The plot of this story: For me to know, and you to find out.

Behind The Shadows

Chapter Six

It was another night of hard work over with for Keiichiro. The girls had left a few hours ago, and he had decided to spend the remainder of his night watching the computers, making sure no traces of chimera anima would come up at night or mew aqua would be detected. It was a boring job, but he had nothing else to do. He already finished making the cakes and cookies early for the cafe tomorrow. He thought he might as well stand guard, and go to bed when he felt tired.

Ryou had went to bed earlier, which was strange, but Keiichiro excepted it. Looking at Ryou that night made him truly realise how much Ryou had grown since that fateful day when Ryou's world crumbled. He was only 10 years old...it was unfair for a 10 year old to lose so much within such little time. Keiichiro made it his duty to replace all the bad memories with good ones, in the time that he had. Now Ryou is no longer a child, but sometimes it is still hard to think of him as an adult. Keiichiro had cared for him for so long that it was hard, but he had no other choice then to let him go, and go on with his life.

Now his life revolved around five young girls, and somehow in the game the fate of the entire world had mixed itself in, and as time passed, the danger grew.

He glanced at the computer screen. Nothing new. As usual.

Just then, he heard something. He couldn't tell what the noise was, though. He turned around. There, tied to the ceiling and swinging down to the floor, was a rope of barbed wire.

"What the..." he was alarmed, and looked up to see where it was coming from. It was tied to a nail in the ceiling.

"Strange." He walked towards it, a bit scared. It wasn't there before, was it? If it was, he certainly did not notice it. He felt a strange small gust of eerie wind blow through the room as he reached for it.

The slam of the door and the light bulb shattering was right on cue right when he thought he had a hold of the barbed wire.

"Mr. Akasaka, I believe your time is up."

"Wh-who's there?" Keiichiros voice was shakey, un-sure of what exsactly to do. He wondered if he should scream, but the door slamming already made enough noise, so if Ryou had heard it he would have been down by now. Since he wasnt there, he must not of heard. And if he didn't hear that, he wouldn't hear a scream.

"All this time you have been in my territory."

"What are you talking about!" he tried to fight through the darkness, but it was no good. He couldn't see a thing. He couldn't feel a thing. The computers shut off when the light bulb shattered, so all sources of any light in the room were gone.

"Throughout your life you have been a mere toy in the big plan. You have sat in the shadows of this room, watching others fight for what you believe in."

Keiichiro could hear wind blowing in different directions, as if something was flying across the room every second. "What are you talking about? Who are you!"

"Do you dare to stay in the darkness, Mr. Akasaka? I don't think it wise,"

He ran for the door as fast as he could, yet it was locked. He raised his fist to bang on it, hoping somehow Ryou would hear him. But, just before that, he was blown back on the ground, not able to move any longer.

The white head of the shadow drifted up above his head.

"For this is my place to hide. The darkness is my place, and you, are a trespasser."

Keiichiro could not only not move, but he could also no longer speak. He tried to fight, but it was no use. It was over, he knew it.

"I know what you're thinking. You're asking why. I'll show you why..."

Suddenly, a picture of a dead Ichigo lit up on the wall to the right. She was bloody, and her face was pale. Then, another picture of Mint came next to it, her head no longer attached to her neck, blood everywhere. Lettuce's picture was next, and she was shown hanging from her bedroom ceiling fan. A picture of Pudding came next, her wrists slit open and she lay dead in her basement floor. Zakuro was shown in her picture pale and lying on her bed, with a cut up Momoka next to her.

The pictures haunted Keiichiro. The mews were gone. He was next.

"I hope you don't forget me. And I hope you tell the others that they will not be alone for long."

He could suddenly feel his senses again, but only for a breif moment. For right then, the barbed wire was wrapped tightly around his neck, and pulled until the skin broke and blood flowed. He fought it for about a minute, then his body grew limp, and he was gone.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Ryou: Dead.