Chapter 5 - Charade

Vice could feel the excitement reverberating through his chest. 'Kia was alive, Kia was still alive,' the thought kept running through his mind like a jackrabbit on steriods. "But why wouldn't she let us know that she was alright? Why wouldn't she let me know?" the green Douji mumbled to himself.

Standing up, she delivered a stinging slap to the evil Douji's face. His golden eyes stared at her in shock. Tears ran down her face, and he could only see hatred in her eyes. "YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!" she screamed at him. "And my sister!"

"Oh yeah," Vice remembered. He leaned up against the railing of the bridge, watching the creek gently trickle down the rocks. "That's maybe why."

"What is? a voice answered his question.

Turning to see who dared to interrupt his thoughts, he met a pair of dark eyes and silver hair. It was that cashier girl, Rin Akata. She was dressed in a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a black and pink polka dot shirt. Her silver hair had been tied into a simple pontytail. A few strands fell across her face.

"Hello, Vice."

"Rin."

Her eyes widened. "You remember my name? Sweet." Rin smiled, a warm and kind smile.

"Why is that a shock to you?" Vice questioned, placing his hands in his pockets. His golden eyes looked at the girl, studying her quietly.

"Well," she spoke, placing her hands behind her back, "not many people do." She looked like she was hiding something. The way she moved, the way she talked, it looked like she had many secrets.

"You're a girl with silver hair," he replied. "How would someone forget that?"

Rin laughed. "True, true." Everything about this girl was deeply reminding Vice of Kia. If it weren't for the large difference in attitude towards him and her hair color, he would have been convinced it was her.

"You are so much like her," he mumbled, thinking she wouldn't hear him.

"Like who?"

"Her name i-was Kia," the green Douji stated, not looking at the girl. "She was very friendly and kind, like you." Vice could see a slight blush come to Rin's face.

"Thank you?" Rin looked away for a moment, then turned back to him. "What was Kia like?"

Golden eyes traveled to the sky, thinking about how to best decribe the black-haired girl. "Small," he started, "quick-witted, kind, friendly, very defensive; she loved to draw, but I didn't see anything of hers, stubborn."

"She couldn't have been that stubborn."

"She was."

Rin cocked an eyebrow at him. "What did you like most about her?" she questioned, looking like she was prying for something.

"She wasn't afraid to stand up to someone."

"Ha ha, she sounds like a joy." Rin sighed, stretching her arms. 'She was,' Vice thought.

"But, I hopefully might get to see her again."

"What?"

"She dissapeared about a year ago. Everyone thought she was dead, but a - friend of mine found her yesterday. We weren't able to actually get to her, but now we have an idea that she's still alive.

"What would you do if you found her?" Rin swung her legs over the railing so she was sitting on the bridge. Vice looked at the girl, unsure of whether to answer the question or not. Her dark eyes looked so secretive and inquisitive. She was hiding something.

"I would drag her back home," he said, his golden eyes drilling hinto hers.

"What if she didn't want to come home?"

"Why wouldn't she?" he could feel her prick at his temper. Even for being the Ultimate Evil, Vice never took it upon himself to hit a girl without reason. Rin, however, was really daring him.

"Well," Rin started, looking down at the creek. "Maybe she's scared. Maybe she felt like she did something wrong and she didn't want to burden others by being around-"

"Kia is not a fucking burden, you bitch!" Vice shouted, yanking the girl off the railing. Rin's eyes went wide with fear and shock. "She was never a burden! Why the hell would she find that a reason not to come home?" He could feel the muscles and wiring in his hand twitching, urging him to sock the girl.

"That's not what I meant, dumbass!" Rin shouted. "Unhand me, cretin!"

Dropping the girl, Vice glared at her. "What is it supposed to mean, then?"

"What I meant," she spoke, rubbing her arm, "was that she thought she must have been a burden. I never said she was, turdmongrel. How do you know she wasn't scared to come home? That the reason she left was because she was heartbroken or that she did something wrong?"

"What?" Vice asked, catching on to her question. "What makes you think she would have been heartbroken?"

Rin looked around quickly and put her hands in the air. "Ever hear of unrequited love? Maybe her father and mother were against her being with someone and she eloped with them or something?" A ringing noise echoed through the air, and immediately she began to dig into her pocket.

Pulling out a small cellphone, she pressed a button and placed it to her ear. "Y'ello?" she spoke. "Mm hm. Mm hm. Yep. Got it." Within a minute and a half, she finished her conversation and hung up. "I got to go, something went wrong at work and they need me right now."

Vice gave a sarcastic wave and watched her sprint off to a black car that had started to pull up. "Rin Akata, who are you?"

Rin sat herself in the car and placed on her seatbelt. She watched as Vice disappeared into the distance, and gave off a sigh of relief.

"You are, by far, the most gutsy Doll I know right now," she heard someone tell her. Rin looked towards the redheaded girl sitting next to her.

"What's that supposed to mean, Azu?" Rin stated, leaning her head on her hand.

"Take off your "makeup", dear," she said, ignoring Rin's question. "We are going to see Tansen, after all."

Rin made a V with her fingers and placed them in her eyes. Gently tapping her eyeballs, she pulled out her contact lenses. Using her other hand, she ran her fingers through her silver hair and pulled. Azukami watched as Rin's silver hair fall away to reviel glossy black hair hidden underneath.

"That's much better, Kia," she smiled, looking at the teenage girl.

"Meh."

"How long can you keep this charade up?" Azukami questioned. "You know someone is going to find out the truth sooner or later."

"I know," Kia stated, staring out the window.

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

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