Author's Note: I just had to write this one. I had been sitting on this halo for quite some time. I thought about what the Dante Killer would do if she ran into someone on her list who changed. Really changed for the better. What would she do then? Would she kill them anyway or let them live? I just kept writing until I went past the deadline. Still, I made it. There is so much going on here. 4,823 words to be exact. I had too much fun writing this. I love how it turned out. I already know what I am going to do next week. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Two: DK:
-Friday-
She has a problem. Her target was happily married. Not only that, but they were also expecting a baby together. She cursed herself in her car.
Fuck.
She pulled out her phone.
"I'm stuck here."
"What do you mean?"
"It's my target. He's married and they have a baby on the way. She's like seven or eight months along."
"You serious?"
"Yeah."
"Damn. That is tough. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I just found this all out this morning. And it's making me angrier."
"Calm down, I understand how you feel."
"Do you?"
Sawako pulled up into a hotel parking lot around three in the morning. She was going to be in Nikko for a few days. Why? Well, she used to live here with her mother for a time. Until today, Sawako vowed to never come back here. However, this isn't a vacation. She has some business to settle.
The office lady walked up to the front desk. The receptionist lifted her chin.
"Welcome to Nikko Station Hotel," she said.
"I would like to rent a room," Sawako said. "Non-smoking, one single bed." The receptionist typed into the computer.
"Do you want a view?" she asked.
"I don't care," the office lady said. "Do you have any rooms still available?"
"Why yes we do," the receptionist said. Sawako slammed down a handful of cash.
"This should cover the room for how many days I plan to stay here," she said. The receptionist stared at her for a moment.
"Uh… okay," she said. "We do have one room available. Hang on." The receptionist turned and handed her a key.
"Thank you," Sawako said, bowing. She turned and walked down the hall.
"You have a good night!" the receptionist said to her back. The office lady waved her off as she made it to the elevators.
10:00 a.m.
The man sat at his computer. Every day, Arima Kazuhito traveled from Nikko to Shibuya for work. He worked as a manager for the branch of his company there. His wife wondered why couldn't he get a job closer to Nikko.
"The pay is really good," he said. "I want us to have enough money to raise our kid."
"But it's so far away," she complained. Kazuhito took her by the cheeks.
"Aw, Miki," he said. "Once this branch takes off, I will move you and the baby into the city. I promise." Miki gave him a little smile.
"Okay," she said. He kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you, honey," he said. Kazuhito made up for the long distance by inviting her out for meals with him. This morning, he invited his wife out for breakfast.
Kazuhito was typing at his computer when his phone buzzed. When he looked at the phone, a stunned and puzzled look came across his face. He looked around before tapping the screen.
"Hey, man! How have you been? I'm coming up to Shibuya for the weekend. We should catch up."
He stared at the text.
"Hirano?" Kazuhito asked. He hadn't heard from him since they graduated from university.
"Wow," he said to himself. The man shoved his phone back into his pocket when some of his coworkers were walking by. One of them stopped and looked at him. Kazuhito cleared his throat and got back to work. He was going to have to reply later.
She found this so infuriating. When did he turn into this good guy? He infamously never wanted to get married. Kazuhito never tied himself down to one woman. He even bragged about all the girls he slept with. What the hell was all of this?
He had to be cheating on her. He had to be. There was no other way.
She was going to have to get to the bottom of this.
"Maybe it's just as it is. People can change, you know?"
"No! This is him we're talking about! People like him NEVER change."
"Okay, okay. Let's say that you are right. What? Are you going to stalk him until you get evidence that he's cheating?"
"Yes."
"Well… good luck."
"Thank you."
Kazuhito sneezed at his desk.
"Are you okay?" a woman asked behind him. The man turned his head. A coworker stood holding a folder to her chest.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I just sneezed." Kazuhito turned his chair around.
"How's your partner?" he asked.
"Good, she's good," she said. "We're going to see her fam this weekend." Kazuhito lifted his lower lip and nodded.
"Uh-huh," he said. His phone buzzed again.
"Excuse me," the man said. He picked up the phone and looked at the screen. It was a reminder of the text he got earlier.
"Excuse me," he said. Kazuhito got up and walked into the hall. He opened the text message again. The man called the number.
"Hello?" a familiar voice asked on the other line.
"Hirano?" Kazuhito asked. "How have you been?"
"Great!" his friend said.
"I heard you were in town this weekend."
"Yeah! I'm getting the boys back together and we're going to party it up this weekend."
"Really?"
"Of course. It would be nice to see everyone again."
