Fate and Destiny

by constantdaydreamergirl

Toshiro is sent to the World of the Living to investigate Hollow-like monsters, but he is stripped of his powers when he arrives. It is here he meets Ren, a human girl who is linked to the monsters. But, the longer Toshiro stays here, the more he suspects that there is more to Ren and the monsters than meets the eye...Full summary inside. Pairing Toshiro x OC

29. One After Another

Back again! Last time, Toshiro met Ren's big brother Harley, and resolved to solve the mystery of the Blank Fortnight, and everything in between. The question is; what will he discover?

Chapter 27

One After Another

Marcus Conner stood in his study, staring out of the window. The sky was already starting to get dark as the sun slowly started to set. It had a perfect view of the back garden, and he could clearly see the field behind the house. He could also tell that the boards covering up the secret tunnel were gone. Somebody must have fallen in when they were walking their dog or something. Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. After all, quite a lot of people go for walks behind their house. This was the countryside, after all. So, Marcus did and said nothing about it. He wasn't going to go door to door and ask everyone if they saw a big hole in the ground. His only concern was whether they had gone deeper into the tunnel, and found the entrance to the sixth village Redwood.

"Six years…" Marcus said quietly, a sad expression on his face. "It's been six years since that day. The sooner this is out of the way, the sooner we can get on with our lives until next year."

Rat-a-tat

"Hm?" Marcus snapped out of his train of thought when he heard a knocking. The door opened, and in walked Ren, still dressed in her school uniform and holding a mug in her hands.

"I brought you some tea." Ren said, handing Marcus the mug. He smiled gratefully and took it. "Made it just the way you like it."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Ren joined Marcus by his side, still wearing a happy smile.

"Mom says dinner will be ready in about ten minutes."

"Okay." Marcus said.

"Is something wrong?" Ren asked, noticing the sad tone in Marcus' voice.

"No, Ren, I'm just…" Marcus sighed. "I'm just tired."

"Well, you have been up late these past few days. Why don't you go to bed early tonight?"

"I don't think that would help."

"Are you the other tired?" Ren asked. Marcus nodded. "Ah." Pause. "Tired of what?"

"Just…there is something coming up. I've been doing it for years. But I think it's starting to take its toll on me."

"Oh." There was another pause. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think so."

"Well…Is there anything you can do?"

"I've been doing it already, but I'm starting to wonder if it's all for nothing."

"Of course not." Ren suddenly said loudly, stunning Marcus. "It must have been worth something if you've been doing it for all this time. If something is worth doing, then you should do it." Ren smiled her happy smile at Marcus. "You just do what you think is right, and I'll support it."

"…" Marcus smiled. With one arm he placed an arm around Ren's shoulders and pulled her closer to his body in a hug. "Ren…I'm glad I have you as a daughter."

"And I'm glad I have you as a dad." Ren said in kind.

"Ren, are you here?" This was the cue for Ren's mother to come into the room. A woman with short brown hair in a bob, and was a little plump but was by no means fat. "Can you get the drinks ready? Don't forget that Harley is here for a few days."

"Sure thing, mom." With that, Ren left the room. "Food's in five." Ren called as she went past Toshiro's room and down the stairs.

"Okay!" Harley called from inside his bedroom.

"I'll be right down." Toshiro left his room and started to go down the stairs.

"Hey…"

"Eh?" Toshiro stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned around. Harley was standing on the landing, and he had a very serious expression on his face that almost put Toshiro's to shame.

"Since you're from another world, I'm guessing you don't know about the anniversary."

"I know it exists, and that's it. I'm going to try and find out more about it, so if there is anything you can tell me-"

"Stop, dude."

"Huh?"

"Stop investigating, I mean. You're going to ruffle feathers that should never be ruffled."

"You might not know this, but I investigated a conspiracy that stretched farther than a couple towns. I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, have it your way. But don't ask me anything. I'm forbidden to speak of it until the seventh."

That's this weekend… Toshiro thought. I don't have long. And again, somebody is forbidden to speak about it. Is the whole village on a gag order or something?

"I just need to warn you about one thing."

"What's that?"

"Avoid the forest."

"What forest?"

"Come here." Harley beckoned Toshiro to follow him, and Harley went back into his room. Toshiro followed him into his bedroom, which had white walls and a dark brown wicker wardrobe with a matching desk and bed. It was very tidy, which was a sharp contrast to the Squad Ten office, specifically Rangiku's corner. Harley was standing at the bedroom window, his back turned to Toshiro. "Look over here." Harley pointed out of the window. Toshiro joined Harley at his side and followed his finger. "See that clump of trees over there?"

"I think so." Toshiro said, narrowing his eyes a little. He thought he saw the trees. He saw some trees a few miles away; he just didn't know if they were the trees. "The one with the red leaves?"

"That's the one. And see that flock of birds flying towards it?"

"I see it." In the distance, there was a flock of black dots flying through the sky, and were heading towards the trees and towards Harley and Toshiro.

"Alright. Now, watch."

"…" Toshiro watched. The flock of birds were getting closer and closer towards the forest. They were about to pass over it. But, they suddenly split into two groups, carried on flying and reformed again once they were over the trees.

They avoided the forest? Toshiro thought.

"That place is considered a bad omen to anyone living in the villages. There's just a strange vibe about it that anyone can feel. It gives you the feeling that you shouldn't enter there. Even birds are afraid to fly over that place." Harley looked to Toshiro. "Toshiro, be careful when you're investigating. The village heads are very twitchy at this time of year. And, no matter what you find, no matter where the evidence points, do not, I repeat…" Harley pointed at the forest. "Do not enter that forest. For your sake. Trust me. You do not want to find out what is in there. I went in there once, ignoring the instincts telling me not to." Harley shuddered a little. "And I…I saw things in there. Things you wouldn't believe. And things I wish I could forget. It is something that no man, woman or child, or even a Soul Reaper, should ever have to see."

"What happened there?" Toshiro asked. Harley said nothing. He simple shook his head. Toshiro growled out of frustration.

"One more thing."

"What?" Toshiro said, a little more impatient than he intended.

"Don't get Ren involved."

"I'll try not to, but I make no promises. Ren knows more about the villages than anyone I know."

"And I know just as much as she does. So ask me instead!" Harley insisted.

"But you said that you couldn't tell me. If I hit a dead end, I'll have no choice but to ask Ren."

"If Ren knew what was in that forest then she won't be able to take it!"

"I don't want her involved any more than you do, but in case you haven't noticed I'm almost at a dead end!"

"Hey, what are you two yelling about?!" Ren's voice called, making the two boys stop shouting at each other. "Get down her before dinner gets cold!"

"Coming!" Toshiro and Harley yelled at the same time. Toshiro and Harley looked at one another, not saying a word.

"I'll try to keep Ren as far away from this as possible." Toshiro promised. "And like I've said, I've done this before. And this conspiracy is hardly something that can threaten the world."

"How about something that can threaten a person's lifestyle?" This ominous statement got Toshiro's attention. "He who destroys a soul destroys the world. He who saves a soul saves the world. Do you know that?"

"Of course I do." Toshiro answered. "I'm a Soul Reaper. Saving souls is my job."

"I'm talking about living souls, not dead ones." Harley looked away from Toshiro, scratching his head. "Of course, if you want to know some…stuff, you need to go to the village hall across the road from here. That place is the key to this whole thing. And that's all I'm going to say." Harley went into his back pocket and dropped a wallet-like object on the ground. "I lost it. I can get a replacement, but you can keep it, since you found it and you're in the family."

Lost? Toshiro thought, sweat dropping. You dropped it. Toshiro picked it up and opened it up. There was a gold circle embedded into the leather like a police badge, and there was a picture of a wolf's head surrounded by a circle of ivy occasionally dotted by flowers with six petals. The same flower that Toshiro saw in the tunnel.

"That's the seal of the Conner family." Harley explained. "It can get you access to all areas, get you discounts at businesses owned by the villages and it is also a key to secret areas. Don't lose it like I did." Toshiro could have sworn Harley gave him a secret wink just then. Toshiro understood what this meant and nodded, pocketing the seal.

"I said come on!" Ren yelled again.

"Alright, alright!" Harley quickly walked out of the room, and Toshiro slowly followed him, thinking about what Harley said. That village hall really must contain what he needs to know. But, that statement Harley said earlier still confused him.

"He who destroys a soul destroys the world. He who saves a soul saves the world."

What did he mean by that? Toshiro thought.

…

Toshiro was back at the village hall again, but he was not inside it. He was standing at the front of the entrance, and he was ready to investigate. He had even borrowed Ren's rucksack, just in case he had to take anything with him for later reading. The house Ren lived in and the house Ichigo and the others were at wasn't too far away. In fact, he had a very good view of Ren's house from the top of the hill. Toshiro looked left and right, half expecting somebody to jump out and tackle him to the ground. There was nobody in sight. Good. Toshiro went to the door and reached out for the handle, pausing for a moment just in case somebody did come out of nowhere. Although, he really hoped they didn't; he didn't want anybody seeing him with a Keroppi rucksack. After realising nobody was coming, Toshiro grasped the handle and pushed the door open. He was in the hall. In one room, there was a large, empty room with a small kitchen area next to it. Toshiro ignored that area and focused his attention on the two doors lining the corridor.

