Back again, folks! Last time, Epona has finally made her move, and has sent some ninja-like people to attack Ren and the others at the arcade. Just what exactly does she have in mind for them? More specifically, what does she have in mind for Ren? These questions shall be answered in this chapter. Lemme tell ya, it's gonna be a good answer!
Chapter 20
Creating Darkness
"Okay, ninjas! Get your gamer caps on!" Ren pointed her gun at the crowd of black clothed people with blank eyes, wearing an excited smile on her face. "'Cos it's game time."
"…" The ninjas said nothing in response, and only glared at Ren. One of them brandished a dagger in their hand, where it gleamed in the light. Without warning, that figure threw the dagger. Toshiro quickly realised that the dagger wasn't aimed at Ren. It was heading straight towards his face. Just as Toshiro braced himself, he heard the sound of metal clashing with metal, and the dagger spun through the air before clattering on the ground. Ren had her gun raised up in the air, before lowering it and pointing it at the ninjas again.
"Well, that was rude." Ren muttered. She looked over her shoulder at her friends. "Guys, take care of Shiro. He's the one they're after."
"You knew about this?" Katelyn asked, still not recovering from the idea that Ren had powers.
"Of course I did. Why else do you think I gave Shiro a gun?"
"…" Toshiro looked at the pistol in his hand, having forgotten about it moments ago. Ren was trusting him with one of her weapons, now that he was a target. Before, he used Ren's sword as self-defence while worrying about the consequences of damaging it, but now that Ren had willingly given him something that was hers, he knew that Ren trusted him. And he wasn't going to let her down anytime soon.
"Use that whenever you need to." Ren looked back at the ninjas. "Okay, can you guys aim your attacks at me? I'm the opponent here." However, another ninja threw two daggers at Toshiro again. "Dammit, I said me!" Ren swatted them away again with her gun. She stared at the weapon, amazed. "Wow, this thing's sturdier than I thought. Oh, almost forgot." Ren pulled the trigger of her gun. It fired a fireball that was the same size as a football from the tip, where it hit one of the ninjas, who disappeared in a puff of black smoke with a shrieking noise that sounded like a bird. "You're the one who attacked Shiro first, aren't ya?"
"…" One of the remaining ninjas gave a grunting sound, and two daggers appeared in hands. He threw them both at Ren, followed by two more, then another two, and then another two, until a whole swarm of daggers was rushing towards Ren. However, Ren was unfazed by this, and without even breaking a sweat, she swatted away each dagger with her gun. The daggers all clattered noisily on the uncarpeted ground, and a silence fell after this. The other Soul Reapers, minus Ichigo and Toshiro, were amazed that a simple human like Ren could do something like that. Well, she was far from simple now, that much was clear.
"Aaaaaw!" Ren suddenly whined. "I thought ninjas were strong! I guess I overestimated them." Ren sighed and shook her head. "So disappointing."
"Um, Ren?" Rukia said nervously. "I wouldn't say that if I were you."
"Hm? Why not?" Ren asked, wearing her trademark innocently blank face. As soon as Ren asked this, the two dozen or so ninjas simultaneously materialised a dagger in each of their hands.
"That's why." Rukia said, pointing at the ninjas. Ren turned to look.
"Ohoho! Now we're talkin'!" Ren exclaimed, smiling. "Don't wanna break this." Ren tucked her gun behind her skirt and clapped her hands once. The Lightning Shackles replaced the Fire Shackles automatically. But, Ren's gun didn't disappear, and neither did the gun Toshiro was holding, much to his confusion. Ren paid no attention to this though, and two bolts of lightning appeared in her hands. As soon as she gripped them, they turned into two unsheathed katanas, both of them identical. It was the same katana Ren had used against the Feathers weeks ago.
"Thanks for waitin'." Ren said happily. The ninjas said nothing again, and at the same time, they threw their daggers at Ren, followed by several more until there were so many, it looked like a swarm of insects. Ren smirked. In that flurry of daggers and katanas, Ren's arms were moving so quickly that they were just a blur, but nobody needed to see her arms to know what was going on. The sound of metal clashing with metal and the sight of more and more daggers hitting the ground gave them enough information for them to realise that Ren was having no problem.
"…" Toshiro looked behind him and at his back. The burning feeling was back again. He had previously deduced that it only happened when Ren was using her powers or when he was about to use a power that belonged to Ryuki. However, he wasn't getting any premonitions right now, he knew that those ninjas were with White Raven, yet the burning never came before they appeared. So, it must be Ren. But, what exactly was she doing that made his back burn?
"Uh…" Katelyn started, staring at Ren as she batted away the daggers with her swords. "Could one of you tell me what's going on?" Katelyn asked Tom, Steph and Nathan, hoping at least one of them would be able to give her an answer.
"Ren, good. Ninjas, bad." Nathan said quickly.
"I know that. What I want to know is why there are ninjas here!"
"Long story short, there's an organisation called White Raven, and Ren is on their top hit list, along with Toshiro."
