Author's Note: You get some more development with Tomoya and another blood knight. I have been sitting on this idea for a couple of weeks now. I'm happy I got to write it out. The beginning comes from a drabble that I had tucked away for a few years now. One writing workshop later and I just had to use it. I don't know what I am going to do with Shiori and Tomoya relationship-wise just yet. But I do have the rest of November and all of December planned out. I can't wait to crack into it. For now, enjoy this week's halo.

Halo Seventeen: Shiori:

-Kazuma-

My boy Tokiwa Tomoya has a new problem. He seemed to have attracted some rather unwanted admiration from a girl. Why is this a problem? For starters, she is seventeen and he is twenty-one. Yeah. That isn't the only thing, however. Tomoya has come to see her as a little duckling. If that little duckling was a psychotic serial killer with a cleaver tucked under her little wing.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here.

Let me back up some.

First, I need to talk about a little… hm… mistake. Let me back up to the last night before all of the cell phones became quasi-useless.

Last Night

So, I was at this hostess bar. Tomoya isn't one of those party types. Most of our boys were at clubs or on their dates. I was bored at home. I tried to invite Tomoya out with us. Of course, he turned me down.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes," Tomoya said. Killjoy. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Fine," I said. "See you tomorrow then." I hung up. I looked down at my empty glass. I need another drink.

"Bartender!" I shouted. "Get me another one!" Now, I don't remember how many drinks I had last night. I did partake in some THC before I left my apartment. There was singing and the ladies. So much fun was had.

Sometime later, I made it to the bathroom. As I was taking a piss, I noticed a strange phone number scribbled on the wall. I stared at it for a moment. Let's see…

3-6286-7734

I really shouldn't have called that number. I really shouldn't have. But you know how it is with booze and good ideas. I pulled out my phone.

"Welcome to Hell's hotline!" a cheery voice said on the other line. "How can we service you today?" I looked at my cell phone.

"Is this a joke?" I asked.

"Nope!" the operator said. "You really did call hell. Don't worry, this type of time is more common than you think. You won't believe how many calls a night we get from that stall alone."

"Okay..." I said. I looked around the bathroom. I think I might be high.

"No, you aren't high. Now how can I help you tonight?" the operator asked.

"Uh…" I said. So this was happening? I apparently called a hotline to Hell. I should've gotten a clue with the last four numbers. 7734. Really? Well, at least it's not 666 or 44444.

"What all do you offer?" I asked.

"Good question!" the operator said. "We cover everything from curses to wishes. What can I do for you tonight?" Now, any sane human being would've hung up. Hung up and moved on. But my stupid ass just had to see where this rabbit hole was going.

"Will I have to pay for anything?" I asked.

"No," the operator said.

"Okay," I said. "Why do you tell me the future?" It just came to me. What did I have to lose? There was a pause.

"Very well," the operator said.

What I heard next made me wish that I hadn't called at all. I do not wish to repeat what I heard. Part of the reason is because I was told not to. Another reason is because it's too disturbing to say. I walked out of that bathroom in a daze.

The rest of the night was a blur. I don't remember walking home. I don't remember paying my tab. I don't remember walking into my apartment. I don't even remember falling asleep in my bed. All I know is that I woke up the next morning with the memories of that call.

I don't know why I am saying all of this. I guess this is an apology of some sort. I don't know if I had a hand in this mess.

For that, I'm sorry.

Okita Shiori. She's not like other girls. Not in a cringy way either. More like… Something seemed off about her. Where do we begin with Shiori-chan? Well, she's only seventeen. Doesn't seem to have any friends. Her classmates didn't know what to make of her.

She came into Tomoya's world last night. He was on his way home from work.

"You ready to go?" Kazuma asked. Tomoya stretched her neck from side to side.

"Sure," he said. The men had just headed out of the store when they spotted her. She lingered around in the parking lot in a heavy black coat with her eyes down. Said coat and school uniform didn't seem to go together. The girl wasn't really doing anything. She just wandered around the parking lot. There was something… off about her. Tomoya wanted to just leave her be and walk away.

