War Arc:
Chapter 42: Home for The Little Lamb
Tatsuya Suou
Heavy Rain – Morning – 16/11/2012(Friday of Beginning) – Police Department, Konan, Ameno Torifune
(9 days ago)
Tatsuya did a small jump from his table and walked toward Jun with curious eyes, "What did he see?"
"You know how Maya said she dreamt of seeing all the Four Horsemen with Nyarlathotep? Father Time saw what was destined to happen, like how many buildings or areas getting destroyed. Of course, there's you, and the three other men of prophecy. So, I decided to approach the details further, by seeing what will happen to you and Maya."
"Jun, don't riddle with me. Tell me what he saw."
"That's the thing. He hinted a bit of you, yet his face was bitter when Maya was mentioned. He never said a word about Maya."
Tatsuya gulped his throat.
"I begin to dislike what I heard."
"So am I. So, I used the power from the Tower of Seven Chain of Time, and slightly tap into the power of Father Time to see into the future-"
"Stop. You can see the future with Father Time's power?"
"Limited, sadly. Most of what I see are bound to happen, like it or not. So, I… I hope you're ready to hear this, Tatsuya."
"Don't make me wait, Jun. Tell me," Tatsuya began to lose his patience. For a while, he glanced at Katsuya waiting outside the office to confirm if he's overhearing their conversation. After seeing that he didn't, Tatsuya returned his eyes to Jun as he revealed.
"I saw her lying on the ground, with her chest pierced by a sword held by you. Her life force was used for some purpose for the red silhouette above Maya. Seemed like a dark city."
"Red silhouette! I remembered! That must be Xibalba in my vision!" He shouted.
"I saw her, Tatsuya, on an altar-like table, blood flowing across the floor. Someone with your face was calling her a 'lamb' waiting to be sacrificed. It was like an offering to the red silhouette, a 'sacrifice'. But I refuse to believe that man to be you."
"Sacrifice? As in… 'sacrifice' for the Four Horsemen?"
"I don't think it can mean anything else."
"Why would she be the 'sacrifice'? Sure, she might have foreseen about the prophecy, but her as a 'sacrifice' is nonsense!"
"I don't know much myself, calm down! The only thing I can think of is you."
"What about me?"
"That voice you heard, Father Time said that's the whisper from the Nuclear Chaos. Now, I'm not an expert, but I'm sure there's some connection between you and Azathoth that picked Maya as the 'sacrifice'."
"…So, you're saying, I'm the reason Maya is the sacrifice?" Tatsuya clenched his fist hard, "Why is it me then?!"
Tatsuya grabbed Jun by the shoulders, which Jun struggled to remove his hand and tried to calm him down. Eventually, Tatsuya found his body unable to stabilize, and his legs fell apart as he kneed on the floor. A drop of tear rolled out of his eyes, tightening his fingers on his trousers as he tried to suppress the pain. Jun could do nothing but patted his back, trying to comfort him.
"I'm sorry, I thought to tell you this might give you an idea how to prevent it," Jun suggested, "I don't mean to hurt you. And I'm sure you won't do anything to harm her. Father Time said some things are 'predestined' to happen, but I don't believe that. Besides, it's too early to make a conclusion. Don't forget Nyarlathotep used your face before, so we can't rule out that he's the one who will kill her."
"You're right, there's a possibility what you saw is wrong! Maya might not be the 'sacrifice'."
"Of course, but then, another thing crossed my mind. Remembered how Sudou and his team tried to kidnap Maya? I believe there's something between the 'other side' and 'this side' that linked to Maya. I wish I was wrong, but something, I just had this feeling, SOMETHING is going on between Maya, you, and that voice."
"But you're forgetting something as well. Father Time said only a 'separated' self can be 'sacrifice'. Maya is the original, so it doesn't make sense."
"You're right, unless…" Jun was puzzling something in his head, "If we took an alternate world into consideration, and Xibalba, it might be possible that one of the Four Horsemen resides at the 'other side'. So, to that Horseman, Maya of this 'side' is the 'separated' self. I think there's more to you than just a Paradox."
Windy – Night – 25/11/2012(Sunday) – Yumezaki Street, Yumezaki
(5 days before War's arrival)
He expected nothing less from Maya's expression. None could speak a word from the revelation uttered by him. Eventually, he shifted his eyes elsewhere, where no eye contacts could be made as he slowly rose up while still clenching his chest. He could hear Katsuya's gasp in the distance and distinct sound of Shiori's heels paused momentarily. The rest sounded numb to him, for his heartbeat drummed the fear of gazing into the sadness of his wife. Again, he mustered another line and wait for a response.
"That is what Jun told me. I know not much about the prophecy, but there's no doubt your fate is cursed. Perhaps I was not so different from my 'other' self from the 'other side'. Sin after sin, am I really destined to save the world?"
All of a sudden, he felt a soft touch on his cheek that pulled his eyes towards her. To his surprised, stream of tears overflowing her cheeks, but with a visible curved lip looking at him.
"I thought you hate me since you don't want to look at me. But you're suffering all alone, didn't you? Just like you from the 'other side'…"
"! What are you saying? I would never hate you! I've been thinking, and thinking, and thinking, over and over again on how to prevent this. What Yukino said about the first sacrificial event that happened in Mikage-Cho terrified me. Dispersing into dust? Merged with the 'vessel'? How can I possibly allow that?! I don't even know which one of the Four Horsemen will take you as a 'sacrifice'! Every Friday might be your last!"
