4/7 - ??:?? - ???



Darkness. Normally that is something that one sees during sleep. However, you don’t always hear a strange singing along with it. Kaze opened his eyes, and saw blue shade, his eyes slowly adjusting to the lighting in the room. Where was he? The last thing he could remember was talking with that purple haired girl from the bus, Misaki. As his eyes adjusted, he began to make out some silhouettes, three to his immediate front sitting on the opposite side of a table. The middle one began to move, the sound of a book’s pages scraping against each other was evident.
”Alright, got it. Persona Persona Persona Persona. Social Link Social Link Social Link.” A man’s voice whispered almost in reassurance to itself.
Kaze’s eyes finally adjusted completely, and he could see that he was in what could only be described as a blue painted lounge. Almost everything in it was blue. Upon a stage in the corner was a woman singing an unending song, In front of her was a pianist, blindfolded with a scarf of that same blue. The opposite corner held a bar that a man with curly hair sat at, speaking to the elderly bar keep. Beside the bar, a man was painting something, but Kaze couldn’t tell what yet. All throughout the room were strange shadows walking around, and a few doors around the room as well.
What caught him off guard the most though, was the pig nosed man sitting in front of him, and the two children sitting next to that man, no more than ten if he had to guess. The man wore a tuxedo with a large flower, while the children wore bright blue uniforms like that of a sailor fuku the girl wearing a beret, and the boy wearing a patrol cap.
“Ah, you’re awake. Welcome to the Velvet Room, a room between matter and dream. You are a guest and only certain people bound by a contract are allowed in here.” The man said. Kaze attempted to open his mouth, but the man continued.
“My name is Quasimodo, and I am glad to make your acquaintance. Now, what is your name?”
“uh… Sh-shison Kaze.” Kaze said still confused.
“Now,” Quasimodo said as he got out a small hand book, and read through it. “Let’s do a card reading. You believe in Fourtune Telling, no?
“Actually –“ Kaze began, again being cut off.
“Alright, let me see here,” he said as he pulled out a deck of cards and the same handbook before putting it back on the table and shuffling the deck, then placing them on the table spread out, ”Pick three…”
Kaze looked confused at the cards, but was given a nod by the twins that seemed to reassure him. He chose the three, and the rest were shuffled into the deck. Quasimodo began to flip them one by one, the first having a picture of a tower upside down, and the second having a moon, the final card a man with a packstick.
“Hmm… I think this deck is rigged. Anyways, the tower means calamity on the way. The mood card represents "hesitation" and "mystery". So, something will happen… a mystery, some kind of misfortune or something, and a mystery that will need to be solved. I believe I’m reading that right. The last one, the fool, is a blank slate. Think of it as a joker in a normal deck.”
The girl twin pulled on the man’s sleeve, “Sir, I you didn’t quite do it right.” She said.
The boy twin chimed in after, “Well, you got the reading right, just not the delivery.” he said.
“He got the gist of it, give me a break, it’s only my 3rd reading ever. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you two,” he began, before pulling them in closely. “These two precious children are my assistants, they live here, like most of the rest of us.”
”I’m Ploutos.” the boy said, “and I’m Sophia.” the girl said, “reporting for duty.” The two chimed in together. “We’ll be here to help you through your journey.”
Suddenly, a small timer with a depiction of some kind of cartoon devil went off on the table.
“Oh, our time is up for now. But don’t worry, we’ll see eachother again real soon. Bye-bye now.” Quasimodo said as he smiled and waved goodbye to Kaze, the room beginning to blacken as sleep hit Kaze’s eyes once more.
------------------------
4/9 – 16:00 Afternoon - Hinasho Bus Station
”Bro. Bro wake up! We’re here!”
Kaze woke up with a start and was met by his brother’s face two inches from his own.
“Woah! Watch it.” Ishidaiku said dodging his brother.
“Sorry, I had a strange dream and you startled me.” Kaze said.
“Oh, Kaze. Is this your stop? I’ll be fifty miles down the road, so we might be able to hang out during the breaks. I have your email, you have mine, email me.” the Purple Haired Misaki said seeming to just be waking up herself.
”Count on it. Later Misaki-san.” Kaze said as he gathered his stuff and left the bus with his brother. They stood outside as the bus pulled off.
“Kaze got a girlfriend, kaze got a girlfriend.” Ishidaiku said while pulling some yoyo tricks.
Kaze simply scoffed and checked his phone, a text saying “We’ll be there around 4PM.” from his aunt. Kaze leaned against the wall momentarily, while texting back “We’re here.” upon sending it, he saw a purple SUV pull up and park. A tall well-endowed blonde woman wearing skinny jeans and an orange cleavage revealing top stepped out.
“Oh, Kaze-kun! I can’t believe how much you’ve grown! I haven’t seen you since I changed your diapers.” the woman said running over and giving Kaze a surprisingly strong suffocating hug.
“A-aunt Ch-chizuru. You’re crushing me.” Kaze said.
“Oh,” she said releasing him. ”Sorry about that.”
She then noticed the younger brother standing a few feet from her.
“Oh, and this must be Ishi-chan!” she said going in for a hug, but stopping a ruffling his brown hair. “You must be no older than 10. Your cousin is a couple years younger than you, so you might be able to get along.” She said as she waved for someone to come over from the car. The door opened and a small brown ponytailed girl stepped out, peeking around it shyly.
“H-hi.” the girl said.
”C’mon Sakura. Meet your cousins.” Chizuru said. The girl stepped out and slowly walked over to them, keeping eye contact with the ground.
”Nice to meet you Sakura-chan.” Kaze said offering his hand to the girl. Sakura slowly reached for the hand, tapped it, and then receded behind her mother again.
”Hahaha. Come on you three, we need to get home so I can make dinner.”
The three hopped in, the boys putting their bags into the trunk, and the car headed towards town. As they did, Chizuru pointed out the various sights and businesses on the way in.

