. Neither of you noticed the office door opening slowly.

"It's a little early for giving up, don't you both think?" The voice sounded familiar and yet you couldn't place it. Jumping you immediately gravitated towards Phoenix's desk staring at the door way as he had jumped with you. Both of you seeing someone in the hall. It was a woman that much you could tell.

"Huh?!" That was all Phoenix had managed to get out unfortunately.

"You've got one lead...a lead that (Y/N) figured out pretty early on" Suddenly the woman showed her self and your eyes widened realizing that maya had channeled Mia, you both must of been in some serious trouble.

"Mia!" Both you and Phoenix exclaimed and you could help but rush to her hugging her close. Mia had just laughed a bit hugging you back with a kind smile. As you both pulled away Phoenix was at your sides looking at Mia with wide eyes.

"It's you! What took you so long!?" He seemed relieved now. Mia just gave him a knowing smile.

"Sorry, Phoenix...Maya has trouble calling me unless she's really in trouble, or unless (Y/N) is really in trouble" Mia looked at you with a slight sympathetic smile and you couldn't help but slump your shoulders as Phoenix said a loud "right!" To Mia before he too looked as you did.

"Oh, wait." He grumbled under his breath.

"I guess that means we're really in trouble then Mia" you bit your lip shifting back and forth on your heels looking at your best friend. She merely shrugged her shoulders crossing her arms gently.

"I'd say so." She shook her head.

"When you said we had one lead though and that I figured it out what did you mean?" You released your lip to speak.

"The boy, of course. He said he saw everything, and that he was willing to tell you when he was ready...if he really saw everything he's our best bet" Mia flashed you an encouraging smile, you've forgotten how much faith she put in you sometimes.

"I dunno. He didn't sound like he was going to help us at all. He didn't even want to tell (Y/N)!" Phoenix groaned a bit now.

"I'm sure you can find some way of bringing him over to your side. Either way, we should get back to the studios. That boy is our last hope, if you both don't find him, then we don't have any case." Mia sure knew how to brighten a mood sometimes. You and Phoenix looked at one another sharing a look before looking back at Mia. Who now looked as if she was smug a faint smirk tracing against her pink lips.

"Then back to the studio, I bet he's still hanging around" you snapped your fingers arriving at the end of your thought. Without thinking you took Phoenix's hand leading him out the door and down the hall not hearing Mia giggling a bit.(She wasn't much of a giggler, but she thinks she has a right to giggle about you and Phoenix. After all this was going just as she wanted it, you two were perfect for each other!)
    ________________________

You had let go of Phoenix's hand once getting in the cab letting it drive all three of you back to the studios once again. No words were spoken just side glances that were stolen between you and Phoenix while Mia simply stared out the window. She had looked like she was in awe again lost in her own world, you wondered what it was like for her being a ghost.

Finally the cab had stopped letting all of you out leaving in a hurry once the fare was paid. But as you all approached the main gate Oldbag was bend over holding her knees in her hands as she huffed and puffed seeming quite out of breath.

"Ms.oldbag?" You were at her side offering her a hand to try and help her stand. She huffed and she puffed and she repeated the action quite a lot.

"W-what's wrong?" Phoenix was now trying to help you walk Oldbag to her station Mia just watching with wide shocked eyes in the back.

"Wha-" Oldbag huffed some more pudding as well trying to speak. "whippersnapper!" She seemed so faint you walked with Phoenix into the security both gently having her sit down at her chair listening to her wheeze. Had she been chasing that boy around this whole time?! "Wh-when I catch him!" If that had been the case she must not of had any luck. Oldbag was still trying to talk. "...I...I got a hostage now, whippersnapper!" A hostage?!

"Ms.Oldbag are you alright?" You gave her some space grabbing some water on her desk for her. She hastily chugged it down looking crazy before slamming her hand down again the desk. Yet she didn't say anything after that. "Ms.oldbag was it that little boy?" You tried to be careful, afraid with how agitated she was that she would shout at you and Phoenix next.

"I-if I see him a-again, I'll..." Oldbag huffed wheezing in the slightest. " L-lay him flat!" She puffed again.

"My, what a violent old lady" Mia was talking at the doorway her fingers gently brushing against her lips, she looked a bit shocked.

"Yeah, this is the tamest she's been around me" Phoenix muttered to Mia as you attempted to still question Oldbag.

"Eh? Hah... my heart, it don't feel so good." You couldn't tell if Oldbag bad heard Mia and Phoenix as she spoke, but you could tell she was feeling ill. She wheezed again holding a hand to her chest leaning back in her chair.

"Are you okay?!" Phoenix and you had spoken together standing next to Oldbag while Mia just stared with wide eyes.

"B-before I go, I'd like to v-visit the place where poor H-Hammer died..." Oldbag coughed, it sounded fake, but then again...

"Oh Ms.Oldbag youll be okay, I promise....what happened with you and the little boy though?" You frowned a bit as you spoke.

"T-that boy!" She lurched forward gasping before coughing. "I-I'll!" She looked angry again.

