War Arc:

Chapter 45: Whore of Babylon

"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

-Book of Revelation, 17:5

Morning – 26/11/2012(Monday) - Headmaster office, Koukai School, Koukai, Sumaru City

"So, allow me to be honest," The headmistress began her question at the head office in the school, "This… is a really, really hard decision to make."

The visitor nodded.

"I understand the circumstance of the city, but… this involved the entire school. We will have to re-inform the parents regarding this matter!"

"Think about the safety of the children."

The headmistress tapped her fingers on her desk upon the reply.

"Poor those kids, then! They had to rush over everything!"

"Do you want to risk the reputation of your school?"

"!" The headmistress was shocked by the sudden threat and lashed out, where her curved eyebrows made her older than her age, "It's not my fault that the Christ came so suddenly! Sure, I don't care much about this messiah, but I'm considering the kids, too!"

"Then do what a good headmistress do," The visitor slid the invitation letter on the table towards the headmistress, "Change it, and let the world admire your dedication."

"T-The best I can do is postpone the date until we settle the issue regarding the Christ-"

"No, it has to be before this Friday."

The headmistress paused for a moment, removing her glasses before wearing it again and asked, "I don't understand. Why do you care about this school? Do you have a child studying here?"

The visitor smiled.

Tatsuya Suou

Afternoon – 26/11/2012(Monday) – Sumaru Prison, Sumaru City
(4 days before War's arrival)

Click!

The steel prison door was locked with Takaya on the inside. Takaya appeared calm, even snickering at the glaring Tatsuya on the other side of the door.

"Not even an interrogation?" Takaya said, "I never thought you're a corrupted cop, Suou."

"I'm sparing you the time since I know you won't answer any of it," Tatsuya said.

"You do realize I won't be here for long?"

"I know. I'm giving some time for the others to delve into your plan," Tatsuya said, tapping the door lightly, "Good work toying with us. You really get us."

Without waiting for his response, Tatsuya walked away from the prison, but not before he heard Takaya laughing in his cell.

"You can try, but we'll always be one step ahead of you, always!"

Ignoring his words, Tatsuya made his way to the front gate, where Shiori was waiting patiently.

"He's right," Tatsuya said as he fidgeting his lighter, "They're always a step ahead of us. They're not supposed to know that we found Chizuru yesterday, nor about our steps. I remembered Sudou said something about 'this is not a basement'… He's not in a house. He's somewhere in a workshop, or a building, or even in a lighthouse. Still impossible to narrow it down."

"And I hope you're not surprised with the news I'll bring. All three of the assassins that hunted for the rumormongers yesterday… are all victims of Nameless Mist during your first encountered with Naoya Toudou."

"Mind control…" Tatsuya muttered, "…Could we have an insider?"

"That's… possible," Shiori responded before Tatsuya grabbed her shoulder and forced her eyes on him.

"Shiori, lie detecting is one of the few detective skills I considered amateurish," Tatsuya said, "But… can I trust you?"

"You couldn't possibly suspect me?" She replied, forcefully casting aside his hands, "I have no other reason-"

"I know, I know!" Tatsuya said, trying to grab hold of the enraged Shiori, "What I mean is, can I trust you to do something for me?"

"…" Shiori looked away with her eyebrows curved, "Don't ever do that again… Now say your part."

"Okay," Tatsuya handed her the map of Sumaru City which many spots had been circled with a red marker, "I want you to monitor any location that might be related to the Revelation. See if they do anything suspicious or were followed by anyone. It can't be outside this city. All our activities were monitored from the inside."

"I'm not sure if we can without us being monitored in return, but I'll think about it."

"Thank you. *sigh* I just hope we have no traitor, but if we do… who could it be?"

Katsuya came shortly afterward as he rubbed his forehead with dizziness.

"Who was on the phone?" Shiori asked, but Katsuya seemed hesitated to answer.

"Mitsuru Kirijo."

"!" Tatsuya widened his eyes in shock, "What does she want?"

"She said she wants to take Takaya in her custody; I mean, in Kirijo's custody. She said she wants to spare us the trouble and let them take care of it, due to them having a personal… history with him."

"And what did you say?" Tatsuya wasted no time to ask.

"Telling her that we're already in hot water. Might as well take Takaya with us instead of involving another party."

"Wise choice, but…" He fidgeted his lighter again, "How long is it before we had to release him?"

"Longest? Tomorrow, that is if the crowds won't butcher us."

The three stood there for some time, thinking about the next strategy before Tatsuya broke the circle.

"There's someone who can help us: Baofu and Ulala."

Maya Amano

Cloudy - Afternoon - 26/11/2012(Monday) – Kismet Publishing, Aoba

"Babylon?"

Yukino widened her eyes from the name at the center of the rumors. Maya, who sat in front of her at her desk, nodded.

"That's the only thing Chikarin said this morning. She said the name 'Babylon' has been popping out a lot among rumors."

"Which one again?"

"The one with the mirror," Maya said, which Yukino left her mouth a gap upon the realization and let out an 'aaaahhh' sound. Maya continued.

