Special News Report:
Village Chief's Assistant, Otome Kazuya, has been reported missing. Village investigators spread all over town in search for Kazuya's trace. It was said Kazuya was last seen in her office then walking out, saying she's paying someone a visit. She is a maiden who lives with her roommate. The roommate told the police Kazuya did not come home that night. Police are still investigating this matter while the village chief, Itou Katsumoto, is eager for clues.
Itou glared at the small TV screen. He stopped by a small local cafe to take small bites. He waved at the waiter and gave his order of veggie burger and a tall glass of champagne. The woman holding a mic on the television revealed details about the rest of Otome Kazuya's search. He observed the rest of the customers enjoying their meal and also staring on the TV screen installed at the corner of the ceiling.
"Itou-sama." the waiter leaned against the counter. "You think Kazuya-san was murdered, wasn't she?"
The village chief sipped his champagne. "I'm not quite sure. I'm seriously worried about her." He left the cafe thirty minutes later. It was four thirty in the afternoon when he arrived in his office. He opened his drawers to check on his files. He sorted them all out until he realized something's missing.
The two folders placed at the side of the drawer were gone. They were the files containing the personal and biological information of Ryuu & Aika Harugii. He searched the other drawers and found none. He banged his fist on his desk and cursed.
"Where the hell are those files?!" he yelled, his voice booming the entire area. He fell back on his office chair and took a cigarette from his opened pack. He pulled a lighter from his pocket as a small flame burned the cigarette's tip the moment it was placed on his mouth. He puffed on his cigarette and stared into blank space.
Otome wouldn't take those files, would she? he thought. If she did, where did she take them?
He sat pondering as he slowly spun his chair facing the window. He puffed his cigarette again.
"Ryuu and Aika Harugii..." he mumbled. "You two are gifted with such wisdom. You may have gotten them from your parents. But what's the secret behind?" his lips pursued. Their mysterious wisdom is the thing that bugged him until now. He took the cigarette off his mouth and upended it, pressing firmly on the small ashtray scattered with used cigarettes and black and white ashes.
He stood up and went to Otome Kazuya's office. It was opened as he stepped inside. He flicked the light on and walked towards her desk. Her personal laptop is closed like a journal book. A stack of scrap and research papers sat beside it. Itou sat on her chair and opened Otome's laptop. The screen turned on automatically and it revealed a website, confirming him Otome has been researching before she hibernated her laptop.
The words from the title bar caught his eyes:
Life of Ryuu & Aika Harugii: History and Dangers Faced
Itou blinked twice. Otome is researching about Ryuu & Aika's life! What miracle! Growing more eager, he scrolled down as he dragged the mouse downwards. The website showed thumbnail images of Ryuu and Aika standing on the same ground with their backs turned, Ryuu sulking on a tree branch and Aika walking home wearing her school uniform with two books carried on her arms. The text have the same information from the files, if he's sure.
He scrolled down again, but he ended up on a dead link.
404 not found.
Itou gasped. The link doesn't exist.
He clicked it again, knowing the internet connection is just access-limited or just re-connecting itself. But he checked the lower right portion. The internet connection is successfully connected with the 100.0 connection speed.
He gave up. He bit his lower lip and finally, he sighed as the sign of giving in.
Itou found another window. He would be thinking Otome is instant messaging during office hours when she's not supposed to. He grunted and clicked that window, only to find his own moving image staring back at him. He saw the tiny dot telling him it's the camera. He just shrugged and moved the mouse back to the one he's researching right now.
Before he could click the window, his eyes suddenly went upon a shadowy figure standing right behind him.
He gasped, his chest heaving. He looked to his sides and saw no one. He looked back to his image on the camera and saw nothing. He thought to himself he might be seeing things. To his surprise, another window mysteriously appeared on the task bar. He moved the mouse and saw it was a RTF file. He clicked the window and found words in huge bold letters:
THIS IS THE END.
