Author's Note: This time, we are with Kohaku. I so want to get into her backstory. I have been sitting on it for years. I just hadn't had the chance to get it out there. Now, I might have that chance this season. I am going to have to see. The Master isn't going to let her go that easily. He's going to work his magic on her until he sees her powers in action. The mind games for Izaya have begun! I can't wait to see where that storyline goes too. This halo just wrote itself, really. I already have the next two weeks plotted out in my head. Plus, there is going to be bite in Wonderland Bites tonight. For now, enjyo this week's halo.
Halo Eight: Kohaku:
The Master waited outside of her school days before Izaya's body was found. He memorized her schedule. Kohaku will look for any excuse not to go home. She wouldn't have to deal with him. The Master couldn't help but smile to himself. Her family would be entertaining for days. The parents tried to look perfect.
The Master glanced behind him. Good, Byakko was nowhere in sight. It wasn't like he cared about the other tadpoles, but he wasn't going to let his toys get killed in any way. He would have to deal with that annoying tiger girl later.
Ah, there goes the bell. The Master watched the students exit out of the building. Here comes the Going Home Club. Kohaku is still in the school. She's mostly at the nurse's office. The Master took a puff of his pipe and walked inside unnoticed. He had to do this just right.
November 3rd, 2015.
Kitano sat back in his chair and hit record on his tape player.
"This entity is going to be a little bit different. Today, I want to talk about her. Where do I begin with her? Well… First of all, she is an entity with no body. No physical form. I call her a "she" because her presence feels feminine to me. I remember the first time I met her. I summoned her to kill Izaya. Well, to be accurate, I put a death curse on Orihara and she was the one to answer. Since then, she comes when she wants. She seems to take a liking to Izaya. So much so that she just popped when I was pondering my experiment. I have never seen her this excited before in my life. She… She's just something else."
A knock came on his door. Kitano hit stop on his recorder.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I'm coming in," Osamu said. He opened the door and poked his head inside. Kitano raised his eyebrow.
"What do you want?" he asked. Osamu walked in with a small stack of papers in his hand.
"I got the notes you needed," he said.
"Good, good," Kitano said. Osamu handed him the papers when he walked over to the desk. The therapist put on his glasses as he turned them and read them.
"So they actually did it," Osamu said. "What do you want to do next?" The boss turned to him.
"Observe and form a plan," he said. This didn't surprise the men. It all kept piling up for this game. However, they knew that winter was coming and time would be running out. They were going to have to act fast.
The Master walked up to the nurse's office. He poked his head in the doorway. Good, Kohaku was alone at the moment. The nurse herself had just stepped out. He smiled coldly to himself. This would be easier than he thought. That's when he noticed his target was staring at him. The Master slipped into the room.
"Hello, dear," he said. Kohaku stared at him with wide eyes.
"Are you… the Master of Lies?" she asked. The last part came out in a whisper. The Master raised his eyebrow.
"So you've heard of me?" he asked. She nodded uneasily.
"So… you know why I am here, yes?" the Master asked. Kohaku stared up at him, trembling. She rubbed on her arm as she looked away.
"I don't want to do it," she said.
"Oh? And why is that?" he asked. She felt so small underneath him. The tadpole couldn't bring herself to look at him. The Master took her by the cheek and turned her head to him. He gave her a little smirk.
"Don't be like that," he said. "Do you know what kind of treasure is resting in your little body?" Kohaku pushed him off.
"Get off me!" she shouted. The Master had the same smirk that Izaya would.
"I just want to see what you can really do," he said. Kohaku shook her head. She looked like she was ready to get up and run away. She wanted to shrink into herself.
"Please… Don't make me do this," the tadpole pleaded. She looked like she was about to cry. The Master wasn't going to relent. He leaned down to her ear and whispered into it. The tadpole froze as her heart leaped up into her chest. The Master drew back.
"Kohaku-chan?" a woman's voice asked. Kohaku whipped her head around. The school nurse stood in the doorway.
"Are you okay? Who was in here just now?" she asked. The girl stared at her with big eyes. Kohaku trembled as she tried to think of what to say.
"Aw, Kohaku-chan," the nurse said. She walked over and hugged the young girl. Kohaku just collapsed, silently sobbing. She couldn't get the Master's voice out of her head.
"Meet me in Sunshine City. I will be waiting."
November 1st, 2015.
Izaya was making his way back to Shinjuku. His nerves were frazzled since last night. Or rather the early morning hours. In any case, the information broker had to be careful. More memories started coming back. Memories of how he died. He laughed to himself. This would be kind of funny if not downright disturbing.
"So this is how they are going to end me," he said to himself. Izaya noticed that someone was following him. Who was it this time? He took a peek over his shoulder.
