Chapter three:

Revelations & Resilience

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Sciamachy: (noun) a war against one's own shadows or imaginary figments; when their worst enemy is themselves.

Mikan rubbed her wrists and sat with her legs close to her chest.

"Tenth question, what's your favourite colour?" He asked, conversationally.

She stared bewildered, "White."

"Your turn."

Mikan very much doubted that his next questions would be of that sort.

She chose her words carefully, "Please elaborate to me about our present location."

Natsume chuckled at her precision. "We're at the edge of Northern woods, The Calmorra cliffs where there used to be a gunpowder magazine back in the 19th century. That's where we are."

She could hear the waves, which meant they were at the edge of the cliffs that let out to the sea of Akane. The only water body that surrounded the Northern woods at its edges.

"Next question, how often do you touch yourself inappropriately?" His eyes widened in mirth gazed at her.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself she couldn't strangle the man no matter how much her hands itched to.

"Not very often."

"Is that so?" He mocked, he flicked his tongue back and forth.

"Is that another question?" She shot back. At his silence, Mikan proceeded to ask.

"Have you ever been loved?"

"Could you ever love me?" He asked.

Mikan thought about the people he had killed, the losses he had cause and the pain he had inflicted with her own disgust and hate towards him.

"No."

"Then you've got your answer. No one in their right mind would." Natsume said, doing a dramatic wave with his hand. "Question eight, what was the worst night of your life and why?"

Mikan nestled herself in the chair, he really is going to be the death of me, isn't he? She swallowed hard. "The night my parents died. I was nine or ten I don't know. So I don't remember the details of it. I was alone in my room before the theives broke into our house.

"I was sound asleep but awoke when my mom ran in picked me up. She pushed me behind the bed. And I held Raven, my doll, close to me. And the next thing I knew when I woke up in the morning was the death of my parents. After that I shifted to my grandpa's house in the country side."

She looked up to him, met his crimson gaze in a glance of her own. Mikan continued.

"My question, why do you kill? Is it a venture for power or did you suffer a misfortune in your past?"

"You took two sub questions within one." He pointed out, leaning from his chair. "Interesting."

"Just answer it."

"Quite demanding, are we?"

"I suppose I do it for power. Even now, all I want to really master you."

Mikan clutched the handle of the chair and prayed to the lord above for either patience or a gun.

"And, are you?"

"What? Mastering you? I think so." He responded.

"Alright, my question then, what have you failed to do so miserably in life that you regret learning it?" He sat comfortably on the leather wingback chair. Which made Mikan wonder exactly how did he get that in this sort of place.

"Dancing."

"Why?"

"Because I fell on my side during the audition." She snapped.

"Why?"

"How the fuck is that irrelevant-"

"Answer the damned question, sweetness. Or I'll be forced to put a bullet through an arm or leg." He demanded, sourly.

Mikan sat back, folded her arms as she composed herself. Calming down, she replied. "I was staring outside the window and I got distracted therefore I lost balance and fell."

"Oh. Your turn now."

"Which have your victims made you feel that killing them was entirely justified?"

Natsume raised a brow and actually had to make run down his memory lane. A lot of deaths had occurred by his hands so it took a while.

"There was this eight month pregnant woman once." He said, making Mikan flinch. "She had been responsible for the human trafficking in the south of Brazil and was going to traffic her own child. Not like those things mattered to me. But they hailed the person who killed as a saviour. The baby was saved and was taken under government care."

That was the first thing she felt humane about him before she realised something.

"Wait a minute, they didn't think you were responsible for it? Why?"

He cocked his head to the side and grinned at her, baring his teeth in savagery.

"Why do you think?"

Mikan glanced over at the man with a questionable level of lunacy. She knew that Natsume Hyuuga was merciless and he always claimed a murder if it was done by him, either by a note or a recording sent to the police or radio. So that just meant he had purposely not claimed this one.

But why?

Mikan scanned him again and when her eyes reached his face, Natsume bit his lip and winked her which made her roll her eyes at him.

Then it hit her.

If Natsume was as merciless as she assumed him to be. He would also have murders that were not officially claimed by him because it was too much work but that didn't change the fact that he had killed them.

