Author's Note:

So hello, folks! This is my first ever fan fiction for the Jet Set section, although I have wandered around reading and reviewing. [My previous s/n was Jasmine] I hope you guys like and if anyone has any interest in Zelda or Digimon fics, please check out some of my others.

Also this is a gore horror story with a little smidgen of comedy and romance in the mix. Despite what the title might suggest, this is not a FLUFFY BALL OF MUSH! The title will make sense later on, trust me on this please. There will be a few couplings though [Rhyth/Beat, Corn/Gum], sorry these are my preferences, and if you don't share in my fondness you might want to not read this. Also all titles of my chapters I have decided will come from the titles or lyrics from many of the wonderful songs off the 'Romeo + Juliet' soundtrack just because I was listening to it at the time and love it o so very much.

Side Note: Sorry I took so long to update! My computer went haywire and then, seriously I just was drained of inspiration. But I think I found my muse again and here it is, the next chapter. O yea, and I just saw Gothika, and that movie seriously rocks.

Love Letters

By Heather [A Whisper]

Chapter Three: I Want To Be Someone Else

"I want to,
I want to be someone else or I'll explode
Floating upon my surface for the birds

For the birds"

-- "Talk Show Host" -- Radiohead

Night had already parted over Tokyo-To when Rhyth and Beat had made their way to the Garage. The moon ruptured the dark sky like a seam, edging the outlines of the buildings with blue and silver. They could see their GG headquarters up ahead and moved towards it like moths. When they got close enough they realized there were winking red and blue lights in the yard and all the windows in the house were aglow. Rhyth began sprinting towards home, her breath and worries pounding in her ears, as Beat followed close behind.

God, police? What happened? I should have never left, if something happened to one of them I'd never be able to forgive myself. It's because of me this asshole is after us. It's all because of me.

Springing up the few steps to the Garage, Rhyth swung the door open and a fracture of buttercream light split down the side of her face. She immediately noticed all the GGs sitting around, their demeanors stained with concern, and police were talking to them, asking them questions. 

"What... What's wrong?" she questioned breathily, her voice carrying through space like a pebble breaking water. 

Jazz was in mid-sentence with an officer when she looked over to see Rhyth and Beat in the doorway, a stretch of black lapsing into orange streetlamp light behind them. She looked both apprehensive and infuriated, exclaiming, "You're what's wrong! God, we were so worried about you guys!" 

Rhyth realized then how it must have looked to her friends, finding both her and Beat missing in the middle of the night with a knife-wielding killer on the loose. She suddenly felt really guilty, having made them even have to face the idea that something could have happened to their teammates. "We're fine, really. I just... I just needed to sort some stuff out and Beat came along to protect me. That's all," she responded and shifted uncomfortably, tucking an indigo strand behind an ear.

Cube was leaning against a wall, her arms crossed under her full chest. She gave them an edged stare and replied icily, "Well while you were out 'sorting stuff' these guys woke up the whole house in a state of panic after they found your room empty and called the police." The doer Ruddie seemed more annoyed then anything, like this was just further proof Corn and Gum ruled the group with little democracy.  

       Gum positioned her hands on her hips and huffed, "Really, Rhyth, what were you thinking? We decided no one was to leave! How do you think it looked to us when there's a crazy-ass killer on the loose and you and Beat suddenly come up missing?" Her gaze was harsh and accusing, she was never one to just shrug off someone's mistake easily; her approach was to berate them about it until it was beat into their skull never to do it again.

       She's right, this was a stupid stunt. I shouldn't have put them in this position, if the tables had been turned and it was one of them gone M.I.A. I'd have been scared shitless. It wasn't fair to them. Rhyth nodded and averted her blue gaze to the ground, to the peach tiles turned gilded in the warm lights, and replied softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would notice. But it was stupid and I'm sorry."

       Corn was sitting down beside his girlfriend, his arms folded under each other. "It's ok. I'm just glad you guys are safe," he said and caused Gum to glare at him in disapprove for letting them off the hook so easily. 

       An officer in his blue uniform scowled and snorted gruffly, "Well that was so touching, a freak's moment. Let me call Hallmark. Come on, boys, we have better things to do then waste time here." Then he gestured for the other policemen to follow him as he started towards the door.

       Yo-Yo, who was sitting down by the table as well, his green hair mused and ragged, retorted under his breath, "Yea, think of all the helpless donuts out there in need of being eaten..."

       "Not so fast, gentlemen, there is work still to be done."

       Eyes darted to the source of the voice, a tall lanky man by the mouth of the stairwell. His hair was shorn close to his skull and metal white, a long trench coat brushing his feet. His face was sharp, high cheekbones, his mouth a cruel curling line. Instantly the police men grew quiet, even they were uneasy at what he might do.

