Author's Note: Whoa! I went all out for this one. Start of 2022 and I had so much that I had to for this halo. I got up to over 100,000 words in the Word document with this halo. Can you imagine how the rest of the season is going to look? Can you imagine if I had put this in last week/year? Just... wow! Yes, Masaomi fucks up everything for everyone. You are going to see how bad it is next week. Speaking of which, I have the rest of this season mapped out. I can't wait to see the fallout next week. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Twenty-Four: Ritual:
So much happened that led up to the birth of the fourth player. Over the course of three days, everyone was pushed further into the Wasteland. It all started with the death of a teenage girl. A neighbor heard the sounds of the murder next door. She panicked, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, someone whispered in her ear.
"You are a good citizen. You can't let that poor girl get away with being murdered."
The woman picked up the phone and called the police. When the cops got there, they found Masaomi huddled over Saki's battered body. He was too numb to respond as they took him away.
Now, he's in psychiatric holding for seventy-two hours. The whole time, the tadpoles' condition started getting worse.
On the outside, the cracks were starting to get deeper.
Day One
1.
"Wow!" Kaori said. "He's so pretty!" She reached out to pet the fiery armor-covered horse.
"Uh-huh," Yuuko said. The horse looked so calm as Kaori patted him.
"Do you feel any different?" Taro asked. Yuuko looked down at her fingers as she flexed them.
"A little bit," she said. Suddenly, her phone rang.
"Excuse me," she said. Yuuko pulled out her phone.
"Hello?" she asked. "No, not much. Uh-huh. Uh-huh." Her eyes lit up brighter than stars.
"Are you serious?" she asked. "When? Okay. Okay, I'll tell her." Yuuko hung up her phone. Her siblings were staring at her. She turned to Kaori.
"They want us to awaken him," she said. The older sister bowed her head.
"Gladly," she said. The boys looked at each other.
"Aw, well," Taro said. "Looks like we get to raise hell for ourselves."
"Sure," Ryota mumbled. The younger brother grinned.
2.
All the while, the tadpoles got sicker. Nami hung over the toilet, throwing up.
"Honey?" her mom asked, knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you okay in there?"
"No!" the tadpole girl wailed. So much blood in her eyes.
"I'm calling the hospital!" her mother shouted. Nami didn't even try to argue with her. She could hear footsteps running down the hall. Her mother walked past the news on the TV. Two politicians resigned because of Kita's blackmail scheme. A famous director was disgraced for sleeping with the daughter of a foreign minister. A member of the yakuza in another part of Tokyo was arrested as well.
There were many more to come.
3.
Michiko was also watching the news herself. However, the unfolding scandal was the least of her worries. Masaomi-kun…
She couldn't let him go down for a crime that he didn't commit. So this was how they were going to pull this off. Over her dead body, they would. Michiko already know what she needed to do. Makoto and Noriko weren't going to be any help in this case. No, she was going to have to do this on her own. Well, there was going to be one other person who could help her. Michiko shook her head. Not ideal, but she didn't have a choice in the matter.
The girl took in a breath and made up her mind.
"Right…" she said. She didn't have enough magic back, but it would have to do for now. Michiko marched out of the apartment, not flinching.
-Day Two-
4.
"I haven't seen anything like it," Emilia said as she looked at the chart. So many black Y-shaped cells were in the picture. Her husband narrowed his eyes behind his gas mask.
"What should we do?" she asked.
"How long has it been like this?" Shingen asked.
"A few days now," Emilia said.
"Hm…" he said.
"What is it?" his wife asked. Shingen shook his head.
"Looks like we're going to need some back-up with this," he said. He pulled out his phone and dialed his son.
5.
More resignations followed on the news. Eight politicians, a dean of a fancy university, and more teachers from different schools. Nanami watched the news nervously. A hand rested on hers. The teacher whipped her head around. Jiro gave her an odd look.
"What's the matter, dear?" he asked. Nanami quickly shook her head.
"Nothing," she lied. "It's nothing." Her fiancé looked at the TV screen.
"It's crazy, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yeah…" Nanami said. She picked up her coffee and took a drink. Was this going to be her ruin? Red Rabbit had been mentioned in the news briefly. No names so far. But how long would that last?