"There's a verse you need to chant in front of the mirror in order for it to work. Chikarin completely forgot about the chant, but she remembered the name 'Babylon' among the line."

"Is there no way for her to remember it?" Yukino asked, but Maya palmed her forehead.

"It's literally 8 long lines of verse, including complex words that even I couldn't memorize. Spare the poor girl… *sigh*"

"That…" Yukino set aside her files on Maya's table and focused on Maya, "That's a long sigh for a rumor. What's going on with you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Maya, how long have we been here together? Most of the time, you'll try to stay positive, but this time… Let's just say you stop caring about looking that way."

Maya widened her eyes. Was it that obvious? Did this morning incident affect her that much? Matsuya's dreadful eyes never seemed to leave her mind. That was a first from her son, a looming sadness that pierced her heart. Yukino saw through her weak concentration, and she refused to deny it.

"Yukino, do you think I'm a bad mother?" Maya asked, surprising Yukino.

"If I have to give an honest comment, maybe you didn't spend too much time with him? I mean…" Yukino rubbed her chin akin to professional, "Let's see, you didn't listen to my suggestion on becoming a housewife, you don't even know how many friends he has, or if he's just like his father, and you clearly don't know how to comfort him when he's sad without using the word 'positive'-"

Maya's eyes became almost hollow by her statements, which forced Yukino to stop and comfort her.

"B-But, on the other hand, you really love him! That's what's really matter!"

"Am I? I feel like I'm being a burden to everyone. I'm being marked as a sacrifice and put so much pressure on Tatsuya, and I couldn't show Matsuya my trouble. What would happen if I'm not there?"

"That's not like you at all," Yukino said, "Tatsuya said he'll find a way to help you. Have faith."

"I know, but…" She remembered Matsuya's face, "All of a sudden, I couldn't stop thinking about Matsuya's future. How is he going to live without me? And he's been distancing from me, I can tell. I…"

"You know," Yukino extended her hand and rested it on Maya's laps upon seeing Maya was close to breaking, "I don't mind the extra works. Knowing you only have weeks to live, that must hard… How about you take the time off and reconcile with your son?"

"I don't want to do nothing-" Maya replied, but the sound of Yukino's phone rang loudly in her pocket. She checked her phone and it seemed to be an important message. Yukino typed a quick message before turning to Maya.

"You're not alone in this, Maya. You have others. Appreciate it while you still can," Yukino said, "I'll have to go. Something urgent came out."

As Yukino left her place, Maya seemly paused in her seat, for she swore she had a déjà vu regarding those words from Yukino. Then, it clicked, and she caught herself chuckling,

"Appreciate it while you still can."

Didn't she say those words to Mia this morning?

Tatsuya Suou

Rainy - Afternoon – Baofu's Lair, Narumi

"Baofu?"

Tatsuya called out for him upon entering the unlocked office alongside Katsuya. Shiori had left to manage other stuff but promised contacts later. When the Suou brothers entered the room, however, Baofu, sipping his tobacco pipe, was seen in a rush to pack away his documents and every in his office.

"You are insane, Baofu," Katsuya said, "What did you see to make you move out so suddenly?"

"I was seen. *cough**cough*," Baofu pumped his chest with his fist and reached for the bottle of pills on the table near him before swallowing it, "As…*cough* As I was saying, I was seen with Naoya this morning before he escaped."

The brother turned to each other in surprise.

"Why would you meet Naoya?" Katsuya asked.

"Confronting him about something in the past. Eriko's been mentioning about his background a lot. Naturally, I decided to dig in. But that's not important right now," Baofu taped the box, "I need a new hideout before I'm dragged into Naoya's capture mission. Got a few places in mind, but… There's something I need you to do."

The Suou brothers crossed their arms and listened.

"Have you heard of the Whisperer Babylon?"

"I'm don't particularly have deeper knowledge about the rumors, not at the time, but is it something to do with the mirror?"

"Babylon the whisperer apparently arises among many other cults in the city, except that rather than religious, the 'Whisperer in the mirror' is apparently the only cult secluded from the rest, who deal with self-indulgent of one's desire to see their parallel self. No harm, they say, until they also said Babylon is omniscient and can see everything. I'm not sure how, but all the strange rumors are said to have come from Babylon, where they are subconsciously spread by the followers like being controlled."

The brothers, listening to his words, turned to each other again before Baofu continued.

"Look, Chikarin was on her way to me and Todoroki when she got attacked. It can only mean that this Whisperer Babylon is connected to the assassinations. Otherwise, why would all rumormongers be attacked, and Chizuru was used as a distraction?"

"So, the deduction is… Chikarin's been following the trend of the Whisperer for some time," Katsuya deduced, "But somehow, she botched her cover and Babylon caught wind of a rumormongers' tracks, but they don't know it's Chikarin, otherwise, they only need one assassination attempt."

Tatsuya continued, "Fearing that the rumormongers tried to expose the verse -maybe password of some sort- they hired assassins on them. But they may be an entirely new faction..."

