Angie had no idea of it yet, but it was already her time to die.
Angie decorated the warehouse with flowers, paintings and other sorts of crafts to remind her of the island she had missed for so long. It didn't need too much left to go until she seemed right at home. She was so concentrated to what she had been doing that she didn't even notice the boy in the mask and the hurtful eyes following her.
Korekiyo's parents had died in a car accident when he was just a young boy, around the same age Angie was when her parents were killed. However, his sister was old enough to be able to raise him on his own. The problem was that she was constantly sick, and nearly dying. She still raised Korekiyo with great intent and power, becoming the dominant force in his life. But she wasn't meant to last, and she didn't. Her final request for her younger brother was to give her one hundred admirable friends for her in the afterlife. Korekiyo not only went on his world journey to recover from the loss of the most important figure in his life, but to find her one hundred girls for him to slaughter, to keep his sister happy. At first he found the request preposterous, but if it's what she wanted, than it's what she wanted. He became effective at finding the perfect murder techniques, and hiding the bodies without evidence of him having ever been there. It's not that he wanted to kill, it's that he felt he needed to, and he had always thought to himself that Angie would be his sister's perfect friend. If anyone could fill the hole in his heart from her death, it was absolutely Angie. But he couldn't do that to her. He knew that if one girl could ever replace his older sister, it was her. She was lucky he didn't attempt to end her before he left, but her luck had seemed to have run out.
Korekiyo stood behind Angie as she stood on a stepladder, putting yellow and blue crepe paper on the walls. He was holding an old yet still effective samurai sword he had gotten on his journeys, a weapon he had commonly used for his malicious intent. All the girls he had killed he at least gotten to know somewhat, yet still killed without any hesitation, and yet... he found himself unable to move. He had to man the hell up before Angie turned around and saw what he was trying to do.
He breathed in deeply as he raised the sword above his shoulder, walking slowly towards her without making a sound. A process he had done dozens of times over the past several years. He abruptly stopped himself after only a few steps. Angie was the only one alive who really got him, and as such, he was the only one alive who really got Angie. He didn't know how to describe his relationship with her. Obviously they were friends, but was this, god forbid it, love? The only girl he had ever loved was his sister, but that was to be expected for a sibling bond. But although that's the way he should have seen it, and the way his sister saw it, Korekiyo wanted to go further, and he meant that in the most disgusting way possible. He didn't care. It was what he wanted, what he desires, yet his dreams were never to come. His sister was gone, and all he could really do for her now was get her the friends she had asked for. What the hell even is love anyway, he thought, still behind Angie with the sword raised, unmoving. It's whatever I want it to be.
He wanted to look on the bright side, even if there barely was one. She's going to be back with her parents, back with everyone she once knew. No more suffering. Of course, she'd also have to spend a lot of time with Sister, as well. Korekiyo continued to stand there conflicted, the girl in the yellow jacket entirely oblivious to what was going on. Not much time left. He'd have to do it fast and without much thought. The faster he did it, the less she'd feel of it. He continued to walk again, a bit faster this time although he stayed just as quiet. Angie continued not to notice. A tear rolls down his eye and onto his mask before falling onto the wooden boards that laced the flooring. He didn't want to do it, of course, but nothing became before Sister. What she wanted was what she got, even if it's not what he wanted. And she definitely wanted Angie. After her, Himiko and Tenko were next. Then he'd dispose of all of them, and move on to a new era of his life. Not even he knew what was after that. Probably travel the world again, find a new place for himself and finally hit the triple figures. He finds himself just barely behind the girl, ready to swing the sword, ready to end her troubles, and yet... and yet...
Korekiyo drops the sword, making a loud clanging noise on the floor. He gets on his knees and puts his hands on his face. Angie turns around and notices her friend crying on the ground below. She climbs down the stepladder. "Korekiyo? What are you-" she tries to ask.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" the boy says, cutting her off. He raises his head from his hands, his face and eyes now red with regret. "I'm a disgusting human being."
Angie looks at him in surprise. Those aren't words she'd ever use to describe him. She didn't have a mean thing to say to him at all. "Well, I don't agree with that. Those are the last words I'd ever use to describe you! Both me and Atua appreciate what you've done for me!" she said, gleefully.
Unbeknownst to her, Atua speak was the last thing he needed right now. Even after all this time of knowing her, he still wasn't religious. But he was smart enough to not let religion get in the way of a friendship. He hesitates a bit to let out his true feelings. "You... you don't understand. I've done some horrible things, all for my sister. I'm a murderer, a murderer of many girls. And you, Angie. You were n-n-n-" He can't let out the last bit of the word. He puts his face back in his hands, his crying becoming louder.
Angie had seen Korekiyo cry plenty of times before, mostly because of his sister's condition and later death, but this was something she'd never heard before. She couldn't tell if he was lying or not, until she noticed the sword next to him. She bends over forwards, touching the crying boy's chin and lifting it out of his hands with her finger. "W-why? How many have you killed?" she asks him.
He coughs a bit before revealing to her his answer. "Because my sister wanted to have a hundred friends in the afterlife. And right now, she has... seventy three." he says, voice still shaky. He had never felt shame for killing before. After all, it is what Sister wanted. But he felt nothing but shame for this one, and he couldn't even go in for the kill on this one. He gets up for his position. "I'll see myself out. Forget about me." he says, turning around and heading towards the exit.
