Wishes.

They are what the naive hold onto and dead carry down with them to their graves. Their graves filled with meaningless marigolds and empty promises. Hope filled wishes only give way to disappointment as people realize that is not how the world works. Despair...despair won't be such a cruel mistress!

That much is true for Sakura Circus, which is somehow still here. It has transformed into a traveling circus due to the number of crazies coming out of it is bad for profit. Shouldn't that be better for circuses? I guess not, the world is still not prepared for the likes of the Yamazakis. What a pity, they were good while they were still alive. But the world refuses to accept anything that isn't the boring static of hope.

Another one of their shows end. It does not have that much of an audience since it is late. Now the town is realizing that they are in trouble with another Killing Game. Took them long enough. Of course, the Ultimates are too dumb to do anything about it, but it is sweet seeing them try.

Coming out with sweat all over her, I see my next target, the Soarin Suki, Ultimate Aerial Acrobat. She will be harder to catch because of the people surrounding her. I have to find a way to get her alone.

She is talking with the other members of the circus, who of which we did not have time to research, and some of the people dumb enough to go out this late. One of the girls is surrounded by discarded papers as she is drawing up something that looks like some kind of outfit.

Suki herself is somebody who I would consider to be attractive. Her body is like an hourglass with a noticeable bust that compliments her long, dark red hair nicely. The hair itself is tied in a messy ponytail that has a pink ribbon on the end. Everything about her looks disheveled but it might be because she just finished her show. For her outfit, she has on a red cropped tank top underneath a large white hoodie jacket. A pair of red spandex shorts would cling onto her legs if not for the black tights underneath. She might have a modest outfit but nothing can hide her body.

On her feet, Suki has on relatively simple non-slip white sneakers. She has the overall air of an athlete. I see that seconds later that Suki puts on her black-rimmed glasses. Instead of subtracting from her beauty, the frames compliment the natural shape of her face. The somehow make her golden eyes shine like diamonds. Even if everything else about her was undesirable, I would want to have her just for those eyes. Those eyes call me to them, unwilling to let me go. Maybe this is why she has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful Ultimates for all of these years even with her debatable lack of self-care.

"Akeno the Great will figure this out! Akeno will!" the other girl shouts out. Due to her emotional outburst, some of the crowd stares at her but promptly go back to ignoring the teenager. She does not care as she bites her lip as she doodles on one of her other papers.

"Who are you?" Staring down at the girl, I see designs that are Ultimate level. It surprises me that she is not considered one. She should be. Her just not being known by the Despairs is impossible.

"Oh, an admirer! Like what you see? Hahaha! Are you amazed? You should because your eyes are witnessing the great prowess of Akeno the Great!" she beams. "Do you want one of my fabulous designs? For Akeno is the tailor that will turn over your entire world! Make you experience the true beauty of art!"

"You're...enthusiastic..."

"Because art is more than a thing, it is a living thing that breathes! It creates! Only if Akeno could tailor out here!" Akeno begins to pout much like a little child. She has so much hope dedicated to her art it's disgusting, yet, for some reason, I cannot help feeling that she and I would get along if things did not go the way they did.

More onto the little girl herself, she has fair skin that matches well with her bright green eyes. Her long pink hair has bangs at the top that stops a little below her brow. There are scars on her hands that are most likely caused by the hours of hard work she must go through. Matching her eyes, Akeno has on a green button-up shirt that is accompanied by a royal purple suit vest. All of her articles of clothing are well made and have a flair to them that one does not see in any of the retail stores, even the most expensive and popular ones. They are filling this bleak world with so much more color than it rightfully deserves.

Akeno's pants are black jeans that look more comfortable than any pants I have ever worn. Even her shoes are homemade. They are a pair of purple sneakers. Attached to her neck, there is something that looks to be some kind of cape that is colored in the richest of greens. She is the picture of childhood naivete even though she is clearly a teenager. Her body may be small for her age yet no child is built like that. Also helps that her voice is deeper, although still high for her age. I should be angry at her and her hope, yet something inside me stops my actions.

"You think so?"

"Akeno know so! It speaks to Akeno as it is Akeno's calling! Art whispers sweet nothings into Akeno's ear and Akeno makes sure that they become a reality!" She then looks intensely at me, taking each part of me in. "Idea! I'll create the perfect outfit for you!"