"Except that their rumors about you two make you more vulnerable to the public," Baofu said, "I'm not trying to add another issue, but… *cough*" Baofu coughed before continued, "I mean, is it possible that Babylon might be the one to supply information to the Revelation?"

"An insider…" Katsuya said, "We're too far off, but we believed that there's a traitor among us. Could it be possible that some of us were manipulated instead…?"

"Whatever your investigation goes, you better hurried and find Chikarin for guidance. Don't worry about me and Ulala, I'll handle the rest. Quick, before she scolds me again. She's doing it a lot these days."

Afternoon – Theater Room, Koukai School, Koukai

First of all, Matsuya realized how much he hated being in a girl's costume. He wasn't sure if he's lucky that the two other 'fairies' alongside him were too busy in their own world to disturb him. His long red dress, made with recycled material and cheap ribbon, were terribly horrible to see in front of the mirror.

Secondly, Takashi, who played Prince Charming, is a jerk again today. He couldn't stop wondering why kids still walking next to him. Are they scared of him, or are they trying to use him for protection? Either way, Mia was extremely quiet in her seat, waiting for her turn to act after Takashi's 'motivated' speech at the start of the practice.

Thirdly, worst of all, nobody made fun of him when he acted on the stage, no one. Instead, he was showered with small compliments from the other performers from the different class who failed to notice his true gender. People actually thought he was a girl. That was an insult. Even when he's performing on the stage, his high pitch voice disguised completely his boyish voice. Takashi, who was usually so easy to mock others, merely looked at him with disgust, though Matsuya found it less threatening compared to his previous threats.

It had already been more than three weeks since they started practicing. Today, Takashi took the stage as the prince to kiss the sleeping princess and slew the evil fairy, Mia. He didn't remember how many scenes were there, but apparently, the story goes like:

Prince Charming found the hidden castle - Evil Fairy will fight with Prince Charming to stop him and he will win - He 'kiss' (Not real kiss! Even he couldn't stand that!) the princess and wake her up - Happily ever after

With only three scenes left to be perfectly revised, Takashi was the most excited man, until they were met with the speedbump of the day.

"Stop!"

Mia, dressed in her dark gown, paused and turned, and afterward, every eye focused on the acting coach in charge.

"What's wrong, Anna-sensei?" Takashi asked.

Anna Yoshioka, their acting coach and gym teacher, breathed out a heavy sigh. Most of what he knew of Miss Anna was told by his father. Apparently, his father always said nothing but good things about her. Certainly, she wasn't like how he imagined a good friend of his father, especially with her fierce scold, but heartless was too much to describe her.

"Kaneda-chan, come with me for a while," Anna said as she waved her hand and called for her on the stage. Mia, although confused, obeyed and followed her to the outside of the hall. Matsuya, worried, decided to eavesdrop.

"Look, I heard about what happened to your house and your… guardian," He heard Miss Anna said, "I know this is too hard for you, but it's too late to back down now. Why did you enter in the first place? You obviously dislike such acting."

"I…" Mia's voice was extremely low for her to hear, "Because I want to do it or (inaudible)."

"*sigh*…" Anna sighed before she continued, "Kaneda, I may have no right to give my thoughts on your problem, but for this week only, give me your all. Can you do it for me and your classmates, Kaneda-chan?"

He heard Mia muttered something before miss Anna raised her voice.

"Can you do it, Kaneda-chan?!"

"Y-Yes!" Mia tried to shout, but alas her voice remained weak. It seemed that they reached the end of their conversation, so Matsuya hurriedly backed away from the door. Mia and miss Anna decided to pick up where the story left off, until, all of a sudden, the door slid open. Another teacher, probably the more authorized figure since miss Anna bowed to him, entered the room with a newly printed handout.

"Miss Anna, may I speak with you?" The teacher called. Anna, turning to the performers, proceeded and followed him for a discussion. Eventually, Takashi began to boast his glory.

"What did Anna-sensei say? Did she scold you?" Takashi said to Mia who remained silent from the moment she entered, "I bet she did. Served you right for taking this theater lightly!"

"It's okay, she didn't scold me," Mia responded, "I can do it."

"Don't make haste of this show! Everyone's been working hard on this, especially me," Takashi said, pressing a thumb to his chest, "So I won't tolerate any lazy idiots, even if it's a ghost."

Mia clearly wasn't comfortable with his words, and Matsuya had long held a quiet grudge against the kid. Still, the girl merely tried to ignore his words, which sparked something that not many could do to Takashi: taunting him.

"Are you listening right now?!" Takashi raised his voice, "Don't go and ignore me! This theater is important to everyone- Great, now what do you want?"

When Takashi tried to lay his hands on her, Matsuya decided it's time to step in.

"If you know she's not doing this because she wants to, then you should at least g-guide her," Matsuya said, before immediately regretting his decision to step in when he saw Takashi's powerful glare. His legs were trembling terribly, despite his effort to sustain it.

"She should be thankful for having a role! Many would gladly take her place!" Takashi retaliated.