No one.
When did this street get so quiet? He took a look around. Where did all of the people go? So it has begun.
"Okay!" Izaya shouted as he turned around. "I know what this is! Come out and show yourself!" The soft sounds of paw prints touched the pavement on this empty street. Izaya reached for his knife. But then he froze.
A large black animal came walking forward. Izaya squinted for a better look. Wait… Is that a…?
A large dog lumbered toward him. The fur was darker than the night sky. Its eyes glowed like fiery coals. Its large tongue hung out of the side of its mouth. Izaya took a step back. This wasn't just a big black dog. She came to him as a hellhound. The information broker held back a laugh.
"Oh! So this is how you show yourself!" he said. The dog walked up to him and sat down, growling. Izaya's grip tightened on the knife. Female laughter filled the air.
"So glad you remember me, Izaya," the dog said. The information broker shouldn't be shocked by this. She's done this before. He should be used to this. But why did she have to be a hellhound this time?
"And how are you going to kill me this time?" Izaya asked. "Poison me? Stab me? Strangle me? Have many others kill me? Get me shot? Crush me to death?"
"Yes," she said without missing a beat. Izaya frowned.
"To which one?" he asked. The dog laughed again. The light and angelic sound was unnerving. Izaya took another step back. The hellhound never took her eyes off of him.
"All of it," she said. The color from the information broker's face drained. The dog laughed again. Its tongue wagged with its open mouth. The fangs were just as black as its body.
"I wanted to try something a little bit different this time," the hellhound said. "You've gotten too comfortable with our little games. That's the thing with you humans. You are built to adapt and evolve. So annoying, really." The hellhound got closer, making Izaya back up again.
"Which is why I'm going to have to change things around this time," she said. "Boy, I'm going to have so much fun with you. You don't know who I'm going to be or how you're going to die." Izaya had an unsettled look on his face. The hellhound hadn't taken its eyes off of him once.
"Do you want to know what the best part is?" she asked. Izaya had on a stoic face as he didn't say a word. She could already see his real emotions.
"Well, I'll tell you," the hound said. The dog was just underneath him at his feet. Izaya didn't get a chance to back up.
"No one is even going to notice you dead," she growled in a low voice. Izaya about stumbled backward.
He found himself back in a crowded street. The people walking by didn't notice him as he looked around. That damned dog was nowhere in sight. Izaya was left wandering away home with a pit of unease in his stomach. The question was when was she going to make the first move.
Kohaku could've gone anywhere else. She didn't have to go home. Her parents wouldn't be home for hours, but still…
She felt so small in the middle of Sunshine City. Mikado, Chie, Erina, and Reo all spoke with her beforehand.
You saw him too?
Yes.
Who is he? Why is he so interested in us?
Honestly, I don't really know. I don't know what he's doing.
He looks so much like Izaya.
"I don't know why you all keep comparing me to this Izaya fellow," a voice spoke up. Kohaku jerked her head upward. The Master stood in front of her, grinning.
"Hello, dear," he said. Kohaku just froze. She stared at him with big eyes.
"Hello, my little toys," the Master said. The other tadpoles went quiet in Kohaku's head. He chuckled under his breath.
"Good, they've cleared out," he said. "Can't have any interfere with what we have come to do, now can we?" Kohaku stood frozen. The Master gave her a sly smile.
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked.
"Huh?" she asked. He leaned in close to her face.
"Let's get you something to eat. We can talk there," the Master said.
He took her to McDonalds. Kohaku munched down on a handful of fries. The Master watched her with a smirk on his face.
"So tell me," he said. "Why don't you want to use your powers?" Kohaku kept her eyes down this time.
"I don't like them," she said in a soft voice. The Master looked bemused.
"Heh? Why is that?" he asked. Kohaku refused to make eye contact. Still, she doesn't stop eating. The Master kept his gaze fixed on her. The tadpole paused with the fries in her hand. She said something softly to herself.
"What was that?" the Master asked. Kohaku tightened her fists in her lap. She lifted her head. He could see the resentment in her eyes.
"It's because of this," she said through clenched teeth. She opened her coat and her blouse.
"Oh…" he said in a low voice. A deep blackish-purple discoloration covered her neck and torso.
"It's covering my body," Kohaku said. "Every time I eat one of them, this is what happens." She closed up her clothes. She didn't want his eyes lingering on her.
"Did it hurt to do that?" the Master asked. The tadpole froze.
"W-W-What?" she asked.
"Tell about your father," he said.
"What did you say?" Kohaku asked. The Master took her by the cheeks and turned her face to his. He was grinning now.