"You should become the Ultimate Tailor. I'm sure you can get in, and you get a lot of perks," I tell her. To my surprise, Akeno begins to laugh at me.

"Akeno is the Ultimate Tailor in Akeno's heart!" She then jumps up in the air as she takes a hold of my hand. I do not have time to react as I notice that I am being dragged off somewhere. Suki is still in my vision but she is quickly fading. My master will not like this, and her eyes still call out my nonexistent name.

"Heart?" What is going on? Being part of this Killing Game is my dream, yet I cannot stop myself from being dragged around like some sort of doll by this little girl! I should be trying to cause the most amount of despair, not feeding off the hope that Akeno's aura gives off.

"Heart! Yes!" I do not resist anymore as Suki disappears from my eye of sight. W-what is this feeling? And how stupid is this little girl to purposefully put herself in a situation where she is alone with a stranger in the middle of the night when lots of people are going missing? Hope does make somebody stupid I guess, that's one of the reasons why I hate it so damn much.

"Tada! Its Akeno's studio! Isn't it lovely?" Akeno starts to swirl around in the middle. I guess it is true what they say, you can tell a lot about a person based on where they live. Or at least I think this is where she lives. But, based on the information I know about this random girl I found, this fits her perfectly.

The only place that is remotely clean is the closest, but even that is starting to be overrun by original designs trying to find any semblance of room. Even with all this talent, it seems that Akeno keeps most of her outfits or maybe waits for the perfect seller to come along. Or makes too much of them to properly keep hold of them all. However, outside of the closest, mannequins are everywhere, their dead eyes enough to give a person like me the creeps but have no effect on Akeno. Unfinished designs lay on all of them. For those who could not find their way onto a mannequin, they are placed onto the tables with much care. The tables themselves have hundreds of designs littered on them, making it almost impossible to know they used to be white. How hasn't this girl been chosen for an Ultimate? She might act and look young, but Akeno is clearly in her teens.

Every other surface has been overrun by designs as well. In one of the corners, I see a pile of papers and notebooks as well. Her family or guardians must have started giving her those to make her stop drawing on the walls. It is hard not stepping anywhere without something in the way. Somebody really needs to clean in here. Of course, I can think of at least one of the members of the Despairs that would love the feeling of seeing a room as unclean as this. But I don't want them to get anywhere near Akeno. She has such an annoying sense of hope that I want to protect. Protect from people from myself.

My master really won't like this.

"...Yes..."

"What's your name, mister? Akeno can't just keep calling you Mr. No Name or something!"

"...I don't have a name..." A name is useless for despairs like me. There are a countless amount of us that can just be replaced at any time. If you complete your task, you're useless and thrown out like trash. But we love that! Treat us like trash, grand master! We're all the same, with the same kind of mind. Us despairs can be referred to as a hive mind of sorts.

"Akeno will fix that...Hmmm...let Akeno think...HHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM..." She begins to bite onto her tongue softly. She places both her fingers on the sides of her head and closes her eyes. I could imagine her in a game like this, trying to solve who brutally took the life from one of her beloved friends.

"You don't have to-"

"Yuudai Hinode! You're the hero of the sunrise!" I'm not sure that name means anything like that, but it doesn't fit either way. Nobody would call me anything like a hero. Especially since I can't even kidnap a high school girl properly and have this game that I am living for. All the others before and after me would be disappointed. Maybe I should feel despair for my failure, but nothing comes up other than this strange feeling of emptiness. Not the emptiness that comes from despair, mind you. That emptiness leaves us excited, this one makes me feel empty.

"Hero of the...sunrise?"

"Yes! Exactly! Hero of the sunrise! Akeno thinks Yuudai can be great!" She smiles as she finds some cloth that had been placed on the floor. Then, with a measuring stick in hand, she begins taking account of my measurements.

"Great...?"

Yes, great! You'll be the hero this family deserves!

W-what is that?

C'mon, Isao, let's go!

"Yuudai looks good in red! It matches Yuudai's hair!" She smiles, completely set in her own world. That naivete will get her killed. The despairs would have too much fun converting somebody like her, considering what they are currently doing to Kiyome. I have no qualms admitting I would be part of that crowd. Something would change in that smile of hers, transforming it into a twisted grimace.

