Author's Note: I have been sitting on this idea since last week. From there, the idea kept building. It helped to clear up a plot point of mine. It's now opened up more interesting plot points to this crazy ride. Isn't that how writing a story works sometimes? Well, it works for pansters at least. Anyway, I like how this halo turned out. I did have to cut out some of a scene. I might add it in next week. Speaking of next week, I have a couple of ideas. I will have it worked out by then. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Seventeen: Mari:
"We're all back together now!" Kaori cheered. She turned around, laughing. Ryota and Taro and sat on the edge of the Rampo Biotech roof. Yuuko couldn't help but smile.
"We don't have our horses yet," Ryota said. Kaori nodded.
"True," she said. "But we're working on it." Taro looked over at Yuuko.
"How are you coming with yours?" he asked.
"He's just about here," she said. "But Daichi-sama won't let me kill that little bitch yet." The deity pouted when she said that. Kaori patted her on the back. Yuuko sighed.
"How is it coming with the Toramaru?" Ryota asked.
"It's coming, it's coming," his sister said. Taro stretched his arms above his head.
"So what do we do now?" he asked. His siblings took a moment to think.
"Cause chaos?" Kaori offered.
"But how?" Ryota asked. Taro jumped to his feet.
"I'm going to free that beast in the basement," he said. "He needs to roam the world."
"Free the beast! Free the beast!" Kaori chanted. She broke down laughing.
"I'm still hungry," Ryota said.
"How many souls have you eaten now?" Yuuko asked.
"I don't care," her brother said. "I'm still hungry."
"What are you girls going to do?" Taro asked. Kaori tapped the side of her nose and smirked.
"Secret," she said. The siblings frowned at her.
"You buzzkill!" Yuuko shouted. Kaori smiled and shrugged.
"What are you going to do?" she asked Yuuko.
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. Her sister and brothers looked disappointed. Yuuko gritted her teeth and stamped her foot.
"What can I do?" she asked. "I want to kill her! I want to kill her! But her won't let me!" Yuuko screamed and stamped her foot. She took in a breath and stood up straight.
"How do you want to kill her?" Taro asked. Yuuko stared at him.
"I have so many ideas," she said.
"What is killing out to you?" Kaori asked. Her sister took a moment to think.
"I love psychological torture," she said. "Then just when she thinks that she escaped, go in for the kill." Yuuko punched the air as she finished the last part of her sentence.
"Are you going to use Remi? Kaori asked. Her sister grinned.
"Oh yes!" she said. "I have everything worked out." Suddenly, a cell phone rang. The siblings looked at the phones.
"Not mine," Taro said. Yuuko shook her head. Ryota stood up and turned towards the building. The siblings looked at each other and shrugged. Duty called.
Kujiragi Kasane didn't really care about the game, but she was curious about where this would end. The chance to get a better look came with a phone call.
"Hello?" she asked. Three days after Yukimura was murdered.
"Is this Kujiragi Kasane?" a woman's voice asked.
"May ask who is asking?" Kujiragi asked.
"My name is Asato Etsuko-sensei," the older woman said. "Have much do you know about our game?" The information broker looked out the café window.
"Tandeki, Vozrozhdeniye, and Mam," she said. "Kitano Katsuhiro-sensei is the head of the Tandeki Group which was founded in 1989. Right now, the Tandeki Group is in the lead."
"Heh," Etsuko said.
"What can I do for you?" Kujiragi asked.
"You don't mess around, do you?" the doctor said. "We are going to need you to do us a little favor. I know that you are trying to intervene in our game. I am just trying to figure out why." There was a pause.
"And why would you believe that?" Kujiragi asked.
"Yodogiri Jinnai," Etsuko said. Another pause.
"Now, Kitano-sensei and I know for a fact that he's been dead for years no," the doctor said. "I heard that he had a secretary who used to work for him. Now tell me. What is your angle here?" Another pause.
"I'm just merely curious about this game you are playing," the former secretary said.
"Uh-huh," Etsuko said. "That's interesting. Now tell me the real reason why you are here. Who sent you here?"