       "Hayashi," Rhyth gasped, unable to conceal her shock at seeing the infamous police captain in their home. Of course the police knew where the Garage was and they tried to keep tabs on the Ruddies just so the moment they saw them skating around, vandalizing property, they could finally lock them up behind bars. It became sort of a game to them really; find out what hours were perfect for tagging and what blocks had less patrolling officers then others. Some police would rather beat Ruddies up and make excuses for it later; Hayashi however went by the rules, it was more satisfying that way, he liked how it felt to know he'd taken out another 'filthy' Ruddie on his own terms. Needless to say he wouldn't take any of the GGs into custody and make up some phony justification for it. It still unnerved her though to see him here, in her dining area, smiling like a preying cheetah.

       The line slid into a smirk as he replied in his soft yet commanding voice, "I see my reputation precedes me. And you must be Rhyth. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to question you in private."

       Beat stepped foreword a little, glaring over at the tall man. "What for? We're here, we're fine. Now you can drop the false pretense of actually caring about Ruddie lives and call it a day," he spat, not trusting the man's shifty manner for a moment.

       His voice was syrupy, smug, when he replied coolly, "I have no false pretenses, everyone knows I value Ruddies as much as I value the dirt under my shoes. However there is still the matter of the serial murderer on the loose who is a threat to decent people and Rhyth may be able to give us information in finding him."

       Rhyth nodded and called out, "Fine, I'll tell you everything I know." Turning her head slightly, the petite girl whispered to Beat and any of the other Ruddies close enough to catch it, "Its ok, Beat. What can he do in our own house, right?"

       Hayashi turned and disappeared up the steps and Rhyth followed as well, drifting off into the darkness above. Long shadows made willowy patterns along the corridors, darting around them, and Rhyth walked after the man, into her own bedroom. Moonlight filtered in through her double doors, dripping over corners and edges, puddling on the floor at their feet, silver jetties that undulated with shivering movements. Rhyth watched Hayashi, studied the way he moved, the cold mechanical evenness of his steps.

       He went to the long windows and looked out at the night, his back to her and his hands clasped behind him. They stood in silence for a long moment, the quiet pulling on Rhyth's brain, swelling the nervousness inside her. Finally Hayashia inquired, still not looking at her, "So, Rhyth, what is your most beloved childhood memory?"

       Rhyth watched his back and knitted together eyebrows. "Excuse me?" she replied, having heard the question yet not really believing he'd said it.   

       Hayashi sighed softly and turned then, the moon razor sharp over his angular features. "You know, your favorite recollection of innocence," he went on, partly patronizing.

       The small woman didn't feel she had a need to tell him anything he wanted to hear, she was just going to feed him bullshit answers and be as difficult as possible, after all this was the Ruddies' greatest enemy and the sooner he left, the better. "I don't know," she replied shortly, although she couldn't help the curiosity from creeping into her tone. Why is he asking me this? It's probably just some police tactic but still... Why do I get the sense he's trying to connect with me? Draw me out into his crafty little web? Revolting.

       His arms were still tucked behind his back and his hair flickered and reverberated in the moonlight, so white it seemed his skull was exposed. He began to say, "Well then let me tell you mine. I had a bug collection I poured myself over since I was six. Little dried beetles and butterflies, all neatly pinned and organized by species and name. My hard work culminated for me when my father took me to Canada to find the rare Behr's Hairstreak butterfly, the pinnacle of my childhood. I've always had an odd fascination with insects, butterflies in particular, the way they can morph and transform, unlike any other creature in the world. It's magnificent, wouldn't you say?" 

       Rhyth was at a loss for understanding but wouldn't let him see this. Her features remained contemptuous and she shot back, "I'd say - what does that have to do with anything?"

       Hayashi appeared a little frustrated at losing any hopes of intelligent conversation and his nostrils flared slightly. "Now, now, girl, do not reveal your ignorance. I'm only engaging you in small talk, gaining your trust. That's the first step to interrogating anyone, you should know that," he chided, although the frayed ends of his anger were beginning to reveal themselves, flaring red hot in his grey eyes.

       A long slender shadow stretched from the bottoms of Rhyth's feet along the floor, creasing up into the wall. Her pallid eyes took on a tinge of darkness, light unable to pierce the deepest blues, and she responded sardonically, "Forgive me, it's my first time being interrogated, I don't really make a habit of it. I can assure you though, you won't gain my trust." 

       The man looked disappointed yet the regret barely ruptured along the ice-cold expression. "Fine then, enough with the small talk, let us start already. The first man killed was a homeless drug addict found in Hideko Park..." he related dryly, almost bored.

       Rhyth glowered at him and quipped, "He has a name you know."

       Hayashi nodded, one sharp movement of his jaw, and yet his stoic demeanor remained. He said, "Right, Sa-something. He was related to you how?"

