Well, that was one BAD bought of writers' block. I couldn't come up with anything and everything I did get seemed completely wrong, na ja. Semester finals are approaching but this is much more important. Thanks for the reviews once more and I apologize for all the transitions in the POV through the story. I'm sure it was pretty confusing; it's just that every time I would try a divider the program would erase it even though I'm using Word and all… Okay, enjoy this chapter that I worked through tooth and nail to make for you guys.
(Note to BlueBlackMoon: You better be reading this thing cuz I'll need you to give me ideas later on. Oh and the thing that you lend me was freakin' hysterical LMAO, I can't believe you've had this allalong without watching it: Spike rocks! Call me when you review this. Oh, and update your own story already you lazy bum. :)
Louis Venzor worked in a private academy of the arts teaching the piano to children of rich Japan senators and undertakers. Aside from the fact that some kids were snobby and tended to start a sentence with 'My dad will…' if reprimanded, he loved the job. Many of the students were brilliant and nothing made his day more than his pupils playing like prodigies. He also liked getting up in the morning in his small two-room flat, staring out the window at the passing morning pedestrians and wonder if they were having a great morning like him. The picture perfect life of a satisfied bachelor, yes, that was Louis alright.
This morning wasn't different from any others. Louis woke up to his alarm and didn't even press the snooze button, why bother? It would be another great day after all.
Once showered and dressed Louis put on his favorite gray, silk tie before his bathroom cabinet mirror. A man in his early forties with graying auburn hair and quick hazel eyes stared back, a perfect man.
He joined the crowd in the streets and headed to his car waving good morning to many of the passerbys, they waved back, everyone liked Louis.
He arrived at school uneventfully in time as always and normal class began.
"Play me a G major scale Mia," he said kindly to a timid eleven-year old. She nodded shyly and did as told. Through the C flat he heard it clearly on the corner where the oldest piano was. Four boys who usually entertained themselves by carving fun words on the piano like 'Ben Dover' and 'My gold fish was here' were huddled in a circle trying very unsuccessfully to cover a small light that shone after a flicker. They gasped when they saw his gaze on them and tried to hide it looking indisputably guilty.
"Give me the lighter and go to the office boys," he said calmly, his expression not changing from passive teacher.
"I don't—!"
"Go, please all four of you."
"My dad will—."
"Give me the lighter."
Once in his hand Louis stared at the lighter which was silver and engraved, probably stolen from 'dad'. Kids nowadays…
He pocket it and went home, but not before taking a detour.
Louis liked parks, with green waving grass and blooming fragrant flowers, it gave him peace. Being November, he was deprived of that little satisfaction so he resolved to do other pleasurable activities.
"Where is our little captive?" he boomed cheerfully slamming open a great steel door. Straight ahead a small, shivering girl with disheveled hair and covered eyes was bound to a sturdy wood chair. Oh this was wonderful…
"Should we feed her, she's been here two days already."
A groan sounded as the bald man folded his leg and limped over to the smiling Louis.
"Oh, don't bother Masuo, where's Doyle and Jung?"
"Doyle is in the city, he doesn't want to help until his time comes, but Louis, about the girl—"
"I said don't bother, where is Jung?"
Masuo frowned shooting an off glance to the poor girl but didn't argue further, "She went for some smokes."
"Oh silly Jung," Louis shook his head while taking off his tie, "the STN is probably looking for her already, she's going to get caught."
"Aren't you worried? It might ruin the plan."
Louis's eyes flickered dangerously for a nanosecond, "Nothing is going to ruin the plan, dear Masuo, do you know why?"
Even in the heatless warehouse Masuo could feel perspiration forming in his brow, "No, why?"
"Because the plan is flawless."
"Oh—yes, of course," Masuo nodded hastily, but not at all reassured.
A swift sneeze followed by an uncontrollable cough caught their attention bringing another broad grin into Louis's face.
