Author's Note: This turned out longer than I expected. But here we are. We haven't heard from Keiichi in a long time. I really have been neglecting the Red Rabbit storyline. I am going to have to change that in the near future. Maybe do some time jumps back and forward to get more story in. I will have to see. Part of this story comes from the real-life case of Bud Dryer. Those in the true crime circle will know what I am talking about. Everyone else can go look it up when they have the time. In the meantime, you have to see what I have for you next week. The Hetalia Christmas special is taking longer than I thought, but I am on the last scene before I wrap it up. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Twenty: Keiichi:
Ever since he went to Red Rabbit to look for his senpai, Keiichi's been fighting an endless battle. He hadn't planned on looking for Arisu, saving Shirley and Nanami, and bringing down Red Rabbit. Lucky for help came in the form of two things.
First, there was Celty. This just happened by chance. He just jumped onto Shooter when she was stopped somewhere. It was all to save Nanami from killing herself. Now, Celty had to see this through in a way. She didn't know why, but Keiichi was glad that she was.
The second thing came in the news. The journalist student scrolled through his phone. Kita's blackmail scheme was hitting the news rounds. There had to be some of the members of Red Rabbit on that list. Maybe then… Just maybe…
"See anything interesting yet?" someone asked behind him. Keiichi leapt up in his chair, nearly dropping his phone on the floor. The man turned to see Isao standing over him. Keiichi blinked at him.
"Oh, it's you," he said. Isao looked at the screen on his phone.
"The files are still coming out?" he asked.
"Uh-huh," Keiichi said, holding up his phone. His classmates read through the reports. Isao gave off a low whistle.
"Damn, who isn't on this list?" he asked.
"I know, right?" Keiichi asked. Isao looked around for a moment before leaning down to his friend's ear.
"You don't think some of the people at this school are involved, do you?" he whispered.
"I suppose so," Keiichi said. He turned back to his phone and kept scrolling. It would be a while before he came across anything about Red Rabbit. Though, Isao did bring up an unnerving thought. What if some of the professors were part of that disgusting club, raping those drugged-up women? Even the dean could be guilty.
Keiichi tried to push that thought out of his head, but it wouldn't leave. The journalist student glanced around him as the professor walked into the room.
Hikibi had to keep the members of the club calm. Of course, they would be worried about being exposed. Most of the members had positions of high power too. Hikibi had a huge mess to clean up. He spent the morning of the first two days the scheme was exposed calming everyone down on the phone.
Hikibi needed someone to take his frustration out on.
He picked up the phone again.
"It's me," Hikibi said. "Yeah, this is really bad. I am going to need some help. Yes, I am sure. Get me nothing but the best." He breathed out.
"Thank you," he said. "You will be paid upfront as usual. Let's not meet up at the usual place though. I'll let you know where. Anything else? Good. I will see you in two hours." The old man hung up the phone. Hikibi turned to the picture of Shirley on his desk. His fingers caressed the glass. Ever since Keiichi came along, he had been trying to regain the status quo in the club. Hikibi gritted his teeth.
This just wouldn't do. Keiichi was going to have to go. Another auction was coming up tonight after all. Hikibi picked up his phone and dialed Keiichi's number again. Time to rattle the little jerk again.
Keiichi made it back to his apartment after a long day at class.
"I'm home," he mumbled as he walked through the door.
"Welcome back," Shirley said. Keiichi smiled to himself. She had become the only good thing to come out of this. Even that had its own problems. Keiichi pushed the thought from his head as he walked over to the couch.
"How was your day?" he asked. Shirley broke into a huge smile.
"Great," she said. "And you?" Keiichi smiled and shook his head.
"Not much," he said. He sat down next to her on the couch. They were getting close. Shirley started to live like a normal girl. Maybe soon she would have a normal relationship. Maybe they could…
Keiichi shook his head. Instead, he took her by the cheeks.
"We'll end this real soon," Keiichi said. Shirley stared into his eyes. She still had that doe-eyed look. He could never break that of her. Her innocent look was what sold her to those animals at Red Rabbit.
"Papa called again," she said. Keiichi's face dropped.
"What?" he asked. He drew back his hands from her face.
"Uh-huh," Shirley said. Keiichi already knew what was coming next, but he knew he wasn't going to like it.
"Well, what did he say?" the journalist student asked.
"They are having another auction tonight," she said. Keiichi threw back his head and groaned.
"Another one?" he asked. "Are they having them every week now?" Keiichi frowned at his roommate.
"We just can't use the 'you're sick' excuse, can we?" he asked. Shirley shook her head.