"Hey!" Kazuma shouted. "Hey, you! What are you doing here?" The girl sharply turned her head. There was no emotion on her face. The alarm bells went off in Tomoya's head. He grabbed onto Kazuma's arm. The girl didn't answer. Instead, she had her gaze fixed on the tadpole next to him. Her cheeks turned a light pink. The girl turned and ran off.

"Heh, that was weird," Kazuma said as he watched her run away. Tomoya regained his composure and dragged his friend away.

Meanwhile, Shiori ran into an empty alley. Her cheeks flushed red as her heart pounded against her chest. She looked down where she came from. What was that just now? She took one look at the man with the light brown hair standing next to the one with the blonde hair. They locked eyes for a long moment. Just one moment. Now, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She felt her head swimming. Shiori shook her head.

"Get it together," she hissed to herself. Shiori closed her eyes and took in slow breaths. She shook her head.

"Right…" she said to herself. Shiori turned and walked out of the alley.

There have been a total of twenty-seven parents murdered. All of them cut up and slashed all over their bodies. The children were left unharmed. Hence why the killer was called Orphan in the press.

"So she makes the kids orphans," one of the cops said. "But why?" There were theories to answer that question. They did manage to come up with a profile of the killer. They had to be young like between fifteen to twenty-five. Maybe this killer was female. The latter was challenging to pin down.

"You sure we're looking for a girl?" one of the cops asked.

"Yes! It fits the profile," another cop insisted. Their colleague stuck up their hands.

"Okay, okay," they said. "Geez!"

Meanwhile, the body count kept rising all over Ikebukuro. It might be possible that they are spreading to Shinjuku as well.

The man at the 7-11 took up residence in Shiori's brain. This had never happened before. She never had an interest in love or sex. Shiori found it pointless. Her classmates were looking for boyfriends (or girlfriends) or intimate connections. She would roll her eyes when she heard the girls chattering about how their boyfriends showered them with gifts and affection.

Lame.

However, Shiori might see things their way. Maybe dating wasn't as pointless. What would it be like to share a bed with another warm body? Shiori's face felt like it was on fire when she slapped herself in the cheeks.

"Is something wrong?" someone asked. Shiori turned her head. A girl with long pink strands in her hair started at her. Shiori blinked at first.

"Oh, it's you," she said. Her classmate frowned.

"Why is your face so red?" she asked.

"Huh?" Shiori asked. Her classmate held back her laugh.

"Oh!" she said. "You're in love with someone, aren't you?" Shiori hid her face in her hands.

"Shut up!" she yelled. Her classmate laughed.

"So I am right," she said.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" the other girl said. Her voice came out muffled through her hands. Everyone was staring at them now. Shiori could feel their eyes on them.

"Leave her alone, Sae," one of the other girls said. Sae put up her hands.

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint," she said. Everyone went back to what they were doing. Shiori sat back in her chair and sighed. Her face was bright red now. Sae turned her head.

"But seriously," she said. "Who is he?" Shori turned her head.

"I don't know," she mumbled. Sae gave her a curious look. Shiori frowned.

"I just met him," she said. " I don't know anything about him."

"Oh!" Sae said. She had a twinkle in her eye. The other girl looked like she wanted to get up and run away. Sae patted her on the shoulder. The other girl looked over at her. The classmate grinned.

"You are going to have to tell me all about this boyfriend of yours sometime," she said. Shiori's eyes shifted away from her.

"He's not my boyfriend," she muttered under her breath. She dropped her head as her classmate noticed a group of her friends near the front of the class.

"Hey guys!" she said. Shiori shook her head to herself. Why was she acting like this? She swore off things like marriage and dating. It didn't work out for her parents. Relationships were pointless! But were they really?

The police managed to get hold of one of the victims' children. A six-year-old little girl sat in the police station with her grandmother. The child kept her eyes down on her doll in her arms. The old lady rubbed her back.