Maya's answer was a tight hug that pressed him close to her, so much that he could hear Maya's trying to hide her sob next to his face. Not far from there, he could see his brother marching toward him with a grave expression, where Shiori accompanied him from the side.
"So that's what Jun told you that day…" Katsuya said, although his voice sounded weak, "I understand about keeping this from Maya, but why not tell us anything?"
"Can you do it if you were in my place? Knowing this alone made me restless for days, why should I involve the others? I thought I could find a way to save her without telling you guys, but looks like it's impossible, to begin with."
"Let's return," Maya finally said, "Let's go back."
"…You're right…" Tatsuya obeyed as he understood her meaning. Today was a long night, and for some reason, he was exhausted. The glow on his marks dimmed into blackness.
Windy – Night – 25/11/2012(Sunday) – Medical room, Aquarium
"Matsu-kun."
"Hmmm?"
Matsuya woke up from the sudden sleep in his chair next to the laying Mia on her bed. He stumbled on the ground, surprised himself that he fell asleep, probably waiting too long for her to wake up. Mia, however, seemed healthy enough to sat on the bed as she faced Matsuya. The fatigue she had a while ago seemed to have disappeared, which Matsuya sighed in relief.
"You're asleep," Mia commented.
"Sorry," Matsuya scratched his head embarrassingly, "You just suddenly faint in the evening, so I was so scared that I had to stay beside you in case you wake up."
"I must have been a burden to you, Matsu-kun," Mia responded remorsefully.
"Ah, no! There's nothing to be worried about!"
"You said that, but I know I'm a burden to a lot of people. This isn't the first time it happened. I have fainted a lot of time in the past, but there's nothing I can do about it. It felt so real, my nightmare. It almost seemed like a memory. Me alone in a dark city, where no one is around. No matter how much I look, all I see is horror lurking in the sky, staring at me like an ant."
Matsuya remained silent as he was fully invested in her story.
"It was then, there was a gentle, and familiar hand reached out to me. I clenched it tight, and the dark world seemed brighter. That man radiated light like a sun, illuminating the red sky like walking the dark tunnel with a torch in my hand, as warm as his hand.
"Then, I remembered we left the dark city in a boat, swaying around the tides at night. Millions of stars were showering above me. The sea where stars accompanied us, how could I ever forget it? I could feel the man's gaze on me. The only thing I remembered about him was the cross necklace with a red crystal that he wore around his neck at the time."
"Who was that man?" Matsuya couldn't help but pry in.
"My guardian said he's my father."
"Oh!"
"I was shivering, afraid, lost in that boat, but that man seemed like he was smiling. I could recall what he said to me, those soothing words…"
"Don't worry. No matter how long it takes, I'll be there for you."
"Woah…" Matsuya widened his mouth in awe, "He seems like a cool dad."
"Apparently, that's the only memory I had of him. But most of my nightmares consisted of monsters without him there to save me. That's why…"
She hesitated for a while.
"That's why I want to find him. I want to go to the sea where I saw my father so that he can ease my nightmare again. But my guardian said nothing about where my father is. I thought this ward would be the place for me to start looking for that sea."
He felt strangely similar to her.
"Maybe we're the same," Matsuya said. Mia turned to him, looking rather surprised at his reply.
"What do you mean?"
"They said they will be there for us, but if they were too busy with their lives, they can't be with us all the time."
Mia widened her eyes, "What makes you said that?"
"Think about it. Of course, we know that they love us. But they have their own lives. My daddy always had to watch over me, even though he needs to dedicate himself to his job. I think it's not fair to ask too much of them."
He did not expect her to react so violently.
"How could you say that?!" Mia gave a cry, startling him, "My father wouldn't lie! He promised! He promised he'll be there for me! He wouldn't hurt me!"
"No, that's not what I meant!" Matsuya tried to calm her down, "I'm saying that we shouldn't force their lives on us! I'm happy as long as they love me, so I don't want to be a burden to them!"
"…Then, are you not worth the time for them?"
Mia's question thrusted him deep, but Mia didn't stop there. She grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him closer.
"Tell me! Imagine the theater play at our school, where all the practice you did in school is to be shown to all the parents out there. You see many faces, many kids waving at their parents from the stage. But then, there's you, searching for your parents who were too busy at work to look at you. Are you fine with that? Are you not worth their time to at least allow you to stay by their side?"
"Mia-chan…" Matsuya couldn't return a proper answer for her, not after seeing that her eyes were teary.
"Because I can't, Matsu-kun… I can't… Every day, nobody wakes me up for school, nobody can cook for me a bento like all my classmates have, nobody fetched me from school, there's nobody at home to welcome me with a hug, nobody for me to share blanket at night when there's thunderstorm outside, and there's nobody who can help me when I'm lost in the dark. My guardian only looked at me like I'm some kind of little lamb that he had to take care of… I want my father! I want to be selfish this time! But you, Matsu-kun, are you really fine with just that?"
He wanted to say what he had in mind all along for days. But Mia's word felt sharp. Was it the right thing? He knew he wasn't smart enough to think about it deeply. He couldn't look at Mia's teary eyes and shifted his attention elsewhere while trying to voice his thoughts.
"If-If it makes them happy, then I'll have to accept that…"
Mia never left her eyes from his. Slowly, she released her hands and sank back to her bed, covering her face with her arm to block any sight of her expression.
"Liar…"
He could hear her voice muttered beneath her arm, just as the door to the room swung opened, revealing two adults, especially uncle Eikichi who was seemly out of his mind to see Mia on the bed.
