Kaori gripped Haru's hand tightly, as he pulled her against the tide of people wading past her. Her coat was clung to her skin, with her hat loosely strapped against her head. Her heels slammed on the concrete floors as she struggled to keep up with him. She noticed how long his strides were, and even with all her jogging she still had trouble keeping up with him, her oxygen-deprived body already crying out for air. How long had they been running anyways?

Just recently, Haru had asked her to go with him to his friend's fashion show in Omotesando, as a celebration for her getting out of the hospital. It was a bit sudden; it wasn't like she knew him well, after all. Thinking that this was a date was absurd, though she couldn't stop herself from blushing, even as he walked beside her, talking about the latest crime incident.

Frankly, Kaori was a bit nervous for this encounter; she's kept herself in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to see what, out of her entire wardrobe, was suitable for an event like this. She was, after all, going to be in front of a lot of important people. Akira teased her about it more than once, and Mr. Yuuki repeatedly expressed his disapproval if she was going with any boy, for that matter. Even Love added to her anxieties, and kept himself firmly planted in front of her bedroom door, not bothering to deal with his separation issues.

"You're all just really paranoid!" was what she said before heading out the door.

His long fingers wrapped around her wrist, guiding her amidst the deep, dark ocean. He wore a long white coat over his school uniform, and an old, worn out grey scarf to go with it. His blond hair bounced up and down in anticipation, and when he turned to her, she could almost see every bubbly thought in his mind. He really was excited about this, wasn't he?

"Come on!" he said breathlessly. "It's almost starting!"

Kaori was laughing at his childlike antics, and pushed herself harder. Her hair flew behind her, brushing aside every carefree insult thrown at her. "I want to see to! But…but slow down…!"

"Oh…" Immediately, Haru came to a grinding halt. The action was so instantaneous Kaori slammed against his back, her forehead knocking hard on his shoulder. She blinked, her face flushed by the heat and humiliation of the moment. She rubbed her red nose, with a bright smile tugging at her cheeks. "Sorry. You okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied behind her frozen hands. She peeked up at his pupils. "Are you sure we can come in? I mean, this isn't just something we can go to for free-"

"I already told you," he answered contently. "She gave us two free passes. We can even see the models up close, if you want."

"I-is the food free?"

"Well, for these things yeah. Everything else…no…I learned that the hard way." He laughed awkwardly. "But you don't need to be so worried! As long as you stay by my side, you'll be fine!"

Kaori beamed at his confidence, and nodded mutely, her tongue refusing to obey her. Again, he lightly tugged at her arm, his fingers slipping into hers easily, as they started walking. The pace was still a bit fast, but Kaori could keep up with him just fine, this time without attracting the attention of so many strangers. Her pulse calmed, while her lungs recovered from their terrifying excursions, as the two made their way to the now increasing wave of enthusiastic crowds.

The fashion show was taking place in front of a huge, company building, in a transparent tent with a small, pale blue chandelier at the center. There was an elevated runway in front of it, with crystal trees placed on each side, the roots cut through the very stage itself, giving off its finest glows. The spotlights made up for the moon's absence, and the candlelights situated on each branch managed to balance itself, despite the coordinator's frustrating demands. From here, the lights looked like they were floating;. They weren't at all fazed by tonight's rambunctious environment.

Kaori couldn't remember seeing so many people before, even during the morning rush hour. There were fans trying to catch a glimpse of the newest fashions, all of which who were caught up in some sort of craze right now. To the average onlooker, it looked as if they were there simply to add to the newest fads circulating Japan right now. Kaori stared at them and cocked her head, trying to understand exactly what went on in those thick skulls of theirs, when she felt Haru tug her forward. And suddenly, there she was, in front of all those dreamers.

"Name?" the security guard asked.

Kaori held onto Yasuhiko-san's arm as he gave off his normal amiable nature. "Yasuhiko. This lovely girl is with me."

"Passes?"

After a few minutes of silence, the guard gave them back the badges and shoved them through, all the while attempting to block the next wave of fans from getting in. Kaori couldn't help but continue her little activity from before. Yasuhiko-san noticed her quizzical eyes and chuckled. "It can't be helped. A lot of famous people are here, and they'll be wearing the designs next week."

Kaori spun around, her eyes widening at the very notion of his implication. "Are they really that obsessed?"

"Economy's good right now. With all this prosperity, people need to waste their time on something. Come on; our seats are over there." He pulled her to his side, slowly inching away from the crowds. Kaori returned to her curious mental wanderings, as she continued toward the seated adults.

"We're sitting in the front seats?" she asked, surprised by the connections the designer must have.

