CHAPTER SEVEN - Anniversary
A week had gone by and Ren was back at home and going to school regularly again. Now even more of an outcast from society, he was content to allow rumors to run rampant. He had attended the funerals of both Jasmina and Hao, but found he wasn't welcome with Horo's old friends anymore. Yoh had yelled at him shortly after Hao's death, Anna called him a few choice names in a note, and the rest of the group would only give him cold glares from afar. He went about his business like a zombie, and either cried himself to sleep or stared blandly out the window at night, every now and then he thought he saw a face in the window, or a breath of cold air right beside him as the days grew colder.
Finally, he found himself going to the airport, ready to give a final farewell to the only one treating him like an actual human…Pilika. He arrived a bit late, but ran through the crowds full of hope that they hadn't gone quite yet. He stopped dead at the sight before him when he reached the gate she was leaving from. Pilika lay dying on the floor, a gaping knife wound in her stomach, her eyes stabbed out. Her mother was crying beside her. He rushed over, but was held back by a policeman.
"Pilika!" he shouted. Horo's mother turned and gestured to let him through. He knelt beside the dying Ainu, taking her hand in his.
"R-Ren-k-kun." She smiled and coughed a bit, blood running down her face.
"Pilika…I'm so sorry. This was all my fault." Ren said, surprisingly calm.
"N-No. I sh-shouldn't have l-let him get so d-deep. M-Mother…t-tell him. He d-deserves to know." She whispered as her breath caught and she breathed out one last shaky breath.
"Pilika…" her mother cried and nodded before breaking into more sobs. Ren suddenly felt electric blue eyes on him. He turned slightly, catching sight of the emotionless face in the crowd.
"Horo…" he muttered, and saw the boy grin knowingly, his teeth tinted crimson. He held up two tufts of hair for display: one green, one black. The color drained from Ren's face and he bolted, pushing through the crowd and running for the door. He rushed back home as quick as he could, ignoring the pounding pain in his chest. He ran up the steps to the door and fumbled with the key before finally unlocking it and opening the door.
He stepped in quietly and looked down when he heard a splash as his feet hit the puddle on the ground. Then he saw what it was. A pool of blood on the ground, splashed on the ceiling, smeared on the walls, painting everything in the large foyer blood crimson. He took a few more steps and entered the dining room, finding bodies of servants lining the walls, some of them nailed up onto the ceiling and making drops of blood fall every now and then. The table was set up with candles and two seats side by side, and atop the table were the bodies of his sister and father, their heads scalped, their organs gone, and their eyes stabbed out, as with all the other corpses. Two bowls filled with some sort of hot stew were set at the two places, and there at the head of the table sat Horo, his hands folded neatly and a maniacal grin plastered onto his face.
"I hope you don't mind, kitten. I took the liberty of letting myself in early to decorate for our anniversary." He said.
"Anniversary?" Ren echoed dumbly, glancing around the room again, noticing the blood-stained chandelier that cast an eerie red glow around the room as the shadows danced with the flickering candles. Horo nodded.
"Six months to the day since you destroyed my world. I built it so carefully, kitten. I tweaked it to perfection. You…you ruined my life's work. You made me start to see the sick, lost, pathetic, mindless, filthy, rotting, loathsome creatures again. They're like ants, kitten. Ants. You squash one and the rest run about like crazy people. But then there was the odd one out of the bunch in the ant farm. The albino. You, kitten, you are the albino. You're the odd one out. The one that bit the ant farmer. The one that made him see what useless creatures you ants really are." Horo said, his eyes shifting about the room as he stood. Ren took a step back.
"Don't be afraid, kitten. Come eat. I'm not much of a cook, but this meal is to die for." He chuckled, reaching out a hand. Ren hesitated.
"Horo, this needs to stop." He stated firmly, crossing his arms. Horo looked him up and down, as if summing him up.
"This is my game, kitten. You are mine. You have no say in this. Now come and eat your stew." He narrowed his eyes.
"No, Horokeu. You need to grow up and face your problems. This isn't a game, dammit!" Ren snapped. Horo stalked up to him, glaring down at him.
"No. this isn't a game." He acknowledged. "It's terrifyingly real." He hissed in Ren's ear as he circled around behind him. Golden eyes widened in fear. Horo grabbed his arms and guided him to a seat, then pushed him down and shoved a spoon into his hand.
"Eat." Ren's mind was frozen. He couldn't think. He obediently began to eat the stew, chewing slowly and swallowing. Horo smiled in satisfaction and sat, watching as Ren ate his meal.
"You like it?" the Ainu asked in anticipation. Ren nodded robotically. Horo nodded, grinning happily.
"Good, good."
"Horo…why are you doing this to me?" Ren asked numbly. Horo looked thoughtful, as if mulling this over.
"Even though kitten caused Horo such pain…he…He wants to protect you. Me…I just…I want revenge. I want you to hurt inside and I want it to eat away at you like acid until you can't think of breath or feel…until your soul cries out for mercy and your dreams haunt you…until you can't stand it anymore and you lose yourself in the agony. And yet…Horo wants…he wants you to be safe…he wants you to love him…he wants to have you, to devour you in your rawest, purest state. We love you. You…Ren…kitten…mine…ours. You're my obsession; my possession. You're his kindred spirit; his soul mate. We want to have you, right here, right now. We've only got so much patience." Horo said distantly.
"I don't understand." Ren stated quietly.
"It doesn't matter. Miller!" he barked, and she crept in silently for fear of him.
"Prepare kitten. We'll be in our room."