       There was a slight pause as Rhyth took a long tow of air in; trying to swallow down all the pain she'd been swimming in lately. "Sakiki was my first boyfriend in grade school," she responded calmly, a little too calmly, like she was trying too hard.

       Hayashi noticed the wounded tinge in her tone and went on, trying to prod it raw until it might bleed. "Had you spoken to him up until this point?" he questioned and his eyes flickered with a perverse happiness.

       "No, no, of course not," she replied hurriedly. Then he watched her blink into the darkness that moved over her, the oceans of teal that slid open and closed like eclipsing breakers. They were wave breakers - breakers of her - rushing in and then out, dragging back pebbles until there was nothing left, until everything felt like it might cave in. "I had no idea... he was living on the streets. I hadn't spoken to him since he dropped out of school and ran away from home. His father beat him when he was little, all sorts of awful things, he didn't deserve it. He was a good kid, a really good kid. That's why he went to drugs I think, that's why his life fell apart," she said, barely above a whisper.

      

       The smugness in his face was soon replaced by a coldness, a desensitization to anything human. "Touching, you do realize there are hundreds of people out there with the same sort of story. He's no different, just another person who dwelled in the streets, all junkies have sob stories," he responded evenly.

       Rhyth cringed at the mechanical way he shrugged off a life and breathed as if in pain, "That's heartless." 

       Hayashi's skin looked a blend of pale and black in the shifting light from the window, shadows dipping under the line mouth that quivered and stretched. "I know but when you see what I see every day you'd understand why a heart is an unneeded thing," he said.

       The woman met his gaze and said in a certain tone, "I never would."

       The police captain looked over at her and the soft curves of her face and wanted to know what it felt like to be so sure, so compassionate. "Yes, yes, you're right. You never would," he said after a moment of thick silence and then he went on, "So tell me, the second victim, he was another boyfriend I presume?"

       Rhyth nodded and replied, "Yes. Bujin was my boyfriend a long time ago."

       There was that smile again, a slick black oil smile that made your insides feel filthy when you saw it. "It still hurt to hear about his death though didn't it?" he said smoothly and dripping with smugness.

       The moon reflected off a sheen in her eyes and she blinked against it. "Of course it hurt," she responded softly. Stop falling into his little traps! I'm smarter then this, he can't lead me around in this conversation; taking me to places he wants to go. He just wants me to hurt, to break down in front of him. Well this is one Ruddie that won't shatter that easily. "What's going on here? What does this have to do with anything?" she abruptly spat in defense.

        His eyes looked menacing in the light, like mirrors, and she started feeling unnerved. "Hearts are an unneeded thing, you'd be better off when you realized that," he said and it sounded like a threat. Suddenly this didn't seem to be like a normal police procedure any longer, this felt personal.

       Rhyth didn't recognize anything in him as human and began to feel cold, shivering. She suddenly felt the overwhelming need to get out, leave this air that seemed to be forming thick amber around her and catching her like a mosquito. "I want to go now..." she said and hugged onto herself.

       Hayashi pulled back a little, his demeanor not so sadistic anymore, and he replied, "Soon. All I need now is for you to tell me any other people this killer might target. Another boyfriend perhaps."

       She felt a bit relieved he didn't seem so frightening any longer yet still; her mind was focused on leaving. "There were no other boyfriends," she said flatly, so flat it was like a knife, edged and sharp.

       Hayashi lifted a paper up from his side, which until now Rhyth hadn't even noticed was tucked discretely in his pocket. Looking over it, he smirked slightly and said in almost a purr, "Hmmm, interesting. Why are you lying to me, Rhyth?"

       Rhyth's eyes swelled and she tried desperately to hide her shock and fear yet it peaked out in her voice. "I am... not lying," she responded shortly, hoping if she kept her words brief he wouldn't be able to detect the falseness to them.

       "Then who is Kento, Rhyth?" he inquired.

       It was a simple enough question. A tangible question. Yet the answer seemed out of grasp, too far away to taste. Her mind was swimming in memories and terror when she balked, "He has nothing to do with this."

       The line curled up at the edges and Hayashi said mechanically, "Obviously he does... And you know he does, you're just afraid. The killer has only gone after past boyfriends, he's made this personal. It would have had to been someone you knew, someone who had a reason to make it personal. You filed for a restraining order against Kento and just renewed it two years ago. Obviously you think he still is a threat."

       There were metal white bursts of pain in her eyes and she hugged onto herself tighter. "It... It doesn't matter. They told me he doesn't live in Tokyo-To any longer," she responded and it sounded so hollow and plastic even to her. But the police had said that he'd moved away, that he wasn't a threat...

