Breathtaking Liar

The remembrance ceremony was bigger than Dane expected. The room was filled with hundreds of people. He could guess that less than two hundred actually knew them. Others was there just to be nosy, or to see the rarely seen Rue Lyarsian.

Both are possible.

Dane didn't care in the end. Today he wasn't here as a grieving father. He was here as Moon Zulckan.

Slowly he gravitated towards the crowd, he didn't need to blend in when the star of the show hasn't even arrived. For Dane he would rather blend in now then stand out later.

Why would he ruin his crafted plans just to not stand close to others? Dane still had too many things he wanted to do with Rue before they met. No need to ruin everything early. What would be the fun in that.

He watched the crowd listening to the whispers that flew by. No one knew what the remembrance ceremony would truly bring. Not even him.

"What are we waiting for? Isn't the victims family already here?"

"No idea. It most be something exciting, because everyone talking about a big speech."

"I noticed the reporters and journalists are here too."

"They could be for anything. After all wouldn't they like a statement from the victim's family?"

Dane could hear someone laughing he couldn't tell whether they was part of the same group. That is until they spoke up again.

"They just want attention. Why would they constantly talk to journalists after all these years. Haven't they already did that."

Some have. Some haven't. Dane could understand why they talked to the reporters, and journalists. They just want their kids remembered. They want the killer brought to justice.

He wants the same thing. He's just going about it in a different way. Dane's surprised they haven't decided to actively try to kill Rue.

He spoke to a few families after the incidents, and more than halve was angry enough to kill, but they was weak willed. They couldn't handle the thought of taking another human being's life. To watch as the life drained from their eyes.

He could. He's done it plenty of times. When his daughter was born he learned to treasure human life all over again.

Dane forgot how precious life could be. Did he regret killing those he did? No. Did he pay respects afterwards to those who deserved it? Yes. If one day his daughter ever found out what he did he wanted to tell her he honored their life before, and afterwards. Even if it's a lie on the before part.

Dane watched the projector being set up at the front. He knew not to react to what was going to be shown. It was something that was supposed to be happy.

As Moon Zulckan he didn't know the girl that will be shown. He will be just another stranger here for the show. A quiet spectator.

"You're being suspicious, Moon." Lesedi says, linking their arm's together as she leaned into Dane's space.

"I'm waiting."

"He'll come." Lesedi assures, but even she couldn't be certain of someone else's choice. Dane couldn't put all his faith into Rue showing up.

Rue avoided publicly all this time what makes now any different.

Just as Dane was opening his mouth to respond he was cut off by murmurs going through the building. Everyone had one name on their lips: Rue Lyarsian.

He's here. A smile came to Dane's face as he turned around watching the man of the hour walk farther into the room.

Fuck. He was something…unexpected in person.

Just like everyone else in the room Dane couldn't help, but stare. Rue was wearing a white cropped suit jacket, white pants, and white flats.

Dane didn't expect him to have tattoos either.

"Staring." Lesedi tease, forcing Dane to look away to glare at her.

"Everyone is. It would be odd if I wasn't." Dane argues, sounding defensive even to his ears.

"Uh huh. I stare at my husband too." Lesedi smiles mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows.

Dane didn't find her funny. He could point out a lot of reasons on how she was wrong. The biggest one is Rue murdered his daughter in cold blood.

Dane eyes moved back to Rue's direction not to stare at Rue, but the person beside Rue who followed him like a good puppy.

Dane always noticed that guy following Rue. Nobody knew who he was. On the day Rue appeared back in pubic he was with him.

They're always seen together. Never apart. Not even once.

Possible weakness? Maybe. Maybe not.

He watched as Rue went to the stage that's beside the projector. His "friend" standing just below it, as Rue's face showed on the big screen.

Dane found it odd that Rue was doing the speech. What was the point of it? After all this time why now?

Rue tapped the microphone wincing when he got feedback.

Dane heard laughter going around, but from his stand point the family members of the victim wasn't laughing.

A smile came to Rue face he looked amused at this. So much for feeling guilty.

"Hello everyone. I'm sure you all know know me. For those who don't, I'm Rue Lyarsian. I'm here to speak on behalf of the victims of the Scarecrow massacre." Rue says, looking down at the crowd, his eyes searching.

He realized Rue was probably looking for him, especially after that letter.

"We're gather here today to remember the lives lost. To remember that while they may not have lived long, they lived. They built great friendships. Some even learned of love." Rue paused, taking a breath before he continued on. "They were happy. One of the happiest people I knew was Beatrix. They funniest was Aaron."