"Oh, that's where you've been." Interrupting the two of us, I hear somebody knock down the door. Akeno and I both look to see who is our new visitor. I recognize him immediately.

"M-master?"

"Isn't this that demon child? Mushoku no Akuma?" He asks. Not expecting her attitude to change, I am surprised to see that Akeno's eyes are dilated. Her whole body has stopped as if paused in time. "Did you really think you could be an important character in this story? No, you're smart enough not to apply to Hope's Peak, even though I would call you the Ultimate Tailor. Its such a shame to have to put an end to people with talent and brains."

"..." All the life leaves her once vibrant eyes. I should have guessed a personality like hers was too great for this world of ours. Even people like her on the surface have their own personal demons. Demons that can be used to help further their despair. The overwhelming despair this world already creates! It thrives in this fucked up world!

"And you...I guess we have to fix that little bug. Whatever. Here, just get rid of her." My master then throws me a gun. It lands into my hands like it is weightless. Seconds later, however, it becomes the weight of the world. I can barely stop myself from dropping it on the littered ground. Littered with art ruined by this one chance encounter caused by having too much trust in a random person on the streets. The world doesn't like playing fair, even to those destined to go into heaven. We all have no true mouths. Although we scream, it is all for naught. Nobody fucking cares. They're too caught up in their own little world to give a shit about others until it is too late.

"Yes, master."

Akeno does not react to the gun being shoved against her head until it is too late. Her eyes plead with me, but that is nothing compared to my master. My master that stands there, expecting me to behave like the pet I am. A pet to help him put on his twisted idea of entertainment.

Then I pull the trigger.

Her body drops like one of her mannequins. In the small confines of the room, the sound echoes, making the moment longer than it has any right to be. Above us, I hear footsteps coming closer to us. Guess that this studio was connected to some sort of house after all.

Seeing her body like that...makes me so excited! Hope has lost one of its important figures today nobody even knew existed! Her designs are too covered in the red liquid known as her blood to be used properly anymore! Akeno's head just sorta went...squish. Like a little bug stepped on by a high heel. Squish, squish, squish. Nothing Akeno could have done could prevent her from getting squished like the unimportant bugs we are all! In the grand scheme of eternity and the universe, nothing we do truly matters! Realizing that causes the greatest amount of despair! Nothing. Fucking. Matters!

"Your usefulness has come to an end, Isao Takagi." And then there was black. The sweet, sweet darkness I have been truly searching for my whole entire life. It feels so...disappointing.

Soarin Suki is the target. The only target. Only focus on Soarin Suki and nobody else. For the sake of despair, this job has to be done properly. This game must go on without a hitch. The despair of causing its delay might be tempting, but the despair of getting it done would be so much more fulfilling. Wonder how people will react this time around.

The subject is all alone in her room in the circus. Everybody else is asleep but the subject is still awake. Something must be on her mind. Perhaps she feels like something bad will happen to her today? If so, then the subject has a good connection to her instincts. It will still be hard getting to the subject since she can cause noise and arouse those around her, and her talent gives her to physical prowess.

To get her properly, perhaps it is best to play a little...dirty.

I move from my hiding place and Suki is automatically on guard. To stop her from yelling, I raise up my hands. This is enough to confuse the girl, who tilts her head.

"Out with, creep, what do you want? You better not be one of those obsessed fans who stalk their idols." Suki places her hands on her hips and rolls her eyes. Even with all the danger around her, she does not seem to be taking this situation seriously. Perhaps it is time to up the ante. If I try anything in this state, Suki would not hesitate to shout, even if it would make her seem weak. Or maybe she has been gone with the circus and just doesn't know the peril she is currently is. That can also be likely.

"No, I am not. I'm here to take you to a game."

"People like you really rub me the wrong way, so if you could just stay over there that would be great." Suki is about to leave the room and I cannot let that happen. That happening would greatly increase her odds of getting help. The police may be useless yet having them here would certainly make my job harder.

"I'm here to talk about...Junko..."

"J-Junko?" She stops automatically. "Okay, crazy dude who just so happened to appear in my room, what in the world do you know about Junko? Other than you two would definitely get along with each other. She would love analyzing you."

"She's a bit crazy, isn't she?"

