Hello everyone!
New chapter updated! I saw that a lot of you loved the last chaper, you little pervs~ and I am glad! Luckily we'll see more of that soon. I also went through your replies regarding the suggestion I made on the Author's Note about including a bit of Reira and the police point of view, and most of you thought it would be cool, so I included some of it in this chapter. Let me know what you think of it. And finally... thanks for the lovely, awesome, incredible reviews, people!
Melissa Fairy: Hi there! Thanks for sharing your opinion! I am so happy that you liked this chapter! At the beginning I had no idea how it would turn out, but I am so glad I made it as enjoyable as to leave you without words!
KisaragiMaru: Hello! Hahaha I hope you didn't melt due to the hot scene and I always enjoy surprising my lovely readers! Thanks for the review and keep reading please :)
Devil'sBlade: Hi! Thank you for bothering to leave a review and I am very pleased with your reaction hahaha. That's what Makishima does to us ^^
Rio-the-Noivern: Heey! Thanks for the support, I'll be sure to keep updating. I'm happy to hear you like the story, I hope you enjoy this chapter too~
xOphiuchusx: Hello there! I'm happy to know the story keeps surprising the readers and it doesn't get boring or predictable, I'll try to keep it that way! Thanks a lot!
Votte Femme: Hii! Sidhjfoshsu! thanks for the compliment! *-* And thank YOU for reading the story and taking your time to leave a review and letting me know what you thought of it.
Guest1995: Hello! I am soooo happy that you like the chapter altought it was quite a surprise for all of you hahaha! You are full of ideas that are very interesting, I took your suggestion and I really think it will be interesting to see both sides of the conflict. A reunion of sorts between Reria and Shiori was in my mind, but some of the point you highlighted in the review were truly interesting. So thanks for being so involved with the story! It makes me want to die out of love :3
volley-14-nerd: Hey there! I'll inlcude some bits of Reira's situation and point of view, but do not worry, that will not prevent me from writing about Shiori or updating. And thaaaaanks for the kind words I really hope you keep reading and enjoying the story!
Honeydewmelon56: Hello! I'm very flattered! Thanks for the review, keep reading for more steamy scenes ^^
CharitinaX: Hi there! You are adorable hahaha Thanks for the review! I am happy to see you like the story and the suggestion. I also think writing about Reira will give the story another perspective and more drama (and mystery, conflict...). I'll try to make it as clear as possible when changing points of views. So please, keep reading and enjoying the story :D
Previously...
He bended towards her and whispered something in her ear, but by then her consciousness was very far from there. Makishima brought her fingers to her bloody lips and found himself immersed in deep thoughts.
Inferno
Chapter 12:
Reira Arakaki
Police headquarters
The office was silent and dark; there was only a little light on Reira's desk. She couldn't stop researching. Her gut told her that Shiori was still alive. The only problem was that the person who had kidnapped her, didn't exist. The network didn't have his data, he was untraceable. No one could prove his existence. She rested her back against the chair and looked at the computer screen. There were papers scattered on her desk, piles of information about Shiori, the Oso Academy, Rikako Oryou… but she still had nothing on him.
Rikako was now part of the Division 2 of the MWPSB. No one there ever listened or believed her. The only people she could turn to were the Division 1, who investigated the case at Oso Acdemy. But her solicitude to transfer divisions had been rejected. So she just sat on that desk, waiting. She got up from that chair and stormed out of the room. She walked down the corridor but stopped in front of the Division 1 office. There was no one in there. Everyone had already gone home. She gazed at her wrist watch. It was three in the morning and she was still there. She ran her fingers down her hair. Maybe she should go home too. But when she was about to leave, the door of the office opened, revealing a young woman with short hair. Their eyes met for a second, before she turned around and started running down the corridor in the opposite direction.