"We'll be in the middle of the action." he stated, plopping down on the white, wooden chair. Kaori cautiously took her seat, and looked around. There were photographers in the front row, just like before, all ready to bombard the models with lights. A majority of the reporters were in the background, silently observing the audience, all the while sorting out the compliments and insults that could be given for each outfit. Wondering eyes kept gazing at the stage, trying to anticipate what was going to happen, what model or designer was going to screw up, all cruel and merciless in their conjectures.

Kaori shivered, and turned to Haru. "Um…is it just me, or-?"

"No, you're right." Haru silently looked up at the predators before them, and gave her an anxious grin. "Normally, a high school fashion show wouldn't even arouse their attention. But our school's winner was just so unique and addicting, I guess people want to see more. Their world is a bit different from ours."

Kaori blinked, and leaned forward a bit. "You seem to know your way around their world, Yasuhiko-san."

He shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. She's really good at what she does. Hey, show's starting."

The lights dimmed, with tiny, simplistic stars popping up all across the tent, a soft blend a dark blue and light pink taking over the atmosphere. Pleased murmurs erupted from the audience, though their eyes remained trained on the stage. Kaori bit her lip, and concentrated on the runway. Yasuhiko-san seems to put a lot of faith in this person; hopefully, she won't let him down. Besides, Kaori has worn her creations before, and needless to say, she hoped the models reveled in its touch the same way she did.

Then Kaori saw her, the first model.

The first was a dark red, sleek dress. The train reached all the way down to the floor, and had gold and brown leaves stitched onto it. Black ribbons gave the impression of flowers softly drifting through the crimson autumn skies, and at the model's neck, there was a golden rose choker woven together with black leather. Tiny orange gemstones were dotted at random places, with tiny chains clinging to the outer edges of the choker before rounding off to the next endpoint. The front of her dress stopped at her knees, giving the audience a full look at her legs. The left arm had no sleeve, while the right was tightly attached to her arm. She poised in front of the cameras for a while, making the dress appear more seductive than it was, before making her way back.

Natsuno sat on the company's balcony, his legs dangling over the rails, as he closed his eyes, listening to the already approving whispers from the crowds below. Not too flashy, but ostentatious enough to make a good impression. It seems the first design was a success.

True to his word, Haru was there, and he brought Kaori with him. Natsuno gripped the rails, watching over the two with his dark pupils. He looked up, and squinted. It took him a while, before he finally managed to make out her silhouette in the crowds, standing at the corner of the crossroads, carefully surveying the situation around her.

One of the reasons why Natsuno was even here to begin with was because of the very prospect of Mr. Saito showing up to an event like this. Right now, it seemed like he was stalking Kaori for the sole purpose that she might be behind his daughter's murder, however unlikely that was, and as a result, has set his eyes on her.

Another reason why was because Shimizu didn't want to see Kaori, and even gave up her rights to attend her own show. He's pondered on her recent actions over and over again, and still, he had no answer; her erratic thoughts, her confusing movements were hard enough to decipher. He knew he wasn't prepared to allow Shimizu anywhere near the girl yet, though she's saved her life, nor did Natsuno believe it was healthy…for either of them. But even if Shimizu decides not to stop Mr. Saito from closing in on Kaori, Natsuno could take him out easily; he was high enough to see where the officer was going to go, where he was headed.

And though Natsuno didn't want to admit it, he was also a bit curious to see on how the fashion show will go. Shimizu really did have talent.

When he felt the shiki's eyes on him, he turned toward her, and stared her down. She blushed and looked away, trying to concentrate more on the streets. He stiffened, then steered his attention toward the entrance. The next one was about to come out.

This time, Megumi decided to go with a male model, and decided to utilize those black, torn jeans she kept seeing on Natsuno's newly acquired servants, adding straps that seemed to tie the legs together. The model wore what appeared to be a tailcoat, the points gracefully floating off the ground. He had a thin, gray, elegant sweater underneath, where the ends stretched all the way to his knees, with skeletal angel wings positioned at the core of his heart. On his hands were, see-through, black rose gloves stitched with skulls along the very boundary of the fabric.

The audience seemed a bit more alarmed this time. However, it seems that Shimizu pulled this stunt last time, and immediately, they relaxed, and started taking catalog of the outfit. "Too girly," were the most spoken criticisms, while others kept whispering about the era the designer's style came from. Other than that, the outfit was generally well received. From the corner of his eye, he saw Haru and Kaori relax.

There was a sharp pang along the side of his chest, as his mind returned to the interrogation that day. And when he sat there, gazing at Haru, Tooru's image popped up into his mind once more.

Natsuno couldn't help but wonder if Kaori saw Tooru as well, if she was there for the same, twisted reasons he and Shimizu were. Tooru was the one that suffered, first at the hands of Shimizu, then at the villagers' stakes, but Kaori didn't see the body. She didn't hang around him much, if any, because she was younger. Besides, she was fighting for her own survival, after all.