"Also, the others are Soul Reapers."
"Eh?!" Katelyn exclaimed, recoiling. "Then what's Toshiro?!"
"A Soul Reaper."
"And a reincarnation." Steph corrected.
"And a reincarnation." Tom added.
"How can you two be so calm?" Katelyn muttered.
"Look, we were just like you when we found out what Ren was getting involved in, but at the time, we were about to be eaten by monsters, so we didn't really have time to freak out." Tom explained in a flat voice.
"Phew!"
"?" Ren's exclamation brought the four humans back to Ren, who was surrounded by what looked like hundreds of daggers, leaving a lone empty circle where Ren's feet were that was no bigger than a football. Ren rubbed her forehead with her arm.
"That was one heck of a workout. Now, it's my turn. So you guys have gotta wait for me, 'kay?" Ren asked, pointing at the ninjas with one of her swords. A couple seconds silence, which the Soul Reapers took as an opportunity to lament on how stupid Ren could be. "Okay." With that, Ren's swords disappeared, as did her Lightning Shackles.
"Ren, what are you doing?" Renji nearly exclaimed. "You can't beat those things without the light…bracelet…things." Renji finished the last part of his sentence slowly, having forgotten what they were called.
"Lightning Shackles." Ren said with narrow eyes. "And in case you haven't noticed, I have plenty of weapons." Right after she said this, the hundreds of daggers slowly floated up into the air, and they all hovered on both sides of Ren, who smiled a confident smile.
"Of course." Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Nice one, Ren."
"Heheh." Ren looked over her shoulder and saluted at Ichigo with two of her fingers before looking back at the ninjas. "Thanks for the daggers." Ren raised her right hand up. "You can have 'em back now." Ren flicked her wrist to the ninjas. The daggers whooshed towards them so quickly, it created a small breeze. In every ninja, there wasn't a single place where there wasn't a massive hole, as each time a dagger hit them, it created a hole just before the daggers disappeared into black smoke. After sustaining so many hits, the ninjas turned into black smoke that floated in the air for a good while. Suddenly, they turned into their original forms again without a single mark on injury on them. And despite having their faces covered up, anybody could tell that they were mad.
"It didn't work? But why?" Rangiku wondered out loud, astonished.
"Because they're not human." Ren answered simply. "They have no flesh, so anything like daggers will go straight through them." Ren reached behind her for her gun. She pulled it out from behind her skirt, and after spinning it a few times on her finger, held it firmly in her hand. She pointed it at one ninja. "Fire, however…" Ren pulled the trigger. With a loud bang sound, a fireball shot out and hit the ninja, making it turn into black smoke with a shriek, and it was permanently gone. "Makes them vanish."
"I see…In that case, I'll-"
"No." Ren interrupted Toshiro, who was poised to pull the trigger of the gun he held. "You stay put. For now. I'll need you later." Toshiro nodded in response. So he was going to be useful after all. Good. Ren pulled the trigger of her gun, but didn't let go. As a result, a fireball appeared on the tip of her gun, and with each passing second, it grew bigger and bigger.
"Ren, what are you doing? That thing is going to kill us all!" Renji yelled.
"No it won't." Slowly and calmly, Ren walked towards the ninjas, and each one backed away from her, not wanting to be hit by the fireball. Ren stopped when she was in the middle of the room, pointing her gun ahead of her. "Guys…You might want to cover your ears."
"?" Everybody became confused as to why Ren would say this. Even Toshiro was a little puzzled.
"Shiro…Catch!" Ren threw something in the air towards Toshiro, and before anybody could notice what it was, Toshiro caught it in one hand. He looked at the contents, and as soon as he did, he understood. "And to you ninjas, I only have one word to say before I unveil the biggest fireball ever…" Ren pointed the now humongous fireball at the ceiling. "Sunlight!" Ren released the trigger. The fireball shot up into the air with a huge bang and the ball was so hot, it burned a perfect circle in the ceiling and there wasn't even any rubble. As soon as the smoke cleared, the sunlight shone straight through the hole, casting a natural spotlight on the ground, and straight on the ninjas. All at once, the arcade was full of the sound of the loudest shrieks that would put any eagle to shame. The ninjas were shrieking from the direct sunlight, clutching their heads in agony. In fact, their shrieks were so loud, everybody had to cover their ears.
"What is that horrible racket?!" Steph yelled.
"My eardrums are gonna burst!" Ichigo yelled. Rukia was so overwhelmed by the loud shrieking that she actually fell onto her knees. Nathan tried pulling the sleeves of his jacket over his hands and covering his ears like that, and his face became a little more relieved.
"Whew!" Ren sighed. "They sure are noisy. Shiro!" Ren beckoned Toshiro to come to her with one hand.
"Right!" Toshiro ran past his Soul Reaper comrades and towards Ren, ignoring the ninjas as they staggered around in pain.
"Wait, why isn't he affected?!" Renji exclaimed, as he saw Ren holding her gun up while looking at Toshiro. He brought the gun Ren had given him up to show he knew what to do.
