Jail Cell - Real World Yoshiki
Cold eyes inspect me through the bars of the jail cell.
Midzuki Magari. Speak of the devil… I saw her when I went to Saenoki Naho's school to find Niwa. Shinozaki had already left for Heavenly Host with Misuto, and the only other person I knew who had a pair of Ever After stones was Niwa Aiko.
I saw a teacher talking to her about the missing Saenoki and someone called Ooue. There, I saw her with the Ever After stones Niwa was supposed to have. After threatening to kill me, and punching me in the stomach, I followed her around for a while, looking for a chance to steal the stones. Failing that, I'd hitch a ride when she tried to use them.
In the end, I ended up using the hitch a ride option, and travelled to Heavenly Host with her.
"Trapped like a rat in a cage." She smirks. "You almost make this too easy for me."
I gulp. Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes aren't.
When I hitched a ride to Heavenly Host, I just grabbed onto whatever I could hold on to. According to her, one of the things I grabbed were her breasts. Because of that, she promised to kill me after she was finished with Misuto.
"What shall I do, I wonder?" The scythe clinks as she rests it on her shoulder. "Have any preferences?"
My hands clench into fists.
"Wasn't that all water under the bridge?" My voice shakes a little. Chills crawl up my arms and back, as if the icy fire in her eyes has spread to my body.
"It's TPO. Killing you back then would have ruined the moment." She snorts. "But now, we don't have an arcane dimension of death and destruction closing in on us, nor a girl who's been accepted by the Book of Shadows to sadden." Her heel clacks as she steps closer to the bars. "It's been a rough week for me." A euphoric smile plays across her face. "I want to take this slow."
My body shudders. Fear. Instinct makes me step away from her. I don't know the details, but her intentions are obvious. She's going to kill me. Like a cat toying with a mouse, she's going to bat me around before tearing me apart.
I grit my teeth. No, calm down. She's in a public place. This is just a bluff. We're in a police station. If she makes too much noise, someone's going to notice. Anyways, I haven't seen her actually kill anyone. The worst I've ever seen her do is knock out a couple of punks, then strangle some random girl.
Calm down. Panicking won't get me out of this.
"What are you doing here?" I meet her gaze. "You going after the Book of Shadows again?"
"What if I am? There's nothing a normal like you can do, especially after getting locked up like this." She gestures at the cell door. "Anyways, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?"
Her smile sends another shiver down my back. Calm down. She can't do anything here.
"You seriously going to try something here?" She pauses. Good. "We're in a police station. Sure, I'm stuck behind bars, but you can't get to me either." She stares at me, silently. "If you're going to do anything, you're gonna have to deal with that door fi-"
White, red, black. A tricolored blur races toward me. I dive to the side, and a metal clang rings behind me. Magari's scythe extends over my head, its blade buried in the cot at the back of the cell.
"What was that about the door?" She raises an eyebrow. "You're not taking me seriously, are you?" Her eyes are narrowed, her tone bored. "You're not taking the Maltuva seriously, are you?"
Yeah… figures. She got a scythe like that through a police station. She's got nothing to fear from the officers in this building.
"Anyways, since you're here, that means that girl made it back too, right?" She tilts her head. "Did she have it? The Book of Shadows."
"What's it to you?" Dusting myself off, I stand up again. "You've been calling her, 'that girl this' or 'that girl that'. Do you even remember her name?"
She hasn't said Shinozaki's name. I don't know whether she's just dancing around the subject, or she can't remember it. However, whichever it is, I can't let her get to Shinozaki. The Book of Shadows said something about her existence being erased. The memories of those who died in Heavenly Host couldn't be recollected by most people. Could Shinozaki have been erased from Magari's memories as well?
"Shinozaki Ayumi." Her reply was instantaneous. "What's wrong?" She snickers at my expression. "Did you seriously think I'd forget? I'm a Master of the 2nd degree. Tampering with my memories isn't so easy."
I can feel my blood grow cold. She knows Shinozaki's name. She still has her memories. She knows where Shinozaki lives.
Magari snickers again at my face, before looking to the side.