"The end..?" he repeated. He stared at the four words in silence, thinking it must be kind of a joke. He shook his head in disbelief and clicked the red X button. He went back to his browsing when another window mysteriously appeared on the task bar again. This time, the window itself showed up its content.
CAREFUL. I'M WATCHING YOU.
Goosebumps are getting on his spine. He quickly closed the window and rapidly scrolled down the current browser. He saw more pictures. Until he located a file capable for downloading.
Curious, he decided to download the file.
7 hours and 30 minutes remaining.
"What?!" Itou's voice boomed again. He stared wide-eyed at the screen as the download process starts.
The man cursed at himself in exasperation. He looked at the task bar to see if there're more mysterious messages appearing. This time he found nothing. He read the text from the browser about the file he is currently downloading. This is what he saw:
Warning: What you're about to see has explicit content and might give you seizures. Viewer discretion is advised.
Just then, the download processing suddenly closed by itself. The screen turned black, then it showed a night forest image. Itou remained frozen on his seat as his eyes were glued onto the screen. That's when he realized it wasn't an image, but a documentary movie.
He heard cicadas chirping in the background. The night is old, and the full moon is glowing. Itou looked at the movie length: 00:00
What in the world is this? he thought, watching the whole documentary. The first set of clips showed the abstract scenarios where Ryuu and Aika are wandering on their own for a journey. The second one showed something. Itou caught sight of blood and corpses. Ryuu and Aika were not present in the scenarios, except the last scene where the two of them were sent on a mental hospital. A very absurd scene. The two teenagers struggled from the grasps of the doctors and nurses as needles were injected through their necks, sedating them in the process. Both fell limp on their hospital beds. The scene went blank just as when they're preparing their scalpels to open the flesh on their heads. The next scene showed their murder.
Otome's continuous stabbing on the two of them before they were shoved inside a box and buried near the shrine. Itou couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"I don't remember having these filmed." he said. The murder scenes zoomed. The image of a battered Aika got the film focused on her. She screamed on top of her lungs while Otome laughed madly, stabbing her wrists then cutting her stomach open. The blood-drenched Aika slowly twisted her head until she was facing Itou. To his shock, her pale blue eyes became different. They turned almost into...blue cat eyes. A demonic look.
"You...will...pay..." she mumbled, her eyes wide open while staring directly at Itou. The scenario suddenly flipped into a new one. The scene of Ryuu's murder with Otome's same attack. While Ryuu is enduring the pain, a girl's screams were heard, shouting his name and begging for Otome to stop, only the woman yelled at her to shut up. Otome laughed like a madwoman as she cut Ryuu's stomach, making the orange-haired guy grit his teeth as blood squirted out of his stomach and causing the girl to scream.
"URUSAI!"
The moment Ryuu gave in his last breath after confessing something to the girl, his green eyes turned bloody red, and black straight pupils gave an eye-widening stare...at Itou. The man saw Ryuu's eyes. They were red, baleful, and...full of anger.
"Shi...nee..." the boy mumbled. "Shi...nee..."
He repeated the word many times as Itou, getting freaked out from what he's seeing, quickly closed the laptop without hibernating it. He barged out of Otome's office and went back to his office. He slammed the door shut and paced. He suddenly heard the phone shrilling from outside. He sighed, shook his head and went outside to follow the phone's ringing. He found the phone and put the receiver on his ear,
"Hello?" he said. He heard weird noises at the phone as a raspy voice echoed:
"I'm here."
It was an unfamiliar voice.
"Hello?" Itou asked again. But the line went dead. He grunted and slammed the phone on its rack. He heads back to his office when he sees the same shadowy figure standing beside his door frame. A pair of green eyes caught his glance. The figure showed him a malicious grin as its hand is holding a dagger, juggling it on his hand.
Itou staggered backwards. He ran to the opposite direction where he found the restroom. He locked himself in there and found his reflection on the mirror. The same shadowy figure's face appeared over his shoulder, its eyes turning red with the straight black pupils like what he saw from the documentary.His figurine stood on the second cubicle.