       Hayashi moved closer, the way snakes do when they smell fear on the tips of their tongues. "Ah, you hope he isn't, don't you? But he is." He was just inches away now and watched her eyes explode wide, the flickers of sheer horror sliding their way around her face. "How come he scares you so much? What did he do to you huh? Hurt you? Stalk you? Violate you? What did he do to cause such a cloud of terror to lurch into your eyes at the mere mention of his name?" he questioned.

       His eyes were stony and deep, really deep; so far down she felt like she could fall in, she didn't want to look into them anymore. Turning away, she screamed to shut him up, to stop him from teasing up all her fears with his fingertips, "That's none of your business!"

       His voice was filled with patronizing as he informed her, "Anger is a funny emotion. It only comes from fear, the weakest of states. Extremists hate homosexuals because they are afraid – afraid a part of them might be just like them. You are angry because you are afraid... Afraid that I am right."

       He is right. I am afraid, afraid to death. Kento was someone I was telling myself never existed, he was just a bad dream, and now I have to relive it all over again. I'm so afraid. Rhyth could feel herself trying to shrink back, she felt isolated now in the shadows, an island amidst an ocean... And there was this, this hole in her head, like a sinking ship. When had the black begun to fill up her brain like this? "Kento has nothing to do with this," she heard herself repeat and dark shapes moved in her eyes, made her feel dizzy.

       Hayashi moved so close, his eyes dragging over her skin, and she couldn't feel his body heat, only more cold. His mouth was near her ear when he whispered almost in a laugh, "You look beautiful when you're scared." Rhyth was so tightly choked by terror and cold she couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

       Suddenly they heard a loud commotion downstairs - chairs clattering, scrapping of feet against tiles, raised angry voices. Hayashi grumbled something under his breath and ran out of the room to Rhyth's relief. She followed him downstairs, to the kitchen, and saw over the stair's banister Yo-Yo and a husky police officer in a sort of stand off, glaring at each other.

       The policeman, who out-weighed Yo-Yo by a lot, was breathing in deeply, his big chest falling and rising. "I'll teach you to talk shit, you green-headed freak! How 'bout I knock out every tooth in that wiseass mouth of yours?" he growled.

       The green haired boy didn't seem to notice the apparent size disadvantage and scowled, "What, is 'freak' word of the day or something? Why not be more creative - birth defect, genetic failure, waste of sperm. Come on, this is all prime material here!"

       Everyone was watching and could taste the tension in their mouths, knowing there had to be more. The officer reached down and fluidly pulled his handgun from its holster, pointing it at Yo-Yo's forehead, the barrel glittering metal in the moonlight. "Who the Hell do you think you are, huh? All your smart remarks got you nothin', kid. If I squeezed this off right here, no one would care. You got no reason to be here except to annoy the crap outta normal people," he spat in disgust.

       Corn stayed still, as did everyone else, and his eyes moved over the gun. "Put the gun down," he said in an even tone.

       Yo-Yo was never one people thought of as brave, particularly the opposite really, but now, staring down the column of the gun, he didn't back down. He'd had enough – enough of asshole police, enough of being targeted because he was a Ruddie, enough of people talking down to him because he was a kid. An eyebrow raised, he grimaced and retorted sarcastically, "What a fucking surprise. An officer pulling out a gun on an innocent unarmed person, bet that's never happened before."

       Boogie's eyes widened and she shouted, "Yo-Yo, shut up already! Don't say anything back, don't give him an excuse."

       The silence was deafening and then a voice rang out, "Masao, lower your gun. I want you all outside, right now; we're done with this case. This was all just a waste of our time." The officers looked up to Hayashi and then surprisingly didn't hesitate to file out of the Garage. The man who was at a face off with Yo-Yo lowered his gun reluctantly and started to leave, glaring at the boy as he did so.

       Hayashi stepped down the remaining stairs and came across the kitchen. Beat watched him from the corner with narrow smoldering eyes and remarked bitterly, "Thanks. Glad to see the force is still upholding its record of not really helping anyone and still walking around like arrogant pricks."

       The tall man paused and turned to him, his expression cold and lifeless. "Just feel lucky I can't actually arrest you all legally by law. If you want to give me a reason however, I'd be more then happy to oblige," he said smoothly. Beat merely glowered back as he turned and swished out the door.

       When the door closed behind him, the GGs let out a collective sigh although there was still an air of unease around them. "Well that was a swell idea, Corn. The police really cleared some things up for me... Like why we didn't call them in the first place," Cube belittled from against the wall, her arms crossed.

       Corn regarded her from the corner of his eye and relinquished wearily, "Ok so it was a shitty judgment call alright. What was I to do when I saw two of our teammates were missing? I don't remember anyone actually objecting at the time either."

       Bands of shadow and light alternated over her pale skin and the GGs quickly realized there was another standoff in progress. "If we had, would you have listened?" she asked in a low voice.