"Dakka time!" Ren yelled, right before she started rapid firing her gun at the ninjas, yelling "dakka" every time she pulled the trigger.
"Could you not be eccentric for five minutes?" Toshiro muttered, right before he noticed how a ninja was in front of him, still screaming in pain. He quickly pointed the pistol at it and pulled the trigger, shooting a fireball that destroyed it on contact in a puff of black smoke. Toshiro was momentarily stunned that he was able to use a weapon that belonged to Ren, since he couldn't use the lightning on Ren's sword. He shrugged it off and continued to shoot any dark ninjas that happened to step near him. He decided that taking a leaf out of Ren's book and going with the flow was best right now.
"…" Unknown to anybody, there was a shadow standing in the darkness, watching the fight. It was Epona, who still had her hood down. It was just as she thought. Ren had figured out their weakness and used it to her advantage. It was like she said before. Ren Conner was a special kind of genius.
"Aaaaaaand we're done!" Ren proclaimed. She spun her pistol around the trigger hole, causing it to turn into a wheel of fire that quickly disappeared, along with the pistol. Toshiro was still looking around the arcade, watching for any more signs of movement, keeping the gun raised. When he was certain nobody was around, he lowered the gun. Ren snapped her fingers, and the gun burst into fire, making it disappear like the other pistol. But, the fire did not burn him. He looked over at Ren, who smiled her trademark smile at him, and on a new instinct, Toshiro smiled back at her.
"Hm?" Ichigo took his hands off his ears cautiously. "Hey. It stopped."
"Oh. Thank goodness." Steph sighed. Gradually, the rest of the gang moved their hands away from their ears, wearing very relieved looks on their faces.
"Ren, what's going on?" Katelyn asked, immediately in front of Ren. "Who were those guys? What were you doing? Why didn't their screams affect you two?"
"Hold that thought." Ren said, raising a hand up to silence Katelyn. She reached up to her ears, and pulled out an orange foam earplug from each one, Toshiro doing the same. He offered them back to Ren. "Nah, you keep 'em." Ren said, pocketing her ear plugs after putting them in a special case. "And put them in their case. They get fluffy and gross if you don't."
"Well, that explains it." Renji said. "But why didn't you give any to us?!"
"Sorry, I only had two pairs. Wait…make that one. Shiro has the other one. And, Katelyn? Do you want the long story or the short story?"
"Um…short." Katelyn answered after consideration.
"There's an organisation called White Raven trying to kill Shiro and maybe me at some point since we both have weird powers that they're pretty interested in. They're interested in Shiro for a different reason, though. It's kinda complicated for me."
"Where have I heard that before?" Toshiro said sarcastically.
"Oi, less of the sarcasm, Shiro."
"Powers, huh?" Katelyn said quietly, looking down at the ground, a sad look in her eyes.
"…" Toshiro noticed this change in behaviour. Katelyn was acting strange again. Just like when he asked her about March 7th. He shifted a quick glance at the three humans. They had also noticed the sad tone in Katelyn's voice, and were looking at each other with solemn gazes. Just what were they hiding?
"Hey, are you alright?" Ren asked, suddenly noticing how Katelyn became sad.
"Oh…I'm fine, I'm fine!" Katelyn said happily, suddenly her bubbly self again. But, that didn't stop Toshiro from being suspicious. She knew something. And he was going to find out what it was.
"…" Epona said nothing throughout this conversation. Just as she feared. Ren's light was very strong, possibly the strongest she has ever come across.
"So, what you going to do about it?"
"?" Epona was snapped out of her train of thought upon hearing Etheline's voice in her head.
"I will act tonight." Epona responded in her mind.
"But you said yourself she doesn't have any darkness. How will this work if you don't have the main ingredient?"
"It's simple." Epona turned around and began to walk towards the arcade exit. The doors slid open noiselessly, going unnoticed by even Ren, who continued to talk to her friends happily. "If I cannot find darkness…" Epona stopped walking just outside of the arcade.
"I will create darkness." She said out loud, pulling her hood back over her head. Her shadow rippled under her feet, before it grew around her body, encasing her in black, and the shadowed figure disappeared into the road, leaving no traces of her ever being there.
…
"Ren, you don't have to do this." Ichigo insisted, raising his hands up in protest.
"Daaaaaaame!" Ren said loudly. She raised a finger up and waged it a couple times. "I'm not letting my friends starve. Besides, I promised you guys I'd cook for you, and I might as well teach you a few things while I'm at it." Ren turned around and pointed at the rest of the Soul Reapers. "So if your name is not Ichigo or Ren, I want you out." None of them moved, baffled at Ren giving them orders. "Come on!" Ren marched towards them and pushed them all towards the door and out of the kitchen. "Out out out out out out out!"
"Alright, alright! Geez!" Renji exclaimed after tumbling out of the kitchen, along with Rukia and Rangiku.