"Well, in the end, it doesn't matter if she has it or not." She says to herself. "A book held by someone who's virtually non-existent is hard to find. However…" Her eyes flick back to me. "It would be an interesting ingredient to work with. I suppose, as long as death isn't involved, the Book of Shadows won't make too much of a fuss. Perhaps I should recover them both, just in case."
Ingredient? It?
"Hey, who the hell are you talking about?" I feel myself stumbling forwards. The pronoun she's using doesn't make sense.
"Don't worry." She comes closer to the bars. "Your Ayumi will be in safe hands. At least, more than she could ever be in yours." A pink tongue licks pink lips. "I'll make good use of her."
"YOU-!"
I grab at her. The chill of fear is gone. Burning rage takes its place.
*CLANG
The sound of something metal on metal rings throughout the cell. My hands slip of her shoulders. The heat I felt swiftly leaves my bodywith my strength. I can't breathe. It's as if my lungs are paralyzed. Deoxygenated blood quickly fills my veins, dulling my vision and numbing the few muscles I could still control.
Slowly, my head droops. A red puddle spreads across the floor. I hear a grunt, followed by a metallic screech. At the same time, the world turns sideways. The floor rushes up to me. Blood splashes as I land, spattering the walls with crimson drops.
A blood stained scythe, poking in between the bars of the cell, reflects my face. Shock, that's all that's there. An almost stupidly surprised look is on my face.
Dammit, I can't even muster the strength to change it.
The scythe retreats between the bars, and the clack of Magari's heels fade down the hallway.
Cold… everything is cold… Colors turn grey. Sounds blur together. … Shinoza-
I duck immediately. Even as my head bangs against the bars, something whooshes above me.
*CLANG
The same sound as before, but a different sound quickly follows.
*CLANG CLING CLANG
A series of metal clashes. The door shakes violently with each one.
"Wha-?"
I don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand.
But, I don't have time for that.
I look up. Magari's scythe shakes above me. The door buckles and twist with every motion. In an instant, she had ripped the scythe out of the cot, turned it 90°, and dragged it back to her like a guillotine.
The door groans again as it bends. Her weapon is literally buried in the door; the blade almost halfway through the metal. Another violent yank sends concrete dust into the air. Magari is pulling the door off its hinges.
Monstrous. I knew she was strong, but this is insane. Cement and metal grind against each other as she yanks again. The lock lets out a scream as its insides pop out of its casing. The entire thing is barely holding together; the few screws still embedded in the wall slip again, releasing powdered cement into the air as the twisted edges of the door gouge deeper into the doorframe.
I can't stay here. The moment she steps into this cell is the moment I die. I can't fight something like that. Escape. That's my only option.
The door gives another few inches. Stone and metal grate against each other painfully.
I need to get away from Magari. I need to get out of this police station, and get to a place with as many people as possible. Hopefully, she won't be able to kill me in public. If that doesn't work… No, don't think about it.
I'll dash out the moment the door opens. After that, I need to run to the end of the hallway. There's only a single door separating the cells from the main building of the police station. From there, it's only a short run to the entrance.
The door gives again. The last screw shakes and slips. I grit my teeth, and tense my legs.
*GRRRRRRKKK… BANG!
I dash out as Magari tears off the door. Fragments of cement hit me as I duck past her. Like a sprinter, I launch myself down the hallway. A series of bangs begin behind me. Instinct makes me sneak a look. She's beating her weapon against the hallway, trying to free it from the mangled door. Every swing leaves gashes and craters against the floor and walls.
Turning back, I …
hear a whistling noise is followed by a dull thunk. My body jerks forward suddenly, before collapsing on the ground. Pain explodes moments afterwards. I can't feel my legs. My arms aren't responding. I choke, and blood sprays out with my cough. Can't breathe… Ca-
I dive to the ground. A shadow whistles overhead.
*WHAM!
The mangled remains of the door embeds itself in the wall in front of me. It doesn't even look like a door anymore, just a tangled mess of metal bars in some sort of frame.
A heel clacks behind me.