"It's okay, darling," she whispered. The child looked so numb. The detective on the case walked over to the family. The grandmother stood up.

"Thank you for coming out here today," the detective said. "How is she doing?" The old lady sighed.

"Not so good," she said. "She hasn't said a word since that night." The little girl trembled. The detective knelt down to her.

"Hey dear, how have you been doing?" he asked. The child didn't answer. She didn't even look up. Clearly, he wasn't going to get anything out of her like this.

"Tell you what," he said. "I will talk to your doll instead." He looked up at the old lady as if to get permission. She didn't say anything. Okay, they were really going to do this. He slipped the stuffed doll out of the girl's hands. It looked like a standard stuffed doll. Black yarn hair, stitched-on smile, black buttons for eyes, and a blue dress with white polka dots.

"Hello doll," the detective said. "We're trying to find out what happened to Mimiko-chan's mom. She might be connected to the deaths of other mamas and papas in the city. We don't more of them to be dead. In order to stop that, we have to know what you saw. It doesn't have to be anything huge. So please, tell us anything that you've seen." He stayed calm the whole time. Why did he think this was going to work?

Suddenly, something caught his ear.

"Hm? What was that?" he asked. Mimiko only muttered one word to herself.

"Lammy."

"What did you say?" the detective asked. Her grandmother looked down at her.

"Lammy," the little girl said again. The adults had their eyes on her now. Mimiko trembled in her seat.

The children all said the same thing. The killer wore a white lamb mask. Some of the detectives started to notice similarities to the Dante Killer and Orphan with the masks. That might have been reaching on the surface. But was it really?

The detective tried to push that thought out of his head. He was more hung up on the fact that the serial killer could be a teenager. Oh, he had no idea.

Meanwhile, there were more crime scenes to look into.

Hoshino Kiichi, age twenty-four. He had been a hikikomori since he was sixteen. There were no known relatives in his life. He was found dead at his computer. You would be forgiven to think it was natural causes until you saw how deep the gash across his throat was.

Sachiko frowned at the crime scene in front of her. Why did this place look so familiar? When dispatch said the address, the detective's breath caught in her throat.

"Where did you say it was again?" she asked. The dispatcher repeated the address. Sachiko fought to keep her composure together.

"I'm on it," she said.

So here she was.

The CSIs got right to work. They were going to have to sort through the trash and evidence. The body was found slumped over at his computer. Sachiko walked over to the computer.

"Has this been processed?" she asked. One of the CSIs looked up.

"Hm? Yeah, go ahead if you want to look," they said.

"Thanks," Sachiko said. She reached over and moved the mouse. The monitor woke up to the login screen. The detective frowned.

"Damn it," she said. She turned to the CSIs.

"Looks like we're going to have to bag up the computer and take it with us," Sachiko said. Another CSI looked up.

"Are you sure we need to do that?" he asked.

"We are taking it with us," she said.

"Yes ma'am," the CSIs said. Sachiko took a breath. It was all that she could do to keep it together. Had she really been here before? No, that couldn't be right. Then why did the landlady give her a strange look? Nah, she was just looking cranky to the police in general. Sachiko rubbed her forehead.

"Something wrong?" another CSI asked behind her. Sachiko turned to see him staring at her.

"No," she lied. "No." Sachiko walked away from the computer and over to the doorway. The CSIs looked at each other.

Sachiko stood in the hallway and took a breath.

"Come on, get it together," she said to herself. "You have a case to work on. Save your drama for later!"

"Detective!" one of the CSIs called. Sachiko turned her head.

"What is it?" she asked. The CSI stuck his head out the doorway.

"You really need to see this," he said.

"What?" she asked. She walked back into the bedroom. The CSIs stood at the now opened-up windows. Sachiko narrowed her eyes as she looked at the words sprayed on in red paint.

"Sloth?" she asked. This all but confirmed her theory.

"Sento Shi," she said to herself. The CSIs looked at each other.

