Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 43
Terror
Anshii and Ayomi ran quickly past the busy Seido Hall, across the common area, through the courtyard and into the Rose Annex leading to the Rose Tower. As they ran, Anshii explained who the letter was from, what it had said, and why they were heading to the Rose Tower. "Kanae Ohtori," Anshii said, "is Akio's wife. She's the true Ohtori heir... not Akio. My brother only married her because she had power. She, I think, loved him... at least, at first."
"At first...?" Ayomi echoed, questioning the turn of phrase.
They came to a stop at the elevator, and Anshii pushed the button. "It's conjecture, of course, but I think that he bullied her after a while. I think he threatened her into complacency, and she's hidden in her rooms since last year from what I heard." She could hear the elevator on descent.
"When I was living here, she didn't think much of me. I know she hated me because I took away Akio's attentions... but after a while, I didn't seem to matter anymore. I think that's when Akio started to bully her."
The elevator doors opened, and the two girls entered. As the doors slid shut, Anshii pressed a button for a floor, and then entered a code on the keypad below it. An affirmative chime was heard, and the elevator started to rise smoothly.
"She hasn't changed her security code... that's odd." Anshii murmured as they traveled upwards. "Her rooms are on a different floor from Akio's... and she gave me the code to access them once when she wanted me to visit her to apologize for her behavior. I imagined that she had changed them since I left the school, but..."
The doors opened, and a darkened foyer stretched into shadows. Hesitantly, the girls stepped out and looked around.
"Kanae?" Anshii called. She tucked the note in her pocket and motioned for Ayomi to follow her as she crossed the room towards the huge double doors that led into Kanae's private residence.
Silence hung thick in the air, and Ayomi instantly grabbed Anshii's arm. "There's something wrong... Anshii, I'm terrified." It felt just like it had in her nightmare. She didn't know why, but she knew that she was going to find out.
Anshii bumped the doors open with her toes, frowning slightly that they weren't latched. She found that odd, as Kanae had struck her as the type of person to be meticulous about things. "Don't... touch anything..."
They worked their way through an open dining area, winding around a half-wall and into a living room with perfect furniture and pristine walls. Silence pervaded through everything, and it seemed that not even their own footsteps made sound.
"Kanae...?" Anshii called again, her voice seeming muffled by the thick silence, and Ayomi began to feel lightheaded, as if she was going to fall over in a dead faint if she didn't hear something normally.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and when Anshii pushed lightly against it with her foot, it creaked open.
There was sound in here, a ceiling fan whirring overhead, the sound of rushing water in the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. The sounds were normal, and Ayomi felt more at ease, reasoning that Kanae was in the shower, and that's why she hadn't heard them.
Anshii motioned for Ayomi to wait for a moment, and then knocked on the bathroom door.
The door swung open at Anshii's knock, and worried, Anshii stuck her head into the bathroom. "Kanae...?"
Kanae Ohtori was slumped in the bottom of the shower, fully clothed, pale, and bloodless.
Anshii rushed into the bathroom, but even as she did so, she knew it was too late. She didn't touch a thing, didn't say a thing. She turned and slipped back out of the bathroom and looked at Ayomi. "We need to call the authorities. Please don't touch anything." She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed the emergency number.
Ayomi reeled. As Anshii spoke to someone, she tiptoed towards the bathroom and looked in. Her stomach flipped, but she kept going. She had to know.
A quick look told her what she needed. Kanae must have turned on the shower, slit her wrists, and waited for her body to be found after Anshii had gotten the letter.
Ayomi swallowed and stepped back out of the bathroom to look at Anshii. "Why would she kill herself, Anshii?"
The look that Anshii gave her was an odd little look. "I'm not so sure she did."
Anshii and Ayomi ran quickly past the busy Seido Hall, across the common area, through the courtyard and into the Rose Annex leading to the Rose Tower. As they ran, Anshii explained who the letter was from, what it had said, and why they were heading to the Rose Tower. "Kanae Ohtori," Anshii said, "is Akio's wife. She's the true Ohtori heir... not Akio. My brother only married her because she had power. She, I think, loved him... at least, at first."
"At first...?" Ayomi echoed, questioning the turn of phrase.
They came to a stop at the elevator, and Anshii pushed the button. "It's conjecture, of course, but I think that he bullied her after a while. I think he threatened her into complacency, and she's hidden in her rooms since last year from what I heard." She could hear the elevator on descent.
"When I was living here, she didn't think much of me. I know she hated me because I took away Akio's attentions... but after a while, I didn't seem to matter anymore. I think that's when Akio started to bully her."
The elevator doors opened, and the two girls entered. As the doors slid shut, Anshii pressed a button for a floor, and then entered a code on the keypad below it. An affirmative chime was heard, and the elevator started to rise smoothly.
"She hasn't changed her security code... that's odd." Anshii murmured as they traveled upwards. "Her rooms are on a different floor from Akio's... and she gave me the code to access them once when she wanted me to visit her to apologize for her behavior. I imagined that she had changed them since I left the school, but..."
The doors opened, and a darkened foyer stretched into shadows. Hesitantly, the girls stepped out and looked around.
"Kanae?" Anshii called. She tucked the note in her pocket and motioned for Ayomi to follow her as she crossed the room towards the huge double doors that led into Kanae's private residence.
Silence hung thick in the air, and Ayomi instantly grabbed Anshii's arm. "There's something wrong... Anshii, I'm terrified." It felt just like it had in her nightmare. She didn't know why, but she knew that she was going to find out.
Anshii bumped the doors open with her toes, frowning slightly that they weren't latched. She found that odd, as Kanae had struck her as the type of person to be meticulous about things. "Don't... touch anything..."
They worked their way through an open dining area, winding around a half-wall and into a living room with perfect furniture and pristine walls. Silence pervaded through everything, and it seemed that not even their own footsteps made sound.
"Kanae...?" Anshii called again, her voice seeming muffled by the thick silence, and Ayomi began to feel lightheaded, as if she was going to fall over in a dead faint if she didn't hear something normally.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and when Anshii pushed lightly against it with her foot, it creaked open.
There was sound in here, a ceiling fan whirring overhead, the sound of rushing water in the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. The sounds were normal, and Ayomi felt more at ease, reasoning that Kanae was in the shower, and that's why she hadn't heard them.
Anshii motioned for Ayomi to wait for a moment, and then knocked on the bathroom door.
The door swung open at Anshii's knock, and worried, Anshii stuck her head into the bathroom. "Kanae...?"
Kanae Ohtori was slumped in the bottom of the shower, fully clothed, pale, and bloodless.
Anshii rushed into the bathroom, but even as she did so, she knew it was too late. She didn't touch a thing, didn't say a thing. She turned and slipped back out of the bathroom and looked at Ayomi. "We need to call the authorities. Please don't touch anything." She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed the emergency number.
Ayomi reeled. As Anshii spoke to someone, she tiptoed towards the bathroom and looked in. Her stomach flipped, but she kept going. She had to know.
A quick look told her what she needed. Kanae must have turned on the shower, slit her wrists, and waited for her body to be found after Anshii had gotten the letter.
Ayomi swallowed and stepped back out of the bathroom to look at Anshii. "Why would she kill herself, Anshii?"
The look that Anshii gave her was an odd little look. "I'm not so sure she did."