Dane stared detached from it all even as Rue said his little girl's name. He silently noted that Rue may have knew her on a personal level, and that might be worse than her being just a stranger to him.

Lesedi squeezed his arm in support, watching the crowd.

His focus was solely on Rue, that was very obviously suppressing a smile. He doesn't know whose bright idea to have Rue speak today.

"Can we all just take a moment to remember them. To remember that they was happy. I'd rather today be about the happy memories instead of the sad." Just as Rue finished speaking pictures showed on screen. Slowly playing with music, even videos was on screen.

They were laughing. Joking. Sometimes they was just hanging out with friends being silly as kids usually are.

"Who would want to murder them? Like why did he do this? Look at them. Their happy." A voice a few seats of behind of him whisper, sniffling with their words.

It would always be a mystery why Rue did it. No, not Rue, but Lucien.

"Only a monster could do that. It's called a scarecrow massacre for a reason."

"Why is he even here? Why would the victim's family even allow him to speak here?" The million dollar question.

"For closure. They can't arrest him, so the best they could do is have him show grief and regret for what he did. To have him constantly remember what he did."

Dane briefly took his eyes of Rue searching for that one voice that was pretty much correct on their assumption.

After a futile search he turned back around just in time fo see Rue walking off stage leaning into the guy who was standing below stage, the projector continuing on showing the memories of the victims.

Dane couldn't decide if they were platonic, or not. Friends could always count on each other after all.

He watched as Rue and his "friend" disappeared from sight, possibly going back to his family who was out of sight.

He quietly slipped away from the crowd not following. He had plan for showing up today. Plans that involved sending another letter.

Lesedi didn't follow. She was actually there to watch the memorial.

Dane was left searching around for a car in a parking lot the housed hundreds of cars. Leaving him to briefly stop his search to go to his car for his bag of tools. He would be needing them when he found the car.

After searching in vain, Dane finally decided to call his last resort. Lee Seok. The best tracker he knows.

"'Ello?" Came the sleepy response.

Dane got straight to the point ignoring all greetings. "It's me. I'm cashing in on that favor now."

"Oh? After eight years of waiting. What's the special occasion? Tracking a cheating lover? Daughter run away?"

Dane gritted his teeth at Lee obliviousness. He should really keep up with society.

"My daughter is dead. I need to find her killer's car to put a tracking device on it."

"Wow. Now you tell me. Who dares to kill my goddaughter!" Lee yells, his anger clear even through the phone. "One moment. I'm going to my computer.

Dane told Lee the relevant information, quickly wanting to find the car before Rue came out.

"Found it!" Lee celebrate, guiding him to the car which was surprisingly not in the parking lot, but two blocks away.

He hung up remembering to thank Lee, and schedule a time to meet up.

Breaking into the car was the easy part. Trying to not be suspicious about it was the hard part.

Quickly he slipped into the limo, closing the door behind him with his gloved hand. One can never be too careful.

Dane searched around for a place to stick it before deciding to put it underneath the floorboard. That was a whole process on its own.

He stared at his pants pocket as it vibrated twice, then pause, twice again. He couldn't waste anymore time. Just as he was getting out the car his eyes caught on something sticking out of the glove department.

It could be anything, or it could be nothing. At least he could be certain that it was nothing rather than it being something and he didn't check.

Dane opened the glove department coming face to face with a envelope. His name scrawled on it along with a sticker that said 'cereal killer'.

He didn't know Rue had a sense of humor. It was amusing. Hurriedly he pocketed the letter leaving his own.

He opened the limo like it belong to him, a confident look on his face. Dane kept up the act until he slipped into an alleyway, rushing to open the letter he was curious to see what was written.

Dear Moon,

For you to know me, and me not to know you is a crime in itself. I'm disappointed that we haven't met personally. There was no way I could miss someone as amusing as you.

Shame it was not meant to be. I have to kill you now that you know where the bodies are hidden.

You wish to collect? Try to catch me first. If I catch you…well we both know how that will end. Don't we?

Sincerely Lu

Dane covered his mouth to muffle his laugh, but it was futile he was left near wheezing as he clutched the letter.

This was unexpected. Rue Lyarsian is a conundrum. A puzzle waiting to be solved.

He never expected Rue to be so…everything. There was no word to describe Rue.

Dane knew without a doubt that Rue will not be hunting him. As he would him.

The game has officially begun.