"Mia-chan, how did it happen?! Why are you crying? Is it hurt? Does your head hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," Mia reaffirmed him, "Just a bit of a headache, that's all."
"Damn, I'm so sorry! I was singing the concert for the entire night while you were here sick-"
Suddenly, Mia widened her eyes.
"The entire night? How long was I asleep?"
"Close to 3 hours," Lisa answered, looking at her watch before mused something, "Strange, Maya promised to call when she's done…"
"Oh no! I have to get home!" Mia screamed, "If I'm not back by 8, Kazuma-san is going to be mad!"
"Hey, hold on there! All of this isn't your fault," Lisa tried to calm her when she tried to leave the room, "I'm sure your guardian will understand."
"He won't!" Mia clenched her arms in fear, "He'll find me and drag me home if he finds out I'm out here! What do I do? What do I do if he finds me?"
While Lisa and Matsuya were comforting her, Eikichi remained silent. He had something in mind.
"Where did you live?"
"Eh?" Mia gazed upon Eikichi as he asked her, "It's… somewhere secluded outside the city near the Konan ward. You can see my family's name."
"Let me send you home."
"!" The rest stared in surprise over his decision. Uncle Eikichi always had a big heart, though his fists spoke louder than his mouth.
"Besides, I got something I need to talk to him."
Eikichi left the place, bringing with him Mia to confront her guardian. Meanwhile, Lisa herself tried to call his mother but instead was pale to see something entirely different like a news on her phone. Lisa seemed speechless when their Matsuya anxiously asked.
"We need to meet your parents, right now."
Night - Nanjo Memorial Hospital
"I swear! It was here!" Chikarin stuffed away her bag and searched. Tamaki and Tadashi, who was sympathized with her, decided to wait for a while as she tried to prove the success of her investigation to the other rumormongers. Chunky, still clenching his stomach that was bandaged just a while ago, decided to ignore the other three. Chikarin's visit to her fellow rumormongers seemed pointless when the proof of her research went missing.
"Look, it's okay if you don't have it. We believe you," Tadashi comforted, but Chikarin didn't seem satisfied.
"Someone must have snatched it when I was on my way here! Oh, there's a lot of people when I came here. Someone must have…" She laid on the chair next to Tamaki as she grumped.
"Can't you just… remember it?" Tamaki asked.
"It's not just a word. It's a code, a code to bring out the rumors. I wish I could joint it down."
"A code?" Tamaki widened her eyes, "Which one?"
"The one about the mirror-"
"Shhhh…"
Chunky shushed them to quiet when a few police officers entered the room. One of the officers seemed to be Shiori, observing each of them with careful eyes.
"Chika Ueda, visiting your fellow rumormongers? I apologize, but we need their testimony for the event today."
"How's Ms. Suou?" Chikarin asked, but Shiori's heavy expression turned pale.
"We will leave for later. For now, would you please leave the room?"
"Miyashiro-san," Tamaki suddenly interjected their conversation, "Leave us for a minute, and we'll give you our statement."
Chikarin turned to Tamaki after the polices had left the ward, "What is it?"
"Maya Suou. She's in trouble," Tamaki said, "We need to do something for her, probably something to do with the rumors circumstancing her husband. Come on, Chunky. You're in this too."
"Hggg! Don't want to!" Chunky said, not even a glance at Chikarin at the side. Chikarin herself hummed a strong tone of discomfort.
"Vet mature, Chunky. That was a year ago! You still think it's my fault?!"
"Then tell me how did I saw your name on the license of that place? I mean, that's the only reason you found out about the secret rumors, didn't you? You bought that lot from me! And you use Suou too!"
"There is absolutely no way I could possibly know it's your place. I'm telling you, someone used my name!"
"Guys…" Tamaki's tone deepened with anger upon their argument, sending shudders to her husband who was watching from the side, "Fight again, and I'll kick you both out of here."
"Yikes!" Chunky and Chikarin nodded simultaneously at her scold. Tamaki resumed her words.
"Anyway, we need to help Maya clear out all the bad rumors regarding Tatsuya Suou. The technology is burying our talent, but not all of them accurate like they intended to."
Tamaki suddenly changed into speech mode and stood on the bed, "That's why Sumaru City need us, the only three rumormongers of the city before the technology consumed us all with false rumors! We need to uphold the truth, and that begins with erasing the rumors about Tatsuya Suou's accusation as a demon. Come now, let us join forces as the trinity of rumormongers!"
The response was disappointing. Chunky and Chikarin weren't listening to her, not even her husband. What could possibly attract their attraction outside the ward so much that her words were null from them? When she glanced at the outside, she understood when Katsuya Suou was on sight.
Travelling through the hallway, Katsuya held his breaths as he trolled along with a few doctors, trolling with them the weakening Chizuru Ishigami. Her eyes barely opened, with darkened mark heavily tanned under her eyes. She spoke not a word, but there was a time where her pupils moved around, searching for something among the doctors around her. She then fixed on Katsuya, and her lips began to twitch.
"Hang on, Chizuru-san. We'll save you," Katsuya said as they approached the emergency ward. To his surprise, his hand was grabbed, though lightly.
"M… My…"
"What is it?" Katsuya asked, leaning his left ear closer to her lips. Her voice was weak and whisper like. Even the messaged felt incomplete.