"You can't hide from me," he said. "How do you think I know all about you? Let me help you help yourself." Kohaku just froze again. This was just like with her father at home. Every part of her body screamed at her to run. She had to get up. Get up and run away. But Kohaku couldn't move. This bastard of a man had her by the cheeks but he might as well have all of her body in a vice.
"Please leave me alone," Kohaku pleaded. She tried to look away from him.
"Aw, Kohaku-chan," the Master said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see what you can do."
"But why?" she asked.
"Why? Why?" he asked. "Because I want to see your powers in action. You eat sins. Do you know what kind of gold mine you are sitting on?"
"No!" Kohaku said. "I don't even want these powers!" Her eyes started well up with tears.
"Hey! Get off of her!" someone yelled. The Master and Kohaku looked up to a boy in a school uniform marching up to their table. Kohaku recognized the boy right away. She had a desperate look in her eyes. Her captor looked the boy up and down.
"A friend of yours?" the Master asked.
"Yes!" Kohaku said. She broke from his grasp and ran to the boy. He looked like he was ready to fight. The Master chuckled as he took a drag of his pipe.
"We were just talking," he said. "But it looks like we're done here." The Master stood up and bowed.
"I will take my leave now. I bid you a good evening," he said. The Master walked past them. But then he paused and looked over his shoulder.
"You and I will meet again," he said. "We're not done yet." You still have to show what you can do. And then he was gone. Kohaku sank to her knees, trembling.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked. His voice might as well be far away.
Kohaku and the boy sat in the booth. She kept her eyes down.
"Are you okay?" he asked again. Kohaku shook her head.
"Who was that?" he asked. The girl didn't answer. She had seen him around before. They weren't in the same class but she saw him walking the halls. He's always with his friends. They laughed and looked happy together.
"I've seen you around," he said. The girl paused.
"Huh?" she asked.
"You're Kimio Kohaku, aren't you?" the boy asked. Kohaku looked up.
"I knew it!" he said. He paused for a moment.
"Oh, sorry about that," the boy said. "I'm Roku. Nice to meet you." Kohaku gave him a blank stare.
"Oh…" she said in a quiet voice.
"Hey, listen, I'm going to stay with you for a while, okay?" Roku said. "If you don't mind. You looked like you could use a friend." Kohaku pressed her lips together. The boy frowned.
"No? Too much?" he asked.
"No, no!" Kohaku said, shaking her head. "It's fine. It's fine."
"So…" Roku began to say.
"Yes, you can stay with me for a while," she said. The tadpole shoved more fries into her mouth. Roku wanted to say something else but couldn't think of anything. So he just sat back in the booth and said nothing.
The Master was going to have to change his tactics up for Kohaku. He could see how broken she was. Mikado, Chie, Erina, and Reo had their own baggage but not like Kohaku's. Hears just made this game more delicious.
That was the thing with victims of abuse. They carry the scars. They carry the misery. All of it never goes away. It's just part of them. Kohaku was a walking example of them. However, this put the Master in a difficult position. He wasn't one for fixing people. Not his thing. But he's got a game to play. If playing therapist was what was going to get Kohaku to play along, then he would have to do his best.
He chuckled to himself. If only his siblings could see him now.
Right now, the Master was looking for the perfect target for Kohaku to work on. Yes, Kohaku had been using her powers. But they had all been safe targets. Too safe. He was going to have to pick someone high-risk for the girl.
The Master smirked.
He had just the person for Kohaku. It would, as the humans would say, kill two birds with one stone. The Master would be waiting for his latest pet project to get home.
December 18th, 2015
Another body has been found. It was at city hall this time. It was the janitor who had the misfortune of finding the body hanging upside down from the ceiling. His blood had dripped into a bottle for the water cooler. His throat was cut down to the bone. Duct tape was used to gag him and binds his hands together. The victim was named Hira Atari. It had been revealed that he was selling political favors under the table. The truth came out through Kita's notes. It looked like he had been paying her and Yukimura over the past seven years. All of the names of everyone he had been dealing with had been painted in blood.
By nine in the morning, Kota was down at city hall. He shook his head.
"Simony," he said to himself. One of the CSIs looked up.
"Huh?" they asked.
"Simony, it's the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things," the detective explained. "Or in this case, selling political offices and pardons and positions."
"Oh," the CSI said. Kota gave them an odd look.
"You've never heard of that?" he asked.
"No, sir," they said. "I've never heard that."
"You haven't been reading Divine Comedy?" he asked. The CSI had a sheepish look on their face.
"No sir," they said. "I'm more of a movie guy." Kota's face dropped. Click. The detective and the CSI turned their heads.
"What was that?" the CSI asked. Nakamura turned his head. A person was taking a picture of the body with their phone. They didn't stand out with jeans and a hoodie.
"Hey!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!" The person jumped and took off running.
