Chapter Twenty-three: Inhumanity 不人道

Author's Note: Whaddya know! Another short chapter!

"I refused to attend his funeral. But I wrote a very nice letter explaining that I approved of it." –Mark Twain

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I hadn't gotten much sleep that night. Instead of drifting into sleep, my mind wandered towards my open window, waiting for Kiyoshi to swoop in again. But it was all in vain; the only noise I heard the whole night was the soft billowing of the curtains in the wind. I fell into an uneasy sleep when the sun had begun to rise, which set the sky aglow with faded pinks and dark hues of blue. When I woke, the sun shone with its full intensity in the middle of a light blue sky.

"Nn." I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I sat up. I guess I'm not going to school today…

I pulled on an old t-shirt and a pair of ripped-up jeans as I reviewed everything that happened last night. I found myself disappointed that the festival had been ruined.

I'm such a hypocrite sometimes, I swear.

And that tengu. Where the heck had he come from?

Wait a minute. He mentioned Ronin, didn't he? …Yeah, I remember now. There's definitely a connection.

So more than likely the tengu was working with Ronin in this little scheme. I tiptoed out of my room to get breakfast. I've never even met this guy! Geez, can't he just leave me alone? A girl needs some space. Scuttling into the kitchen in my sock-clad feet, I noticed Ryou sitting at the table intently reading the newspaper.

"Hm? Oh, hi Komori! Did you have fun at Takara's?" Ryou asked pleasantly in a monotone voice. His eyes were as glazed as a Krispy Kreme doughnut and his speech was slightly slurred as if he'd been drinking.

Maybe there was a gas leak in the lab.

"Um. Oh, yeah! We had loads of fun!" I told him, retrieving the Frosted Flakes from the pantry. Ryou nodded his head loosely and groggily glanced at his watch. "Oh, I've got to get to the café." He mumbled as he staggered unsteadily across the kitchen. I suppressed a fit of giggles when Ryou tried to walk out the door, completely missing his target, smacking into the wall with a loud thud, and falling onto the floor.

I bet Kiyoshi had something to do with this…

I crouched by the lethargic Ryou, who was completely collapsed on the floor giggling like a little schoolgirl.

--Or could he just be drunk?

"You pull an all-nighter?" I asked sympathetically, helping him from the floor.

"Heheheheheh…Nope, I'm fine…heheheheheh…" he jumped to his feet and successfully walked out of the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

I guess they weren't lying when they said most geniuses are insane.

Kiyoshi's words came to mind: "…I already took care of Ryou: he thinks that you're spending the night at Takara's…"

But…how could he have--?

I shook my head to shake off the thought. I had to stop underestimating Kiyoshi.

After hastily snarfing down the bowl of cereal, I went back upstairs. Hm. Stuck at home all day with nothing to do…what to do, what to do? I immediately knew that boredom was going to rule this day. I took a seat at the vanity that sat by my closet, examining myself. I've changed so much…Look! Even the purple streaks in my hair are fading…

It was true. The violet streaks had faded to a festive lavender; I also noticed that I could see the blonde roots at the tips of the purple. I guess everything from the past is fading away.

Below Earth…在地球下面

Ronin reclined in his high-backed chair at the edge of his chamber, anxiously awaiting news of the Mew with a malicious sneer on his face. I wonder how the tengu killed her. Right on cue, Resu creaked open the tall door, and nervously meandered towards Ronin with his head down. Ronin's crimson eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Well?" he demanded. Resu scratched his head thoughtfully as he searched for the words.

"Um, well…It's like this—." Resu started. An agitated hiss came from Ronin.

"Resu, you are aware of the fact that I don't take bad news very well. Not well at all." He emphasized the last sentence threateningly.

"Oh, yes. I definitely know that…I guess I'd better get it over with then." He said, wincing as he knew what was going to happen.

"Well?" Ronin prompted impatiently. Resu sighed deeply.

"The tengu did manage to capture her…" Resu started optimistically, hoping that Ronin's anger would be dampened by the good news.

"And--?"

"As soon as she lost consciousness, You-Know-Who came in and scared off the tengu." Resu finished shamefully.

"So…you're telling me she got away?" Ronin started, the anger in his voice becoming tangible.

"Um…yeah." Resu whimpered.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Ronin screamed angrily, his voice making the walls shake. Resu fell into a crumpled heap on the ground and began to bow furiously at Ronin, hoping to be forgiven.

"Please forgive me! It won't happen again sire!" Resu begged fearfully. Ronin stopped in mid-tantrum to glare at Resu.

"Yes. I know it won't happen again." Ronin's lips curled evilly as he grasped the short scepter that sat at the edge of his chair. Resu didn't dare to look at Ronin.

"Thank you, sire!" Resu whispered thankfully, not sensing Ronin's steady approach.

"Oh, you are very welcome." Ronin hissed as he pressed the scepter's cold orb at the back of Resu's neck. Ronin pressed the orb harder onto Resu's neck, eliciting a yelp from Resu.

"Please, sire! Give me one more chance!" Resu cried hysterically.

"No. You have vexed me for the last time." Ronin's voice flowed easily as the orb glowed a savage red. Resu sobbed at Ronin's feet, grasping his ankles and begging for another chance. The orb heated up until it was shining as bright as the sun.

"Good-bye, Resu."

A stream of light flew from the orb and crashed into Resu, silencing his hysterical blubbering. Ronin tossed aside the scepter and nudged Resu's arm with his foot. Resu didn't move. Dead. Ronin smiled in accomplishment as he took his seat in the edge of the room, forming a plan to take care of the Mew.