-o-
3 Hours Previous
The merciless onslaught of rain that pelted her vehicle came as a surprise. She didn't understand what caused the sudden storm. The day had started off promising. It had been cold, yes, but sunny as well. It was as if the clouds and the sky above were weeping. Emptying their angst onto the world below in the form of clear, icy droplets.
Reiko narrowed her eyes as she watched the traffic in the outer lanes pass her by.
"Move the fuck outta the way!" She growled, annoyed that she had allowed herself to get sandwiched between the never ending assembly line of cars. The driver behind her honked his horn, and the redhead shot a look of rage at him from the rearview mirror. The two held gazes for a long while until the man broke contact, dipping his head submissively.
"Damn right,"
Reiko was trying to make her way up to the ski resort in the north of the country. She and her cousin had been planning the trip for weeks. The redhead was relieved to finally be able to relax, let off some steam, and take a break from her hectic life. The many issues concerning school, work, and friends had been overwhelming her.
The redhead's thoughts shifted to Hisana again. Was she alright?
The sudden blaring of her ringtone made the girl jump out of her seat. She reached around to the backseat for her duffle bag, unzipping through the many pockets until she found what she was looking for. Spotting the black case with vertical red stripes, she pulled the iPhone from its prison, the bright screen nearly blinding her.
"What?" she spat when she answered the phone.
"Woah, woah. What is it with everyone snapping at me today?"
The redhead stopped her verbal assault.
Daisuke?
"What the hell do you want?" She continued in renewed irritation. She fumbled around in the glove compartment for the half-eaten candy bar that she'd been munching.
"It's about Hisana…"
The redhead paused her sloppy chewing. Her heart thudding in her ears.
"What's wrong? Is she okay? If you've hurt her I swear to God-"
"N-no, no! Nothing like that!"
Reiko could see the blonde scratching the back of his head nervously, she imagined sweat forming on his forehead.
"I checked up on Hisana like you said," there was a pause "She was really upset."
"What happened?"
"I don't exactly know…I had just been about to knock on her door, when she suddenly ran out screaming. She started hitting me, and when she calmed down a bit, she told me someone had been chasing her."
Reiko watched the traffic begin to move steadily. She stared out into the freezing rain.
"I took her back to my place and we watched movies," there was a crumbling of paper in the background. "And, you're not gonna believe this, but Hisana got this creepy ass letter too."
"Wait slow down, a letter?" Reiko asked, confused. He'd been talking too fast.
"Yeah," he paused again "It's stalkerish as hell, he talks about 'taking Hisana from this world' or something."
A chill runs down the redhead's spine.
That sounded like a threat to her.
"I…" her hands gripped the steering wheel. She sighed loudly.
"I'm turning around."
"What?" Daisuke's voice asked through the receiver.
"I said I'm turning around. I'm going to your place, jeez, Fumio, are you fucking deaf?"
"You're going to cancel your ski trip? Seriously? I have it all under control."
"No," Reiko seethed "Hisana needs me to be there with her."
There was a silence on the other end, and Reiko wondered if the blonde had hung up on her. The windshield wipers moved back and forth rhythmically. She heard the boy give a gentle chuckle.
"Alright, redhead, the key's under the mat."
Reiko hung up the phone and held her head in her hands. She stared at her phone and sighed. The girl opened her contacts, dialing her cousin's number.
"I'm sorry Mitsuko," she smiled bitterly "You're gonna hate me for this."
-o-
3:03 A.M.
When Reiko pulled up to Daisuke's home, she noticed that his car was already parked in the drive way. The redhead parked her Civic on the curb and stepped out into the chilly night. From what she could see, there were no lights on in the home.
"Probably asleep." She murmured bitterly. When Daisuke had called her earlier, it had sounded like Hisana was in need of urgent attention. The tall woman checked her phone, and ran a hand through her curly red locks. A little after three. The witching hour. Reiko had learned from scary moves and urban legends that three o'clock was the devil's hour. It was the time when evil spirits left their domains to do harm to the living.
She had never believed in those sorts of things though.
Reiko stepped up onto the front porch, bending slightly to retrieve the spare key that lay under the mat. Its silver surface gleamed faintly in the moon's pale light as she twisted it into the lock.
Click
Reiko stepped inside the home, shutting the door softly behind her. It was dark. The only light that she could see was the faint glowing of the muted television in the distance. The young woman ventured deeper into the large home, her eyes flickered toward the living room.
Empty.
A part of her felt that she should leave, considering the fact that Daisuke and Hisana were most likely asleep. It felt strange to be walking around another person's home so late, and without them knowing. Daisuke could at least have stayed up to greet her!
A sloshing sound stopped her in her tracks.
Reiko growled lowly, lifting her boots to inspect the sticky substance. She glared at the floor in complete darkness, and attempted to let her eyes naturally adjust to the lack of light. The redhead placed her arms out in front of her, hoping to balance herself as she edged along the wall. Her hands flailed as she felt around for a light switch, trying not to slip.
Aha!
Reiko flipped the switch, and the kitchen was then brightly illuminated.
The woman looked down at her boots. They were covered in red.
Crystal blue orbs widened in alarm, and she turned slowly. Her eyes followed the trail she had made around the kitchen. Long splatters of boot prints littered the floor, staining it with deep red.
There, in the middle of the kitchen floor, lay Daisuke,
He had been practically sliced in half.
There was a massive, gaping hole straight through his abdomen. It looked as though he had been run through with a long, sharp object. A pool of dark crimson surrounded him, and the blonde's intestines spilled from his lower half in squishy, fleshy ringlets. But the most disturbing thing had to be the boy's face. The skin around Daisuke's normally handsome face was shrunken in, pulling tight around the boy's cheekbones. His lifeless grey eyes were wide in absolute horror. They were glazed over and stared unseeingly back at her.
Reiko's hand shot to cover her mouth, silencing the scream that threatened to escape.
"O-oh my God. Wha-what the fuck?"
-o-
"Ichigo,"
The said spiky haired teen lifted his gaze from the manga he was reading. He turned toward the petite woman sitting on his bed.
"Yeah?" he asked. He removed his headphones from his ears.
"Did you…did you feel something strange just now?"
The substitute soul reaper locked gazes with his raven haired companion. His amber eyes holding her amethyst ones.
"What do you mean?"
Rukia slowly drew the curtain from Ichigo's bedroom window, her worried eyes staring off into the night.
"Earlier. I thought I felt…Brother's reiatsu. Just for a split second though, but then it was gone."
The redhead stayed silent. He too had felt the sudden spike in what seemed to be Byakuya's spiritual pressure, but it was so quick, so controlled that he had brushed it off. He hadn't thought that Rukia was sensitive enough to catch it, but it appeared that she had. She glanced at him.
"What do you think?'
The lieutenant chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes staring longingly into the night.
"Byakuya's a strong man, Rukia," Ichigo sounded bitter, as if admitting this wounded his pride. "I'm sure he's okay." He then placed the headphones back into his ears, ending the conversation.
Rukia nodded slowly, hesitating before closing the curtains.
Brother…
A/N: I'm actually finished with the next chapter. Do you want me to publish it now? I feel that there needs to be a wait until I publish it though. Lol, there needs to be preparation because the next chapter is intense.
I'm thinking Valentine's Day?