"What's this about a "hostage"?" Phoenix tried to question her watching as her eyes slowly rose to meet his. He resisted the urge to flinch, she had a cold stare!

"W-when that boy was running away... ...he dropped this, a-and ran!" Oldbag huffed and puffed wheezing still as she flashed all three of you some sort of trading card. You didn't see it but you assumed it was just a steel samurai trading card. The poor thing liked to collect them you guessed. "H-he'll come back..." Oldbag huffed a bit more. "For this one!" She placed the card down on the desk.

"It's kind of hard to understand her with all that huffing and puffing..." Phoenix slouched as he mumbled his words to you making you nod in agreement.

"Phoenix! (Y/N)! That "hostage" might be what we need! Cody might talk to us if we gave him that!" Mia whispered to you both walking over to where Oldbag was sitting at her chair. What a good idea! If Cody wouldn't tell you maybe he'd be willing to at last if you returned one of his lost items!

"Ms. Oldbag! Might I..." Phoenix tried to speak only to clamp his mouth shut as Oldbag looked at him with flaring wide eyes.

"No! I'm catching that brat if it's the last thing I do!!!" She slammed her fists down at her arm rests. You jumped a bit looking to Mia and Phoenix with a confused look, now you were lost. Then it hit you.

"Phoenix!" You gently elbowed him as you whispered to him. "The card key give it to her"

"What?!" Phoenix looked at you with wide eyes. "If we give it to her we won't be able to go back to studio one!"

"What's at studio one now?! We've been a few times and haven't gotten much! Come on it wouldn't hurt!" You batted your eyelashes and he groaned.

"Don't do the face..." he ran a hand over his face.

"What face?" You pouted your lips blinking at him with sad eyes.

"Don't!-" Phoenix looked at you as you both whispered still before he sighed in defeat. He slowly turned to look at Oldbag pressing his lips together. "I guess it couldn't hurt" he groaned a bit again before pulling out the card key. "Here you go, Ms. Oldbag." Phoenix spoke a bit louder now.

Oldbag slowly looked up at him seeing the studio one card presented to her, the angry blaze in her eyes vanished replaced with shock as she hesitantly took the card. She eyed it unsure of what to think before she huffed again, on the bright side he breathing was at ease now.

"Listen to me, sonny. I don't like having debts to no whippersnappers. You take this, and we're even. Deal?" Oldbag shoved the card she had briefly shown you all to Phoenix only to turn away with her arms crossed. Phoenix blinked himself now turning the card over to see it, it had indeed been a steel samurai trading card.

"What's this...?" Phoenix trailed off as he looked over the card in detail. "A Steel Samurai trading card?"

"That sneaky kid dropped it! I figure it's pretty important to him, though." Oldbag pushed her self up off her chair her eyes narrowed with a certain determination to them.

"Thank you Ms.Oldbag" you smiled appreciatively knowing that you'd all have use for the new card now. She waved her hand in dismissal flashing you a slight smile.

"Right. I'm off." Oldbag pushed bast Mia at the door to walk towards the studio gate as the three of you walked out of the security booth.

"Well we should be off too" you shifted on your feet.

"Back to where you both encountered that little boy then?" Mia smiled as she crossed her arms again.

"It was in the employee area but I doubt he'll be there anymore" Phoenix slumped his shoulders making a face now as he pressed his lips together.

"It wouldn't hurt to look you know" you sighed a bit looking to Mia. "Do you see what I'm working with?"

"Hey!" Phoenix was behind the two of you as you both began to walk off with out him. Mia was laughing nodding as the amused sound left her lips. The walk wasn't that long now that you and Phoenix had the way memorize with Mia just following behind the both of you. The employee area now looked deserted, lights still on and evidence still untouched. It was almost eerie again, that's all this studio could be sometimes.

"So this is where the kid was?" Mia walked next to you staring around.

"At least the last place we saw him, he ran away before we could ask him about what he saw" you sighed a bit now crossing your arms. "He comes in through the vent but I don't think we have much of a chance getting him, he's probably gone like Phoenix thought" you cupped the side of your own face with one hand leaning into it with a long expression.

"Yeah, I doubt we'll find him" Phoenix sighed at your side looking around as you were. Suddenly movement came from the drain your eyes now lingering at it squinting, you thought it was an animal again only to see that Cody had come back. He hopped out of the vent panting and shaking his head making sure his plastic sword was still in his backpack until he saw Phoenix first. With wide eyes he dashed away just before anyone could call for him to stop. You didn't see where he went too in shock with how quickly it had happened.

"Hey! Hey, you! W-wait a sec!" Phoenix had attempted to call for him waving his hand trying to walk forward before he stopped with a face.

"Was that the boy?" Mia looked between you and Phoenix now as she spoke.

"Yeah, his name's "Cody Hackins." But I didn't see where he went!" You removed your hand from your face.

"Well I think he went into the dressing room" Mia looked to where power's dressing room was making you and Phoenix turn your heads to look at it. How did you not catch that? You looked to Phoenix both of you locking eyes before you looked away, you guessed you'd go back into the dressing room. Hopefully he was still there and not in the vents...