Author's Note: I had the idea with this for weeks and just went with this. I also did something a little different. I wrote down some of the lines first and wrote the story around them. I actually like how it turned out with its 3,931 and ten pages. I did get a bit stuck on one part but I made it work. Plus, you get a couple of new characters in the mix along with a little inspiration from the first season of The Sandman. There are also a couple of scenes that I have been dying to write and here they are. I can't wait to get started on next week's halo. I now know what I am doing for the season finale. I just need to put together what I am doing for January. On top of that, there is the Christmas special and December coming. I am going to enjoy for this season is going to turn out. For now, enjoy this week's halo.

Halo Eighteen: Taste:

- Yorokobi-

What is your favorite taste? Why is that? Positive memories? Does it remind you of someone you liked? Does it just excite you with a reason you can't quite put your finger on? There are many tastes in the world I thrive on. Mmm. What can I say? I am the Master of Pleasure after. (Or Mistress. It just depends on what I feel like that day. But you can call me Ruler of Pleasure I digress.)

We all have that one taste that we can't live without. The tastes that humans have arouses something inside of me. It gets better when they partake and indulge. Even more when it's a forbidden taste. That's the best one to enjoy. It's getting even better since the End of Days is coming. That's right. The world will be ending soon. They might as well enjoy their tastes while they still can.

Speaking of which, let's take a look at some of those tastes, shall we? Where shall we begin? Heh. I have just the place. Come and observe with me.

December 11, 2015

She's just now remembering her taste in violence. Both giving and receiving. You see, Hisakawa Sachiko has been seeing someone. Nothing serious. Just casual dates here and there. He's a good man. A fireman, to be exact. Things have been going well. However, there's a problem that's about to show itself.

Sachiko invited the fireman back to her apartment. They shared a glass of wine and watched a drama movie on Netflix. It was he who made the first move.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked. Sachiko looked up at him.

"Hm?" she asked. He looked like a cute little puppy.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" he asked again.

"You don't have to ask," Sachiko said. The fireman blushed.

"Oh, right," he said. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. The detective kissed him back.

"Kiss me again," she said. He was more than happy to do so.

"Again," Sachiko said. Her date kissed her again. She led her back to her bedroom. They undressed in the dark and laid down on her back on her bed.

"Spread your legs for me," her date whispered in her ear. Sachiko was more than happy to comply. He even brought a condom with him. The fireman lay on top of her and they shared another kiss. This night was going to be pretty steamy.

However, something wasn't right.

Sachiko was lying there as the fireman railed into her. But she just felt… nothing. The detective tried to enjoy it but she just couldn't. The fireman was enjoying himself with each pound. He didn't notice the bored look on his date's face.

Suddenly Sachiko grabbed him by the wrists and moved his hands to her neck. Her date started freaking out. The fireman tried to put away his hands but she wouldn't let go. A hungry look filled her eyes. He finally pushed her off.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he asked, panting. Sachiko stared up at him with hungry eyes.

"I wanted you to choke me," she said. Her date looked so confused.

"What?!" he asked.

"Choke me while you fuck me," she said.

"Why?!" the fireman shouted. Sachiko stared at him for a moment. She didn't have an answer. The detective bit her lower lip.

"I…" she began. She didn't know how she was going to put this into words. The detective looked up into his eye.

"I want to be dominated," Sachiko confessed. The fireman had a confused and stunned look on his face.

"What?!" he asked. By now, he had become flaccid.

"Yes," the detective said. She sounded sheepish as she tried to look away. Sachiko broke down and explained the basic of basics of BDSM. The fireman had a look of disgust on his face.

"Were you abused as a child or something?" he asked.

"No," Sachiko said. "It's nothing like that." She didn't know why she was saying all of this. It all just kept coming out. The fireman started to back away from her.

"Don't," Sachiko said. "Don't look at me like that. I am not broken." The fireman shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," he said. He climbed off the bed and started getting dressed. Sachiko watched him from her bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked. There was no emotion in her voice. The fireman could only look at her once more.

"It's not going to work out," he said. "You seem like a good person, but I just can't. I'm sorry. I wish you well." The fireman bowed and walked out the door. Sachiko just stared at him before she flopped back onto the bed. Strangely enough, she wasn't as disappointed as she thought she was supposed to be.

Sachiko lay back on her bed. Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Osamu the other day.

December 10, 2015

"What do you want from me?" she asked. There was nothing on his face. Instead, he took out a cigarette and lit up.

"What do you think I want?" he asked. Sachiko sat back and frowned.

"Don't play games with me," she said.