"Stay out of here until I say so!" Ren closed the door hard enough to give the message she didn't want to be disturbed, but soft enough for it to not turn into a slam. Silence followed. That was broken when the kitchen door opened again.
"You too!" Toshiro was then shoved out of the door, and as soon as he staggered away from it, the door shut again.
"Wow, captain. Not what I expected from your girlfriend." Rangiku said with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up!" Toshiro yelled, his face going bright red. "She's not my girlfriend! And it was just an accidental kiss!"
"So you're just going to pretend it didn't happen?" Rukia asked.
"Precisely!" Toshiro nodded, folding his arms. "Now, if you are done, I have something I need to attend to. See you later." Toshiro turned around and briskly walked towards the front door, his hands in his pocket.
"Toshiro, where are you going?"
"That doesn't concern you. And it's Captain Hitsugaya."
…
Toshiro let out a sigh as soon as he shut the front door. No sooner had he started to walk through the gate, he heard a clattering sound from inside the house and Ren yelling something along the lines of "Not in there!" After a couple of seconds, Toshiro saw some smoke come out of the kitchen window. Fortunately, it wasn't black smoke, so there wasn't a fire. Immediately, Toshiro remembered when the school was on fire, and how Ren was put into danger more than once that day. Toshiro quickly shook his head to get rid of the memories and put them in the back of his mind, which was where they belonged. He didn't want to be reminded of his helplessness any more than he should.
"?" Out of the corner of his eye, Toshiro saw something just around the corner, barely noticeable in the almost dark atmosphere. Curious, he wandered over to the corner and looked around the tree that blocked his sight. It was a sign that looked as though it had seen better days. However, through the wet wood and the moss, he saw the words VILLAGE HALL and an arrow pointing to the right. He looked. Sure enough, there was a small, one storey building with windows on one side, showing a rather small hall. Behind that was a longer corridor, leading to smaller separate rooms.
Maybe there's something in there. Toshiro thought. He walked towards the building, becoming more and more certain that something important might be in there. Something that could answer the questions in his mind about the anniversary, and maybe even the sixth village. Without hesitation, Toshiro reached for the door handle.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"!" Toshiro spun around after hearing that voice. It was Nathan, and he was leaning on the wall around a field, a bike right next to him.
"You won't like what you see." Nathan continued.
"Give me one good reason why I should believe you."
"Because you believed me when we talked at the arcade today."
"That was different." Toshiro said quickly, looking back at the door and reaching towards the handle again. "Now if you don't mind-"
"You believed me then, right? So believe me now."
"You have a lot of nerve telling me to believe you after what you did to Ren." Toshiro said angrily, looking away from the door again.
"I didn't do anything to her back then. She just kept sticking her nose where it didn't belong. I just did what I would do to anybody who tried to play hero with me. Rest assured, I've discarded my old ways. I risked my ass telling you that info in the arcade, and the noose is getting tighter and tighter around your neck the more you investigate." Nathan moved away from the wall and walked across the road towards Toshiro. "Take it from me, a local. You do not want to have any of the head families as an enemy. I'll warn you now; don't anger the village heads. If you do, then you're on your own." Nathan was now right in front of Toshiro, looking down at him due to his height. Toshiro, however, looked back up at him, keeping his face stern. "Not even Ren will be able to protect you."
"It won't come to that. I have done more investigating than you ever have. And I will not get caught. Besides, Ren won't let anything happen to me or my friends." Toshiro was briefly surprised at himself that he referred to the Soul Reapers as his friends out loud. This place was affecting him more than he thought.
"That's what you think. You're not from around here, so you don't know how strong the head families are."
"And how strong would that be?" Toshiro challenged, folding his arms.
"My dad is a businessman."
"And?"
"He's in the black market selling weapons. The head family in our village prevents us from getting arrested. If it weren't for them, I would be pending my Saturdays visiting Dad in prison."
"What?" This time, Toshiro couldn't hide his surprise.
"It's true. Teachers, hospitals, the police, even shopkeepers. All of them reside in the villages. And all of them have jobs in the main city. In other words, the city is under the control of the five villages."
"But…that's impossible." Toshiro protested. "Nobody can have that much power."
"Not impossible. Unlikely." Nathan corrected. "The power of the villages is absolute. If the village head wanted to, they could murder somebody and nobody would ever know. That's just how strong they are. My dad has been selling weapons for more than twenty five years, after all. Hell, if word got out that I started that school fire, then it would definitely be covered up."
This is starting to sound like some kind of Yakuza movie. Toshiro thought, mentally sweat dropping. Although, he couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by how the head families had more power than he thought. And Ren was part of this!
"But, it's a competition between the families too."
"What do you mean?" Toshiro asked, intrigued. Nathan looked away, and Toshiro noticed how there was a sad look in his eyes. The same expression he saw the day of the school fire. The same expression when he was reminded of the head families.
"The power of each family was something that each one competed in in the past. Things are easier now, but that rivalry…it caused so much pain…not just to the head families, but to the villagers, too. And…" Nathan trailed off from this sentence. He closed his eyes. "Well, that would be revealing too much."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Toshiro asked, annoyed that Nathan would cut himself off like that.