Kazuhito nervously laughed. "I'm not so sure about that. I will have to see with my wife."
"Wife?!" Hirano asked. "You two are still married?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" Kazuhito asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Why wouldn't we be?" he asked. The salary manager looked into the office.
"Listen, can we meet up later to catch up?" he asked. "I have to get back to work."
"Sure!" his friend said. "I'll be at the Granbell Hotel."
"Great," Kazuhito said. "See you then." He forced himself to grin as he hung up. The man had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Kazuhito knew how his friend was. Maybe his wife could put her foot down on this?
He shook his head and walked back into the office building.
She's been stalking for the whole day. Kazuhito doesn't really do anything. He went to work. Then the man went to lunch with his coworkers. Just like in college, Kazuhito was the life of the party. He was making his coworkers laugh with his lame jokes. She rolled her eyes, sneering as she sat at a table in the corner of the café. But he never hit on any of the female coworkers. How could that be possible? The more she watched him, the more infuriated she felt. What the hell was going on?
Kazuhito left work around six in the evening. He had to get back home due to the distance between home and work. She trailed him. Maybe she could catch him slipping up. Kazuhito took the train home. She kept her distance. He looked on his phone. At first, he absent-mindedly scrolled through the messages. He had his earbuds in. Just looking at him made want her stomach turn.
He made her think that they were in love. Made her believe that she was the only one. She was just another notch on his bedpost. She and many other girls were just prizes in his circle of friends. She hadn't thought about him until she looked at some old pictures of her during her college days on social media. She looked so happy with him in that picture on that class trip to Kyoto that spring. Looking at her filled her with rage. Right then, she knew who her next victim was going to be.
But why wasn't he following the script she had plotted out in her head?
Suddenly, Kazuhito froze. She watched as he frowned at his screen. Oh? What is this? The man dropped back his head and sighed. She was intrigued now. Many it was a girl on the side after all? She was going to have to see. He puffed up his cheeks as he typed a reply. He shoved his phone back into his pocket.
First, he stopped by the local grocery store. Just like he promised, he picked up flowers and the sparkling juice. Neither one was cheap either. The sparkling juice looked like a top-shelf brand. The type used for celebrations like New Year's. Kazuhito picked up some winter peonies.
"Are these really fresh?" he asked.
"Yes," the clerk said. The salary manager took a moment to sniff them.
"Good," he said. Kazuhito made another purchase. It was a small bag of chocolate candies from Europe. She wrinkled her nose. Such a kiss-up to his wife. He probably did something stupid and he's trying to make it up to her. That's just how he was.
He made it back home on time. The wife greeted him at the door. He hugged her and gave her the flowers and the candies. She looked so happy.
She felt like she was going to be sick.
Miki, her sister, and Kazuhito had dinner in the living room.
"How is college going for you?" Kazuhito asked.
"Good," the sister said. She didn't look up from her plate. The salary manager turned his attention to Miki.
"I got a text from Hirano today," he said. "You remember him, right?" Miki looked up at him with a curious look on her face.
"Hirano?" she asked.
"You know," he said. "Hirano Ryunosuke. One of my oldest friends from university. He was at our wedding." The sister's face turned bright red as she tried to look away. Miki looked like she was trying to solve a complex puzzle.
"Hirano. Was this the guy that couldn't take his eyes off of the female guests and caterers?" she asked. Her sister tried to hide her bright red face. Kazuhito nervously laughed.
"Yeah, that's him alright," he said.
"What about him?" Miki asked.
"He's in Shibuya for the weekend," her husband said. "He wants to get together with the boys." He sounded hesitant as he said that. Miki and her sister had their eyes on him.
"Cool," his wife said. Kazuhito frowned. That was it?
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," Miki said, nodding. He was about to press for more questions.
"It's fine," his wife insisted. "You are a big boy and you are free to see your friends again. Besides, I trust you." Kazuhito nervously laughed.
"Okay," he said, nodding. The man nervously shoved more food into his mouth. This was going to be worse than he feared, wasn't it?
Oh, he had no idea.
-Saturday-
She's stalking him again. He has the day off. (It's so funny. She's taking on PTO!) He had breakfast with his wife. She kissed him goodbye at the door.
"See you tomorrow morning," the wife said.
"Let's have pancakes then," he said. He kissed her on the forehead. She giggled at the sensation on her skin.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," he said. They shared one more kiss before he headed to the train station.
"Have a good time!" the wife shouted after him.
Meanwhile, she has to change how she is going to do things for this kill. She had to settle this once and for all before she could make her move. It was a good thing she knew where to start.
Besides, there were some things that she needed to pick for her next "art project".
