My Resolve

by Ravenhale1

This is the sixth installment of the AU recreation of Rosario Vampire told through Kurumu's POV. This story starts with the obon festival and carries through the first month of the second term (August 19th - September 22nd, 2005). This story includes second season's Chapters 1-9 & 17-22 and the Cursed Tengu Flute (though 18-22 happen first). Not strictly canon.

31. Pursuit of Peace

Kaneshiro Hokuto lived by himself in suite 520. As they would be required to attend classes this Sunday, Okimune had been dressed for school when she had met them at their commissary a little after six. With roll call starting at seven, they would not have much time to present their case.

There had been nobody in Kurumu's suite last night when they checked, but they had decided it would be safest sleeping in Chouda's room. After selecting clothes for the day, Kurumu had brought her spare futon over. Still thankful that Yukari had saved her life from the garigari, Chouda had insisted that Yukari take her bed while she slept on a futon by Kurumu.

While Kurumu's back felt much better, she had stuck with last night's decision to wear her dark green halter dress. The smooth, satin top felt annoyingly sensual against her bare breasts while the hem of the heavy, black, pleated skirt brushed against her knees. As most of her shoes were locked up in Moka's suite, Kurumu had settled on slipping into her black wedges. She should have worn socks since these things were rough on her feet. She flexed her wings in this colorless world, squeezing the enchanted rock in one hand while holding Okimune's hand in the other.

Yukari paused before the door to suite 520, turning and gesturing for Okimune to do the honors. Dressed in that white blouse and black skirt, Yukari looked about the same as she would without the dull filter. Letting go of Kurumu's hand, the undine knocked on the door.

"Should we drop the spell?"

"Once we're inside."

The door swung open. Kaneshiro was dressed for school, smiling at Okimune and bowing slightly.

"Ms. Okimune. Please come in."

"Thank you, Mr. Kaneshiro. My companions are also nearby."

His eyes behind his glasses sparkled with interest. He backed up against the wall, holding the door.

"Of course. Make yourselves comfortable."

Taking the invitation, Yukari stalked in first. She paused at the genkan, dismissing her spell before removing her shoes. Kurumu waited for Yukari to leave the entryway before heading in ahead of Okimune. She was more than happy to part with her wedges.

Kurumu swept her gaze about his suite as Okimune entered, allowing Kaneshiro to close the door. There was nothing in the room. A kettle was on the stove but the counters were barren.

"You can let go of the rock."

Kurumu blushed as she sheepishly murmured the command to cancel the enchantment.

"There you are, Ms. Kurono."

Kaneshiro grinned brightly, locking up his door.

"Would any of you ladies desire some tea?"

Okimune murmured her thanks as she stepped away from the entryway to join Kurumu.

"Have a seat wherever you please."

Kurumu nodded as he moved to the counters. He fetched some white cups from an upper cabinet as Kurumu knelt down in the middle of the room. Okimune settled down beside her. Grabbing the kettle off the stove, he filled up the tumblers.

"Are you fine with tea, Ms. Sendou?"

Yukari sounded her approval, kneeling down on Kurumu's other side. He fetched another glass from the cabinet, promptly filling it before setting the kettle back on the stove.

"I didn't expect your place to be so… simple."

Kaneshiro chuckled as he walked over to them with two glasses. He held the first out to Okimune before giving Kurumu the other one. They were plastic instead of porcelain.

"I'm a humble man with common origins."

Okimune smiled politely as he retreated to the counter for the other pair of tumblers.

"I think people of common origins would have more assets than this."

Kaneshiro grinned as he returned. He held out a glass for Yukari.

"I recall that you're the daughter of one of the six men running Umishiro."

"That is correct."

He knelt down across from Kurumu.

"My father is also a powerful, wealthy man."

"But you just said common origins."

"I'm the bastard son of his mistress. But since I'm not his only child, he only gave us enough money to keep her quiet."

He paused, taking a sip from his tea.

"My mother hated and abused me. But I was her meal ticket so she never took things too far. Tell me, Ms. Okimune. Do you love your mother?"

"Of course I do."

"I envy you. When my mother passed, I felt so guilty. Guilty because I felt more relief than sadness."

He sighed heavily.

"And then the world reminded me that we all need money. My father spoke to me only once after her passing. He would continue sending the same funds as agreed upon with my mother until I turned sixteen. After that, I would be on my own."

He shook his head slightly.

"Pity. I was smart enough to have recommendations to other high schools, but that all means nothing if you're broke. That was when I met Headmaster Mikogami. And he gave me an offer, I couldn't refuse."

He paused dramatically.

"Free tuition at his school if I could keep my true form secret."

"That's it?"

"That's it. So I've told nobody. I don't tell anyone what village I'm from or any other clue which could betray what I am. I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself."

Okimune giggled.

"If the Headmaster gave that offer to everyone, people would try harder to keep their true forms secret."

"But to have recommendations to other high schools indicates that you attended a human junior high."

"That is true, Ms. Sendou. But I know I'm not the only student at Yokai Academy whom has spent part of their youth living among humans. I believe most of your newspaper club has."

Kurumu finally took a sip from her tea. It was warm and pleasant.

"Mr. Kaneshiro. I'm relieved that you agreed to meet with us today. I suppose your relationship with the Headmaster makes it difficult for you to believe Lord Chiki's conspiracy theories."

"I wouldn't claim that I have a relationship with the man. He arranged for me to attend his school and has helped me only once since I've been here."

"But you can't possibly think Lord Chiki is right."

"Lord Chiki is entitled to his opinions, even if they are wrong."

"His wrong opinions aren't harmless. He's killed a teacher and arrested dozens of students."

Kaneshiro sighed, turning his glass about in his hands.

"The execution of Ms. Rin was unexpected. But as for the other arrests, I don't regard them seriously."

"He's beating confessions out of students."

"Lord Chiki has three weeks to file charges to the court system. If he doesn't, he loses the ability to take the accused to court."

"That's assuming he is playing by the rules."

"I can't help you if he's not. In three weeks, he has to let them go. At the time he presses charges, he has to notify the family of the accused so that they may be able to provide legal counsel. This is part of why the PSC carrying out executions was highly frowned upon, even when they had valid confessions like the one Ms. Kurono acquired for those two students eating their fellow first years. Fairy Tale is striving to be ruled by laws, not strength."

Kurumu snorted, thinking about Lord Fujisaki and his supporters.

"There's quite a few that don't think that way."

"Agreed. I often think we should tear aside the veil and let the humans handle this. Those whom prefer the lawless, barbaric ways would swiftly find out that humans won't tolerate them."

"But so many innocent lives would be lost."

"Every revolution comes with a heavy price, Ms. Okimune. Perhaps we might finally reach this ideal of coexistence that seems to have eluded the Headmaster's grasp since the founding of this school."

Kurumu frowned, disliking the direction the conversation was going.

"We're not here to start a revolution. We just want Lord Chiki to stop this nonsense."

"This may be a simple matter of waiting things out and seeing if he actually does press charges. The only charges that carry a death penalty are murder and treason."

"What about conspiracy to murder?"

"It's not the same as murder. Only the person committing the murder would be executed. And if his whole case is based around a forced confession, it will get thrown out in court."

"And burning the bodies?"

"Impossible to prove in court, assuming that happened. Let's not forget that Lord Chiki is also a kitsune. Ms. Yoshino could easily argue that he burned the bodies himself."

"He seems to think he has a solid case against her."

Kaneshiro paused.

"Even with a solid case, I have no idea how he can justify what he did to Ms. Rin. She was an accessory to murder at best. I suspect his action was a spur of the moment decision. I understand that there is a bad history between those three so it will be difficult for him to say he acted objectively."

"Coach Yaisoku seems to think he could get away with it."

"Two kitsune elders serve as judges for the Niigata court. He would be tried for murder, but they might show him lenience. It saddens me to think that such a crime of passion would be swept under the rug."

Kurumu sighed, taking another sip of this delicious tea.

"He's leveled the accusation of treason on several students. How serious do you regard that?"

"He would have to present his case to the high court, since treason is not considered a prefectural matter. As this involves Ms. Akashiya to some extent, I doubt he has any intentions of truly pushing for this. It's most likely an empty threat to get them to betray the Headmaster."

"And what is your opinion of the Headmaster?"

"My opinion is that the Headmaster should have resigned his post long ago."

"But he helped you out."

Kaneshiro chuckled mirthlessly.

"He corrected his mistake. When I refused to give up my true form to one of the seniors of the PSC during my first year here, I was nearly beaten to death. Why? Because he didn't like the smell of me."

"I heard that you were hospitalized for almost a month."

"I was. The Headmaster did save my life… but only because he was the one responsible for my life being in danger. It is exactly how he treated your dear Mr. Aono."

Kurumu shivered, sensing an aura of simmering anger.

"I'm sorry."

"It's nothing for you to be sorry about, Ms. Kurono. The Headmaster is a rotten individual, toying with other peoples' lives. I wanted Ms. Taniguchi's boycott to take off. I encouraged Ms. Odayakana to step in and spread it. Maybe with enough students refusing to play his childish games, we could finally get a new Headmaster. One whom would abide by the rules and look after us as a school official should."

"We're not fans of the Headmaster either."

"Yea. We kind of put up with him since he doesn't seem to maliciously work against us."

"We should not have to put up with our Headmaster. While I understand that Yokai Academy was built by him, change is necessary. Without change, everything becomes stagnant, rotten and decomposing like a corpse. He should have stepped down decades ago, giving this school to people more connected with the times."

Kurumu sighed, thinking they did not have the time for these idealisms.

"Whatever. The main thing we agree upon is that the Headmaster had nothing to do with these killers."

"Killers?"

"We stumbled across the three bank robbers. They were hiding in the old prison and had killed the two drama club seniors. I personally think they are working with Lord Chiki."