"Like I said, I risked my ass telling you that information earlier today. The manager of that arcade lives in one of the villages, you know. If he saw me telling you that information, well…" Nathan trailed off, letting Toshiro figure it out.
"Oh…" Was all Toshiro could think of to say in response. "But, do you still have a strong head family, or whatever it's called?"
"Aside from the main head, yes. There is one family that is the strongest of the five."
"Who?"
"The Conner family." Nathan said simply.
"Oh. Ren's father." Toshiro said dismissively. Pause. "Wait, what?!" Toshiro double taked after hearing that.
"Yeah. It took a few years, but Mr Conner climbed all the way up to the top. Also, Ren's active involvement with the villages, plus her likeability, played a part in that, too. I wouldn't be surprised if Ren was the one to take over the family."
"…" Toshiro said nothing, still reeling from that revelation. Ren had that much power? Why didn't she tell him? Toshiro immediately concluded that Ren would probably say "I didn't think it was important" and leave it at that. She was pretty modest about her status, after all.
"I'm getting off topic here. What I'm trying to say is that you should keep your feet dry. The village heads are already suspicious of you. Don't make things any worse than you already have."
"But all I'm doing is investigating. I haven't done anything wrong." Toshiro insisted.
"You will if you keep this up."
"I don't care." Toshiro said, slowly and firmly. "There is something that the villages are hiding from me, and I intend to find out what. Nothing is going to stop me from finding out the truth. Not you. Not the village heads. Not anybody."
"Suit yourself." Nathan shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you, though." Taking that as a signal, Toshiro reached towards the door handle again. "But…" Toshiro clenched that hand into a fist after being interrupted again. "If you really think I'm a bad guy, then let me tell you this, Toshiro." The sound of his name made Toshiro look towards Nathan again, annoyed at this small act. However, he realised that Nathan was leaning down to his eye level, their noses inches away from touching. Toshiro found himself feeling slightly intimidated, especially since Nathan had an almost angry look in his eyes.
"What I did…" Nathan started, in a low voice. "What Katelyn did…That's nothing compared to what she went through back then."
"…" Toshiro said nothing, his mind still spinning from what Nathan had told him earlier. And this vague statement only made things even more confusing. She? Who was this she? Nathan straightened up while Toshiro was still processing this information.
"See ya." Nathan said, turning around and walking back towards the bike, waving over his shoulder at Toshiro. He got onto his bike and rode of down the road, disappearing from sight, yet he did anything but disappear from Toshiro's mind. The five families. The power they held. And that ominous statement. They kept spinning inside Toshiro's head.
The Conner family is the strongest head family. Toshiro thought. And they have power over nearly everything here. They're all linked to the anniversary. But, the anniversary for what? And how are the village head's involved? Toshiro's eyes widened a little after realising something that he had somehow overlooked. Could Ren be involved in this, too? It would make sense. She's the daughter of the strongest village head. She knows this place better than anyone. But, if she is then…does that mean she's been lying?
"Don't be ridiculous!" Toshiro berated himself out loud, shaking his head. "Ren always says how she would never hide things from her friends. Besides, Ren wouldn't lie to me." Toshiro hesitated for a moment. "Would she?" Toshiro stayed silent for a good few minutes. Half of him knew that Ren was the most honest person he knew. But, the other half told him that Ren was still a member of the head family, and she would probably hide just as many secrets as everyone else in this damn village, and all of the other villages for that matter. She wouldn't tell any outsiders about the affairs of the villages. Not even him. Which side of Ren should he believe is the real one? Or were they both the same person? He didn't know. Toshiro looked at the door handle of the village hall. Slowly, he reached towards it, and just as he was about to clasp it, he stopped himself. All of a sudden, he wasn't as eager to go inside as he was before. And he wasn't sure if it was because of what Nathan said or his new doubts about Ren. Instead, Toshiro leaned on the wall of the building and slid his back down it until he was sitting on the cold ground. He looked up at the grey cloud-filled sky. He certainly wasn't going to be seeing any stars tonight on the roof.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
"?" Toshiro pulled out his cell phone from his pocet. With a frown, he answered it. "What is it?"
"Shiro, it's me."
"Ren? Why are you calling me?"
"What do you mean "Why are you calling me?"? You know why. You aren't in the house. Ichigo and I have finally made dinner and you're not here. You must be starving!"
"But I've only been gone for ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?! Sixty minutes! Get your ass out of the cold before you catch something!"
"Alright, already." Toshiro stood up faster than he wanted to, and he ended up having to shake out several cramps in his legs. It was then that he noticed how dark it had become. He must have spaced out for longer than he thought. "I'll be right there."
"'Kay. Be careful, alright?"
"I'll be fine."
