Oke... For some reason, I can't get the song Tsukema Tsukeru out of my head... I guess what Aria says before it switches to Kit sums up how I feel 'bout that...
This chapter is also a lesson – do not leave Aria in solitary confinement with no way out and no food to eat. There is a high chance that it will not end in your favour.
On with the chapter!
"What now?"
"Oh, you're finally talking to me?"
"Give it a rest – I'm only doing this once."
"We'll see..."
Aria ground her teeth hard against each other, frustrated with how frustrated she was.
"That doesn't even make sense," she growled.
"And talking to yourself does?"
"You know what? Fuck it. Go screw yourself."
"But that means I'd be screwing–"
She clamped a hand over her mouth, frowning and growling. Solitary confinement was not going well in the attempts of "cooling off", and she hoped Jason realised that when he'd let her out to eat. But which would send a better message – a kick to the junk, or a punch in the throat?
"Mmff, mm mmff," she said under her hand. Aria removed it slightly, and she repeated, "Throat, then junk."
Aria grinned to herself, pleased that she was thinking straight now. The choice she'd just chosen was typical self-defence. Daniel had been sure to teach it to her when she was thirteen – punch them in the throat; when they bend down and go foetal, kick 'em where it hurt.
She laughed a little. She hadn't had to use it before, but she was sure she'd pull it off.
And now I'm bored, she thought. What time is it, anyway? Meh, probably isn't even lunchtime. I'm not even hungry yet.
Boredom sucks, don't it?
"Get out of my head!"
Kit leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face as Freddy sat down in the seat next to her. On her other side was Iza, who had Mei on her other side. Pretty much all of them looked thoughtful, although what they were all thinking about was beyond Kit.
"I wonder how Aria's doing?" Iza asked aloud. Mei pushed her chair back with her foot, balancing on the wooden furniture's back legs.
"Good question," she told her friend. "I mean, leaving Schizo in a room by herself? Fucking stupid."
Kit frowned. Why did Mei always curse whenever she spoke?
There was a string of thumps coming from the ceiling, the footsteps of the person in the room above them loud and clear. Aria was deliberately trying to get someone's attention by stomping, it seemed. Mei let out a huff and slammed the chair back onto all four legs, reaching for something on the table. As soon as she wrapped her hand around a thick, scented candle, she hurled it up at the roof with a hard throw, a loud thump sounding from the contact. The three sitting watched the ceiling, waiting for Aria's reply. Not a stomp was heard.
Iza sighed. "Poor thing," she muttered. Mei scoffed and sat back down, crossing her arms in front of her.
"The hell she is," she told them. "Schizo's just going ape-shit. That's not being a poor fucking thing at all.
"Mei has a point," Freddy agreed. He then smiled, expression cheeky. "Although, she's probably just upset she can't look at this guy."
He pointed a thumb at his face, earning a sigh from Iza and a growl from Mei as she said, "You are one weird dude."
Kit stood and tucked in her chair as she left the table. "I'm going to pay her a visit," she told them.
"Thank God!" Mei announced. "Finally the fucking kid leaves!"
As Kit walked out of the room, Freddy got out of his seat. His footsteps were heard behind her, but her thoughts were trailing to how many Human Rights were being broken. There was Aria's right to not be unfairly detained. There was also the right to not be tortured – obviously being left to her own devices was driving her toward insanity. How many others were being broken out of the thirty?
Freddy appeared by her side, walking at the same pace as she was. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, somehow making that sentence sound flirtatious. Kit gave him a small smile as she walked a little faster.
"Just thinking about our Rights," she told him. "How many are being broken."
"What, like the right to an attorney?" he scoffed. "I thought that was the police."
"It is – 'You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law; you have the right to an attorney; if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you'," she recited. "I'm thinking of the Human Rights. You know, the ones that were started by Cyrus the Great? Natural Law? Natural Rights?"
"I know a few..."
"There's the Right to free speech, the Right to diplomacy, the Right to play–"
Freddy laughed a little, grinning. "The Right to play? Who came up with these?"
Just as Kit was about to reply and give him a history lesson, the sound of Aria yelling at someone came from up ahead. It seemed that they had already made it to the room she was in.
Funny how time flies, Kit thought.
The two picked up the pace and arrived at the door, ready to knock, when Aria suddenly yelled out, "I said, shut up!"
Kit and Freddy stared at the door, eyes wide and confused expressions on their faces. They glanced at each other before Kit knocked on the door. The sound of a body colliding with the door came through.
