Alma didn't have much time, or that many options. She looked around the crowded zoo, seeing if there was someplace to hide. There were a few exhibits, a concession stand, a bathroom…that'd do just fine. It was time to be a good friend. Grabbing Lucy's hand, Allma muttered "bathroom" to Kouta, before dragging her friend to the bathroom. Lucy went along, but she seemed in a daze, as though she didn't quite realize where she was, or where she was going. She heard the two women call out to her, but ignored them. Soon enough, she was able to reach the bathroom, Lucy in tow. The sun was replaced by the dull glow of fluorescent lighting as they entered the girls room. Miraculously, it seemed as though there was noone else there. Alma quickly opened a bathroom stall, and shoved Lucy inside before entering and closing the door behind them. It wasn't long before a second pair of footsteps signaled their arrival, followed by voices.

"I'm telling you, it was them."

"Come on, it can't be. Even children wouldn't be reckless enough to go to the zoo when they're wanted by all of Japan."

Alma narrowed her eyes at this statement, knowing that the woman had a very valid point. The stall nearest to the door opened, then the one next to that. Alma tensed up, knowing this would have to be fast. Soon, the bathroom door opened, and it was time to act.

Alma caught a brief view of the women, there faces widened in surprise. Then, they burst alight with literal flame. Their flesh fell off in chunks, revealing blackened bone, which in turn crumbled to the ground. Soon, nothing remained of the two nosy women but piles of ash. It occurred to Alma that she could better cover her tracks by cleaning the mess, but in that instant, the fire alarm rang. Alma yelped at the sudden noise, and nearly slipped on the ash.

"Alma?" Alma turned to see that Lucy had come to, and had apparently no recollection of the past few minutes, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"We need to leave, like right now!"

The two girls ran out of the stall, and toward a nearby bathroom window. Alma attempted to shatter it, but it seemed to break on its own. Lucy's doing, perhaps? No time to dwell on things. They needed to leave right now. Alma pushed Lucy up through the window, and she, in turn, reached down and pulled Alma up through the gap. They climbed out of the back, which, fortunately, was facing away from the zoo exhibits, as well as from any spectators. Alma and Lucy quickly darted toward a few concession stands, getting ahead of the crowd, and placing themselves away from the scene of the crime. They quickly returned to kouta, who had been watching the bathroom with wide eyes. Alma tapped him on the shoulder, and the boy nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Gagh! Where were you guys?! What happened?"

At this point, lying had become second nature for Alma Wade, "Some woman was smoking in the bathroom."

Kouta sighed in relief, "Oh, good. I was worried something might've happened to you two."

Alma blinked in surprise. She scanned Kouta's emotions, looking for any falsehoods, but detected no genuine deception. He was genuinely glad to see them, had been since they'd met yesterday. It was…touching.

"...We're fine," said Alma. She turned toward Lucy, who looked a little shaken, but was more or less present. She nodded her head in reassurance, as much for herself as for others. Regardless, it was time to leave, "It's getting a little hot out here, Kouta. Think we could leave?"

"Oh, sure. In fact, I know a place where we can cool off. Let's go."

They turned to leave, and were halfway to the exit when they heard a horrified scream. Kouta turned around, Alma did not.

"What was that?"

"No idea, let's go."

"Oh, um, okay."

Yup. Second nature.

The nearby river was quite cooling beneath the hot sun, and was far enough away from the public for Alma and Lucy to undress for the pool. Now the two of them were splashing around in the river, launching tides of water at one another.

"Come on Lucy," grinned Kouta, "You need to splash up your game!"

"Is this enough splash for you?" The pinkette striked the water, sending a small stream of water up toward Kouta, who gleefully flinched away from the water, only to receive another stream from the side, courtesy of Alma, who had a playful grin of her own. This was actually quite a lot of fun! The three kids continued to play around in the current, and for awhile, they were able to forget about their problems, about being wanted, and of having killed so many people.

Eventually, having tired of such youthful antics, the three kids sat against a nearby rock, allowing the hot sun to dry them off. As she leaned against the warm rock, Alma and Lucy looked around, at the peaceful forest, and the gentle rush of water flowing onward. It was calm and tranquil, a far cry from the hubbub of the zoo, though there weren't as many exotic animals out here. Today had actually been fun.

"Kouta…" said Lucy, finally turning toward the boy. Said boy looked back, tilting his head curiously.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"This…was the greatest day of my life."

Kouta looked at her for a moment, "...Really? Your best day ever?"