And that meant there a whole new number of people who had been killed by him increasing the amount of blood tainted on his hands.

Mikan felt bile rising, she felt like puking.

"Looks like you figured it out."

She looked away, with tears streaming hotly, grieving for the families broken and people taken.

"Please ask your sixth question."

"What's your name?"

"Mikan. Mikan Sakura. Do you ever feel remorse?"

Please. Please tell me you do. Please. She begged silently.

"No, not one bit. I don't understand why I should really."

Mikan sighed heavily, reminding herself that this was a serial killer. Her main motive was to get out alive. Not crying over the loss of life and opportunity. She wiped her tears.

"Tell me about Raven."

"It was just a favourite doll in my childhood that's it." She responded. "Although, I vaguely remember a few of the village boys ended up burning it but a few weeks later I had grown out of it. That's it."

"Are you sure?"

"Affirmative."

"Alright, your turn."

"Did you ever have a friend?"

"No."

"Yeah?" She asked and guiltlessly chuckled. "Serves you right then. You don't deserve anyone."

Natsume's gaze sharpened at the tone of her voice as he dragged his legs to her. "You might want to keep a leash on it."

"And what if I don't?" She challenged, standing upto her feet.

"I might lose control."

"And kill me. Sure. Go ahead." She pressed.

"Oh love," He murmured into her ear. "I might do just worse than that."

"I change it. Instead of answering the fifth question. . . You're going to do something for me. A dare of sorts. And if you don't oblige me. It ends here." He said, raising the gun to her head.

Mikan suppressed down her retorts and wild anger.

"As you wish."

"Good then." He took strides back to his chair.

"Dance for me."

Mikan's shoulder sagged down. Her wrath had gotten the better of her, she cursed herself for the lack of self-control. Dancing was hers to keep and to show something that personal to this vile, disgusting man was a preposterous idea.

Shutting her pride, Mikan proceeded. "Please." She said. "Please, don't."

"A dare is a dare. In fact do you want music? I thin-"

"Please, don't make me do this." Mikan begged through gritted teeth.

"Oh but I will." Natsume smiled endearingly at her.

It took her sometime to come to terms with her circumstance and accounted the space around that was adequately enough for her.

He inserted a cassette into the player and at that moment, Mikan realised that from the past few months he had been living here.

Music filled the gaps in the air and deep inside she recognised the time to be of The Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.

Don't mind him, she spoke to herself. As she let her body move in sync with the melody. Closing her eyes as she imagined the world melt into snow. Moments went by swiftly as she let her arms be lifted gently and her feet moved wherever it could. As if she was slow dancing in a burning room.

Natsume observed, silently. The moonlight twirled around her physique, giving her a radiance that belonged to the skies. And for the first time in his long life, he realised an unsettling bond towards this woman. Something contradictory and Something that made him yearn.

It truly felt like a dream to Mikan, though. Freestyle had always been her jam.

As the music came to an end, so did the movement of her feet.

She heard an enthusiastic applause and remembered exactly where she was.

"That was really wonderful, miss Sakura. You should dance more often."

Her jaw tightened as she sat back in her place.

"Do you do this with every victim? This questionnaire?" She asked as her fifth question.

"No." He responded.

"Then what's different about this time?"

"I was bored." He responded looking into her eyes, noticing that they weren't entirely brown, they were coloured hazel when the moonlight hit past them. "You seemed like a good catch."

"To kill." She snorted.

"Yeah, that."

"You're insane." She blurted out, confidently.

"Sure I am." Natsume's face sparked up. "This is my madness. The nest question-"

"No. . .No, you're wrong." Mikan shook her head, staring at something far away, so very far away; somewhere profoundly out of human reach.

"There is simply madness. And the difference between us both is that you revel it this sort of madness. Whilst I have come undone by it."

Natsume glared at her. Intensely. Scrutinizing every detail she portrayed.

Was it the truth?

She didn't have a reason to lie. Which meant that was a new perspective gained.

Whether she was considered right or wrong by Natsume's intuition, Mikan will never know.

"The fourth question to you is what did Raven mean to you?"

"Didn't we go over this before?" She asked.

"You need to think more clearly."