"No," she said. Keiichi buried his head in his hands. That was another thing that he had to deal with. Shirley reached out and touched his shoulder. Her handler just pressed his lips together as he frowned.
This couldn't keep going. Keiichi needed a way to end this and soon.
Kitano looked at the news on his phone. That tablet was still making the news. Still, this wasn't enough.
"There needs to be a bigger mess," he said to himself. He looked up when he heard a knock on his door.
"Who is it?" the therapist asked.
"It's me," a small voice said. Kitano sat back in his chair.
"Come in," he said. The door creaked open. Tomoe poked her head inside.
"Is this a good time?" she asked.
"Oh no, come in," Kitano said. The hacker slid into the room.
"What do you have for me?" the therapist asked. Tomoe lifted her chin.
"There is something," she said. Kitano raised his eyebrow.
"What would that be?" he asked. Tomoe pulled out a piece of paper from behind her back. Kitano took it and read it.
"What am I looking at?" he asked.
"Turn to page four," Tomoe said. Kitano turned the pages and read for himself.
"Ah," he said. "Just as I suspected." He looked up at the hacker.
"What now?" Tomoe asked.
"Simple," Kitano said. "The police need a little guidance."
"Huh?" she asked. The therapist brushed her off. He picked up his phone.
"What are you doing?" Tomoe asked.
"110, what is your emergency?" the operator asked on the other line.
"Ah, yes. I would like to report a tip about the Morikawa extortion case," Kitano said.
Aoko sat in the living room across from Shinra and Celty. Chie, Naoki, Riku, and Risa sat around them. The woman pressed her lips together.
"I need some help," she said.
"[What's the problem?]" Celty wrote. Aoko dropped her shoulders and took a breath.
"My sister is in a cult," she said.
"The Church of Light?" Risa asked. Aoko slowly nodded.
"Walker told me to come here," she said. "He said that you would help me." The couple looked at each other.
"Where is Walker now?" Shinra asked.
"I don't know," Aoko said.
"What exactly happened with your sister?" Risa asked. The woman broke down and told them everything. Aoko sat back and breathed out when she was finished.
"[And you think your sister is a wife of Murata?]" Celty wrote.
"She is one of his wives!" Aoko shouted. "He's using some sort of mind control over them. Please, you have to believe me! I'm not crazy!" Her anxiety and desperation made Chie's throat tighten like she was choking as she stood in the hall doorway. It wasn't as overwhelming as it usually was. Chie rubbed on her throat as she took a slow breath.
"We believe you," Shinra said. Aoko stared at him.
"You do?" she asked. She put her hand to her chest.
"Oh thank goodness!" Aoko said.
"How are you going to get your sister back?" Chie managed to ask. Aoko sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"I don't know," she said. "My first plan blew up in my face when I ran into that strange waitress at Alice's." Chie and Naoki froze.
"Did you say waitress at Alice's?" Naoki asked. Aoko slowly nodded.
"You met Erina, didn't you?" Shinra asked. The woman gave him a strange look.
"Erina?" she asked.
"Yeah," the doctor said. "If she touches you, you will end up telling the truth if you want to or not."
"Oh," Aoko said, closing her hand around her wrist. She flashed back to the moment she said what she really thought back in the strip club. Aoko looked up at Naoki as another thought crossed her mind.
"Wait… how do you know her?" he asked.
"She's like us," Naoki said without missing a beat.
"What?" Aoko asked. Chie looked over at him.
"What are you doing?" she mouthed. Naoki shrugged.
"We might as well," he said. "She's already encountered one of us. We might as well tell her the truth."
"What are you talking about?" Aoko asked as she looked at Naoki and Chie. He stood up.
"Erina, her, her, and me are all tadpoles," he said. Naoki pointed to Chie and Riku as he spoke.
"Tadpoles?" Aoko asked. "What are you talking about?" Shinra sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Oh boy," he mumbled. "I wasn't expecting things to become more complicated just yet."
"What are you all talking about?" Aoko asked. Suddenly, the tadpoles froze.
"Riku? What is it? What's wrong?" Risa asked, trying to talk to her sister.
"Three of them are here," Naoki said.
"What?" Aoko asked, looking back and forth.
"Oh, Erina and Hifumi are here," Shinra said, slamming his fist in his palm. He jumped up and walked over to the door.
"Doc?" Naoki asked.
"Oh, who is this with you?" they heard Shinra ask at the front door.
"She just left that cult," Erina said at the front door.
"Okay, just come in," Shinra said. Aoko's ear perked up. Don't tell me… The woman turned her head. Her eyes widened as Erina, Hifumi, and Miya walked into the living room with the doctor.