"You never know." Toshiro heard a click followed by a dialling tone. She had hung up. Toshiro pocketed his phone and walked back to the house, his hands in his pockets. Before he turned the corner, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the village hall. That place obviously held the answers he was looking for. But, after what Nathan said, he wasn't sure if he was going to like it. That aside, why was he listening to somebody like him? Nonetheless, Toshiro turned back around and saw the house in view. With a sigh, he walked back towards it. He had to see if Ren was really involved in this conspiracy.
…
"Woooooooow!" Rangiku exclaimed, clapping her hands together. On the table was a home cooked dinner of several different dishes. Curry. Bolognaise. Stew. Cake. Paella. Noodles. There was even some sushi here and there. Unlike Rangiku's cooking last time, this food and smelt edible. More than that, it also looked and smelled delicious.
"I must admit, you've really outdone yourself, Ren." Rukia said, admiring the food.
"Oh, it was nothing." Ren said with a smile and a shrug. "I've left copies of my recipes in the kitchen. You will never have to worry about food again. Hell, those recipes are so easy, even Rangiku could cook them without a problem."
"Let's not go there again!" Renji said quickly. "It's chow time!" He eagerly grabbed a fork, not caring whether it was disgusting or not, and ate a forkful of curry. Silence.
"Um…Renji?" Ren said nervously. S lowly, Renji's face turned red.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Renji yelled, just as Toshiro entered the room, only to see Renji running around the table, yelling "water, water" over and over. However, in the confusion, nobody noticed him.
"Here, Renji!" Rukia quickly handed Renji a glass of water, which he snatched and gulped down in less than five seconds. He gasped for breath a couple of times before sighing from relief.
"I was going to warn you that Ichigo added too much spices to the curry." Ren said.
"Um, sorry." Ichigo apologised sheepishly. "The lid fell off."
"Why didn't you say that from the start?!" Renji yelled. "My mouth was on fire!"
"It's alright, Renji." Ren patted Renji's shoulder sympathetically. "I hate spicy food too." Pause. "Oh, god. We have something in common." Ren muttered, a look of dread on her face.
"Oh, really?" Renji grinned. He picked up his fork and scooped some more curry onto it without Ren noticing. "Well…over the lips and past the gums, look out stomach here it comes!"
"Renji, what're you-" Before Ren could finish her sentence, Renji forced the fork into Ren's open mouth. Silence. Almost instantly, Ren was at the sink drinking water from the tap.
"Now you're just over reacting." Ichigo said. Rangiku however, wasn't paying any attention to this, and was munching away at the spaghetti.
"She's not over reacting." Toshiro said, choosing that opportunity to speak up. "Ren has heightened senses, and that includes taste. Anything too strong makes her over stimulated. Even the mildest of spices makes her senses go over the top.
"Yeah, what he said!" Ren gurgled from the kitchen, still drinking from the tap.
"Is this something else to do with White Raven?" Rukia asked.
"No." Ren answered, wiping the excess water away from her mouth and shutting the door behind her. "It's been like that way before White Raven came along. It's complicated, though."
"I still think you overreacted." Renji grumbled.
"I heard that!
"You can hear me, too?!"
"I told you. She has sensitive hearing."
"Right. Sorry, Captain Hitsugaya."
"Nobody needs to apologise. Now!" Ren clapped her hands together with a smile. "Dig in!" The Soul Reapers, minus Toshiro, didn't need to be told twice, and we tucking into the feast, Renji steering clear of the curry. "And when you're done, I want that curry gone, too! I won't tolerate people wasting food. I'm going to tidy the kitchen."
"I'll help." Toshiro said quickly, following Ren into the kitchen. It would be a good opportunity to ask Ren a few questions. He shut the door behind him, and as soon as he turned around, he saw pots and pans floating through the air, cupboards opening on their own, and food flying back into the fridge for another day. Ren, on the other hand, was washing the dishes in the sink, and as soon as she was done, a floating tea towel dried it before the washed item moved back to its respective home. Turns out Toshiro wasn't needed, after all. In fact, he was half hoping he'd end up possessing telekinesis, too. Think of all the paperwork that he could get done!
"Oh, hey, Shiro." Ren said with a smile. "Sorry, but I've got this all taken care of."
"That's fine. I have something I need to ask you."
"Ah, that's right!" Ren clapped her hands together. "I made something for you, too!"
"Eh?" Toshiro blinked. "For me?" Toshiro pointed at himself.
"Yeah." Ren said, going back to her washing up. "It's over there in that green bowl with the daisies on it." Toshiro looked. There was the bowl on the other side of the kitchen. He wandered over to it, and hi eyes widened. Inside it were brown beans coated with sugar.
"This is…" Toshiro started.
"Yeah. It's amanattō. It's your favourite food, right? Ichigo told me. It took me forever to find the recipe. I helped myself to a couple after I made them yesterday. I'll tell you what, that's one way to get a kid to eat their beans!" While Ren spoke, Toshiro helped himself to one and ate it.
"It's good." And he wasn't lying. These were almost as good as the amanattō his grandmother made him, maybe even better.
