I have no idea what happened, but I just finished another chapter already, for some reason. O_O So, this is a really fast update. BUT DON'T EXPECT EVERY CHAPTER TO BE THIS FAST, OKAY! THIS IS A SPECIAL OCCASION FOR 'NERU'S' BIRTHDAY! Not actually (though it is her birthday). It was just a coincidence... I'm not that nice XD Anyway, enjoy this chapter and leave a review X3

Chapter 26: Meiko

Gakupo was still in awe over what he was seeing. The tall black ceiling, the giant gears on either side of the floor, the sound of machinery. He gaped at the decor, wondering how and why someone built something like this. As they picked their way along the centre of the path leading through the gears, Gakupo wasn't done being amazed.

Instead, he inched his way closer to the edge, wanting to see the gears closer, to see if it was literally a pit of those bits of metal. He was distracted and didn't take notice of his two companions; he was caught up in curiosity. Peering down, Gakupo shuddered at the danger the gears could represent; if someone were to fall in there...

It was Luka's scream the snapped him out of his wonder-induced haze. Gakupo whirled around and there she was; at the edge of the gears, like him, only on the other side of the path. She was clutching her head and trying to back away, but for some reason, she kept moving closer to the edge instead. It took a moment for Gakupo to realize why; her hair was caught in a gear.

"Luka!" he screamed, rushing to her.

Within seconds of assessing the danger, Gakupo was already at the pinkette's side, trying to slash her hair off with his sword. It almost worked; by the time he'd finally cut the hair, it was too late and Luka, loosing her balance, fell straight into the pit.

"Fuck," Gakupo hissed, kneeling down as he reached for her hand.

"H-help!" Luka screamed, struggling to stand without getting caught between two gears. But the gears relentless movements made it impossible for her to regain her balance on the uneven ground.

"Take my fucking hand!" Gakupo commanded.

Luka did as she was told, but in that one moment of distraction, she lost all control. The gear spun, and her reflexes, which were a second too slow, failed to react in time; her foot got caught between two spinning wheels of metal before she could pull it away.

Luka screamed in agony as she gripped Gakupo's hand. But Gakupo didn't have the presence of mind to pull at that exact moment; even if he had, it wouldn't have made a difference; Luka was caught, and that was practically a promise of a horrible and painful death. Gakupo didn't let go, but didn't pull either, only capable of staring at the blood gushing from the juncture of Luka's foot and the two gears.

"G-Gaku-" She didn't finish cutting herself off with another scream. The gears' rotation slowed, but didn't stop, crushing higher up her foot and just above her ankle. Bit of shattered bone spilled with the blood as the gears' teeth continued their endless rotation, now painted crimson red. Luka tried to kick herself away, but succeeded only in getting her second foot trapped in the deadly grasp of the gears.

"L-luka," Gakupo whispered, wide-eyed as he stared at the horrendous show.

She didn't hear him, struggling frantically as panicked and tortured sobs escaped her throat. The gears ground higher, splintering her femurs apart as they cracked sickeningly. Skin and bone was utterly shredded, leaving behind nothing but blood and small bits of flesh. Luka screamed in pain, struggling to free herself as the entirety of her legs were crushed to nothingness.

Gakupo stared, horror-stricken. Luka's fingers caught in the gears and disappeared in an instant, her hand and wrist following soon after. Suddenly, Gakupo realized he was still holding onto Luka's free hand, and that he was leaning precariously over the edge; as Luka's body was practically eaten by the gears, Gakupo was forced to lean forward more and more. If he held on longer, he would fall in himself.

Luka screamed again, but it ended in a gurgle, red splashing out of her mouth. Her eyes rolled back as her stomach disappeared and her ribs began cracking. They were crushed with splintering noises, the movements of the gears becoming more jerky as they struggled to crush her chest and torso. Gakupo let go numbly, only half-there as his other-half stayed firmly in the realm of disbelief. Blood sprayed up, staining Gakupo's knees and the edge of the path, the droplets landing with wet splashes. There was almost nothing left now, only the head and a part of the arm. But soon, they were gone too and all that was left was two blood-soaked gears.

For a moment, Gakupo didn't move, staring in shock with his arms hanging limply at his sides. Slowly, he stood up, unable to rip his gaze away from the blood. His thoughts were sluggish, swirling around in his head as his mind remained in denial. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

Exactly, Gakupo realized with a start, recovering quickly from his numb state with this new development. Luka was a smart girl. She would have been careful around the gears, so how did her hair get caught in it? How did that happen? There was always the possibility of an unfortunate accident in a moment of distraction, but... Meiko, Gakupo thought with a sinking feeling. She hadn't shown up while Luka was being crushed, hadn't helped in any way.