Shiori found herself back at that 7-11 she was near last night. She at least had to put a name to that beautiful face. Find out his name and push him out of her head. She didn't know why she was doing this. This wasn't her. Why was she standing around in the parking lot? It didn't help that it felt so cold out here. Sae would probably be laughing at her if she could see her now.

Shiori took out her phone. Why did she still have this? The phone doesn't really work anymore. Well, it did but it didn't. Her phone made for a good watch. Shiori chuckled to herself as her classmates complained about the signal being cut off for their phones. Sae groaned as she stared at her screen.

"Lame," she said. "How am I supposed to text my honey now?" Shiori tried not to laugh to herself.

She was pulled back into reality when she noticed the 7-111 door opening. There he was. That beautiful man was alone this time. His friend must still be inside. Shiori shifted into place. Good for her. She could make this quick and get out of here. The girl began her march across the parking lot.

Tomoya stood outside, waiting for Kazuma. His work friend had been acting strange since last night. It felt like he was forcing himself to be his goofy cheerful self. The tadpole couldn't help but notice.

"Are you okay, pal?" he asked. Kazuma looked up at him. He smiled but his eyes looked so dead and tired.

"Yeah," he said. "It just sucks we can't make any calls or text anyone." He held up his phone as he said the last part. Tomoya said nothing. His friend clearly didn't want to say anything. Tomoya didn't know how to approach this either. They spent most of the workday avoiding each other. The tadpole could hear his thoughts if he wanted to. However, it would feel like an invasion of privacy. Tomoya wasn't Yamato or Akiko.

No, he was going to have to talk to him in another way.

He stood outside of the 7-11 and pushed his hair from his eyes. Everything just kept piling up, didn't it? Well…

That was when he noticed someone staring at him.

"It's you," Tomoya said. The girl straightened up when she was standing inches away from him. Her cheeks were a bright red. Tomoya blinked for a moment.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm Shiori!" the girl blurted out.

"Okay…" Tomoya said. They stood silent for a moment. Tomoya got a good look at her as her thoughts filled his ears.

Damn it! Why can't I say it? He's so beautiful. He's right there. You already said your name. Why won't it come out?

Tomoya could see where this was going. He held up his hand.

"And I am going to stop you right there," he said. Shiori stared at him with big eyes. She just now noticed how Tomoya towered over her.

"I'm sure that you're a nice girl," he said. "But I'm way too old for you. You're what? Fifteen?"

"Seventeen," Shiori said. "But I will be eighteen soon!"

"I'm sure you will," the tadpole said. "The point is I'm too old for you. You would do better to find someone your age." Shiori looked like he just shot her in the chest.

"What?! I wasn't thinking that at all!" she shouted. The tadpole didn't look impressed. He wasn't going to humor this any longer. He was going to have to cut it off before it got out of hand.

"I'm sure you weren't," Tomoya said. "Excuse me." He bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she shouted. The tadpole stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

"What is it now?" he asked. Shiori shifted in place.

"At least… Tell me your name," she said. Tomoya sighed and dropped his shoulders. Answering that question couldn't hurt, right? Right?

"Tomoya," the tadpole said. "It's Tomoya. My name is Tokiwa Tomoya." Then he walked back into the 7-11. Shiori stood there with her hand to her chest as her face turned red.

"Tomoya…" she said breathlessly.

"I'm home," Shiori said to herself. The girl took off her shoes and walked into her apartment. She always came home to an empty apartment. It didn't bother her. A picture of her family faced her on the coffee table as she flopped down on the couch. Today was fine. Cellphones were mostly useless but she learned the name of her crush. Shiori smiled to herself.

Now, she was going to have to find a way to win Tomoya's heart. Shiori giggled to herself at her new project. Despite all of that, she still had her other project to do. She already knew what she was going to do next.

Shori made her way to her room. The girl flopped down onto her bed. She should check in with her friends in their private chat app. Shiori just didn't feel like it tonight. She could just check in the morning.

That being said, the girl reached under her bed and pulled out a large white lamb mask, and smiled to herself.