"You… And you!" she shouted, pointing at Miya and Erina. Shinra could see where this was going. Better straighten this out before he and Celty had a bigger mess on their hands. Fine time for Shingen not to be here.
"Okay!" the doctor spoke up with his hands up. "Quiet down. I will explain everything.
Keiichi sat on his bed. Shirley looked at herself in the mirror. It felt unnerving to see her dressed up in fishnets and sexy clothes. Tonight, she had on a pink wig.
"We don't have to do this," Keiichi spoke up.
"But Papa wants to see us," Shirley said. It amazed him that she could slip into that corset so easily. Keiichi shuddered when he even touched it. He nervously chuckled to himself. Of course, he would… The journalist student sighed.
"Fine," he said. "But this will be the last time." How many times has he said that one? Shirley turned to him with her usual emotionless face.
"Okay," she said. She stood within inches of his face. Keiichi smiled a little bit. He gave her a smile kiss on the lips.
"Let's just get this over with," he said in a low voice.
"Yes," Shirley said with a nod. Keiichi rose to his feet and held out his hand. Shirley took his hand and followed him out of the room. Her "handler" frowned to himself. This couldn't keep going. Keiichi was going to end this one way or another.
October 1st, 2015.
He looked so nervous in his seat in the national diet building. More information was coming out of Morikawa's tablet. People of high positions looked at each other in suspicion. He was having it the worst. The man's life started falling apart within days. His wife filed for divorce and took the kids. The calls for his resignation wouldn't stop. The police came to his door.
He sat sweating in his chair. He kept his eyes downwards.
"I'm not a bad person. I'm not a bad person!"
He looked up when heard a gavel hitting the podium. Another day in the national diet began. He couldn't focus, however. He replayed his crimes in his head.
The councillor member used to be a good man. (He believed that he still was.) He had everything. The man was elected three years ago. He had been married for ten years with three kids. He was even able to give his mother a better life. Everything was going great.
But one year later, everything went wrong.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He just made one poor decision. A poor decision that spiraled out of control. No one made him do this. This was all him. It started with a loan. Nothing too big really. A college friend met up with him over Golden Week. They reconnected in a bar. At the time, his wife was visiting her family in another city. She took the kids with her too. It was just going to be the soon-to-be councillor member and his old college buddy.
"Hey, listen," his friend said. "I need a favor." The soon-to-be councillor member stared at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I am starting a business with a friend of mine," the college buddy said. "We just need a little money to get started."
"What kind of business? How much do you need?" the man asked. His friend slid over a sheet of paper. At first, the soon-to-be councillor member looked confused.
"This much?" he asked. "What kind of business?"
"Oh, just entertainment," his friend said. The other man raised his eyebrow.
"What kind of entertainment?" he asked. His friend sat up straight.
"I can't really tell you yet," he said. "We're still working on the basics." The man pushed back the paper.
"I'm not supporting anything illegal," he said.
"Illegal? No, no, no! Nothing like that," the friend insisted. "We're just working out the kinks." That should have been the first red flag. Still, the man wanted to be a good friend.
"Okay, but I am only giving you a small amount of money," he said. "I can't be tied to anything shady. His friend bowed his head.
"Thank you so much!" he said. The college friend hugged the man wildly.
"You won't regret this!" he said. The man just nervously laughed to himself. Something told him that he would.
The prime minister opened with his usual spiel to begin the meeting. The councillor member wasn't listening, however. His mind replayed the events that led him to be on Yukimura and Morikawa's blackmail list.
She was twenty at the time. The college friend brought her along during Christmas three years ago. By now, business was booming. Though, the councillor member started to hear some rather unsavory rumors about his college friend. He hoped that it wasn't true. He was going to find out at the Christmas party.
That was his plan at least.
However, it started when he was looking for his friend upstairs at his house. Earlier he asked where T was. One of his coworkers said that he was upstairs. The councillor thanked her and walked up the stairs. Timing has a weird way of changing the course of what's life.
The moment he walked down the hall; the bathroom door opened. He stopped as someone came rushing out.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" he blurted out after he jumped out of the way. When he got a better look, he saw a woman staring at him. The first thing he noticed was her pink hair touching her shoulders. Her long black dress hugged her slender body. She held a drink her hand.
"Hm?" she asked. The man stood frozen for a moment.
"Uh… I'm looking for T," he finally said. "Have you seen him?"
"No," she said.
"Oh. Okay…" he said. It should've just ended there. He should've just turned and walked away. The woman stared at him, blinking.
"Can I help you?" she asked. The man shook his head.
"I can't find my friend," he said.
"Yeah, I got that much," the woman with the pink hair said. They stood staring at each other for a long moment. The tense was finally broken when the councillor member heard T calling his name.
