Crimso's Notes:
I. Hate. Analyzing. Quotes. I do believe two Green-Eyed Demon chapter started with the same thing. But it's true. I have nothing to do until my teacher comes to review the changes to my notes. Hence, this. This is my second in-class essay for this book. And this time, we have to choose our question instead of using one the teacher provided for us. Well, he gave us five, and we had to choose from one of those. I didn't know the answer to half of them, so I chose the first one. Gosh, I hope it turns out all right. I'm tired. I spilled pickle juice on my only shirt last night, so I slept smelling like pickles.
One: This chapter is going to be slow. The next chapter, not so much.
~~~~X~~~~
Chapter Twenty: Darkest Hour
The village was in a state of panic from the announcement from the day before, and needless to say, Keiichi and his friends were concerned as well. Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi had spent the whole day trying to upgrade the security of their demon storage, although it was tough for them to do so. There were so many things they had to consider, like the fact that the man was able to murder eight demons AND steal forty-three others. What they were dealing with was a master thief and a master murderer. They had to be careful.
The Furude family had put out their strongest demons, which were now guarding the place like a vulture would guard its prey. They had kept the head demon, Kaede, on watch of things rather than fighting. She would alert someone if the thief appeared, rather than risking her life. It would be hard to kill off one of the head demons, but the man had gotten by Kai, possibly wounding him.
Keiichi gulped as he played with the collar of his shirt. If they had Kai, that meant they would be extra powerful. The murder was now Kai's master, and they could control him. Kai obeyed every order without question. So if the murderer were to order Kai to kill off all of Onigafuchi, he wouldn't hesitate to do so. He knew from what Rika told him that her head demon, Kaede, would be able to put up a good fight, though he wasn't sure with forty-three other demons to back him up. Then again, Rika DID say she had thirty-five, and Keiichi had Mion and Shion to help him.
Whatever may happen, everyone knew that Onigafuchi was in a state of grave danger with a murderer on the loose, who could apparently kill demons and had forty-three to help him.
"Perhaps it could connect to the kidnappings," Keiichi commented as he scribbled down the answers to a math problem. Class hasn't started yet, and with all the terror last night, he had forgotten about his math homework. Now, he was using his spare time to do so before Chie came in. "You know, the ones with the little children."
Rena nodded in response as she looked down at her desk, drumming her fingers on it absentmindedly. "I think so, too. Of course, he's not using the children to kill anyone, but…" Rena looked up and glanced about the room. "For some reason… the room seems so… empty."
Keiichi looked up as well, and noticed that Rena was right. He counted the number of children in the room. There used to be twenty children (not including him), so minus his five friends, himself, and the child that was kidnapped before, there should be fourteen young children.
There were only ten.
"…Do you think they'll come in?" Keiichi asked as he stared at the commotion going on in the classroom. A few students stood there, chatting amongst themselves about their missing friends. From what he could pick up, they hadn't heard from any of them the night before. That thought scared Keiichi. It only added to the likelihood that they had been kidnapped, or even worse, killed.
Rena sighed. "…I doubt it." She didn't even try to be optimistic about the situation. With all that had been going on, no one in Onigafuchi seemed happy. "They're probably gone…"
It was a harsh truth, but Keiichi realized that Rena was probably right and that they would have to accept it. The four children probably weren't going to come in. The kidnapper, who may or may not be the same person as the guy who murdered eight demons and Kimiyoshi, had probably gotten to them already. Looking at the desk before him, he was relieved to see that Satoko was still there, chatting to a concerned Rika. She looked a little afraid, but seeing as she was still very young, she had every right to be. No, that wasn't it. Everyone had every right to be afraid right now.
Chie walked in, and whatever chatter was going on stopped. There weren't many people talking, anyways, due to the lack of students and the fact that a lot of children decided that they wouldn't say a word. Satoshi and Takeru were both silent, while Satoko and Rika had been chattering. Keiichi and Rena had been, too, though silently.
"I'm going to take attendance," she spoke, looking at the number of children in her class. She noticed right away that the number was lacking, and it was no surprise to her. She knew something like this was going to happen, considering the whole incident with Kimiyoshi the day before. "If I call your name, please speak up. And be loud, please. Furude-san?"
"Here!" cried Rika.
Chie checked her off. "Houjou Satoko-san?" she called out.
Satoko raised her hand high into the air. "I'm here!"
She nodded, and then began to go down the list further. Just as expected, it came out that four children didn't show up. Chie sighed and shook her head when she realized this. "This is the largest amount yet. …They've only been picking the children off one by one… and yet…" she paused. "Please stay here while I contact their parents."
She walked out of the room immediately. As she did so, Keiichi could have sworn he saw a small tear trickle down her face.