4/7 Late Morning - Toroname Residence

"Ugh... Wha...?" Sun shining in... Guess that means a new day's here. Almost time for school to start back up. I swear, breaks are never as long as you want 'em to be... "Whew, tired... Wait, what time is it?" I look at the clock to see it's already 11:00. Not the worst I've ever slept in, at least.

"Akatsuki? Akatsuki, you up yet?" My dad's yelling had me out of bed and digging around for today's clothes. "C'mon, bud! Up and at 'em!"

"Yeah, I'm up! Be down in a sec!" I grab my staff and necklace, slap on my cap, and I'm down the stairs. Dad's already got some rice out, fresh from the cooker. "Well, don't mind if I do!"

"Heh. Nice to see you too, kiddo." He was over by the sink, washing a bowl. Guess he already ate. "Oh, by the way. I heard your school will be getting a transfer student. Know anything about that?"

Oh, yeah... I'd heard that too. Didn't catch his name when they mentioned it, though. "Not much. Heard he's coming in from the city. Here's hoping he's not stuck-up or anything." With the last bit done, I put down my sticks. "Ah... Tank's nice and full. Thanks for breakfast, Dad. I'm heading out."

"Sure thing. Don't forget about lessons today." Yup. As always, I show up at the dojo for my own studies. Plus, I also tend to chip in with teaching newer students.

"Will do. Catch you later, Dad."

4/7 Afternoon - Toroname Dojo

Such a boring day, I ended up just drifting through 'til it came time for lessons. "Alright, remember. It's not enough to have power. If you also practice your speed, your chances will be even higher. Power means nothing if you cannot land a blow." The same lecture again... followed by him charging in and forcing me to try to dodge everything he throws at me. I usually last about a minute before something connects. I'm on the ground again, and he leans over with a smile. "Very nice. You continue to improve." After he helps me up, he gives me a moment to catch my breath. "Now, shall we try again?"

After Dad and I finished up, I went to the practice room to work up a sweat. "Hah! Hyah! Tah!" Gotta hand it to him. These bags he picked up are extra sturdy. Even going at it with my staff doesn't seem to faze 'em. I went at it for a good twenty minutes before I started to feel genuinely tired. After that, I cleaned up, got dressed and headed for the door. "Thanks for the practice, Dad. I'm heading out."

He had just finished up a group lesson when I caught him. "Alright, bud. Be back before dark, okay? Call me if you need anything."

"Will do." Outside, I end up scratching my head while I try to think. "Okay... What the hell am I gonna do to pass time now?"

4/7 12:00 - Yamazaki Garage

Kenichi Yamakazi was hunched over slightly, staring intently at the task in front of him. The room was brightly lit with florescent tubes, and was dominated by a large worktable and several large shelves. On top of the table was an electric blue bike clamped up right. The large young man carefully threaded the silver chain through the teeth of the gears of the bike. Callous fingers moved deftly, over and under, a tug here and there. Straighting up from his hunched position, he hollered over the din of radio and machine.

"Subaru," Kenichi cried as he began to stretch his slightly sore muscles. "I just finished the Inui's kid bike, and I'm takin' it over."

"Sure thing son," A voice called back through the door as Kenichi unclamped the bike, "Hurry back though, we're gonna break for lunch soon."

"A'ight, be back soon." Kenichi replied as he held the bike one handed. Walking carefully, he made his way to the door in the workshop, and opened it to the bright afternoon summer sun. With his free hand, Kenichi shaded his eyes before closing and licking the door behind him.