       Gum rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "O would you just give it a rest already with your silly conspiracy theories! Corn said he was wrong, just let it go!" she chided with a tinge of annoyance.

       In the middle of this no one had paid much attention to the small woman by the end of the stairs, clutching on to the rail with white straining fingers. "Guys, I think I know who the killer is."

        Eyes all darted to her with surprise and Combo questioned softly, "Who's it, girl?"

       Rhyth swallowed down air and the shadows surrounded her, she wanted them to encompass her, make her disappear in their darkness. "I never told anyone this; I never wanted to have to think about it again..." she began and clung onto the banister tighter. "But now I have to. I lied to you all; there was someone else... Kento was the popular jock, the party guy. He was a quarterback on the football team and I was happy he even knew I was alive, never mind wanted to date me. Of course now when I look back I understand why he dated me. At first it started out harmless enough, he wanted to know where I was, he'd think my skirt was too short. I was so stupid; I just thought 'Wow, he must really like me.' Then before I knew it, it was becoming out of control. He'd follow me when I went out and tell me what to wear. A few times he'd say mean things to me, but always I'd think I'd deserve it. He did awful things to my head, made me believe I wasn't a good person," she went on in a whisper. The blue of her eyes seemed different now, bruised and fragmented. She breathed in and continued, "One night I was at a party when he thought something was going on with a guy friend and me so he beat the crap out of him. He drove home with me in the car, speeding all the way, and that's when he started hitting me. When we got to his house he dragged me out by my hair, called me... horrible things, spit on me. Then he raped me." By the time she was finished her fingernails were clawing into the wood of the rail, splintering the varnish.

       Silence fell as her friends digested what she'd said and Boogie breathed sympathetically, "Holy shit, Rhyth. I can't believe it, what a fucker. You should have told us, I mean you could talk to me about it. Are... Are you ok?"

       Rhyth forced out a slight smile and said in reassurance, "I'm fine, really. It was so long ago." She didn't seem fine though and she was shivering, she looked really pale in the outcropping shadows, like a lighthouse beacon. She said, "The next day I had to go to the hospital and then filed a restraining order against him. I never wanted to see him again. He couldn't leave me alone though, he said he wouldn't. He'd call my house and stuff and leave weird notes on my car. Then one day he showed up outside of my house with a shotgun, said he was gonna kill me or him, it didn't matter which. He was unstable and I was the person that set him off; he didn't know how to love someone without hurting them. My parents called the police and he was sent to a ward for a few years. I never heard from him after that, I always hoped he'd gone off somewhere and lived a normal life. A part of me knows that's complete bullshit."

       Then looking up to face them, she said apologetically, "I hope you guys aren't mad at me, because I didn't tell you this sooner. I didn't even know where he lived anymore, the police lied to me and said he wasn't in Tokyo-To anymore, big surprise that. And... I just wasn't ready to face it again; it was a reflex to block him out of my brain. I never wanted to have to think about him again. I'm sorry."

       Gum shook her head, strands of short blonde hair carousing across her eyes, and stated, "Mad? Rhyth, come on, you don't have to explain your reasons to us. We understand; we're your family after all. But... Why'd you feel like you could tell us now?"

       Rhyth smirked slightly and replied, "Hayashi brought him up and told me he's in the area still. Our old racist pal also forgot one key thing. This." Then she pulled something from her jean pocket and held it up, it was the paper with Kento's address on it.

       Garam snickered with admiration, "You sneaky little con-artist! How'd you pull one over on Hay?"

       The blue haired girl laughed softly and placed the paper back in her pocket. "'Pull one over'? Oh no no, this paper fell out of his pocket and into my hand, I swear. We have to go soon though, before Hay and his baboons question him. Kento will just deny everything and be waiting for us to come to him after that. Kento is either the next victim or the real killer, either way we'll find out soon enough," she responded grimly.

       Cube pivoted off the wall and for the first time looked enthusiastic. Making a fist, she proclaimed, "So come on then, let's go surprise this motherfucker. Finally he won't be the one hunting, it'll be our turn. I say we pack the hardest stuff we own and go in shooting."

       The sandy haired man stopped her, replying logically, "Hold on, cowgirl, I don't think the blazing saddle approach is best in this situation. Us stopping by for a 'visit' is shady enough, never mind the whole gang all carrying heavy artillery. Matter of fact I don't think we even own that many guns to begin with. I say three people go, carrying just one handgun between them."

       Combo looked darker in the shadows, muscle bunching as he said, "I'm goin'. Time I broke in dis punk's skull." He pushed one fist into his hand and his knuckle bones cracked, his eyeballs and teeth standing out ivory white when he growled.

       Beat stepped foreword from the corner and added, "I'm going too. When it comes to messing with the GGs, we protect our own."