"And who? Who's brave enough to play the role of a-a-an evil fairy?" Matsuya replied, almost stuttering, "A-Anyone wants to be prince charming, but she's brave to take on that role."

"Oh? So you considered yourself brave for acting as a red fairy? I was chosen because I'm the perfect choice for this role!" Takashi pressed his thumb on his chest repeatedly, "You're just a sissy that cry in your mommy's arm!"

Those words ignited something in him. After everything he felt, that's how the others saw him? A crybaby that burdened his mother? Matsuya clenched his fist and responded.

"Nobody chose you! They're just afraid of you, that's all! Everyone hates you!"

All eyes turned to Takashi and Matsuya. Even Mia didn't expect that. Takashi himself was the most surprised by the response to the point that he was silenced for a few moments. Finally, common sense partly left his mind as he raged on. He went on to grab Matsuya red dress and pulled him, with his fist ready in the air.

"Don't get cocky just because your dad is a hero!" He screamed, "You'll never be as cool as them!"

"Takashi!"

Finally, miss Anna stepped in to resolve the situation by pulling away Takashi from Matsuya.

"Enough! We're only a few scenes away from completion! Don't start trouble now that we're so close to finishing!" Miss Anna scolded before placing her hands on her hips, "Listen, there's a huge announcement for you guys, so I don't have time to do this twice. See, there's been a change of plan."

All eyes focused on miss Anna, except Takashi who gave a second glance at Matsuya. Miss Anna waited till they all paying attention and took a deep breath.

"Our theater will move to one day EARLIER, which means the theater will be performed on this Thursday."

Oh no.

Matsuya caught himself lamenting, along with the rest of the kids who grunt in dissatisfaction over the sudden change.

"Due to the situation in the city, the school had decided to fasten the date of the theater. We will release the new statement to be sent to your parents…" Miss Anna glanced at Mia, "…Or guardian or any caretaker in charge as soon as we can. The day after, Friday will be your holiday."

The moment the word holiday was mentioned, their frowned lips turned upside down before finalized with a huge cheer among the kids. Miss Anna quickly calmed the performers down with final words.

"I believe we can wrap up all scenes by tomorrow, as long as any of you don't start a fight," She glared at Matsuya and Takashi, "Tomorrow, we will finish up all scenes, then we will do a final revision on this Wednesday before we perform on Thursday's morning. Rest a lot, you need it."

And so, the theater jumped to a day earlier, but Matsuya couldn't sit well when he realized that the change will reach his parents. Words will spread to locals, and just so happened that his mother is an incredible journalist, while his father is the top detective in the city. Is there a way to prevent the new dates from being sent out to them? All he needed was to hide it for 4 days with Lisa while his parents busied themselves with the strange events happening these days.

"Matsu-kun," Mia suddenly called out for him amidst the excited crowds, "Did you tell your parents?"

"Tell them what?" Matsuya asked, but Mia immediately curved her eyebrows.

"About this," Mia showed him the stage and the actors, "Have you tell them?"

"…" Matsuya paused, wasn't quite sure how to explain it to her. She advised him to tell the truth, but the image his mother's tears kept holding his morale back. It was never in his mind to be so bold in lying, but there was a strong sense of pride which forced him to consider others before him.

"Please keep it a secret from them," Matsuya pressed his index finger to his lips, "It's best if they know nothing."

As he expected, Mia clearly disapproved of his decision with her furrowed eyebrows, almost to the point of disappointment. However, her eyes soon changed into more sorrowful before turning away.

"Do what you want. I have no right to tell you anything," She said, "I'm not your mother who decide everything for you."

"…I-I'm not alone, you know," Matsuya said, noticing Mia's angry tone, "I do have someone that will come to my- our theater."

"…Good to know someone care…" Mia muttered before leaving him.

Tatsuya Suou

Evening – Hidden Alley, Hirasaka

"Are you serious?" Katsuya spoke upon reaching the supposed destination guide by Chikarin.

"Yep, this is where I found out about the cult," Chikarin replied. Tatsuya looked around at the quiet alley of Hirasaka and wondered himself if there's any place to live at all. However, Chikarin did find one, much to the brothers' amazement.

She stopped at a certain backstreet door, leading to an old but fairly-kept apartment, where she sneakily entered. She made her way to the fifth floor and unlocked the door, revealing an averagely cleaned room for one.

"How the hell did you brought this place?" Tatsuya asked, observing around the room.

"Oh, it's a short story, weird one," Chikarin said, "Last year, this ward was the most active place for any weird rumors in the city. Just so happened that this room's two windows allowed a perfect view on the two alleys down here, so I can see any shady activities being commenced in the dark alley. The windows are dark, too, so not many can see me spying on anyone."

Katsuya and Tatsuya both viewed the outside from the window and saw that it indeed gave a clear, straight view on the dark, lonely alley.

"You still haven't told us how you got this place," Tatsuya said.