Inside and in the main garage, an older and more heavyset man paused in his tinkering on the truck raised above him. Sliding up from underneath the vehicle, he got up from his position and began wiping his hands with a yellow handkerchief. The vibrant cloth turned into a dark and muddy square by the time Subaru Yamazaki was finished.

Sighing deeply, Subaru looked over in the direction of the door that his son had left through. "Oh Ken, my boy." Subaru thought as he tossed the stained cloth onto a mobile toolbox. "I know you blame yourself for what happened, but you need to let it go. No one blames you for a minor accident"

Sighing deeply again, the man walked over to the large sink and began to rinse to leftover oil from his hands. After that, he opened the steel door next to the sink and began making his way up to the apartment above the garage.

"School's gonna start soon. Hope Ken will make some friends this year." Subaru thought as he opened the door at the top of the flight of stairs.

---

4/7 12:20 - Inui Household

Gently setting the bike in front of the door, Kenichi gently rapped on the wooden door. He was answered by the muffled sound of running steps before the door flew open. Greeting the Keinchi was a little girl with black heir plaited into a long braid. Her neck craned upwards to look at the young man. She then looked down at the blue bicycle and squealed happily. She was soon joined by a harried looking older women cradling a baby in the crook of her arm.

"Taki, don't just open the door all of a sud-, oh hello there Kenichi. Have you already finished fixing Taki's bike?" The older woman asked as she shifted the baby in her arms to cradle it on her shoulder.

Ken nodded before asking, "Ms. Inui, where do you want me to but this?"

"Oh, it's fine Kenichi, leave it in the doorway, I'll handle it." Mrs. Inui replied.

"Nah, it's alright, I don't mind." Kenichi said as he picked up the bike. "Just tell me where to put it."

Taki watched as Kenichi effortlessly held the bike in his right hand and moved it to the carport. "Wow mister, you're really strong." The girl saidas she looked up at Kenichi.

Kenichi sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess, not that being this strong has really been a good thing."
Taki didn't hear his reply, as she had already run off and returned, struggingly to drag a thick tree branch. Kenichi quickly came over and took the heavy weight from the girl. The stick was four feet long and about four inches thick.

"My older brother found this a few days ago and gave it to me, but mama said it's to big to put in my room." Taki said, gesturing to the piece of wood.

"You want me to break it." Kenichi replied.

"Yep!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Sighing, Kenichi took the large branch in his hands and inhaled deeply. In a swift motion, he broke the branch with a loud crack that echoed in the carport.

"Whoa, you really are like an ogre!" Taki cried cheerfully, to Kenichi's confusion.

"Ogre?" Kenichi asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah! A kid in my class told us a story about," Taki paused in her inspection of the tree branch and tried to lower her voice, "The Helpful Ogre that got a kite out of a tree for him by breaking the tree in half!"

Kenichi blinked. Then blinked again, and began to scratch his cheek with his index finger. "Oh, I remember now. I didn't break a tree in half though."

"What'd you do then?"

"The tree was dying, and I may have accidentally ripped a chunk of the tree with the branch." Kenichi said sheepishly.

Taki just continued to stare at the young man in awe. "That's...SO COOL!" She said excitedly. "Wow, I've gotta tell my friends this! See ya mister!"

Taki ran back to the door, waving as she ran. Kenichi waved back, before turning away and walking out of the car port. He began walking along the road, making his way out of the neighborhood and back to his families garage.

---

4/9 – Afternoon – Hinasho Down Town

Chizuru’s van pulled into the convenience store down town. A small stand was next to it, with an elderly man in a bucket hat sitting behind it.
“Sorry about this you two. Batou-san stops here once a month with all sorts of stuff and Sakura just loves spending her allowance on Sentai and Anime things he picks up.”
Chizuru walked an excited Sakura over to the man who smiled warmly, sitting up straight and pulling out a paper bag.
”Thanks again Batou-san. She’s been wanting to see that one.” she then turned towards Kaze, as Ishidaiku walked up to the stand as well. ”Your mom told me you’re into old prayers. There’s a Shrine across the street if you’re interested. We’ll be here for a while.”
Kaze nodded appreciatively and crossed the street towards the Torri, and after a small dirt trail, he managed to find the shrine. He knelt in prayer for the safe travel and for the upcoming year. However, a sound of fabric drew his attention and he looked up, a Shrine Maiden coming from behind it. She was a very plain girl.
“Hi, I haven’t seen you around before. Of course, I haven’t seen anyone in quite a while. The Shrine’s not very popular these days you see.”
Kaze nodded, a knowing look on his face.
”Yeah, I know the feeling. In the city, there aren’t many practitioners anymore either.”
“Oh, you’re from the big city? It’ll probably be pretty boring around here for you then. Blessings to you for the upcoming year.” She said grasping Kaze’s hands for a short prayer, and then releasing him. “If you ever want to come support the Shrine, stop by. I’ve gotta get going for practice.”
Kaze nodded as the girl took off. It was brief, but he did get to do a prayer of thanks. He headed back towards the van, and began to feel queasy, and clammy. Hopefully he hadn’t caught anything from the bus.
”Ready to go? Sakura got her fill toady.”
”Yeah.” Kaze said as he got in and tried to shake off the feeling.