"I am not at liberty to say," Kasane finally said.
"So that's how you're going to play it," the doctor said. "Fine by me. We'll get the truth from you one way or another. But that's going to be for another time. We're going to get someone back for us."
"Is it your programmer?" the other woman asked.
"So you do know why I'm calling you," Etsuko said. "Saves me the trouble of explaining everything. We just need Saika to drive her back to Ikebukuro. Interested? We will work something out afterward." Another pause came from the other line.
Sapporo
Mari can't stay here anymore. They starting to catch on to her plans to run. Of course, they were. It was all for their stupid game. They weren't ever going to let her go. Mari just hadn't expected them to hunt her down so quickly.
The programmer started packing up her room. She didn't need Izaya's warning to tell her they were on to her. She almost wished that he hadn't.
It started at the end of August. Mari barely left her room. She couldn't draw attention to herself. This had grown too dangerous around her. The programmer wanted to leave the country, but Yoemon would track her passport. It was a good thing that Izaya did manage to hook her up with some underground connections to leave Ikebukuro. But alas, escape wasn't in her favor anymore.
First came the phone calls at three in the morning. Mari would be woken up by hearing the phone ringing. The first night it happened, the programmer reached out for the receiver. Maybe it was a wrong number?
"Hello?" Mari asked. She heard a low clicking noise on the other end. The programmer narrowed her eyes.
"Hello?" she asked again. The other line disconnected. Mari stared at her phone. What was that all about? It would've been fine if it was a one-off. It didn't turn out that way. The calls always happened at three in the morning. Mari didn't have a way to trace the calls. She did complain to the front desk.
"I've been getting strange calls in my room around three in the morning," I said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," the receptionist said.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Mari asked. "Like look at the phone or something."
"I'll see what I can do," the receptionist said. The programmer bowed her head.
"Thank you," she said. Needless to say, the problem wasn't solved. Mari ended up disconnecting her phone before she went to bed.
The stalking didn't end there.
Within a week, Mari couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched. She checked the room for cameras. Mari kept the windows and blinds closed. She had already ditched her phone and laptop. The programmer thought that she had been so careful.
Mari sat on her bed, shaking her head. There was no being careful around the Tandeki Group. They've seen everything before. Of course, they would expect her to pull something like this. But then, Mari froze.
Why didn't they try to stop her if they knew she would try and run?
Mari started trembling as another realization washed over her. She quickly shook her head.
"No… No… No!" the programmer shouted. Her screaming could be heard from down the hall.
Kasane found it easy to track Mari down. She did use to work for Yodogiri after all. She still had the information on the Tandeki Group. This wasn't a problem for her.
She sat in the café of the inn. Kasane's own memories started coming back. She had a guess that the Woman in Red was coming back during the winter. Right now, it was still September. October would be when everything starts to go up into flames. However, that couldn't happen until Mari went back to Ikebukuro.
Who's side was Kasane on? Is she really playing the game? No one can really tell what she was thinking. A waitress came up to her table with her coffee.
"Thank you," Kasane said. The waitress bowed and walked away. The information broker took a drink. The Saika zombies should be doing their thing.
Mari doesn't know what to do. She was the bait. But why? What did they want with Izaya, aside from trying to kill him? Calling her friend with benefits wouldn't work. That would give up her location. Still, Izaya didn't deserve the fate that was coming for him. Mari lowered her head and rubbed her forehead. The programmer couldn't think. When was the last time that she slept? They were getting to her. She didn't have anyone to rely on to get her out of this mess. Mari couldn't even call the father's side of the family. She just needed some sleep and to figure out what to do next.
"Yeah, yeah," Mari said at the table in the café. "That's it."
Things had gotten worse over the past few days. Mari couldn't help but feel that something or someone was following her. The programmer looked up. There weren't many people in the café. Usually, it would just be because it was earlier. But something wasn't right. Mari's eyes shifted back and forth. There was one woman in a yellow dress suit sitting across the café with her coffee. At first glance, she seemed normal. The color drained from Mari's face.
Oh no.