"I'm not," he said. She sat back in her chair with a small bubble of rage building up in her soul. She had to fight with herself to keep calm. Osamu took a drag of his cigarette. The next thing he asked threw her for another loop. Sachiko froze.

"Hm? What did you say?" she asked. Osamu looked her in the eyes.

"Have you remembered anything else yet?" he asked. Sachiko stared at him as that question sank in. Osamu smirked at the reaction on her face. The detective glared at him.

"Stop looking at me like that!" she said.

"Like what?" Osamu asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Like you see me naked," Sachiko said with agitation in her voice. She puffed up and her cheeks and huffed. The man laughed. The detective gritted her teeth.

"Shut up," she muttered. Her face turned bright red. Osamu stopped laughing and patted her on the head. The detective glared up at him. That's when he said something that chilled her to her core.

"You will be back. You always come back," he said. Sachiko stared up at him with big eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Osamu drew back his hand.

"Heh," he said again before taking another drag of his cigarette. The rest of dinner was like that. Sachiko didn't know why she just didn't get up and leave like any normal person.

December 11, 2015

Sachiko frowned when another thought crossed her mind. She shivered the more she thought about it.

Am I really that much of a masochist?

Just like the good little detective she, Sachiko just had to get to the bottom of this endless mystery.

November 7, 2015

He's getting a taste of his own medicine and it's a nasty one. Izaya stood among a crowded street in Shinjuku. He's been on high alert more often. He's trying not to die again. She could be anywhere. Izaya kept his knife by his side. He swore that he wouldn't catch her off-guard at least once.

Suddenly, he wasn't alone.

Izaya slowly looked over to his right. An office lady in her forties stood next to him, grinning. He tried not to move.

"Hi!" she cheered. The information broker tried not to pay any attention to her. She clicked her tongue.

"I said hi," she growled. Izaya didn't pay attention. He wouldn't even look at her. He felt a hard punch on his arm.

"I said hi!" she said again. Her eyes seemed to bright red. Were they glowing?

"What do you want?" Izaya asked, keeping his eyes forward.

"Oh! So you can talk!" the office lady said. Izaya rolled his eyes.

"You can be so childish, you know that?" he asked. She giggled in his ear. There were so many people walking around. Did she isolate them again? He wouldn't put it past her.

"Come on, out with it," Izaya said. "What do you want?" The office lady giggled again.

"Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock," she said again.

"Stop that," Izaya said. Why did he walk away? He's tried but she wouldn't let him go. She would try to chase him down and torment him. The information broker found this out the hard way. The office lady put her arm around his shoulders.

"Oh come on, Izaya-chan," she said. "We're having fun, aren't we?" He tried to push her off.

"No," he said. The office lady pouted at him as she batted her eyelashes. Izaya could've turned and stabbed her in the chest, but who's to say that she wouldn't escape before the knife penetrated the woman's chest? The information broker noticed the woman grinning at him.

"What?" he asked. The office lady gave him a little cute pout while batting her eyelashes again.

"And I forget, just why I taste. Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile," she started singing. Izaya turned his head with a confused look on his face. What the hell was this? The office lady grinned as she started backing away while singing. As she sang, she moved from body to body.

"I found it hard, it's hard to find. Oh well, whatever, never mind," she sang. An old man grinned at him.

"Hello, hello, hello, how low?"

A drunken yakuza thug in his forties. "Hello, hello, hello, how low?"

A girl in gothic Lolita fashion. "Hello, hello, hello, how low?"

A mother with her stroller turned her head with her baby. "Hello, hello, hello."

Izaya looked around. He didn't know where she was going to be next. So this was another one of her mental games. He wasn't going to give in. He clutched his knife by his side. The information broker cursed his instinct. I will not play her games. I will not give in. Meanwhile, she kept singing while moving from body to body.

Two salarymen looked with ghoulish looks on their faces. "With the lights out, it's less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us."

Three little girls who were eight years old. "I feel stupid, and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us."

An old lady with a cane. "A mulatto, an albino. A mosquito, my libido."

More and more people were chanting by now instead of singing. "A denial, a denial! A denial, a denial!"

Izaya started backing away with his knife out. They started to crowd around him. "A denial, a denial! A denial, a denial!"

"A denial!" a fifteen-year-old girl sang across the street. Izaya snapped and charged at her. He tackled her to the ground with the knife raised his head. The poor girl underneath him screamed as she tried to get away. Izaya looked around to see people staring at him. The younger generation was filming and taking photos of what looked like a crazy man about to stab an innocent teenage girl. Izaya looked around in a panic. The police ended up taking him away.

That video ended up going viral.

The Dante Killer is at it again. This time, it's the Counsellors of Fraud. DK always has a flare for the dramatic. I wonder what she did this time.