"The… diary…Kandori's diary… In the red sea where you see the 'x' mark at the biggest blue stone… His diary… recorded everything… that…"
He failed to listen to the end of her sentence. She was immediately trolled into the ward as the doctor urged him to remain outside. That was enough for Katsuya to recollect his thoughts about Chizuru's words. Kandori's diary? Seemed to be a crucial piece of information to get in order to know more about the prophecy, or even Maya's… demise.
Not even a few minutes went by before the doctor exited the emergency ward and shook his head.
Chizuru Ishigami
Time of deceased: 9:11 p.m.
Cause of death: Not stated
Tatsuya Suou
Night – Police Station, Konan
"Just a few minutes ago, we received reports from Yumezaki regarding the strange sickness that plagued Sumaru City for the past few months. This incident is said to be the largest scale infection regarding the strange sickness, infecting over a hundred people. Some people claimed to share a similar hallucination regarding a monster that appeared in the city…"
The news didn't seem convincing enough to cover up the incident. After all, the scale was too big to hide such massive creature. Tatsuya sat motionlessly in his office and finally given up on the news. Someone familiar came into his office as he turned off the TV.
"Yo, don't want to disturb your mood, but just checking," Ulala said.
"I don't want to see anybody right now," Tatsuya responded weakly.
"Not Maya either?"
Tatsuya gave a cold glare.
"I don't want her to see me like this, yet. Forget it, why are you still here? You got yourself tied up."
"I'm waiting for someone. Ah, there he is."
Baofu came right in, who shockingly appeared, enraged towards Ulala. He burst into Tatsuya's office, clenching his solar plexus while trying to suppress his terrible cough. Tatsuya gave a curious look at Ulala before she gave a short snicker.
"Serizawa! *Cough**Cough*! What a horrible thing you did! You really think *cough* that you're good enough to fend off a monster?! You do not *cough* do *cough* that again!"
"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you," Ulala said, trying to calm his cough down before turning to Tatsuya, "We're going to investigate separately from here on out. I hope you don't mind."
"I trouble you enough."
"Tatsuya, I hear the details. Shouldn't you *cough* check on Maya soon?" Baofu asked, but Tatsuya looked away.
"I'm waiting for something first."
True to his word, a police officer entered the room, bringing with him an evidence sample that looked like a syringe. After acquiring the stuff, Tatsuya immediately dismissed him, including Baofu and Ulala.
"Is that the Limbo Recall that I heard off?" Baofu asked, "Seemed like an *cough* actual drug. What are planning to do with it?"
"I have my way, but please leave for now."
Not even three steps away after closing the door behind them when Baofu saw Tatsuya took out the syringe and apparently unrolled his right sleeve. Panicked, Baofu and Ulala burst into the room.
"Tatsuya, what the *cough* hell are you doing-"
"Stay back!" Tatsuya screamed.
"Look, you don't have to do this! Let's think of another way!" Ulala said, but Tatsuya shook his head.
"I'm not attempting suicide," He corrected them, "If Limbo Recall didn't kill persona users but render them unable to summon them instead, I'll be fine."
"And why would you try to disable your persona ability?!" Ulala screamed, but she was pushed to the back by Baofu, who understood him.
"You're trying to *cough* seal that dangerous persona of yours from going berserk, *cough**cough* isn't?"
His sudden pause was an instant answer before he spoke, "Apollo, the corrupted one, nearly laid his hand on Maya. Unless I know what's going on inside me, I won't let it come out, no matter what."
Ulala let out a strong growl in disagreement, but she finally nodded, which seemed to please Baofu and Tatsuya. He injected the needle and a moment later, his head pitched in pain. But he was surprised himself when he looked at his arm. The mark apparently fading away into his sleeve and body, where there was no trace of such hideous mark can be seen.
"I'll go and see Maya now," Tatsuya finally left the office after using the needle, walking towards the front deck, where Maya was supposedly waiting. She did, standing alone behind the sliding door entrance. Her face was hidden behind her hair, but from afar, her lips spoke of a thousand sadness.
"Tatsuya," Maya said. Her voice was complex to describe.
"Maya dear…" Tatsuya replied, but unable to give a proper response.
"I called Lisa just now," Maya said, "She didn't realize what happened, thankfully Matsuya is safe from all that. She should be here with Lisa in half an hour."
But it was clear that there's something else in her mind that Tatsuya failed to grasp. A moment later, an officer exited the station and informed him.
"Sir, we got a report from Kazuma Kaneda's residence."
"Speak."
"The little girl that resides in the house, we found her."
"You did? Where?"
"With a man who claimed to be a friend of yours, Eikichi Mishina."
Tatsuya and Maya turned to each other with shock.
Night – Kaneda Residence, Outside of Sumari City
"Listen here, girl. Whatever he said to you, don't cry. I'm here to kick his ass if he ever raises his voice to you. Promise?"
Mia merely nodded to Eikichi's words as they got off the bus and walked to Mia's residence. He glanced at his watch and realized that it struck 9:30 at night. Miyabi should be waiting for him at home but knew she'll understand when there's problem.
"Now, Mia-chan, where's your house?"
Mia pointed a finger towards a small hill, "A bit closer to that place."
"Okay, don't you worry, girl. Your guardian and I need a long conversation when we got there," Eikichi cracked his knuckles, "How big is your house, anyway?"
"It has two floors, but it's small and hidden."
"Oh! Then I'll guess we can see the peak right about… Wait a second… What's that siren sound?"