Mari shook her head. This wasn't right. Just the woman's mere presence alone told her everything she needed to know about how bad everything was getting. Mari bit down on her right thumb. Come on. Think! It can't end this way again. You've got to stop now.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a woman's voice asked over her. Mari froze. The worst thing that could happen was now happening. She glanced up to see that woman in the yellow dress standing in front of her with her hand on the chair.
"No," Mari said. She hoped that would be the end of it, but she knows better. Sure enough, the woman sat down in front of the programmer. Mari tried not to make eye contact.
"I know why you are here," she said. "Who sent you?" The woman doesn't answer. It felt like time was slowing down around them. Mari closed her fists in her lap. She knew what was coming next. She could just get up and run. But she knew that was surrounded. How many people were under that damned blade's control right now? Everyone in the café? Mari couldn't look up.
"What do you want from me?" the programmer asked with clenched teeth. The woman only said one thing.
"Why don't you go back home?"
Ikebukuro.
A seventeen-year-old girl was thrown up against the wall of an abandoned shed. She whimpered as she bruised a rib.
"Ow," she said. The darkness didn't really lift when a hood was pulled away from her head. The girl looked up to see a shadowy figure. A black and red skull jackal mask poked up from a black hoodie. They held a baseball bat in their right hand. Their victim remembered how she got in this situation.
She had just left got out from her kendo meeting.
"Thank you for today," she said, waving goodbye. Her abductor must have been waiting near the dojo. The victim didn't see it coming. She didn't think much about how her night was going to go. Just going home, doing homework, watching some TV, taking a bath, and going to bed. With one shock to the neck, her plans were changed.
When she woke up, the girl could see nothing but pitch blackness.
"Who are you?!" the victim asked. The jackal-faced figure said nothing.
"What do you want from me?" the girl asked. No answer. Jackal face grew closer. The baseball bat was raised above their head.
"Give me your phone."
That voice came out low and raspy. Almost like the person was about to lose their voice. The girl looked up.
"What?" she asked.
"Give me your phone." The person was growling, agitated now. Their grip tightened on the bat.
"Give me your phone!"
The girl trembled. "Okay, okay. Hang on." She reached into her bag. Her captor held up the bat, ready to strike. They clicked their tongue. Their victim started to dig in the pink bag faster. The eyes on her didn't make the situation any better. Finally, she got out her phone. The captor snatched it out of her hand. They used the victim's face to unlock it. The captor looked through her contacts. Meanwhile, the girls weighed her options. Her only way out was the only way in. Lucky for her, she and Hana used to run track.
Hana…
She forced the dead girl out of her head. She couldn't focus on that. This would be her only chance of escape. Her captor was busy on her phone. The girl would just have to run past her and keep running. Where exactly were they? It didn't seem to matter. The girl would have to try and escape.
She quietly crouched down into a running position. Her captor still scrolled through the contact list. It would have to be now or never. She counted down in her head and started running.
Wham!
The bat collided with her right leg. A stinging pain shot through her body. She fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ow," she mumbled. Her captor stood over her. They shook their head.
"You stupid, stupid little bitch," they hissed. The bat came down on the girl's legs six more times. The captor ignored their victim's screams.
"Shut up!" they hissed. Their victim wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Heh," they said. They picked up their victim and dragged them over to a corner. The captor picked up her hands and used zip ties to tie her wrists to the pole. They forced the victim's mouth open to stuff a pair of buddle black and pink cat socks into her mouth. The captor used duct tape to hold it in place. The black hood was forced back over the girl's head. Her kidnapper patted her on the head and walked away. The girl listened as the door was closed and locked.
One Year Earlier
There was one young boy who was part of the Asahara. Chisa was the one who brought him in. He came from a broken home. Father walked out on the family. Mom practically drank herself blind. She barely paid any attention to him either. The boy didn't have any friends either. His classmates and teachers barely noticed him.
The boy just needed some guidance.
That's when Kitano Chisa came into the picture.
At the time, she had taken a semester off from grad school and was staying with a friend in Okinawa. (Her father didn't approve but wasn't in control of her life anymore. This was a test to prove it to herself.)