"Yes?" Aria said smoothly.
Only two visitors throughout the whole day. It kind of made Aria feel lonely, had she not been slowly driving into a mini-insanity fit.
A cold draught had been creeping in from under the door, reaching her entire body as she lay on her back, watching the ceiling in a starfish-like manner. She hardly moved, like a starfish, but doubted she'd have to vomit up her stomach in order to eat.
Imagine what fun would follow if you could do it, though, she reminded herself. Aria smiled sheepishly. What fun, indeed.
The vibration of footsteps alerted her. She pressed her ear against the wood floor, listening for where they were headed. As they neared, she slowly sat up and leaned against her hands. The footsteps – now audible – stopped in front of the door. The wooden rectangle creaked slightly, like something had been leaned against it. Aria slowly stood and waited cautiously, wondering what was to follow.
An object was slid under the door, pushed in her direction. Aria crept over to it, recognising the shape. Roberto's phone?
"Use it," came said teenager's voice from the other side of the door. "The guy that called is obviously important to you. More so, alive. Use it."
Not wasting a second, Aria dove for the phone – literally – and quickly unlocked it, freezing at the sight of the wallpaper. It was a picture that obviously had Roberto in it – how could she ignore the electric blue streak in his hair? – but his eyes were different. Brown; not the blue and red he had now. With him was a girl, probably five or six. They looked so alike...
"It doesn't have much battery life left," he reminded her. "Forgot to turn it off last night." He paused. "This morning," he corrected himself.
She nodded and typed in the first number of Daniel's phone, a white screen with the number appearing. As soon as it was punched in, she hit the call button.
"Daniel Lambert," Daniel greeted. "Who is this?"
"Look at 'im go!" someone cheered. "Kid's blind, but he's got skills!"
Mitsuru leaned against a bench and watched as the blind seventeen-year-old flipped the pancake, the now top side perfectly cooked.
"Seriously?" he laughed. "Pancakes for dinner? I know you guys have meat in here somewhere."
The kid was obviously in his element, judging by the smile on his face. Mitsuru still couldn't figure out how he could cook so well, though.
"I'm pretty sure there's pork in the freezer," he told the young chef.
The chef nodded and turned the pancake over again, taking a whiff of the heat coming from the pan. With a smile, he scooped the pancake up with a spatula and laid it out neatly onto a plate. He then switched off the hotplate and reached for some icing sugar. It was also a wonder that he could remember where he'd put everything he'd gotten.
"Someone read out the contents of the food cupboard," he ordered. "If there're enough ingredients, I'll make a feast!"
About five people whooped while the rest agreed with him loudly, and then two of them ran for the pantry and yanked open the door. They announced every bit of food inside and even listed what spices and powders there. The moment they moved on to the vegetables, the chef's blind eyes seemed to twinkle.
"Mushrooms, onions, bacon, chicken, cream, cheese, pasta – preferably penne – and leek," he commanded. The two at the pantry hurriedly grabbed at the listed items, putting them on the bench top as the chef pointed to Mitsuru.
"How long has the pork been in the freezer?" he asked. Mitsuru blinked, freaked out that he could pinpoint his location.
"Since yesterday," he said.
"Right," the chef decided. He turned to the ones getting the pantry food. "One of you, go get the pork."
The shorter one saluted and dashed out of the room, demanding to know where the freezer was. The chef sighed, glancing in Mitsuru's direction. "The stupid one left, right?" he asked grimly.
"'Fraid so," Mitsuru said. "I'll get the pork."
"Thank you very much."
The chef began to pull a pot and a pan out of the cupboards below him as Mitsuru began to make his way for the freezer. If he didn't know any better, the chef was going to make creamy pasta – carbonara, or something like that.
Mitsuru arrived at the refrigerator and opened the top door, revealing a box-full of meat that was yet to be cooked. He spotted the pork, pulled it out, and then shut the door. He was quick to get back to the chef, who was already boiling the pasta – which was not penne, but linguini – and getting ready to fry the onions and meat.
Another person was leaning against the door, and Aria knew instantly who it was. The girl wouldn't be quiet, and who did she know that was a chatterbox? Sora, that's who.
"She's okay, right? I mean, I heard her stomping on the ceiling earlier – the floor, for her – and then she stopped after this other thump came. She hasn't eaten yet, right? She must be starving. Jun's cooking some food for us."
Aria's stomach growled as Sora said it, and she tightened the ball she'd curled into. She was back laying on the floor, her back pressed against the door and her arms and legs tucked tightly toward her. Sora was right – Aria was hungry. She hadn't eaten in two days. She probably should've eaten when they arrived, but her mind was on other things.