"Oh, that's me!" he said. He took off running past her. He made the mistake of turning and looking behind him.
"Well, it was nice taking to you, uh… uh…" the man said. She said her name, but it doesn't matter now. She was just a pawn to ruin his life.
Someone nudged him in the side back in present day. The councillor member jerked his head upwards.
"Hm?" he asked.
"Are you okay?" a fellow councillor mouthed. The man didn't answer as he sat there blinking. It was then he noticed that the prime minister was talking about the tablet scandal hitting the news. All it reminded him of everything that went wrong in his life.
One night was all it took for everything to go sideways. The worst part was he didn't know if it really happened or not.
He could remember bits and pieces from that party. He and T talked in a back bedroom for a brief moment. T assured him that he wasn't doing anything illegal and that things were being blown out of proportion. The way he said it didn't have the councillor member convinced.
"I just made a bad loan," T said. "I just need to pay it off." He quickly put up his hands.
"Don't worry, I have it under control," T insisted.
"Do you?" the man asked.
"I just need a little more money," his friend said.
"How much?" the councillor member asked. T's eyes shifted back and forth. His friend frowned.
"How much, T?" he asked.
"About 1,140,585," his friend said in a small voice. His friend about staggered backwards.
"1,140,585?! 1,140,585?!" he shouted. "Are you out of your mind?!" T nervously chuckled.
"What did you do?!" the councillor member shouted. T started to fidget with his hands.
"I just talked to some guy for more money when you wouldn't give another loan," he said. His friend threw back his head and groaned.
"You can't be serious!" he said.
"I'm so sorry," T said. The councillor member waved him off.
"No!" he shouted.
"Come on, please?" his friend pleaded. The man turned and walked away.
"I can't do this anymore," he said.
"I need that money!" T shouted after him. The councillor member whirled around on his heel.
"I have a political career to think about!" he shouted. "I can't do anything to jeopardize that!"
"So that's it then?" T asked. "You're just going to leave me like this? What kind of friend are you?!" The councillor member turned and walked away. It should've ended there. Maybe he should've given his friend the money. Maybe then…
Suddenly, the councillor member stood up from his seat. All eyes turned to him. The camera zoomed in on him.
"Kobayashi-san?" the prime minister asked. "What are you doing?" Kobayashi didn't say a word. The man kept his head down. The cameras stayed on him as he reached into his blazer. This was going to be his only way out. He didn't deserve this. He was a good person. A good person who made a bad decision. T already took the coward's way out the day Kita was arrested. Did he know this was coming?
It didn't matter anymore.
Kobayashi pulled out a Type 54 Black Star pistol. The members of the House of Councillors jumped up, gasping. Security ran to the man with their guns in hand. Kobayashi held out his free hand.
"Stay back!" he shouted. "Stay away from me!" Kobayashi started backing up against a wall.
"Please leave the room if this will… If this will affect you," he said. The man looked like a caged animal. His glass eyes looked crazed. He panted heavily. Some people ran out of the room to call for help. The guards and some of the other councillors moved to take the gun away from the desperate man. Kobayashi waved them off.
"Get back! Get back!" he shouted. "I don't want to hurt anyone!" They begged him not to do this. They tried to talk some sense to him. Kobayashi mouthed only two words to himself as a barrel to his head.
"I'm innocent."
Bang!
Everyone screamed as he body hit the ground. The camera feed was cut as the paramedics and police rushed into the room.
"Oh yes!" Yuuko shouted as she pumped her fists in the air. "He's almost here! He's almost here!" She twirled around, laughing as she could hear the neighing of a horse and galloping. Daichi laughed to himself.
"Yes, yes," he said over the flowers. Yuuko leaned in next to him.
"Can I kill her now?" she whispered.
"No," Daichi said. Yuuko pouted and started whimpering.
"Why won't you let me have any real fun?!" she asked. Daichi reached over and patted her on the head.
"There, there," he said. "You will get to kill her shortly." Daichi looked up to see her pouting at him.
"Do you promise?" Yuuko asked. He smiled under his gas mask.
"Yes," he said. "As a matter of fact…" The man leaned in closer to the deity.
"If you wait patiently, I will get your favorite toys for you to kill her with," he whispered. Yuuko started to have stars in her eyes.
"Really? You mean it?!" she asked.
"Uh-huh," Daichi said. "But you are going to have to let me finish my work for the day first, okay?" Yuuko backed up and lifted her chin.
"Okay!" she said. She flashed a V-sign at him as she giggled. Daichi chuckled to himself as Yuuko sat down in her usual spot across the room. This should hold her off until the next nine days. He hoped…