They met on the beach. Chisa found herself bored after three weeks. There wasn't much to do around town. She didn't have a job. She wasn't going to school. She just sat around her friend's house all day and did nothing.
"You can't keep living like this," Shoko said over the phone. "Do you even have a plan? How do you plan to support yourself?" Chisa rolled her eyes.
"You're sounding like Dad now," she said.
"I'm serious," her sister said. "I'm worried about you." Chisa sighed.
"I'm fine, nee-san," she said.
"Just don't do anything stupid," Shoko pleaded. "At least promise me that." Chisa groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Fine," she said.
"Thank you," Shoko said.
Chisa stood near the waves. Shoko came along and wrecked her vibe. Still, her older sister had a point. Chisa didn't have much going on for her. Grad school wasn't her idea. Her father insisted that she go to grad school or get a job. He had cut her off financially a long time ago. For now, she was just drifting along.
Chisa winced as she came to a realization. She really didn't have much going for her, did she?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a boy staring at her further down the beach. At first, she felt annoyed.
"What?!" she shouted. The boy quickly looked away. Chisa marched over to him with her cheeks puffed up.
"What are you staring at?!" she yelled. The boy kept his head down.
"I'm so sorry," he mumbled. He seemed to be trembling. Chisa's heart softened. Something about this child reminded her of herself in a way.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to yell." The boy flinched in front of her.
"My name is Chisa," the woman said. "And you are?"
"Ikuo," the boy said. Chisa perked up.
"Well, Ikuo, it's nice to meet you," she said. She took a bow. Ikuo didn't know what to make of this.
It was because of Chisa that Ikuo got involved in the Church of Light. He just wanted a place to belong. That's how it was in the beginning. Ikuo felt loved by the members of this cult. This was his new family. Chisa was happy for him.
Miya met Ikuo a couple of times herself. To her, he was a bit of an odd kid. Still, he didn't harm anyone. Ikuo mostly kept to himself. Despite his new "family", he still felt awkward. Maybe that's why he confided in her in private.
"What's on your mind?" Miya asked days before that incident. The boy looked nervous at first. She caught what he was saying despise mumbling to himself.
"You're worried about Chisa-san?" the bodyguard asked. The boy froze. Miya gently patted him on the shoulder.
"It's okay," she said. "She's…" Miya paused when she saw the desperate look in his eyes. The bodyguard sighed and dropped her shoulders. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to lie again. Might as well answer him though.
"I'll look out for her," Miya said.
"You promise?" Ikuo asked.
"Yes," the bodyguard said. She held out her right pinky. The boy perked up and took it.
But then, it started to crumble.
Six days later, Miya knocked on Murata's office door.
"Enter," a muzzled voice said. Miya could tell that her boss was with another woman. She should be used to this by now. The tadpole at least hoped that he would put on pants this time. Miya opened the door.
Murata was finishing up getting dressed just as his bodyguard stepped inside. He cleared his throat.
"I didn't expect you to come here right away," he said. Miya tried not to look at Chisa on the desk. The other woman covered her breasts.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Miya asked.
"Ah, yes," Murata said. "Please. Take a seat." The bodyguard narrowed her eyes, but she complied. Murata cleared his throat.
"I have been thinking about expanding the church," he said.
"Okay…" Miya said. Chisa cocked her head.
"You never told me this," she said. Murata turned to her with a forced smile on his face.
"We'll talk about this later, honey," he said under his breath. "Just get dressed." Miya had a stoic look on her face. Typical behavior with his "wives". Chisa was about to argue back when everyone heard knocking on the door. Murata frowned and rolled his eyes.
"Come in," he grumbled. Miya turned to see three guards coming into the office. Her jaw dropped when she saw Ikuo dangling between them. Chisa looked confused.
"Ikuo-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked. The boy looked up with panic on his face. Murata raised his eyebrow.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked. One of the other guards threw him forward.
"We caught this brat seeking around our quarters!" he shouted. Ikuo struggled to get up.
"Ow," he mumbled. Another guard stepped on his back. The poor boy cried out.
"Ikuo-kun!" Chisa cried.