"Ridiculous. If they were working for him, he wouldn't waste three whole weeks and hope that someone else wouldn't find them."

"I said they were in the old prison. Lord Chiki has stationed himself in the prison, not far from there. He would know if anyone came looking for his men. He found us rather quickly after we killed two of them."

"Don't listen to Yukari. I don't believe this doppelganger is working for Lord Chiki."

Okimune giggled softly.

"Only because we can't win if he is. He'll make a fake confession and they'll burn a body in his place."

Kaneshiro paused, setting aside his empty glass. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"My understanding of doppelgangers is that they either work for Fairy Tale or stay as far away from them as possible. Quite similar to what I hear about succubi."

Kurumu frowned at him.

"Yea, well… he said he wasn't working for Fairy Tale. We captured him but Lord Chiki took him away to the prison before I could find out whom he was working for."

Kaneshiro's eyes lit up with understanding.

"So that's what you meant about faking a confession and burning a body. This doppelganger is still alive."

"As far as we know."

"I could see the concern of him working for Lord Chiki. This doppelganger might even be able to create a case in which Lord Chiki could frame Ms. Rin for a serious crime."

"Lord Chiki has been planning this story from the start. All he is doing is pretending like the Headmaster is this criminal mastermind when in fact he is the culprit."

"A classic bait and switch. I doubt Lord Chiki would grant us access to the doppelganger if he truly has control of this man. Can you get us inside?"

Yukari frowned at Kaneshiro.

"Inside? Why?"

"Since doppelgangers change shape freely, I understand that Fairy Tale places hexes on them. This allows them to be tracked, regardless of what form they may take."

"Maybe so, but any witch with enough time could remove such a tracking spell."

Kaneshiro wagged a finger at Yukari.

"Precisely. What if we offer him freedom in exchange for the truth?"

"How does that work?"

"Simple. We have him confess that one of his friends did all the killing and that it had nothing to do with the Headmaster. And, if he truly is under Lord Chiki's command, he could reveal the whole thing as a plot to discredit the Headmaster."

"How do you not believe this guy isn't working for Lord Chiki?"

"If he's a doppelganger working for Lord Chiki, they could have assassinated the Headmaster weeks ago."

"He obviously wants to discredit him first."

"It's not like taking the Headmaster to court will grant him the satisfaction of carrying out the sentence. So what difference would it make if the Headmaster dies at the hands of an assassin or the hands of an executioner?"

"Reputation."

"Who cares about the reputation of a dead man?"

"Ms. Sendou is right. This man does care about appearances."

Kaneshiro sighed at Okimune.

"I agree it is possible, which is why I need you to sneak us inside. Can we do this?"

Yukari nodded as Kurumu blinked in surprise.

"I'm shocked that you would consider doing such a thing."

"It is strange. I suggested you to them on the basis that you could reason with Lord Chiki."

"We can attempt that afterwards. First, we speak with this doppelganger. Determine his allegiances, if any. Remove the hex that binds him to his master. If he's not working with Lord Chiki, we can then try reasoning with Lord Chiki about letting this all go."

"But if we do that, we would have to admit that we broke into his prison to get a true confession out of the doppelganger."

"Yes. We would most likely be arrested. So it would be best if only you came with me."

"Being arrested isn't necessary. We can teleport away if Lord Chiki does decide to arrest us."

"If that is what you desire, then you may do so. I intend to be arrested. Arresting me for doing something completely uncharacteristic of me will be disbelieved by all. I will comfortably sit in my cell and allow him to ruin himself."

"He'll probably have you beaten to make you confess to something."

"It wouldn't be the first time, Ms. Kurono."

A short silence followed. Okimune smiled, tapping the watch on her wrist.

"It is getting close to time."

"Indeed. Meet me here after lunch, Ms. Sendou. That should wrap up around three."

"Planning to attend both roll calls?"

Kaneshiro grinned at Kurumu.

"Of course. I always follow the rules."

---

Kurumu sighed as she came to a stop in front of Baratoge. She squeezed the rock which was keeping her hidden from detection. Right now, Yukari was back at the suites waiting for Kaneshiro to return from lunch. If things went well, she would meet up with Yukari tonight back at Chouda's suite.

While everyone else enjoyed Sunday school, Kurumu and Yukari had spent their morning chatting in Chouda's suite as there was little else to do. Aware that those guards from last night had returned to Yukari's room, their meals had consisted of the snacks and instant meals Chouda kept in her room.

The parting of the automatic door startled her. The elderly housemother strolled out, holding a wooden smoking pipe. Her grayish hair was pulled back in a rounded bun and tied with a black ribbon. Her bangs hung over her eyes. She placed the tapered, silver end in the crook of her small mouth, taking a puff.

"Fine day, is it not?"

Kurumu froze at the warbled remark. The old woman wore a short sleeved, pink blouse which she had tucked in a denim skirt which brushed across the ground, hiding her feet. The housemother remained in front of the open doors, standing not much taller than Kurumu.

"I suggest you leave now. If your master wants any of my girls, he can properly request them."

Sensing this woman would not turn her over, Kurumu murmured the phrase to end the enchantment. She smiled at the matriarch whom continued to puff away nonchalantly.

"It's only me."

"Go inside, Ms. Kurono. And remove your shoes."

Kurumu nodded, promptly hurrying inside. She reached the edge of the hallway, stepping out of her wedges. Bending down, she picked them up as the housemother came back inside.

"I hope this won't cause you any trouble."

The housemother chuckled with her thin lips around the end of the pipe.

"Whom I allow inside my dorm is my business. Come with me."

The old woman left her sandals at the genkan, drifting down the left hall as she slowly made her to her office. Not wishing to be disrespectful, Kurumu hurried over to open the office door for the matriarch.

"I never understood why you eagerly left my dorm."

Kurumu followed the woman into the office. An old, black couch was pushed up against the wall which was shared by the hallway. A matching armchair was pushed on the other wall. There was a door across this space from the hallway door which opened into the housemother's workspace and a pair of stools on this side of the open counter.

"Well… there were concerns about my opiate."

The old woman huffed in a cloud of white smoke. She pushed open the door, gesturing for Kurumu to follow as she entered the adjacent room. There was not much to this room other than the chair behind the counter and several filing cabinets lining the back wall. The old woman shuffled over to another door on the left, pushing it open.

"It was a pity your mother didn't try to make any friends in the two years she lived her."

"My mother had friends."

"Not the way you do, Ms. Kurono. Have some tea while you wait."

The adjacent room was the housemother's suite. Down the wall on Kurumu's left was the counters for the kitchen. Quite similar to the senior suites, the stove was closest to the door while the refrigerator was at the far corner of this wall. A dishwasher and sink were positioned between these appliances.

Along this wall on Kurumu's right were shelves lined with books and knickknacks. A three cushion sofa was centered in the space and faced a television which was built into the wooden stand holding it up. Compartments were littered with old vhs cassettes and other random things like the shelves. Flanking the couch were two armchairs with the same beige upholstery.

At the far corner of the room was another door. Between the door and refrigerator was an oval dining table with three chairs. The curved white wood holding the table up at the corners had the same style as the legs for the chairs with mesh wicker backs.

As the old woman stepped on a white stool to fetch a black yunomi from the overhead cabinet, Kurumu wandered over to the back of the couch. An old record player stood between the entertainment center and the door with a shelf of old records beside it.

"Sit with me at the table, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu nodded as the woman started for the table while holding two yunomi. She quickly took the seat with her back to the door, flexing her wings out on either side of the chair. The matriarch placed a glass down for her before taking the chair across from her.

"That's a nice dress, Ms. Kurono. I don't believe your mother ever owned such a thing."

Kurumu smiled softly, placing her wedges in her lap.

"Um… Housemother. I don't know your name."

The old woman chuckled, leaning a weathered elbow on her table and placing the smoking pipe in her lips. She took a long pull, exhaling rich scented smoke.

"Not surprising. Most girls don't ask and I have little reason to tell."

"Well… I know the housemother at East dorm is Ms. Takahashi."

"Ah yes. Little Taiko. Graduated a few years before your mother. Such a listless girl."

Kurumu took a sip from her glass. The tea was warm and bitter.

"How long have you been the housemother here?"

The old woman sucked in another breath while her eyes remained hidden behind those thick bangs.

"Since the beginning, Ms. Kurono. I started out as a teacher at Yokai Academy. One of the first dozen alongside Mr. Mikogami. He was quite handsome back then."

Kurumu smiled, recalling the image of a young man with flowing black hair and a strong, chiseled torso. That was how he had presented himself that one time she had invaded his mind for answers.

"You must think highly of him."

"Most of us did. Yokai Academy started out as a school for all ages, mostly serving the residents of Mononoke but others were welcome if they could find a place to stay. We weren't able to provide lodging until 1920 when we had Chikara and Baratoge built."

She puffed out a cloud.

"Would you believe that Mr. Maruyama was one of our first students?"

"I heard that he was the oldest faculty member."

"Mr. Maruyama graduated in 24. He worked as our assistant for ten years before he was given an official status of teacher when Mr. Higuchi retired."

Kurumu smiled, curious if there was a list of the staff of Yokai Academy over the years.

"I wouldn't mind knowing your name, Housemother."

"Sumitomo Rei. Though I suppose you could refer to me as granny like your mother did."

"You said Mother lived here for two years."

"I did. The dorms for the second years were opened fifteen years ago. That would be one year after your mother graduated. Housing was so tight back then. Those suites you moved to were at full capacity and we were asking the first year girls to share the tiny rooms we have here so we could make room."

She wagged her pipe at Kurumu.

"And it was worse for the boys. In the entire history of Yokai Academy, there has always been more boys enrolled than girls. These past two decades we've seen that gap shrink, but it's still predominantly male."

"Did my mother have a roommate?"