Fear forces strength through my limbs. I scramble to my feet and sprint the rest of the way down the hallway. Slamming my body into the door forces it open. There's a guard at a desk in front of me, but he doesn't even blink at the bang of the door against the wall.
"Shit!" Swearing, I keep running. Are these guys all Magari's, or did she's put some sort of spell on them?
I pass a few other officers as I sprint through the station. Not a single one bats an eye as I pass.
Finally, I burst out of the police station. It's night. There aren't many people around.
Grimacing, I turn and run towards the city center. Hopefully the night life there will protect me.
…
…
…
"Huff, Haa, dammit…" Out of breath, I collapse against the wall of an office building. I made it into the city center. There are still a few people out, either coming from or going to late shift at work. A dark alley filled with trash cans lies behind me.
Sweat streams down my brow and back as I pant. The cold cement saps the excess heat from my body as I recover my breath. I've lost Magari, but I have no idea for how long. Worst case scenario, she could be waiting for me at my apartment. I might want to stay the night at an internet café or somewhere with other people nearby. After that, what do I do?
I scratch my head and look up at the sky.
Magari's coming to kill me. From what I saw at the police station, there's not much I can do besides run.
Just how did she find me in the first place? Did she have a mole in the police, or was it by chance? No, the way she talked sounded as if she was expecting me. That means someone must have told her I was there. In other words, she must have had a mole. But, if that's true, then she only found out about me because I got caught by the police…
Could that mean that, as long as I don't get caught again, she doesn't know where I am? No, that's not right either. It wasn't that she didn't know where I was. She didn't expect that I existed. Christ, she even asked me if the fact that I managed to return meant Shinozaki was back as well. She didn't know that we'd made it back. But, if that's true…
I grimace, and pound the wall.
Dammit! She knows that Shinozaki is back as well. She even said she might go and kidnap her. Shit. Maybe losing her wasn't such a good idea after all. For all I know, she could be at Shinozaki's house right now.
"SHIT!" I kick a trash can next to me.
If Magari gets to Shinozaki, it's all over. Shinozaki can't run, she can't hide. She can't do anything to stop her. Even if she's the master of the Book of Shadows or whatever, there's nothing she can do to protect herself from Magari in that state.
My mind races furiously. If it's come to this, I need to get back to Shinozaki ASAP. I might not be able to fight Magari, but I can sure as hell carry Shinozaki on my back and run. I might have to do a break and entry in order to do that, but now's not the time to-
Something touches my shoulder. Instinctively, I turn in the direction it's from. A hand peeks out of the dark alley. Black ribbons crisscross white skin, holding two halves of a sleeve together around it. A sky blue ribbon is wrapped around the wrist. Slender fingers rest gently on my shoulder. Then they curl.
"GNNGH?!" They dig into my shoulder like teeth. I feel flesh being rearranged under skin, and the sound of bones creaking.
"Found you." A sing song voice echoes from the blackness, then I'm dragged into it. My body briefly sails through the air, before smashing into the asphalt of the alley.
"GAHAH!" I cough. The world spins, and the back of my head feels wet. I can't stand.
"So, do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?" Magari smiles down at me. Her left arm covers her chest as her scythe rests on her shoulder; reflecting the crescent moon above.
"What..." I grimace. My head still pounds. Christ, I can't even stop my vision from blurring. "What're you talking about?" Forcing myself to sit up, I feel my limbs shaking. Dammit. Looks like I hit my head a lot harder than I thought.
"Don't play coy with me." Her smile drops off her face as her tone goes below freezing. "A normal person wouldn't be able to survive me, even if they're a survivor of Heavenly Host." She swings her scythe off her shoulder, placing the blade under my chin. "You avoided a killing blow from me, twice. That's a bit more than a fluke, don't you think?"
I gulp. My Adam's apple presses against the metal painfully as I do.
I don't know. I don't know what she's talking about. Even I don't know what the hell happened back there. Thinking about it makes me wince, as if someone had locked my head in a vice.
Magari's blue eyes study me for a moment, before smiling and pulling back her blade from my neck.
