Chapter 9

She hummed a song she heard on the radio the other day as Neu brushed her hair in front of the full-sized mirror. She looked at Neu through the mirror. "Will you be done soon? I can hear Rabbi calling out to me from the living room. I think Fushigi Yuugi is finished. That's his favorite show." Tot said, trying to smile up at Neu but she was forced to lower her head so Neu could continue brushing her blue strands.

"I think Rabbi can wait a few more minutes, don't you think?" Neu said in an amused tone.

"Well…if it's only a few more minutes." Tot agreed reluctantly, settling back down on her chair. She began toying with the strands of her hair that weren't being brushed. "Oh Neu, after you left the party, I found a new friend to play with! So this time, I wasn't bored like the last party we went to."

"A…new friend?" Her brush stopped mid-way, a look of suspicion settling in her eyes. Had one of the adults with less than harmless intentions gone up to Tot and began talking to her? The girl was too naïve, she believed only the good in humans, and never thought that people could have harmful intentions. She's killed before, yet the naïveness remained.

Tot didn't notice the change in atmosphere, continuing to circle her strands until they were wrapped around her finger before releasing to bounce back. "Yup. He left before I could find out his name. But he was nice. He reminds me of daddy." Her eyes welled up at the mention. "I miss daddy…he's going to be okay, isn't he Neu?"

"Of course he'll be okay." Neu assured her quickly, going back to the combing. Masafumi had been kept in a chamber to keep him alive for a year now, and they were close to finding a solution that would revive him. But even if it worked, there were chances that he might not regain his past, forgetting everything. Even them. As long as there was still a small chance that he will recover, with his memory intact, she wouldn't mention that other possibility to Tot. "So you made a new friend?" She asked, changing to a more lighter topic.

Tot sniffed, clumsily wiping away her tears. Brightening at the question, she replied, "Yup. But this meanie took him home before I could get to know him better. But we're the best of friends!"

Neu laid a gentle hand on Tot's head, placing the comb onto the tabletop. "Done. You should go find Rabbi before he starts getting worried."

"Oh! And it's almost bed time soon too! Thank you Neu!" Tot disappeared through the door, her loud bare footsteps across the wooden floor fading off into the distance.

Neu wasn't aware when her demeanor had started to soften towards Tot. She remembered the day that she had awoken to find herself in a bed, with a pair of curious eyes peeking up at her from the bed-side table. She tried to recall how she had gotten there, but it was as if her mind had shut down, all she could find was darkness, a blank space where her memories should have been. Tot had been the one to approach her, softly asking if she was hungry. Out of all the questions she could have asked, she asked if she was hungry. The others had explained to her of her situation. Her past was no longer relevant, she joins them or die at their hands.

That had been three years ago. And she was no closer to regaining the memories of her past than she was on the day that she awakened. Except. A hazy silhouette of a blonde man. No matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't get her mind to clearize the image in her mind. It was a mystery that she would probably never solve. But she was content at where she was, Schreient was all she had now. She couldn't turn away from them just to try to find memories that felt as if it were no longer hers. Masafumi. She had to find a solution that would bring him back to life. Before he had been put into the death-like state, he had promised her her memory for her services in the group, perhaps if Masafumi awakened, he would be able to fulfill that promise.

Chapter 10

Tot curled up in her pink bed-spread, her Rabbi finding a home in her arms. She could hear the soft murmurs of the 10 o'clock news down the hall. Neu always watched the news at the same time every night, even though she never knew why. She didn't like the reporters. They never told the truth, only half-truths that they inflated to make it seem more important. Releasing her rabbit for a moment, she reached to behind her neck to unclasp her necklace, holding the pendant that was hooked around her neck in her hands for her to see.

The moonlight shone through the curtains, allowing her to see the object. Carefully, she opened the pendant, revealing two pictures mounted within the silver. On one side, a picture of Masafumi, her daddy, and the other…a photo of her real father. The others didn't know that she kept her real father's picture by her side always, even though she knew he was a bad man who had little respect for anyone.

She began living with Masafumi at the age of seven. The time before that, she had been the daughter of a rich family. A family who, showed no consideration for her, because she was the result of her real daddy's unfaithfulness. She had done nothing wrong, yet she was the one who had done everything wrong.

Masafumi had shown her what it was like to have a real family. To be cared for, and loved. When she was sick, he was the one who treated her back to health. He was the one who gave her Rabbi. When he had asked of her to join Schreient, she had accepted willingly, because after all the years, she couldn't even begin to repay him for everything he had done for her. Even if it meant killing. Even if it meant that the world she saw as a bowl full of sunshine was now spotted with blood.

The first time she had killed, was at age eleven. It had been a boy, who Masafumi told her to murder. The boy was the son of a man who had turned his back on Masafumi, and threatened to go to the police with information that would lead him to jail. The whole family must die. She was told to kill the child and not the others, because she had been training for only two years, her skills had not reached its full height.

Even now she could see the look on his face as she plunged the umbrella into his heart. It was the first time she saw innocence die. Dimming within the pupils of his eyes as he faded into the afterlife. The experience had made her withdraw within her self for days, not being able to reply to the simplest of commands. Although the shock lessened now with each kill, her guilt of her actions never ceased.

But she knew Masafumi relied on her because he knew she was capable of following orders. He was her daddy, and she trusted him.

She didn't blame her real daddy though, for the lack of affection he showed her for the time that she was with the family. Perhaps she would have acted cold and distant had she known that her child was a constant reminder of her weakness of human will.

She wondered if those that she had killed in the past had families who cared about them. Families who will forever be trying to find them, but never will. Giving them at least a sense of closure, was something that always came back to her, yet it was the one thing she couldn't do. Closing her eyes, she held the necklace in the palm of her hand, praying, no hoping, that her apology to those who were affected by her murders could hear her.

Chapter 11

"Do you know what there is to do in this house for three hours? Nothing! And Farfarello isn't even much of a help, he's been watching this infomercial on some knife that bends for the past hour." Schuldich complained as Nagi unraveled the bandages that were securely wrapped around his stomach. There were various bruises across his chest and arms from crashing into the glass case.

Nagi remained silent as he placed antibiotics on the wounds, wrapping with a gauze afterwards. Schuldich continued talking, without realizing that Nagi wasn't listening to a word he uttered. As the last bandage was set, he stood from his kneeling position on the floor, about to leave when Schuldich grabbed his arm.

Although it didn't show on his face, he was taken aback that Schuldich would grab anyone's arm, because of his telepathic abilities, if he came into contact with anyone, their emotions in volume will become unbearing. Having "special" abilities weren't always made up of positives, because of this, Schuldich avoided human contact as much as possible. Yet here he was, voluntarily holding onto his arm.

Schuldich's solemn expression on his face turned to a smirk as he said, "Had fun at the party tonight?"

He tensed, shaking his grip off of him. Schuldich had known from the very beginning what had happened at the party. Tot. He was just an amusing toy whose emotions he could spoil when he became bored.

Fucking bastard.

TBC….