---------------

4/9 - Late Afternoon – Silver Dragon Restaurant

“I can’t take this anymore! I’m out of here!” a voice from the kitchen yelled. Most of the patrons turned in response to see what the commotion is.
“Ame! You get back here! What will your mother say?” The Head chef yells to her.
“No dad! My eyes are open now. I need to spread my wings and fly. The people from the big city told me that I need to move out of this dump and start a real restaurant. I’m out!” the girl said stomping out.
“Sheesh what’s wrong with her?” a patron exclaims. The girl’s father shakes his head and sits contemplative.

4/7 Afternoon - Hinasho Cemetery

It was around that time for me to pay them a visit, so I'd grabbed some stuff from the local shop and headed to the cemetery. Didn't take too long to find them, thankfully. The stone was in good shape, too. Good. Wouldn't wanna gave to have a word with the groundskeeper. I placed my offering on the plate for them; Some cookies that Mikata was fond of as a kid, and some oranges for Mom.

"Heya, you two. Sorry for not showing up yesterday." The photo of the two of them was dead center, atop the offerings. "Dad's still doing well running the dojo. 'Course, I'm still helping now and then to make sure he doesn't pull something." A small chuckle before I put my hand against the stone. "I miss you guys... Hope you're doing well on the other side."

With that, I knelt down to pray. It was quieter than usual today; not many others visiting, I guess. After a short time, I got back up and waved them goodbye. "Stay well, guys. I'll do what I can on my end." As I left the cemetery, I could hear my stomach rumbling like crazy. Guess now was as good a time as any for a bite to eat.

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

Ah, the Silver Dragon... Best place to eat in town. Good prices, good food... and a good view. I never get tired of seeing all the girls in their uniforms here. So cute, it's fantastic. I ask for a table right when something starts sounding crazy in the kitchen. One of the girls runs off in a huff, with the owner behind her. Isn't that... the owner's daughter, Ame? Nearby, I see a familiar face and get his attention. "Yo, Itachi!"

He turns his head to see me after viewing the same mess I did. "Hmm? Ah, Akatsuki! How've you been, man?" A quick handshake, and we're straight to business.

"Good, good, but... Wanna tell me what's going on with Ame?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. She'd been acting a little off since yesterday, but I sure didn't see this coming... To be honest, I'm a little worried. I've never heard her talk to her dad like that." His thought seemed like they were on the other side of town before he snapped out of it. "Ah, sorry. Let's go ahead and get you a seat." Luckily, there was a booth meant for small groups not far from the front door. After I sat down and he handed me a menu, Itachi waved for a waitress. "Hey, Kaori! Got a table ready to order over here!" One last high five between us, and he headed back. "Take care, pal."

"You too, man. Catch you later."

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

The girl Itachi called over was, without a doubt, the cutest I'd seen since I started eating there. Her pink hair felt like something out of an anime, and... Is that... lip gloss? I had all of zero complaints about the way she looked. Eventually, I noticed I was spacing out and snapped out of it. She mentioned a discount as an apology for what just happened with Ame. Makes sense, I guess, in case it hurt their image or something. "Thanks for the offer. No apologies needed, though. I just hope whatever's going on with Ame settles soon." Lessee here... With ramen as cheap as it is today... Guess I'll go with that. "Anyway, I'll have a bowl of Shio Ramen, please."

"You said your name's Kaori, right? Nice name, it suits you... Wait a sec..." That name sounded a bit too familiar in my head. Wasn't there some top student or someone by that name...? Don't tell me... "Kaori... As in Kaori Matsushida? Aren't you the school's archery champ?" The girl had certainly earned her fair share of whispers around the school about her skills. I'd always thought she was the prim and proper type, though. Hard to believe someone like that would put on lip gloss and whatnot outside of school. "This really is a small town, huh? Oh, uhm... Sorry, Senpai. Anyway, any idea what's going on with Ame? I asked Itachi, but he didn't seem to know much besides her seeming a bit off lately. What about you?"

4/7 Early Morning - Maki-Maki Residence

Pain. It's a beautiful sensation.
The crimson sheen that blood glistens, aged like fine wine, drips from the wrist of the wicked, coating the edge of the blade in red.
Koi was in ecstasy. The feeling of a slit wrist felt just right... It always served as a wonderful means of sharp, painful pleasure. Although it never lasted long, her senses would always be overwhelmed when exposed to the will of the blade, and it's urge to cut, thin and slow.