Eikichi couldn't believe his eyes, while Mia stared motionlessly at the place. A trace of burned down house was laid bare on the ground not far from them. Circling around the house were police tapes, and only a single police car was seen near the scene. From the scene alone, he could deduce that many hours may have passed since the fire happened.
"Sorry, sir, but this place is off limit," The police officer said, but Eikichi ignored him and turned to Mia.
"M-Mia-chan, that can't be your house, right?"
Mia nodded with a pale expression.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Eikichi finally screamed, grabbing the police by the collar, "Tell me how the hell did the house burn down! What happened to the guy who lived here?!"
"C-Calm down, sir! We don't find anyone inside! We only acted upon Suou's order!"
"Suou?" Eikichi widened his eyes, "What the hell's going on?! This girl just lost her home, dammit! Take me to Tatsuya Suou, now! Hold it! What now?!"
Eikichi took out his phone that had been vibrating for a while. It was from his wife.
"Hello, baby! Sorry, but I'm kind of busy for a moment. I'll promise I'll be back-"
"In case you haven't heard, your wife is in the hospital, oh dearly 'husband'."
It was the voice of his regular customer, Chunky. Eikichi froze, almost fainted by the news.
Night – Police Station, Konan
"Aunt Lisa, did something happen to mommy and daddy?" Matsuya asked Lisa as he was dragged to somewhere across the street. Lisa, however, remained silent, finding it difficult to answer the question.
"Let's hope nothing happened, okay?" Lisa comforted, but her eyes weren't clear enough to convince him. Yet Matsuya obeyed and obediently followed her to what looked like a police station, where his father spent his days.
"Have you decided to tell your parents regarding your play?" Lisa suddenly asked, which made him taken aback.
"I…" Despite making the firm decision, Mia's words clouded his decision again, forcing him to rethink his options. Heartfully, Matsuya gently nodded.
"Maybe I'll tell them."
"Good boy…" Lisa praised, but almost whisper-like tone when she said it. He made himself clear and proceeded to follow.
"Your parents should be inside. Go in, I'll stay outside for a while."
"Okay! Umm… Aunt Lisa?"
"Yes?"
Lisa was truly surprised to see Matsuya hugged her.
"Thanks. Today was fun!"
"Of course. Come again if you want to."
He's happy, for Aunt Lisa was kind enough to bear with him despite his sudden request for today. He felt like she was the only place other than home that will accept him willingly. Despite that, his heart belonged to his parents, whom he loved more than anything. Strange, Mia's words crossed his mind as if to prove his mistake about his idea of loving his parents. Maybe he wanted his parents to be with him all along.
Entering the police station, he went straight to his father's office, where his father once took him to visit. His heart brightened upon the view of two familiar figures hugging each other inside his father's office. This is right, this is what he wanted. Maybe his parents would accept this one request of his about his play. Surely, he could ask for one more…
As he approached closer, however, his chest ached with concern when he caught a glimpse of sad expression of his mother through the glass door of the office. She was crying, leaning her head against his father's shoulder as she held him tight. Curious, he tried to reach the door.
"Mommy, why are you-"
Right place at the wrong time, he overheard something that pierced a child's heart deeper than anything. His mother's voice was extremely sharp and emotional…
"…I can't just leave happily as long as Matsuya is here with us…"
…
…
He felt like the world faded to darkness, with a spotlight illuminating only his parents that he held so dear behind the glass door. He found himself in the shade, gazing into the light that won't accept him. Silence seized his throat, his hands numbed in shock, and his feet glued to the floor.
He wasn't sure why or how he broke free from the view that scarred him for days to come, but he found himself running to the destination even he wasn't sure anymore. There was an icy coldness in his heart that made him forgot to blink or breath. He just ran, and ran, and ran. For a split second, he saw nothing. By the time he regained his full consciousness, he was outside on the street not far from the police station, where he saw Aunt Lisa was ready to board in a taxi to home.
"Matsuya-kun? Why did you come back? Where are your parents?" Lisa said, widening her eyes at the small figure of Matsuya.
It was there, the swollen emotion he kept inside was let out.
"Aunt Lisa…" Matsuya tried to hold back his tears when he looked at her, "Am I a burden to mommy and daddy?"
In reflex, he jumped into Lisa's legs and hugged it tightly, much to Lisa's baffled expression. He could no longer hold his tears.
"Did my parents hate me? Waaaa!"
"Matsuya-kun?! What's wrong? Oh my god, why are you crying this much?! What about your parents? A-Are they inside? Come on, let's meet them-"
"NO! I don't want them to see me!"
"Eh?! T-Then what do you want me to do?"
"Take me to your house! Just take me away!"
"Huh?!"
Lisa couldn't believe her ear when she heard it. It was quite an embarrassing scene too, as the old taxi driver was waiting patiently in the taxi as he watched the whole thing. Lisa nodded in apology and gave a waiting sign to the driver before turning her attention to Matsuya.
"Okay, but what do I say to your parents?"
"Anything is fine… Just let me sleep in your house for tonight… *sob*"
She took a moment to think, and Matsuya could hear her muttering something. He then felt a stroke on his hair, followed by a long sighing breathe.
"Come on, let's go to my house. I'm sure I kept a spare cloth in my wardrobe somewhere."
Matsuya gazed up and nodded quickly to leave the place. Lisa smiled with a gentleness, taking his hand and led him into the taxi. If only he knew that the moment he stepped into the taxi, the small family that he loved so dearly began to tear apart, though his cry overlaid the sound of those cracks.