"Yes!" she crawled towards Kouta, putting her hand on his shoulder. The boy blushed at the sudden physical contact, "As long as I live, I'll never forget this day."

"Oh…well, thanks, Lucy. What about you, Alma? How was this day?"

Alma felt an initial twinge of jealousy at Lucy's declaration, as well as the physical contact. She didn't have any of those kind of feelings toward Lucy, but it was still…difficult to acknowledge that there was somebody else who she liked.

As if you don't like him too, teased a small voice in her head, and Alma was mortified to find that her face was actually heating up.

She was f***ing blushing!

"Alma?"

Alma had to stifle a surprised little squeak when Kouta called out her name, "What? What?"

"How did you enjoy the day?"

"...Fine. It was fine…Great, in fact."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Lucy spoke up, "Alma."

"Yes, Lucy?"

"Your face is totally red right now."

"LUCY!"

Alma scrambled forward, tackling her friend to the ground. Kouta crawled back as the two girls wrestled on the barren ground.

"Take it back!"

"Never!" she laughed.

Kouta himself let out a small chuckle as he watched the two girls wrestle, not entirely sure of what was happening. They had been right, though. This had been a good day, one he hoped he'd never forget.

The bus ride back to Kouta's house was relatively quiet, the orange glow of the setting sun creating a somewhat tranquil atmosphere. The three children, who'd somehow gotten the bus to themselves, sat in the back, reflecting on the fun day they had. The two girls were especially thoughtful. This day was the first time either of them had felt like real children, apart from the one incident in the zoo. Was it going to stop now that Kouta was leaving tomorrow?

"Kouta," said Lucy, "Are you sure we can't go to this festival with you tomorrow? It sounds like a lot of fun."

Kouta smiled apologetically, I already promised my cousin that I'd go with her. I'm sorry."
Lucy looked down at the floor, saddened. Alma glanced at her before looking back at Kouta. "Why can't we just go with you? You could introduce us."

"My cousin kind of wants it to just be the two of us. Sort of a family thing, y'know?"

Alma didn't know anything positive about family, but she settled back in her seat without saying a word.

"I'm sorry, you guys," said Kouta in earnest, "If I hadn't promised my cousin, I'd Have gladly hung out with you guys. Honestly."

Alma stared out the window with a somewhat sullen expression. She did not notice when a voice other than hers appeared in Lucy's head.

A cousin? Kouta must be taking another girl to the festival. Wouldn't that be a shame?

Lucy looked around. She was still sitting, but she wasn't on the bus anymore. It was a dull void. Sitting next to her was the girl that had visited her in the zoo. She looked a lot like Lucy, sounded like Lucy. The only clothes she had were bandages wrapped around her head, exposing a single red eye. Just like Lucy's.

If Kouta breaks your heart, then it seems it's only fair that you kill him.

That's crazy!

If you kill him, then he'll never break your heart. Perfect sense.

That's stupid. What about Alma? What if she likes him too?

Then you'll be sparing her any heartbreak, as well.

Stop it. Who even are you?

Heh…As if you don't know.

"Lucy, stop it!"

Lucy looked up, seeing Alma staring at her with an expression of panic and confusion. The pinkette looked down, and gasped as she realized what she was doing. Kouta was lying on the seat, gagging. Her own hands were wrapped around his throat, choking the life out of him.

"Can't…breathe…" Kouta choked out, his face turning blue. She let go, falling away from him in a panic.

"I'm sorry," she said. She put her hands over her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. Kouta sat up, struggling to regain his breath, while Alma studied them both like she was looking at some odd art exhibit, where everything was open to interpretation. After a moment, Kouta finally spoke up. "Hey, are you alright, Lucy?"

"I-I"m fine," she breathed, but her expressions, emotions, and thoughts said the opposite, "Hey, Kouta? Alma?"

"What?" they both asked at once.

"If…if I keep killing innocent people…can…can you-" Her voice was abruptly cut off by the screeching of brakes, as the bus stopped by their destination. The driver, who'd been wearing headphones, looked back at the kids with a tired expression.

"Final stop," he explained flatly, "Get out."

The three children dutifully obeyed, and wordlessly left the vehicle. They arrived at a long, winding staircase which snaked through a grove of foliage leading to the beach, but the three of them chose to stand at the top of the stairs, taking in the view as the sun finished setting. Kouta took in the view, his mind slowly forgetting about the incident on the bus.