       Corn nodded and agreed, "Then it's settled. Combo, Beat, and Rhyth are going to take out this maniac while the rest of us wait here at home base. Don't take long though."

       Cube leaned back against the wall, sulking. "Or he might just call the police again," she remarked darkly.

       The man shot an edged glare at her to tell her to shut her mouth and said, "Just be careful, ok."

       Beat smiled grimly and replied with certainty, "Sure thing. This asshole won't know what hit 'im."

--

       White electric stars dusted the city, flickering against glass windows. Everything felt muffled and stiff; Tokyo had been put on watch already because of this killer. In a way that was good, it was easier to spot the 'boys' that way, God knows they didn't need another run in with the police after what just went on. Beat lead the way, weaving them through dimly illuminated alleys and back ways. Rhyth followed; possessed only now by what lay ahead for them – facing him. She didn't feel the need to be on alert though, a little less cautious and frightened of everything around her. Strange as it seemed, at least now she was certain who the murderer was. He was a man, just a man. Flesh and blood, just like her, that's all. Not this supernatural monster she'd created in her mind, always there, always watching. Combo took up the rear, moving swiftly, ferocious in his attack mode. There was a silence between them now that was resounding as they weaved stealthy through their city like undulating shades.

       There was a parking lot towards the fringe of the city used mainly for trailer's to rent out. People lived there as a form of cheap housing, stuffed close together. Most of the windows were dim; a few had the blue glow of a television seeping through. Still not much activity, they slid between them quietly until they reached a trailer hitched to an old rust-eaten truck. The makeshift mailbox outside read '105' in paint. 

       They stopped in front of it, staring up at the dimly lit windows. "It's this one," Beat said in a hushed tone. Rhyth nodded slowly, she knew it was up to her. They'd come along for her safety but ultimately this was about her, this was her ghost they were facing. Steeling herself, she stepped foreword and rapped on the door twice with her knuckles.

       They heard rustling from the other side and muffled cuss words. Then the door slid open a wedge and dark eyes stared out at them, looking to each one nervously. "Yea? What do you want?" the thick voice asked.

       Rhyth tried to peer into the murky innards of the trailer and responded, "Is Kento here?"

       The eyes, which had been lingering onto the hulking form of Combo some feet back, suddenly snapped to focus on her. "What'd you want with him?" it questioned in attempted casualty.

       The young woman matched the edged stare and said, "I... I'm Rhyth. He'd remember me."

       There was shock and disbelief that ruptured along the mahogany glare before flickering over her face. Then the door grated all the way open on aged hinges to reveal a man. Short dark hair, warmer skin, a nice build with a slight paunch where his jeans met his undershirt. He smiled at her then and it was a snickering fracture of teeth, slithering, and immediately she knew who he was, placed him in her memories. "Rhyth? Of course I remember you. You look... good, the same," he replied slowly, his eyes running over her.

       All her instincts told her to step back, press out into the night until there was nothing but miles and miles of asphalt between them. Still she kept her face stone and responded flatly, "So do you."

       He smirked again and blinked before turning away from the door and allowing them room to enter. They followed behind him, a sparsely furnished living area greeting them. There was a small two-seat couch and a little black and white television. To the right of this and dividing the area was a string of disarray counters, cupboard doors swung open, and a fridge. It smelt of mold and hard liquor in there.

Kento leaned back against the countertop and then looked down before glancing back up through his eyelashes, his eyes wet stones in the splashes of light from a lantern on the windowsill. "Been awhile, Rhyth-chan," he scoffed.

Rhyth was numb at hearing that nickname, the one written to her in all those letters. Still she forced out a strained trail of laughter and her eyes were wide and glassy in fear. "I know, huh. How have you been?" she said in a voice taut to remain level.

He shrugged and didn't take his gaze off her. "Fine, alright. You? Breaking hearts like always?" he responded sharply and his mouth wasn't even smiling anymore.

There was a perverse glint in his eyes when he said it that made her breath scatter. "I'm fine," she replied, feeling some sort of electricity in the air, like everything was just moments away from sparking.

Kento gazed a second longer and then blinked and turned his head sideways. "Want a drink?" he asked and started into his kitchen area. She had a feeling he wasn't referring to orange juice.

She shook her head, strands of indigo falling into her eyes, and said, "Uh... No, no thanks."

He was behind the counters now, the chipping linoleum tops separating him from them, and retrieved a glass from an overhead cupboard. Waving it in Combo's direction, he called, "I take it that thing don't drink."

Combo stood by the door, in the shifting drifts of shadow, and watched Kento intently. His hard expression didn't even tremor.

Kento looked back down and said, "Well I'll pour my own then." He reached into an underneath cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He poured it into a glass, amber liquid swirling and casting bands against the opposite wall as it was struck by lamplight. "So, don't mean to cut through the bullshit, but why you here, Rhyth-chan? Last I heard, that restraining order was still active," he stated as he finished pouring, glancing up at her.