Maya Amano
Night – Police Station, Konan
Tatsuya never looked so quiet by her side inside that office of his. As they wait for both Matsuya and the mysterious girl, not once had he looked up to made eye contact with her. He merely looked upon the floor, waiting for something to break the silence that engulfed the room.
"You reminded me of someone," Maya said, decided to speak. Tatsuya finally raised his head and faced her with a curious expression.
"Do I ever resemble another man?"
"Not quite. I'd say you reminded me of the other 'you'. That look, those eyes that tried to confront everything alone; there can only be one man in my life that stubborn, isn't?"
Maya leaned towards him, pressing her soft palm on his pale cheek. But alas, her other hand was trembling with fear. And yet, she managed to keep her lips curved enough to stare into his eyes as she said.
"Do you still remembered how I truly fell in love with you that day?"
"*chuckle* Please don't remind me of that stupid confession."
"But it was lovely, nonetheless. You always found a way to make it better."
Tatsuya greeted her hand with his own and said, "I know, I always did."
"No, we'll find a way. Besides, I know you can take good care of yourself. Just…"
A face crossed her mind as she said, "I'm worried about Matsuya."
"Exactly! You can't die, or become anyone's sacrifice. Think of Matsuya," Tatsuya agreed, "Think of what would happen if you were to leave."
Matsuya, her only child. Just today did she felt the distance between them widened. If it was only her that will leave, she would be fine. But, as always in the past, she was worried about Matsuya's dependence on her and Tatsuya. What would happen to Matsuya if she, for argument sake, is gone?
And thus, the strong façade that she kept in front of Tatsuya began to break apart. Tatsuya had always been strong, but as a family, who shall oversee their son? Tatsuya had already seen her watery eyes, and immediately lent her his shoulder, her peaceful spot.
"You're right. I can't leave," Her tears began to flow, "I can't leave happily as long as Matsuya's here with us. I… I need to make sure I've done everything, or I'll regret it… Huh?"
She was a little slow to notice the absence of the black mark on Tatsuya's hand.
"Tatsuya, your hand-"
"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."
She felt the strong embrace of her husband, followed by a lonely sorrowful voice next to her ear.
They were interrupted by someone entering the door.
Tatsuya Suou
It was Katsuya, his brother, who was surprised to see Maya's tears on Tatsuya's shoulder. He released Maya, awkwardly wiped clean Maya's cheeks as he faced his brother.
"I should have knocked," Katsuya said, but Tatsuya shook his head.
"Forget it. Any report?"
"Chizuru's passed away an hour ago."
Tatsuya and Maya widened their eyes to hear the news.
"Got anything from her?"
"Can't really say that, either. We should talk about this tomorrow if you can. And you were right, there is another resident in that house that got burned down. That little girl is in the interrogation room."
"Thank you, brother. Uh, Maya…" He turned to his wife, "Leave us for a while. I'll come get you and Matsuya when he returns."
Maya merely nodded without a single word before leaving the office. He noticed Katsuya's stare on him, but he dismissed it and decided to follow his brother to the interrogation room.
Behind the one-way mirror, he saw a young girl sitting on the chair alone in the interrogation room. She looked surprisingly normal, despite Kazuma Kaneda's strange impression on him. But that wasn't the one that made him puzzled. It was the fact that her face looked awfully familiar to someone.
"Katsuya, have we… met her before? In our previous cases, for example?"
"I would remember any suspects in our previous cases. A young girl like her is impossible for me to forget."
"I see…" Tatsuya nodded, before changing the topic, "Did she bring anything?"
"We found this stuff with her," Katsuya said, lending a sketchbook and a crayon box to him, "She looked scared, so we haven't begun the interrogation."
Tatsuya flipped through the sketchbook and was sure that it was the same kind of drawing he saw in the house. At the end of the sketchbook, a name in simplified Japanese was written: "Mia Kaneda".
"What an odd coincidence that Eikichi found her first," Katsuya said, "It feels like destiny is toying with us."
Tatsuya retaliated, "If the destiny is going to curse us, I might as well make my own."
Katsuya remained silent, understood the person he referred to. He walked to the door, leading Tatsuya to be the first to enter.
"I want a time alone with her."
"Take your time," He responded, opening the door. Tatsuya entered the small interrogation room, watched silently by the young girl, who seemed afraid of him. He seated himself in front of her and gave a few coughs.
"Hello. I am Tatsuya Suou, a police chief who works here. I saw your name in your sketchbook. Mia Kaneda, was it?"
She still appeared tense.
"Don't worry, you did nothing wrong. And I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions, and once this is over, I'll make sure you have a place to stay because…"
"What happened to my house?"
Her soothing voice said. Tatsuya was stunned for a moment. She definitely reminded him of someone.
"I'm… sorry about your house, Kaneda-chan. But rest assured, we'll take care of that. All we need is for you to help us. Can you help us, Kaneda-chan?"
She remained silent for a while before she nodded weakly. Thus, Tatsuya began.
"Can you tell us a bit about your father, Kazuma Kaneda?"
"He's not my father. He's my guardian."
"Then can you tell us a bit about your parents, either your mother or father?"
"I don't have a mom. My father left me a long time ago. I don't remember much about him either."
"Then what about your guardian? How does he know your parents?"
"Kazuma-san never said anything about my parents. He only said that my father left me with him to take care of, and he never said anything about his work."
"Your guardian seems like an interesting man. He has any hobbies?"
Mia looked away for a second before she pointed at the sketchbook under his hand.
