Blackened World

The Beauty, The Beast, and Sweets (eRia and Blackened World)

The blond tried to hide a soft chuckle at Misaki's hungry face, eyeing all the sweets like a predator does to its prey. It was just like when they were kids, were she got all happy over treats like this. He almost choked with a piece of cake when the girl mentioned his mother, and how she wanted to thank her with a gift or something. "E-Eh, no, you don't need to do that. I'm pretty sure she's happy enough that I brought a friend home..." He assured, trying to convince her that she didn't need to meet his mother at all.

Misaki was pretty much savoring and enyojing the strawberry-chocolate cake, if her expression that screamed 'I have found happines' meant anything at all. She also followed a systematic pattern of eating and drinking, which he concluded it was only to keep eating and not choke on it. Ikari would be lying if he said she didn't look cute like that, but of course, he would rather be knifed than saying that out loud.

When she started bombarding him with question after question, he looked a bit taken aback, but ultimately accepted. Answering questions with half-assed truths wasn't a big deal either.

"Ok, ehmm... I did grow up in this city, but I had to move from house to house over time" He started playing with the cake while resting his pale face on a hand that was supported by his elbow on the table. "My favorite color... blue, I suppose. Tastes change in time. I don't have a specific hobby, though. Sometimes I play games, or read something that will keep me entertained until I drop it because of disinterest"

"That leaves my parents..." At the mention of them, he started to shift uncomfortably on his seat. "Well, Ma is the best mother you could ask for, at least for what I think. She does the best food in the whole goddamn country, and is pretty funny when she wants to be. Sometimes she acts like a highschool girl, though I don't think she even realizes it. The woman also knows how to defend herself, so you better not pick up a fight with her if you want to keep walking straight" The blond said with a playful smile, a feeling of proudness creeping up his chest. "My old man, on the other hand, he's... we're complicated. I'm not the image of the perfect son he wants me to be, and I'm fed up trying to impress at this point on time. I don't talk about him, and he doesn't talk about me. Not complaining, though. I have enough problems to be talking about a guy with a 6 feet-long stick right up his ass"

As he finished answering, Ikari voraciously devoured a big-ass piece of his sweet, before focusing his eyes on her again. "And you? What's your favorite color, or... your hobby?" The blond awkwardly asked, blushing in embarrasment a little on how unoriginal his questions were. "What about... family, I think. Do you have a brother, sister, or your parents living with you? He finally asked with more resolve, internally regretting it a few moments later. Why would he want talk about the people that took away his friend from him? Now that was going to give him a sour mood...

Dirge of the Devil (Blackened World and eRia)

~Time: 7:00 PM~

Heavy and uncaring steps were the only sound that accompanied Hideyoshi aside the rain, which wet his pale hair and made it fall on his equally pale face. The cars passing by every now and then obliged him to distance himself from the street a little, or he was going to take the inevitable risk of taking a shower of dirty water thanks to the wheels of any vehicle crashing against the water.

This man's figure was an imposing one, that was for sure. His large black coat swayed from one side to another, covering an equally black suit with a white shirt and a red tie beneath. Thanks to all the clothes he had on him, it was difficult to see the small bulge on his abdominal area, which was the only proof to tell that he was carrying his obligatory weapon. Weapon that only police officers could carry legally, that is.

His stoic face didn't give it out, but with enough observation it was pretty obvious that Hideyoshi had a bad day. Though, that wasn't much of a surprise either. The life of a police officer, even more of a detective, is filled with unforeseen circumstances and problems that can't just be dealt with from a day to another.

The nasty things of everyday in a big city, yet that doesn't mean that they should happen.

Drugs. Robbery. Murders.

In this case, it probably was murder. Not 1, but 3 dead people in less than a month. If there were words to describe them, it would be unpredictable.

Unpredictable because the victims are not related at all one with another. They didn't knew each other, they didn't have a common characteristic, absolutely nothing that could tie them up could appear, not matter how much they searched. The police department had deemed them as victims of bizarre incidents, coincidences that were too much of a coincidence.

But then, what separated these 3 "incidents" in specific from the rest? What made them special, if they weren't related from the start?