The man's heart pounded wildly as he budged the door. He got out successfully and ran downstairs for the exit. To his horror, the door is locked from the outside. He banged his fists on the door and cried for help.
A snicker broke the silent atmosphere.
Itou gritted his teeth. "Alright, show yourself! I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Another snicker. "Really?"
Before that, his phone rang again. The screen indicated it as a text message. He opened its inbox and found an unfamiliar number as the sender. He checked and this is what he saw:
I'm watching you
Itou looked behind and saw no one. He concluded to himself something, or someone is playing tricks on him.
His phone rang once more. He saw Otome's name on the screen as a feeling of eager returned to him. He answered the call and put the receiver on his ear.
"Otome, where in the world are you?!"
The chirping of cicadas were heard from the background.
"OTOME!"
"She's dead. . . "
He blinked twice. It wasn't Otome's voice. It was a voice of an innocent and passive lass.
"She's what? What do you mean?"
"She's dead. . . "
"TELL ME WHY!"
"I don't know. She's dead."
The line went dead. All the lights inside went out and it was pitch-black all over the place. Itou groped the furniture to search for the flashlight. Giving up, he fished a small portable flashlight from his pocket and switched it on. He cursed under his breath about that shadowy figure playing tricks on him.
"I don't know who you are, kid." he said. "You better show yourself before I catch you."
He froze when he stepped on something. He pointed the flashlight downward and saw a puddle of fresh blood. He staggered backwards when he saw where it was coming from. He lifted up his sleeve and saw a huge cut on his wrist. He looked down and saw blood dripping on his legs.
It was coming from him.
"What's wrong? Bleeding without the slightest idea?"
He heard the same snickering voice. It seems to be getting closer. Itou left himself no choice but to run. He ran back upstairs to search for something to hide.
"Why...are...you...hiding..?"
He ignored the voice, but deep inside he grew even more scared. He found himself climbing up the stairs to escape from that shadowy figure. He found the door of the rooftop and quickly opened it. To his horror, the shadowy figure was there, standing a few distances from him.
When he saw its half clear image, it was a figure of an average boy. He peered close until he saw the boy's half decayed skin. His hand is clutching a knife as he lifted his head to show his identity.
Orange hair and green eyes. The boy's green eyes turned crimson and straight black pupils are starting to form, revealing his true demonic form.
"You remember me, don't you?"
Itou shivered. As the boy walked close, he recognized him as...
"R-Ryuu Harugii?!" he gasped. Ryuu's lips formed a sadistic smirk, but didn't say anything. Itou saw the devilish look from his crimson eyes. With this, he pushed him off and ran. He thought he was free when a blade shot him from behind that it reached his stomach. He fell on his knees and clutched his stomach now bleeding. His mouth squirted blood as he coughed.
Ryuu's footsteps approached him from behind. Itou jerked his head at him as he saw the clothes he was wearing when he was brutally killed by Otome. The village chief found himself lost on his thoughts. The rebellious villager yelling for independence.
"Katsumoto is a criminal!"
"He's treating us like his dogs! He wants this village as his personal paradise!"
"WE NEED INDEPENDENCE!"
"Say your last words, Itou. Because you'll give in your last breath here."
Itou crawled forward to escape from Ryuu. But he felt the boy's hand pull on his hair to hold him back. The redhead's crimson eyes glared at him grudgingly. Itou struggles to break from his pull. He used his free hand to swat Ryuu's hand off.
"Get away from me, child!" he yelled between bloody coughs. The blade remained plugged on his back. He struggled between heavy pants as he crawled forward. He groped his back and found the hilt of the dagger. He let out a cry when he did his effort pulling it out. He saw the blade drenched in his own blood.
"She's dead."
The same innocent and feminine voice was heard. Ryuu jerked his head and saw the shadowy figure of Aika sitting on one of the cemented blocks. Knowing she killed the first target, she just sat there and waited.
Itou managed to stand up, despite the blood dripping from the hole on his stomach. He coughed again and wiped his mouth with his hand.