Nanami shook her head, trembling.
"Are you sure, you're okay dear?" Jiro asked.
"Just a little tired," she said. She couldn't tell him the truth. It would destroy him. What if he wanted to end their engagement. Nanami wouldn't know what to do. She rose to her feet.
"Nanami-chan?" her fiancé asked.
"I'm going to lay down for a bit," the teacher said. She turned and walked out of the living room.
"Baby?" Jiro asked. Nanami already turned and walked down the hall.
6.
Elsewhere, Maiko was sitting beside Anzu in the back of an ambulance.
"Hang in there," she said. "Stay with me, okay?" She squeezed her friend's hand. The tadpole moaned in her misery. Anzu had collapsed in the middle of her kendo class. The girls and teacher all called 119. Maiko wouldn't leave her side. The EMT tried to push her away.
"No!" Maiko shouted. "I'm coming with her!" The girl folded her arms across her chest. The EMTs had no choice but to let her come with them. Anzu could hear them the whole time. They put an oxygen mask over her face. Her body felt so heavy. She wasn't unable to them what was really wrong. Only Maiko would've believed her if she could.
Anzu could've sworn that she heard laughing in her ears on the way to the hospital.
-Day Three-
7.
Masaomi made it out into the hallway. He didn't see anyone in sight. The boy tried to push down the eerie feeling in his gut. What did Michiko do? The boy shook the thought from his head. He had to get out of here.
"Okay, where am I supposed to go now?" Masaomi asked.
Just go down the hall. I will be waiting for you at the emergency exit. Don't worry. They won't see you. But you have to hurry. I don't know how long the spell will hold.
"Right."
Masaomi took a breath and started running down the hall. He didn't know exactly how Michiko was doing this, but he was glad to have a way out. Masaomi pushed aside any thoughts of what to do afterward. He had just had to escape.
8.
Across town, Mikado tried to force himself to the door. Even in his condition, the tadpole managed to track down his best friend. It took talking to the members of the Dollars in the chatroom. Someone who had a cousin in the police force revealed that Masaomi was being held in a psychiatric ward just outside of Shinjuku. The distance met nothing to Mikado. There was no one to talk him out of his plan. It didn't matter what happened to him.
"I have to go to him."
When did the front door feel so far away? Mikado's body felt so heavy. His breathing was labored with each step. The tadpole had to use the wall to keep him standing. Calling wouldn't do any good. Masaomi probably wouldn't get his phone back today. Mikado of course didn't have a real plan. Even stretching the limits of his body was the least of his worries.
Blood dribbled down his chin as he made it to the front door. Mikado collapsed as he opened it. He could feel the pressure on his chest as he coughed. The boy wouldn't let himself stop.
"I have to get up."
It took his all to push himself up to his feet. More blood dribbled down his chin. He took a heavy breath. Maybe he should get a taxi. Mikado tried to feel down to this pocket. His phone wasn't in his jacket. The boy turned his head. Of course, his phone was next to his computer. His agony and hast wouldn't let him think straight. Mikado cursed himself.
"This isn't fair!" he wailed. The boy tried to will the phone over to him. A sharp pain shot through his head. That wasn't going to be enough. He had to get to Masaomi. Mikado held out his hand. It took a few tries, but the phone started to float upwards and over to him. It did manage to dip a couple of times before it reached his hand. Mikado sank to his knees panting. His chest ached. Any sane person would've given up by now. The tadpole boy had to go out and rescue his friend.
"Hold on, Kida-kun! I'm coming!"
Mikado pushed himself to keep walking before he had to call for a taxi to take him to Shinjuku.
9.
Michiko stood at the back end of the psychiatric ward. She had her and to her chest. She could feel her heart pound at the bottom of her throat. The girl hoped that she did this right. Her magic still wasn't as strong as it used to be. She had just gotten back enough to pull off this rescue mission. She should've stopped them from killing Saki. If she had gotten to her sooner…
Michiko shook her head. She couldn't worry about that now. She needed to stop the course that this timeline is going on. She saw where this was going. Like hell she was going to let that happen again.
The girl quickly turned her head. And there he was. Masaomi stood out in the doorway of the emergency exit. Her heart jumped in her chest.
"Yo," he said.