The old woman puffed on her pipe, taking in a deep breath before letting it out.

"Me."

"You?"

The woman nodded slowly.

"As I said. Space was limited and your mother was a special case. Not many orphans of Fairy Tale are encouraged to attend high school."

"She never spoke about this."

The woman shrugged, taking another pull from her pipe.

"Unsurprising. She kept to herself, barely interacting with her peers."

"But she had friends. Like Coach Yaisoku, Ms. Nekonome and Ms. Shirayuki."

"Ah yes, Tsurara. The young wife whom let your mother steal Kentou away because she felt your mother needed him more. I suspect that did not turn out happily in the end."

"Why would you say that?"

The matriarch paused.

"Your mother was the first succubus to ever attend Yokai Academy. So while I can't say that I had prior experience with your race at that time, I had heard several stories. They consistently end in tragedy."

Kurumu hesitated responding to that. Instead she took a drink from her yunomi.

"In the two years she lived with me, she was always here for breakfast and dinner. She rarely went out on the weekends unless it was for a club activity."

"Do you think she was worried about her charm?"

"I doubt your mother had any understanding of her powers. I would ask her how things were at school and if she was making friends. She was always dismissive about it. The only people I could get her to talk about were Kentou, whom she was thoroughly enamored with, and Tsurara. She struggled academically so I focused most of our time together helping her with her studies."

"Did she ever talk about her past?"

"She would not. I always had the impression it was something painful she didn't want to share."

Kurumu quaffed down the last vestiges of her tea. She set the yunomi down and smiled softly.

"I guess that's how she always was. All the time I lived with her, she never talked about her past. Not that I was ever interested to hear about it."

The old woman nodded, letting out another wisp of smoke. She paused, glancing over her left shoulder.

"Many girls are returning from their meal. I suggest waiting a few minutes before visiting your friends."

"Were you able to sense my presence even with that invisibility spell on me?"

"I could tell something was trying very hard to be nothing. I have had young men try to pull such pranks to visit with young ladies in the middle of the night."

Kurumu frowned, leaning back in the chair as far as her wings allowed.

"Is the enchantment that easy to see through?"

"This is my home, Ms. Kurono. I know how things should be within my domain. I doubt I would notice such an anomaly outside of my comfortable environment."

Kurumu nodded, fidgeting with the empty yunomi. She felt like she should have more to talk about with someone whom had lived with her mother for two whole years.

"Did my mother stay with you over school breaks?"

"She did."

"Where did she live during her senior year?"

The housemother paused to let out a puff of smoke.

"She lived in an apartment in Mononoke with Tsurara and Kentou."

"Why would Mizore's mother ever agree to that?"

"Because they were good friends. Your mother was also broke and didn't want to be the only senior living in this building."

The matriarch got up, pushing her empty glass aside.

"Speaking of that, she did leave something of hers with me. I had always hoped she would come back to visit during her senior year so I could return it, but she never did. One moment."

The housemother walked around the table and towards the door. She pushed it open and disappeared from view. Her footsteps carried further away, eventually coming to a stop.

"It's a present she received from the family taking care of her prior to her arrival here. Clearly something given to her when she was very young."

The elderly woman returned, handing a cloth doll over to Kurumu. The white face had no features and the black, yarn hair was styled up in a traditional cut. A crimson kimono with white flowers was wrapped about the torso and stitched in place. Pushing the sleeves back as far as the stitches would allow revealed small white balls for hands. The doll also had balls for feet, though these were painted black.

"It was one of the few things your mother brought with her to Yokai Academy from her former life. It saddened me to see her leave it behind."

Kurumu clutched the doll to her chest.

"My mother passed away."

The housemother settled in the chair across from her. She took a pull from her pipe and nodded.

"I suspected as much. There is a sadness in you that I did not feel before."

"Is that all you have to say?"

The elderly woman sighed, relaxing in her chair.

"I'm a hundred and thirty seven years old. I was married in 1904 to another of Yokai Academy's founding teachers and had five children with him. My youngest was born in the spring of 25. My oldest two sons died in 44 during the war. I resigned my teaching position in 64 after my husband passed away. By that point, both of my daughters had married and have families of their own. They haven't visited since Lord Kuyo started his reign of terror. And I buried my baby boy whom never married but remained in Mononoke to keep me company four years ago."

She paused to take another puff from her pipe.

"I'm tired, Ms. Kurono. I am saddened by this news. I can only hope that she found some happiness in the short time she had."

Kurumu regarded the doll in her hands. It was a memento of a childhood she would never know about. Perhaps it was best to pretend it had all been happy.

"What about your grandchildren?"

The housemother grunted, getting up on her feet.

"Don't worry about me, Ms. Kurono. I think we have chatted long enough for your friends to have settled down. You best not keep them waiting."

Kurumu frowned as she stood up, pinching the doll in her arm while holding her wedges.

"Are you sure everyone is back?"

"One good thing about this martial law nonsense is that nearly everyone returns from their meals at the same time. It makes it easier to enjoy my solitude uninterrupted."

Kurumu followed the old woman into the office. The housemother nodded with a gesture to the door as she took her seat in her chair. Nodding back, Kurumu went through the door into the adjacent space.

"Have a good evening, Ms. Kurono."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sumitomo."

The woman made a sound of acknowledgment as Kurumu tugged open the door with her free hand. There was nobody out in the hall as she walked away from the office and adjacent mail alcove. The elevator lobby was also vacant. She quickly crossed the space to press the button to call the elevator.

The chime sounded immediately and the door on her left responded. Kurumu darted inside before the door could finish opening. Thinking it would be best to start at the top and work her way down, she punched the button for the seventh floor. It took a couple seconds for the elevator doors to recognize that it was time to shut.

Glancing at the doll in her arm, she decided to put it by mommy's butsudan. Perhaps mommy would appreciate the gesture. She should do something tonight. Maybe say a prayer or light some incense. Maybe Yukari could help. As her heart twisted with grief, she felt so inadequate. She had no idea how to do any of this Buddhism stuff that Ms. Aimai had told her to about.

The elevator dinged upon arrival. Kurumu wiped her tears away as she waited for the door to open fully. She slipped out of the elevator, sniffling as she headed for 714. It was resting on its deadbolt, which hopefully meant Antai was in her room. Composing herself, she knocked on the door.

The girl whom answered was unexpected. Taniguchi seemed equally surprised at her presence.

"Ms. Kurono?"

"Taniguchi. You're dressed for school."

The undine giggled, stepping aside. Her toffee locks were done up in their usual side braids with her ponytail tied loosely with a black band. Her green jacket was left open. Like Akegawa, she was wearing black tights with her skirt.

"I don't have the luxury of boycotting classes when they're held downstairs."

Kurumu grinned as she entered the room. All of Kokoa's lunch group was present, including Kaimura and Akiyama. Unsurprisingly, they were all dressed in their school uniforms. Antai and Akiyama had on the sweater vests while Kaimura had her jacket slung over her shoulder. The jacket almost fell further down her back than her wavy, magma tresses.

Akiyama stepped forward to grab Kurumu by the arm, peering up at her with those lovely lilac eyes. Her vibrant, maroon locks had the scent of cinnamon, reminding Kurumu of Odayakana.

"You look gorgeous in that dress."

"Is it true that Kokoa and Ms. Fukai were arrested for murder?"

Blushing from the first comment, Kurumu hesitated before responding to Akegawa. Her cherry bangs were pushed back by a black hairband as usual and her pistachio eyes were filled with concern.

"I doubt Ishiko helped Kokoa tear that guy apart."

Akegawa turned pale, holding her hand over her mouth.

"It is true then."

"True, but not in a sense that anyone should worry about."

"Why? Is this having to do with her mother?"

Kurumu smiled at Kaimura.

"There's that, but the man Kokoa killed is one of the criminals responsible for Mizumi's death."

"So you did know about Aoi's death."

Kurumu turned about, noting Taniguchi had let the door rest on the deadbolt again.

"We were told the bank was robbed by three unknown men whom somehow got through the barrier undetected, and that the PSC had found the bodies of two girls. We were asked not to publish anything about that under the premise that it would cause panic."

"Did you also know that they burned her body?"

Kurumu frowned at the angry tone of Taniguchi's voice.

"We don't know if they have been burned. That could be something Lord Chiki is making up to justify his execution of a gymnastics teacher in front of everyone."

Taniguchi faltered back a step.

"I can't believe he killed her."

Antai nodded at Akegawa's soft remark. Her beige tresses were pulled back in a simple ponytail today.

"Fucking crazy. Is Kokoa going to be okay?"

"He'd be suicidal if he tried to execute her for the murder of a killer."

"It's not like we know if what Ms. Kurono is saying is true."

"Do you believe Kokoa would kill a man she knew was working for Lord Chiki?"

Taniguchi hesitated, turning her creamy eyes to the floor.

"I know she likes to fight. She might-"

"No she wouldn't, Ms. Taniguchi. You know better."

Taniguchi clenched her fists.

"We don't know the circumstances."

"Kokoa was ambushed by the bank robbers. She was with Moka, Ishiko and Tsukune at the time. These men hurt Ishiko."

"That doesn't make them the killers."

Kurumu shook her head at Taniguchi's resistance.

"Yukari has magic to track Moka and Tsukune. We found Kokoa and she had killed one of them. But she was too scared to go after the others and leave Ishiko behind. So we went ahead for her."

Kurumu paused, taking in a deep breath. She absently flexed her wings, causing Antai to protest for smacking her in the face. Murmuring a quick apology, she smiled sheepishly at Taniguchi.

"Anyways… I was with Yukari, Mizore and Rubi. We encountered another of the trio. And he was pretty strong. He was wearing a magic canceler which made Yukari and Rubi useless in the fight and he quickly took out Mizore. When it looked like I was done for, Tsukune showed up."

She paused again.