"Why?" Mikan demanded.

"Because you're missing an integral part of your memory."

Mikan looked at him, furrowing her brows as she did. Natsume didn't say things arbitrarily, which she was rest assured of.

"Close your eyes." He said, softly.

Could I trust you? She thought. But decided she most likely could.

She shut her lights out. Listening carefully for instructions that may either make or break her. I must be crazy. Mikan giggled inwardly.

"Go back to the night the thieves broke in. You weren't holding your doll, Raven. No, in fact it wasn't even a doll. It was most likely a bird."

Her blurred memories cleared through, changing her to a young Mikan of nine years, there wasn't a doll in her hand but upon her shoulder, clutched tightly was a ferocious Raven with silken feather.

She had name it Iris, her best friend. A gift from her mother on her fourth birthday. "After the death of your parents, you moved in with your grandpa and you dearly loved it." Natsume's voice floated heavily. " For it was the only that could connect you to your dead parents. But then one day. . ."

One day, the village boys they were playing around a fire and Iris had just been sitting quietly outside on the window sills. That day Mikan had gone out to the market with her grandpa and returned late. And the image of one of the boys snatching Iris arose in the blankness of her mind. But Mikan was too late, she had seen them from afar.

'Please, let her go!' She shouted.

But they didn't listen.

'Please.' She screeched falling on her feet.

And threw the helpless bird into the fire.

Mikan let out a petrifying scream as she opened her eyes. She was panting.

" The pain was unbearable. Which is why," Natsume continued. "You fell to your side that day on your audition. When you stared out of the window you mostly witnessed a crow somewhat resembling the pet you had lost in your childhood. The pet that your mind had dubbed as a doll came back to you. And for that one moment-"

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." Mikan howled.

He noticed her behaviour and schooled his own down before getting up and leaving

Mikan steeled her nerves, she took deep breaths. The pain of losing the only close friend she had in her childhood, weighed her spirits down.

"Here." Mikan looked up with bloodshot eyes towards the bottle of water offered with ruby eyes chancing glances at her .

Time being as it was, she accepted it.

Mikan calmed her storms, caressed and whispered to them that everything would be alright.

"My question is when did you figure out?"

"No nine year old would name her doll Raven. At least not you."

"You say that like you know me."

"I do."

"No, you don't."

"I do."

"You don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Then as my third question, tell me something that would be unpredictable by me regarding you."

"I'd take a bullet for you."

"I said no lies." Natsume narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm not lying. I would take a bullet for anyone. You are included in 'anyone'. Regardless, of how questionable your qualities are-"

Natsume laughed. At first, Mikan was annoyed at the point of him mocking her but she slowly realised that this was much more than just that. Because his laugh had become hysterical to the point she felt concern.

"Natsume? Are you fine?"

"Is that a question, love?"

Mikan shrugged, "Yes."

"No, I am not, could you come a bit closer?"

She rose to her feat and took a decision which her twenty six year old existence would proudly proclaim the most stupidest of her mistakes. Mikan walked closer to the man whose face now facing ground.

This may actually kill me, she thought.

"Hyuuga." Her hand reached out to touch his shoulder before Natsume abruptly lifted his head and caught her hand.

Within a swift move, she was falling on him, with his face closer to hers than ever before.

"I told you that no one in their right mind would ever love me. Didn't I?"

Mikan swallowed hard before nodding at him in whatever space they had between them.

"Then show me, what it is to be loved for once. Turn my question into a dare! So that it sits at the back of my head and burns inside of me." He requested.

Mikan instantly pushed herself off him. " Why? Why would you have something that cruel done unto you?"

"Please." He pleaded at her mercy.

Millions of thoughts exploded in her mind. Most of them prodding her not to do it because he's murderer for fuck's sake. While others went like which is why you should do it, let it create a hollow core inside him. A few wished for to just have mercy on him.

She disregarded all thoughts and moved her gaze back to Natsume's deep eyes.

Now or never.

And she pushed herself to it.

Mikan climbed on the chair, and placed her knees on either sides of his thighs before sitting down on his lap. He watched every move she made and let her lead whatever this was.