"You made it!" she said. Masaomi ran out to her. Michiko embraced him.
"I'm so sorry!" she said. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Masaomi said. "What do you mean you are sorry?"
"Never mind, we have to get going," Michiko said. She grabbed him by the hand and led him towards the garden. She was determined not to repeat this again.
"Where are we going?" Masaomi asked.
"It doesn't matter!" she yelled. "I have to get you away from them!" The girl led him further down the garden.
However, something in her plan went haywire.
It didn't take long for Michiko could tell that something wasn't right. She narrowed her eyes and tried to focus. This was the right way to go. She tested herself last night. Just cut through the garden, get to the street, and take him back to her apartment. This was the right way, right?
Michiko blinked away her confusion. No, she couldn't get caught up on this. Focus on escaping. She took a breath and picked up the pace.
"Is something wrong?" Masaomi asked. Michiko shook her head without turning around.
"No," she lied. The girl couldn't let him be worried about the potential danger unfolding around them.
10.
Kitano opened his eyes and smirked. He could see them just a few feet away from them. He and Aya hid themselves really good with this spell.
However, something else caught his attention.
"Oh!" the therapist said.
"What is it?" Etsuko asked. Kitano pointed out towards the road. She and the other girls turned their heads.
"Oh!" Aya said.
"Things are now about to get interesting," Kitano said. Yuuko and Kaori giggled to themselves.
11.
Mikado dragged himself to the garden of the psychiatric ward. By now, it felt like his body was about to fall into pieces. The cab driver wanted to send him to the hospital.
"No!" Mikado shouted. "I have to see my friend!"
"Are you sure?" the driver asked uneasily.
"Yes!" the tadpole boy shouted. Droplets of blood hit the back of the chair.
"Okay…" the driver said.
Mikado could barely stand at this point. Still, the need to get to Masaomi was pushing him to his breaking point. If this kept up, his body would surely give out. His heart was overworked as it was. It felt like it was going to burst in his chest. Still, the tadpole wouldn't quit. He just had to get to his friend.
His vision blurred, but Mikado dragged his feet.
"Hang on, Kida-kun. I'm coming. I'm coming."
The garden was right there. He could see it clearly. He willed himself to keep going. If Mikado could just make it to that garden he could save Masaomi.
Sadly, the tadpole's body gave out and he collapsed to the ground. Mikado tried to crawl forward through the pain. Just a little bit. He was so close. Sadly, the pain and the limits were too much on his body.
The last thing he could remember before blacking out was a hand dragging him through a barrier.
12.
Michiko could see the street just ahead of her. She squeezed Masaomi's hand as tightly as she could.
"Are you sure everything is okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she insisted. She didn't mean to sound like she was yelling at him. Something didn't feel right. How long had they been walking this trail? There was no way that they could get lost on a short path. This had to be the right way. Michiko went over the route last night. She was sure this was the way. They had to be doing something to her. That had to be it.
"Are you sure you know where we are going?" Masaomi asked.
"Yes!" Michiko shouted. She sounded like she was about to cry. The girl took in heavy breaths.
"Hey, what's wrong?" the boy asked.
"Nothing!" Michiko shouted. "I am going to get you out of here! Stop asking me questions!"
"Okay, okay," Masaomi said. The girl took a breath.
"Thank you," she said. Her stomach turned as they kept walking. She couldn't get the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.
Her fears were confirmed when she happened to look up ahead of her. Michiko froze as the color drained from her face.
"No…" she murmured.
"What is it?" Masaomi asked. Michiko backed up into him, panting heavily. She quickly shook her head.
"No! No!" she shouted. "This can't be!" Masaomi looked up with a puzzled look on his face.
"Who is that?" he asked.
Kitano stood inches away from them with arms out to him.
13.
"Welcome!" the therapist said. "It's so good to see you again, number two." Michiko looked like she was about to vomit as she trembled.
"Aw, don't be like that," Aya said. "We're not going to hurt you."
"Liar. Liar!" Michiko shouted. She stood in front of Masaomi with her arms out to shield him. Meanwhile, the boy saw Yuuko grinning at him with her horse at her side.
"Yo!" she said.
"You!" Masaomi growled.
"That's me!" the Horseman of War said in a perky tone.
