Akane is ten years old. She is walking down the street towards her apartment building, away from her friend's slumber party. She left her backpack at her friend Naoko's place, hoping that whatever her mom needed to talk to her about would only take a few minutes and let her get back to the party. This is the first time that Akane has been invited to a party, because she's rather shy at school.

There is no one else around to see the taller, older boy (appear? sidestep? slither?) behind her, wrap one hand around her mouth and the other around her waist before dragging her back into the shadows of the alley from which he came. The whole execution of the maneuver is good, but the plan is poorly thought-out. From his vantage point in the alley, the boy had no idea whether or not he could be seen from behind once he'd revealed himself. He hadn't known who the girl was or whether or not anyone knew her whereabouts. But this is only his first time, and he is sure to improve.

He takes her into the alley, always ensuring that she faces away from him. She is struggling, but he is stronger than his thin frame suggests. He keeps his hand tightly on her mouth and whispers "If you scream, I will kill you." He has no real intention of doing this, and hasn't even brought a weapon with him. His theory is that a person sufficiently frightened will not think rationally about the plausibility of his statement. In this first experiment, his theory holds, and the girl becomes still. "When I let go of your mouth, you're going to bend over and lift up your shirt. I won't hurt you if you don't make any sudden movements."

He quickly releases her mouth, then covers it again, just in case Akane was going to ignore his sound advice and scream for help. She shows no signs of doing so, so he releases her again slowly. Trembling with terror, she bends over and begins to remove her shirt. "You don't have to take it off," the boy says, "just lift it." His eyes scanning the girl's body for any signs of imminent escape, he takes a marker from his pocket and uncaps it. He lowers it to the girl's skin and notices her flinch. He says nothing and begins his work.

As he draws, he hears the girl crying. He considers it carefully as his hands move briskly over his canvas. The sound of the girl's sobs says so much to him. It tells him about anger, a great and terrible anger not necessarily at him, but at the world for containing him. It tells him the source of the anger, the fear that drives every aspect of the girl's being right now. It tells him that every human being, every creature, every thing that lives everywhere must die alone. And it tells him that at this moment right now, this is a frightened little girl, a doomed soldier, a condemned prisoner, and everyone that fears all across the universe. He realizes that the crying is an incredible delicacy. He savors it as he works.

He takes only about fifteen minutes on the girl. It's a simple piece, really, just idle musings for him. After he finishes, he puts away the marker and pulls the girl's shirt down. He grabs her again in the same manner as he had the first time and directs her back towards the entrance of the alley. Before letting her go, he whispers to her. "I didn't hurt you. But if try to look at me, I will know, and I will rape you before I kill you. Now go," and he shoves her into the street, and runs as fast as he can back into the darkness of the alley, following a carefully planned route into the heart of Tokyo, a path that takes him hours to return home in order to avoid anyone tailing him, which doesn't seem to be an issue.

A month or so later, he decides to do it again. This time he is much more cautious. He stalks a girl, one about his age, for about a week, learning what he can about her. She is Saya Tanaka. This time, instead of grabbing her and hoping she cooperates, he wraps a rag soaked with a noxious chemical around her mouth and nose, and she goes limp easily. Instead of appearing from an alley, he passes her and turns around after she passes, allowing him to ensure there are no witnesses. He drags her into an alley and grants her his latest work, consuming half of her body. As he finishes, he realizes that he is not satisfied at all. He realizes that without the fear, the whole exercise is without meaning. The point isn't the drawings, not really, the point is fear.

He leaves her there, disappointed in himself but a bit wiser for his mistake. The next time he brings a gun. Not a real gun, of course, but it looks real enough. He doesn't know his target this time, she's just someone walking out late at night. He walks towards her, growing more tense and more gleeful with each step closer. When she is close enough, she looks into his eyes and in that moment she sees something that she cannot and never will be able to describe. The gun he pulls out barely registers in her mind, there is nothing that fills her world more than his eyes, those eyes that rip apart the boundaries separating people and fill the void with terror. She runs and he chases her. He is clearly faster, being older and stronger, and the experience is like being caught in a nightmare.

But he likes to think that he has given his victim something, that they have become friends. He hopes that she understands the oneness with all fearful beings that she is experiencing. He hopes that she will use what she has learned to live her life in a more proper and enjoyable manner, and he knows she will bear him no grudges. He is having the time of his life, for he is instilling the fear of blood in another. He will not be recognized, he has disguised himself well. He has many faces to use. One is an actor, one is a clown, one is a face soaked in blood. He likes that one best. Seeing blood reminds them. The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.

"What is this, Keichi?"

But then it all came crashing down.

"What is this Keichi?"

It had worked for a few months, but now it was breaking.

"What is what?"

"I found this in your room."

And there is a face.

"And these."

And there are the other faces.

"And this."

And there is the gun.

"Ah."

"That's all you have to say?"

"I didn't say anything."

"It's you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

And now they hurt him.

"It is you. You're the one that's been...oh god...oh god..."

He sighs and they hurt him again.

"You sick monster what the hell is wrong with you why would you do something like this?"

They keep hurting him and he remembers that he never hurt any of them.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"You demented pervert how could you we didn't raise you to be this way"

They hurt him over and over and over as though they could ever understand him.

"I am an artist."

"I made them see."

"I made them fear."

"You're a twisted little freak what the hell is wrong with you why would do this"

They stand over him and sob and shout and scream while he remains calm and shows them one of his masks.

"I didn't hurt anyone. Why are you calling me a monster when all I've done is enlighten people?"

"Normal people don't do this you're a fucking psychopath you're insane you're evil"

And then he stands up and they recoil and they see, just for a moment. He stands and even though he speaks softly his voice carries with it the resonance of a terrible god. "I SHOWED THEM THE TRUTH. I DID IT TO EDUCATE THEM. I DID IT BECAUSE I ENJOY IT. I DID IT FOR

"The sound and the fury," I muttered as I reached my front door. That's what I said then, not that my parents understood what I meant. No one can, except for Miyo, of course. No one can understand the sound and the fury except those who have experienced it.

If it could be said that I worship anything greater than myself and Mion and Shion, it is the sound and the fury. It is the revelation that life is fragile and can be destroyed easily. It is the knowledge that any dream can be realized. It is the certainty that every living thing dies alone. That kind of worship might destroy a weak person, but to a true bon vivant like me, it is the most beautiful concept in the world. It's what gives me the strength to keep going, even when everyone around me is devoted to keeping their eyes sewn shut.

I thought I might tell them that I love them the next time I see them. Of course, the mood has to be right. I'm a firm believer in having the right atmosphere for important moments. I wanted Shion and Mion to feel as loved and cared for as possible, because I want them to know exactly how I feel and how much I want them to understand me. And if there's one way to kick off a great relationship, it's by finding common interests.