X – The Truth
Shinichirou leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. "It's my turn to die tonight," he murmured, "seeing as the beast has already begun to develop feelings for me, it will definitely have a stronger impact." The twins' eyes widened and they leaned towards him, eyes gleaming. "Oh really? How are you going to die?" He smirked and shrugged, "Why should I tell you now? Just wait and see, you haven't got much to do with your time anyway, right?" Nene rolled her eyes and threw the crumpled pastry wrapper across the room. "Assuming that Saya does take an emotional blow from your so-called death," Kanako interjected, "we'll take action the very next day. I just can't stand to be on this godforsaken playground any longer!" The twins nodded. Their hearts were all hammering against their chests. Of course they had qualms over the plan, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They didn't have anything to lose at this point. Kanako had a point. It would be a win-win situation for them and for the madman Fumito. He wanted her to remember whatever it was that she'd forgotten, didn't he? The sooner the monster remembers, the sooner they get their freedom and rewards. "Have fun dying tomorrow," Nono jibed at Tokizane as she and her twin slunk out of the bakery. The raven-haired man smirked, "It'll be something to remember, I bet." None of them had noticed the steady red light hidden amongst the bread.
Fumito replayed the group's meeting and sighed. He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of disappointment towards them. Hadn't he treated them well enough? He'd been a very generous host to them. Weren't they the ones getting more out of their deal than him, in inconsequential material terms? He had promised them liberty, fortune, anything they asked for – things that only belonged in their wildest dreams as common crooks. "Ara, what shall I do to these misbehaving brats, hmm?" he wondered, smiling down at his daughter, who was extremely preoccupied with her playing with her plush toy. Fumito reached down and stroked her silky hair. "Shall Daddy show you why you must never break an oath, darling?"
They were right. Shinichurou Tokizane had played his role well, and his death would certainly have an impact on Saya. After all, the boy's role was to rouse her emotions. How would it affect her? The loss of her friends had impacts, but the boy's relationship with Saya had a different dynamic. Ah, so we shall wait and see. I'll let you do as you like. I want to see if your little theory will work. If it doesn't…then…
Shinichirou waited a few levels below the temple. He was itching for a cigarette, but he didn't want to risk ruining his grand moment by being detected. Ah, finally, finally, I won't have to be nice to this freak! He looked at the dark expanse that stretched beyond him, sighed deeply, then started running up the stairs with a panicked expression. There the freak was, wielding her sword in her pajamas. Heh, some heroine you are, fighting in your pajamas, you're so lame!
"What's going on?!" he yelled. She seemed to be rooted on the spot at the sight of him. He stopped, as though on cue. "I heard a noise." The Elder Bairn swooped down in front of him, scaring the shit out of him. A floating skeleton woman, holy shit! How's this thing supposed to eat me?!
The Elder Bairn wasted no moment in answering his question. Its mass of hair stretched out and it came at him. Suddenly, he couldn't think of anything but struggle against the mass of hair and bones. She's just standing there, gaping. What an idiot! You're not even trying to save me? It was all over in a matter of seconds. He touched his charm, and was gone. I'll never fucking understand how this works but I sure want to keep it around.
As he opened his eyes, Sinichirou found himself back in the headquarters, with the twins hovering above him with malicious looks. "Well, that was hardly dramatic!" Nono snorted. "You were gone in what, 5 seconds?!" The flamingos laughed. He rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not my fault! The Bairn ate me too fast!"
Nene tittered and grabbed him by the wrist. "Oh well, come on, you'll miss her slowass reaction to your death!" The trio headed to another room, where Saya was standing in front of what was supposedly left of him… a pool of blood. "Oooh! You left your chain on purpose didn't you?" Nono commented, clapping. "Nice touch!"
"Ugh, her face lacks emotion! Why's she just staring down at your puddle of blood?" Nene snickered. "She'll never be a star!" The twins laughed at their jibe.
"I'm hungry," the Skeleton Bairn muttered from behind Saya, "so I don't care how bad it tastes."
The twins snorted and laughed harder. "The Bairn says you tasted bad!" Nene screamed. Sinichirou frowned and cursed the Bairn. "IT HAS NO TASTEBUDS HOW COULD IT HAVE TASTED ME?" he screamed at the hysterical pair. Nono was slapping her thigh, laughing like a rabid hyena. "Maybe she just tasted your aura, which is nasty as hell, fucker!" Nene hooted.