"How nice of you to bring number four to us yourself," Kitano said. "Well done, number two." His eyes were set on the blonde shogun behind her.
"I will not let you have him!" Michiko growled.
"What are you talking about?" Masaomi asked. Aya clapped her hands together.
"Congratulations!" she said. "You will be our fourth player in our game!" The boy wrinkled his nose.
"What is going on here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Michiko said with clenched teeth. Kitano raised an eyebrow at her.
"Do you want me to tell him or are you going to tell him?" he asked. The girl clicked her tongue as she looked away.
"Michi-chan?" Masaomi asked.
"They want to start the apocalypse," she said.
"What the hell?!" he asked.
"Yes," Kitano said. "Are you familiar with the Woman in Red as the other players call her?" Something about that name triggered a faint memory in Masaomi's brain. It wouldn't be a good idea to answer that.
"No," he lied.
"Heh," the therapist said. "I had a guess that you wouldn't. So I'm going to give you the shortened version. We free her from the Land of the Dead and the end will begin."
"I'm not following," the boy said.
"They are going to kill us all!" Michiko shouted.
"Not all of you," Etsuko corrected.
"No, not all of you," Kitano said. "You see, I want to know what will happen once she walks the earth again. Unfortunately, I won't get that pleasure. Hence why we created some heirs to see everything unfold around them as the ending comes." Kitano and his group didn't give Masaomi a chance to ask. Kaori giggled as she pulled a heavy object forward. The boy's jaw dropped.
"Mikado?!" he asked. The tadpole was barely conscious at Kaori's feet. He looked like he had seen better days. Dried blood stained his lower lip and chin.
"What did you do to him?!" Masaomi shouted.
"We didn't do this," Etsuko said.
"There seems to be a slight mutation that is slowly killing our dear pets," her partner said. "However, we were able to catch it and we can correct it. However, there is a catch." Masaomi glared at the older therapist.
"Don't fall for it, Masaomi," Michiko said.
"What's the catch?" the boy asked. Kitano had a cold smile for only a brief moment.
"The tadpoles for you becoming a player in our game," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. The girl shook her head.
"Don't do it," Michiko pleaded. "You don't know what it's like." She had her right hand down by her side with her hand curled up into a fist.
"You're just going to let them die if I refuse?" Masaomi asked.
"Come on, Kida," Kitano said. "I don't want Chirin to die either."
"Mikado," the boy said in a sharp tone.
"Excuse me?" the therapist asked.
"His name is Ryugamine Mikado!" Masaomi shouted. "He doesn't like the name 'Chirin'. I've seen him flinch when you call him that." Michiko began to mutter something under her breath. She kept her eyes down. It took one glance at her for Masaomi to figure out what she was doing.
"And what would I get out of this deal?" he asked.
"You get to go back three days. You won't get arrested for murder and Chirin and all the other tadpoles will be fine. You won't be able to save your girlfriend. She will stay dead as she is," Etsuko told him. Michiko started chanting faster. The girl's fists tightened. Kaori raised her eyebrow at her with a curious look in her eyes.
"So I save my best friend and don't get held for three days, but Saki-chan will still be dead?" the boy asked.
"That's right," Kitano said, nodding. "All you have to do is give consent and we can begin the ritual." Masaomi narrowed his eyes and frowned.
"Why me?" he asked. "What makes me so special in this case?"
"It was either going to be your or Sonohara-chan," Kitano said.
"What did you say?!" Masaomi asked.
"You both are strong enough to become players in our game," the therapist explained. "I have to admit that it was really close. In the end, you proved to be a better choice."
"And why not Anri?" the boy asked. "What makes me a better choice than her?"
"That I am not at liberty to say," Kitano said. Masaomi looked up when he heard a choked-up cry. He turned to see Michiko's body twitching as she went stiff in midair. She gasped as if something was choking her.
"Michi-chan!" the boy shouted. He saw her right fist clinching three long needles.
"Naughty, naughty," Yuuko said. "Trying to teleport him and yourself out of here."
"Let her go!" Masaomi shouted. He started to see images of Saki's battered and broken body on the floor in a pool of blood.
"Enough with the games," Kitano said in a stern tone. "Either say yes or you can say goodbye to number two and our dear pets, even Chirin." Masaomi gritted his teeth.