10:00 a.m.
Miki decided to do a little shopping for a friend's birthday. She went down to the Nikko Landmark. Her plans were to get her friend something small but yet a little bit cheeky.
"Are you serious?" she asked days ago. Her friend gave it her all not to bust out laughing. The other friends in their group didn't know whether laugh with her or look confused. Nevertheless, Miki decided to at least get something PG-13.
Miki found herself in a lingerie shop. Staring at all of the pretty lacy underwear made her feel self-conscious. She looked down at her big belly. Kazuhito assured her that she was still beautiful.
"You're not going to stop being hot with the baby weight," he said. "I think you're sexy and that's all that matters." She gave him a little smile. Still, she missed her figure. Yet once their baby was born it would all be worth it.
"Welcome!" one of the shop girls said. "Can I interest you in some maternity lingerie today?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" Miki said, waving her hand back and forth. "I'm just looking for a gift for my friend."
"Oh!" the shop girl said, covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine," the mother-to-be said. "I just want something small for my friend's birthday."
"Is there anything you're looking for in particular?" the employee asked. Miki took a moment to think about it.
"I'm not sure," she said. "Do you mind if I sit down for a bit?"
"No, go ahead," the other woman said.
"Thank you," Miki said. She took a seat on a bench nearby.
"Excuse me!" another customer said across the store. "Is this half off too?"
"Be with you in a minute," the shop girl said. She walked over to the customer in need. Miki breathed out. She hadn't been on her feet for long but they were already starting to hurt. Now she was starting to see why Kazuhito didn't want her standing around all the time. He was just that doting on her.
However, her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed someone standing over her. Miki lifted her head. A woman with long black hair and glasses stared down at her. She broke into a huge grin.
"Hey there, do you mind if I sit down?" she asked. Miki blinked at first.
"Uh… sure," she said.
"Great!" the woman said. She sat down next to the woman and stretched out her legs.
"Ah!" she said. Miki had a puzzled look on her face as her new companion turned to her.
"Oh, we haven't met, have we?" she asked. "I'm Noto Sawako. And you are?" Miki blinked again at first.
"Arima," she said. "Arima Miki." The women bowed their heads. Miki looked down and noticed the bags at Sawako's feet.
"That's quite a lot of bags," she said. Sawako looked around at her ankles.
"I guess it is," she said. "Felt like spoiling myself today. You? If you don't mind me asking, of course." Miki waved her hand back and forth.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" she said. "I'm looking for a gift for my friend."
"Ah, I see!" Sawako said. Miki was rather cute close-up. Her face looked fuller due to the baby weight. Speaking of which…
"Boy or a girl?" Sawako asked.
"Hm? Oh, we're going to wait until the baby's born to find out," Miki said. She rubbed on her belly. Sawako nodded with her lip up.
"I see," she said. "Listen, can I be nosy for a moment?" Miki twisted up her face into a confused look.
"What for?" she asked. Sawako looked around for a moment.
"Are you alone today?" she asked. Miki started to back away a bit.
"Why?" she asked. Sawako shrugged.
"I mean, you look like you're about pop any day now, pardon me saying so," she said. "There's so much that can happen. Aren't you scared of someone trying to kidnap you and kill you for your baby?"
"Would you be planning to do something that?" Miki asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Nah!" the other woman said, waving her off. "I'm just a true crime junkie. Don't mind me. I was just thinking out loud." Miki didn't know whether to run away or laugh this off. Sawako suddenly became serious.
"But seriously, you do need to be careful being on your own like this," she said.
"Well, my husband knows where I am, thank you," the mother-to-be said in a sharp tone. Sawako raised her eyebrow.
"Your husband? What is he like?" she asked. Miki held her stomach as if to protect the child inside.
"He's a good man!" she shouted. "He won't let anything happen to me!"
"Do you love him?" Sawako asked.
"Of course I do!" Miki yelled. "And he loves me too!" Sawako gave her a shrug.
"Didn't say that he didn't," she said in a low voice.
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" another shop employee asked. The office lady rose to her feet.
"No, nothing's wrong," she said. "I was just leaving, in fact." Sawako gathered up her bags and nodded at Miki.
"It was nice talking to you. Have a good day," she said. She bowed and walked out of the store.
"I'm so sorry about this, miss. Are you okay?" she heard the clerk asking the mother-to-be behind her.
-Shibuya-
Could this day get any worse? Kazuhito had just gotten off the train when his phone rang.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Bad news, man," Hirano in a grim tone. "The other guys couldn't make it." Kazuhito frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"They can't come today," his friend said. "They are either too busy with their kids or working."