"He had gone berserk like he had against the monstrels. Killed the guy he had been left with. Almost killed the guy we were fighting, but Rubi and I managed to subdue him. He's presently unconscious in the hospital and needs the Headmaster to wake him up."

"So what happened to the last guy?"

"He was arrested by Lord Chiki. And so was everyone else. Lord Chiki seems to think we were killing our allies so that they couldn't testify against the Headmaster."

"How do you know these guys were responsible for Aoi's death?"

Kurumu sighed at Taniguchi.

"We don't. But the bodies of two of the missing drama club girls were found in their lair, along with the money stolen from the bank. So while it is possible that Mizumi and Niwakame were killed by someone else, I don't believe that to be the case."

Taniguchi nodded thoughtfully.

"Yuri mentioned some drama club girls went missing. That means it should be over."

"It should. But Lord Chiki insists that we are guilty of something."

"But that's not going to stick."

Attention shifted to Kaimura.

"How can it? You killed killers. It's not like you killed innocent men."

"He's trying to get us to confess to a conspiracy."

"That's bullshit. We want to be safe. Killers are caught. End of story."

"Exactly. That's what I'm here to tell everyone. Like you said. It should be over. Anything more is Lord Chiki desperately trying to frame the Headmaster for a crime he didn't commit."

Akegawa gasped.

"If they recovered the money lost from the bank, then that means the Headmaster genuinely paid off his debts to the community."

Taniguchi's eyes lit up.

"That was something Lord Chiki claimed the first night we all had to attend dinner for roll call. He told us that the Headmaster paid off his debts with the money stolen from the bank."

"Yea. These men can't be working for him if they still have the money. There's no reason for him to order them to go on a random killing spree to cause chaos."

Kurumu blinked at Antai's declaration.

"Sounds like we missed out on a very interesting dinner."

Kaimura smirked with amusement in her amethyst eyes.

"You were all labeled as evil conspirators for failing to show up that night."

"Do you think Kokoa and Ms. Fukai will be okay?"

Kurumu hesitated. She wanted to reassure Akegawa but she genuinely had no clue.

"I know Ishiko had recovered enough to be taken to the prison instead of the hospital. I was roughed up pretty bad, so I spent the night there with Yukari watching over me. When she told me everyone was arrested for this conspiracy nonsense, we teleported out of there and tried to come up with a plan."

"So… what is your plan?"

Kurumu smiled apologetically at Antai.

"This is it."

"What?"

"Telling everyone the truth. We have to let you know it's over. Yukari thinks that Lord Chiki hired these guys to rob the bank and kill girls. He found us within an hour of us stumbling on these guys."

An uneasy silence settled over the group. Antai huffed.

"That's awfully coincidental that he finally finds the killers after you guys do."

"He also has full control of the mail. He refused to let anything be picked up or delivered this week. And we can't go to Mononoke to use the speakers."

Antai nodded at Kaimura.

"He probably has that shut down too. We're completely cut off from the outside world."

"Are you sure Kokoa and Ms. Fukai are safe?"

"This is sounding like a prison camp."

Taniguchi sighed, stalking over to pat Akiyama's head.

"This is out of our control. We're students, Kurumu. We can't stage a rebellion."

"I wasn't asking anyone to."

"Well you're freaking everyone out."

"Because it makes sense."

Antai clapped a hand on Kurumu's shoulder and squeezed.

"Whom am I going to believe? My friends or the guy whom murdered my teacher?"

"We have to do something to help Kokoa and Ms. Fukai."

"Hold on, Hikari. You keep forgetting that she's the daughter of someone very important."

Akegawa pouted at Kaimura.

"I'm not forgetting that this man will kill someone for no good reason."

"Yukari is plotting to do something in case Lord Chiki is behind everything. All I need from you is to spread the news that the killers have been caught. We don't need to start accusing Lord Chiki of orchestrating everything. We just need him to stop this martial law nonsense when we're not in danger."

"Fat chance of that happening. He's not going to quit until he has your whole club and the Headmaster arrested."

"Maybe so. But we can't turn ourselves in just yet. And we have no idea where the Headmaster is."

Taniguchi let out a heavy breath.

"Well… I can let my friends and the girls on the fourth floor know about this."

Antai nodded enthusiastically.

"Yea. We'll definitely let the rest of the girls on our floor know."

"That would be great. Also tell the older girls when you see them at dinner."

"You can bet we will."

"I'll let Yuri know about the fate of the killers and the drama club girls."

"Tell her that Sakamori Hinoko survived. She is also being held at the hospital."

"Whom is that?"

"She's the third missing drama club girl whom is in our home ec class. The two seniors died."

"That's so sad."

"Well… I should go. I have some more girls that I want to tell this to."

Taniguchi nodded, backing up to the door and pulling it open for her.

"Good luck out there."

Kurumu grinned, nodding as she passed by. She felt much better about this plan as she crossed the lobby. Other than Taniguchi's moment of disbelief, they had completely trusted her. That felt good as she opened the door to the stairway and started down the steps.

The next person she wanted to speak with was Akari. As a relative to a faculty member, a classroom rep and one of the most popular first year girls in the school, Kurumu wanted her included in this. She knew the girl lived on the sixth floor near Mizore's old room since Nozomi had called Mizore a neighbor.

It only took seconds to get down to the lobby of her old floor. Walking to the hall, she glanced off to her right. Hiboshi and Dakuhime both lived down that way, though she felt no reason to alert them of her presence. She took off down the hall to her right, quickly passing by her old suite 616 across from the bathrooms. 618 belonged to Ishiko.

Kurumu frowned, hesitating at the door to 622. She forgot which room had belonged to Mizore. She knew it was an even number suite and that it had odd numbers across from it. It was not the last one, but it might be the second to last one. That would make sense to put the two okami girls at the end of the hall. Feeling reassured, Kurumu strode purposefully to the last door on her left. Certain that 628 had to belong to Nozomi, she knocked on the door.

There were murmurs on the other side followed by soft footsteps. The deadbolt was drawn back and the door was eased open.

"Ms. Kurono?"

Kurumu frowned at the quartet of girls in the room. Anko held the door open with a confused look. She was the only gnome of the group whom was not wearing her glasses. The ends of her obsidian tails which jut out over her ears brushed upon her shoulders. Like her brother, her eyes were a rich bronze.

"What are you doing here?"

Kurumu smiled at the concern in Tsuchiyama's voice. Her peridot eyes were wide behind her cherry glasses. Her dark tresses were pulled back in her usual ponytail. Like the rest of the girls in the room, she had parted with her green jacket.

"I was looking for Ms. Bikiyama."

The other three girls were knelt down in the middle of the room. Each of them had colored dice, pencils and sheets of paper. A folded cardboard divider with graphics of wizards and monsters protected the fourth girl's materials from the others. This silver haired girl had her tresses wrapped up in a braided bun and sported a pair of bubblegum pink, cat eye glasses upon her tiny nose. This girl with emerald eyes usually ate lunch with the computer club boys. She had rolled her sleeves up to bare her elbows.

"She lives in 626."

Kurumu grinned sheepishly at Anko.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"She won't be in her room. She ate lunch with Ms. Uchikawa, Ms. Matsudera and that rowdy girl they often hang out with. I believe they went to her room."

Kurumu bowed appreciatively to Tsuchiyama.

"Thank you very much."

"Should we report her to the authorities?"

Katahara was the smallest one of the group. Her inky black hair was pulled into balls which sprouted twin tails. Biting her lip, her brass eyes behind thick, tortoiseshell glasses betrayed her anxiety.

"We could pretend like we didn't see her."

The silver haired girl grinned, cocking her head. Kurumu grinned back.

"That would be kind of you."

"But won't we get in trouble?"

This girl wagged a pencil at Katahara.

"It's not like we let her in the building."

"What are you girls playing anyways?"

"DND. We play this every Sunday."

Kurumu frowned at Anko.

"What's that?"

"It's a role playing game. Iwa is our dungeon master. I'm the party leader."

"No you're not."

"I'm the one in front. You're just a healer."

Tsuchiyama pouted at Anko.

"Neither of us have the stats to be in front."

"Yea. You're just the dumb meat shield."

"Thor isn't dumb. He's got a fourteen in intelligence."

"And Layla has fifteen. You're still the dumbest one of our group."

"All she does is sneak around and steal crap we don't need."

"Intelligence on a barbarian is a waste of stats. You should have given that to your dexterity."

"Ten is fine. My sixteens on strength and constitution are good enough."

Kurumu smiled, completely clueless what this was about.

"Well… I don't suppose any of you girls are from Chirasu."

The silver haired girl shook her head politely.

"No. We're all from Touboe."

"Um… we caught the guys that robbed the bank and were abducting girls."

All the gnome girls regarded her with shock. She smiled sheepishly.

"Yea… We found Sakamori and she's in the hospital. They say she'll be okay."

"That lush was missing?"

Kurumu nodded at Anko, recalling that she was the class rep for Sakamori's homeroom.

"So um… that was all I had to say. Good luck with your game."

Kurumu retreated back a step but hesitated.

"And I don't know your name. Iwa…"

The silver haired girl grinned.

"Ishikure. I share the representative duties with Mr. Ganjou for class ten."

"Whom she is madly in love with."

Ishikure blushed under Tsuchiyama's grin.

"Don't listen to them, Ms. Kurono. He's like a brother to me."

"But you have a brother."

"I can have more than one brother."

"You don't see Kaori or Tomiko hanging out with their brothers."

"My brother is creepy."

Anko snickered at Katahara's quick response.

"My brother's annoying. You couldn't pay me to hang out with his judo club friends."

"Well… thanks again."

Anko grunted a response as Kurumu retreated from the door. Hearing the door close, Kurumu hurried down the hall. She wondered if Yukari would know anything about that DND stuff. It looked like it could be an interesting group activity. In seconds, Kurumu was across the lobby and starting down the stairs.