"Wow," he said, "I really love the view of the ocean from up here."

"The setting sun is a nice touch," agreed Alma.

"Yeah, it is. It's so warm," he grinned.

Alma felt a small smile creep upon her features. She had to admit, she was becoming fond of Kouta's positivity. It was infectious. She just wished that Lucy would cheer up as well. So far, all she'd done was stare out at the ocean in silence, her mind blank. When she spoke, it was as if from a trance.

"Kouta, this was the most fun I've ever had. Thank you."

"Yeah," said Alma, looking down at her feet, "Thanks."

Kouta's smile faltered as he thought about tomorrow, and how he'd be leaving his two new friends behind. He didn't think he'd grow so close to two people in the course of a few days, but he had. Was it because they were girls? His face went red, and he quickly changed his internal topic, and thought about when he could see his friends.

"Hey, guys. "I'll be coming back next year with my family. Maybe we can all meet up again."

"That sounds great," said Lucy.

"Yeah, but we should probably be leaving now," explained Alma. They still needed to find a new place to rest. It would be foolish to sleep at the same house twice, and that meant devoting time to scouting out a new place. Somewhere remote, with an isolated community, and plenty of food, too. Hopefully there'd be Cheezee Pooz. Lucy nodded at Alma, and after saying their goodbyes, the two girls parted ways from the boy. But as they were heading out, Lucy turned back toward Kouta. She had one more question, and it was one that caught the young boy off guard.

"Is your cousin a boy or a girl?"

Kouta froze up, "Wha?"

"Your cousin. Is he a boy or a girl?"

"Oh…A boy."

Alma had been too busy thinking about where they'd stay the night to confirm Kouta's honesty with a mind reading. She looked back at Lucy with an expression that was starting to look impatient, "Let's go, Lucy!"

"Right, coming, Alma!" Lucy seemed a bit more relieved by Kouta's answer, and she turned and hurried after Alma. Kouta watched as the two small girls ran up the street and into the night. He wondered if lying to them had been the right thing to do. For all he knew, they didn't even have enough feelings toward him to be jealous. Still, better safe than sorry. He turned and began walking up toward his house, knowing that he shouldn't be out this late. It had taken a lot of convincing for his parents to send him out on his own for today, but he'd finally managed to gain there permission, so long as he made sure to stay in public. They had been extremely worried, and Kouta knew why. He faintly remembered his family talking about something that had happened around the time he'd shown up here: A bunch of people had died at a school or foster home, and the killers were still at large. There had been other details that were mentioned, but he hadn't been paying too much attention. He'd been too eager to meet back up with his two new friends.

"I told you he wouldn't be here."

"I know, Alma."

It was a new day, and the two girls were hanging out by the spot where they'd first met Kouta. Alma had warned them that they were still wanted by the police, though she didn't put up much of a fight. The corpses of their recently claimed home were starting to smell. So, once more in disguise, the two girls headed out toward the site of their fateful meeting a few days ago. Now Alma was leaning against the tree, while Lucy kept pacing back and forth agitatedly.

"Do you think he's meeting with his cousin yet?"

"I don't know. He said he'd meet him tonight, so not likely."

"There are other things they could be doing before that."

"We could be doing other stuff too, you know."

"What do you think we should be doing?"

"Staying inside."

"Don't you want to see Kouta?"

"...Yeah, I do." Alma was quite surprised by how much she missed Kouta after they'd left. His smile, his cheerful spirit, it was nice being around someone who didn't treat her like a freak or a test tube. Was it possible to find someone else to be friends with besides Lucy? Perhaps…

"...I think I know where the festival is taking place."

Lucy spun around toward Alma with lightning speed, "What? Where?!"

"On the other side of town. I read it in his mind while we were at the zoo. I think I could find it, but we may need to hurry if we're to get there by tonight."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Lucy, wait!"

Lucy turned toward Alma, who was pinching her hose in exasperation, "Do you really think he'll want to see us?"

Lucy seemed taken aback by this statement, "Why wouldn't he?"

"He said he was meeting his cousin. Do you think he'll want us meeting him? I mean…we're talking about us."

She had to admit, her friend had a point. "Well…What if we just dropped in to say goodbye? His cousin won't even have to meet us if we're quick enough. We'll drop in, say our goodbyes, and be out before his family has a chance to say anything."

Alma thought about it, and could find very little argument. "Alright, we can do that. But we really will have to keep it brief. A quick goodbye, and nothing more."