"You know what Masuo, maybe the poor child is hungry after all, bring her something," Louis said pleasantly, "take my car and bring her some cough syrup too."
With a look of surprise Masuo awkwardly caught the keys. His eyes traveled nervously from the sick girl to the smiling picture-perfect bachelor but did as told.
Once the door shut and the engine was begun Louis turned to the imprisoned girl.
"Hello Robin Sena, I'm sure you can recognize me. We met when you barely awoke," he began, walking stealthy towards her. "It makes me so happy you are here. You have no idea for how long I planed this, and it was long let me tell you!"
His throaty laugh made Robin visibly shiver but she remained silent.
"Oh, once your little friends get here the party will officially begin," he leaned down to be face to face and reached inside his pocket, "Not that they will get here soon enough. I have little tests you see, three actually. The ones who survive them will join us here for a little rendezvous."
Robin held back a dry sob but pulled her hands against the hand cuffs instinctively, she could feel his reeking breath on her face.
Louis's bright expression faded as he took out the lighter and flicked it on.
"Do you want me to warm your face for you? It's a tad pale maybe you need a tan, the gel will toast it right up," he waved the flame to her chin. Robin whimpered and extended her neck away. "Oh you don't like getting burned, is that right? Well, how about all those sisters and brothers of the craft you have burned? Did they like it? Please tell me if they did."
Robin turned her face away but tears were already slipping through the edge of the bandana.
"Tell me!"
The shriek pierced and echoed the vast room and Louis himself looked surprised at the outburst.
"Sorry about that but you, little Robin Sena, wear me out," he sighed like he had sighed millionths of times at lazy students with clumsy fingers. "Why don't I give you a small taste of your discourteous actions against my kin until Masuo gets back? Then we will be able to tell him how you learned a valuable life lesson in his absence."
He reached for Robin's struggling left hand and held the lighter at the palm, "A lesson is pure good knowledge and knowledge never hurt anyone, but trust me when I say this will make you scream a bit."
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Raven's Flat had never been so somber in silence. The only sound heard was of continuous typing and the ticking of the clock, and even those sounds seemed dejected. The setting sun cast a flaming, orange light about, making all the room's occupants' faces look sickly and slight.
"The boss is out of town in business but he said we have to pursue this," the chief mumbled staring at Robin's empty computer station.
"Even if Zaizen wasn't here we would still pursue this," Sakaki pointed out heatedly.
Karasuma and Doujima nodded grimly in approval.
It had been a shock to be told by Amon that their youngest hunter and friend might be missing. It had been inconceivable and overwhelming to see him walk across the room with her hair ribbon in his hand, confirming their worst suspicions.
"If you are going to chat, do it outside, stop making noise," Michael grumbled rubbing his eyes before going back to the screen.
"We are waiting for you to figure it out Einstein," Doujima snapped, "And we can't go out, it's cold. Just how long will it take you to find out what that 'M' thing is, anyway?"
"It's not an 'M' thing; it's a highly complicated inherited symbol," Michael argued stubbornly, "So far the closest thing I have gotten from it is the Label from the marks of cadency knights in medieval times used to put these on their shields. It would show what child they were in the family; first born, second born etcetera. This 'M' could represent first born, first…first something."
Aside from the ribbon, there had been a note attached, but so far it hadn't proved to be of much use. The note was a simple white calling card with a squared-looking 'M' surrounded by a triangle with small flames on each point. Underneath it were the words:
'You want something, but it is trivial. Look for the fresh purity in the night. Triumph and you might get a price'
They obviously needed to search for something but it probably wouldn't lead them to Robin, or at least that's what Amon thought.
'It's a game,' he had said earlier upon entering with the new evidence, 'The person who kidnapped Robin wants to toy with us, see how far we can be pushed.'
From that point he had left to get information from 'contacts' he refused to name, ordering Michael to focus on the symbol hoping it would give them an idea as to who they were dealing with.
"Maybe there is a hidden meaning on the note," Karasuma said lifting the bag containing the note.