"I...I thought you are dead!" he said. "So it was you all along, Harugii. Are you here to take your revenge?"
Ryuu didn't say anything.
"C'mon, say something!" he demanded. "Or else I'll kill you!"
Kill them? They're dead! Why should you kill them?
Since the boy's giving him the silent treatment, Itou grumbled and ran towards him, raising the knife. Using half of his strength, he targeted the knife on Ryuu's shoulder blade. Unfortunately, the boy's hand held it back. Ryuu, using his free hand, gave the man an abrupt and strong push, sending him staggering backwards. Itou smirked.
"Ha! That's how you fight?" he said in his mocking tone. "You're weak, Harugii! Too weak to be wise and---"
His foot slides on the last step. He found himself falling on his back and as the knife fell off his hand. He saw the cliff-like view of the cars on the streets, the small view of the buildings, and the figure of Ryuu standing in front of him the moment he faced him.
"Sayonara." the boy's lips formed a smirk. Itou falls freely from the top of the building and the image of Ryuu and Aika staring at him was the last thing he saw.
--
Special News Report:
On the streets near the Sheffield village, the police found the dead corpse of the village chief, Itou Katsumoto, lying just outside his office building. Police detectives assumed Itou-sama fell off the top of the building and died on the ground straightaway. They are investigating this case and find the murderers responsible, or they will conclude Itou-sama committed suicide.
--
The village people spread the rumor about Itou's death. Since then, the office remained vacant and they proposed an election for a new village chief, someone who will be a good example with dignity and pleasing personality. Peace is restored in the village. Everyone gathered around the village shrine holding scented candles to pray for the souls of the Harugii siblings. The villagers found the box rotten and had a foul odor. As they pulled out the decayed corpses of Ryuu and Aika, everyone worked together to do a proper burial in the shrine itself.
Miyako placed her candle between the two graves. She wiped off a tear and whispered a soft prayer. She stood up and took her last glimpse at them.
"See you again, Aika-chan..." she said with a sad smile. "You've been a very good friend, you mean a lot to me." Her sad smile is replaced by a heartbroken frown when she turned to Ryuu's grave.
"Ryuu-kun..." A tear sheds from her eye. She wiped it off and sniffled. "I love you... may you rest in peace." She left the shrine as her tears returned.
--
Standing several distances from the shrine were the two teenagers watching the villagers leave. Aika let the small cotton flower ascend from her palm and watch it fly away. Ryuu is turning his head to a different direction where he is watching a blonde-haired girl, the last person to walk away from the shrine.
"Do you think our work here is done?" his sister asked.
Ryuu cleared his throat. "Yes. After all, we're peaceful now. Itou and Otome are dead. But..." a frown spread across his face. "There's only one person who's definitely heartbroken."
"Who?" Aika blinked.
"Miyako." he replied. "She was there locked up in an cell when I was killed. She was saved from her execution for some reasons. I loved her for a very long time. But I gave in my last breath after the confession. She's heartbroken...because of me."
Aika sighed. "I know. She was my best friend, my first best friend before Hikaru. I wonder how she's doing right now. I killed Otome to save her. If Miyako would try to kill herself, I wouldn't like that."
"Me neither." her brother says. "You know, Aika, after fifteen years we haven't seen our parents since then. I was like two years old when they were alive then suddenly they disappeared. If they're dead, our family will be whole again."
"We have Taisuke..." Aika said. "Our little brother can't fend for himself. Who'll raise him and teach him values? He might not remember that we are his older siblings."
"Who knows a lot of forbidden stuff might corrupt his innocent mind..." Ryuu said. He looked up in the sky as the dawn prepares to arrive. "I think it's time for us to go and move on. Our work here is done. We'l visit this place some time..."
Aika nods as she and her brother turned away. Ryuu had his one last glimpse of Miyako as he walked away holding the severed head of Itou Katsumoto.
I'll come back for you, Miyako. Remember I'll always be here... and I will always love you.
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