Reira stood there motionless. She was about to turn around and just go home, when her eyes wandered to the opened door of the office. Before she could processed it her hand was on the knock of the door, gripping it tightly. That was her chance to dig in the case. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. She probably didn't have much time so she ran to the nearest desk and started looking the folders on it. Most of them were from previous, unsolved cases. What did that had to do with anything? It was then when she saw a folder that contained the file of Rikako Oryou. Reira opened it and went through the pages. There was also Shiori's file. Reira turned on the computer of that desk and then, dozens of windows started to pop on the screen. She went through them, but stopped at the newly appeared window. It was an alert of a received package at the headquarters. She typed on the keyboard to get information about it. Inside the box they had found a part of someone's left arm, but it was pretty damage and there was a lot of blood. Reira typed again to try to establish a match with the genetic information from the arm, and then the image of the person it belonged to, popped on the screen. Her eyes opened wide with horror.
''It can't be''
She tried to look away, but her eyes were glued to the screen. It couldn't be. She felt as if all the air in her lungs had been taken away.
''Cadet Arakaki'' A woman's voice called her from behind. She didn't turn, she couldn't move. Every cell of her body was paralyzed. A drop of cold sweat ran down her neck. It couldn't be. The samples couldn't match her. She couldn't be dead. Reira closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Then as calmly as she could she turned around to face the same woman with short hair from before. She was standing in front of her now. ''Please, accompany me''
The photograph of a smiling Shiori was glowing on the screen.
''She is… dead?''
Shiori Tsukiko
Makishima's apartment
Shiori woke up. It wasn't a peaceful awakening; she was yanked out of her dream, painfully. Dizziness washed over her and a terrible headache invaded her as she opened her eyes. She could feel the sun on her skin. She tried to sit down. Her belly hurt and she felt as if she would throw up in any moment. She brought her hands to her head. Then when she looked down at herself she realized she was naked. She didn't remember stripping out of her clothes. Shiori looked around. This wasn't her room either. Then she felt a shiver ran down her spine and she got up from the bed. The white sheet fell to the ground as images of last night started returning to her mind. She remembered seeing the wine bottle on the kitchen and drinking from it. Then there was Makihsima. She was angry at him. She tried to punch him and then…Shiori saw the trail of blood on her tight. Her body ached.
She looked at the empty bed and saw it: the images of last night… Makishima calling her name, her pleading, the pain… and the pleasure. She covered her mouth with her hand as she ran towards the bathroom. She kneeled before the toilet and then she threw up. She felt the burning sensation at the end of her throat as she kept spilling out the wine. She felt tears at the corner of her eyes. When she thought there was nothing else on her belly she rested her back and head against the bath tub and closed her eyes. She would have stayed there all day, but she forced herself to get up. The first thing she saw was her image reflected on the mirror. Her lips were swollen, she had bruises on her arms and there were bite marks all over her body, especially on her shoulders and neck.
''What have I done?'' She whispered. Her guilt started to built inside her.
She pressed her fingers against her lips. She felt it in her skin, she had been stained. She couldn't fake anymore. There was no way she would be content with just her old life. Not after living all that, not after questioning her own beliefs and actions. There was no way she could go back now. She realized she didn't want to be another sheep.
What have I become?
She walked away from the mirror and gazed down at the floor, returning to the room. She looked at it again, seeing things she didn't see the first time due to her confusion and pain. She walked towards the night table and saw two pills. She took them and swallowed them. They burnt when they went down her throat.
She collected her clothes and put them on. Without looking back she left the room. A part of her wanted to run down to her room and hide, but instead she walked towards the door at the end of the corridor. She placed her hand on the knock and it opened. Beyond the door there were stairs that headed up. She started to go up until she reached the end of it. There was another long corridor with a crystal door at the end of it. Without rushing, she headed in that direction and opened the door. It opened easily and she stepped outside. The wind caressed her skin. She was in the terrace; from there she could see the entire city. Instinctively she walked barefoot towards the edge. The wind brushed her hair out of her face. She gazed at the tall buildings that shone with a blue light under the sun. Looking at that landscape no one would have been able to guess that this society was heading towards decadence.
She felt the edge under her feet and looked down. It was a great fall. She would probably die before reaching the ground. It would be fast and it would put her mind at ease. Would that be enough punishment? She bit her lip. She had betrayed herself, she slept with the man that had kidnapped her, and caused chaos in her life, the man she swore she would despise untill the end of times. But if she took just another step forward, everything would be gone; the guilt, the shame, the consequences, the memories of that night and the relief she found in his touch...it would all disapear.