No way. Gakupo shook his head, staring at the floor with wide, terrified eyes. There's just no way. Gakupo tensed at the sound of footsteps behind him, reaching subtly for his sword. It was gone, probably dropped accidentally in the pit of gears. Damnit, he thought, mentally cursing himself.

"Well, have you figured it out yet?" Meiko mused. He could tell she was smirking thought he couldn't see her face.

Gakupo stayed still and quiet.

"Have you?" she whispered in his ear.

Gakupo held his breath, trying to control his fear. "It was you, wasn't it? You killed Ted and SeeU. And you did this to Luka, didn't you?"

Meiko laughed. It was the kind of laugh that sent chills down your spine, that made you shrink away. The kind of laugh people had when only half their mind was still there.

"Oh wow! I'm so proud of you!" she squealed excitedly. "But, you're missing some people." There was a sad tone in her voice, as if she were disappointed he'd forgotten someone. She lowered her voice to a chilly whisper. "Miku was the first one I let die. It was quite interesting to watch her struggle against the rope that was choking her. She deserved it, thinking she could have Kaito."

Gakupo thought back to the crazed Meiko they'd found near Miku's dead body. He shouldn't have dismissed it so easily.

She giggled before continuing. "Then there was Ted. I had nothing against Ted, but he was the best way to hurt Teto. God, I wish I could have killed her." Her voice shook with rage. "That little bitch can't hit me!"

She backed away from him, but Gakupo didn't move, staying firmly planted in front of the gears. He didn't need to see her eyes; her voice was enough to scare him, he didn't need the eyes to send him further into panic. No, what he needed was a clear head to figure out what his next move was.

"It was so fun killing Ted, I decided to try something else on SeeU!" She said it with glee, making Gakupo feel cold. "Her thick, fluffy hair was so fun to burn!"

She stopped talking for a minute. When she began again, she sounded upset, only in the way a child would when denied candy.

"I really wish Luka hadn't figured me out. Then I could have killed more people. But that's okay, she's dead now! It's a shame such long hair gets caught in things so easily."

Anger flared up in Gakupo, making him forget his fears for a moment. This was the one who murdered Luka. He grit his teeth hard. He would get revenge if it was the last thing he did. He was about to lash out at her, but held himself back when he realized she wasn't finished speaking.

"There was one more before Luka. Poor little Gumi." She didn't sound sorry in the least. "I really have to thank the game for giving me such a perfect opportunity to kill her without being suspiscous. She didn't even see it coming because I stabbed her eyes out!" She giggled again.

"Why?" Gakupo hissed.

"Hum?" Meiko sounded genuinely confused.

"Why did you kill them?" He struggled to contain his anger.

He felt her smile, like it was obvious. "So I can win and go find Kaito."

"Kaito's dead," Gakupo stated.

"No he's not. He's waiting for me to win." It was clear that nothing Gakupo could say or do would knock sense back into her. She was completely convinced Kaito was alive and waiting for her.

He sighed, asking his final question. "Why not just slit all our throats in our sleep? Why wait so long and risk getting caught and killed?"

She didn't answer right away, pondering the question like she herself didn't really know. And she probably didn't.

"I'm not sure," she finally answered, uncertain. "Maybe because it was fun to watch them die and to watch everyone else wallow in depression."

Gakupo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his screaming nerves, to tame his anger so he would be in control of himself. Meiko was completely insane and was probably going to try to kill him, which meant if he failed, he was dead.

"You know, you sent away the wrong people, Gakupo. You failed your duty at the very beginning. I suppose there isn't anyone left to resent you for it. And I certainly don't." Gakupo suspected she was purposely trying to provoke him, and it was working. But her words gave him an idea.

"There is someone left," he hissed, smiling humorlessly. "Rin and Len are still alive, and once they find you, they will kill you." He had no idea if it was true, but he didn't care; if it pissed her off, then it didn't really matter. He didn't know if it was a good idea to make her angry; at this point though, all he wanted to see was her angry face.

There was a chance Rin and Len were alive, and he held on to the hope they were; if anything, he could kill Meiko to insure their safety. Maybe he could make up for forsaking them under weak suspicions. It was a chance at redemption for his sin. Strengthened with this new hope, he whipped around to face Meiko.

He saw her face, but really didn't process it; his attention was solely on the gun she was holding and pointing at him. She stood out of arms' reach, her finger ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice. Gakupo froze; he'd completely forgotten she had a gun. In a hand-to-hand combat, he might have had a chance against her, even if she did have knives, but with a gun, there wasn't much he could do.

Meiko tilted her head, smirking wildly, her eyes cold and laughing. "Well, that was just pathetic, wasn't it?"