She nodded and then looked down at the frayed carpet before looking back up again. "It... is. I have some things I need to talk to you about –"

He lifted his glass and watched the way the gilded light danced over the edges. Then he held it to his mouth and emptied it in one long shot. Resting it back on the counter, he stared at the empty glass now for a moment longer before his hand jerked out from under the counter, holding the long glaring barrel of a shotgun, which had until now been held and concealed under the lip of the counter. They'd been prepared for a knife, that was what had been used to kill all the others with, but not a gun. Kento had it pointed directly at Rhyth's chest and his eyes were so dark, like sinking in the deepest part of a lake, nothing but cold black. "And I have things to talk to you about," he said in a detached voice.

Rhyth felt her lungs unable to catch air and her mind was floating, numb. Her lips parted in a silent gasp, she couldn't take her eyes off the barrel of the gun. She stood in a stance, frozen, the air suddenly sinking and heavy all around her. Making everything seem slower in motion.

His eyes twisted with pleasure and his lips turned up into a shadowy smile. "You know how long I've waited for this huh, Rhyth? Do you have any idea how fucking long? To have you so vulnerable, so scared. I've dreamed of this moment," he drawled, still his eyes looked dead.

She didn't respond, the moonlight puddling blue and silver around her. There was a pass of silence before he commanded, "Step foreword." Rhyth's indigo eyes flickered up to decipher his face and she hesitated, remained still. "Step foreword or I'll put a hole through your pretty little skull!" he screamed, his face suddenly flooding with animation. She took a stride foreword, glaring at him. Kento's eyes were wet black in the light and again almost far off. Closer up now, she could see the bottles of prescription pills all piled up at the back of the counter.

Beat stood between Rhyth and Combo, watching Kento's movements. The gun snug under his jacket was burning into him, if only he had a chance to slip it out. "Come on, man. This really what you want? You'll go to jail for life, maybe even get the big lethal dose. Is it really worth it all over a girl?" he questioned smarmily, hiding his fear and anxiety well.

Kento seemed to notice him for the first time now and blinked slowly, staring at him. His mouth convulsed into a scowl when he spat, "All over a girl. All over a girl. My whole life was fucking ruined, all over a girl! I had to go to that crazy house for a year, people watching me all the time and keeping me high on their mind-fuck drugs. When I got out, wasn't much better. You think I could work any where with a restraining order and a history of violence on my record? Much less college? I got nothing, fucking nothing. All over a girl!"

As he shouted, he reflexively moved the gun off of Rhyth to absently point at the wall. Combo, still ensnared in the shadows, took this as his opportunity. He charged foreword, body all hard weighted mass like the glittering metal of a freight train. His nostrils flared and his teeth gritted hard, eyeballs cracking with red veins. Kento turned hurriedly, fumbling with his gun, with just enough time to get a shot off but not aim. The bullet creased the air and singed into the flesh of his shoulder, rupturing into cartilage and splintering bone fragments and spluttering blood. Combo staggered and grimaced before colliding into the nearest wall and sliding down it, making the entire trailer quake. He was making small grunting noises of pain and flecks of white were bursting in his eyes as he drifted into a layer of unconsciousness.

At the same time as Combo had taken the bullet to the shoulder, Beat reached into his jacket and yanked the handgun from his pants. He held it up and watched Combo fall, his mind disbelieving at seeing his giant teammate tumble down in pain. Then his eyes averted back to Kento, hard and revengeful, his gun shaking a little with pent up restraint.

Kento swiveled the shotgun back in Rhyth's direction and met Beat's glaring hatred with a smile. "Go ahead, pull it. Not before I take her with me though," he goaded and those eyes were dark shells. Beat's brow straightened with realization and his finger fell from the trigger. "Put down the gun," Kento instructed smugly. Beat glowered at him and then let the handgun slip from his palm, clanking harmlessly to the ground.

The young man narrowed his eyes, trying to read him. "Just let her go, Kento. They'll be here soon; it's only a matter of time before they find out," he attempted again to only be ignored. Kento was staring at Rhyth now and Beat could feel the breath rushing in his ears.

His stare crawled over her in the outcropping of metal moonlight, just like all those year ago, going under her skin, making her feel unclean from the inside out. They seemed hollow now though and filmed over with drugs and murky wet. "You look exactly the same... Just like the night I fucked you, when you were crying and scared. Exactly the same," he said softly and shadows sunk along the curves of his face, as he was suddenly moving towards her.

Kento walked slowly towards her and she couldn't move, couldn't breath. Her swollen eyes were locked on his and her face flushed with a mix of fear. He was eating her up with just his gaze and not yet satisfied, wanting more. The gun moved closer until the barrel brushed the hollow of her neck, resting cold metal against her skin. Her lips parted in a little sob of terror and he reached a hand out towards her. Still she managed to force out in a tight, hard voice, "Don't touch me."  