December 20, 2015.

This time, it was a CEO of a pyramid scheme. Imai Genji aged fifty-eight. He sold diet pills. So many sellers underneath him. The set-up with his death looked next to impossible. One of his secretaries found him slowly cooking over what looked like a giant fire pit of hot coals. Imai was stripped naked and hanging from wires. His boxers were stuffed into his mouth. Liar was carved into his stomach and chest. All the "company's" products were scattered all over the floor. So many bottles of pills lay on the floor with documents of the sellers and scam victims. He looked like he had been there for hours. The man's skin looked so pink. Turns out he died of forced carbon monoxide poisoning.

"What?" Nakamura asked.

"That's right," Chikako said. "His body shows all of the signs."

"So… what? Did someone gas the room up or something?" the detective asked. "That would take too much time." That's when he remembered traces of something sticky around his mouth.

"Wait… they taped a pipe or a hose to his mouth and forced him to breathe in," Nakamura said. He frowned at the thought.

"But that seems too time-consuming," he said. "There must be easier ways to kill him." Chikako shrugged.

"I guess the DK wanted to make him suffer for all of the victims Imai-san ripped off." Nakamura made a face of grimace at her.

Ah, yes. Now that's an artist. I know that the Dante Killer's fans will be salivating to see her latest handy work. They are going to get their wish. I know who's been leaking the crime scene photos. Who is it? That's a secret!

We're going to take a pause here so that you can meet my sweet twin sister. You're going to love her.

I made it up to tall black iron gates. I pressed my hand to the surface. I walked through and disappeared as they opened. I smiled as shades of darkness surrounded me.

"Are you there, my sister? Are you willing to talk to me, Queen of Obsession?" I asked.

"I am always ready to listen to you, Yorokobi," my sister said. I looked in the mirror to see Kyohaku Kan'nen sitting on her throne, staring at me.

"I have great news," I said.

"Has she been freed yet?" Kyohaku asked.

"No, not yet, she's still locked down there," I said as I turned to her. "But the game is going into the final stage." A smile spread across her tired face.

"Do we get to play?" she asked. Kyohaku leaned forward as the light danced in her eyes. She looked so small in the darkness.

"Yes," I said. I walked over and pulled her into my arms. She rested her head on my chest. I stroked her thin black hair. Kyohaku glanced up at me.

"I have a new plaything," I said.

"Plaything?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. I took her by the cheeks. Her deep brown eyes looked empty. Still, I could tell this news excited her so. I smiled at her.

"I heard Sister Yokubo came by to see you," I said. Kyohaku cuddled up to my chest.

"Yes," she said. She giggled to herself.

"It won't be long before we fully get into the act," I said.

"How are we going to play?" my sister asked. I smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Isn't she such a sweetheart?

Now where were we? Oh yes. I was talking about tastes. Humans have so many tastes. Some really good and some not so good. They all fascinate me. Lately, there has been one that has caught my attention. And you know me. I just had to get in on the action.

What does god taste like? I have a few guesses. Tadpoles do have a high stamina in the bedroom. More and more people want to sleep with them. At first, it was just the opposite gender. Now, the queer version of the same gender wants them. I have seen some of the straight same gender giving them a second look. Eternal youth has made them that much more attractive. I think I might have to take a sample myself later.

But I have so many other things to do first. Tasting is going to have to wait.

She wants to taste god so much. But she's so young. Shiori keeps coming up with ways to "accidentally" run into Tomoya. He's just not interested in her. Such a shame, really. I was hoping to see some forbidden indulgence taking place. Maybe I could help her out.

Little Anri-chan has already tasted god so many times. She will provide tangible evidence in about… six and a half months. Mikado is scared for her life because of it. Heh. Sister Yokubo has got him good. She already has her claws deep in him. I can't help but wonder what she's going to do with him next. I know it's going to be delicious.

Speaking of tangible evidence in nine months, there is another one looking for him right now.

She's already tasted god and now she wants more. She's just found him again tonight. Mikado sat at his computer late in the night. He and Masaomi picked up his laptop from his apartment earlier in the day.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Masaomi asked.

"It's fine," his friend said. "We're not staying for long. I am going to make this quick. I promise." His best friend said nothing as he followed him inside. Mikado was right. He came back out with his laptop.

The tadpole decided to do a little research for himself. Everyone else was sound asleep. Mikado didn't like to be alone in his thoughts. Lately, he had been trying to come up with ways to distract himself from his mind. Anri's pregnancy and her future made things stressful. Mikado still didn't know how he was going to handle this. Anri didn't have the heart to get an abortion. Plus, Saika wouldn't let her kill the baby. He couldn't figure out why. There had to be a reason. He doubted that Saika would want to talk to him. There had to be a way to fix this.