I'll try this one. Toshiro went to the first door he saw. He twisted the handle and opened it. There were just a few shelves full of crafting equipment, coloured card and paper, plastic toys and party gear. Nothing of importance. Toshiro cursed under his breath and closed the door, moving on to the one next to it. He opened that door. It was an office. It was very plain when compared to Ren's father's office. All it had was a plain desk, an office chair and an old-looking desktop computer, along with a couple pictures on the walls. No filing cabinet. No boxes. Even the desk didn't have any drawers in it! But, Toshiro couldn't help but notice how there were shallow indents in the carpet. And they looked fresh.

So something was here… Toshiro mentally concluded. The heads really are being more careful now. Toshiro closed the door and held his chin in thought. But, my instincts tell me that they are still close by. Is there another room here? Toshiro looked left and right. No other rooms. But, he did see that the corridor turned left at the end of the hallway, right next to a small table with a vase of flowers and a few ornaments on it. Over there! Toshiro went over to the table and turned the corner. His eyes lit up. Right there, at the end of the turning, was another door. But, this one looked different. It had some key pad on the wall next to it.

What's this thing? Toshiro inspected the panel. It didn't have letters or numbers on it. It almost looked like a scanner. Do I have to have ID to get in?

"Wait…"

"That's the seal of the Conner family. It can get you access to all areas, get you discounts at businesses owned by the villages and it is also a key to secret areas. Don't lose it like I did."

Maybe… Toshiro got the seal out of his pocket, flipping the cover up to look at it. He held up the gold plate to the scanner and waited. He heard a whirring sound, followed by a beep and a click. Wondering if the door had been unlocked, Toshiro grasped the handle and turned it. It opened without a fuss. Yes! Toshiro immediately entered the room, eager to see what this room had to offer. If it had a lock on it, then it was bound to contain something important.

"It's so dark in here…" Toshiro muttered, the light of the doorway doing nothing to light up the dark room. "Where's the lights?" Toshiro felt along the walls for a light switch. He found it and clicked it on. There, Toshiro was met with a great sight. The room was rather small; about three metres wide, if Toshiro could make a guess, but it was long enough to store quite a lot. On each side of the wall, there were tables attached to the walls, and several shelves above it along with a step ladder to reach the higher ones. But, best of all, each shelf and table had dozens of files, papers, dossiers and boxes fit to bursting.

"Is this what I think it is?" Toshiro went to a nearby box and pulled out the first papers he found. They appeared to be a treasury report, and they were dated 3rd March 2006. "It is!" Toshiro put the files back in the box and looked around the room again. "This room contains everything from the Blank Fortnight! Finally, I can fill in some holes." Toshiro folded his arms, surveying the boxes. "The only problem left is where I start." Toshiro closed the door behind him and wandered deeper into the room, inspecting the labels. "Let's see…treasury, village fetes, what about school?" Toshiro pulled out a box labelled STUDENTS-KINGS from the lowest shelf and rifled through the files, trying to find something useful or incriminating. And that came in the form of a piece of paper with the sentence NOTICE OF TRANSFER written on the top. Toshiro was about to brush it off until he saw the name HARRIS.

I know that name. Toshiro thought. He pulled out the piece of paper, and he was right to do so. Right next to the name HARRIS was the name NATHAN.

"Nathan…" Toshiro said. "According to this, he transferred schools six months into his first year at Ren's school in 2007. I thought he was expelled." Toshiro tried to find a sign that it was fake. Nothing. This thing was genuine. Toshiro got the rucksack off his back, unzipped it and placed the sheet of paper inside it. He somehow felt that was important, especially considering the misleading information he originally had, but he didn't like the fact that it was about a person he couldn't stand.

"While I'm at it, I should get these village records, too, just for good measure." Toshiro got another box out and took out the files that had the records of the residents in each village. The bag was getting significantly heavier, but it wasn't anything Toshiro couldn't handle. "Now, let's see…" Toshiro made sure the previous two boxes were back where he found them so nobody would get suspicious and went deeper into the room. He stopped when he saw a box on a shelf a little higher up. He couldn't read most of the label, but the visible part clearly said RED, which could only mean one thing.

There it is! Toshiro thought. He dragged a stepladder over, climbed up and reached up for the box. He still couldn't quite reach it. His fingers brushed up against it, but it wasn't enough to move it. He stood up on his toes, and eventually, it shifted under his fingers until he could slide it off the shelf. He almost slammed it on the table under the weight. Toshiro was glad that nobody could see him stand on his toes due to his height. Unbeknownst to him, the movement of the box made a pink notebook fall off the shelf and onto the table. Toshiro stepped off the ladder, and again, moved it back where he found it before turning his attention back to the box. After shifting through the papers for a few minutes, Toshiro realised it contained just some treasury information and accounts. Toshiro looked at the shelf he got it from. There were quite a few boxes with the word REDWOOD written on it. There was no way around it. He was going to have to go through all of them. Dragging the stepladder back, Toshiro picked up the previous box and put it back, dropping the second one on the table. This one certainly looked more promising. He found a dossier labelled THORNTON.

That name… Toshiro thought, narrowing his eyes a little. Where have I heard it before? Wait…that's it! Toshiro remembered when Ren fell asleep in class. Ren blurted that name out when she woke up. Toshiro opened the file. He saw the profile of a man with a balding head, a blue shirt with white stripes and matching white collar, a black tie with a pattern of silver roses and black suspenders. Alex Thornton. He owns a chain of businesses, the most successful one is a winery, has one child, lives in Redwood, and… Toshiro scanned through the rest of the document, and found a section about the role that person has in the village. He's the head of Redwood, and…the strongest? But, I thought the Conner family was the strongest. Well, this is dated six years ago. Maybe things have changed. While Toshiro thought this, he closed the file and placed it in the rucksack.

"I'll take a list of the residents, too." Toshiro took that folder out and placed it with the others he'd collected. Suddenly, he heard a door creak open, followed by footsteps that were gradually getting louder. "Someone's coming!" Quickly, Toshiro grabbed the rucksack and threw it under a table before crawling under it himself. He shifted a few boxes that were under the table with him so that he was hidden a little more from view. Just as he was confident that he wouldn't be seen, Toshiro heard a beep and a click, followed by the door opening. He saw a pair of legs walk in, and Toshiro realised too late that he hadn't put the Redwood box back where he found it. Was this person going to find out someone else was here? The man stood in the centre of the room for a moment, and Toshiro didn't even dare to breathe for fear of being discovered, covering his mouth with his hand for good measure. After a few tense seconds, there was a thud noise above Toshiro's head, the figure turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. The footsteps started to fade away, and Toshiro heard the creak of the entrance to the hall. That person had left. Toshiro finally allowed himself to relax, letting out the breath he had been holding.

"That was too close." Toshiro sighed, crawling out from under the table. He dragged the rucksack out and practically threw it onto the table. "What did that guy bring here?" Toshiro went to area the person dumped the heavy object. It was a cardboard box he hadn't seen before. And it was labelled MEDICAL. Toshiro was tempted to go through it, but decided against it. He already had one close call, and he wasn't going to get another one. So, Toshiro zipped up the rucksack and threw it onto his back. He had enough information for now. He'd just have to go through it when he got back to his room. Toshiro opened the door, and he was about to leave when he remembered that the Redwood box was still on the table.

I'd better put that back. Toshiro thought. He picked up the box, climbed on the stepladder and placed the box back. He jumped down and, just as he was about to leave again, he noticed a flash of bright colour in the corner of his eye.

"Hm?" Toshiro looked at the bright colour. It was a bright pink fluffy notebook decorated with rhinestones, butterflies and flowers. It had to be the girliest book Toshiro had ever seen. Toshiro made out some silver thread in a plain pink rectangle that looped to form some words. Looking closer, it said 'My Diary'.

"A diary? What's that doing here?" Toshiro wondered out loud, reaching out to grab it out of curiosity.

…

"Ah, there it is!" Katelyn saw the village hall of Hazelford and began to walk up the path towards it. She had just come from school, as evidenced by the green jumper, white polo shirt and black trousers of her uniform. She was carrying a folder under her arm while keeping her hands in her pockets. "I can't believe Altair is sending me to put this file in that room." Katelyn opened up the file and read through the files, which were clearly medical records. "That freakin' secretary forgot to put this in the box. He's probably already there. I ought to give him a piece of my mind. We can't afford any slip ups right now." Katelyn kept grumbling to herself all the way up to the hall. She stopped just outside of it. She shut the file and closed her eyes. She opened them after a few seconds and stared at the village hall, her eyes full of sadness. "I don't think I can do this anymore. I wish… I wish somebody could uncover the truth. Then it will all be over." Katelyn clenched the cuff of her jumper. "Izzy…" She whispered.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"What was that?" Katelyn gasped, running inside the village hall. "Are you alright?" She said quickly as soon as she got inside, and to her surprise, she saw Toshiro staggering back from around the corner and crashing into a table, knocking over some ornaments and shattering a vase of flowers in the process. "Toshiro?" Toshiro didn't respond. He just kept leaning against the table. And after taking a few cautious steps closer, Katelyn could tell that Toshiro looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were wide, he was out of breath and his face was paler then usual and dripping with sweat. "Toshiro, are you alright?" Katelyn asked again.

"?" Toshiro partially snapped himself out of his fear and looked at Katelyn, looking less scared than before.

"What happened?" Katelyn asked, her face full of concern. Toshiro said nothing, staring at her.