Blood.
It dripped from her arm to the waiting old towel below. It served it's purpose well, claiming the blood of the unholy, to be used for the coming ritual. She couldn't help but grin as she began to imagine what kind of devilish scheme she could come up with using this blood. Perhaps a summoning of an ancient demon? Or perhaps something to bring misfortune to the people of her school? Or maybe even luck to herself? When it came to the occult, Koi's imagination went wild!

Koi Maki-Maki was the sole member of the Occult Investigation Club: a formerly official school club turned unofficial when it's members were no longer able to keep up it's practice. She, herself, was a hardcore occult addict, and loved all things creepy or messed up in the world. One could say she was a perfect imitation of ruin and mischief, causing excitement wherever she went!

Well, excitement for herself.

As the crisp morning air set in she could sense the faint tingling from her arm begin to run dry, and so she quickly swept up the remaining red liquid with speed and precision. She knew all the right places to sweep, starting at the edges and steadily making her way to the center, before covering the wound and cleaning it with a splash of water. Obviously not holy, because holy water was blessed by the so-called "gods" of this realm, and she didn't want to be tainted with their goodness.

Wrapped finally with a bandage disguised as a charm, and she reverted to her... less sadistic self. Laying back down on her bed, Koi sighed softly as she stared up at the ceiling, staring at the bandage which now protected her arm from outside dangers. She noted that it would likely look cute to some, though she wasn't big on cute things...
... At least not publicly, anyway.
As her arm began to feel tired, she gave it the comfort of rest by cuddling up to one of her many pillows. This specific pillow had absorbed many a shed tear from Koi, acting as the Maki-Maki girl's only real comfort against those around her. However, it hadn't seen any tears from Koi in quite awhile. She'd learned how to stop crying, how to stop caring.
Koi learned how to be numb.

'Imbeciles...' She thought to herself, as her mind became wrought with tormenting memories. 'They're all just idiots... The lot of them...! They didn't know what I was going through... they didn't even care! I hate them. I hate them! I despise them so much I could kill them...!'

... It wasn't uncommon for Koi's mind to turn in the direction it presently was. It was hard to be anything else, if you'd lived a life of suffering like she had. Koi had nobody to talk to about these things, and so... she'd often let it build up inside. It would lead to yet another slit on her wrist, and everything would begin all over again...

She left the knife on the desk, in case she felt she needed it again.

---

4/7 Late Afternoon - Maki-Maki Residence

Koi awoke to the sound of her mother banging on the door.

"Koi? We don't have much money for food, so we're going to eat out tonight at the Silver Dragon. Apparently everything is really cheap tonight!" Despite the slight stumble in her speech, Koi's mother sounded quite excited. It was a rare pleasantry, and Koi was more than thankful of the divines for blessing upon her a happy mother this night. Her mind thought it was due to the blood sacrifice she'd made earlier - a sign of a good harvest. In truth, her mother was actually happy that they could get some cheap food for once.

Koi's mother left without another word, heading to her room to get ready, no doubt. Koi herself made no attempt at letting her mother know she'd be coming, since she had a feeling she already knew. After all, disobeying mother was like a death wish.
Especially if she were intoxicated.
Although only slightly, Koi could tell her mother had taken to a shot of alcoholic beverage. Although alcohol was said to be one of Satan's creations to sway the minds of men, Koi couldn't help but disagree. Wine, and other such alcoholic beverages, as Koi had hypothesized, was invented by Christ as a means of swooning them over to the side of god. It only helped their case that the intoxication could make persuasion even more effective on mortals...

She was already dressed, naturally in black, with her dress making her look more like some European noblewoman than anything else. Or an evil bride. Regardless, she didn't quite care. If others stared upon her magnificence and couldn't comprehend her choice, well, that was their misfortune.
She hesitated when she was about to leave. There was one thing she just couldn't leave home without:

Her journal.

Deftly she took the book from its resting place on the desk, and with that, she headed out...

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

Kaori took my order, then gave the cutest blush ever in response to my comment about her archery skills. She was very modest about it, which just made her look even better. After confirming she was who I thought, she asked for my name in return. "Ah, sure thing. It's Akatsuki Toroname. Yeah, my dad and I head the family dojo. It's, uh... just the two of us, though." Mom and Mikata were still fresh on my mind after visiting the cemetery. I did what I could to move on with the conversation, though.

Unfortunately, Kaori didn't know much more than Itachi did about Ame. The main thing she added was that Ame was looking to start her own restaurant in the city. Sounded really weird for her. Always thought she loved working here. Apparently, the lip gloss was her idea, too. After a bit more talking, Kaori cut herself off and apologized. So... damn... cute. It's alright, just play it cool, man. "Ah, no big deal. Nice talking with ya. Looking forward to next time, 'kay?" After that, she mentioned a... fan club? Why had I not been informed sooner? I would've been all over tha- Oh... Crap.