He stared at her for a moment before fingers streaked out, slamming hard into her face, leaving long bruising streaks along her cheek. Her head fell sideways and hair spun into her eyes, her ears fizzing. She heard Beat shout in alarm, "Leave her alone!" 

Kento remained staring at her but yelled venomously, "You should be thanking me! You don't know about her yet but soon enough, you will. She's a man-eater, takes you in and spits you out. Leaves you nothing but bones." The gun was nestled there in the hole of her throat and she could feel it dig in deeper.

Staring down at the ground, eyes burning, she suddenly screamed, "Then do it already!" Snapping her head foreword, mouth steeling into a line, she grabbed the barrel of the gun and pressed it down harder into her flesh. Rhyth went on, "You were the one following me... All this time, it was you. Well I'm done; I'm done being afraid! If you want me dead then go ahead." 

Kento was standing with his back to the window and his eyebrows rose into twin peaks. He growled, ""Watching you"? I didn't even know where you lived, you crazy bitch – "

Rhyth's eyes swelled and there was a pause of confusion. "But... But you want to kill me... You killed all those people..." she trailed off.

The wall was behind him and he was staring at her with her hatred and misunderstanding. Before he could say anything however, the dark puddle eyes exploded wide and his mouth parted in a silent release of pain. Then those dead eyes furled up slowly into his head and a thin coating of raw red ran over his tongue and teeth. The gun left her neck to be dangled by his side and then tumble to the ground. A thin river of blood spilled down his chin and he mumbled something through the suffocating liquid before he crumpled foreword. Something caught metallic in the light, a long knife protruding from his spine. Rhyth's gaze trailed upwards from Kento's final fall to see a shrouded figure standing behind him, by the window. Her mind sizzled with a scream; the tall figure was draped in a long black trench coat and a ski mask.

"That would be me," the cold muffled voice replied and there was a hint of laughter behind it. Then he deftly moved foreword and bent down, ripping the knife from flesh with a sickening rush of sound. Pulling the gore-coated blade into his hand, he stood and kicked the body over now onto its back. Then the lanky figure went down again on its hunches and began working as if Rhyth wasn't even there, feet away, watching in horror. Bones fragments and crackled, blood puddles around him, as he continued expertly. Finally he was done within a few minutes and removed the pink, glistening heart. He held it up, the light smoothing over it, and placed it in a bag before hiding that in his jacket pocket.

Rhyth had to fight against the churning in her stomach, the urge to scream out in horror. When he turned his attention again to her, she could see splatters of blood darkening his mask and jacket. He held the knife and she could see her reflection in it, the terror in her wide eyes. Everything seemed slow now, time stretching out around her, her mind hazy and burning. There was the sound of a hammer clicking down and the shot ricocheted in her skull. She saw the ripplings of pain in the slate eyes and the long gasps of air as he fell backwards, clawing onto the windowsill to hold him up. Fingers skidded over wood, knocking over the lantern, until finally he slid into a sitting position, back against the wall, eyes transfixed and ethereal. The flame of the lamp caught on the curtain and quickly it wove it way up the threads, tarring it apart with an orange glow.

"Rhyth!" The young woman was jutted from the slowness of her own mind by Beat's voice and whirled around. "We have to get out of here," she told him urgently, as if it was her own thought.

Beat lowered his arm and tossed the gun on the carpet. Then he dashed over towards Combo and grabbed his arm. "Yea. Help me with him," he replied.

Rhyth went over to Combo, he was lying half on his side, a sliding puddle of blood around him. His skin was clammy as she touched his cheek gently, his face lifeless. Then his eyes blinked open and he released a sighing groan. "Easy, big guy. We gotta make an exit," she told him softly and helped grasp onto his other trunk arm. Together, they lifted him to his feet and shouldered his weight out the door. She could feel his labored breathing against her as they left the trailer and they paused for a moment to look back. The small trailer windows were raging with hot yellow flames and smoke was filtering out in dark columns against the night sky.

"Come on, any moment the truck's gas tank's gonna catch," Beat told them and they turned around to hobble off into the night. Rhyth could feel Combo's blood seeping warm into her shirt and tried not to think of what that thing was back there.

--        

End Notes: Have any idea who that was? Is the killer dead? Why did the police cover up the fact that Kento was still in the area? Who knows! Much more to come, it gets supernatural creepy in the next chapter. And I'm thinking this could be possibly AU because I'm assuming a lot of stuff, like the police would have to have a reason to arrest Ruddies and not just throw them in prison without thinking about it. I'm writing Hayashi too the way I would like for my story, so... Yea. I think it will all make sense in the end.