"I…" Toshiro started, trying to think of something to say, but he was still in shock, and his mind drew a blank. So, he muttered a quick "Gotta go!" and ran out of the building, leaving Katlyn alone and confused.

What happened? Katelyn thought. And did Toshiro come from… Katelyn looked around the corner and gasped. The door to the storage room was wide open.

"Oh, no." Katelyn said quietly, knowing full well what this meant.

…

"'Cos I love to make you smile, smile, smile, yes I do!" Ren sang loudly, walking towards her house while swinging her bag around. She rummaged through the pockets of her blazer for her house key. "It fills my heart with sunshine all the while, yes it does!" Ren finally found the key and smiled triumphantly. "'Cos' all I really need's a smile, smile, smile! From these happy friends of-" Ren was interrupted when her phone beeped. "Eh?" Ren got her phone out and looked at the screen after a few taps. "Aw, son of a…" Ren re-pocketed her key, turned around and walked down the street her house was on. "Baka Altair…" She turned the corner and carried on walking, but stopped when she heard hurried footsteps. "Huh? Is somebody running?" Ren turned around, and was whisked off her feet when somebody crashed into her. "Oof!" Ren landed on the ground with a thud. "Hey, are you okay?" Ren asked, sitting up. "Wait, Katelyn?" Katelyn was the person who had crashed into her, and she was brushing the dirt off her trousers.

"Sorry, Ren. I didn't see you there." Katelyn apologised, straightening her half ponytail.

"It's okay. Why were you running, though? Are you late for something?"

"No. I saw Toshiro earlier and he looked really weird. Then, he just ran off, so I chased after him. Have you seen him?"

"Uh…no. No, I haven't seen him since this morning. Is he okay?" Ren asked, suddenly concerned.

"Well, like I said, he was acting really strange."

"Define 'strange'." Ren said. After all, the situation that Toshiro and Ren were in was, by any definition, strange.

"He looked really freaked out. I don't think I've ever seen him that scared. I was just about to sort something out at the village hall, and he was there, too."

"Is that right…?" Ren said slowly.

Shiro really is investigating the villages. Ren thought. No wonder he pulled a sickie this afternoon.

"Hey, what's that?" Ren asked, pointing out the folder in Katelyn's hand.

"Ah!" Katelyn gasped, realising she still had it. "Oh, nothing! Nothing!" She insisted with a smile.

"Were you dropping that off at the village hall? I can do that for you if you want." Ren offered reaching out to take it, but Katelyn quickly pulled it out of Ren's reach.

"No, no, I should do it! I have to. Altair's orders." Katelyn said quickly.

"Altair?" Ren repeated. "Well, in that case, I'll leave it with you." Ren stood up and offered a hand to help Katelyn up, which she took. "I'm not one to defy Altair's orders."

"Thanks, Ren." Katelyn said with a happy smile.

"Speaking of Altair, he's called me in for another session." Ren brushed off the rest of the dirt on her skirt. "Love to chat, but you know what that old bastard says about tardiness."

"Go easy on him." Katelyn said, concerned. "He's doing this for your own good."

"Yeah, I know, I know. It's just annoying, that's all. And he has me popping these every day." Ren shook her bottle of pills before pocketing them again. "It's a total pain in the ass."

"That's not something a girl should say." Katelyn giggled.

"Well, it is!" Ren almost exclaimed. "I don't even know what they're for." Ren turned around and started to walk away. "See you later, Katelyn."

"See ya." Katelyn gave a small wave as Ren walked away. She looked at the folder she held in her hands. She didn't want Ren to see this. It would damage her in more ways than one. After all, Ren was quite a moral person, even if she didn't always come across like that. But, she could think of another person who would want to see this.

…

Toshiro hadn't moved from his desk since he ran back from the village hall. His hand was on his head as he tried to calm himself down, but he was obviously failing, since his hand was still shaking.

"Damn…" Toshiro muttered. "What was that?" Toshiro reached an arm up to wipe away any remnants of sweat on his face, but realised something was in his hand. He looked at it. It was the pink diary he found. He had been holding onto it the entire time. It immediately reminded Toshiro of what happened at the village hall. He remembered it so clearly. The moment he touched the book, his back started to burn. And then, he suddenly felt a rush of emotions and visions flashed before his eyes so quickly, he had no idea what they were. Al he knew was the pain that came from them. And, he couldn't see anything, but he heard the sounds all too well. Screaming. Laughing. Smashing. Burning. Toshiro shook his head to get those sounds out of his mind. He stared at the diary again. It was this thing that caused those images. He didn't know what they were. And he didn't want to know. He just knew that this diary caused him to experience something that horrifying. In a sudden fit of panic, Toshiro stood up and threw the diary across the room, where it hit the wall and fell on the floor. Toshiro turned his attention to the rucksack that he threw next to his bed without a second thought. After what he just went through, he seriously wasn't in the mood to go through what he found. It would have to wait. So, Toshiro pushed the bag under the bed with his foot, pushing it as far as he could get it. He noticed how his arm was still shaking after throwing that damned book, so he clenched it with his other hand and forced it to lower down to his side again

"Bad day?"

"?" Toshiro turned back around to his desk. Zena had appeared, dressed in Ren's school uniform and sitting on the chair. "Bad doesn't even begin to describe it."

"I know you had a vision, Toshiro." Zena said, getting straight to the point. "I can tell by the look on your face."

"…" Toshiro looked away from Zena, and she took that as confirmation that she was right.

"Whatever is happening in the future, it's big, especially if your reaction is anything to go by."

"Right." Toshiro muttered. He could remember how he had suddenly screamed and staggered out of the room, smashing a vase in the process. And Katelyn saw him to boot. How embarrassing. Wait, Katelyn? "Oh, damn! I left the door to the storage room open!"

"Katelyn closed it." Zena said, bringing Toshiro's attention back to her. "But, I don't think she's going to tell anyone that she saw you. In fact, she wants this conspiracy you're investigating to end."

"Really? How do you know that?"

"I overheard Katelyn talking to herself outside. I heard her clearly say 'I wish somebody would uncover the truth.' I don't know what her reasons are, but she might be a good ally in this investigation of yours."

"Right." Toshiro nodded. At least now he had a few more leads, the rest of which were hidden under a bed.

"Now, about those visions…"

"Forget it." Toshiro said bluntly, folding his arms. "I don't know what I saw in the village hall. Hell, I heard things more than saw them."

"…" Zena narrowed her eyes a little. "Is it that you don't know…or that you don't want to know?"

"It's…" Toshiro started, but found himself trailing off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Toshiro, this is important. Your personal feelings can't get in the way. I know this. Believe me, I've seen Ryuki react like this to some visions, but no matter what, he would try and recollect what he saw. Do you know why? Because it was his duty to Cielvia and to me. And you have a duty to your world, your friends…and to Ren."

"…" After hearing Ren's name, something inside Toshiro clicked. Zena was right. Even if he didn't want to experience those visions again, he knew that he had to. It may be linked to this mystery, after all. "Fine." Toshiro looked back at Zena. "But I'm telling you, I really don't remember what I saw. It all happened so quickly."

"I can help with that." Zena stood up from the chair and stood in front of Toshiro before she placed a hand on his head. Again, Toshiro was surprised when he could feel the warmth and solidness of her hand as if she were in a physical body. Toshiro could faintly see a white light around her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm aware of how your back burns when in a Cielvian presence. I'm going to use my healing power to lessen the pain."

"I see…"

"Because you encountered a powerful Cielvian descendant like Ren, your body reacted to her presence, and you got Ryuki's powers earlier than you should have. As Epona said, you would have obtained his powers, and his markings, when you reached the same technical age as him. So, since you lack the markings, your back now burns whenever there is a Cielvian force nearby. The stronger the force, the stronger the burning."

"How do you know all this?" Toshiro asked, suspicious about how she would know so much about something that has never happened before. But, it did confirm that theory he came up with. Though he can't say he was looking forward to how it would feel when faced with a particularly strong Cielvian presence, especially if that force he felt in Redwood's tunnel was anything to go by.

"I didn't." Zena said with a shrug and a smile. "I just figured it out."

"Riiiight." Toshiro said slowly, finding yet another trait Ren and Zena had in common. "And you do realise I'm almost ten times as old as Ryuki, right?"

"I know, I know, that's why I said technical age." Zena said dismissively, waving her other hand airily. "Anyway, we should get started on finding out what you saw. Are you ready?"

"I guess." Toshiro grumbled, still a little reluctant to see the visions again.

"Good. Now, I want you to shut your eyes. Just trust me." Zena said the last part as an afterthought, still sensing some form of reluctance in Toshiro. Toshiro obeyed and closed his eyes, but not without giving off a groan of complaint, which made Zena roll her eyes out of amusement. "Toshiro, I want you to think back to that moment you had those visions. Don't focus on anything else. Remember the instant those images flashed before your eyes. Remember what you thought. What you felt. Focus on those moments and those moments only."

"Uh-huh." Toshiro muttered. After a few seconds, Zena saw his eyes twitch ever so slightly, so the healing glow around her hand increased until the twitching stopped.

"Do you see anything?"

"I think so." Toshiro answered.

"What can you see? Tell me."

"I see…spiders."

"Spiders?" Zena repeated.

"And…something else…Something…What is that?...AAAAAAH!" Toshiro suddenly staggered back from Zena's hand and collapsed onto his bed, hitting his head on the wall in the process.

