Shadows Upon The Soul

Disclaimer: This is merely a story based on KHR, and not from the actual KHR…

Claimer: I did write this story…

I will try to update every Friday, plus or minus one day

Please enjoy, and feel free to comment and leave me ideas on how to continue!

Chapter Three: The Orange Daisy

Mukuro carefully placed the cap of the bentou back on, a satisfied and sadistic grin visible upon his moonstone features. Just as he was planning to reminisce the taste of the pineapples and the pleasing appearance of it, the doorbell rang, and the tune in which the yellow bird was featured reappeared in his mind. His face lost it's original smile, but the person was very persistent about clicking the doorbell as to the song never made it past four beats before it was pressed again.

Had the person never heard of manners?

Preparing to take care of his prey, Mukuro got up from his comfortable position on the couch.

"Hai?" Mukuro muttered, preparing his charming smile await, but the girl that appeared startled Mukuro.

"Mukuro…san?" The girl seemed much more fragile that she had been during the day. Her face was a light pink, her hands covered in dirt, and her clothing tattered. Any follower of him had to be of the best appearance!

"Reika-chan?" Before the girl had a chance to reply, her mouth opened in a slight gasp as she fell off her balance, and into the embrace of the boy. Mukuro snickered, and pulled the girl up into a princess hug, closing, and locking the door behind him.

The last time the house had welcomed a female was his mother, but of course, for her to return was merely impossible. But seeing this apprentice is getting hurt, especially such a strong apprentice, he had to do something to help her. He cleared the couch with a sweep of his hand, and carefully laid the girl upon the satin couch.

He lit a small living room light, dim and flickering, and went into his room to find a thermometer and a blanket. The blanket, of course, he just grabbed one of the pineapple designs that were stacked on his king-size bed, and went to the search of the thermometer.

When he used to have the fever, his parents would just tell him, "be a strong boy, or else you're not ours." He fought it every time, and despite all the pain, he never doubted his parents' words. Thermometer… searching from room to room, he saw none. Would he have to make an illusion for this? Mukuro grunted as he finally reached the last room in the hall. The white room.

Even though his parents weren't here anymore, he still had a quiver in his heart, as if there were racks holding his heart up, and now they were breaking and collapsing. Closing one eye, of course, the blue eye, and protectively, walks into the room. The machines still beeped, the bed that he had laid upon was still covered with his own blood, and the last result that was inputted into the computer, "experiment: successful". He laughed, mockingly towards himself, so he was just an experiment…after all those years of adoring them. He spots the white object sticking out from a container on the side, grabs it, and hurries out of the room again.

"Reika?" Mukuro asked, placing a hand on her forehead, sweeping her side bangs up.

"Mm…mine…my pineapple…" The girl twisted on the couch, nearly falling off, and it was Mukuro's hand that pushed her back up. Pineapples? Kufufu, this girl had the same interests as him. Rare.

Seeing her mouth leave another little opening, he sticks the stick into her mouth, and presses the button, waiting for the result.

"You forgot to peel…" She murmured, nearly choking on the stick.

Seeing the arrogant like this, she seemed so fragile, delicate, as if even a stick would be able to hurt her. But Mukuro had never liked those kinds of girls. They were only tools for him to climb to the top, and if they weren't functioning well, they were useless, and had to be disposed of. But the strong ones—they were another story.

*Beep*

Mukuro took out the stick and in shock, dropped the thermometer on the ground.

40.7 degrees Celsius

10 hours later, with Mukuro fast asleep beside the couch, Reika woke up with a dizzy head, ten layers of pineapple blankets, and a towel and bucket beside the couch.

"Mukuro-san?" The girl poked the boy in the ribs, and he opened one of his eyes lazily, then seeing the girl awake, turned away in shock.

"Turn around. I need to fix my hair."

Reika: hai…

As the two people finished dressing their hair, Mukuro exited the living room to his own room, in which he changed and threw out some lavish clothes for Reika.

Reika: A DRESS?

Mukuro: It's the only kind of women clothing I have here.

Reika: Do you have shorts and t-shirts?

Mukuro: Yes, but they're for men.

Reika: I don't care…give them to me.

Mukuro: Kufufu *searches through closet*, here you go.

Reika grinned as she saw clothing that finally fitted her interest. Dresses were not compatible with sports and exercises. And plus, she didn't wear skirts and dresses ever since she was young. As the two people finished dressing, they met again at the door.