"He loves drawing."
"Oh? Does he? Then…" Tatsuya flipped open the sketchbook, "Did he taught you how to draw these?"
One by one, he flipped the pages of the sketches, and Mia nodded to every single one of it. Sensing his chance, he decided to enter the interrogation to its next stage. He reached into his back pocket and took out the very drawing he found in the house earlier today.
"Did you draw this too?" Tatsuya revealed the drawing to her. Mia leaned forward to see the images on the crumpled paper. Hopefully, this will help him solve the dream he had of Naoya and of Xibalba. He was so close…
On the first glance, he felt like there was nothing but curiosity upon the view of those drawing. Mia Kaneda, however, had an expression of fear, as if she saw a materialize nightmares upon that drawing that she didn't even dare a glimpse of it.
"Put it away…" She muttered, but Tatsuya heard her visibly.
"I guess you don't like this drawing you made?" Tatsuya asked, folding away the paper.
"Those butterflies, those red butterflies… They're my worst nightmares… I heard those flapping almost every night, creeping next to me like they were trying to wrap me in a cocoon. It was a real horror like those storybooks… I'm really scared…"
From her expression, Tatsuya finally realized who she resembled. He paused the meeting, deciding it was unfair to force such numbers of questions onto her.
"Just one more question. Do you know where we can find your guardian? Like where he worked, or places he loves to go?"
She shook her head and answered, "He never said anything about what he did."
"I see… Thank you, we will give you some spare clothes and foods. I'll be seeing you again soon, Mia Kaneda."
Tatsuya rose from his chair and prepared to leave the room before she stopped him.
"Uh, umm…" Mia muttered, capturing Tatsuya's attention.
"Is there anything you need, Kaneda-chan?"
"Are… are you… Matsu-kun's father?"
"Matsu-kun? I don't understand-" He widened his eyes upon the realization, "You mean Matsuya? You know Matsuya-kun, my son?"
She bowed her head but nodded regardless. Tatsuya returned to his chair and asked, "Are you perhaps Matsuya-kun's classmates in Koukai High?"
She nodded again but began to appear comfortable to know that he was not far from a stranger. Tatsuya chuckled, looking at her with a small smile. He glanced at the one-way mirror and gave his signal for an extension before began a new topic.
"Such a small world we live in. Matsuya-kun never told me anything about his friends at school. Are you his friend? Is he a loner, or does he talk a lot?"
"Not actually. We're just classmates. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we don't."
"I guess Matsuya can be quite shy, isn't he?"
"But he's nice. It would be better if he expressed himself more."
"I guess that's true," Tatsuya agreed to her words before he resumed, "I'm impressed. To think you can understand Matsuya-kun so well. I always have trouble understanding him myself."
"…Did…" Mia paused as if she wanted to say something, "Did Matsu-kun told you anything?"
He curved his eyebrows, "Is there something I need to know?"
She looked down, losing herself in deep thoughts before she resumed her words, "Nothing. It's better if you talk to Matsu-kun yourself."
"…Alright?" Tatsuya answered, puzzled about her words. He finally concluded the interrogation for good. Tatsuya left the room, confronting his brother who was watching the whole scene behind the glass.
"Looks like she doesn't know much about Kazuma Kaneda either. Like it or not, this will take a while to find him," Katsuya said, before noticing Tatsuya's expression, "What's wrong? Nervous talking to your son's classmate?"
"That girl, she feels… familiar."
Tatsuya said, looking through the glass door at the young girl. He was right, she reminded him of someone close to him. Maybe himself from the 'other side' might have seen her face, but he alone had to rely on old photos to check and see. That face of familiarity, those lonely eyes, it was the same eyes as the one he saw in his office a while ago. That familiar face…
She really did look like the younger version of her…
How could he not notice?
She looked like Maya.
"Seems like you had a lot in your mind," Katsuya's voice snapped him into reality, "I can't blame you. So, listen, Tatsuya. You don't have to do this case. Leave it to me and Shiori alone. Take a break. Right now, Maya needs you more."
"…No. I can't do that," Tatsuya said, "The least is I'll be supporting this cases from behind. I need to find that man. He might know something important. I had to find him fast."
"…Stubborn as always," Katsuya smiled, "But if you run off on your own again, your brother is going to punish you."
Katsuya left the room, leaving him alone behind the glass of the interrogation room. He watched the girl through the glass but was shocked to see no one in the room. He wiped his eyes but saw that Mia was sitting comfortably on her chair.
'Was it my imagination?' He thought before glancing at his watch and noticed that it was way past Matsuya's bedtime. Lisa should be here by now with Matsuya, plus he still needed to go to school tomorrow.
He exited the room, searching for his wife in his office, only to see her still alone, talking to someone on the phone.
Maya Amano
Night – Police Station, Konan
"He fell asleep on the way here?" Maya said after Lisa informed her those words.
"Yeah, he was too tired. I just happened to pass by my house on the way to the police station. So, I thought I just let him sleep in my house just for tonight. I saw he had spare clothes, so why not?"
"I-I see," Maya answered, wondering about Matsuya's condition, "I guess he's too tired that he fell asleep. He has school for tomorrow. I'll send some clothes for him."
"Sure. I saw the news. You must have it rough."
"I know, I'm sorry for placing Matsuya on you like this. Today just…"
"Aiya! How long have we known each other? You had your hands full with the prophecy and stuff. Tatsuya must be in a bind right now. So, take care of him for now. Just leave Matsuya-kun to me~."