"Alright, be patient. That time, Chunky and I were racing to have this room in this small lot. I don't even know Chunky's targeting this place, but somehow, my statement was approved instead, claiming that another resident had already occupied this room, and they were using my name for some reason. Can't complained, because I hit the jackpot."

"That's it?"

"Yep, best shots I've ever got with the occurring rumors of kidnapping and drugs at the time. Used up my huge paycheck for buffet dinner. Chunky never chat with me ever since."

"Ho, is that so? You got lucky. Huh? What's wrong Katsuya?"

He saw Katsuya jerked away from the window.

"Wait for a second," Katsuya pointed at the window on his side, "Tatsuya, wasn't that the corner where we ambushed the group from Sudou two days ago?"

Tatsuya rushed to that window and examined it carefully before confirming it as well.

"That was odd…" Tatsuya turned to Katsuya, "You know what? What if… what if someone's watching us during the exchange? That's how they timed the use for Chizuru to spread the Nameless Mist."

"Basically," Katsuya deduced, "Someone might be watching us from here. Chikarin botched something and they find out she was trying to expose the code, so they decided to use that time to give the information regarding the place where Chizuru was and used her. Then, using that opportunity, someone sent an assault on the rumormongers. Which means, they might have to bring out Chizuru earlier than intended to destroy the evidence in Chikarin's hand."

"But she lost it," Tatsuya continued, "Someone must have noticed Chikarin was the one gathering information about Babylon. So, it was stolen. Chikarin, how did you find out about this… cult?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure how to link the events together. I think it started when one of my contacts telling me to investigate the cult that happened around here, referring it as 'whisperer'. I tried my luck, and somehow convinced one of them to let me join."

Both pairs of Suou's eyes locked on her.

"You joined the cult?" The brothers said before Chikarin told them to mute their voice.

"Only for information," Chikarin said, "But they only allowed me to do simple errands and buy a few big mirrors for them."

"And how do they operate?" Katsuya asked.

"Through drawings on the walls," Chikarin answered, "They scribbled some information on anywhere in the city, and… Ah, that's right! They exchanged a lot of information regarding the personality of strangers or their habits. I was actually sent to draw something down on the streetlight."

Drawings? For some reason, Tatsuya thought that that word appeared more than it should these days.

"What kind of drawings?" Tatsuya dared the question.

"Just simple childish codes like a rune. Easier to be mistaken for a vandalism rather than codes. Urgh, and I was so lucky to get the code too…"

"Were you caught as a rumormonger during that time?"

"Hmmm, I'm not sure. It was night time, and I was given the code by one of my 'close ally' from the inside. Never got to contact him since. So, I call Todoroki about my materials, and that's how I meet- I mean, hallucinated an octopus creature?"

"And when exactly you got the code?"

"Last Friday's night."

"And the morning afterward, we ambushed their force. Did they somehow expected us to capture them…?" Katsuya intercepted, "I see that Baofu might be right. Babylon might be related to them. If it's true that they exchanged information and link it to Babylon, then this whisperer might have access to almost all of the unknown in the city."

"Unless we find this Babylon, the Revelation will always be one step ahead of us," Tatsuya said, "There's even a possibility that Babylon's controlling them into spreading rumors about us."

"Do you want me to get the verse again?" Chikarin spoke, but Katsuya rejected.

"If they're targeting you yesterday, they won't let you go this time when they find you. Go into hiding instead."

"I can try to ask Tamaki to help us. She wasn't injured," Tatsuya suggested, "Thanks, Chikarin. Don't get caught, and… Just a quick question; have you seen this… Babylon?"

"Nope. All they say is that Babylon will 'whisper' to you. I don't think anyone has seen this Babylon. And… Say, I help you two a lot, right?"

"That you do," Katsuya answered, which earned him and mischievous smile from Chikarin.

"Then I won't get sued for breaking into this room, right?"

Suou brothers turned to each other and widened their eyes.

"You never actually owned this place after last year's incident, don't you?" Tatsuya said.

"Made a spare before handing it to the owner in case I needed the place again. Thankfully, the owner didn't change the key, and nobody owned this room. Hehehe…"

After her laugh turned to nervous, Suou brothers gave the signal stare to each other.

"Give me the key," Tatsuya said, "Just this once I'll let you go."

"And don't come back again," Katsuya said.

Chikarin left the room, leaving the brothers to call Tamaki and perhaps her husband Satomi to help. Suou brother attracted too much attention, thus it's best if someone else took the job of stalking Babylon. After the call to Kuzunoha Agency, Katsuya felt it was the right time to mention Chizuru's last words. Tatsuya wasn't surprised, but rather curious about the detail it will reveal about Kandori, who had already become the vessel of Conquest. Still, they were curious and decided that today would be perfect for them to find the puzzling location until Katsuya corrected him by saying only he alone shall go. Tatsuya's curiosity was answered with Maya's name.

"You have somewhere you need to be," It was a drastic change when Katsuya's tone changed with his next line as if he's been keeping it in his mind for a while, "How was Maya right now?"

Tatsuya thought for a while and wondered how much was she's trying to endure with her demise by positivity that had lacked its charm as years gone by for her. He did promise salvation, but that didn't change the truth that Jun had seen.