"Hey, Rena, did you see that?" Keiichi whispered to the girl next to him. "Was she crying?"
Rena nodded. "I saw that. I'm not surprised. Chie-sensei thinks it's her job to take care of the students, and whenever this happens, she believes she has failed. Especially since four are gone right now…" she whispered back to him, her mind drifting off to previous memories. "Like when the first child disappeared, she was devastated. When the second one disappeared, it was the same. After the third, the reaction was less extreme, but that didn't mean Chie didn't think she failed as a teacher. She always feels this way, Keiichi-kun." Rena sighed. "It's not her fault, though. She only watches them for the time they're at school. When they're at home, it's their parent's job to be on watch."
"But why? Why would anyone want to snatch up children?" Keiichi asked.
Rena shook her head. "But I have noticed something, Keiichi-kun. I don't know if you noticed, since there's only been one kidnapping before this since you came." She nodded. "You probably don't know about this. I realized last night that the kidnapper, whoever he is, started by picking off the younger kids first. Now, it's gradually going to the older kids. You know Kimura Yoshio? The boy who was kidnapped before? He was a little younger than the kids that are now missing."
That was certainly a clue that he hadn't noticed, and it would be helpful in figuring out the motives, though it still didn't make a whole lot of sense. What was the point in picking off the little ones first?
"That could be an important part of the puzzle," Rena spoke, not waiting for Keiichi to answer.
"But why? Why the little ones first? And how does this connect to Kimiyoshi's murder?" asked Keiichi.
Rena sighed with a shake of the head. "I don't know that, Keiichi-kun. We'll have to think about this for a little bit. And besides, the two of them are likely not to be connected at all."
That was true. There was no evidence that they were the same person, after all. Who knew what kind of events could go on in Onigafuchi? Two people may have decided to commit murder, and it was very likely there was no relation.
Chie opened the door again, walking into the silent classroom. Keiichi and Rena had really been the only people talking, aside from Rika and Satoko exchanging a few comments here and there. She cleared her throat as she stared gravely at the classmates, her expression containing no hint of happiness. "I called all four of the children's' parents. Sasaki-san is at home sick, but aside from that, all of the children's parents didn't know where their children were."
Keiichi hardly had time to feel relief for the boy who turned out to still be alive, since there were still three others that had been kidnapped, and possibly killed. What does this guy want, and why is he doing this? It doesn't make any sense!
Class continued on, but no one said anything aside from Chie. It was mostly a silent study hall, and almost no words were exchanged between students. Keiichi felt as if he should talk to Rena more about the situation, but he didn't know what to say. That aside, people would probably hear him. If he were to discuss Mion and Shion in a room as silent as this, it was possible that Takeru would overhear.
"Rena, are you free after school?" Keiichi whispered to the orange-haired girl.
Rena shook her head. "I have plans with Takeru-kun," she whispered back.
Keiichi felt a pain in his heart. He couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl. She had been making all these plans with her boyfriend, who she didn't actually care for. Staying with him must be painful for the poor girl, who didn't feel a hint of romantic love for the boy. Sure, she loved him, though that was only as a friend.
"All right. Please come over sometime, though. They would like to see you sometime again, I'm sure," he whispered back.
"Of course I will!" she whispered. "I hope everything is going okay with them!"
Keiichi nodded. Things had been going fine with the demons. He had made some good progress, and they were quite happy, even if they didn't understand what that was.
~~~~X~~~~
After school that day, Keiichi walked right home. He didn't ask to see anyone that day, as he had plans with Shion and Mion. He would take them outside again and have some fun, as he realized they hadn't been outside in a long time. His parents had called that morning, informing him that they would be coming back at five that afternoon, so the time they had together outside was limited.
I'll just need to be extra careful. With all that's been going on, it's important that I keep the two of them hidden…
He walked into his room with a sigh. It was still dark, concealing the figures of the twins, who were surely cuddled up underneath the futon, just like usual. He flickered the lights on as he contemplated what he was going to when his parents came back. He needed to keep Mion and Shion hidden at all costs. His parents were still blissfully oblivious to the fact that there were demons in the village, and if they were to see Shion and Mion, they would be able to recognize the fact that they were demons. Even if they didn't, it would still be bad. How would he explain to his parents about the situation? No parent wants to come home after a vacation to find two girls living in their son's room.
No. They would be able to find out that they were demons, because of their horns. He gulped as he remembered the word. With those horns, they would stick out and everyone would know of their true nature. He looked over to the futon, where the twins were still asleep, and walked over. It was time for them to wake up. They had been sleeping for a long time, after all.
He shook them both awake. He had no idea if they had woken up that day, but even if they did, they had probably gotten a long sleep. He was a little envious, as he would like to sleep in, too, but he realized that the twins were probably just enjoying the fact that they had a warm futon now. Mion woke up first, sitting up instantly and rubbing her green eyes.