"Hey, I can call Junko a loon, not you, you don't even know her enough to say that," Suki replies as she crosses her arms. This is not going well, but at least she has not alerted anyone. It would help if her voice was lower, but it seems that the people here are quite heavy sleepers. What luck.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? If you come with me freely and without causing a scene, I'll tell you where Junko is. Because I do know. I can promise you that." I take a step forward and it looks like Suki is about to bolt from the scene. There has to be something else I can do. The person before me has caused us too many problems already, and the police are seriously trying to track us down. Does not help that the Tachibanas did not approve of the previous one's killing of their daughter. The police must be having the time of their lives trying to connect a pointless person like Akeno Tachibana to everybody else. The idiot didn't even bother telling her family she was going to visit the circus, but it is only a matter of time until a witness places her there. Then, boom, connection to Soarin Suki, so we have to do this now.

"Then where is she?"

"You have to come with me-"

"I'm not an idiot! Did you seriously think that I would come waltzing to you because you have information on Junko!? You're just another of those damn liars!" And, just like that, Suki begins to bolt. I follow after her, surprised that she is not calling for help. Perhaps she does not want to endanger the other members of the circus? No, the more likely answer is that she is too emotionally compromised right now.

The two of us run in silence until we make it out of the circus area and into the city itself. Suki tries her best to get rid of me but I keep at her heels. It is hard, but I am able to do it. I will do anything to finish the mission I have been given!

Suki then turns into an alleyway. She is about to jump a fence in which I am not fast enough to stop her considering her talent. I have to stop her before she jumps that fence.

"Junko is in danger! Running anymore will cause her death!" I shout out. Just as Suki is about to escape, she stops and turns to face me. Bingo.

"...Fine..."

Another one on the list checked off. There has not been that much progress as of late thanks to my predecessor, but I will change that.

IT LIVES!

Requiem, we already used that joke...

IT STILL LIVES!

Well, the same as before, if your OC has got accepted into something else, please tell either Requiem or I. Yes, this SYOC is still open.

And yes, it still updates, like, every three to four months.

Anyway, both Akeno Tachibana, the 'Ultimate' Tailor, and Soarin Suki, the Ultimate Aerial Acrobat, belong to tobi-is-an-artist-too. Akeno is very important to this story even though she's dead.

We're still in the prologue and getting major character deaths. Yippee! :D

Well, I love that you all are sticking with this story even though it doesn't update that much. I love all of your love and support. So sorry for being so busy but I still hope I'm able to finish this story.

If there are any typos or errors, it is because Requiem is rubbing off on me and I didn't have as much time to look over this one as all of the others. We're both horrible at finding mistakes. This is a shorter chapter for that reason.

Reviews with Requiem~

SanityRequiem-IT LIVES ONCE AGAIN!

Scissor-Snipper-Well, Isao Takagi is now dead, replaced by a new Mr. No Name! Yeah! I'm just gonna have the time of my life bothering Rachelle about actors things related to Yori. Beware the cute! Shun, unlike the others, has a shred of survival instinct. Now I'm just imagining a Star Trek!AU with Sakura being Spock. If there's anything Rachelle and I share, its the power to make people shit themselves.

Lupus Overkill-Well, here's more! I love Yori too and his introduction. He has proven to be the undoing of Mr. Isao Takagi along with Akeno. Don't trust the artistic people, Isao. Rachelle thanks you. :) Well, good thing those two are very plot important. I think by the end of the story people are going to hate Rachelle as much as they hate me. Sakura's confidence was her undoing. She can join Ayano and Miyuki in the emotionless character section. Well, um, Akeno is very dead now, but so is he! Thanks~

TheRoseShadow21-It comes alive every 3-4 months, don't worry. Rachelle thanks you, she works hard on all of these introductions. That is because his pain is Rachelle's pain. XD Yori protection squad UNITE! Sakura is going suffer being around all of these people. Thanks~

TooManyIdeas14 (you can't hide from me XD)-YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Become one of us. Hahahahahaha!

CandleFire45-Rachelle thanks you. :D Well, its more like the police are stupid and the next guy is a lot smarter. Thanks, I like Sakura too. Our little Mr. Spock of the Committee Saga. Have a good day too! :D

ThePLOThand-No, we're too cruel just to kill Kiyome. We have to make her suffer for plot. Well, no matter what, the accepted characters are screwed. HAHAHAHA XD. Let the others read your review and be confused. :P