"Oh, thank god!" Ren exclaimed. She pulled down her sleeves, finally down with the washing up. The remainder of the plates and food went to where they belonged, and all was still in the kitchen. "I brought them in that container next to the bowl. I wanted to give them to you later on tonight, but I thought here would be better." Ren was now by Toshiro's side. He turned around to face her, and she wore a gentle yet cheerful smile on her face. "So, what was it you needed to ask me?"
"…" Toshiro hesitated, touched by Ren's act of random kindness. This was the same girl that he was suspicious of. With Ren's earnest nature and her limitless kindness, how could he have doubted her? Right now, he held in his left hand the snowflake key ring that she gave him. He also saw the bracelet that he got her on her right wrist. He had finally formed a friendship with somebody, and he wasn't sure if he should trust her. Or could trust her. But, it was the small things that Ren did that made Toshiro trust her, and even like her. It made him ashamed that he would think any less.
"Well…"
"I…It's nothing…" Toshiro said quietly, clenching his key ring. "Forget I said anything. I'm going up on the roof if you need me." Toshiro briskly walked towards the back exit in the ktchen that led outside, but was stopped when Ren grabbed his arm. He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at Ren, who was suddenly concerned.
"Shiro, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Usually when you go up on the roof, it means you have something on our mind."
"Well, today, I have a lot to think about." Toshiro said, giving her a half-hearted smile.
"You do?" Ren blinked. "Oh. If it's about the kiss, then-"
"No, no, nothing like that." Toshiro insisted. "I mean, it's a little of that, too." He decided to cover up his concerns about the villages for the time being. After all, as far as he was concerned, Ren was the last person he wanted to talk to about the villages.
"Well, I'm already over the shock of it. After all, there's always the second kiss!" Ren said happily, winking.
"Right…Yeah…" Toshiro said slowly. At least she didn't know what was really on his mind. He really didn't want to strain their friendship.
"But, if you ever want to talk, you know that I'm here, right?"
"Of course."
"Alright. Well… you'd better go do your thing…" Ren said with some hesitancy, letting go of his arm. After a couple seconds, Toshiro stepped outside into the night, and with a couple leaps and bounds, he was up on the roof. He sat himself down and lounged on his back, linking his hands behind his head. He was right. He couldn't see a single star.
I hope Shiro is alright. Ren thought, going back into the kitchen. She went to the kitchen bin and pulled out the trash bag, tying it up with some twisty wire. I haven't seen him like that since the whole Ryuki incident. Ren went back through the back door, and wandered around the house, down the front path, and through the gate. She lifted the lid of the bin, threw in the trash bag and replaced the lid again. Ren took this moment to look into the window, where Rukia, Rangiku, Renji and Ichigo were still eating. Renji was balancing a piece of spaghetti on his face to look like a moustache, and Rangiku and Rukia were clutching their sides with laughter, but Ichigo rolled his eyes, but still smiled.
"Well…Shiro said he was fine, so I'll believe him." Ren said out loud, smiling to herself.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Hm?" Ren looked over her shoulder. "Is someone there?" Nothing. In the streetlamp lit street, there wasn't a soul to be seen. No cars going by. No joggers. Not even any late night dog walkers. "Hellooooo?" Ren called out, turning around with her back to the house.
"Over here."
"!" Ren looked to her left. There was a girl there she had never seen before in the village or anywhere else. She looked as though she was the same age as Ren, but she could just tell that this girl was definitely younger than her. She had long black hair with two red bows at the bottom, dividing it into low pigtails, and two smaller pigtails stuck out of her head. She wore a black corset with a detached collar around her neck that sported a small red tie, a pair of black bell sleeves on her arms and a red skirt with black stripes, while her feet had knee high black boots. But, what stood out the most for Ren was her piercing green eyes and the sad look on her face. And Ren may not have realised this, but this girl was Epona.
"Who're you?" Ren asked.
"Who am I?" Epona said, while Ren noticed how even her voice sounded sad. "I am somebody who knows a lot about you."
"You do? Have we met before?"
"No."
"Ah, you must be new in the other villages." Ren said with a small smile. "Did you hear about me from the others in your village?"
"I guess."
"I see. Which village are you from?"
"Does it matter?"
"No, I guess not. Sorry."
"…" Epona said nothing. It was as she feared. Ren had a rare incorruptible pureness inside of her. But, she had a job to complete, and she had to taint that white purity black with darkness no matter what it took.
"So, what's your name?" Ren asked.
"That is not important right now. For now, I have something important to tell you."
"Important?" Ren repeated, surprised.
"Yes. Come closer." Ren walked forward several paces, away from the house and away from her friends. She stopped when she was in the shadows with the girl and at least a street away from the house. They were completely hidden.
"So, what is it?"
"Listen to me, Ren." Epona started. "You mustn't trust anything your friends tell you."
"!" Ren's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"They are hiding things from you. How can you trust somebody who keeps secrets from you?"