Of all people to see walking through that door... Koi Maki-Maki. The girl had made her mark as quite possibly the creepiest girl in school last year. It's okay... It's all good... Just don't make eye contact, and you'll be fine. I glanced over at the table Itachi put them at to see Kaori taking hers and her mom's orders. Oh, boy... Here's hoping all goes well for her.

4/7 Late Afternoon - Walking the Town...

"We're gonna get so much food! Ahh! We'll have leftovers for our leftovers! We might even be able to afford something other than food and bills! How's that, Koi?"

Koi hated going out with her mother, especially if she was like this.
Koi simply nodded.

Her mother giggled, leading her by the hand, swaying side-to-side marginally, and just reeking of alcohol. Koi hated every moment of it, however did nothing but keep quiet and smile occasionally, in order to convince her mother she was enjoying herself. "You should really try talking some more, Koi-Koi~! People might talk back, euhehehe! Although... I guess the boys won't complain, hehehe!" Her mother spoke in a giddy tone.

'Kill me now.'

Koi was practically a mute whenever she was around her mother. Around anyone else she could be herself - prideful, sinister, weird. However whenever mother was about, she could do nothing but breathe and respond to her voice with silent action. It was for the best. She wouldn't run the risk of angering her anymore, and had long since given up trying to change her. She was just too stupid. Too stubborn. A stuck up bi-

"We're here!"

Oh no...

---

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

Don't look.
Please don't look at me.
Please oh please, I'm begging you, please don't stare...
I can't take it; just go back to eating your meal!
Go away!
Leave me alone!
Why won't you just fuck off...?
No...
I can't...
Please, just stop...
I can't do it...

... Please...

...
...
...

Koi is lead into the Silver Dragon Restaurant by her mother, face blank and bland, holding no emotion. Sadness is visible in her eyes to those who get close enough to see, however they disappeared when she was addressed by one of the staff, who seated them at a nice little booth-like area by a window. Her facade resurfaces, and she returns to the simple, gentle appearance of a young girl going out to eat with her mother. Menu in hand gazing at the dishes, Koi could only dread what was to come. She was going to have to put up with her mother's taste in food again, and have it for leftovers for awhile...

"So, Koi, what do you want? I was thinking we should stock up on ramen, since it's so cheap! We could get loads of the stuff! Hmm, what else? Ooh! They have Tempura! Ahhhh my mouth is just watering~! C'mon, Koi, take your pick!" Her mother encouraged.

[color=red]'God this woman is insufferable...' Thought the Maki-Maki girl, pointing to her selected dish with a small smile.

"... Okonomiyaki...?" She asked, confused. "Alright, if you say so. Feel free to order something new though."

Koi wasn't much of an eater, though she did enjoy certain tastes the mortals could conjure up. One such dish was Okonomiyaki. It was essentially her go-to dish when facing a menu - her indecision often meant that if she couldn't find something she was familiar with, she was screwed. Okonomiyaki was a dish she both enjoyed and was familiar with, and was pretty much the only thing she would eat out with. She was a hipster towards ramen and hated sushi for being the work of the gods.

A woman approached: another member of staff. Female this time. She looked a little older than Koi, and definitely cuter. Koi was actually rather jealous of this girl's normalcy. However, she quickly corrected her error and mentally slapped herself for committing such a sin. She let her mother do the talking...

... and talk she did. Koi's mother practically listed off every dish on the menu! Although she didn't go for the challenge bowl, which Koi found odd. Koi nodded at the compliment though didn't say a word, and opted instead to hide behind the menu while her mother spoke.

"-aaaaaaaaaaaand three bowls of ramen, please! Oh, and two Okonomiyaki!" After a long list of foods, their order was finally in, and Koi's mother gave a small smile. "Oh, also, you guys wouldn't happen to sell any beers here, would you? Hehehe!"

'Please don't say no...

-4/7 Late Afternoon – Downtown-

Chizuru’s Van made its way down the road, passing a fire truck heading the opposite direction.
“Hmm… That looks important. Hope no one’s hurt.” Chizuru said, turning into the residential district and parking at a small two story house.
”Here we are, home sweet home. I know it’s small, but it’s great for just Sakura and Myself. With you two here, it’ll be a tight squeeze, but we’ll be…” she stopped for a moment as she looked at Kaze in the back.
“Oh, you don’t look so great.” She said pulling out her keys from the car and walking towards the door. It was true. Kaze was sweating and lightheaded. He quickly followed her in.
[color=fff200]“Here, go on upstairs. There’s a Futon waiting for you.”[color] Chizuru said opening the door and heading back to the car to help Ishidaiku and Sakura with the luggage and bags.
Kaze couldn’t focus as he quickly went up the stairs, not even noticing the quaint dwellings of the house. He quickly reached the bed and flopped down, quickly allowing sleep to embrace him.