"Toshiro! Are you alright?" Zena asked, not expecting that reaction out of Toshiro.

"I'm fine." Toshiro grumbled, sitting up while rubbing his head.

"What happened?"

"I don't know I…I guess those visions caught me off guard a little."

"Do you remember what you saw?"

"Yes, I do. And I know I saw them a few days earlier, too."

"What?" Zena gasped. "Toshiro, tell me what your visions were."

"Right. They were…" Toshiro glanced away for a moment as he tried to recollect his thoughts. "Spiders… A jagged R…Shattered glass… Bubbles underwater…And blood being splattered on tree trunks."

"Anything else?" Zena asked. Toshiro nodded, a grave look on his face.

"Buildings collapsing. Fire; a lot of it. And, standing in the flames…a girl."

"A girl?" Zena repeated. "Do you know who she is?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't get a look at her face. But, she had long blonde hair, and she wore the lower school uniform of Ren's school. I think she was about eleven years old, maybe twelve."

"So it seems that the next step is to find this girl and warn her about the future if you wish to change it."

"Looks like it." Toshiro agreed. "But there are hundreds of students at that school. The girl I saw could be any of them."

"You'll find her, Toshiro." Zena reassured smiling. "And you will uncover this conspiracy. I know you will."

"Thanks, Zena. But right now, I'm not sure what I'm doing. It seems that every time I find something, I just dig more holes." Toshiro ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "This is just one mystery after another."

"Toshiro…" Zena said quietly.

"Shiro?! You here?!"

"Ren's back." Toshiro said, recognising the voice and the nickname.

"Be careful, Toshiro."

"I will." With that, Zena vanished, and moments after, the door to Toshiro's room opened, and Ren came in.

"Ah, there you are! Hey, you look weird. You're not ill, are you?" Ren asked, her face quickly going from cheerful to worried.

"I feel a little weird." Toshiro answered, and he was telling the truth. Those visions he had kept giving him a headache. Were they meant to be this vivid?

"Aw, man! And here I thought you were playing hooky! I'll stick the kettle on." With that, Ren trotted out of the room and downstairs.

"That's not a solution to anything!" Toshiro called down the stairs, leaning over the banister a little.

"I'm British! It's everyone's solution to everything!" Ren called back, and Toshiro could faintly hear the kettle being switched on and starting to boil.

"Geez…" Toshiro sighed, scratching his head.

Driiiiiiiing!

"Shiro, can you get that?"

"Okay." Toshiro went down the stairs to answer the door, noticing how he couldn't see anybody through the bobbly window. He opened the door to find…nothing. There was nobody at the door. Thinking they had been ding-dong ditched, Toshiro looked left and right for a sign of anybody. "Is someone there?" He called out. "Hello?" No answer. A breeze passed through, and Toshiro heard a fluttering sound from beneath him. "Hm?" He looked down. There was a brown folder on the doormat. Toshiro picked it up, suspicious. He opened up the folder, and the first thing that caught his eye was the hastily written pencil message on the inside of the folder. It read 'Keep this to yourself!' Toshiro inspected the first sheet of paper in the file. It was dated 2006. The same year as the Blank Fortnight. And the date was not too long after that fortnight, either. Whatever this was, it was some valuable information. Quickly, Toshiro went back inside the house. Unbeknownst to him, Katelyn was hiding just around the corner of the house.

That should help you. Katelyn thought. She started to walk away from Ren's house. This is all I can do. I just hope he stays away from the forest. Toshiro…please…end this.

…

"Hey, who was at the door?" Ren asked, pouring some water into a mug.

"Oh, uh, nobody." Toshiro lied, hiding the folder inside his jacket and keeping it tucked under his arm without Ren noticing. "It was a prank."

"Wow, I didn't think people still did that." Ren tapped the excess liquid off a teaspoon inside the mug before setting it on a saucer full of old teabags. "There's your tea, Shiro."

"Thanks. By the way, you were a little late getting home today. Did something happen?"

"Altair happened." Ren said, disgruntled.

"Is he really that bad?"

"Have one conversation with him and find out."

"Did you have another session with him?"

"I think so."

"Huh?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow, confused. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Every time I see Altair, I always forget about our meetings. I don't remember what happens or what we talk about." Ren said without realising how unusual what she just said really was. Ren walked past Toshiro and out of the kitchen. "If you want me I'll be in my room."

"Sure." Toshiro picked up the mug of tea and took a quick swig. For some reason, he felt a lot less dizzy, and his headache had subsided a little. "I guess the British were onto something." Toshiro thought up loud, heading back towards the stairs.

But what Ren said earlier does bother me. Toshiro thought. She can't remember her meetings with Altair? Just what is she seeing him for? Doe she hypnotise her?

"And then there's this…" Toshiro took the folder out from his jacket and dropped it on his desk. "This must be valuable information if somebody dropped it off with that message." Toshiro placed a hand on the folder. "Did Katelyn leave it? Well, Zena did say she was sick of this conspiracy. It wouldn't be strange if she did." Toshiro picked up the folder and put it inside a desk drawer quickly, just in case somebody happened to walk in on him. He'll have to look at it later. "In any case, I should ask Ren about her meetings with Altair, and see what else she can tell me about the year 2006. And that's all I'm going to do." Toshiro walked out of his room and towards Ren's.

"I can't stop now. I haven't stopped for six years."

"Six years?" Toshiro repeated, overhearing a voice. It was Ren's father. And it was coming from his study. Toshiro quickly poured the rest of his tea into a nearby house plant and put it up against the door, listening in.

"I know you can't, but haven't we left her in the dark long enough?"

That sound like Ren's mother. Toshiro thought, recognising the other voice.

"Sometimes, I just feel like we need to tell her the truth." Ren's mother continued.

"Why? So she can relive every horrible moment in her head? You know how active her imagination is. It's better that she can't remember."

Who are they talking about? Toshiro thought, narrowing his eyes a little.

"Yes, but she's not a child anymore. She's bound to remember own her own eventually."

"And that's why she's seeing a psychiatrist."

"She's still a smart person. She'll figure it out. And then there's this…gift. She will remember."

"And then they'll take her away and lock her up again. I don't want that to happen. None of us do. That's why we started this in the first place. We have to keep everything secret, no matter what."

"…" Toshiro remained silent, thinking that this was making more mysteries than it was solving. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Without making a sound, Toshiro backed away from the door and hid inside another room just as the study door opened. Toshiro remained out of sight as Ren's parents walked out of the study, past the room he was hiding in and down the stairs, but he could still hear them talk as they walked.

"This is all too much. I'm not sure I can keep this up anymore."

"I feel the same way, love. But this is for her own good."

"Every time I lie to her, I feel dreadful. Ren hates it when people lie."

"Ren?" Toshiro said quietly. Were they talking about her? He snuck out of the room he was hiding in, walked quietly to the stair banister and leaned over a little to hear their conversation a little better.

"I know how she feels. There's nothing we can do."

"But, I think she's going to remember soon. She has that gift of hers. And then there's…"

"Don't worry. Ren's a tough girl. She can take care of herself."

"We're her parents. That doesn't stop us from worrying."

"I know, dear. I know."

"I've never seen one before, but it can't be easy for Ren to fight these Feathers."

"!" Toshiro let out a gasp and stumbled back until he hit the wall. "They know…" He muttered, his eyes shining and wide with shock. "They know about the Feathers." Toshiro dropped his mug on the carpeted floor, but he didn't notice or even hear it drop. He ran off straight to Ren's room and burst into it without knocking. "Ren! You're not going to believe what I just heard!"

"What is it?" Ren asked, her yellow t-shirt halfway on her body and the belt of her jeans undone. After realising what he had just walked in on, Toshiro instantly turned red in the face.

"Sorry!" He blurted out quickly, before literally jumping out of Ren's room and closing the door behind him, leaning on it as if to make sure it was closed. He wasn't even thinking when he ran into Ren's room! But, he was more concerned about Ren's reaction to his barging in. Just as Toshiro was thinking about this, he heard Ren's door click, and he backed away from it so that Ren could come out, now fully dressed.

"You were saying?" Ren asked, as if what just happened never happened.

"Ren…" Toshiro started, unable to comprehend Ren's completely indifferent attitude. "I just walked in on you getting dressed." He said slowly.

"And?" Ren asked, an innocent look on her face.

"Well…Aren't girls supposed to scream and call the boy who walked in a pervert?"

"?" Ren cocked her head to the side, genuinely confused.

"What I'm saying is, guys aren't supposed to see girls in their underwear." Toshiro explained, starting to feel himself get exasperated.

"And what are bikinis if not underwear you can swim in?" Ren asked simply.

"?" Now it was Toshiro's turn to look confused.

"Look, I don't get why girls are so fussy about being seen in their underwear. Birthday suits, I can understand, but underwear?" Ren shrugged with a sigh. "It's completely ridiculous. I mean, underwear and swimsuits look exactly the same. The only difference is that one is more suited to swimming than the other."

"That makes sense." Toshiro said slowly. Ren's logic never ceased to amaze him.

"And you didn't mean to walk in on me, did you?"

"…" Toshiro shook his head.

"Then there's no need to make a big deal about it!" Ren said cheerfully, complete with her signature smile.