The first thing Keiichi noticed was her horns, which had grown quite a bit since yesterday. They were now poking far out of her head, and it would be hard for anyone not to notice them. He gulped about seeing them. If he noticed that so quickly, so would everyone else. Mion nudged her sister to help her wake up, which worked for the most part. She was still drowsy, and her brain was hardly processing anything.
"Hey, sis…" Shion greeted her sister as she stretched out her arms with a great yawn. "That was a good—" She blinked. "Huh? Sis? Since when did you have those?" she asked, pointing to the set of horns her sister now had.
Mion blinked as she stared at the wall. "Huh? When did I have what?" she asked.
"Look in the mirror!" Shion cried.
Mion was confused, but she decided to comply anyways. She wandered over to the mirror in the corner of the room and blinked at her reflection. The moment she stared into the reflective glass was the moment that she noticed it. She gasped as her hands ran up to her hair and began to feel about it. A hand grasped onto a horn, her fingers wrapping around it. It was too small to be held in her whole hand, but she could get a good four fingers around it.
"Why do I have horns?" Mion asked, her voice full of shock. "I never had them before!"
Keiichi sighed. Mion too had noticed it right away. He turned to Shion, gazing at her horns, which were the same size as Mion's at the moment. "Shion, you too…" he told her gently.
Shion's hand shot and she began to run her fingers through her hair, until they hit the hardness of her right horn. She was startled, to say the least. "Me too! How did this happen? Only a few demons had horns, but they died when Oryou killed them all!"
Mion shook her head, her finger reaching to touch the point of her left horn. "I don't know. But those demons with horns were a lot older than us, sis…"
"And?" The younger green-haired twin didn't seem to catch onto what Mion was trying to say.
"What your sister is saying is that demons probably grow horns around your age. Of course, a few demons don't have horns, but," he shook his head. "Yours just hadn't grown in yet."
Mion continued to poke at them curiously, feeling their smoothness and their tips. It was strange to the girl. She never thought that she would grow in horns, and had never considered the idea that she would get them when she was older. It was a huge shock to her.
"They're not done growing yet, either. I think they'll get a lot bigger than that," Keiichi said. He himself didn't know how large they were going to get, but for their sake, he hoped that they wouldn't be too large. Hopefully they were small enough to be able to be hidden under a hat, so that they conceal what would make people think of them as nothing other than demon. A hat would help that.
Mion grabbed it again, grasping onto it tightly. "How much bigger?"
Shion looked up at the ceiling. "I think Kenji had ones that were pretty big. I think they were curved and went over his entire head…"
Keiichi winced. That didn't sound good. If they really used Kenji's blood to change them, it meant that they would have the same kind of horns, most likely. That was the reason why they had horns in the first place, after all.
"Well, do you guys want to head outside?" Keiichi asked them, deciding to change the topic. "I realize that it's been a while, so…"
As soon as he said that, he noticed that their faces had lit up with excitement. It had been a while since they tasted the fresh air and felt the warm sunlight, after all. He grinned at time and stood up, gesturing for the two of them to follow him, which they happily did.
"Just remember that the outside is dangerous for you guys. We are going behind the house, where the trees cover us mostly from view. Please be careful," he reminded they as he opened the door to the outside. He glanced about, making sure that there was definitely no one there. "Also, my parents are going to come back at five, so we have to be back inside by then. Its three now, so we have an hour and a half."
Mion blinked at the mention of his parents. "Oh yeah, I remember what that means."
Keiichi grinned at her. "Good! Maybe you'll be able to meet yours, someday."
The demon looked down at her feet. "Maybe." Keiichi could tell that, from what he had been telling her about parents and what they did, Mion really wished to see her mother and her father. Keiichi wasn't sure if such a thing would ever happen, but for her sake, he hoped so. Akane would be amazed to see her twin daughters for the first time. She had been so hurt over their supposed deaths, after all.
"Anyways," Keiichi mumbled. He looked out once again and then dashed for it. The twins ran behind him, making sure that they weren't seen.
When they arrived behind the house, the twins instantly dashed towards the flowers and began to sniff them, careful that they didn't poke them or "hurt" them too much. He recalled when Shion was worried that she had hurt the flower by poking at it. They really did feel strongly about simple things like a flower being poked or a leaf falling off the tree. It wasn't there fault, though. It was only to be expected of someone who had never been outside before.
Keiichi sighed as he leaned against a tree, watching as the two of them began to talk about the flowers. From what he could hear, they were currently observing their colors and noting that nothing else had that kind of color when they were in the basement, aside from the hair of a few demons.