[b][u] -???- ???- [/b][/u]

Kaze awoke, standing, a heavy mist in the air. He squinted his eyes allowing them to adjust to the sudden light, looking around in confusion, he could faintly make out the ground beneath him, and followed the path for a few steps.
“YOU WHO WOULD SEEK THE TRUTH. COME.” A voice echoed seemingly from nowhere and everywhere.
Kaze paused momentarily, confused as to what was going on. But a welling feeling came from within. He wanted to find this voice. Almost as if he had to. He walked forward, until he reached a large door. It was a mix of red and black lines. Kaze slowly reached forward…
”Stop.” a new voice came from behind Kaze, he turned around to see a shimmering blue butterfly floating in the air.
”The tides are changing. You can feel it in the air. If you step through that door, the repercussions will haunt you and yours til the end of your days. What you seek, cannot accomplish its task while you stay here.” The butterfly seemed to say.
Kaze was weirded out, but he figured this is just a fever dream, as Kaze stepped from the door, he was soon drug through the door by a strange force.
”YOU ARE THE ONE WHO SEEKS ME. IT IS TOO LATE NOW.” the force said as Kaze began to stand, noticing the figure in the fog. ”YOU THINK YOU CAN FACE ME?”
Kaze picked up a sword that sat on the floor nearby, He charged the figure, missing it with every swing. The figure laughed at his futile attempts to slay it, and soon enough his vision began to fade.
”In a world where everyone is vying for the top…Power is the most important…But when the best comes out… the truth of how insignificant you are shines through… I shall see you again soon. I hope you are better prepared.”
Kaze awoke, a small rain shower outside mixed with the darkness told him it was in the middle of the night. He turned and saw a sleeping Ishidaiku, and sighed.
”Must’ve been a bad dream.” Kaze said before going back to sleep.
[b][u] -4/8 Morning – Tsukushima Residence-[/b][/u]

[b][u] -4/7 Late Afternoon – Silver Dragon Resturant-[/b][/u]

”I’m sorry, but they don’t serve alcohol here.” a lively voice said. Some patrons began to look around for the source of the voice. Most however knew who it was, and her voice could only mean trouble for them. Some patrons quickly asked for to go boxes and a check. This drew the attention of a few other patrons, who also began mumbling about what was about to happen. Suddenly, a flash came from under one of the tables, followed by a small smoke cloud. From the smoke came a black haired girl with a ponytail, dressed in a unitard that had been decorated to look like some kind of ninja armor.
”From the shadows, always watching and gathering information. Ready to strike. Rose Ninja E-“ the girl’s voice was cut by the angry chef from behind the kitchen.
“Eri! Get out of here! I’m dealing with enough as it is, I don’t need you burning my carpet with your smoke bombs!”
Eri let out a small yelp as a couple more smoke bombs fell out of her pocket and hit a stray napkin, causing a small fire.
“Quick!” The chef yelled as he ran back into the kitchen. “Fire Extinguisher now!”
But it was too late. The smoke from the first bomb, mixed with the now small fire had started the sprinklers.
“Everyone here, please see me at the front! I will speak with you all for a Special Offer as restitution for this fiasco!” The chef yelled.
Eri was downtrodden, til she saw Koi at one of the tables. “Hey, you’re from that paranormal club right? I’ve got something to ask you about this new kid that came to town. I’ll send for you tomorrow.” Eri said making a mad dash for the back door.

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

”I’m sorry, but they don’t serve alcohol here.”

No. No! If they didn't serve alcohol here, then... lord, no! Koi could already sense her mother's mood as it twisted from drunken happiness to one less than pleasant. Her mother's wrath fell short only to a Dark Lord, and Koi knew, oh how she knew, she would be the victim of such abuse. Though, she quickly sensed a switch in her mother's mood... Confusion? And slight amusement, apparently caused by the 'ninja' who had appeared behind the two of them. ”From the shadows, always watching and gathering information. Ready to strike. Rose Ninja E-“

“Eri! Get out of here! I’m dealing with enough as it is, I don’t need you burning my carpet with your smoke bombs!”

Both Koi and her mother were rather awestruck by the situation which, needless to say, didn't happen often. Even as the smoke bombs caught fire to the stray napkin and the smoke alarms began soaking the two, Koi could sense only mild levels of resent amidst her general confusion and amusement. Koi breathed a sigh of relief. 'The Divine Demon Lord has spared me a night of suffering...' She thought, still plain-faced and expressionless.