As she descended, she contemplated which rooms belonged to Nikki and Kiba. Satsuki had been Moka's neighbor, putting her in 508. Nikki and Kiba both lived further down that hall. Asuka had once told her that she was Satsuki's neighbor in 506 while Taijin lived across the hall from her in 505. Highly doubting they would separate those Ashikantai girls by putting one of them in 507, she imagined she had a good chance of not knocking on the wrong door this time.

Entering the fifth floor lobby, Kurumu hesitated indecisively. She probably should check on Kana first. Okimune had not been able to tell her if anything had happened to their illustrator or Kiki. She changed her course, turning left down the hall to stop at 516.

Kurumu smiled with relief upon noting the door was resting on its deadbolt. She wondered if that meant Kana's three friends from the sixth floor were visiting. Knocking on the door, Kurumu gently pushed it open for herself.

"Kana?"

The blond was sprawled on the floor of her room with her attention fixated on her laptop. A white pair of earphones were stuffed in her ears with a wire connecting to a jack in the side of the laptop. She moved her mouse carefully, making lines in the software. Her knees were bent with her ankles crossed. The school skirt was long enough to not betray her panties to anyone standing at the door.

Like most girls living in the dorm, Kana slept on a futon which she put away every morning. The hassle of getting a bed up in the elevators was too much for most. But unlike most girls, Kana had lined her side wall with shelves stacked with volumes of comics, CDs and DVDs. She even owned some figurines, which Kurumu had never dared ask about.

Pushed up against the wall perfectly beneath the narrow window was a black desk with portraits of her family. A black stool with a square, white cushion tied to it had been pushed beneath the desk.

"Kana."

Kurumu entered the room, letting the door ease back on the deadbolt. She closed in on the girl, tapping her butt with her foot. The blond jerked, glancing back. Baby blue eyes quickly brightened with a smile.

"Kurumu!"

Kurumu grinned as the girl hopped up. She sighed happily as the blond hugged her. It was brief since Kana had a poor embrace due to Kurumu's wings. The blond stepped back, leaving her hands on Kurumu's shoulders.

"We were told this morning that you and Yukari escaped from prison after being charged with treason and conspiracy crimes against the school."

Kurumu smirked, having heard this nonsense before.

"I woke up in the hospital and Yukari got us out of there. I wanted to make sure you weren't arrested."

Kana smiled softly, removing her hands.

"I don't know if he realizes I'm part of your club. He hasn't arrested Ms. Honda either to my knowledge."

"I'm glad nobody felt it was their duty to out you."

"Word got around fast about what he did to Ms. Rin. I'm thankful that I wasn't there to see it."

Kurumu forced a smile, retreating back a step and flexing her wings.

"How is Touzoku and your other friends doing?"

"They're fine. I think most of us are trying our best to not get involved in this mess. Keep our heads down and hope for the best."

"We caught the bank robbers."

"You did?"

"We also found out that they were the ones abducting and killing girls."

"That's good news."

"I guess we were arrested because Lord Chiki wants to believe that we were sent to kill these guys. He's clinging to the idea that these guys are working with the Headmaster."

Kana sighed, shaking her head.

"That guy is crazy. I wonder if all kitsune grow up to think they are above the law. I know that Kuyo guy was never punished for what he did to me."

Kurumu was hesitant to respond. She could not remember if they had told Kana about Kuyo getting promoted to the prefectural officer of Nagano. She felt no reason to do so now.

"I stopped by the dorm to spread the news about us capturing the killers. We're hoping if everybody knows about it, Lord Chiki will stop selling this nonsense. Why would the Headmaster hire men to rob the bank and kill some girls if he wasn't going to use the money? Those guys still had the money."

"I don't know if this guy will listen to us. Someone higher up like the region commander is going to have to step in and fix this. I've tried writing my folks, but I guess he isn't letting mail go out. Claims he has to examine everything going in and out to find any more traitors in our midst."

Kurumu knew Kana was right. They needed the Headmaster to do something.

"Mr. Kaneshiro agreed to talk to Lord Chiki on our behalf. We hope he can reason with him."

"Is there anything you needed from me?"

"No. I only wanted to confirm you were safe. Oh, and Yukari finished all six volumes of Gravitation."

"Cool. I'll give her more volumes once this whole thing blows over."

"Well… I have other girls that I wanted to spread this news to. And I wanted to check on Kiki too."

Kana laughed, sitting down on her butt.

"Be careful out there, Kurumu."

"I will."

As Kana returned to working on her laptop, Kurumu retreated to the door and tugged it open. She quietly slipped out into the hall, letting the door gently rest on its deadbolt. Taking in a deep breath, she glanced down the hall to her right. Decisively, she started down the hall.

Kurumu slowed her step after passing by the doors for 505 and 506. She noted the door to 504 was closed properly. So was 503. She continued on to the end of the hallway, perking up at the sound of voices carrying from 501. She smiled at a familiar snicker, noting 501 was resting on its deadbolt.

"-doesn't mean that we're related."

Kurumu knocked on the door, causing the conversation within to stop. Footsteps quickly approached and the door was tugged open slightly. Nozomi's hazel eyes brightened up as she held the door open further. Her peppered curls brushed atop her shoulders which were still swathed in her green jacket, though she had left it open to bare her school blouse.

"Get in here, you dummy."

Kurumu chuckled, darting into the room. The other three girls from Tsukune's regular lunch group were seated about a low, bamboo table. Nikki had her jacket in the same state as Nozomi's while Akari still had hers closed. Kiba had tied hers about her waist and was the only girl in the room wearing slacks instead of a skirt. The hazel eyed inugami had rolled her sleeves up and unfastened the top three buttons of her blouse. Her long black tresses brushed upon the floor as she favored Kurumu a toothy grin. She was seated across the table from Nikki with Akari on her left, facing the door.

"We were told that you started a life of crime."

Kurumu smirked as she heard the deadbolt drawn behind her.

"I'm starting to think doing anything which interferes with his plans of getting rid of the Headmaster will be seen as a crime."

Akari grinned, baring her snaggletooth as she regarded Kurumu with void black eyes.

"What exactly did you do?"

"We found the bank robbers. Also found out that they were the ones abducting and killing girls."

"Well that's good news."

"Yea. I told Kokoa's friends upstairs first about this and they pointed out something that I overlooked. These guys had the bank money still on them. Part of Lord Chiki's blame the Headmaster for everything scheme hinged on the Headmaster using the bank money to pay his debts. But he already paid the debts and we recovered the money."

Nikki gasped, absently fussing with her dark gray locks about her ear.

"That's right! It's his whole motive!"

"Are you sure you found all of the money?"

"I wasn't conscious at the time. We had to kill two of these guys and the third was arrested with us. I was put in the hospital with Tsukune and Sakamori, since we were all in bad shape. I heard that Sakamori would be fine, but we need the Headmaster to return to fix Tsukune."

"What's with the doll?"

Kurumu laughed at Kiba's random question.

"Something the housemother gave me. Said it belonged to my mother."

"Damn. She must have been holding onto that for a long time."

Kurumu chuckled, nodding. She mildly wondered why the housemother had not given it to her before.

"That's a pretty dress. I like the shoes."

Kurumu grinned at Nikki.

"Something Kokoa had bought for me months ago. I've only worn it once."

"I'm struggling to understand his logic of having you arrested after capturing the criminals."

"Maybe he's looking at it like they're unwanted vigilantes."

Akari pouted at Nozomi.

"That doesn't explain the charges of treason and conspiracy."

"It's like Kurono said. He's trying to say the Headmaster is a crook."

"I heard that he still is holding Ms. Hajihachi."

Akari sighed at Kurumu, nodding.

"My Aunt asked him about that. He said he still needed Mika for questioning since her boyfriend was involved in a terrorist act in Okinawa."

"Yea. He's calling that article Morioka wrote a confession of treason."

"I don't get that though. If the article is solid evidence, he shouldn't need a statement from Mika."

"Yukari and I spoke with Mr. Kaneshiro today. He informed us that Lord Chiki can hold anyone for three weeks without formally pressing charges."

Akari paused with a frown.

"Scare tactics?"

"Perhaps. I decided to spread the word around that the culprits had been caught so there isn't a reason for Lord Chiki to continue this martial law stuff."

"I doubt that will stop. Not as long as Lord Chiki regards you as an escaped criminal. But it is good to know that there is a time limit for this. Is Mr. Kaneshiro working with you?"

"I wouldn't say that he is, but he did agree to speak to Lord Chiki about this situation with the killers being apprehended. We're hoping that we can reason with the man."

"I pray for his success."

"Do you need us to do anything?"

"Not much. Mostly spread the word to any older students you might have reason to interact with at dinner tonight. The more people aware that this is over, the better."

Nozomi patted Kurumu's head with a snaggletooth grin.

"We can do that. I know Nikki is dying for an excuse to talk to Touma."

"Am not."

Kurumu smiled softly. She felt comfortable. Safe among friends.

"I got one more stop. I have to check on Kiki and let all of the girls we fly around with on Sundays know the news. Could you let Asuka know that I stopped by?"

"That brat is downstairs with those girls."

"I guess I'll inform her myself then."

"What do you plan to do after you talk to them?"

Kurumu paused at Akari's question. After a moment, she shrugged.

"I don't know for sure. I could probably hang out until dinner. But once rumors start spreading, it would probably be best for me not to be here."

"Understandable. Come back up here when you're finished. We don't have any plans for the afternoon."

Kiba snorted at Akari.

"Because we can't do anything. And I'm going to smack any of you if you suggest studying."

"It wouldn't help you anyways."

Kiba swiped across the table which Nikki effortlessly avoided. Akari wagged a finger at Kiba.

"Don't. Leaving any marks on her might get both of you in trouble."