"Please… don't… do it…" Michiko managed to plead to him. The invisible force crushed down harder on her windpipe.
"Shut it," Kaori said through clenched teeth. Michiko gasped for air. Masaomi looked at Mikado out cold and Kaori's feet and then Michiko choking in midair. Kitano, Aya, and Etsuko were all waiting for his answer.
"This isn't fair," Masaomi muttered.
"Excuse me?" Kitano asked. The boy looked up with his fists shaking by his side.
"You're holding them all hostage for what? Some stupid game?!" the boy shouted.
"The way I see it, you don't have anything else to lose," the therapist said with a shrug. "Your gang and your girlfriend are dead. You don't want to lose Chirin too, do you?" Did he have to cut into him so deep?
Masaomi lowered his head.
"Fine," he said.
"Hm?" Kitano asked. The boy lifted his head.
"I will play your stupid game," he growled. Michiko's eyes widened in panic. Kitano gave him a stern nod.
"A wise decision," he said.
13.
"Stand inside the circle on the ground," Aya commanded. Masaomi frowned as he walked into the circle of stones and black candles. Kitano and Etsuko went around to light the six candles. Michiko screamed at Masaomi to stop in her head. The therapist walked forward with an old black book in her hand. The air around them got colder when she opened it.
"Mother of Destruction, we offer up blood, fire, and glass with this lamb," she said. "Awaken and accept our offering!" The flames jumped on the candles. Masaomi flinched. But he couldn't back out. He wasn't doing this for Mikado and Michiko.
Aya picked up a handful of red sand and threw it into the circle. A sharp breeze blew around him. Kaori clapped her hands together.
"Mother of Destruction, accept our offering!" she chanted. "Mother of Destruction, accept our offering! Mother of Destruction, accept our offering! Mother of Destruction, accept our offering!" Yuuko, Etsuko, and Kitano joined in with the chanting. Masaomi's eyes shifted back and forth. The flames on the candles turned a deep blood red.
Aya walked forward with a basin of equally deep blood-red liquid.
"Drink this," she said. Masaomi glared as he took the basin and downed it in one gulp. The bitter taste washed over his tongue and down his throat. He took it all unflinchingly. The therapist reached into a small bag and pulled a large black pod.
"You chew this and swallow it," she said. At this point, it didn't matter. Masaomi picked up the pod and shoved it into his mouth. This tasted worse than that sap juice she had him drink. He chewed down like he was chewing down on steel nails. Kitano watched him with no emotion in his face the whole time. Masaomi swore revenge as he finished chewing. He swallowed with a cold look in his eyes.
Suddenly, the boy felt a pulsing shock run through his body. His body levitated off the ground as his vision grew dark.
14.
Masaomi opened his eyes and saw a vast dead land before him. Black dead trees stood in the distance. He couldn't hear anything around him. The black sand felt like knives stabbing him in the feet. Everything around him looked like Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki after the bombings. Shadowy figures walked over, acting out an ordinary day.
This was how they got Mako, Michi-chan, and Hino to do this.
The boy became aware that he wasn't alone.
Masaomi slowly turned his head. A woman with pale skin in a long dark red dress floated before him. Her long black hair seemed to float around her. Something about her put the fear of death in him. She had no emotion on her face. The woman seemed to be floating off the ground. The boy could feel his heart pounding against his chest as she floated closer. Her hand caressed his right cheek. He couldn't escape her deep red eyes.
"What do you desire?" Her voice sounded husky, almost elegant. Her words echoed around in his head as she spoke. Masaomi lifted his chin.
"I want to save my friends!" he said aloud. She raised her eyebrow.
"Is that what you truly want?"
"Yes!" Masaomi said.
"And what are you willing to give me in return?"
The boy reached up and pulled the yellow scarf from his neck. Masaomi reached out and handed it to her. She looked at the item in his hand.
"And what is this?"
"It's my past in the Yellow Scarves," he said. The scarf felt so heavy in his hand.
"And you are sure about this?"
Masaomi winced as he nodded. A small smirk spread across her face.
"I will accept."
She reached forward to the scarf.
Over the course of three days, everyone was pushed further into the Wasteland. It all started with the death of a teenage girl.
Day One