"Definitely," exclaimed Lucy, already getting excited at the notion of seeing Kouta, "This'll be great, I just know it!"

The journey to the festival had taken the whole day for the girls to reach, mainly because they'd needed to show a large amount of discretion in their trip. Lucy had lost count of how many dingy back alleys they'd gone through, and once, Alma had them double back a block when she'd detected the thoughts of some Armacham officials who were now patrolling the area in a sleek black car, ever watchful of any missing girls with demonic power. About halfway through, they'd had to stop for a lunch break, and managed to shoplift a few snacks from a convenience store. The owner at the register had noticed, but he and the other two shoppers had been quickly dispatched.

After making sure to leave the sign in the door switched to "close," the girls continued on their way, as the sun set down, fewer people were outside, and Alma and Lucy felt it safer to step out into the dark main streets. As they approached the festival, the dark began to give way to bright lights and candles, and loud music permeated the air. Any fear of security was mitigated upon seeing that the event was open for the public, without so much as a gate to prevent people from trespassing. Bright lights were strung throughout the field, and many colorful kiosks were set up, with

Lucy looked around, taking everything in with a frown, "So, what exactly is the purpose of this festival?"

"Not sure," answered Alma, "I've never been to a place like this before."

"It is pretty interesting. Some of the people are dressed in old fashioned kimonos, see?"

"Is that what they are? We don't have them in America. Not that I've seen, at least."

"Any sign of Kouta?"

Alma frowned, yellow eyes squinting in concentration, "Nothing yet. Too many thoughts at once. It makes it hard to focus."

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"I'm positive, now let me try and-"

"Alma, look!"

Lucy was pointing excitedly toward a lone figure several kiosks from them, where a boy was looking at the souvenirs: A boy who looked a great deal like Kouta. Alma scanned his thoughts, and a brief probing revealed a flood of memories into her brain. It was Kouta, of that she was sure. As his present thoughts came into her mind, Alma felt that she could finally admit to herself how she felt about Kouta: that she really had enjoyed spending time with him, that he was her friend, that she wanted him to be more. Lucy mirrored these feelings, as well, though she did not mention it.

The young psionic nodded her confirmation to Lucy, and the two girls hurried down, eager to bid their new friend a farewell, but froze at an unexpected sight: another girl was hugging Kouta, who looked somewhat embarrassed.

"C-come on, we'll see each other again next year,"

"But you'll be gone until next year!" sobbed the girl. Yes, she was actually sobbing, "Why does it have to be so long?"

"A year will pass before you know it, okay."

"...Okay."

Okay.

O-f***ing-kay!

Alma had no idea who this girl was, what fine, fancy life she'd led, but in this instant, she decided she was dead. Gone. Forfeit. Wiped clean from the very ground that she walked. How dare she show affection for Kouta, and how dare Kouta lie to her and Lucy about his cousin! Lucy had collapsed to the ground, muttering to herself, but Alma barely noticed. The anger and rage she felt had her in a chokehold. All she could think about was what she'd do to Kouta's special "cousin," how she'd burn her down to a nub, her screams would be so sweet for her-

"Move it, kid!" Alma had been so absorbed by her rage that she didn't notice the large man who bumped into her, sending her to the ground in a smoldering heap. This did not help Alma's mood one bit. All her life she'd been pushed, poked, and prodded. Treated like a gosh darn lab rat. It never stopped. It never never never f***ing stopped.

The loud man was still yelling at her. Something about stupid foreigners who couldn't speak his language., but Alma could understand this ogre quite well. She felt as though her life was filled with monsters like him, who enjoyed pushing people around all of the time. But no more. Now she woul-

The loud man's torso promptly separated from his stomach. As did everyone around the two girls. At least half a dozen people, who'd begun to crowd around the two girls in curiosity, were cut in half at the waist, and they all had the look of dumb wonder that cattle would have when they first look at a bolt gun, trying to discern its function. Blood pumped out in literal geysers, spattering the two girls. Alma was surprised, her rag momentarily replaced with shock and confusion. This hadn't been her doing. She burnt them down, rather than cutting them up. She only saw this sort of thing from…

"Lucy!" Alma turned toward her friend, who'd stood up with a very grave expression on her face, and was now looking at Alma with a stern expression.

"It's okay, Alma. You're the only person I can rely on. Everyone else deserves to die," there was something in her eyes, something Alma had never seen in her friend, but instantly recognized as something seen in a mirror, "They all deserve to die."