Hey peoples~ This chapter is very... well, it's not for the faint hearted. I was listening to Higurashi music as I wrote this and, well, this is how it turned out. Hope you enjoy~
~Lukia
(P.S. Cookies for anyone who gets the two Higurashi references! ^-^)
~Thursday, October 27th, Mizu residence, 3:47 p.m.~
Roxas leaned against the Mizus' front door as he eyed Naminé carefully. "You sure you're okay with it?"
"I told you, Roxas, it's fine. Just don't be out too late." Naminé pulled out her key from her pocket and fingered with it. Roxas and Kairi had a language arts project to work on together, and Roxas was having a mini-fit over being with Kairi at such a late hour. Naminé hoped nothing was to happen while the two were at Roxas's house – like her sister going on a murderous rampage – but it was two hours, max. And Roxas had the common sense to back away if Kairi went nuts on him.
"You're absolutely sure?"
She stuck the key in the hole, turning it, and looked up at his tense face. "It's only for a few hours, Roxas. I'm sure."
With a sigh, the spiky-haired teen stepped away from the door and started back down the driveway. "Okay. Jus' tell your sis to hurry up and come over; I don't have all night ya know!"
Naminé stepped in the door and called back, "I'll tell her," and then closed the door with a click, her book bag slipping from her hand.
Up the stairs and into her room she trudged, pulling out a random notebook and pencil, sketching to clear her mind… which she had been doing a lot lately. Every day her mind seemed to be on something, so she took to drawing before she started on homework. She'd drawn a smiling pumpkin yesterday in reverence to Halloween, which was four days away; she'd give it to Roxas as a present to brighten up the spooky day. But today… the pencil moved across the paper not of her accord, creating a masterpiece.
Before long she could figure out what she was drawing. A girl, slightly tall, with cropped hair and a sturdily built body graced the page. Her right leg lifted in an arabesque, her left straight and elegantly turned to balance her weight. Her arms flowed mellifluously in the air, one in front of her and one behind her, fingers spread apart daintily, as if she were some sort of majestic bird. The skirt and leotard she wore were silky and Naminé wanted to color it a baby blue – but no, not until the picture was done. She ended the picture by drawing her face to the side, with bright, clear eyes and just a hint of a smile on her serene face.
The blonde's hand moved away from the paper as she gazed at it in awe. She'd never seen a girl with such grace; so how did she draw something she hadn't seen? The way she had drawn the picture reminded her of someone...
She pulled her colored pencils from her desk drawer and took to lightly brightening the picture. Soft, peach colored skin accented the ocean-colored eyes that matched her hair color. The leotard and skirt were blue, to Naminé's surprise; and her shoes were a soft, unblemished pink.
A beautiful dancer.
…Aqua?
The sun peered in the window and illuminated the picture, in which the girl in the drawing seemed to look right at her and nod slightly.
Naminé smiled. A few weeks before a moving picture would have scared her, but she knew this was the dead girl's way of saying 'yes'. Naminé could only wonder if Xion was as beautiful as her sister. She wasn't, she assumed, for that was likely one of the reasons she killed her gentle twin.
A feeble voice she heard from Kairi's room. "N-Nami?"
Naminé looked up from her picture toward the door. That didn't sound like just Kairi; it sounded like a weak, tired Kairi. Was something wrong with her?
"I'm coming," she called back, going out her room swiftly and opening her sister's door.
In the dim light, Kairi looked ghastly sitting on her bed; her skin had lost its rosy, suntanned color; her eyes were dull and had little life in them; scars marred her thin, fragile arms. This girl was her twin, her other half, but she didn't appear to be.
"You can come in," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Naminé opened the door wider, letting the light from he hall stream in as she sat next to her sister and took her cold hand. "Kairi…"
She murmured something.
"What?"
"I'm scared." Kairi swallowed audibly. Her hand shook as she grasped her sister's tighter.
"Scared? Of what?" Naminé felt sympathy for her sister; through this possible possession she was enduring, her spirit seemed to be breaking.
"There's this thing… I have to do. He's a liability. Getting in my way."
Naminé flinched at her sister's vagueness. "Who is he?"
Kairi shook her head. "I can't tell you. She would hurt me."
"Who is she? Kairi, you have to talk to me. I can help you." She was throwing pronouns around and not giving any straight answers. Talking about her sister's… problem was getting her nowhere.
She gripped the necklace around her neck, ripping her hand from her sister's. "Why should talk to you? She's done more for me – helped me – she's helping me reach my goal. You can't help," she glared at Naminé with cold, dark eyes, "because you're part of the problem."
"Part of the problem?" Naminé sighed. "Kairi, I don't understand."
"You won't. Not until the time is right." She swayed in time to a beat only she could hear.
Naminé stared. She was mental. Crazy. Insane. Her words were failing her and she couldn't think of anything to break more information out of her sister. Her hand moved to her cell phone in her pocket with the murder audio on it. She could bring that up and force her to confess…
But her sister hated her so much already, as she had figured out. Accusing Kairi of killing two people would only, because of her mental state, cause her to get angry and possibly push her over the edge of insanity. She might admit to murder, but she most likely wouldn't, and Naminé wanted to get out of the room with as little wounds as possible. She took her hand off the phone and said, "Kairi, listen to me. When have I ever failed to help you? Even with school, I've always cared abo—"
"Liar." Her voice was hard and angry in the reply, as her hands fell into fists at her side.
Naminé winced. "Okay, maybe I haven't helped you one hundred percent. But Kairi, I really think something is wrong with –"
"You're lying!" Kairi started scratching at her wrists furiously, the skin turning raw and red. "Liar, liar, liar, liar!" Her breath came in short gasps, as if she'd forgotten how to breathe.
Naminé squirmed away on the bed, staring at her sister as she continued to make her wrists bleed with her nails, the blood sending fine drops onto the carpet. "Liar, liar," was the only thing that escaped her lips as she shut her eyes tight. The blonde stood up, trying to make a slow but mad dash out the door. She hadn't planned to see her sister bleed right in front of her eyes.
But before Naminé could sprint down to her room and lock the door, Kairi stood up and walked out slowly, blood trailing down her hands and onto the carpet. Her feet paused at the top of the steps and the redhead turned to face her sister who was trembling and clinging to the door frame.
Kairi raised her right hand to her face, licking away the blood, and then let her arm dangle at her side. Demonic eyes glared back at Naminé as her sister said, "After him, you're next."
Naminé froze in place and couldn't move as those unfamiliar eyes tore away from hers.
She couldn't move as Kairi walked down the steps.
She couldn't move hours later even as the sun set and the moon rose to shine among the stars.
But she did move, eventually.
When she realized where Kairi was going.
Roxas's house.
Hurriedly, without bothering to lock the door behind her or grab a jacket, she ran out her house and into the chilly, ominous night.
Reviews are appreciated!
~Lukia