Truth was neither of them had quite the hint of what they should do; they merely synced in eachother's presences.

Mikan cupped his face and tenderly picked it up to touch the tip of his forehead with her own as they closed their eyes. If there was one word Natsume would use to describe this moment, the feeling. It would be intimacy.

The sort that wasn't sexual but something that was so loud that denying it would be like denying fate.

Natsume felt her kiss his forehead gently as another hand ran through his messy hair.

Peace.

He finally felt a serene halcyon guiding his mind to a tranquil lake.

Natsume opened his eyes to find himself peer longingly into Mikan's hazel eyes. She was so close, so close that it would have killed Natsume if he didn't have a taste. Mikan's lips parted as if to say something but he found the ability to concentrate on anything his own desire.

He caught the front of her t-shirt in his fist and hauled her closer, capturing her lips in a rough kiss.

It took Mikan less than two seconds to kiss him back with equivalent force, he had his hand fixated on the back of her neck and draped a muscular arm around her.

Just for this. Forgive me. Mikan prayed to the Gods and Devils watching her. She had fallen from grace lower than the demons but just this once.

Natsume let his fingers trail in circles on her skin, for this moment, she was his. And his alone. No one could take her away from me now. He thought with a strange elation, removing her hair from the bun it was trapped in. Soft hair fell on the side of his face, and Natsume tucked a bunch behind her ear.

No wonder most of his victims broke in fragments to cause grief to their loved ones. Because perhaps this was the greatest treasure they could hold.

It was sad that all of this would eventually come to an end. He thought.

Tongues waltzed around each other in sync now before Mikan pulled away first. She had forehead planted on his.

"My-my second. . . question to you. . ." She hastily continued. "Are you liar?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Are you?"

"No."

And something in her face cracked into a sad smile.

"No matter what you do, Hyuuga. You're still made of evil." Her smile reduced to a half.

Mikan jumped back to the balls of her feet.

"Because no matter what I tell. . .a lie or a truth. . . you're still going to kill me." She maintained some distance while Natsume stood up in confoundment. Well, she was telling the truth, he would eventually kill her but she wasn't supposed to know that.

Which made Natsume wonder exactly how many things had been blind to. He had underestimated his victim.

"You're such a liar."

Natsume's brow went up.

"Wasn't I always?"

He saw her picking out a shiny metallic object from the front pocket of her t-shirt.

"If there's a choice between death and you. I would choose death and death alone." She opened the lighten and a flame was gathered at her behest. And suddenly Natsume was aware of her next move. "But if I'm going to die, I'll drag you down with me. It's the least I could do."

Mikan threw the lighter on the opened barrels containing the black powder.

And the next thing either of them knew was that an explosion occurred. A loud boom groaned through the skies, birds flew in a rush. And the explosion was strong, atleast strong enough to destroy the walls of the gunpowder magazine.

Merely, a few minutes later Natsume rises from below a pile of debris.

He coughed up.

Well, it looked like he survived, didn't it?

Natsume chuckled, his humour still found someone funny in this whole scenario, she called me the crazy one and she's the one who lit the place up.

"Natsume Ioron Hyuuga, raise your hands up! You are under arrest." A grounded voice announced. "This is officer Akira Tonochi. Please put your hands behind your head!"

Natsume looked back at debris as he put his hands behind his head. So that was it, huh?

She had sacrificed herself for nothing.

"How charming." He said to no one in particular. "Sir, you are under arrest for-"

"Oh do shut up." Natsume said to the police officer who was taking him.

He saw Yuu Tobita standing next to Akira and stopped right in front of him and laughed maniacally.

"She's dead. Mikan Sakura is dead."

Yuu's eyes widened in shock and he cupped his hand over his mouth to cover a scream that went up the skies. The officers pushed him to move forward.

Mikan Sakura. The brunette whose next step was always predicted by him.

His last one, his final game.

And she would be his most favourite victim; a cut above the rest.

And what would he call her? She should be given an honorary title , like a token of appreciation, for making it so worthwhile.

The trees shook violently to the wind and a few crows flew out to the dark grey skies.

Aah, yes, of course. Natsume thought looking up, at their momentary migration.

The Raven.

That's what he'd call her.

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