"I guess…" Toshiro said, looking away. He was so embarrassed about walking in on her, he had completely forgotten what he was going to say. So, he thought about what he did before this conversation occurred. He was going to tell Ren something important. He saw her getting dressed. This conversation occurred.

Hang on… Toshiro thought, thinking back to walking in on Ren again. He hadn't noticed before, but there was something on Ren's left upper arm. A white cloth bandage.

"Ren, did you injure yourself?" Toshiro asked.

"I don't think so." Ren answered. "Why?"

"I saw a bandage on your left arm. Right here." Toshiro pointed at the designated area on his own arm. Ren rolled up her sleeve to get a look at her arm. Toshiro was right. There was indeed a white bandage around her left arm. "Oooooh, that."

"Did you get hurt?" Toshiro asked again.

"Uuuuuuuhhhh…I 'unno." Ren shrugged.

"You don't know?" Toshiro said flatly.

"Nope." Ren shook her head.

"You must know if you got injured enough to get a bandage. Here, let me have a look at it." Toshiro reached out to undo the knot.

"No!" Ren slapped Toshiro's hand away without warning, surprising both of them. "I mean, no. I can't let you take it off. I was told not to."

"Who told you?"

"I don't know. I just can't let anybody else touch it."

"Well…can you?" Toshiro asked, thinking he had found a loop hole.

"Yeah, I can."

"So why don't you take it off?"

"I don't see why not." Ren tugged at the knot on her bandage, and as soon as it loosened, Ren started to unwrap it, while Toshiro never took his eyes away from it. After a few seconds, the rest of the bandage feel away, leaving Ren's arm bare. Ren twisted her body enough so that Toshiro could see what was underneath that bandage. He let out a sharp gasp. There on Ren's arm was the letter R, and it had evidently been carved into her arm.

That scar… Toshiro thought. It's the same one in my vision!

"When…Where did you get that scar?"

"I don't know." Ren said. "I've had it for a while now, and of all the scars I've got, that's the only one I know nothing about. But..." Ren looked away, a sad look in her eyes; a rarity for somebody like her, and that was what compelled Toshiro to listen closely. "Every time I look at it, I feel…ashamed. And humiliated. Like this mark was some kind of punishment, or maybe a lesson. So, I was told to keep it under a bandage, and I was the only one who could take it off. But, just to be sure, I try to wear clothes that cover my arms. Because that feeling I get when I look at it, even if it's just a glance…I hate it."

"I didn't know." Toshiro said quietly, feeling guilty for bringing it up. Although, it did make logical sense. Ren did seem to wear a lot of clothes that covered most of her arms, and on the one occasion she didn't, Toshiro didn't care as much for Ren as he did now to even notice the bandage was there.

"So, is that what you wanted to see me about?" Ren asked, starting to wrap the bandage around her arm again.

"Right!" Toshiro snapped back to attention, remembering why he was there. "Ren, do you know if anything significant happened in the year 2006?"

"No idea." Ren answered right away.

"Okay, uh…" Toshiro tried to make the question a bit broader. "Do you know if anything unusual happened in 2006?"

"No idea." Ren said again without a moment's hesitation, tugging on the ends of her bandage with one hand and her teeth afterwards. Toshiro was silent for a couple seconds, stunned at her answers.

"Do you know if anything happened in 2006?" Toshiro asked cautiously.

"Nope." Ren shook her head, pulling her sleeve over the bandage, covering it up again. "I have no idea what happened in 2006."

"You don't?"

"Nuh uh." Ren said simply, not looking the least bit bothered by her memory loss. "All I know is that I started year seven, and that's it. It was just an ordinary year. I don't remember a lot about it, but I don't mind. I mean, if I can't remember, then it must have been pretty boring, right?"

"Yeah...sure…" Toshiro said hesitantly. Ren not remembering something was unusual for her. She usually remembered whatever happened in the village whenever it happened.

"Is that what you wanted to tell me? You sounded really, what's the word, alarmed when you came into my room."

"Oh, that's it!" Toshiro had remembered the second and most important reason why he ran to Ren. "Ren, your mother and father know about the existence of Feathers!"

"What?!" Ren gasped, wide eyed.

"And they know that you're fighting them! They've known for a long time! I heard them talking about it just now!"

"Oh, no. Oh, no no no no nononono!" Ren said quickly, jumping from one foot to the other and flapping her hands. "This isn't good! I gotta talk to them!" Ren walked past Toshiro briskly.

"Wait!" Toshiro grabbed Ren's arm, stopping her.

"Huh?" Ren turned around to look at Toshiro. "What's wrong?"

"Well…maybe we should keep this between us for now. Your parents have been…busy these past few days. Telling them something like this…well, that would cause unnecessary stress, don't you think?" Toshiro explained, making sure that he chose his words carefully.

"Ah, that's a good point." Ren agreed, shrugging Toshiro's grip off her arm. "You're so smart, Shiro!"

"Well, I do try." He said with a modest shrug, trying to lighten the mood a little. First Ren had a mysterious scar on her arm, then she had little recollection of the year 2006, and now her parents know about what she's been doing? This was starting to get messed up. But, since Ren clearly didn't know about the anniversary, it gave Toshiro a good excuse to keep her out of his investigating. And that's the way he intended to keep it.

…

"Back again, Toshiro? Ren tells me you had a cold." Ren's form teacher said.

"Uh…yeah. I'm all better now." Toshiro said, going along with what the teacher said.

"Forgot to tell you. Sorry." Ren whispered sheepishly.

"Well, good. Now, on with the register." The teacher went on with her business, leaving Toshiro and Ren alone together.

"You're still investigating, aren't you?" Ren asked in a hushed voice. Toshiro confirmed Ren's question with a nod. "Geez…Well, keep away from the village heads, especially Altair, is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Alright."

"You're really not going to stop me?" Toshiro asked.

"Nope." Ren shook her head.

"Well…thank you."

While I'm here, I'll be able to interrogate Ren's friends about this anniversary. Toshiro thought. None of them know that I'm telepathic, so if they're lying, I'll know.

"So, Ren, I've got to know…" Toshiro looked directly at Ren, and Ren looked back, wearing her usual blank expression. "Does the name Redwood really mean nothing to you?"

"Nope. It doesn't mean anything." Ren answered.

"…" Toshiro narrowed his eyes a little, focusing on reading her thoughts.

"Redwood? That's not something I've heard of."

Good. Toshiro thought. I can still read minds. This shouldn't be a problem.

"Right, that's the register taken care of. Your first lesson is in five minutes. I suggest you head off now."

"Yosh." Ren hoisted her bag on her shoulder. "Shiro, we have free period first, so I'm going to the library. You go ahead and do your thing."

"Yeah." Toshiro said, not really paying attention. Toshiro sat down at a table in the form room and waited until everybody had left. When he was certain he was the only one in the room, Toshiro went into his pocket and got out the sheet of paper he had been writing on the other day. He got out a pen, pulled off the lid with his teeth and started to write, spitting the pen lid out on the table.

So far, I found out that Nathan transferred schools the year after the anniversary, when I was originally led to believe that he was expelled after Ren ratted him out to the staff. Toshiro wrote Nathan's name among the many other names and notes he had written down. And then there's that tunnel. I went there yesterday before going to the village hall, and I went down the path leading to Redwood. Toshiro glanced at his back. My back burned again, but I just ignored it and carried on. Toshiro went back to writing. But, when I got there…the entrance was completely sealed off. It was blocked with rubble and debris. There was no way I was getting in there. So, the only entrance I know is gone. I'll have to find some other way to get inside.

"I'll have to go through those files I found, too." Toshiro said to himself. "It will be risky, but I might have to make another trip to that room." Toshiro's fingers intertwined with his hair. "Then there's that damn diary. Why was that there?" Toshiro's mind instinctively thought back to the visions he had, which he found extremely difficult to push to the back of his mind, simple because what he saw, what he heard, and even what he smelt, were still etched deeply into his memory.

No! Toshiro closed his eyes and shook his head. Stop thinking about it! Toshiro grabbed the notes he made and stuffed them back into his pocket, standing up and recapping his pen at the same time. Time to get started.

"Zena?" Toshiro said. "Are you here?" No sooner did he say this, Zena appeared by his side.

"Did you call?"

"I have something I need you to do. I want you to find any twelve year old girls at this school with long blonde hair."

"You're looking for the girl in your vision, aren't you?" Zena asked. Toshiro nodded. "You know that if you warn her about the future she probably won't believe you, right?"

"I have to try. I already failed to prevent the future once…" This comment immediately made Toshiro think back to the Nathan incident, making Toshiro clench his hand into a fist. "And I don't want that to happen again."

"Very well." Zena vanished, and Toshiro was alone again. But, he soon left the common room and walked down the corridor. He had his own job to do.

…

"Only a few more days." Tom sighed, slouching in the blue chairs of the common room. Steph and Nathan were there with him, and they both had solemn looks on their faces.

"I think a lot of people are having doubts about this cover up." Steph said. "Especially Katelyn. I don't think I've ever seen her like this."

"…" Toshiro said nothing, staring into the common room through the window, yet he went unseen.

"I'm sure she'll be back to normal after all this is over." Nathan said, trying to reassure and cheer up Steph and Tom.

"Yeah, but she's not the only one I'm worried about. Toshiro has been snooping around recently. He might find out about Redwood."

He said it! Toshiro thought. He focused on Tom, trying to read his thoughts.

"I hope Toshiro doesn't tell Ren about Redwood."