After a while of listening to the Bairn talk riddles, Saya closes her eyes. "Oh finally! Here her freaky eyes come!" they chorused. "She's a real dumbass monster, but I'll admit, her eyes are freaking awesome. Look!" A second ticks by and Saya slices the Bairn clean in half. The twins groaned. "It's like watching a totally badly written movie, no suspense whatsoever! She just does nothing for a while then kills whatever monster she's facing in a heartbeat when she finally feels like it! Ugh! So boring!"
Sinichirou stared at the slain Bairn on the screen. For such boney monster, it sure had a lot of blood inside it. The camera panned towards Saya, who was staring down at the Bairn with all the hate in the world in her fiery red eyes. Those were the eyes of a coldblooded murderer. The sight made the hairs on his arm and the back of his neck stand. This is the real Saya then, huh?
On the screen, Saya reverts back to her usual clueless state. "I am Kisaragi Saya. I am Saya. I… who am I?" she says, staring at Tadayoshi with wide, beseeching eyes. Then she faints.
Nono and Nene lean on him and titter, "You said your death would impact her the most, but from what we saw, your death merely spurred a quick slaughter. She didn't even cry for you!" They howled in laughter. "Anyway, we're off. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah," he murmurs, "tomorrow."
"Tsk," Fumito breathed, setting down his cup of tea. "She'll need a stronger dose when she wakes up." Tonight's scene was lackluster, but it satisfied him that she didn't shed a tear for the boy. He never really considered the Skeleton Bairn much, but he had to admit, she was much better at hinting and taunting Saya than the others. He watched Tadayoshi lift Saya and didn't miss the way the older man glanced at the spilt blood. Ah, so you're starting to get hungry as well, Tadayoshi? Very well. Tadayoshi wasn't human, or a full-blooded Bairn. He was half of both, just like Saya. But he couldn't stomach a fully concentrated dose of Bairn blood, unlike Saya. Fumito made a mental note to prepare a diluted concoction to him tomorrow.
"Akane-chan," he said in a sing-song voice as he scooped up the tiny tot from the floor, "it's bed time." She beamed up a him and squealed, "Stowy! Weed me a stowy, Daddy!" He nodded and kissed the child's forehead. She was always a welcome distraction. Fumito lay her down on her bed, and cast a cursory glance at the bookshelf. He'd read all the books to her already, many times over. Perhaps it was time to get new ones. He lay beside Akane, and smiled. His feet were dangling from the bed, since it was so small. "Why don't I tell you a new story, honey?" he murmured. Her burgundy eyes glittered and giggled, "Okay, Daddy."
"Okay… Once upon a time, there was small village surrounded by a vast forest. The villagers did not like wandering far from their village because there were all sorts of scary monsters lurking about in the forest, waiting to snatch one of them up for dinner. The village was surrounded by very tall walls and was protected by powerful magic, so that the monsters could not sneak in and eat everyone. In this village lived a very beautiful lady. Everyone adored her because she was smart, beautiful, and kind. But this young lady was very mischievous; she liked to sneak out of the village to pick wildflowers during the day to give to her sick mother. One day, the young lady snuck out of the village to gather fresh wildflowers, but was disappointed to see that there were no more wildflowers growing near the village walls. Not wanting to return and disappoint her mother, the girl wandered off into the forest to search for flowers. Then, she discovered a clearing full of extremely beautiful wildflowers that she had never seen before. She immediately began to pick the flowers, wanting to get one of every kind, so she could cheer up her sick mother. But she lost track of time. By the time she remembered, it was starting to get dark. Terrified now, the young girl sprang to her feet and made her way back home. Suddenly, she tripped!" Fumito widened his eyes at Akane, who squealed at the sudden change of his tone. "No!" she shrieked. Fumito grinned and continued, "She had fallen over a wounded man. She didn't have the strength to carry him, but she didn't want to leave him alone in a forest full of man-eating monsters, so, with all her might, she helped him up to his feet and together, they made their way back to the village. Their arrival caused a great panic. Who was this foreign man that she had taken back with her? How did she get out of the village? Her mother scolded her, and made her care for the wounded stranger alone. It took the stranger a few days before his wound began to heal. The stranger was very mysterious, but the girl still tried to befriend him. He did not speak one word to anyone while he was in the village. When the time finally arrived that the stranger fully recovered, he simply disappeared into the night, which upset the girl the most. She was furious at the stranger's rudeness. Then, one day, a flock of gigantic birds flew right into the village, bearing wildflower wreaths and a scroll. It was revealed that the stranger they had sheltered was the demon lord in human form, and he was offering a treaty in exchange for the maiden's hand in marriage." Fumito glanced down at Akane, who had already fallen asleep. "Ah, I'll save the rest for next time. Sleep well, my darling." He kissed her cheek, rose from the bed, and stalked off to collect the blood and guimauve he'd have to give Saya later in the morning.