''It would certainly be easier'' She muttered to herself. ''But then again, how convenient of you to leave this door open'' She said raising her voice slightly and looking behind her from above her shoulder. There he was, next to the door, watching her every move.
''Will you jump?'' Makishima asked. She looked at him, then at the ground and finally at the sky.
''Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground'' It left her lips before she was aware of it.
''You quoted Dante'' He noticed. She turned around.
''Isn't it appropriate?'' She asked.
''Depends on your conception of hell'' (1) He answered as he took some steps forward, still keeping the distances. She felt a bitter smile raise to her lips and turned around again to contemplate the edge of the building.
''I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it'' She finally answered. She was tired. ''Then it would all be over''
''Your death wouldn't end anything''
Then they felt silent. She could feel him getting closer and she felt her breathe hitch. She enclosed her eyes with anticipation. Her tiredness was starting to take over her and she could no longer keep it in. Even if she did, what would be the point of it? He probably already knew it. He could see through her like crystal clear.
''I have been lying to myself all my entire life, thinking that if I laid low, this feeling would eventually go away.'' She smiled bitterly at the void in front of her. ''It didn't. No matter what I did it, it wouldn't go away. That's why I had to hide my doubts towards the system, towards the meaning of my actions in this society.'' Shiori's eyes rose from the ground to the horizon. ''That's how I got by.'' She confessed. Then she frowned ''For this reason I hated how you could see right through me. It scared me too, back in the library, when we first met. You made me feel exposed, vulnerable.''
''And what do you think about me now?'' He asked with a subtle smirk on his lips. She took her time to answer.
''I despise your ways. Life is a precious thing and you are wasting it as if it's worth nothing. There's a part of me that will always hate you for what you did back in Oso Academy.'' She was facing him when she told him that. Their eyes locked together. ''But…there is some true to the statement: the devil is not as black as he is painted." She ended up saying. Makishima's smirk grew wider.
''In that case, let me ask you again'' He muttered softly ''What do you want?''
''I want answers.'' There was no hesitation this time. Her will would not flatter.
Makishima closed the distance that separated them and they stood at mere centimeters.
''I wasn't wrong about you'' he said as he raised his hand to her neck, following with his fingers the trail of bite marks he had left yesterday. His touch burnt against her skin. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn't. It was as if her body reconized his hands, his touch. "From a little spark may burst a flame."
Shiori frowned slightly.
''Am I supposed to set myself on fire in order to be that spark?'' She asked reluctant. He smirked at her occurrence.
''No one likes to think of how much blood it costs. But the path to paradise begins in hell." He answered calmly, lowering his hand once again. He let the words sink on her. She looked away. ''Of course that includes me too'' He added. She raised her head again. ''If I need to, I'll also make sacrifices''
''Would you give your life away for it?'' Shiori asked in a whisper.
''What better reason is there to give your life for, other than what you think it's right?'' He asked her. She nodded slightly.
''I guess you have a point…''
Makishima took a step back and offered her his hand. She looked at it. That was it. The crucial moment where she should decide which side was she on.
There is no turning back now, I have already wandered off too far.
She breathed deeply before finally taking his hand and walking away from the edge.
''Remember tonight…'' He began to say.
''For it is the beginning of always'' She finished.
There was no turning back now.
Well, that was al for today! I hope you have enjoyed! It certanly was a very interesting chapter to write for me. Now the story has finally reached a point of no return. Shiori is all in. We'll see how that works for her. They also have to 'talk' about last night...
As you might have noticed, in this chapter both Shiori and Makishima quote Dante Alighieri, more especifically , they quote dialogue from his famous book The Divine comedy. This book has three 'parts', the first one being Inferno. When Makishima says ''It depends on your conception of hell'' (1) he is refering to that. When he says 'hell', he is establishing the connection between Dante and his book Divine comedy: Inferno.
Anyway, remember to review and let me know what you thought of it. It always helps and brings a smile to my face!
See you around~