However, he stopped typing on the keyboard.

"Hello?" he asked as he glanced over his shoulder. It was quiet in the room. But something wasn't right. A flash of pink caught his eye.

Wait… Is that…

Mikado turned around when he heard a girl's giggle. She seemed to glow in the dark room. Her pale skin stood out against the darkness and the light pink cherry blossom petals floating around her. Her light blonde hair came down to her waist. The girl smiled at him.

"Hello," she whispered. Mikado blinked for a moment.

"Marin?" he asked. Her amber eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

"What are you doing here?" Mikado asked.

"I came to see you," the girl said. The cherry blossoms slowly fluttered to the floor. The tadpole started to remember her as well.

"I'm not in the mood tonight," he said. Marin stared at him with her little smile. Oh… She wasn't going to get it, was she? Mikado turned back to his laptop. The girl pouted as she walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I missed you," she whispered. Mikado could smell cherry blossoms and booze on her.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" he asked.

"Hm?" Marin asked. She glanced up at the tadpole. She gave him a little kiss on the neck. Mikado shivered. This girl wasn't going to leave, was she?

"What do you want, Marin-chan?" he asked. He didn't even bother asking himself why he added "chan" after her name. The girl looked up at him again as she kissed him on the neck.

"Please cuddle with me," Marin said. "You can at least do that if we aren't going to have sex." He should've known. Anri was asleep in the room with Noriko and Chiharu across the room. Masaomi was asleep in the same room as Makoto. (He probably brought another "date" with him.)

"Fine," Mikado said. Marin happily kissed him on the neck.

"Thank you, darling," she said. She snuggled up to the tadpole and kissed him again on the neck. Mikado wasn't as annoyed as he thought it would be.

She really can't get enough of his taste, can she? She will be getting more of it in the near future.

I have a favorite taste myself. Heiwajima Kasuka. I think I am breaking him down. I snuck into his room again last night.

"Hello again, my dear," I said in a low voice. Still that same emotionless look on his face. At first, I thought it was going to be a repeat of the same thing, but then I noticed something a little bit different. This time, I could see something in his eyes.

"Oh?" I asked. "Is that fear I see in your eyes?" My little pet didn't answer. He didn't try to resist me. I stripped him down before I got undressed. I kissed from his mouth to his collarbone, to his chest, to his stomach, and finally to his cock. Mmm. He just tasted so good. I can't help but wonder if Ruri got to enjoy this rich, fat cock every night before she became brainwashed into that cult.

But I wouldn't let him cum. Not like that, at least.

This time, I rode his beautiful cock. Kasuka didn't make a sound. His eyes were so dead but I got lost in my own pleasure. I thought I was going to be disappointed with his lack of reaction again.

But then, I looked down and noticed something different. I raised my eyebrow.

"Oh? Is that smile on your face?" I asked. There it was. His eyes were empty but there was a twisted little smile on his face. Excitement ran through my body.

"Yes! There it is!" I shouted. "Oh!" I threw back my head and moaned as I pounded harder. I didn't get out of him until he finished coming. I came all over his body like a flood. I collapsed next to him. Kasuka had that smile on his face when I was done with him. I put my arms around him as I cuddled up close to his body.

"Mine," I whispered. "All mine." My pet didn't say anything. He didn't even look at me. I don't think I will get bored of his taste any time soon.

The taste of god can be so addictive. My sister and I found this out really fast. One taste of those tadpoles and their lovers can't get enough. We just had to find out how deep their addictions went.

She was a petty young thing about twenty years old. Her black hair came down to her dainty shoulders. She nervously chewed on her fingernails. That little doll could barely keep still in her chair. I did all of the talking at the table.

"So tell me, how much do you love him?" I asked. The woman lifted her chin as she lowered her hand.

"So much so that I think my heart is going to burst out of my chest," she said. Interesting.

"Would you sell your soul to the devil for him?"

"Yes."

"Would you kill somebody in his name?"

She hesitated for a moment. I kept my focus on her as I raised my eyebrow.

"Would you kill somebody in his name?"

The woman shivered as she lowered her head. "Yes."

"Hm? Could you say that a little bit louder?"

"Yes!" Her face looked so red. Just as I thought. I wonder how many more of them are out there. This is going to make things more interesting this winter.

Oh, my, my, my, my. There are still so many tastes around the city. I don't know if I will get time to try them all. Oh well. I am just going to have to time them while I still can. It's not like the world is going to end tomorrow or anything…