So he's lying. Toshiro thought. What about Stephanie? Toshiro turned his attention to Stephanie.

"Not so loud." Steph said in a hushed voice. "Somebody might hear us. And Redwood has never existed, remember?"

"And that's the way I intend to keep it. Nobody must find out about Redwood's existence."

That's two. Now… Toshiro looked directly at Nathan, ready to read his thoughts, even though he loathed the idea of getting into his head. But, considering the fact that his file was in the secret room, Toshiro decided going onto Nathan's mind was worth it to uncover the truth.

"What are you talking about, Steph? That's a lie. Redwood exists."

"…" Toshiro started to go into Nathan's thoughts.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Eh?" Toshiro stepped back from the door. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. It didn't make any sense!

"Oh. Toshiro, why are you spacing out here?" Steph said with a smile as she left the common room. "Come on, it's break time. Let's go to the cafeteria."

"Uh…sure." Toshiro said hesitantly, still reeling a little from what he had just heard. Steph, Tom and Nathan went ahead while Toshiro followed them slowly.

"Toshiro…" Zena started appearing by Toshiro's side and hovering next to him as he walked. "I just went all over the school grounds. I couldn't find a girl matching your description. There are no year sevens with long blonde hair." Toshiro said nothing. "So what did you find out?" Again, no response. Zena floated directly in front of Toshiro. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, what?" Toshiro said, snapping out of his daze. Zena rolled her eyes with a groan.

"I said that I couldn't find any year sevens girls with long blonde hair. You won't believe how many students here have brown hair."

"Damn." Toshiro cursed. "Are you sure you didn't find anybody?"

"I even went to the athletic grounds, and nothing. You must have been mistaken."

"I don't make mistakes like that." Toshiro said impatiently.

"Hey, what's got your knickers in a twist, then?"

"What?" Toshiro said, looking directly at Zena with a puzzled expression on his face,

"Oh, it's just a saying I heard some of these people say. It's amazing how different the British are from others."

"What do you want to know?" Toshiro asked, trying to get Zena back on track. It was so amazing yet so annoying how similar Ren and Zena were.

"Right, right. So, why are you acting so short tempered? Well, you're always short tempered, but you're a lot shorter tempered than usual."

"I'm just confused."

"About what?" Zena asked, landing on the ground and walking next to Toshiro, her footsteps tapping the ground like she was a solid person.

"I just interrogated Ren and her friends. Tom and Stephanie are obviously lying, because while they denied the existence of Redwood out loud, their thoughts said otherwise."

"You're reading their minds? Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

"I don't want to hear that from a ghost that can go through walls."

"Eheheh." Zena laughed sheepishly. "You got me there."

"Anyway, Nathan said that Redwood does exist, and his thoughts said that, too. But, this is where it gets confusing."

"Oh?" Zena leaned closer towards Toshiro.

"I asked Ren is she heard of Redwood, and she said she hadn't. She's a member of the head families, so if anyone knows about the villages, it's her. I read her mind, and it said exactly the same thing."

"What are you saying?" Zena asked. Toshiro stopped walking just outside of the cafeteria doors. He leaned on the wall, his eyes staring at his shoes and his hands in his pockets.

"I'm saying that what Ren and Nathan said and thought both match, yet what they said are complete opposites. One denies Redwood's existence, yet the other confirms it." Toshiro placed a hand on his head, unable to get around this fact. "They're both telling the truth."

"…" Zena was silent, contemplating this situation. She folded her arms and tapped her foot a couple times. For some reason, Toshiro could hear her foot tapping all too clearly, despite her being a spirit. "I think I know why."

"You do?" Toshiro shot his head up to look at Zena, eager to put this mystery to rest.

"I don't think Ren is one to lie, do you?"

"Trust me; if she lied, I'd know."

"And Nathan was telling the truth, correct?"

"Oddly, yes."

"I think we're dealing with a case of amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Toshiro repeated.

"Precisely." Zena nodded. "Remember when Ren told you she had little to no memory of the year 2006?"

"Yes?"

"What if something happened to Ren that made her forget about the existence of another village?"

"You think that's possible?"

"You sensed the Cielvian presence on the edge of Redwood. At this point, I think it's safe to assume that there are Cielvian forces at work here."

"Speaking of Cielvian forces…" Toshiro started, turning his attention to the cafeteria entrance.

"Toshiro?"

"There's something Cielvian in there." Toshiro pushed the doors open and went straight inside. Zena remained outside for a while, still thinking this situation over.

I get the feeling something much bigger is involved. Zena thought. I've recently been getting the feeling something happened to me six years ago. Zena narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. But what? I'll have to find out. With that thought lingering in her mind, Zena disappeared.

…

"Hey, guys! What took ya?!" Ren said cheerfully, complete with her signature smile.

"Sorry, sorry." Steph apologised with a smile. "We uh…we were helping Nathan with his homework. You know how hopeless he is."

"Hey!" Nathan nearly exclaimed, mildly insulted.

"None of the Soul Reapers are here, then." Ren said, looking behind her for a red pineapple, an orange carrot top, a buxom woman or a petite girl, but nothing. Even Toshiro wasn't there. "And where's Shiro?"

"He'll catch up." Tom reassured Ren.

"Yeah, I guess. And I suppose the others are patrolling the area for Feathers. I did sense a few appearing today, but I guess they took care of them."

"Enough chit chat. Let's get some food!" Steph exclaimed, marching towards the tills.

"Come on, Nathan. I'll buy you a donut." Tom said.

"I don't even like donuts." Nathan complained.

"True, but there's a cute girl serving them."

"Outta my way!" Nathan was promptly gone and at the counter, while Tom chuckled and calmly followed him.

"Womaniser." Ren grumbled, starting to sympathise with Toshiro about why he didn't like Nathan. But nonetheless, she followed Steph and the boys towards the tills and the smell of food. Ren shielded her eyes from the sudden glare of the sun. She looked to her right at the high windows lining the cafeteria. The sun was shining particularly bright today, and it was too bad those windows didn't have curtains while the ones lower down and lining the lower wall of one cafeteria wall did. The sun didn't even shine there! Ren heard laughter among the chatter of students and the clinking of cutlery on plates. But, it wasn't friendly or joyful. It was mocking. Ren stopped walking, still staring up at the windows.

"Huh?" Tom noticed how Ren had stopped walking. "Hey, Ren, you alright?"

"…" Ren didn't hear Tom talking to her. All she could hear was the sound of mocking laughter. Then, a crack. Ren could see cracks forming on the windows flowed by a deafening shatter. The windows lining the canteen, and the windows lower down, had suddenly shattered. The shards were slowly…slowly…falling to the ground. But, nobody reacted. Not even Ren. She just stared up at the glass-less windows, her eyes widening slowly. She had never seen anything like this before. Yet, she also felt like it was familiar at the same time.

"Ren!"

"!" Ren gasped and turned to the source of the voice. Toshiro was right there by her side.

"Are you alright?" Toshiro asked.

"…" Ren looked up at the windows. They were fine. No cracks. No missing shards. They were fully intact. Ren looked around at the other windows. They were also intact. What was that just now?

"Ren?"

"Oh, sorry, Shiro." Ren said happily. "I zoned out again."

"You really need to stop doing that in a busy place like this. It's dangerous."

"Hey, I said that to you the other day!" Ren whined, annoyed that Toshiro was giving her a lecture that she had given him before.

"Ren, is everything okay?" Tom asked.

"Yup! Everything's hunky dory!" Ren said with her smile. "Let's eat!" Ren trotted past Tom, humming to herself. But, Toshiro couldn't help but notice how Ren rubbed her head and reach into her pocket. Toshiro was on full alert when he saw an orange cylinder with a white cap in her hand. It was her pills.

"Ren." Toshiro went straight to Ren's side, just as she was pouring herself a glass of water from a table full of glasses and jugs of water. "Why do you take those pills?"

"Eh?" Ren looked at the cylinder. "Oh, these things? They're nothing."

"It certainly doesn't look like nothing." Toshiro insisted. He knew full well what those pills did; he just wanted to hear from Ren herself. "What do they do?"

"I dunno." Ren said simply, taking a couple out from the container and placing them on the table so that she could put the rest away.

"You don't know what they are…and you're taking them." Toshiro said, trying to clarify what Ren just said.

"Yup." Ren said. "Altair prescribed them to me. He said I should take them whenever I have a pounding headache."

"Aren't you supposed to take aspirin's for that?"

"The hell is that?" Ren asked, popping the pills in her mouth and swallowing a gulp of water.

"He means paracetamol." Tom said.

"Oooooh. Yeah, you'd think so, but this isn't that kind of headache."

"Then what are they for?" Toshiro demanded, getting frustrated.

"I told you, I don't know." Ren's grip started to tighten on the glass.

"Don't push her, Toshiro." Tom said, noticing how Ren was getting upset.

"Stop asking me these questions, Shiro. I don't kn-" All of a sudden, Ren's glass broke in her hand, cutting into her skin enough to draw blood. The water from the glass made the blood run and drip on the table.

"Ren!" Toshiro grabbed Ren's wrist, inspecting the cuts on her hand. "What happened?!"

"I have no clue." Ren answered, confused. "I wasn't even gripping it that hard."

"Come on, I'm taking you to the medical office." Toshiro, keeping his grip on Ren's arm, led Ren out of the cafeteria while she trotted behind him, insisting that she was fine. Tom stared after them, and Nathan joined him by his side, holding two donuts. They looked at each other, and shared their silent concern.