Kiba huffed, crossing her arms below her chest.

"Why don't we tag along with Kurono?"

Nozomi laughed, shaking her head.

"Are you that bored?"

"Yes. Besides… didn't you say they were planning a birthday party for your track friends?"

Kurumu gasped, clutching her breast with her free hand. A flood of sorrow drowned her heart.

"Oh. Suzume's birthday is tomorrow."

Nozomi gently touched her shoulder.

"Hey… it's okay."

But Kurumu was already in tears. He had ruined Kamitsuku's birthday. Now he was ruining Suzume's. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Nozomi pulled her into a hug. Kurumu sniffled, resting her head on the girl's shoulder as her heart ached with disappointment and frustration.

"Dangerous criminal here. Bawling her eyes out over a birthday that isn't even hers."

"Swear you're all a bunch of crybabies. Nikki over that boy and you over missing a stupid track meet."

Nozomi loosened her grip. She smelled like peaches.

"It wasn't stupid. This was a big meet for us. It's practically the same level as regionals."

"It was disappointing. We can only hope he doesn't cancel the next one."

"Yea… we're the host so that's not a matter of us just not showing up to a meet. We'd fuck over several schools if he did that."

The sudden change of conversation helped Kurumu reign in her emotions. She pulled away from Nozomi, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

"Sorry. Rough week."

"It's okay, Ms. Kurono. Nobody believes what Lord Chiki says about you and Ms. Sendou."

Kurumu smiled at Nikki, nodding with a sniffle.

"Are you sure you can't spend the night with us?"

Kurumu promptly shook her head at Nozomi's offer.

"No. I have a place to stay."

Nozomi fussed with Kurumu's hair.

"How's Shirayuki holding up?"

"She's watching over Tsukune in the hospital."

"You know… she cares way too much about your boyfriend."

Kiba sighed dramatically, getting up on her feet.

"Are we going downstairs or what?"

It felt different leaving a room with a group of girls. Safer. Protected. Cared for.

"Are you going to lock up?"

Nikki sighed as she exited the room last. She dipped back inside for a quick moment before coming back out. Fixing the deadbolt in place, she locked the door properly.

"Do you think you should surrender yourself?"

"Why should she do that?"

Akari smiled softly as they started down the hall.

"Mostly for her own safety. And he can't hold her for more than three weeks without pressing these crazy treason and conspiracy charges."

"But he'll probably torture her the entire time."

"He won't kill her."

"Tell that to Ms. Rin."

Akari pouted as they crossed the lobby to the door for the stairway.

"He might be forgiven for that. But you heard Ms. Shuzen. Ms. Kurono is regarded as property of the Shuzen Estate. What do you think will happen to him if he crosses the president of Fairy Tale?"

Kiba smirked as she held open the door for them.

"Hopefully nothing good."

They started down the stairs with Kiba quickly taking the lead before reaching the next landing. Kurumu hovered close to Nozomi with Akari slightly ahead of them. Nikki followed on their heels.

"We should have left your shoes in my room. It must be awkward carrying them around all the time."

Kurumu laughed, wagging the wedges on her hand.

"I suppose I could have."

"I just hope they have something more entertaining to do than shiritori."

"It wasn't that bad."

"Don't you guys have music to listen to?"

"Since when is that fun?"

Nozomi chuckled at Kiba's protest.

"It is if you have a speaker system or a karaoke machine."

"Which we are fortunate that you have neither."

Nozomi pouted at Akari. With a deep breath, she smiled at Kurumu.

"I have a CD player. And I sing in my room alone because nobody appreciates my voice."

"Do any of you own a television?"

Akari laughed, shaking her head.

"My family owns a television. I doubt they'd let me bring it with me."

"But she has a point. We're on our own here. Maybe we should price one."

"They're probably expensive. My family had one, but that was it."

Kurumu smiled softly, wondering if that was normal or if these girls were as behind the times as she was. Tsukune had a television in his room, but he was an only child. Other than Kiba, the rest of these girls had large families.

Eventually they reached the landing for the second floor. Kiba held the door open, allowing them to enter the lobby ahead of her. Kurumu knew that the tengu girls all lived down the right corridor, recalling that Tora was in 204 while Deshi was in 202. Michiko lived in 203 across from Tora and was neighbors with Suzume and Hatoko. Kurumu was fairly sure Hatoko was in 201 but had never bothered asking for specifics. But she knew that Kiki was Tora's other neighbor in 206.

The moment she stepped into the hallway, her eyes locked with Taijin's. The tall girl still had her green jacket fastened up. Standing in front of the open door to 205, the girl turned her head.

"Ms. Kurono is here."

There was an excited cry as Asuka came tearing out of the room. She nearly ran into the far wall before banking hard and darting by Akari to grab Kurumu by the arm. Her electric blue eyes sparkled.

"Where have you been?! That crazy guy burning teachers said you were a fugitive of the law!"

"Yes. And now we're all accomplices."

Asuka stuck her tongue out at Nozomi's grin.

"Kurumu?"

Kurumu smiled as Suzume poked her head out of the room. She would have waved but Asuka had her free hand and her other was occupied with shoes and a doll.

"Hey, Suzume. How's the birthday plans coming along?"

Kazehana bounded out with her jacket tied about her waist. The twin tailed girl stalked over to the doors for 207 and 208 where Kurumu had been held up.

"Dreadful. Right now we're hoping we can postpone things till next weekend and hope this blows over by then. I refuse to celebrate my birthday in the confines of my room."

"Yours is Tuesday."

"Yup. Sweet sixteen. So what brings this fox into the henhouse?"

"Spreading news. We found those bank robbers and they turned out to also be the ones abducting girls and cutting them up. We killed two of them and subdued the third before Lord Chiki found us."

"Yea, and get this. He's trying to say they murdered these killers."

Kazehana laughed at Nozomi's addition. Both Michiko and Hatoko had stepped out into the hall. Michiko had her jacket fixed up like Taijin's but Hatoko had left hers open. The chestnut haired tengu stalked over.

"That right?"

"That's the gist of it. He desperately wants the Headmaster to be the bad guy in all of this."

"Then why run from him?"

Kiba snickered at Hatoko, fussing with the girl's bang which caused her to scowl.

"Use that bird brain of yours. If Kurono hadn't escaped, nobody would have told us about the killers being caught because it doesn't suit that guy's agenda."

Suzume slipped between Kiba and Hatoko. She tapped Asuka's shoulder.

"Can I have Kurumu for a moment?"

Asuka giggled, letting Kurumu go and stepping back. Almost instantly Suzume stepped in to give Kurumu a hug. Kurumu sighed, returning the embrace as best she could while holding her belongings.

"What's with the doll?"

Kurumu laughed at Asuka's quip, letting out a heavy breath. Suzume pulled back, glancing at the object of attention.

"This belonged to my mother. The Housemother decided to give it to me today."

"Kind of an odd thing for her to have lying around."

Kurumu shrugged, not having any answers. She smiled at Suzume.

"Have you guys decided on any activities for your birthday?"

Suzume pouted, cocking her head.

"It's not like we can do anything now. We're praying that it lets up for next weekend."

"But hearing there isn't a mad killer on the loose is reassuring. Maybe we could sneak out?"

"And get arrested?"

Kazehana shrugged at Suzume.

"Maybe we won't have to do our homework if he locks us up."

Hatoko snorted, shaking her head.

"Ya dumb. If we puts off one week, may as well puts off another."

"I guess that's true. But we better not stall past Sports Day."

"Mr. Kaneshiro assured Ms. Kurono that Lord Chiki can't lawfully hold anyone for more than three weeks. He plans to speak with Lord Chiki and believes that this will be resolved soon."

The girls all nodded at Akari's input. Suzume squeezed her arm.

"Did you also get Sir Utsutei involved?"

"No. Only Mr. Kaneshiro. Where's Kiki?"

"Ms. Honda. Ms. Kurono is asking for you."

After a short moment, Kiki timidly exited the room under Taijin's prompting. The girl had her russet locks done up in her usual five tails. She slowly made her way over to Kurumu, smiling apologetically.

"Ms. Kurono."

Something felt wrong.

"Are you okay?"

Kiki wrung her hands for a moment. She took in a deep breath.

"I quit."

"Quit? Are you leaving school?"

"No. I quit the newspaper club."

"Cause she cowardly."

"Quit ya squawking. Not like ya would join their club."

"Course not. I have track."

Kiki peered up at Kurumu with sorrowful, frightened eyes.

"I can't do this. I spoke with Ms. Betsutama and she agreed to accept my application. It's a nice club."

Kurumu smiled softly unable to think of something to say.

"And I like Ms. Manzoku. And Ms. Fukai is my classmate. How is she doing? We haven't seen her in days."

Kurumu hesitated.

"Fine. She tagged along with Kokoa and got herself arrested."

Kiki touched her breast. Her eyes were on the brink of tears.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. Ishiko is precious to Kokoa. If Lord Chiki did anything to her, it would not go over well for him."

"I feel like I'm letting you all down by doing this."

Kurumu shook her head. In truth, she was relieved. The kimono club would be a good fit for Kiki.

"I'll break the news to Ginei when I see him again. I'm sure he will understand."

Kiki nodded, shrinking away from Kurumu. There was a heavy moment of silence which abruptly ended when Asuka clapped her hands.

"Melodrama aside, we have a party to plan."

---

Kurumu dried off her hands on this old white tee shirt after setting aside the toothbrush she had rinsed. During her instant ramen dinner, Chouda had donated this toothbrush to her after an offhand remark about her inconsistent dental hygiene care as of late due to recent events. That sylph was such a sweet girl. It had been tempting to share with her what this jewelry box and flower vase really were.

Kurumu sighed, glancing about her quiet room. She barely spent any time in here. She was only here to change clothes and wash up before bed. Not that she could go to bed. Chouda was expecting Kurumu to return soon so they could wait together for Yukari.