"It's not true!" Ikuo cried. "I was just-!" Another foot was stamped into his back. The boy gasped aloud in pain. Chisa tried to run to him, but Murata held her back.
"Wait," he said. "What's going on?" The first guard grabbed the boy by his hair.
"We caught this little rat listening outside of our room," he said. "We think he might be spying on us for the outside." Ikuo looked like he had been beaten up already. Tears streamed down his face.
"It's not true. It's not true!" he whimpered.
"Shut up!" the first guard snapped. He punched the boy in the side. Miya gave him a cold look. Already, she knew it was bullshit. They never like that boy. Some of them were looking for an excuse to make his life hell. One of the guards paused and looked at the boy.
"Huh?" he asked. Ikuo had his head hanging low, mumbling to himself.
"Man purposes, god disposes. Man purposes, god disposes. Man purposes, god disposes," he said over and over. The guards looked at each other, puzzled. Murata walked over to Ikuo slumped down in the guards' arms. He picked up the boy by the hair. Ikuo's face looked so bloody and bruised. His left eye was swollen shut and his lips were the side of puffed-up balloons. Blood covered the boy's skin. Murata raised his eyebrow.
"Hm…" he said. "What is your name?"
"I-I-I-Ikuo," he managed to stutter out. "Man purposes, god disposes. Man purposes, god disposes. Man purposes, god disposes." Murata let go of his hair.
"Damn, this kid is mental," he said. Miya and Chisa looked up.
"What should we do with him, boss?" one of the guards asked.
"Take him down to the red room," the pastor said without missing a beat. Chisa's stomach dropped when she heard that. Miya already saw this coming. Ikuo didn't stop his chanting.
"Yes sir," the guards said. They left with Ikuo in their arms. Murata followed behind. He looked over his shoulder.
"Come," he said. "We have a demon to exorcise." The women followed without question.
Present Day.
-Mari-
I can't get her voice out of my head. I grabbed the sides of my head and began walking around. No, no, no. They really went there. They really went there. I have been fighting not to go back. I don't know how long it's been. I couldn't bring myself to look at a clock. I should've been gone hours ago. Her voice filled my head again. I shut my eyes and covered my ears. That just made her voice that much worse.
Why do you just go home, Mari? They need you. Just come home. Just come home. Come home. Come home.
I can't let them take me. I won't go home! I won't finish his program! I won't do it! I won't do it! No! No!
Come home, Mari! Come home. Come home.
No!
You can't run from us. Just go home. Go home. Go home.
I fell to my knees. She won't stop talking. I know what they want. I know what she wants. I was so careful. I thought I was sure that I had gotten away. But still, Kujiragi-san managed to get me.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
I trembled as I shook my head.
"No, I won't do it!" I yelled. My voice came out in a choked whisper. Tears ran down my cheeks. Izaya tried to warn me. I didn't run fast enough. My bag was packed and everything. I tightly shut my eyes as I tried to play back everything that went wrong. I had been so careful. Somebody must have betrayed me. That has to be it. That has to be.
You can't fight it, Mari-chan. Just go back home. Everything will be just fine. Just go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Go home. Go home. Go home.
Just go back home!
"No!" I screamed. I grabbed the phone and threw it across the room. I opened my eyes when I heard a crashing noise. The mirror broke across the room. I panted with my body covered in sweat.
Suddenly, another voice filled my head. It wasn't hers, but another voice that I heard earlier that morning.
"Why don't you go back home?"
I lowered my hands. That's right. I should go back home. I need to go back home. Yes. I slowly rose to my feet. I gathered up my things and headed out of the room.
I checked out of the inn by noon.
Ikebukuro.
Aya waited at the train station. She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. Her daughter would be home any time now. Everything was going to get back on track.
She looked up in time to see the train pulling to a stop. The doors opened and passengers got off. Aya looked out among the crowd coming into Ikebukuro. Finally, she perked up. Mari stepped off the train and walked up to her. Aya broke into a pleasant smile.
"Welcome home, Mari," she said. The therapist walked up and hugged her daughter. Mari's eyes glowed red as she hugged her back.