Saya lay asleep in her bedroom when he entered, bearing a tray laden with her coffee and meal. She was pale, and seemed to be having a troublesome dream. Saya, I'm here, he thought, sitting next to the sleeping woman. She stirred, and groaned as she woke up. He wondered what kind of dream she could have had, to cause her to wake up so startled. "Saya-chan?" he said softly. Saya turned, wide-eyed, towards him. He smiled. She groaned as she sat up. Your body's weakening, isn't it, Saya? he thought as he moved to assist her. Was the Skeleton Bairn right? Fumito poured the steaming blood onto the mug and handed it to her. "Drink this, Saya-chan." She took it gracefully. It was obvious that his presence in her bedroom was intrusive, uncanny... Saya shyly looked down at the steaming mug. "Drink it," he insisted, and she obediently followed his command. He watched her, studied her, searched for any sign of degradation, but she seemed so perfect to his eyes. Her eyes were livelier the moment she set down the mug. "Are you okay?" he asked, "Does your head hurt?" A tiny smile appeared on her face. "I'm okay. I feel better after having some coffee."
"I see," he said quietly as his impulse to reach out to touch her won over his better judgment. He cupped her cheek gently in his palm and felt how warm she was.
"Fumito-san?" she muttered, shaken by the sudden contact.
Of course she'd think this to be inappropriate, you're posing as her father's friend, after all, Fumito thought wryly. He smiled and took the empty mug from her hands to refill it.
"Here."
"Thank you," she said, bringing the mug up to her lips.
Are you really okay?
Saya let out a satisfied sigh as she set down the mug on her lap in between sips.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
She hesitated for moment. "I think I am."
"What would you like to eat?"
Saya paused for a moment, then told him, "Guimauve."
Ah, what a relief. "Okay," he said, taking the plate of guimauve and offering it to her.
"Thank you." Saya stared down at the red cubes and said, "Now that I think of it, have the guimauve always been red?"
"It depends on what's mixed into them, but I thought these would suit you best." Fumito answered."You like them, don't you, Saya-chan? The red color and the taste, that is."
She smiled and told him that she loved them. before picking one and bringing it to her mouth.
Fumito found Tadayoshi sitting solemnly where the sacred blade was stored.
"Saya has awoken," Fumito announced. "She said she felt better after drinking coffee. And when I asked her what she wanted to eat, she said guimauve."
Tadayoshi turned to face him and saw the canister Fumito was holding.
"You're hungry too, right? You should eat and prepare yourself."
Tadayoshi nodded and Fumito set the canister down next to him.
"I'll see you later." Fumito said quietly as he made his way out of the room.
Suddenly, he heard a swift motion and felt an excruciating pain in his right arm. Tadayoshi's face was blank as ever, but his voice was cold as steel. "You wanted to see if she could remember who she truly is, then why are you feeding her the very things that make her forget?" The half-Bairn's grip on Fumito tightened. Fumito bore the pain and kept himself from wincing. "Because she'll die if she doesn't get anything to eat. She's the most important thing in the world for me, I will not allow her to waste away."
"You're spoiling her very nature!" the Bairn growled.
Fumito merely shook his head and uttered an incantation. Tadayoshi was blown away across the room. "Eat, then go where you must be today." He walked out of the room.
There was a first-aid kit sitting on the cafe's counter when he walked in. "Ah, things are getting quite troublesome..." he mused as he applied ointment to his sore forearm. "That bastard Tadayoshi..."
Am I spoiling your very nature, Saya? Is there truth to be had with what Tadayoshi said? Is everything I'm doing for you ruining you?
"Alright, Saya's going to appear at the cafe any minute now," Kanako whispered. "I'll go in and lure her back to the temple storehouse, you two just hide somewhere near."
The twins nodded. "Got it!"
Kanako looked at Shinichirou. "Got the vial?" she asked.
A smirk appeared on the boy's face. "Of course, nicking it was a piece of cake." He produced the vial from his pocket and showed them.
"Ew," Nono said bluntly.
Kanako adjusted her clothes and started walking towards Cafe Guimauve. "You should run up the temple once she gets inside the cafe, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," the trio huffed.
A/N: Hi. If you're curious about my fluctuating submissions, you can check out my profile page for some enlightenment. Thank you for the support and patience! Please don't forget to drop a review.