Kurumu wandered over to her old desk. She had placed the doll beside the vase. She sighed, stroking the flowers. This was such a troublesome illusion Yukari had cast. While she could will them back to how she remembered them to be, it would snap back to Yukari's illusion the moment she broke contact. She was thinking it might be time to have Yukari remove the spell. She missed her mother.

Impulsively, Kurumu pulled out the chair and sat down. This old shirt was too short to cover her rump so she had worn a pair of old briefs with them. It was not the sexiest of night wear, but it was reminiscent of all the years she had lived with mommy. She sighed again, leaning forward and resting her head on her forearms. She regarded this jewelry box, thinking about the doppelganger and what answers he might have for her. She hoped Yukari would bring positive news.

She felt like she had done nothing. Most of her friends were dealing with martial law while those dearest to her where in prison or the hospital. After spending hours of chatting about birthday plans, school, boys, clothes, families and violent uprisings, she had left the dorm around six. Using her magic rock to avoid detection, she had returned to Chouda's suite and had waited patiently for the sylph to return.

"Mommy. Are you watching over me? Could you help me?"

She closed her eyes, straining her senses to hear something, anything.

A knock sounded upon her door followed by the chime of her doorbell.

"Kurumu! Open up!"

"Yukari?"

"Hurry!"

The desperation in the witch's voice urged her for haste. She quickly got up from her chair and pranced over to the genkan. She drew back the door and frowned at the witch.

"Damn, you took forever!"

Kurumu frowned as the witch pushed her into the room. The girl was dressed in a loose fitting yellow tee and a pair of black shorts.

"What are you wearing?"

Yukari paused, looking her over.

"What are you wearing?"

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head. She closed the door as Yukari stepped aside.

"It's not like I have much to choose from."

Kurumu turned the deadbolt.

"All my good clothes are-"

Pain pierced through her back as something sharp cut through her. The force pushed her against the door as the blade withdrew and was slammed back in a second time. She gasped in pain as her heart began to race madly.

Yukari cackled maniacally as she yanked the blade out again. It slammed home a third time, perfectly center of the back. Kurumu's legs gave out and she slumped to the floor. The crazed laughter continued as the witch retreated, leaving the blade in place.

"So easy. They never expect it."

It was quickly becoming hard to breath. Kurumu coughed up blood as she weakly felt about the floor for something, anything.

"Let's see what you have in the closet. While I don't mind posing as this brat, finding clothes for a kid on short notice isn't the easiest thing to do."

Kurumu whimpered up a gout of blood. Somehow the doppelganger was here. She was terrified what that meant for Yukari. She heard her closet door open. Mustering her strength, she tried to turn about in the entryway. She had to see him. She had to look him in the eye.

"This isn't a bad selection though not quite what I had in mind. You need simpler clothes that are easy to move around in. Half this shit is too gaudy and stiff. Where's the fucking sundresses?"

Her legs felt like a distant memory. She could only manage on her elbows. She turned about and dragged herself clear of the entryway as the doppelganger exited her closet, holding her indigo cheongsam. He now resembled her body which could barely be contained in the shirt and shorts he had arrived in. He favored her with a malicious grin.

"Do you think this looks good on you?"

Kurumu grinned with bloodied teeth. She eased her tail out which gave her legs some strength. But she coughed up another gout of blood. It was so hard to breath.

"I'm sure you've realized that this isn't my first time in your room. My friend has a knack at picking locks. Or should I say, he had a knack. I should thank you and your friends for relieving me of those two. As useful as they were, they were bad for a long term stay. It will be so much easier holding out by myself."

Kurumu reached up to her left ear, elongating a talon. In her weakened state, she slashed off her lobe much worse than she intended.

"Is the pain that unbearable? It won't last too long, child."

Kurumu lifted her head, regarding this wicked form of her. She slithered her tail into her hand, letting the spade end open. Grabbing it at the base, she steered it towards her ear.

"What are you doing?"

The moment her stigma pushed inside her, Kurumu felt a world of relief. She escaped from her physical pains, hoping she would live long enough for help to arrive. And if not.

"You're dead."

Her twin laughed, shaking her head.

"No, my dear. You're the one that's dying."

Kurumu laughed in the same voice, though not nearly as malicious. With a thought, she made the appearance of her injuries disappear. As his cruel laughter came to a halt, Kurumu slowly picked herself up from the floor.

"You're dead."

Her twin charged at her with a fist which passed harmlessly through her. The doppelganger bounced back with confusion.

"Illusions?"

Kurumu cocked her head as she smiled at him.

"You are in my mind. And once I die, you die with me."

For the first time, she saw fear in her enemy.

"This is a trick."

"You're dead."

"Make it stop."

"Why should I?"

In the span of a heartbeat, they appeared in mommy's cabin at the outskirts of Hekitawa. They stood upon the dirt floor with the old couch nearby. The weathered brown cushions betrayed their years.

"Where are we?"

"So you didn't kill my mother."

She cocked her head.

"Who did?"

The fake had reverted to his male form with the sharp features and exotic eyes. His clothes had been replaced with the standard school uniform.

"This is a trick."

"You were so confident. So sure of your ability to copy me. Come now. Show me your power."

The fake looked at his hands and his eyes widened.

"How are you doing this?"

"You can copy my abilities perfectly. Can't you escape?"

He ran for the door, yanking it open. He stepped through, only to see her waiting for him in the depths of the old prison. The remains of the minotaur were sprawled out between them.

"You're dead."

"This isn't real."

He turned about and she smiled at him from the doorway.

"True. Right now you are standing in a daze in my suite. One of two things will happen to us. I will die and you will die with me. Or, we will both be caught by Lord Chiki's men. It's only a matter of which will happen first."

"You're bluffing."

"Such a poor imitation. You have no ability at all to comprehend what it means to be me."

"I'm sure I can play the part of a whore easy enough."

She clucked her tongue, shaking her head.

"Shall we begin learning everything there is to know about you?"

He was seated in a prison cell with cuffs on his hands which were secured to a table. He sighed at the sound of a heavy click, turning his eyes upon the heavy door. He expected another visit from that pompous old man, trying to get him to confess to murder on the Headmaster's behalf. Last time the fool had offered a plea deal, claiming that he could confess that his friends had did all the killing. Not much of a deal when that was the truth. It was a lighter sentence, but he wouldn't believe a word out of that man's mouth. He would change his tune the moment he gave him what he wanted.

To his surprise, nobody entered the room. The door swung open and remained that way for a short while. Then it gently closed of its own accord, though remained slightly ajar to prevent from locking. He laughed at his good fortune, which sadly meant nothing. He had no means out of these restraints. If only his body could revert to when he had been a child. Sadly, he could only change into forms he had taken after his powers had manifested. By that point, he had been fourteen and morbidly obese.

He flinched when two figures appeared before him. One was a young man dressed in the school uniform of Yokai Academy. This dark haired guy had glasses and an air of confidence about him.

He smiled slightly upon noting the young girl. He was familiar with the little witch and deduced that she had helped this guy sneak into the prison. She wore a white blouse and black skirt.

"We don't have much time. I'm certain that the guards will notice our presence soon."

"Are you helping a prisoner escape?"

"That all depends on you. The first thing we need to know is if we can trust you."

He laughed, yanking on his chains.

"I can't do much as I am."

"Are you working for Lord Chiki?"

He grinned at the little girl.

"I don't believe I caught your name, little witch."

"And I have no reason to give it to you."

"Ms. Sendou is convinced that you are working for Lord Chiki. If that is so, perhaps we can help you escape more than just this prison."

He perked up.

"What are you offering?"

"Ms. Sendou is a witch. She could remove the hex within you that Fairy Tale uses to track you."

He paused, leaning back in his seat. That would be a tempting offer if he was still working for Fairy Tale.

"That is an excellent proposition. To finally have true freedom."

He wagged his wrists to shake his chain.

"Could we start with removing these?"

"Not until we know we can trust you."

He laughed softly, shaking his head.

"You want me to confess I work with Lord Chiki. Lord Chiki wants me to confess that I'm working for this Headmaster of yours. Either way I see it, you both want me to show up in a court and admit that I was involved with killing a bunch of girls."

The witch scowled at him.

"But you were."

"You wouldn't have to confess to murder. And without the hex, you have a better chance of escaping after your testimony."

"They'll have someone put a new one on me the moment I go to the prefectural prison."

The young man paused.

"We can offer you something better."

"Like what?"

"Ms. Sendou could give you her body."

"No way!"

The young man wagged a finger at the blushing girl, throwing a worried look at the door.

"Keep your voice down, Ms. Sendou."

"My body belongs to my Moka. I won't give it to anyone else."

The girl paused with her blush deepening. He rattled his chain for their attention.

"That could help me get out of these cuffs, but not much else."

"But I understand that a doppelganger can also copy abilities. Like her ability to turn invisible. To teleport. And to remove a hex."

He perked up at those remarks. Those all would be extremely useful.

"Some abilities I can pick up from simple observation, but things like sorcery are different. They require knowledge. I don't copy knowledge."

"Ms. Sendou is a savant among witches. She is the top student of her year."

He regarded the blushing girl with interest. That implied he could learn her abilities quickly if he took her form, but it still required her to teach him how to use them.

"This all sounds very attractive but I can't do anything for you from inside this prison."

"Unfortunately we can't help you escape at this time. Lord Chiki could track you wherever you go."

He sighed, realizing he would not be able to fool these two into letting him go without challenging this misunderstanding. It was time to drop a few partial truths.

"I'm not working for Lord Chiki. I'm part of a special unit operating under Lord Gairen."

The little girl gasped, falling back a step. The young man frowned.

"Whom is Lord Gairen?"

"The regional commander of the Kansai region."

"I see the little lady is well informed."

The young man frowned at him.