The two were lead outside until the smoke alarms finally stopped sprinkling. Koi, like the many others in the restaurant at the time, was relatively soaked. She'd been through worse, though. Her mother was insanely interested in this "special offer" that the chef had proposed, and was more than willing to get her money's worth of free food. She was paying no attention to her daughter, who shuffled her way out of the crowd back into the restaurant. The smoke alarms were no longer spraying the place with water, but there was quite a lot of water. The teen had grown used to navigating watery surfaces with her dress and heels, though, so it wasn't a big deal for her.

“Hey, you’re from that paranormal club right? I’ve got something to ask you about this new kid that came to town. I’ll send for you tomorrow.” The ninja's appearance caused such a disturbance in Koi's melancholy that she visibly flinched, however before she could get a word out, the teen was gone. Someone was interested in the occult? It would far more likely be a prank, but if it wasn't, it would at least prove interesting to see who this person was. Despite denying it as trickery of a fool, the young Maki-Maki girl secretly hoped the ninja's proposition would bear fruit.

'Peh... Hope is for the light...' Thought Koi bitterly.

4/7 Late Afternoon - Silver Dragon Restaurant

You gotta be kidding...

First Maki-Maki shows up to send chills down everyone's spines, and now this. Eri, the town's resident ninja-obsessed weirdo, shows up, and almost burns the place down in the process. Naturally, the staff immediately yell her out of the building, but not before she says something to Maki-Maki. Couldn't hear what it was over all the commotion, but the girl seemed curious about what was said, so that's all I need to know to keep my distance.

While I waited for my food, another announcement was made offering additional services to customers to make up for the disturbance. Two in a row? Gotta be a record. Rather than talk to the chef, I headed over to chat up Itachi again. "Her again, huh? How long you think it'll take before she gets her own 'not allowed' signage?"

"Heh. Personally, I'm surprised there's not one already." We both had a good laugh at what something like that would look like. "But go easy on her, yeah? She may be odd at times, but she's not a bad person." Leave it to him to see the good in just about anyone.

"If you say so, man. Anyway, what's this I hear about a fan club? You been holding out on me?"

"You kidding? I had to see the look on your face hearing it from one of the girls. Could see it from my post. Gotta say, it was priceless." Yep, that's him. A nice guy, but man, can he be a pain when he wants to.

"Whatever. I'm headed back to my table. I'm starving." He waved me off as I sat back down. This day's starting to feel really weird, and I can only assume it's not done getting weirder.

-4/8 Early Morning – Tsukushima Residence-

Kaze awoke to a semi-misty morning. It looked like a fog had been there the night before. He quickly got ready for the day and came down the stairs. His descent was greeted by his Aunt at the breakfast table.
“Oh, good morning Kaze. Glad to see you’re up. I’ll be heading to work shortly, and these two,” Chizuru said gesturing to Ishi and Sakura, “Said they’re going to stay in today and get acquainted. You could stick around, but I think it’d be a good idea for you to look around the town. What do you think?”
Kaze nodded, “Yes, I think that’s a good idea too.”
“Good,” Chizuru said, “It’s decided. I’ll give you a call around lunch to see how you’re doing. Well, I’m off.” She said as she stood from the table grabbing her purse and keys.
Ishi and Sakura looked up from their food as Kaze sat to eat as well.
“Hey bro.” Ishi said, “So, Sakura wanted to show me her anime collection. We’ll be busy today.”
Kaze nodded once again, quickly finished his food, and left the table.
“I’ll bring you two something back.” He said before leaving the house for the day.

-4/8 Morning – Downtown-
Kaze had come down to the main shopping district of the downtown area, a few stores catching his eye. A small restaurant that had a sign apologizing about wet seats, a store with many weapons and armor that looked like Ultra-grade realistic cosplay, and a book store were some of the sites that caught his eye. However, unbeknownst to him, another was watching him.
“Operation: Recruit more members to the Para-club is a-go,” The kunoichi said sitting in a tree filled with provisions and a hand held tranciever (Walkie Talkie)
“I’m glad I decided to stash all of this here,” Eri said taking a bite of stale trailmix, causing her to grimace momentarily. “I got lucky he came through here.”
She then picked up the tranciever and pressed a button. “Hello? Hello? Are you there? Did I hide it too well? Hello?” Eri said, awaiting for a reply from a tranciever she had left on the outside windowsill of Koi’s window.
“If you can hear me, don’t be alarmed, I do this all the time. I have the target in sites, and it’s time to execute my plan. But, I’ll need to track down some protection, just in case. I think I’ll try that dojo.” She said before dropping the tranciever out of the tree by accident.
“Aw. That was 2500 Yen.” She then hopped out of the tree to reclaim the pieces.