…

"Shiro, I appreciate your concern, but this was totally unnecessary." Ren said for the millionth time, sitting on the bed of the medical office while her hand was resting on a table with a towel underneath it.

"And I told you it is necessary." Toshiro said for the millionth time also, leaning on the wall. "I know you can regenerate, but what if glass got in those wounds? Then what? The injuries will heal with the glass still trapped inside."

"Fair enough." Ren gave in, just as a man dressed in a white doctor's coat came in.

"Well, fortunately, you didn't get any glass in those wounds, but I'm still going to have to patch it up." The man went to Ren and dabbed at her hand with a cloth full of disinfectant, making Ren wince a little from the stinging. "It's nothing serious, so you should heal up in a few days. But, how did this happen exactly?"

"Uh…" Ren started trying to think of something that was more believable than breaking a glass in her hand.

"She dropped a glass and tried to tidy it up herself." Toshiro interrupted, knowing that any excuse Ren comes up with wouldn't be believable, even if everyone believed her anyway.

"I see. You really shouldn't have done that with your bare hands, uh…" The man peered over at a file on a table next to him. "Ren? That's a strange name."

"Yeah, I know." Ren said with a small smile. The man started to wrap a bandage around Ren's hand.

"It's not a name I've ever heard before. Is it short for something?"

"No it…it's just Ren." Ren said, and Toshiro couldn't help but notice how her tone was quite snappy, and his back was getting a little warmer.

"Well, that's interesting." The man tied a knot in the bandage and picked up the bottle of disinfectant to put it away. "I would have thought with a name like that it would be short for Renee or som-"

"It's Ren!" Ren suddenly snapped, and the bottle of disinfectant shattered in the doctor's hand.

"Oh." He said in surprise.

"Eh?" Ren blinked. "Are you okay?" Ren had suddenly calmed down and was instantly concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I guess I have a firmer grip than I thought." The doctor said with a smile. "I'll get some more disinfectant. You're free to go now." The doctor left the room, leaving Toshiro and Ren alone together.

"Well, that was weird." Ren said, hopping down from the bed and staring at the puddle of disinfectant, scratching her head. "Usually I have great control of my telekinesis, but this? This is new."

"Always?" Toshiro repeated. "That can't be right."

"What makes you say that?" Ren asked, looking at Toshiro.

"Because I'm the complete opposite. I can't go twenty minutes without accidentally moving something!" Toshiro waved an arm in exclamation, and as if on cue, the window of the medical room suddenly flew open, sending a sudden breeze into the room. "See?" Toshiro indicated the window.

"You're still a beginner, so it's understandable. Me? I've always had great control of my telekinesis. It's almost as if I've done it before." Ren smiled her smile at Toshiro. "Weird, huh?"

"Yeah. Weird." Toshiro agreed, closing the window. "But I hardly think talking about your name is a reason to break something."

"Eh? What are you on about?"

"That doctor was saying something about your name being short for something like Renee, you snapped at him, and then the bottle broke."

"I did?" Ren said, a blank look on her face. "That doesn't sound like me."

"That's what I'm saying. You weren't acting like yourself just now, and you did that." Toshiro pointed at the puddle and glass on the floor.

"Shiro, I don't think I'd break a bottle over something so trivial."

"Well, you did."

"How do you know you didn't do it?" Ren asked simply. "You can sense Cielvian magic, right?"

"Yes, but I can't tell if it's you using it or me."

"So it could have been you."

"I didn't do it!"

"Hey, I didn't say you did, I said you could have. I mean, it's unlikely that I did it."

"But you said telekinesis bursts out when in emotional stress, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"So you must have done it."

"Well, if I did, then I don't remember."

"How can you not remember something you did less than a minute ago?!" Toshiro yelled, getting frustrated with Ren's shorter than usual memory.

"I don't know, but I'm telling you, I have no idea how it happened! I don't know what the doctor said, and I don't know how the-Gh!" Ren's hands suddenly went to her head and her body was shaking from obvious pain.

"Hey, are-" Toshiro stopped himself when he felt an all too familiar sensation on his back that made him flinch. "What the…" Toshiro looked behind him. His back shouldn't be burning right now. There was nothing Cielvian here. Unless…Unless Ren's sudden headache was connected to his burning back somehow! Toshiro was brought back to the present when he heard the sound of something heavy being dropped. Toshiro turned back around, and was met with the sight of Ren lying on the ground, having suddenly collapsed. "Ren!" Toshiro dropped down onto his knees beside Ren. "Are you alright?" Toshiro managed to lift Ren's upper body off the ground, just as her eyes fluttered open.

"Shiro?" Ren said quietly, staring up at his face with half open eyes. She wearily looked around the room. "Eh? Why am I…here?" Ren looked at her bandaged hand. "Right…I got cut on some glass…I think…Wait…" Ren looked back at Toshiro. "Weren't we talking about something?"

"Nothing important." Toshiro lied.

She forgot again. Toshiro thought.

"!" Ren face suddenly flooded red when she realised how close she was to Toshiro. "Nya!" Ren pushed Toshiro away from her and crawled back from him, almost cutting her hands again from the glass of the disinfectant. "Sorry! Uuuu, this is so embarrassing!"

And now she's acting like nothing ever happened. Toshiro narrowed his eyes in thought. What's going on here?

"At any rate, we'd better head back to the cafeteria." Ren stood up off the ground, giving Toshiro her hand to help him stand up. "The others must be worried." Ren trotted out of the door humming a song to herself, but Toshiro stayed behind. After seeing Ren lose her short term memory so suddenly, Toshiro was starting to think that Ren might be linked to this anniversary more than he thought. He noticed that Ren's school file was still wide open on the table. Without a second thought, Toshiro swiped it from the table and left the room.

…

"Damn…" Toshiro sighed as soon as the door to his room was shut. He pulled off his necktie and threw it on the bed. He tossed his new file onto the desk and sat down behind it, staring at the file as if he were willing it to tell him what he wanted to know.

Let's see who you really are, Ren. Toshiro thought, opening the file. Let's start with seventh grade. Ren would be about twelve years old by then. Toshiro got out the files about Ren's first year at that school and scanned through the writing. There were a few minutes of silence as Toshiro read through the papers, broken only by the sound of papers being moved and shuffled around as Toshiro read through each one.

"That's odd…" Toshiro thought out loud.

"What's odd?" Zena asked, appearing by his side and peering over his shoulder, but he wasn't the least bit surprised at all, since he had become accustomed to Zena suddenly appearing.

"Look at this." Toshiro pointed at a page that showed Ren's grades of her first term. "These are her grades from September to December of 2005; the year she started school." Zena looked closer at the paper.

"Wow, they're pretty good." Zena said, mildly impressed.

"That's what I thought. Ren's not a genius, but she isn't stupid, either." Toshiro showed a different sheet of paper to Zena as he listed off qualities. "Perfect attendance. School council. And like I said…" Toshiro waved the grades sheet at Zena again. "Her grades are all A's and B's." Toshiro put the papers back on the table. "She's been getting these grades since elementary school, and it's looking good for her. If this place had class representatives, she'd be one. She's even co-captain of the school's swimming team."

"I thought she couldn't hold her breath for very long."

"She can't, but she's still a great swimmer. And this is the confusing part. When she reached eighth grade, she suddenly quit. I'll have to look into that later, but for now, there's something else I need to show you. Like I said, Ren was, and still is, a model student. From first grade onwards, she's been getting good grades for years. But then, after the Christmas holidays of seventh grade came and went…" Toshiro pulled that grades sheet out of the way to reveal another one. "Blam!"

"Oh!" Zena was a lot more surprised this time. This grades sheet was a sharp contrast to the previous one. While the first sheet was full of praises and promise, this one was full of failure. It was littered with D's, E's and the occasional C, and even a few F's.

"Her grades drop. But look at the date where they get even lower. Right here." Toshiro pointed at the designated area.

"February 22nd." Zena read. Her eyes widened. "Wait. That's the same as…"

"The first day of the Blank Fortnight." Toshiro finished. "I thought the village heads were doing everything in their power to make sure the Blank Fortnight remained blank." Toshiro placed a hand on the folder. "Looks like they missed a spot."

"Toshiro, this is fantastic!" Zena exclaimed happily, raising her arms up in the air.

"I'm not done yet."

"Huh?" Zena blinked a couple times, her arms still raised. "You're not?"

"After a few months, Ren's grades stop and her attendance stopped. She doesn't have any marks for the rest of her first year."

"What does that mean?" Zena asked, lowering her arms.

"It means that Ren wasn't in school. She shows up in school again at the start of year eight, and her grades return to normal as if nothing had ever happened."

"And you think something happened to her, don't you?" Zena said. Toshiro nodded.

"Ren vanishing from the school's radar coincides with another important date. Here." Toshiro pointed at another date. Zena followed his finger, and she gasped.

"That's…"

"Yes." Toshiro said, his face more serious than ever. "Ren vanished on March 7th."

"The anniversary." Zena whispered.

"Exactly. I believe that despite what Ren says, and even though I don't want to drag her into this mess…" Toshiro slammed the folder shut as he stood up out of his chair. "The anniversary and the Blank Fortnight all revolve around Ren."

"But how?" Zena asked.