"Why are you here?"

He wondered if the truth would help him out or leave him in chains.

"I'm a simple errand boy. I was asked to make a delivery to suite 323. I was told to leave a message, taunting a succubus whom had crossed my superiors."

"You mean Ms. Kurono?"

He perked up at the quick response.

"Is she the only one you have on campus?"

"Who gave you the heart?"

He smirked at the little girl.

"Another doppelganger from Lord Gairen's unit. His name won't mean anything to you."

"If he's the one that killed Kurumu's mother, his name will mean a lot."

He chuckled. Judging by the reaction of the young man, this was news to him.

"Unfortunately I don't know that. I suppose you could find Hatsumura Hachiro and see if he knows. Good luck in finding him though. It would be easier going straight to Lord Gairen."

Though he had no idea if Lord Gairen was aware of this particular incident. He assumed Hatsumura was still under the thumb of Lord Gairen.

"This… situation is not quite what I expected."

He grinned at the young man. It was time to lay out his cards.

"Take me with you. Teach me that spell before Lord Gairen figures out that I'm not on his leash anymore. I only have until the cultural festival before my contact will come looking for me."

"You'll be in prison before that happens."

"If you leave me in here, Lord Gairen will find me faster and you will never see me again. I'm not worried about my imprisonment to this Lord Chiki. I will be taken care of."

And how that happened would depend on whom was sent to get him. Either he would be dead or he would be brought back in. He disliked either possibility.

"Give him your form, Ms. Sendou."

"He's too dangerous."

"I'll sell out your Headmaster and all of you. What Lord Chiki does to this school means nothing to me."

That was mostly true, though he was hoping he could hold out until this contact arrived late next month. He still worried that this Lord Chiki would destroy him before realizing his worth.

"We could kill him."

A shiver coursed down his spine at the girl's calculating suggestion.

"Ms. Sendou. I did not agree coming here with that sort of intention."

"He's an enemy. After my Moka's blood."

Who the fuck was this Moka she kept talking about?

"I don't know anything about this Moka. My orders were simple and I've carried them out. Help me out of here and I will give you everything I know."

Which was nothing. He had not worked for Lord Gairen since this blond guy with unusual yellow eyes had this raven haired witch remove his hex seven years ago. Since then, he had enjoyed his freedom, taking odd jobs to make ends meet. He was still surprised at how easily Hatsumura had found him, but it had been an easy bank job and delivering that package had been no trouble. If only those guys he had picked up to help him knock the joint over had been more patient and less bloodthirsty.

"Whom are you going to meet up with at the cultural festival?"

"I don't know. They're tracking me so they'll find me. Not the other way around."

Which was mostly true. He had no idea how they would find him or who would contact him. He assumed it would be Hatsumura.

"I'm tempted to leave the hex on him. We could use him as bait to catch his contact."

"Maybe so. But we can't do that if he's held by Lord Chiki."

The girl sighed heavily. She came up to lean on the table.

"So what do you have to do?"

He grinned, wagging his hand with his fingers splayed wide.

"I need to touch your face."

The girl grimaced, lowering her head by his hand. It was awkward for her, but he managed to get his fingers where they needed to be. He took in a deep breath, willing his ability to activate.

His body shifted and diminished. He lost contact with the girl as his hands became smaller. His clothes hung off this slender, girly form. She was scrawny but his mind was working on overdrive. With a glance at his shackles, he knew exactly their dimensional size as well as the numerical limits of his body. Tucking his thumb into his palm, he squeezed his tiny hand out of one shackle.

"This is amazing."

He giggled in the girl's voice as he slipped his other hand free. He glanced about this room and it was insane. The raw amount of data flooding into him was overwhelming. He knew the volume of the room, temperature and air pressure. The exact measurement of the gap in the door. And this was what he was picking up with observation.

"She sees the world so differently."

The girl snorted, holding a rock out.

"This stone is enchanted. Can you see how to activate it or do I need to explain it?"

He gasped upon seeing the stone. Unusual energy was coiled about the surface of that stone. Following the pattern, he believed he saw a switch to engage it.

"I can see how it works."

He held out his hand. When she reached over to give it to him, he sprung out of his seat and crushed his tiny fist against the girl's temple.

Years of training in martial arts told him how to do it, but he had never seen the exact force, momentum, trajectory and destination of this knockout punch in mathematical display. And as this was not his usual body, it hurt more than what he was used to. He shook his hand as the girl pitched limply to the floor.

"Ms. Sendou!"

Snatching up the rock, he engaged the switch to become invisible. As the foolish young man darted over to the girl's side, he bolted for the door. The young man cried out in alarm when the door pushed open. Laughing, he slammed the door shut, locking the idiot in with his witch companion.

"Your name is Manabe Akito."

Kurumu stood before him on the catwalk, blocking his escape. He whirled about and staggered.

He was now standing in a familiar hovel. The old woman watching over him was tending the stove. She was too huge to wear anything beyond voluminous frocks, most being dingy and unwashed for days. Flies buzzed about the dim room.

"You don't know your parents."

Kurumu was seated at the arrangement of four eggshell boxes which served as their table.

"This is a trick."

But his voice was that of his youth. He glanced down at himself, realizing he was only eight. This girl before him pulled a folder out of nothingness and started flipping through it.

"Your official record has your birth year guessed to be 48. You were surrendered to a human orphanage in 50 and in 53, you were placed in Mrs. Manabe's care."

She glanced up at him.

"You attended a local elementary school but the journey to the nearest junior high was too far. In the summer of 60, you started working as a hand in the rice fields."

"This isn't real."

In the blink of an eye they were in the middle of a familiar rice field. His breath caught in his throat, realizing this was Maruyama Senmaida in the southern Mie Prefecture where he had grown up.

"In the fall of 62, you learned you could take the form of others by accident."

He shuddered as he watched his chubby, former self take a beating from the foreman of the fields. In the midst of his beating for being a fat, useless, lazy slob, the man inexplicably fainted. His younger self crawled over to the fallen man to check on him. The moment he touched the man's face to awkwardly check for breathing, his body shifted and took the foreman's form. Worried that he would be blamed for murder, he buried the foreman's body that night.

"You posed as your master for a few months. It helped that he was a single man without many friends or family. But eventually your coworkers suspected your mind was going."

The memories of the uncomfortable conversations during that time played over. He barely understood his powers back then and had known even less about the man he was impersonating. He had no idea at the time how to switch back to his former body. They started to suspect he had killed himself, so he had fled, taking all of the foreman's money to get as far away from Mie as he could.

"In March of 63 you lost your virginity in a soap house in Okayama. You disliked the experience and have never been with a woman since."

He snarled at the whore beneath him. She had shifted from the chubby old wench that he could afford into the beautiful succubus tormenting him. He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed.

"It was the act of killing her that you realized you could take any form by touching their face."

His eyes went wide as he turned away from the corpse beneath him. Kurumu stood in the doorway, smoking from a silver pipe.

"Let me go."

"It was later that year in August that you met Harada Genma, your first crush. He was a lovely man about a decade older than you with exotic eyes."

He shuddered as he saw himself. Or at least, the body he associated with himself. He had kept Genma's body, since it had been so perfect.

"He was a trader in the fish market and had a thing for young boys. You murdered a regular dockhand that you knew Harada had interest in and stole his face. You allowed Harada to charm you into his bed."

The fake shed tears of shame as he relived the passion of his youth. His first and only love.

"When he lost interest in you, you killed him in May of 65. Unfortunately this time, the police found his body within weeks while you were pretending to be him. Fairy Tale picked you up before the human courts could figure out what was going on."

"Stop it!"

She stood in the place of Lord Gairen, whom this man had been assigned to.

"You are aware of sixteen doppelgangers working for Lord Gairen. You committed several assassinations under Lord Gairen's orders, averaging one a year since being put into service in 68. You've murdered more than thirty people in your lifetime."

He snarled at her.

"I was following orders."

She replayed the images of how he gleefully took the lives of most of his targets.

"You enjoyed your work."

"Let me go, you stupid bitch."

She stood with him in an abandoned warehouse in the city of Higashikagawa. She pointed at the blond man whom was making him an offer to be free of Lord Gairen's control.

"This man is Yoshii Kiria, an agent of Lord Fujisaki."

She then pointed to the raven haired woman.

"And this is Lady Chuujitsu, Region Commander of Shikoku. She's been in a relationship with Yoshii for thirteen years."

"I don't care."

"I'm aware that you are useless to me. You know nothing. You can't tell me the name of my mother's murderer. You can't even tell me if your friend, Hatsumura, is working for Lord Gairen still. All you know is that you were to wait here until someone let you out of Mikogami's barrier."

"Let me go."

"You're dead. And you have no means to stop me. I have seen your entire life, Mr. Manabe. I could sooner be you than you could ever be me."

"This isn't real. You're bluffing."

"It's over, Mr. Manabe. Either we both die here in my mind, or I survive and bury you with a lifetime of sins revealed."

And then he was gone.

Kurumu frowned, cocking her head. She felt around her consciousness, wondering if he had somehow managed to escape. That seemed impossible, since Yoshii had not been capable of such a feat. Certain that he was not hiding, she decided the only option left was to remove her tail.

Kurumu coughed up blood as liquid pooled about her head. Her tail withdrew with the spade end closing. She peered up at the figures nearby, needing a moment to comprehend this vision.

Chouda stood by a kneeling figure. A kitchen knife dripping blood was in her hand. She held a bulbous, severed head by scraggly dark hair in the other. There was so much blood. It was everywhere.

"Ms. Kurono?"

Kurumu gagged up more froth, nodding slowly.

"I killed him."

"Water."

"I'll go get help."

Kurumu nodded again. The head bounced on the floor as the sylph hurried out of the room. It took every ounce of her willpower to remain awake when the guards watching over Yukari's suite came for her.