"Well, I admit that Shiro has hidden some things from me, but I'm sure it was for a good reason. He probably doesn't want to worry me. I mean, he is pretty protective, and a lot more caring than he makes out. And, I keep secrets from him too, so I guess we're even." Ren said with a laugh.
"You are correct. He hides things from you because he cares about you. And that is precisely why you shouldn't trust him."
"I don't understand."
"The truth causes more harm than is does good. He does not want you to get hurt. But, by keeping the truth from you, he is causing you to worry. And let's not forget your other friends and your family. Haven't you ever suspected that they have kept things from you?"
"A couple times, yes. But, I'm sure it's with a good reason. After all, the truth may hurt for a while, but a lie hurts forever."
"Precisely. And what has Toshiro and everyone else you have placed your trust in done?"
"They've been just as honest as I have."
"Are you sure?"
"…" Ren was silent. Thinking about it now, Toshiro had lied to her a couple of times. And, recently, she felt like Steph and the others were acting a bit secretive, too. "Do you…Do you really think that they'd do that?"
"I do." Epona nodded.
"But, it can't be…" Ren said quietly. "They'd never do that to me intentionally…right?"
Yes! Epona thought. I can sense some darkness growing inside her. It's a good thing she's so gullible. Now, to make it grow…
"What should I do?" Ren asked, partially unable to believe she would ask this of a total stranger.
"There is nothing you can do. Except one thing."
"What's that?"
"Become like them."
"What? But…I can never lie. It's impossible for me."
"You're wrong. In this world, there is no place for honesty. There is only one thing that is true in this world." Epona leaned closer to Ren, their bodies inches apart. A dark smoke floated out of her hand and swum around Ren's body, but Ren didn't notice. "Everybody lies."
"But I don't want to hurt anyone by lying. It's even worse than the awful truth."
"That is true. But, if you lie, then you are protecting them." The black smoke was now level with Ren's head, and the whites of Ren's eyes were gradually filling up with the smoke until they went completely black. "You do want to protect your friends, right? If that is the case, then a lie would be okay. It is only fitting in a world where there is nothing honest and true." Epona took a step back, observing Ren. The black smoke around Ren disappeared, yet it remained in her eyes, while Ren wore an expression that made her look like a doll, her mouth half open. "Don't you agree?" A pause.
"Yes." Ren said.
Success. Epona thought.
…
"Ren? Are you done in here yet?" Toshiro asked, wandering back into the kitchen. "I want to get back before Renji wants seconds." Ren stopped talking when he realised that Ren wasn't in the kitchen. "Ren?" He looked in all the corners of the room. Nothing. All he saw that was out of the ordinary was the bin without a black bag inside it. "The front porch." Toshiro walked back out through the back door, around the house, down the path and out the gate. There was the bin. But no Ren.
"Yes."
"Ren?" Toshiro said, hearing Ren's voice. He looked left and right, but she was nowhere to be seen. So, why could he hear her like she was right here?
"Good. Remember what I said."
"I will."
I know that voice. Toshiro thought, narrowing his eyes a little. But…where?
"Ren! Are you here?" Toshiro called out.
Damn! He's here. I must leave now before he finds me! Epona thought. With that, she sunk into her shadow and disappeared. Ren blinked, and the shadows in her eyes was gone.
"Ren?" Toshiro finally saw Ren a little further down the street. "There you are!"
"Shiro?" Ren said, turning around to face him as he ran towards her.
"What are you doing over here? I thought you were taking out the trash."
"I guess I spaced out. Silly me!" Ren said, bonking herself on the head and winked with her tongue sticking out.
"Who were you talking to?" Toshiro asked.
"Eh?"
"You were talking to somebody. Who was it?" Ren was silent for a moment.
"Nobody." Ren said without changing her expression. "I wasn't talking to anybody."
"Huh? But I heard another voice."
"You must have been hearing things. Now, let's go get your amanattō and head home. Renji can take care of the dishes." Ren said briskly, walking past a stunned Toshiro, who turned around and watched her walk away. He knew he heard another voice. There was no way he could make that up. But, if what he heard wasn't his imagination, then…
Did Ren just lie? Toshiro thought, a stunned look on his face as he continued to watch Ren walk to the house and away from him. Meanwhile, Epona was watching them from the shadows. Satisfied with her results, she turned around and also began to walk away.
"This is only the beginning." She said to herself. "It's easy to get into the darkness. A lie. An insult. A selfish act. Once you taste the darkness, it's hard to stop yourself from tasting it again. The more you taste it, the more difficult it is to leave. Everyone turns to the darkness. And soon, so will you...Ren."
There you have it! That is Epona's ultimate plan; the corrupt Ren and make her turn dark. But, Toshiro is already suspicious. How will that work out? Will Epona's plan work? What will happen to Ren? Can Toshiro do anything to stop her? Find out next time, although with my current schedule, I'm not sure when that will be. Sorry! Don't forget to check out my Twitter and deviantART accounts, in the meantime. That should tide you over until the next update! Stay tuned!