"Maybe I do need to give her some space as well-" But Katsuya immediately interjected.

"I don't think so. You… you're basically the only thing she hangs on to right now."

So, what was the best for Maya? What was the best to make sure she's not depressed? Indeed, her smile was so normed to him that he knew lies and truth. Yesterday, she may try to smile and hid her sorrow with Mia, but today might not be the same. The terrible sense of fear of losing her resurfaced again without he wanted to. How will she be taken by the Four Horsemen as a sacrifice?

"Should I… tell her to take a break, hide her where the Revelation won't touch her?"

"She's your wife, get yourself together and think."

Upon those words, he felt a slight pain on the surface of his arms and chest. It was only a glimpse, but the mark of Ghadamon resurfaced on his skin. He glanced outside and saw that it had started to rain.

Then, his phone rang. Tatsuya checked and see it was his friend, Eikichi.

"Hey, man! Sorry for calling so suddenly, but uh… (a pause; clearly, he's looking at someone) Just want to inform you that Miyabi is getting better. So…"

He had something to say.

"Just say what you want."

Maya Amano

Evening – Koukai School

She heard the bell tolled for a while as she waited at the front gate, watching the kids exited the school in masses. She tried to heed Yukino's words this morning, feeling like she should put more effort into understanding her son this time.

"*sigh* Be calm… You only need to talk to him, that's all," Maya mused to herself, "There's nothing to be afraid of…"

"Afraid of what?"

"Ah!" Maya jerked away from the voice. To her surprise, it was Eikichi, carrying some sort of bag behind him as he smiled oddly at her.

"Eikichi, what are you doing here?" Maya asked, pretending to unnerve by his sudden appearance.

"Heh, why not? Just chilling around, meeting you. I mean, I don't want to break the mood, but… lots of people are worried about you, Maya. I mean, I heard…" Eikichi's face suddenly gloomed.

"Oh…" Maya understood. Of course, she had no right to stop either Ulala or Tatsuya from telling their friends about her eventual demise. Eikichi deserved to know. The only person in the world she needed to hide it from was Matsuya. She could feel her fingers shaking, fearing for the scene where Matsuya will be devastated by losing her.

"Hey, there they are!" Eikichi said.

Just then, Matsuya was seen walking side by side with Mia, talking about a rather serious topic before sighting them at the front gate. Upon reaching them, Matsuya appeared the same as this morning, where he completely refused to make eye contact with her.

"Matsuya-kun, I guess we're coming home with Mia today, huh?" Maya greeted with a smile, but Matsuya responded with a very lonely smile of his own as he nodded.

"How much longer do you need to take care of me? It's not right for me to be in that house anymore…" Mia growled, before turning to Eikichi, "And why are you here, Mishina-san?"

Maya clearly disliked the comment. But just as she's about to correct her, Eikichi spoke.

"Well, here's some good news, and… I'm not sure if it's good news…" Eikichi said, second doubting himself before he continued, "But here's a thing! You don't have to live in Matsuya's house anymore!"

Matsuya and Mia, including Maya, turned to Eikichi.

"I just called your dad, Matsuya-kun," Eikichi said, faking a few coughs before announcing it, "He allowed me to take you in, in meantime."

She did not hear this from her husband before. Maya could only let out a slight gasp at the reveal. Matsuya and Mia both chanted 'What?' before Eikichi corrected them.

"But that is if, IF, you allow me to, and if Mia is willing. I can't just take custody of some kids."

She remembered the conversation yesterday, about how she suggested placing Mia in Eikichi's place. Tatsuya must have considered it silently during his works, and perhaps pitied her for taking care of another child.

It wasn't that Eikichi was willing, but knowing that he's dedicated to taking care of her made her happy.

"Ultimately, it's up to her to decide," Maya said, focusing on Mia, who was still baffled at the choice given. She took a while, for it seemed she disliked either options, but the circumstance forced her. However, she noticed Mia constantly looking at her son, and wondered if he's the main cause behind the girl's doubtful decision. Matsuya himself gave a questionable stare at her as if communicating with eye gestures.

"Will Eikichi-san have time to send me to school?"

Eikichi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course! My business starts at 9, so I'll spare some time for you!"

All four of them exchanged gaze before finally, Mia decided to live with Eikichi.

Afternoon - Kirishima's office

"Eriko, it's me," Yukino called as she knocked on the office door. She checked her watch to see if she was extremely late, and 15 minutes did pass after their appointed time.

Without a response, Eriko, seemly skipped her sleep as hinted by the thin dark layer under her eyes, opened the door.

"Hey, Yukino! You came!" Eriko said, "Did they find him, Naoya?!"

"No, not yet. But he's a tough guy, so he should be alright."

"Right," Eriko took a deep breath of relief before gesturing her in, "Come on in."

"What are you doing that cost you your sleep?" Yukino asked.

"You'll see for yourself," Eriko answered, widely opened her door.