Lucky, Kazuhito thought to himself.
"You're still coming to hang out, right?" his friend asked. The salary manager froze. Maybe this could be his ticket out. He could come up with any excuse and go back home. There would be no harm, no foul. Right? But Hirano sounded so desperate…
Kazuhito sighed and dropped his shoulders.
"Yes," he said reluctantly.
"Great!" his old college friend said. "This party is going to be lit! I've got some hotties coming with us. We're going to be drinking and partying the night away in my room!" Kazuhito's face dropped.
"Dude, I'm married!" he said.
"I know," Hirano said. "You don't have to do anything. You can just sit around and chill with the girls." The salary manager struggled to speak. Why did he think this was a good idea? He was about to speak up and cancel.
"You remember which room I'm in, yeah?" his college friend asked. Kazuhito lowered his head. It was just like their university days again.
"Yes," he said with a sigh.
"Good," his old friend said. "I'll see you this evening." Hirano hung up before the salary manager could say anything. He stared at his phone and frowned.
"Seriously?!" he asked. Then his phone rang again. Kazuhito about jumped. When he looked at who was calling, he frowned and rolled his eyes. Did he have to deal with this now? Might as well since he still had plenty of time.
-2:00 p.m.-
She's back to stalking him again. She's been tracking him on her phone. (She was going to have to thank Quantum for the tracking device later.) Now, she and the target were in a Starbucks. He sat five booths away from her. She waited to see the alleged mistress.
Kazuhito frowned as he sat in the booth with his coffee. Of all the days, why did she have to pick today to do this?
He looked up when he heard the bell above the door ringing. A woman in a long red coat and beret walked inside. She walked over to Kazuhito's booth. The woman in red shot him a cold look.
"Hello, Kazuhito," she grumbled. He waved as he looked away from her. She sat down in front of him. They didn't speak at first.
"Did you bring it from you?" Kazuhito asked. The woman didn't say a word as she reached into her black bag. She pulled out a manilla envelope and handed it to him.
"I don't understand this," he said as he took it.
"Understand what?" the woman asked. Kazuhito was frowning as he looked at her.
"Why this? Why now?" he asked. "What do you get out of this?" The woman groaned and rolled her eyes.
"This isn't about me!" she said. "Trust me, I really didn't want to see your ugly face again. You disgust me!"
"Then why are you here?" the salary manager asked. The woman's glare looked like she could burn a hole into his head.
"This was my stupid therapist's idea," she said.
"Therapist?" Kazuhito asked. "You're in therapy now?" The woman glared at him as she wrinkled her nose. He stopped talking as he opened the envelope. The man reached inside and pulled out the test results. He looked down at the paper.
"So I am the father," Kazuhito said.
"That's what I have been trying to tell you," the woman said. He dropped the DNA test results on the table.
"Why would you wait to tell me all of this now?" he asked. "What do you want? Money?"
"No," she said with a tone of ice.
"Why would you keep this from me for two years?" Kazuhito asked. "Do you really hate me that much?"
"It's not about me!" the woman shouted. "Look, I am getting married to a good man. As far as our daughter knows, he is her father. And I'm going to keep it that way."
"And what am I supposed to do with this?" Kazuhito asked. "I am happily married with a baby on the way! I really love my wife!"
"That's not my problem," she said. "I never wanted to see you again and yet here we are." Kazuhito sat back and groaned with his arms folded across his chest.
"This was a mistake," he said.
"You were the one who got me pregnant," the woman said.
"What do you want from me?!" Kazuhito shouted.
"Nothing!" she said. "My therapist just said that I had to come clean to everyone if I wanted to move on with my life. And that's what I'm doing. I don't care what you do with your daughter. You can come to see her if you want. I'm done here. I'm done and I don't ever want to see you again!" The salary manager gritted his teeth and clicked his tongue.
"This is some bullshit," he grumbled. Kazuhito snorted as he stood up. He stormed out of the Starbucks, leaving his coffee and the test results behind. The woman sat back and rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me," another woman's voice spoke up.
"What?!" the woman in red snapped as she looked up. Sawko stood over her with a look of sympathy on her face.
"I was sitting nearby when I heard you arguing," she said. "I used to date that guy too. Want to talk about it?" The other woman rolled her eyes but said nothing. Sawako slid into the other end of the booth.
"I'm Sawako," she said.
"Kanon," the other woman said. The office lady smiled.
"Nice to meet you," she said. There was a pause. Kanon was looking more annoyed now.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I used to date Kazuhito when I was in university," Sawako said. "He was a jerk who played me and broke my heart. You?" Kanon snorted.