Natsuno turned away from the two and continued observing the upcoming models. Each and every one had outfits that complimented their natural beauty. Hardly any had makeup on, which was a bit of a rare phenomenon nowadays. Though there was clearly some story being told, some deep mystery much of the audience was trying to solve, one thing was certain; all the outfits were for the models. The designs weren't meant for Shimizu to touch, or sully, for that matter.

But the colors were so dark, so horrific, that Natsuno couldn't help but be reminded of that scorching night. He couldn't help but remember the field of corpses he ran through, the screams and agonizing pleas as the humans killed them off, one by one. The fires were already there, the heat destroying his sanity bit by bit, engulfed in some innocence not even he could comprehend. Past feelings of betrayal surged forward, along with the desperate wishes of trying to preserve some defunct tradition.

And suddenly, there he was, standing over the bodies of two dearly departed friends. That very same, decadent peace washed over him. He could feel Death implement those tempting wishes, whispering to him thoughts of suicide and crude mercy. What a pitiful way to die, it seemed to say.

He was lost in the translation.

What snapped him out of his trance was that familiar, revolting scent diffusing through the air. Sharply, he looked up, and saw that same, black figure approaching from a distance. Shimizu caught that scent as well, and was starting approach him. He clenched his fists when Toma started waving at him with both arms.

To his right, there were already people shouting, scrambling to get away from the careening police car racing straight towards the tent.

Megumi stared at the strange boy, who was just now starting to put both his arms down. He grinned at her with that idiotic smile Haru would give her, though genuine kindness had been replaced with something much darker. She put her hand cautiously on her hip, all the while toying with the ax hidden so neatly behind her back. Everyone has cleared the streets, and with one flicker from her eyes, she automatically knew that there was no one hiding along the shadows either. Still, she gave him a compassionate, motherly smile, and asked if he was lost.

The boy, Toma, she figured, shook his head, while that horrid aroma came off his body so easily. "Sorry miss," he said happily. "I was looking for someone, but I found him though!"

Megumi kept up with her farce, and ruffled his head.

Then she heard a crash.

She felt every muscle in her body stop, as chaotic stimulus behind her grew more and more chaotic. The shock stole her mind.

But…but how?

How the hell did he even get past her?

"You shouldn't go there," she whispered worriedly. "It looks pretty dangerous. Why don't you go-?"

"No! You see miss, my friend's waiting for me over there! I have to get to him as soon as I can."

"Look, sweetheart-"

Toma reached over, and bit her.

Megumi's pupils automatically constricted, the red glimmering against the dark. She shoved him away, the force causing him to rip away bits of flesh. She gripped her neck, and jumped away, the ax already in hand. The wound sealed up, just as quickly as it appeared, and she glared at the now satisfied Toma.

He kept licking his lips, savoring the taste of her blood and muscle. He sighed, and looked up to her.

She lunged forward.

Her eyes traced his moves, and she swung the ax accordingly. However, with each swing, Toma managed to move his foot out of her attack. She gritted her teeth, and vanished through the air. She reappeared behind him, then grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground. She raised her ax, and stared coldly into his face, when she stopped.

He was laughing.

He was laughing his freaking ass off.

"What?" she demanded. She stood and slammed his chest with her heel. "What the fuck is so funny?"

He never answered her. He just kept laughing and laughing and laughing, all the way to the now indistinguishable cries from afar. Even through all the pain, and even when he was coughing up blood, he was still laughing. He wasn't struggling, like the others did, nor was he listening to the sounds of his ribs cracking, his limbs being chopped off. He still kept laughing.

"DID NOT EXPECT THAT!" he screeched, howling at some unknown entertainment she provided him. "REALLY! I didn't!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she muttered quietly. She raised her ax again, and was about to behead the boy, when, all of a sudden, he disappeared.

"Do you really want to know?"

Megumi hastily turned, and found him standing there, only a few feet behind her. She held the ax in both hands, the hostility already taking over her veins. Toma, however, gave her a sultry smile. "Megumi, I'm guessing? Megumi…Shimizu?"

"Who wants to know?!" she shouted.

"I see…you were from Sotoba too, weren't you?" Toma began his laughing fit again. "Oh my gosh. This is…" he held his sides. "This is just too damn funny…" He steadied himself then, and took a deep breath. He calmly stared at her with those glassy, lifeless eyes. "To think…to think that someone as "kind" as you was caught up in that incident…"

"Just shut up!" Megumi took a threatening step forward. "Just who are you anyways?"

Toma slowly began backing away, and eventually, he fled into the darkness, with Megumi in pursuit. She caught a sadistic smile painted on his face, as he led her through that psychotic labyrinth.

"You already know. Your little boyfriend met me the other night."