Yukino obeyed, but the moment she stepped into the room, she couldn't help but gasped at the scenery of the room. Papers pinned and taped everywhere, Ribbon's lines interlinked each other from one article to another. A book with an odd design was placed and read on the table as if for research. Yukino took a sluggish step towards the table and, at close examination, finally saw that it was a copy of the biblical Book of Revelation borrowed from the Sumaru's great library.

"I don't know how to say this right, but you definitely have the talent to follow the Suou brothers in their investigation," Yukino complimented, but she didn't think otherwise.

"Researching isn't the same as investigating. I'm not one to waste time for this," Eriko said, sitting on the table, "See, I need comments on my finding. That's the reason I called you."

"You need my insight on the matters? I'm afraid I won't be much of a help. Still, give me your best."

Eriko stood up and pointed at a few papers pinned on the wall behind her.

"I don't understand why they would want my sister. Was it because of me? Then what's so special about me that Nyarlathotep need her? Again, and again, I tried to find all traces of figure in the book, and I'm not sure which one suits the purpose of Erio."

"So, which one attracted your attention?" Yukino asked, sitting in front of her.

She turned serious, till no trace of positivity was left in the room before she began.

"Adam and Eve, obviously, but there is also the Virgin Mary, mother of Messiah. Each of them is significant to the book. I hope they won't use her to do anything that might dirty her hand…"

"Oh, dear… Did some bad figure pop out?"

Eriko left her chair, placing her palm on a few papers.

"A lot of bad figures appeared, mainly four of them. I don't know what to think, especially with Naoya's missing, being chased down by the public. Can't even contact him."

It was then, Yukino sensed an odd tone from her.

"Did Naoya do something?"

"Huh?" Eriko was surprised to hear it, "What do you mean?"

"That tone is worrying, especially when it talks about Naoya. Did you have a fight?"

"Fight? No. Not fight," Eriko paused her. The sudden shift in topic displeased her but watching Yukino waiting for her answer changed her mind.

"What do you think about Naoya?" She asked. Yukino, half expecting the question, answered.

"He's important, though he's a little weird now, no offense-"

"No, what I mean is, is he the same Naoya you remembered in the past?"

This time, Yukino couldn't give a straight answer. Instead, it seemed as if she never thought about that aspect of Naoya. Rather, the continuous events of the prophecy prevented her and the rest of her friends from having such questions crossing their mind.

That was the same for Eriko.

"It's been ten years, lots of things can change, even people like us."

"*sigh* I know, that's what I hate about it, the fact that he's not -I don't know- not the 'same' man I used to know."

"Oh…" Yukino widened her eyes in realization, "And that somehow lessened your feelings for him?"

"That's not it!" Eriko retaliated, but Yukino's words spoke some truth she's unable to deny. She noticed the topic had escalated far from their original discussion, thus she took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Sorry, we've gone too far from our topic. What I really want to talk to you about is this," She pointed at the papers on the wall again, precisely at the printed images of them, "Do you know how many villains are there in the Book of Revelation?"

"Eriko- Ugh…" Yukino was annoyed by her sudden change of topic, but answered regardless, "Other than the Antichrist, I can't think of anyone else."

"Four of them, Yukino, aside from Antichrist. There was the Dragon, probably the biggest villain besides Takaya, the two Beast: Beast of the Land and Beast of the Sea, and finally, which I hope it isn't Erio being manipulated, is the Whore of Babylon."

Yukino almost jumped in excitement at those words.

"Babylon! So, that's where they got the name! Eriko, you're a genius!"

"…What?"

Maya Amano

Late Evening – Suou Residence

"Anything interesting happened at school?" Maya wasted no time to ask when they reached home. Matsuya had been extremely docile and submitting to her every word. It was almost terrifying to see that her son seemed so distant like a completely different child. He didn't even run into their house to grab Mr. Bunbun that was still in the bag on the sofa. Not even a genuine laugh.

"Nothing much," Matsuya answered, "I know you were busy yourself."

"It's nothing hard, you don't have to worry about it. Do you want to talk with me, about anything?"

"…There's nothing to talk about," Matsuya remained stiff, for it seemed he didn't trust that comfort from her. Made her wonder if she said something wrong. The young boy ran straight to his bedroom, not even bother to remove his uniform or taking a bath first.

Perhaps this was the clearest sign that Matsuya was trying to avoid him. She glanced again at his door and recognized immediately the tension between them. She started to think what was the cause of his sudden change but failed to see it. There was so much in her mind, but Matsuya's behavior certainly added a huge weight on the rest of her problem.

She always wanted to keep things positive. Tatsuya's promise for saving her kept reassuring her of the truth that she might stay and live. But now, Matsuya, one of the few things in her life that she cherished, is distancing himself from her. Almost as if he could sense that she won't be here for long. Almost as if she was not wanted here…

"Huh?"

She didn't even notice her eyes started to moist. At that point, she felt extremely lonely…

Mishina's Residence (Gatten Sushi's upper residence), Rengedai

"Hehe…"

Eikichi turned to where Mia was when he heard the sudden giggle. They arrived home at Eikichi's residence through his restaurant, giving her the spare room as they made their way to the inside the house before, to his surprise, Mia was giggling when she saw the drawing he had hung in the living room.