"Aria's right at the door," Roberto told Sora. "Ask her, if you're concerned."
There was a pause, followed by two quiet knocks. "You okay?"
Aria took a second to answer. "Hungry," she replied quietly.
"Jun's almost finished with the food. I'm sure Jason will let you out when it's ready."
This time Aria hesitated. Jason wouldn't let her out – it was Tat Man that called the shots. "Whatever."
"You sound tired," Sora went on. "Have you slept?"
"I'm fine."
As if ending the conversation, Aria grabbed Roberto's phone and slid it under the door. "Thanks," she said. She bit her lip as she added, "Can I have some, uh, alone time? Besides, you guys will get sore butts if you keep sitting there."
The two on the other side seemed to wait for her to say something else. When all she said was, "Sorry it went flat," the two stood and slowly left. When she could no longer hear their footsteps, she lifted her head, tired eyes trying hard to spot something in the darkness. The room seemed to get darker as her companions left, like some kind of hope of getting out was shed.
Some time passed before she actually smelt food, despite how far from the kitchen she was. She could name a few of the smells: Pasta, bacon, onion, chicken.
Another growl from her stomach.
"You're pretty hungry, aren't you, Carrot?" she asked herself. She smiled weakly. "Yep. You're hungry." She quickly stood up and walked over to the furthest corner of the room, pulling her hood over her head and trapping her orange hair inside it. "But you can ignore the food for a while, can't you?"
Yes, we can.
"We?" She sat down, back toward the door and toes fitting neatly into the corner. "It's we, is it?"
As she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, she replied, Yes. We.
The blonde boy that had caught Aria earlier was waiting patiently at the table, seated next to Wendy and the girl that had held Aria back the same morning. He seemed pretty concerned, but was trying to hide it. Wendy leaned forward a little and met his eyes, asking, "What's wrong?"
He jumped a little, then let out a breath when he recognised her. "I'm concerned about your friend," he replied. "They haven't let her out yet."
Wendy could only nod in agreement. She leaned back in her seat and let out a breath, watching as some of the people brought food out and set it onto the table. As they placed food in front of Wendy and the blonde, he stood and said, "I'm going to talk to Keiichi about it."
"Keiichi?" Wendy repeated. He nodded.
"The man with the tattoos and piercings," he told her. Reluctantly, he added, "My cousin."
"Cousin?" Wendy gasped. "How can you be so different and be related? He looks like–"
"The guy that committed the murder? That's how I see him, too."
He pushed his chair into its place and began to walk toward Keiichi, but stopped when Wendy asked, "What's your name?"
The blonde boy turned around, his sapphire eyes meeting Wendy's brown. Quietly, he said, "Mitsuru," and walked off, headed in his cousin's direction.
"He's genuinely worried," Kit observed. Wendy jumped and looked to her right, spotting Kit sit down next to her. Wendy nodded and looked down at her plate, unsure of whether or not she should eat. The pasta looked delicious – as well as smelt delicious – but she couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Here they were, eating a wonderful dinner, and Aria was left in that room with nothing. She hadn't eaten in two days, so why starve her further? It would just lead to malnourishment.
Kit picked up her chopsticks and held them awkwardly, trying to get a grip on the creamy pasta. One of the sticks slipped and the crisscrossed, the pasta falling back to the plate. Wendy watched as she tried to attempt it again and again, failing each time. She was determined, that was for sure.
"You don't know how to use chopsticks?" Wendy asked innocently. Kit frowned and let out a sigh, shaking her head. With a smile, Wendy picked up her chopsticks and demonstrated a way to use them. She held them together like a stick and picked up a plate, shovelling a small amount of pasta into her mouth. When she swallowed the fantastic meal, she said to Kit, "Do it like this. That's how most kids learn to do it."
Kit nodded and picked up her plate, attempting to use the chopsticks like Wendy had shown her. She successfully ate some of her pasta – almost spilling some in the process – and smiled in triumph when she got the hang of it.
Mitsuru returned to his seat shortly after Kit's triumph, a deflated look on his face. He poked at his food unenthusiastically and slowly began to eat. It must've meant that his cousin denied his request to let Aria out.
The girl next to Mitsuru stood, tucking some of her long purple hair behind her ear. She strode over to where Mitsuru had been, staring down Keiichi as he tried to ignore her, and then said only three words: "The key, please."
