The shadowed figure in the corner of the office smiled; a haunting sight beneath her veil of hair. Her teeth showed, flashing white once, before they were hidden once more.
“You know what to do…” she said, her voice gravelly as if it hadn’t been used for some time now. The imposing man opposite her smiled in return - his a much grimmer, more dangerous kind. A smile like that leaves a sort of scar on innocents, but the red-haired girl simply bared her teeth once more and then was gone.
The man tapped his fingernails on the desk - once, twice thrice - and then whirled away to the telephone in the corner. One errand. One stone, two birds.
Pretty little birds, how they will cry as their wings are plucked, and their hearts are crushed.
The screams of loved ones are perfect bait. Perfect beating hurting crying bait.
He picked up the telephone, tapped out the number he had no rights to knowing and waited.
Inoue Hotaru
ghost
[at] Akio’s house [then] in mortal peril
“Gnu-h’llo?” Hotaru picked up his mobile and the little charm hanging off one corner jingled merrily. “Oh, hi oka-san! No don’t worry, I’m not murdered, I’m at Akio’s.” Akio rolled his eyes in the background. “I know, sorry I forgot to ring last night. Mmhmm, okay I’ll pick some up on my way home. Bye! Love you tooooo,” he trilled, and flipped the phone closed again.
“Oka-san was worried about me,” he said, sheepishly, turning over to face Akio. “I forgot to call her last night and she thought I’d been murdered or something.” He wrapped more quilt about himself and snuggled deeper into the bed. “Your bed is so comfy Akiooo! I never want to leave it ever.” A snort from the other side of the enormous bed told him that Dai was awake too, and he shuffled round in his cocoon to stare at him. “What?”
“You could spend all day in any bed, Taru. You’re just a bed-fiend.”
“Hm well, I suppose you might be right.”
“Hey, is that your phone again?” Akio pointed as the compact machine lit up and vibrated madly to the beat of Gackt’s voice.
“Huh, so it is. I wonder if Oka-san wants something else from the shop…” Hotaru flipped the phone again and put it to his ear, the motion once again accompanied by the tiny jingling onigiri at the corner. “Hello?”
A deep and somewhat familiar voice answered, and it sent a chill down his spine for some reason, even though he was wrapped up so tightly in quilt.
“Hello Inoue-kun,” the voice said. “Do you know who I am?”
“N-no, I don’t.”
“It’ll come to you. Meanwhile, I have some very simple instructions for you to follow. Do you think you can manage that?”
“Instructions? Huh?”
“Yes, you know, those things you can’t follow very well. There’s something that needs taking care of at school.”
“At school?”
“Yes Inoue-kun. Are you a parrot?”
“N-no.”
“Well good. Perhaps you should stop repeating whatever I say then, and start listening.”
“Alright,” Hotaru wrapped his fist in the quilt and squeezed. He did not like this conversation, and he didn’t even know why.
“Like I said, Inoue-kun, there’s something you need to do at school. Bring Sakamoto-chan too.”
“Dai?”
“No, his sister. Sakamoto Aria, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Dai had sat up at the mention of his name, his chest bare and quilt bunched around his legs. He leaned forward as if to ask what was going on, but Hotaru waved his hand at him and he sat back, patient.
“If you bring anyone else along, Inoue-kun, I will know.”
“Alright,” he said, a hint of annoyance coming to his voice.
“If you do bring someone other than yourself and Sakamoto-chan, they will be hurt. Badly.” The voice was flat, now, and Hotaru gulped. It was definitely serious.
“Okay, I won’t bring anyone else.”
“Good. When you arrive at school, go straight to the Headmaster’s office and wait there.”
“Just wait?”
“Yes. I expect you within two hours. Do not be late.” The phone clicked and the line went dead.
“What was that about, Taru?” Dai looked worried, and Akio echoed his sentiment, brows furrowed.
“I think… I think it was the headmaster,” Taru looked confused. “He said there’s something I have to do at school. Me and Aria…”
“Well there’s no way you’re actually going there alone.” Dai looked firm, his mouth set in a stubborn line. “Are you, Hotaru?”
Taru squirmed and looked guilty. “He said we have to go alone.”
“You can’t!” Akio chimed in. “It’s dangerous!”
“He’s right. You’re not going anywhere.”
“I have to! He sounded really serious. Like… deadly serious. Like, if I don’t go, people-will-get-hurt sort of serious.”
“But why do you have to go?” Akio looked as if he was about to cry with worry, or something similar.
“I don’t know, Akio,” Hotaru snapped. Both Akio and Dai looked aghast at Hotaru - he’d never snapped at them once throughout their long friendship. “I’m sorry…” he looked weary. “I didn’t mean to get angry. I’m just… worried. And kinda scared,” he dropped his head. “I suppose I should get dressed then.”
“Unless you want to go to school naked,” Akio said in an effort to lighten the mood.
Hotaru smiled wearily and wondered just how he was going to get Aria to come along to Furin with him.
Re: FURINKAZAN ~ A WBW Production [it starts!]
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