"Why did you come to my house?" Mukuro suddenly remembered that she was the one who appeared at his door. She could've gone directly to a hospital if what she wanted was treatment.

"I need a place to stay. So I came here. "

"No."

"Please."

"Go to a hotel."

"I don't have money."

"You don't have anything…" Mukuro glanced at the girl who was now dressed in his own clothes, obviously oversized, yet she was still happy with it.

"I have you, shisho."

With that, Mukuro was left speechless. Ken and Chikusa had never asked anything from him, but to save those two, he would go to jail himself. If he could go to jail for two of his apprentices, to let an apprentice reside at his house didn't seem over.

"Everything—you must listen to me."

The girl nodded, and prepared to exit when the boy ordered her to stop.

"Where's breakfast?"

"I just woke up as well, how should I know?"

"Hmph." The boy grunted as his stomach lurched again. The girl should be hungry too, and there was a snack shack around anyways.

As they arrived at the snack shack, Mukuro could already spot the girl reading within the shades of the roof top.

"You go first, Reika." Mukuro muttered, and the girl shrugged it off and walked off casually. As she walked, she heard some distant laughs, turned around, and saw Mukuro and the snack shack girl laughing joyfully. Che. But weirdly, there was a tingling, and another pulse that made her feel like she hated the girl there. She slipped through the door to see the two other apprentices quarreling, and they paused at her presence.

"I challenge you to a fight, Reika!" The blond boy pulled out his teeth, but the girl did nothing.

"Don't want to, I'm hungry." The girl walked past Ken and lay down on the couch at the side of the room, clearly not in a good mood.

"Are you belittling me? I am strong, you know!" Ken growled, flashing his claws at the girl. But the girl only turned away.

"I'm not belittling you, I said I didn't want to battle." The girl scratched her head as if annoyed. This did it. Ken howled and dashed into the girl, expecting to slash her, but she was already walking out of the door. Chikusa, watching the show, chuckled, which earned a fresh scratch on his arm.

But seeing Ken attempting so hard and getting no result, Chikusa joined the battle.

"I don't need you to help me." Ken muttered, but didn't push Chikusa away. Ken placed his fangs on as Chikusa pulled out his yoyo.

Reika only sighed and put on the green ring. The trees swayed back and forth, nearly knocking of the two competitors. They grit their teeth harder as they attack at the same time, one from the left and one from the right. Reika sees through their ruse, and uses the branches of the trees to grip on their feet. But she forgot the most important thing. Chikusa attacked from his hands, in which the yoyo was already swung, and made a deep wound on her shoulder. Seeing the girl loosen her focus, the branches began loosening as well, and Ken started running towards the girl, his mouth opened wide.

Just as he was about to bite down, a lily emerged from the ground and pulled Ken into space. Chikusa, remembering whom the lily belonged to, backed away from the girl, and bowed in respect.

"Mukuro-san!" Ken shouted, struggling against the lily, but the man didn't notice.

"Reika, are you alright?"

The girl grunted and stared away, but the man persisted in looking at the wound. It was nearly three centimeters thick, and red fluid was already flowing wildly from it.

"Oya oya, my little girl's wounded."

But even Reika had some pride within her. "Leave me alone, this is… a disgrace."

The man didn't respect, and pulled the girl up into his arms. The blood was already staining his hands, and some even started dripping onto his shirt.

"Be quiet, and let your Master take care of this." The man with a pineapple head carefully placed the girl on the couch and went to fetch some wet towels.

"Mukuro…" Reika muttered as the man returned with a wide grin. He first bent down near Reika's wound, and stuck out his tongue, licking the blood off of her arm and spiting it out in a bucket nearby. As Mukuro's hot saliva began making way for the wound to appear, he saw a huge rip in her tissues, he looked pitifully at the girl with clenched fists, and a twisted face from holding against the agony.

"Are you alright?" Mukuro asked, even if she were only prey, he wanted the best prey, and, prey that had no agony.

"Hai." The girl recovered slightly, and flashed Mukuro a smile. How determined and strong this girl was, she was the best prey, Mukuro decided.

As Mukuro finished bandaging the wound, he found that the girl was already happily in dreamland, with little snores coming out of her nose. Chuckling, he picked her up again and began on his way to the house.

He didn't meet Yumi, and didn't think of her either. So who is Mukuro's special her?