When his parents came home, he knew he wouldn't be able to take them out very often. If they were to see them, the result would not be good. He would also have to confine them to their room and prevent his parents from entering there, something that broke his heart. He was doing the same thing the Sonozakis had done to them. He was preventing them from leaving a space, preventing them from seeing the outside world, which they loved so much.
The twins began to chase each other through the grass, laughing as they did so. It seemed that they were playing a small game of tag, though the two of them were constantly tagging each other and the game wasn't all that competitive. Mion's swapping places tactic didn't work when it was just she and Shion. There wasn't anyone who didn't know her strange tricks, and there weren't any to play on her sister in her first place.
"You're it now, sis!" cried Shion and she ran away from her sister as fast as she could.
"Not for long! This demon here is going to get you!" she declared as she chased her sister about the yard.
Keiichi chuckled at them. They looked as if they were having so much fun. With a smirk on his face, he ran at the two of them, surprising the both of them. He pulled Mion into Shion, though he did so gently. "Haha, it looks like you're it, Shion!" cried Keiichi as he ran from the two startled green-haired girls.
"Hey! Come back here!" cried Shion as she ran after the boy, who was wearing a victorious smirk on his face. These moments were ones Keiichi treasured. He used to be alone, caring about nothing aside from homework. And now, here he was, having fun with two great friends. It was just a simple game of tag, but it was one of those moments that Keiichi thought he'd treasure forever.
Really, such simple games could be the best parts of life.
The game continued onwards, though it was a rather lighthearted one compared to the other competitive ones. It seemed as if Mion didn't have any tricks up her sleeve yet, and Keiichi had already been anticipating the whole twin swap. She couldn't use a tactic that she had already used before! He already knew that one, so using that again would be completely useless.
After the game was over, the three of them collapsed in the grass, laughing madly.
"Ahaha! Man, Mion, you can be one vicious girl at times!" Keiichi joked. "I swear!"
Mion winked at him. "Well I wouldn't be Mion if that wasn't the case, eh?"
"I can't imagine what my sis would be like without all the competitive spirit!" laughed Shion. "She wouldn't be my sis!"
"I just said that, Shion," Mion said.
Shion just grinned at her.
Keiichi once again burst out laughing. The two of them could be so funny at times. "Man, you two! You guys are great! I'm so glad I have you two!"
The older one of the green-haired twins nodded. "I completely agree! Man, I've told you often how much you've changed my life, but I really mean it Kei-chan!" she turned her head so that she was looking into his blue eyes, a smile plastered on her face. "I like being with you a lot! Playing with you and Shion like this makes me really happy, you know that?"
Keiichi paused and let her words process for a moment. First, she had complimented him again, which was something he always enjoyed. However, the real strange thing about what she had said was the fourth sentence. Happy. She had used the word happy. She didn't know what that was, so why did she use that word? He had explained what it felt like to her, but not what the definition of it was. So why had she used a word she didn't even know the meaning of?
Mion noticed Keiichi's confusion and blinked at him. "Kei-chan?"
"…Mion, about what you said…" he spoke. "You mentioned the word happy… even though that's an emotion and you don't know what that means…"
Much to his surprise, however, Mion just laughed at this. "Oh, you're so silly, Kei-chan! You told us what it was and how it felt. You don't need to describe it! I know what it means just by the way it feels! Happy, I'm happy!" she cried out, a huge smile on her face. "Wow, I don't think I've ever been this happy before! Thanks, Kei-chan!"
Keiichi blinked in surprise, and then looked to Shion. "Are you happy, too? Do you know what it means?"
Shion nodded, a smile on her face. "Of course I'm happy! Thanks for taking us out here!" she replied.
Shock filled him. They had figured out what it was all on their own! He remembered being so caught up in trying to describe happiness to them, not knowing how to do so as happiness wasn't something that was taught to him, just something he felt and was given the name of. It was the same for the demons. He gave them a feeling and placed a name on it, and they were able to know what it meant just from that.
Man… I'm so stupid. They're no different from humans, so why do they need an explanation of what happiness is?
Keiichi grinned at them. "Well, I'm glad I managed to do that! And you're welcome!"
And once again, three of them laughed.
He had done his job well. Mion and Shion now knew what happiness was, and they weren't far away from the rest. However, there were a few more concepts they had to grasp. They didn't understand what sorrow was, though it was possible that he could teach them the same way he taught them what happiness was. However, there were a few more things that would be rocky. …How was he going to explain the concept of love to them? They didn't understand it when he tried to explain it. It would be a hard concept for them, and he knew the road was going to be tricky.