"Congratulations. I'll let you live a bit longer. You only get Foie Gras from properly fattened geese, after all." Twirling her scythe like a baton, she rests it on her shoulder again. "Saenoki Naho looked like a failure when I first saw her, but she ended up being the most enjoyable form of entertainment I've had in a while."
"What?" Grimacing, I pick myself off the floor. Headaches continue bleaching and blurring my vision as I rise.
"I'm saying you can go now." She narrows her eyes at me as she smirks. "I'm still going kill you, but it'd be a waste to do it now."
I take a step backwards, and immediately collapse against a wall for support. Shit. My balance is still out of whack.
"Well then, have a safe trip home." Magari's golden twin tails trail behind her as she turns around.
"Wait…" I call out to her, and she stops.
"Don't you dare get close to Shinozaki." She twitches in response, and turns back to me.
"GUH!" My air way shuts. The world drops away from me. I gag again as Magari lifts me off the ground by my neck. Moments later, I hear her scythe clatter against the ground.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, huh?" Her lips curl as she glares at me. White teeth flash in the moonlight, like the fangs of some nocturnal predator.
"Gnngh!" I tug at her fingers with both hands, but they don't budge an inch.
"I warned you earlier, didn't I? Don't fuck with the Maltuva. Killing you and taking everything you care about would be easier than taking candy from a baby."
Her grip tightens. My eyes bug out as she strangles me. Spittle and snot start dribbling out messily as she cuts off my airway. Suddenly, she drops me. My legs collapse underneath me as I descend into a coughing fit.
"You're being allowed to live, by me." I continue coughing on the ground as she picks up her scythe. Sparks flash as the blade scrapes against the asphalt. "Make sure you remember that before trying to order me around." Her heels clack again as she starts to walk away.
"Wait… please." I grunt, and force myself to my feet. Magari sighs heavily with her shoulders, before turning back to me. Her left arm remains at her chest. Now that I think about it, she's had that arm covering her chest this entire time, even when she was strangling me.
"You're not a very smart, are you? Even a beast knows when to stay down." Bored. That's the expression on her face. She's thinking of killing me, just because I'm annoying to her.
"Who else… knows about Shinozaki?" I stammer out. If Shinozaki's in danger, I need to know. She watches me coldly, before smiling.
"Nobody at the moment, but that could easily change." She smiles. "It wouldn't even have to be oral. A single forum post, or even a video would be enough." She narrows her eyes at me. "If that happened, I wonder whose dominion Ayumi would be happier under."
My fists clench. This girl's rotten to the core. What she's saying is she can spread Shinozaki's location in an instant, and in a way I can't stop. I'm not strong enough to protect her, and I can't run forever. The only safety she has is her anonymity.
"Well, if she were under mine, I'd let you watch over her." She chuckles. "Imagining how horridly your face would twist as I pull her apart, bit by bit… exciting."
"You- …!" I start to swing at her, but the clink of Magari's scythe against my neck stops me.
"You're on a timer." She forces my chin upwards with her weapon. "I'm letting you live to alleviate my boredom. Disappoint me, and I might let something slip." Cold metal digs into my skin.
My teeth grind together. Magari… you…
"Anyways, having another player at the table is only fun if they're worth some sport. Anything else is just a waste of time." The scythe leaves my neck, and she turns away from for the 3rd time this night.
"Fatten up soon, little goosey. There's a banquet that needs preparing, and I need some good meat for it."
As she walks out of the alley, I notice something fluttering in the wind. The back of her costume is torn, and flaps around in the night air.
"… dammit…" I sigh and scratch my head.
If you're mad I tore your outfit, then just say it already. Plus, it's your fault for not wearing a bra that you've got to keep your tits covered with your hand.
…
…
…
Finally, I get back home. I passed by Shinozaki's house on the way, just in case. Things looked quiet. The lights in the room Shinozaki was in were dark, but the ones in the living room were on. I guess her parents were having dinner there or something.
I kick off my shoes and collapse on top of the bed. Today just had too many things going on.
Finding Shinozaki, getting carted off to the police station, running from Magari… My brain's pretty much shorted out. On top of that, Magari's threating me that she'll tell people where Shinozaki is if I don't entertain her.
"Shit…" I scratch my head slowly.