"Great, you get on that," Michael said offhandedly, "I'll just cross-reference this symbol to…this, and hope I don't get something weird again. I found this other one very similar except that the triangle had satanic runes. It might've seemed possible for them to have kidnapped Robin but it turned out to be a weird fan listing for a German rock band. Cool lead singer Marco with the 'schone angesicht' couldn't possibly have taken her."
"Why not?" Doujima argued coming to look behind his shoulder.
"They're on tour," he replied dryly, "Wait, we've got something but—."
Everyone neared the computer expectantly. The same symbol from the calling card was magnified ten times its size with a small descriptive paragraph in Russian. All three stared at it blankly, "Does anyone know how to read Russian?" Karasuma asked. Michael made a shooshing sound obviously reading.
"This isn't possible," Michael bit his lower lip and stared at the screen in a horrified trance, "They are not supposed to exist, it's just a myth."
"The rock band?"
"No, no, this is different" Michael turned pale but began to type frantically. "They are just a fable told by pacifists long ago to make hunters have nightmares about the horrible things they would do to witches. They don't exist; the Seekers, they just can't...
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Amon got into the elevator and pressed for the highest floor of Raven's Flat. With all the inside contacts he had among the city, it seemed no one knew of the symbol or of a possible kidnap. It was frustrating that he couldn't do anything just yet…
He reached into his breast pocket and extracted the blood-red pendant that had once hanged on his partner's neck, holding it gingerly on his palm. He traced his finger over the golden cross band, it felt warm…
The kidnapper had written, 'You want something, but it is trivial,' on the calling card.
For reasons Amon couldn't fathom it made him strangely angry.
Robin…trivial…
Was that right? When Amon got his hands on the captor, he would show him just how trivial and meaningless Robin was to him…
He gripped the pendant tightly in his hand until the cross dug deeply into his palm as the elevator doors opened to the last floor.
He would look for the 'fresh purity in the night,' he would play the game and hope that the winning price consist of that trivial thing he wanted so much.
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Masuo bandaged the small hand as delicately as he could. It was a hard job seeing as the poor flesh was entirely swollen and blistered. The girl had whimpered constantly while he had put medicine on it but hadn't cried out. Maybe that was why Louis had been raging when Masuo had arrived: the girl hadn't screamed or made a sound during the torture which wasn't any fun to him.
"It'll be okay once it stops hurting," Masuo whispered softly to her. He highly doubted this himself; they were at least third degree burns and needed medical attention which was out of the question. As for the pain, no painkiller he could buy over the counter could make the girl forget that all the skin over her palm was long gone.
"Stop talking to her," Louis snapped from the corner where he was sitting sulking twiddling with his grey tie.
"Why not talk to her when she's so cute?" a rasping voice came from the shadows on the door.
Louis's face visibly brightened as he stood up, "Doyle, I suppose Jung told you it's time?"
"She told me I could have some fun now," the voice wheezed.
"Affirmative!" Louis laughed, "Take down as many as you can."
The disembodied voice in the darkness breathed raggedly and then the door slammed shut sending a November breeze pass over them.
Louis shivered but more of excitement than cold, "It now begins, isn't this wonderful Masuo? This is making me so happy; I wish all those hobos in the streets could feel just like me!"
The truth was that every perfect morning of every perfect day when Louis Venzor woke in the morning and looked out his window he didn't appreciate anyone on the street, he dreamed of the day when he would be able to kill them of one by one without anyone being in his way. Kill them and let his brothers and sisters live in peace, a very much-deserved peace. But the day would come soon he just knew it; the girl would make it happen.
Was this long too? Whoa man…I think I make the chapters too long because I add too many extra things to the plot, is that annoying to you guys? Should I stop doing that and just hurry up and get to the point without elaborating further? I hate those kinds of stories but if that is what you people want… Read, review and tell me stuff. Oh and the German in the story was 'beautiful face.'