Well, whatever it may be, he would get through it. Yes, he was just that much closer to achieving his goal…
And unfortunately, while they were laughing, they didn't noticed what was within the forest. A single shadow was standing within the trees, watching the three of them with narrow eyes. She gazed at the two demons on his left and right, analyzing their looks carefully.
"…It looks like I've found them," she whispered to herself. "The two stolen Sonozaki demons… it looks like he was right about their whereabouts after all." She grinned. "The Sonozaki head shall be pleased with me."
~~~~X~~~~
It was five-thirty when Keiichi's parents returned from their trip. His mother had come in with a bag in her hand, which he assumed was full of food, and his father was carrying a few random objects he had bought from his trip. Keiichi had been sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea he had made for himself. He had placed Mion and Shion upstairs, telling them about what they needed to do in order to avoid his parents finding out about them. He hated having to lock them up in his room and allow no escape, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Mom! Dad!" greeted Keiichi as he got up from his seat table. It had been a while since he had seen his parents, and it was comforting to be near them again.
"Ah, Keiichi!" cried his dad instantly, waling over to greet his son. He opened up his arms, expecting a giant embrace from his son. But when he didn't receive such, he went and gave Keiichi one instead, squeezing his son tightly. "Oh, how much you've grown since your mother and I left for the town! You may as well be a man now!" he cried out.
Keiichi nodded, wincing. He loved his dad, but he didn't particularly like being squeezed half to death. "I haven't… Gah! I haven't grown at all!" he choked out. "It hasn't been that long!"
His mother walked up to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dear, don't squeeze him too tight. He looks like he's in pain…"
His father laughed and released his son from the tight embrace, allowing his son to stumble backwards. "But it's been a while since I've seen my lovely son! How are you?"
Keiichi grinned at him. "Ah, I'm fine. Things have been going well around here! I've been with my friends most of the time. I'm sick of eating instant ramen, though…" he joked, rubbing the back of his head as he thought about the stuff. Just the thought of the flavor made him cringe. He had had too much of that stuff in the last few days.
His mother smiled. "Well, I'll be glad to give you a good meal tonight! Anyways, hello dear! I'm glad to see that things have been okay for you. Having fun with your friends?"
Keiichi nodded. "A whole bunch!" he cried out. "The people are awesome here."
His father grew a suggestive smirk on his face, grinning. "Oh, Keiichi? Have you perhaps met a girl that you fell in love with?" he asked him.
"W-W-What? !" cried Keiichi.
That smirk refused to disappear, even after Keiichi had spoken. "Tell me all about it! Is it a cute young girl your age? Or have you fallen for someone a little older? Is she taller or shorter than you? Was it love at first sight, or was it gradual? Have you kissed yet?" he patted his son on the back as he let out a large laugh. "Don't worry, you can tell your father everything!"
Keiichi grumbled about how he hadn't gotten a girlfriend yet. The only girl he had his age in his school was Rena, and she had Takeru, even though she didn't care for him. He had no interest in her romantically, anyways. Mion and Shion, on the other hand, were both open to him. He could feel his cheeks fluster a little, but he tried to shake the thought out of his mind so his father wouldn't notice.
However, he did so too late. His father had already noticed that slight blush, and being his father, he didn't pretend not to notice. "Oh, you're blushing! Tell me all about her!"
He was about to argue back, but his mother intervened before anything happened. "Dear, please. If he doesn't want to speak, he doesn't have to." But then she turned to him, smiling. "Do tell your mother about your lover when you find the perfect someone, though! I'm sure she'll be a fine lady."
Keiichi buried his face into his hands. He wished his parents wouldn't bring up such awkward topics.
"But anyways, Keiichi, tell me about how you've been enjoying the village so far. Is it better than you imagined?" she asked him.
Keiichi nodded. "I feel bad about not wanting to come here before. It's a really wonderful place."
"I'm glad," his mother responded. "And I suppose you've given up on that silly idea that this village is infested by demons?"
The brown-haired boy felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't tell them that the truth was that there really were demons where they lived, and that there were two staying in his room right now. Although on the inside, Keiichi couldn't help but wonder how his parents hadn't found out yet. It was everywhere, after all. Keiichi had found out after a few days and his friends had given up on the idea of hiding that fact from him, finding that it was useless. At one point or another, his parents would realize the truth about the village.
"Ah, yes," he lied. "Don't worry about silly old me now! I was acting a little funny, now wasn't I?"
Keiichi's father nodded. "I'm glad you gave up on that idea, and that you can just enjoy the village now. Demons don't exist, after all! Only in horror movies," he replied, giving him a reassuring thumb up.
Oh, Dad, you can't be more wrong…
"Anyways, what would you like for dinner, Keiichi?" asked his mother as she walked over to the kitchen. "I think you deserve a nice, well-cooked dinner. I'll throw away any extra instant ramen there may be. I'm sure you're sick of the taste by now."