My head hurts. Visions blurry. I'm about to pass out.
Well, whatever. Dealing with Magari and protecting Shinozaki need the same thing.
Power and information. Without those two, I won't be able to do anything.
"Guess I gotta find Niwa soon."
I don't know about power, but she can give me information.
"Well… that's all… for tomorrow…"
Blackness covers my vision, and I fall asleep.
…
…
…
An old wooden hallway stretches out before me. My right eye burns, and something sticky is running down my cheek. Shinozaki stands in front of me with Yuka on her back.
"Run… Shinozaki."
Stumbling out of the room I was in, I slam the sliding door shut behind me. There's no lock. I can't hold that thing in there.
"But-"
"Just go!"
Bracing myself against the door, I yell at her. Now's not the time. I don't know how long I can hold it shut.
"Who do you think I came back here for?!"
She blinks in surprise. A few moments pass as she stares at me in shock.
"I-"
*THUNK
"UGH!"
Something stabs into me from behind. My entire body tenses. Fingernails dig into the wooden door frame, and legs tremble. I look down and a mass of pink and red guts protrude out of my stomach.
*RIIIIIPP
The mass of intestines burst forward, revealing the blades of a large pair of scissors. Torn entrails fly out as blood rushes out of mouth. A bunch of pink tubes land on the floor with a gout of blood.
The scissors squirm around in my stomach before being pulled out from the hole they made in my back. I buckle. My arms cover up the bloody mess that's left of my digestive tract, as if to hold it in.
"Kishinuma-kun!"
Shinozaki's mouth gapes in horror. Goddammit…
"Just… JUST GO!"
Something shatters behind me. Tinkling glass and splintering wood. Pain erupts from the back of my skull and-
"GUH!" A white ceiling greets me. Morning sunlight streams in from between the curtains. I'm in my room, not in front of the science lab of Heavenly Host.
"Ulp?!" Nausea. I dash to the toilet before vomiting into it. Yellow tinged fluid pours out of mouth into the bowl. Figures. I haven't eaten anything since I got back.
"Ugh!" My head pounds, and it's not just from throwing up.
"Worst start to the day." Muttering to myself, I spit into the bowl and head over to the sink.
I've got a shitload of stuff I need to do today. Now's not the time to be thinking of nightmares.
…
…
…
'Free Shinozaki: Limited Offer! Go to this addresses to collect one young virgin girl! Book of Shadows included!'
Midzuki Magari smirks in satisfaction at the screen in front of her.
"What do you think, Wald?" Turning to an older man in a butler uniform, she raises an eyebrow.
"I believe it lacks class, my lady." Magari's butler, Wald, smiles gently at her.
"It's not meant for the sophisticated. Those types wouldn't be getting their information off a place like this anyways." Magari snorts as she gestures at the occult forum before her.
"Anyways, it'd be a waste to use this card this early." Pressing the delete key, Magari removes the text she had just entered into the message box. "The thing with Takai Azusa is still ongoing. Plus, there are a few other things I can try before baiting them with this."
Magari kicks back in her chair, and stretches. Around her, several individuals in maid and butler outfits stand in neat rows.
"The other heads of the Grave of Maltuva are plotting to deal with me. Since they've managed to scarper off with most of the following, I need to start weakening them before taking over."
"Is that why you let that boy live, my lady?" Wald's expression doesn't change. It remains the same gentle smile he always has.
"Partially, but he's pretty useless at the moment." Sighing, she palms her forehead. "I guess I need to keep my hands off of Ayumi while he grows."
"That is troublesome indeed, my lady."
"It can't be helped. He won't function without her." Looking up, Magari stares at something beyond the computer screen. "Removing her means taking him out of the game as well." Blue eyes cross over a large map of Tokyo. Cultist activities, and spiritual events are pinned onto it. The highlights of what her information network has collected on the activities of the Grave of Maltuva. "That's why I need to keep her alive. Plus, that girl showed her mettle in the end. I owe her that much at least."
"As you wish, my lady." Wald nods in agreement, as Magari returns to staring at the computer.
"Looks like things are getting interesting again." She smirks.