Keiichi looked up from his food and gave her a once-over, frowning as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a key. It looked like one of those old keys, like what they used in the 1800's. The girl took it and held it tightly in her hands as she walked into the kitchen. About five minutes later, she walked back out with a bowl of pasta in her hand. She passed her seat, stopped at the one next to it – which had a blonde woman with a tired look on her face. The girl leaned down and said a few words, and then the woman stood and grabbed their bowls. The moment they were gone, Wendy started to eat her food again.
The door began to open slowly, footsteps entering the room. Aria's eyes shot open, shock enveloping her. She'd fallen asleep, right in the corner of the room, and had hardly heard the people enter the hall.
She turned around a little, view obscured slightly by her hood, and let out a breath when she saw the girl from this morning walking in with a bowl of food. A pair of chopsticks was in her hand, as well as the key to the room. Aria's eyes went wide as the woman the girl had called "Ms Marikawa" walked in, two bowls of pasta with her. There were two of them and three bowls...
"Is that...?" she asked, letting the sentence hang in the air. The purple-haired girl nodded and sat down in the middle of the room, setting down the bowl a distance from her so Aria could get it whenever she wanted. Ms Marikawa sat down also, handing a bowl to the girl as she began to eat her food.
Aria slowly crawled over and picked up the bowl, sniffing the food. Her stomach growled loudly. As though obeying it, she snatched the chopsticks and shovelled more than she could fit into her mouth. She didn't care if the other two were watching or if she'd be locked in the room again. All that mattered was that she ate.
Another person walked into the room, this time their appearance familiar. Aria frowned at him and continued to eat, pretending to ignore Alec.
"Be that way," Alec told her. "I'm still eating in here."
Confused, she glanced at him. Alec let out a sigh and set down his bowl, sitting down between Ms Marikawa and the girl. "People have been trying to light my cigarette left right and centre since we got here," he explained. "I don't smoke, though."
"Then why keep it in your mouth?" Aria asked. She'd hardly stopped eating as she said it.
Alec merely shrugged and dug into his food, grinning slightly. "This is courtesy of our blind member," he said. "Let's hope he didn't accidentally poison us with undercooked meat." The grin vanished and was replaced by a deflated look. "But there's more veggies than meat," he added darkly.
Aria rolled her eyes and set down her bowl. Almost all of the pasta was gone. "I'll eat it if you won't," she said simply. Alec groaned and began to eat, clearly hungry enough to devour vegetables.
Time passed and all three finished their food, sitting in an awkward silence as the seconds ticked by. Ms Marikawa shifted where she was sitting and gave Aria and Alec a kind smile. "Might I ask your names?" she asked.
Alec shrugged. "I'm Alec," he told her.
"I'm Aria," the carrot-top joined in. "And you two?"
"Oh, my name is Shizuka Marikawa," Ms Marikawa introduced. "And the girl across from me is Saeko Busujima."
More awkward silence followed. Wanting to end the silence, Aria stood and drew up the hood of her jacket again, walking out of the room with her hands in her pockets. "Well," she breathed, "I'm going to get my phone back. Anyone want to hold me back in case I actually listen to myself?"
Alec grinned. "Listen to yourself?" he repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She froze at the door, frowning. "I'll tell you later," she said. She glanced back at him. "You coming, or are you going to stay with Ms Marikawa and Ms Busujima?"
The Takahashi boy seemed to think about his answer, then stood with his bowl in his hand. "Meh, I'll come," he decided. "I need to put a request to Jun for less veggies in our food."
Watched all seven episodes of the 2012 Black Rock Shooter yesterday. I almost cried on the last episode. More so, I can't get the Hatsune Miku song out of my head... Unlike Tsukema Tsukeru, I don't mind it being in my head ^_^ has a nice tune
And I know I said there wouldn't be any canon characters when I made the forms, but I thought that, since this is kinda AU (indeed it is) that the canons would appear doing different things from last time (or in the actual series). So, yeah, Saeko still got stuck with Shizuka in their escape.
Also, sorry if not all characters got enough spotlight – I was in the middle of typing each part, and then it was like, "Oh shit, I forgot *insert character I forgot*! Nuuuuuuu!" But I did manage to put names to faces, and distinguished Keiichi's cousin as a good person, although I couldn't veer away from the character I got his name from...
I guess I'll see you guys next chapter :D
Oh, yes, almost forgot (rawr, bad brain!) – the new picture is of Iza. Next one will be... Kit. But she will not be wearing her fedora. I suck at drawing fedoras -.-'
~Miki