"Wait!" Angie yells. Korekiyo doesn't listen. She runs to him, getting in front of him and stopping him. "Just because you see yourself as a monster doesn't mean I do! It doesn't even mean Atua does!" she says.
Angie had heard plenty about his sister before. Her word was just as important to him as Atua's was to hers. She never got the opportunity to meet her, but she understood how much of a role she played in his life. Of course if she wanted him to murder a hundred people, he'd do it without question. "I understand, Korekiyo. Most people have a type of higher power they can look up to. Even when it seems wrong, they know what they're doing. Atua has told me plenty of things I don't want to do, but they've made me a better person." she says to him.
Korekiyo sighs. "Has Atua ever told you to kill a hundred people? What my sister has made me do is unforgivable, and I despise myself for it. I don't deserve to know you, or any of the friends I have made. I am a monster, Angie." he says, once again getting on his knees, beginning to breathe heavily.
Angie gets an idea. She moves her hand towards his face, grabbing his mask and pulling it down. She had known him for so long, yet had still never seen his true face. Korekiyo doesn't even try to stop her. She didn't know what to think when she saw him wearing lipstick, most likely the lipstick his sister used to wear. "I guess I don't understand. I don't understand why, after all the time we've spent helping each other recover from our losses, you think I can just leave you, ever with the deeds you have committed. I've never gotten the opportunity to say this, Korekiyo, but... I love you. Atua knows that it's bad for him to get in the way of love. You've helped me so much from the deaths of my people, and there's no better way to show my gratitude. I love you, Korekiyo." she says.
Those three words were ones he had wanted to say for years, but he didn't have the courage to do it. He didn't think his sister would ever approve of him loving another girl that wasn't her. Actually, come to think of it, Korekiyo had told Sister about Angie plenty of times. She didn't seem to have an issue with him. Maybe this is even what she wanted. "…maybe Atua would even be willing to help your sister. Just don't kill me or my friends." Angie said.
This… this may have been the compromise he had been looking for this whole time. Please his sister, and get Angie. This was actually exactly what he needed. He nods to her. "Angie, I love you too." He says.
Angie puts her arms out and gives him a hug. Kiyo hugs her back. The two now felt much better about themselves, and their relationship.
The warehouse they now lived in had two floors. The upstairs floor had essentials like bedrooms and a kitchen. The downstairs floor was entirely a church, the church they planned to use to show the world the word of Atua. Sleeping on the front row church bench was Himiko Yumeno. She was supposed to be helping organize things downstairs with Tenko, but she had grown exhausted and fallen asleep. This wasn't at all uncommon for her, she always seemed to be tired like this. Angie walks down the warehouses' stairs and notices the sleeping magician. She walks over to the her and lightly pats on her head. She slowly opens her eyes and sees her friend staring her in the face. "Nyeh? Oh, hey Angie." she says, still a bit tired. "What are you doing here?"
Angie laughs to herself. "Weren't you supposed to be working on something down here?" she asks the smaller girl. Himiko's eyes widen as she quickly tries to rush herself awake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me get back on that." she said.
Angie thinks for a second. "Actually, I don't think you need to. Just stay right where you are. I'll go get Tenko." she said. As soon as she said that, Tenko ran out from one of the many other doors in the area, wiping dust off of herself. "Is there anything left?" Tenko asks Angie. She says there isn't, and to just sit next to Himiko while she got Korekiyo.
After a few minutes, Angie comes down the stairs with him, the two holding hands. The two had never actually held hands before, making this rather surprising for the two girls on the bench to see. In Korekiyo's other hand was a briefcase. "You two probably have some other things left to do for me, but I ask of you to temporarily stop in the name of Atua." she says. Korekiyo opens the briefcase. It's full of syringes. "Give your blood to Atua!" she yells happily.
"B-blood? What is wrong with you?" Tenko yells, grabbing Himiko and pulling her towards her as a way to protect her. Himiko tries to break out of her firm grip, but fails. "L-let go of me! If Atua wants my blood, then it's fine with me!" she says.
"She doesn't mean any harm, Tenko. If you want to be here, you should really just submit to His will." Korekiyo said as he slowly drew blood from himself. Tenko really did not like the situation she was in. She was only really living in this warehouse to spend more time with Himiko. She didn't believe in Atua, she just made it seem like it to please Himiko and Angie. It didn't matter that the girl she was obsessed with did. When Angie wasn't being all religious on her, she thought she was fine. But Korekiyo... Korekiyo was a different deal entirely. Tenko never could say she liked boys, but he was a weird creep compared to other boys. But hey, maybe this was just her bias talking. He hadn't actually seen him do anything necessarily creepy and weird, she just had her suspicions. And if Himiko was going to believe in Atua, she wasn't going to have an issue with that.
Reluctantly, Tenko did go through with the blood sacrifice. After doing so, the syringes were put back in the briefcase and Angie and Korekiyo went back upstairs. Himiko began to fall asleep again, but Tenko quickly woke her up. "Do you see anything wrong with this? Are you just going to blindly follow them?" Tenko asked her.
Himiko rubs her eyes. "Not really. It's just like any other religion. Nothing wrong with that." she says. "But Himiko, I-" Tenko tried to say, but Himiko had already fallen asleep. Maybe she was the one blindly following someone instead.