Oh, how right she was. The thought of instant ramen made him want to throw up. Being treated to a nice dinner by his mother would be the best thing possible right now. It had been a while since he had tasted her wonderful cooking, after all. He could feel his mouth water as he envisioned the many things his mother had made for him in the past.
"Anything you want in particular?" Keiichi's mother asked as she pulled out a few basic ingredients from the fridge. "I'll cook whatever you wish for."
Keiichi licked his lips, a thousand pictures of different meals popping into his mind at the same time. How was he supposed to decide between them? "Anything is fine, as long as it's not instant ramen," he replied.
His mother laughed. "Of course not, dear."
Keiichi nodded and ran to the table, taking a seat at it as he pondered what was to happen now that his parents had returned. He had to prevent them from coming in his room somehow. Really, how was he going to explain Shion and Mion's presence to his parents? "Hey, mom? Dad? I have a request."
His father, who had taken a seat right next to him, looked up at him. "What would that be, my son?"
"Could you… perhaps… not go into my room unless I say so? Not even to wake me up?" he asked them as politely as he could.
His father's face was full with shock. "Eh?"
Keiichi felt a lump of lead in his throat. "…I just want some privacy. I can wake myself up on time, now. I've learned how to when you were away," he explained to them.
Keiichi's father blinked at his son. "Well, if that's what you want, son. I can't say no to that. That would just be plain rude."
"It's fine with me too, dear," his mother's voice called out from the kitchen as she began to chop a few vegetables. "I understand."
The brown-haired boy felt relief grow within him. That would make things much easier.
"Thanks, dad."
The two of them continued to talk a little as they waited for dinner to arrive. His father kept asking him about his friends, and Keiichi answered almost every question he could about them. He, of course, omitted any details involving the nature of Onigafuchi. He tried his best not to mention demons or anything of that nature. His parents would find out eventually, but he didn't want to be the one to break the news to them. He wouldn't know how to explain it to them, anyways.
He was tempted to mention Mion and Shion a few times, but he realized he had to hold back from doing so. If he mentioned them and his parents met his friends later, they would wonder where the two identical twins were. They were good friends of his, but he had to keep their existence a secret for now. Perhaps the day would come when he could introduce them to his friends, and then they could live happily from then on.
He sighed at the idea. Hopefully it would happen…
After a while, his mother set three dishes on the table. She had made a perfectly well cooked slab of meat, and it looked delicious. He supposed it was one of the ingredients that had been in the bag she was carrying when she walked in. He licked his lips as he looked at it, holding his fork and knife above the piece of meat. His tongue was dying to taste his mother's food again.
His mother sat down, smiling. "Well then, let's eat!"
Keiichi dug into his steak without thinking, his mouth finally touching some quality food. He continued to dig into it. His tongue was completely in love with the taste of the meat. His mother was a true master chef.
"Oh, how wonderful your mother's cooking is!" cried his father as he too dug into the meat. "She is a true chef! Compliment her, Keiichi!"
Keiichi smiled at his mother. "Thank you, mom!" he managed to cry out before he dug into the meat once again.
His mother laughed. "Oh, I'm so happy! Thank you!"
"As expected from Aiko! Oh, what a lovely steak you make! I bet Keiichi is so happy to have this rather than that old instant ramen!" cried his father.
Keiichi grumbled. He didn't want anyone to mention that again, now that he was enjoying a perfectly good meal.
"So, how are your friends at cooking?" his father asked after swallowing a mouthful of meat.
"Oh, they're great! Rena's a master chef. I think she rivals mom at that!" he replied before sipping some of his water. After the water had gone down, he continued. "She can make a work of art out of a piece of food. It doesn't just taste good! It also looks really nice. She can make food look cute enough for her to want to take home!"
His mother cut her steak slowly, finely. "Ah, you've told me about her wanting to take cute things home. She likes trying to take home those two young girls, hm? What were their names?"
"Satoko and Rika," he answered, cutting into his steak as well. "Rika's a good girl in every single way. She's so cute, and she is always nice to everyone. Satoko, on the other hand… well… she's a trickster! A real trickster! She likes setting up tricks and then pretending to be completely innocent. She's gotten me way too many times!" He laughed at the thought. He couldn't even count the number of times she had trapped him. "But you know what? Even so, she's fun to be around and a irreplaceable part of our group."
"They both sound like wonderful people," commented his mother.
Keiichi grinned. "Yup! Everyone in my group of friends is irreplaceable. Satoshi is Satoko's older brother. He's kind of quiet at times, but I don't think our group of friends would ever be complete without him! And it's not only him, but Takeru, too. He's kind of a leader type, I guess. He's dating Rena."