"Come back here!" the detective shouted. He chased the cameraman all the way to the parking lot.
"Come back here!" Nakamura shouted. He raced forward and grabbed the person by the shoulder. Both fell to the ground. The person tried to get away but Nakamura wouldn't let up.
"Stop resisting!" he shouted.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the person shouted. The detective was taken aback. This person was a woman. She sounded about thirteen or fourteen. Nakamura was confused.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "How did you get past the police? And why aren't you in school?" The girl was shaking in his grasp.
"I was just taking a picture of the body!" she wailed.
"Why would you do that?" Nakamura asked. The girl turned her head. She didn't take off her hood. She held up her phone.
"I'm part of the DK Fan Club," she said.
"What?" he asked with a face screwed up, confused. The girl opened a browser app on her phone.
"This," she said. Nakamura's jaw dropped.
"What the hell is this?" he asked. He scrolled through the page. It looked like some sort of a message board like 2chan. Each post was talking about the Dante Killer. Some were taking bets on who would be the next victim. Some users were cheering the killer on. Cosplay ideas and love confession to DK started to blur together. The detective turned to the girl with a look of disgust.
"What is wrong with you?" Nakamura asked.
"I like true crime," the girl said. "I was looking more about the DK when someone invited to join the fan club." Suddenly, her phone binged in Nakamura's hand. He looked at the screen. That was when the situation changed.
"Hey, how did you know to come here?" Nakamura asked. The girl pressed her lips together under her hood.
"Someone posted a bet for who could get a picture of the crime scene before it hit the press," she admitted. "I got DM for this address." Nakamura went pale. This situation had just gotten way worse.
Kohaku ended up spending the afternoon and evening with Roku. He did look rather cute now that she got a better look at him. The boy was funny, sweet, polite, and kind of mischievous. He didn't push her to do anything. Sometimes, he would just let her talk if she needed to. Kohaku felt much better with him.
"How did you find me here?" she asked at the table.
"I was just hanging the mall with my friends," Roku said. "I had just come from the bathroom when I spotted you with that guy." He noticed the uneasy look on her face.
"Oh, no, no, no!" he was quick to say, waving his hands in the air. "I wasn't stalking you or anything!" The tadpole giggled.
"It's okay, I believe you," she said. Roku breathed out.
"Thank you for that," he said to himself. Kohaku giggled. So this was what normal felt like. She wanted to embrace it. Embrace it with Roku. However, she started to frown. Could Roku take her baggage? Could he take learning about the abuse she suffered at him? Could he take learning about her time at Chou Mori? Could he take learning about her powers?
"Can I walk you home?" Roku asked.
"No!" Kohaku yelped. But then she froze.
"I mean, I'm not going home just yet," the girl said in a calm voice. Roku raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Kohaku felt herself panic. She didn't want to come out and admit the truth right away. They just met. She didn't want to potentially scare him off. Kohaku lifted her chin.
"I just don't want to go home yet," she admitted. The girl started to look away from him.
"Well… where do you want to go?" Roku asked. Kohaku froze.
"I… I don't know," she said.
"We can just walk around the city if you want," he said. "We don't really have to go anywhere." Kohaku turned and stared at him.
"Do you want to do that instead?" Roku asked. Her heart did a little flip in her chest. Her cheeks turned a little red.
"Sure, I would love that," she said softly.
They walked around the city for most of the night. Kohaku and Roku didn't have to talk. She didn't mind it. Part of her didn't want it to end. Could she have a relationship with him? It didn't have to be romantic. They could just be friends, right? That's okay, right?
"Can I see you again?" Kohaku asked. Roku gave her a little laugh.
"Sure," he said. "I don't mind." The tadpole perked up for the first time tonight.
"Thanks," she said.
Kohaku made it back home close to midnight. Roku walked her home like he promised.
"I'll see you around," he said. The tadpole looked at her front door as her stomach turned. Maybe they were asleep right now. She couldn't hear anything inside the apartment. Good, there was a chance she could slip inside without being noticed. Kohaku took a breath and unlocked the door. Roku didn't leave until she was safely inside.
Kohaku smiled to herself as she closed the door behind her. Until now, she kept to herself due to her home life. Sure, there were the other tadpoles to be there for her. She even made friends with some of them in the third and second generations. Kohaku and Honoka got along rather well. But still, it was nice to connect with someone outside of their bubble.
"I'm home," Kohaku said to herself in a whisper.
"Welcome home, honey," a familiar voice said as she took off her shoes. Kohaku felt her blood run cold. No… Please don't tell her.
Against her better judgement, Kohaku lifted her head. The Master of Lies was sitting on the couch, waiting for her.
"Yo," he said, waving. Kohaku thought she was going to be sick.