"Mia-chan, what's wrong?" Eikichi asked as he walked towards her.

"The drawing, it's weird," Mia answered. It may seem normal to others, but to Eikichi, he was rather shocked to see her in that way.

"O-Oh! Ha, that's was the picture I was forced to draw during my high school graduation! I was just… surprised," Eikichi said, scratching his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that was the first time I ever heard you laugh or even smile. I'm not kidding, FIRST TIME."

Mia, seemly unaware of her own emotion, appeared baffled by his statement before returning her eyes to the picture again. Eikichi decided to leave her alone for now as he emptied the spare room he had and laid a clean futon for her. But the moment he left the room, Mia was gone. He screamed immediately.

"Mia-chan?! Where are you?! Did you disappear again?!" Eikichi screamed, checking the rooms and the entirely of his house before reaching for the front door, "Sh*t, I gotta call Tatsuya-"

"Are you looking for me?"

The girl's voice startled him from the side. He turned to see her, sitting rather carefreely on the couch.

"Oh, damn! Don't scare me like that!" Eikichi scolded, "I almost thought you disappear again!"

"I don't even realize it either," She answered, "I don't know why, but my 'disappearance', it's lessened now. Before, all I feel is nothing but worthless and misery. But now, the pain didn't feel so bad. I feel… 'human'."

"O…Okay?" Eikichi responded awkwardly upon her words, but was grateful nonetheless, "I guess you can smile more next time? Don't waste that cute smile of yours."

Mia. She smiled in response.

"Okay."

"Good! So…" Eikichi shyly tried to suggest an idea, "I was wondering when you'll be free. I know it's going to be either Saturday or Sunday, because of your school. I hope I can take you to the Aquarium again, this time with Miyabi, my wife. There's even a new attraction there as well!"

He was overjoyed to see Mia even considered the invitation, though it seemed she rejected it.

"Can you do something for me instead?"

"What is it? Anything at all, just say it to me!"

"Can you come to my play?"

"…P-Play? What do you want to play?"

"No, the theater," Mia corrected him, reaching for something in her bag and took it out. It was revealed to be an invitation letter from the school. Eikichi took his time to read it, almost couldn't see as he read it.

"When you say 'my play', you don't mean…?"

She nodded. That time, lots of things went through his mind, but one emotion took control of him. He felt like he wanted to weep in joy.

"When I was young, I was the stupid kid in my class," Eikichi narrated his past, "Fat, ugly, dislikable till nobody wants to talk to me. Can't stand that, got angry. Tatsuya, your friend's dad, was among the few who accepted me. Now that I get a good look at you, you really do look like her. That's right, Matsuya's mom! Weird, huh?

"Kids hate me. Don't know why. Is it because I look scary, or simply my nature… I don't know. But, I keep telling my wife many times, that if I had a kid, I don't want that kid to experience my childhood. You may think that nobody understands your pain, Mia-chan, but I at least understand how much it feels like to be left alone…"

He grabbed the paper and pressed it on his chest, "I promise I'll make it to your theater, Mia-chan."

Tatsuya Suou

Rainy - Night – Suou's residence

"I can't promise I'll make it in time. We still can't contact Naoya, wherever holes he's hiding, and Shiori's has a lot to handle on his own. So many things to do…"

His brother had a big plan tomorrow regarding the release of Takaya Sasaki, considering it was difficult to go against the backlash of the public. On the other hand, Naoya was missing still, probably still pursued by the public. There lacked news from Tamaki in Hirasaka about the Babylon cult too. The progress of all plans seemed horrendously halted and rushed.

"I know. I'll call you later. Good luck finding Kandori's diary," Tatsuya ended the call with his brother as he reached home. But the first oddness he sensed was that the lights were out. Worried, he searched for his wife and son.

"Maya?" He searched as he switched on the light of the room. Creepiness engulfed the house when there lacked response. Negative thoughts swamped his mind at this point, where he began to fasten his steps and reached for each door.

Until he reached his son's room, where the door was unlocked, but the lights were out. Seeing his son lying asleep on the bed, he shut it close gently to not disturb him and went on to search for his wife, while wondering why Matsuya would go to bed this early. His skin began to chill as he went up the stairs leading to the second floor.

Only the bathroom's light was on.

"Maya?"

He gently reached for the handle of the door to see if she's there.

"Maya, are you in there-"

Maya was inside the bathroom with a bloodied razor blade nearby her hand.

A/N: That's the end of the chapter without my beta reader to proofread it, hope you guys enjoyed. So sorry for the slow update. The Whore of Babylon is one of the names mentioned in the Book of Revelation. For many of you who don't remember, Anna Yoshizaka made her first appearance in chapter 24, the first chapter of Conquest Arc. Lots of question for this arc. What happened to Maya? How far will Matsuya protect his secret? Who, or what is Babylon? Please wait for the slow update.