Maya thought for a while and remembered Matsuya's happy expression before leaving home today. This made it felt like Matsuya and her grew a distant apart. Yet, she couldn't let him see her in such a pathetic form of her current self. Perhaps, Matsuya needed as much break as she did. Besides, Matsuya seemed eager to stay away from her for reasons she couldn't understand yet.
"Okay, I'll leave Matsuya to you for the night. I… I owe you one, Lisa."
She hung up the phone, only to be startled by the presence of Tatsuya watching her from the side.
"Tatsuya, how long have you been here?"
"I just came in… Did Matsuya sleep at Lisa's house?"
"Yes, she said she happened to cross her house to here when he fell asleep. He must have felt tired after walking for the whole day."
"Where did you sent him off?"
"At the aquarium, in Koukai Ward."
Tatsuya fidgeted his lighter, thinking deeply about something.
"That's strange… How did she cross Rengedai if she came straight from Koukai? It's only one ward away from here…"
"Tatsuya?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Right now, I'm handling a problem about a place for a girl, a witness around Matsuya's age, to sleep for the night. She just lost her home and everything, and she has school tomorrow. Seriously, we normally sent kids like her to her relatives or some guardian. But now that even her guardian is gone, I just don't feel right if we send her to the orphanage, even if temporary. What should I do?"
"A girl? What did she do?"
"Nothing to worry about. We're trying to locate his guardian, that's all. Any idea?"
A girl? She gave it some thoughts and wondered if there's a family willing enough to take her. Then, one family crossed her mind.
"How about Eikichi and Miyabi?"
"What? Why them?"
"Why not? Remembered last times we went to Gatten Sushi, they said they wanted a kid. Why not let them take care of her?"
"But Miyabi's at the hospital."
"But can be healed in days. Until then, how about our house? Matsuya's not here. And I can help her with her dressing," Maya suggested.
"…Maya…" Tatsuya spoke but faded into silence, but he was easy to read when he grieved. Her smile must be too horrible to deceive him.
"What did I just say? I trust you to save me. So, I can't cry all the time," Maya faked a smile to lift her husband's spirit.
"…Heh," Tatsuya chuckled, covering his face as if to hide something in his eyes. She smiled, seeing her husband's uplifted mood, despite suffering inside because of the fate that bint her. How lucky, she thought to herself, to have a man like him. For a while, 'sacrifice' and 'vessel' of prophecy didn't terrify her anymore. Wasn't fate was foretold to be avoided?
Maya glanced at her watch and saw that it was close to 10 at night. Matsuya, how was he?
Late night – Silverman's Residence, Rengedai
"I hope you like the bed, Matsuya-kun," Lisa said, covering the blankets over him. He was allowed to sleep in one of the empty room in the large manor of Aunt Lisa, but even with pillows and blanket, he can't shut his eyes and rest. Aunt Lisa was prepared to turn off the light but was stopped by him.
"Don't close the light," Matsuya said, "Can you stay with me for a while?"
"Sure, I guess," Lisa said, sitting on the bed, watching him as he's trying to sleep. But still, the absence of Mr. Bunbun affected him greatly, for there were not many nights where Mr. Bunbun would leave his side when he slept.
"Can I ask you now, about what happened?" Lisa asked. He answered, but buried his face under the pillow.
"I heard my parents said… they… they said they're not happy with me."
"That's unlikely, Matsuya-kun. Did you really heard your parents said that?"
"But I did hear my mommy said that… If being around them make them sad, I'm fine with being away from them…"
"If your parent love you, having you with them is more than enough. Rather than being sad, they'll be happy."
"Then why did mommy cry when she said that? She won't tell me anything. Doesn't that mean she's struggling because I'm with her? I can love her from far away. So, I better hurry and stay away from her, before she's crying again…"
Lisa focused her face on him, closing her eyes and inhaled.
"Mei Ni, Mei Ming."
"Huh?" Matsuya lifted his head in confusion to her words.
"In Chinese, it means "There's no life without you". That's what I said to my first love before he left my life. You know, I cried, a lot, but even if it hurts, it hurts more to lose someone than being hurt by that person."
The more she talked, the more he failed to understand. Lisa smiled.
"One day, you'll understand."
"Okay… Aunt Lisa?" He reached for her hand.
"Yes?"
"Can you come to my theater play at my school?"
Lisa turned silent for a while before she smiled, "I will definitely come. Now go to sleep, I'll stay with you until you asleep."
"Thanks, Aunt Lisa. I love you..."
It was about a few minutes before he, eventually, fell asleep. Lisa watched him carefully, in order to make sure he's not awake.
"Love you too, Chinyan. But I'm sorry…"
From her back, she took a big pillow, bigger than Matsuya's head, and held it tight with two hands. She stood up and slowly walking towards the small figure. Her breathing was getting heavier by the minute she leaned on Matsuya's face, ready to press the pillow onto his face.
Ring!
"Ah!"
She gave a small jerk backward from the sound of the bell from the front door. She realized it might be Maya, sending Matsuya's clothes for the night. She exhaled hard, leaving aside the pillow, and went to greet Maya with an extremely convincing smile.
A/N: Sorry for the late update. Here's another chapter, but like the previous chapter, this one is without proof-read. This chapter focused heavily on Matsuya and Mia Kaneda. What is the mystery behind Mia? What's going on in Matsuya's mind? These two children will be very important for the later chapters.
Hope my readers will be patient with my next late update.