"I don't know." Toshiro picked up the file and opened his drawer, getting the other file out of there and placing Ren's school file inside of it, closing the drawer afterwards. "But I know I'm close to finding out." Toshiro sat back down again and opened up the other file. "It's just a matter of when I find out, because the anniversary is only four days away, and I feel like I'm going in cir…" Toshiro stopped talking as he read the file.

"Toshiro?" Zena said, noticing how he had suddenly gone quiet.

"No…" Toshiro said. "No, this can't be right."

"What is it?" Zena asked, trying to get a better look at the file.

"This file…It doesn't have a name on it. I can't tell who it's about."

"Really? There must be a name."

"Well, there's something, but it can hardly be considered a name."

"What's it say? What's it say?" Zena said eagerly.

"It says C12."

"That is strange…" Zena took a few steps back and folded her arms thoughtfully.

"According to the seal on the paper, this comes from a place called Lady Jane Institute. It sounds like a school. And it should be somewhere in the city." Toshiro leaned back on his chair. "It would be too risky to go to this place head on. I'll have to use another method. Maybe the library?"

"Or you could use Google." Zena suggested with a smile.

"Google? And what the hell is that?" Toshiro asked, looking at Zena.

"It's a search engine." Zena explained. Toshiro looked at her blankly. "You type in a question and it comes up with lots of answers." Toshiro still looked blank. "It's on the internet."

"Oooh, the internet." Toshiro said, finally understanding.

"Wow, you really don't know a lot about technology, do you?"

"Hey, you're supposed to know even less than me!"

"Yeah, but I am a part of Ren, so I see what she sees." Zena retorted, sticking her tongue out at him for good measure.

"Remind me, how old are you meant to be?" Toshiro muttered, turning back to his desk.

"Hey, that's mean!" Zena whined, but Toshiro ignored her. He was too busy making the additions of C12 and Lady Jane Institute to his notes.

C12 and Lady Jane Institute, huh? Toshiro thought. Why the secrecy?

"Is there a picture of C12?" Zena asked, suddenly realising there was no picture attached to the profile box on the record. There was a paperclip, but it was keeping nothing together. Maybe it fell off?

"Right. I'll check." Toshiro shuffled through the papers, and finally found a square printed on photographic paper. "Here it is!" Toshiro said a little more triumphantly than he expected. "Ah…"

"What's wrong?" Zena asked. No response. "Toshiro?"

"Zena…" Toshiro slowly turned around to face Zena, a shocked expression on his face. "C12…This girl…It's the same one as in my vision."

"What?!" Zena was instantly by Toshiro's side, staring at the photo. It was a girl of twelve years old with a pale face and long blonde hair, and holding a sign saying C12. It almost looked like a prisoner's profile.

"You were right, Zena. Somehow, this girl that I saw in a vision about the future is connected to the past."

"…" Zena said nothing, still staring at the photo. She grabbed it out of Toshiro's hand to get a closer look, and the photo stayed in her hand, once again changing Toshiro's perception of ghosts and spirits.

"Zena?" Toshiro said, noticing her silence.

"Toshiro…This girl…" Zena started before falling silent again. "No, never mind." She said with a smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I thought it was a hunch, but I'm probably wrong." Zena held the photo between two fingers and waved it a little. "Mind if I hold onto this for a while?"

"Okay, fine by me." Toshiro said dismissively, walking past Zena and leaving his room, shutting the door behind him. But, that didn't stop Zena from simple passing through the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm making tea."

"Do you really think a mug of tea will help?" Zena said with a teasing tone in her voice and a teasing smile to match.

"No, but I'm willing to try."

"If not, there's always the booze cabinet!" Zena said in a sing-song voice.

"Did you not see me at the party?!" Toshiro exclaimed, feeling the embarrassment of that video resurfacing. Zena giggled. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing, I just thought something like that would lighten the mood and cheer you up, and it worked."

"Yes, well, it's appreciated, but there's still a lot I have to do." Toshiro clicked the electric kettle on. "I need to go back to that storage closet in the village hall. If Ren ever did anything in 2006, that place will tell me. And I also want to know if Nathan really did transfer schools rather than get expelled. If he did transfer, than there's more to him than meets the eye."

"Are you going to find Katelyn and ask her anything?"

"Not yet." Toshiro shook his head.

"And if it's a hidden village we're dealing with, I think you should see if any former residents are still in the villages."

"That's a great idea, Zena. Thanks." The kettle started to get a little louder, but Toshiro was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't pay much attention. "I got a record of the residents of Redwood from that room. It may only be from 2006, but it should help me."

"And there's that institute, too. What's the name? Mary Jane?"

"Lady Jane." Toshiro corrected.

"Oh, right." Toshiro opened a cupboard, trying to remember where the mugs were.

"The city library might have some information, but as they say, it's a big web. So, it will have to be the internet." Upon seeing nothing but biscuits and snacks in the cupboard, he closed it and tried another one. "That website might be useful. Um…" Toshiro looked at Zena. "What was it called? Moodle?"

"Google." Zena corrected with an amused smile. "It's called Google."

"Oh…I knew that." Toshiro lied with shifty eyes. He closed the cupboard. "Damn, where are the mugs? The kettle's almost done."

"That one there." Zena pointed at the cupboard above the kettle. Toshiro almost groaned in exasperation at the obvious location, and the urge grew even bigger when he opened the cupboard and, indeed, the mugs were there, right above the coffee, tea, hot chocolate and sugar. "Although, I don't know a lot about the internet. In fact, I don't know a lot about computers. I just know these things exist. Maybe Ren can help you."

"No!" Toshiro said urgently, looking away from the cupboard and spinning around to face Zena. He was so panicked in that instant, he almost dropped the mug he was getting out. "I mean, no. I already asked Ren about the existence of Redwood, and that's as far as I go." Toshiro placed the mug on the kitchen counter so that he wouldn't drop it the next time Zena decided to ask a question like that. "I'm not going to drag Ren into this mess."

"I don't think that will be possible." Zena said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Toshiro asked.

"I mean that-"

"Ooooo, is that you, Shiro?"

"!" Zena vanished from the spot just as Ren came into the room.

"You're making tea?! Oh my god, you must really like the stuff!"

"What can I say? It's grown on me." Toshiro said with a shrug.

"So I see." Ren went over to the cupboard, got out a pot pf teabags and dropped one into Toshiro's mug. "And I overheard you saying something about Google. Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes." Toshiro lied. Ren folded her arms. "No."

"Shiro, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, I know technology here is a bit more than you're used to. I'd be more than happy to show you."

"You would?"

"Well, sure. I mean, I taught you how to lift things with your mind. Teaching you about computers should be a piece of cake." Ren took another teabag out of the pot. "Think fast!" Ren threw it at Toshiro, and without missing a beat, Toshiro raised a hand and the teabag hovered in front of his palm. "Very good." Ren said, placing a fist on her palm and gave a small bow, mimicking a martial arts teacher.

"You have taught me well. I've practised a little since you showed me how to use it." Toshiro held his palm out, and the teabag made a few loops in the air, and after a few seconds of aerial acrobatics, it dropped into his hand. Ren let out a whistle, impressed.

"Wow. You really are a genius."

"I don't know about that." Toshiro said modestly.

"Oh, come on! You graduated after a year, and you're the youngest Soul Reaper to become a Captain! That's genius right there."

"Well…yeah. But, it's nothing to brag about."

"Mm hm." Ren nodded in agreement. "There's nothing wrong with being modest, Shiro."

"…" Toshiro felt himself smile. Ren may not realise this, but her presence was always enough to calm Toshiro down. And after experiencing a secret tunnel, a haunted diary, a hidden village, an empty two weeks and a mysterious institute along with this twelve year old girl, this is just what he needed. "Thank you, Ren."

"Eh?" Ren blinked, looking at Toshiro. "You say something?"

"Nothing." Toshiro heard the kettle click. It was finished. Toshiro was about to grab the handle, but Ren stopped him.

"No, I can do it. You just focus on that." Ren pointed at small dining table near the kitchen. There was a red laptop on top of it.

"A laptop?"

"Yup. Might as well get you internet savvy while we're here." Ren started to pour the water into the mug. "Just turn it on and we'll get started.

"R-Right." Toshiro stared at the laptop. He picked it up and inspected it, trying to find some clue as to how to turn it on. Ren, finished with making the tea, looked over at Toshiro and smiled to herself. Sometimes, he was like a fish out of water. But, it was lucky that he learned quickly and he was smart, so it was okay. It did make him kinda cute, though.

"Hm…" Toshiro looked underneath it. Nothing. "Hm…" Toshiro tried behind the laptop. Again, nothing. "Hm…" Toshiro opened up the top, surprised to find more under there. But, he became even more overwhelmed when he found not one button but several. And they all had letters on them and symbols he didn't recognise. Yet, not a single one seemed to show any clue as to how to turn it on.

"AAAARRRRRGGGHH!" Toshiro yelled out of frustration, shaking the laptop. "How do you work this blasted thing?!"

"On second thought, this is gonna take a while." Ren said out loud, sweat dropping.

So, there you have it! The Sixth Village arc has been kicked off! Who is C12? What does Zena know? Is Ren connected to this? Why does everyone avoid the forest? What's with that strange diary? And what about Lady Jane Institute and the village of Redwood? All these question, and more, will be answered in the next chapter. Review, favourite, follow, you know the rest. See you soon!