Keiichi's father raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you jealous of him?"
He shook his head. "Rena's a good friend. I wouldn't ever date her."
"Oh? Well tell me when you find the perfect girl! Your father would love to hear about her!" his father commented, once again getting to the subject of girls. It really did seem like he was trying to embarrass his son.
Keiichi's face grew red and started at his father, an irritated look on his face. "S-Shut up!" he cried out, jokingly punching his father in the gut.
"Ah, don't do that Keiichi! Your father was just curious! I just to know about what kind of pretty girl my son will someday fall in love with and mar—" His sentence was interrupted when Keiichi sent another punch to his stomach. "Ow! That hurt!"
"I told you not to talk about this right now, dad!" cried Keiichi.
His father laughed. "Your father will be silent, then!"
The meal continued on, and the family had quite a bit of fun talking with each other. Keiichi couldn't remember having such a fun conversation with his parents before. It had all been about schoolwork and grades before. Now, they could actually speak about interesting topics, ones that would be considered much more fun. He sighed as he walked up the stairs to his room, stretching out his limbs. It was now late, as the time it took to cook the meal and the time they spent talking and eating had been a while.
He entered his room, collapsing down on the futon and snuggling into the covers. Yes, things would change with his parents here…
"Kei-chan?" Mion's voice rang out.
Keiichi shot up. "Mion?" he replied. "Ah, where's Shion?"
"Asleep," she answered, pointing to the futon. Shion was indeed asleep in the futon. "I was asleep, too, but then you started talking with your parents and I woke up."
Keiichi blinked. "Ah, sorry."
She shook her head. "It's fine." She paused for a moment, not saying anything for a good while. He just stared at her for a while, looking into her green eyes. "You sounded like you were having a lot of fun. Are parents usually like that? Are they usually that fun to be around? Do you usually have conversations like that?" she asked him.
He wasn't sure how to answer that. This was his first time having such a fun-filled conversation, but he was sure other children went through such conversations as well. Most kids weren't so concerned about grades, like he was when he was younger. "Yeah, parents often have fun conversations with their children. We had a lot of fun together. This is my first time talking to them about this, though."
"Ah." She said nothing again for a few moments. "You were talking about your friends. They sound nice… are they really fun to be around, too?"
Keiichi nodded, a huge grin breaking across his face. "Of course they are! We have this huge group, and they're all a bunch of fun to be around! I'm sure you heard all about them from our conversation. There's Rena, you know her, and then there's Rika, the cute nice girl. There's also Satoko, her best friend, who is a real trickster. Heh, with your tactics, Mion, you would go nicely along with her! Satoshi is there, too. He's silent, but he's really kind and fun to talk to." He paused before he mentioned Takeru. They probably knew him, and he didn't want to mention him, as he was a part of the Sonozaki family. "We're a great group!"
Mion nodded. "I see," she replied. She didn't seem to have much to say about the subject, and left to return to her futon after he had explained things to her.
However, when Keiichi thought about it, he realized she had looked sad when he was talking about his friends and his parents. In fact, she almost looked jealous of the fact that he had so many friends, that he could always be with his parents. It made Keiichi hate himself for saying such things. He should have realized it, after all. Mion only had him, her sister, and Rena. Her parents didn't even know she was alive, and she hadn't ever gotten a single glance their faces.
I should watch what I say around her.
It just fueled his desire some more. He had to find some way to get her to her mother, even if that meant risking both her and himself.
~~~~X~~~~
Onigafuchi was dark, as the gray clouds were almost completely covering the sky. Satoko was wandering through the forest, having finished her job at the Furude demon storage. She had insisted that she went to clean out a cell all by herself, as Rika was exhausted from the day before, and she felt as if she had been putting too much work on her brother. So, she had spent the last thirty minutes cleaning out a cell that had been emptied for her, all by herself. She hummed a small tune to herself as she went along. She was proud of herself.
She figured she needed to do something by herself. Sometimes, Satoko thought that she was just a burden on her brother, who was always worrying about her and trying to protect her. It hurt her to see him work so hard for her.
She continued to walk down through the forest without a care. It was a rather dark night, and she was having trouble seeing anything. Maybe I should have brought a flashlight instead of those random traps I got the other day. She put a hand on her pocket, which contained a small contraption she got from a store. It was similar to a smoke bomb, in a way, and she had planned to surprise Satoshi and Rika with it when she opened the door. Usually, she could make her own traps, though this one was a little advanced for her to make.
Well, it can't be helped…
Footsteps could be heard, ones that were rather heavy. Satoko froze and looked around her, narrowing her eyes. She hoped that it would give her a better view of what was around her, though it didn't do too much good. Even so, the girl decided to keep looking. However, upon looking some more, she realized that she might have imagined it. There weren't any more footsteps, after all.