"I gave that idiot three years of my life and my time," she said. "He cheated me. He promised that he could change."
"But he never did?" Sawako asked. The other woman shook her head.
"And then I found out I was pregnant with his daughter," she said.
"Yikes," the office lady said.
"He knock you up too?" Kanon asked.
"Oh, no, no, no," Sawako said, waving her hand back and forth. "Nothing like that."
"So… what? You looking for some sort of sisterhood or something?" the other woman asked. "Just because we share an ex doesn't make us friends. I don't know you and I don't want to know you."
"No, I'm just here on PTO," the office lady said.
-11:47 p.m.-
Kazuhito sat at the bar of the Granbell Hotel. First, his old friend was inviting him into a situation that could put him in the dog house with his wife. Now, he was already a father? He rubbed his forehead and groaned.
"You okay, buddy?" the bartender asked.
"No!" Kazuhito wailed. He spent most of the day wandering around the streets. Occasionally, the salary manager would duck into random shops and browse what was inside. He dodged all of Hirano's calls and texts. Kazuhito even turned off his phone at one point. Why didn't he just go home? He could've just got on the train station and this would've been over. But he couldn't do that. Hirano wasn't going to let him hear the end of it, was he?
Kazuhito downed another shot. He figured the best that he could do was just swing by, say hi, and then come up with an excuse to get home early. Yeah, that would work. The salary manager went over what he was going to say in his head a couple of times. Finally, he stood up, paid his tab, and left the room.
The salary manager made it up to Room 328. Time to get this over with. Kazuhito took a breath and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Kazuhito knocked on the door again.
"Hirano?" he asked. "Are you in? I'm here!" There was still no answer. The salary manager was about to knock again when the door opened. Kazuhito snorted to himself.
"About time," he said to himself. The man slipped into the room. Inside was pitch black. Kazuhito frowned.
"Hirano?" he asked. "Are you in here? Did you go to sleep already? Why is it so dark in here?" The salary manager walked over and flipped on the light switch. Kazuhito's jaw dropped as he covered his mouth.
Hirano lay on his back on the hotel bed with his blood soaking the white sheets. He was dressed in a suit and tie with his shirt ripped open. His throat was slashed and he had many knife wounds in his chest. His eyes had been gouged out. His tongue was nailed to the headboard with his mouth wide open. A pair of red stockings was stuffed into said mouth. His wrists were cuffed together. Women's panties surrounded the body and cluttered the carpet. Cards with phone numbers written on them were also scattered around. Same with high-heels and sex toys. Kazuhito turned his head to see the word "pig" written in bright red lipstick on the mirror.
He struggled to say anything as he slowly started backing away. The salary manager froze when he felt the tip of a knife at his neck. Against his better judgment, Kazuhito glanced behind him. A black and red goat mask peeked out from the bathroom. His eyes widened as beads of sweat ran down his skin.
"I was going to kill you tonight," the masked killer said in a low voice. "But your wife is such a lovely woman. It wouldn't be fair to make her a widow and leave that baby without a father." Kazuhito could feel his heart pounding against his chest.
"So here is what I am going to do," the killer continued. "I'm going to let you live. But if you give your wife or child any reason to complain about you, I will hunt you down and kill you! Nod if you understand." Kazuhito quickly nodded as he made panicking noises.
"Good," the killer said. They drew back the knife. Her would-be target couldn't move as the killer walked to the door. They were just about to open it when they paused. DK looked over her shoulder.
"Oh and you might want to tell your wife that your kid has a big sister," she said. And then she was gone. Kazuhito didn't move for a long time. He stood frozen for what felt like a long time. When he came to his senses, the salary manager called the police. He had to stay there until three in the morning asking questions. They cleared him as a suspect when they had CCTV footage of him at the bar during the time of the murder.
"Can I call my wife?" Kazuhito asked when it was all said and done.
"Sure," one of the officers said. The salary manager broke down crying as he pulled out his phone.
-Sunday-
Sawako already checked out of her hotel yesterday morning. She drove home through the night. The woman felt calmer as pulled up into the parking lot. That was a good trip. And she made it back in the early hours of the morning. Now, she could focus and get back to work. Sawako got out of the car and got her luggage out.
Once she got inside, the woman collapsed onto her bed. She would unpack later when the sun was up. However, that was one thing that she was going to have to take out. Sawako sat up and unzipped her suitcase. She reached inside and pulled out a black and red goat mask. The office lady smiled as she slid it under her bed and went to sleep.