She continued onwards, only to hear more footsteps. And at that moment, she knew. It wasn't just her imagination.
She heard him before he ran. As fast as she could, she jumped out of the way, allowing the figure that had lunged for her to fall to the ground. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the man that was now lying on the ground. Who was he? As fast as he could, the man stood up and brushed his face off, as some dirt had gotten in his eyes from his failed attempt at a tackle.
This was enough time for Satoko to take a look at the figure in front of her. It was the figure of an adult man, though she couldn't figure out who it was. His head was covered with a hood, and his eyes were hard to make out in the darkness. She bit her lip as she took a few steps back, knowing that the man before him had to be the kidnapper. He had taken three students the day before, so it wouldn't be strange if he went after her now.
And yet, she didn't feel scared. Whoever the man was, he had made a wrong choice. She was the last person he wanted to mess with.
The man ran at her again, his arms outstretched. Satoko acted quickly and took the "smoke bomb" out of her pocket and activated it, throwing it on the ground. Thick smoke sprayed out as she ran away, coating the man who was now trying to shield his eyes from the smoke. He was coughing a little, as well as cursing under his breath. Really, he should have thought twice when he decided to mess with her.
This gave her enough time to get a good distance away from the man, though he eventually broke free from the smoke. She looked behind her, finding that he was rather fast. She mumbled something under her breath as she picked up the pace; using whatever strength she had in order not to be caught. She knew that she would probably die if she were to be caught.
She looked down at the floor and grinned. This forest was her dominion, practically. She had used this exact spot to practice her traps, and some of them were still remaining. Knowing that there was a trip wire there, she jumped over it and continued running, a smirk plastered on her face.
The man didn't notice. He was too focused on the girl in front of him to look down, and he ended up tripping over the wire. It lost him some time, and when he got up, the distance between him and Satoko had increased. He cursed again as he got up, running for the girl with all his strength.
He didn't seem to catch on, though. He ended up activating another trap, this time one that sent a bucket of water down on his head. It didn't help much in the chase, but it was still rather funny. Now wet and even angrier, the man was determined to catch the girl. He had never had such a hard time kidnapping any of the children before. Usually, he'd just have to grab them and they'd be caught, but this girl was different. She was actually fighting back, and she was winning.
The thought just enraged him more. He tried to run faster, but Satoko was too good. She had quite the distance on him, and it looked as if he wasn't going to catch up anytime soon.
And, as fast as he could, he began to charge at the girl. He couldn't let her get away now!
That's when he felt something around his ankle, something that had pulled him upwards. The next thing he knew, he was hanging upside-down from a tree from a rope that somehow got its way around his ankle. He struggled to get free, but the rope that was used was one that was very tight and sturdy. It would break, but he had no idea when it would break.
Satoko turned around, seeing that the man had been caught in her device. She gave him a victorious smirk, knowing that the rope wouldn't come undone for a good ten minutes. Her house wasn't too far away, and she could get in there within a matter of a minute. She had won this battle. And with one last arrogant grin, just to bother him, she ran off into the woods and far away.
~~~~X~~~~
Crimso's Corner V.2
END OF THE QUARTER! Gosh, my grades probably fail. I actually got my history essay back, though. Now I just need that project and quiz grade back. But you know what? First quarter never goes well for me. It's third and second that are best for me, as it's the middle of the year. Fourth is just when I crash. It's that time when I just decide I've had enough of school.
I have a long weekend. Monday, the teachers are writing up comments for our report cards, so we get a day off. It makes me happy! So guess what? That means I should have more chapters up this weekend! Isn't that exciting?
Please review! I love reviews! You can have a Satoko plushie if you review, and a free sample of one of her traps if you point out typos! And what I mean by that is, you're the one using it. Y-You don't get caught in it, unless you want to get caught in it. I don't know why you'd want to be caught in it, though. Please share predictions and thoughts, as this chapter had a lot, and I mean a lot of build-up! Also, quite a bit of scenes hinting at what's going to happen. Next chapter is going to have a ton of action. Trust me on that one. …Actually, don't. I may or may not change it. But right now, I'm 73% sure that it'll be next chapter.
Here's a goal for you guys. 100 Reviews. If you get 100 reviews, I'll write up a nice, fluffy KeiMi oneshot. Why that? …I torture them too much. It may not appear in my fanfictions as of right now… but… pff… you should see this one idea I have in my head. It's not nice…
And now I am off to play my new 3DS game. I needed one. I only had one before today…(Now I sound spoiled ._.). And why isn't the document editor working for me? It won't load all the way... which sucks, because that's how I find paragraph scrunches and that's how I remove typos. I can't do that if it's like this...
~Crimso