Hideyoshi saw a great amount of the darkest facets of the human madness in the past years as a detective. From a teen who raped and skinned an innocent girl from his class, to a daughter who gouged the eyes out of her abusive mother in a bloody vengeance, and a boyfriend who strangled another boy that interacted with his girlfriend a good number of times, purely out of jealousy. All of them and more gave up to their primal instincts and rage, not for a moment considering that they were ruining other lives. It was easy to break their masks with the right words and gestures, to untap their true nature, simply because they weren't killers at heart and mind.

And because they weren't killers at hear and mind, the murders were too messy. They didn't care about appearances, they just wanted to kill in the fastest way possible. And that is exactly the key to it all.

Shuuji Takatsuki, 18 years. He just had graduated from school and was aiming for a technician career. Disappeared for a week, but it was found in a forest nearby the city with his hands' bones totally broken, multiple concussions on the head, and tree sticks on both eyes.

Reika Mikami, 17 years. Highschool girl with flamboyant looks, and a social butterfly with average notes. For some reason, her house got burned to the ground. What remained of her body showed signs of multiple and grave lacerations, and what could be seen as a knife stab in the gut, but it couldn't be confirmed in the long run. Her family was out that time, so she was the only victim.

Shoji Sakasaki, 27 years. Your everyday business man with a flirty nature. Liked to talk with young girls, but never went further than that. He hanged up himself, and left a solid suicide note. Forensics found multiple syringe stings on his body later on. The liquid injected was a dangerous chemical that made the nervous system go haywire, effectively causing death if there was a long exposure or an overdose. It was deemed as a plan B to die faster, and the case got closed.

All of the deaths were still messy in a way or another, but there was something else.

'They are too flashy' Hideyoshi would repeat constantly when someone asked him about his opinion. Hashiramoto had the reputation of being a chaotic city that harbored some of the cruelest and sickest people in Japan, but even these incidents were a little too much. He couldn't say they were downright murders, product of a twisted mind out there, but he still felt that weird feeling of something not being right nagging on his brain...

Pushing those thoughts aside, he spotted in the midst of the heavy rain his favorite cafe: "Midnight Raven". The sign above the only transparent door displayed the aforementioned name with a green neon light (name that he couldn't still get used to), and behind that same transparent door was a small letter with the words "open" written in it. The establishment was a little far from the center of the city, meaning that ruckus was a strange thing if anything, maybe a few discussions here and there. Hideyoshi found this place very useful to take a breather from time to time after, and think things through before acting.

'Not the best thing, but it'll do'. He thought as he walked inside. As expected, the place wasn't very fancy-pancy in terms of looks, but it certainly was decent to make clients feel comfortable. The floor was that of very polished wood, the same as the walls. There were just a few people scattered around in some of the ceramic tables inside, and behind the counter who was made of the same polished wood of before was the only bartender in the place cleaning a glass. The detective steadily walked to that counter, and sat in one of the chairs before it.

"The usual" He bluntly said while resting his coat alongside without looking at him, as the bartender already knew of him and his tastes. While the man went to another place to prepare Hideyoshi's order, he opted to take out a small, black book hidden on his suit which had important notes of some cases that he had worked on before. If he was going to wait for his drink, better ignore everything else and focus on work rather than nothing.

Dirge of the Devil (Blackened World and eRia)

Hideyoshi Koharu

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Name: Hideyoshi "Jack O' Lantern" Koharu.
Age:20
Personality:Serious and diligent, Hideyoshi is someone who prefers to be left alone and work himself to the bone rather than making friends or relationships in mundane activities. He isn't the smartest, but his incredible use of common sense, and just in some cases manipulative abilities, makes him a very capable detective when in a crime scene.
Even when a first look at him says otherwise, he has a strong sense Justice, and thinks that even the worst trash of society deserves a chance if it comes to it, but even he has his limits. He would never abuse his position to take advantage of others, but only to bring someone to Justice.
Hideyoshi maintains a professional connection with his partners, and respects them, but it doesn't go further than that.
Personal Backstory: The man known as Hideyoshi Koharu was raised in a wealthy family, where his both parents were part of the Japanese police forces of his city. But even with a loving family like the one he had and a comfy life, he couldn't close that gap that he always felt on his heart.

Hideyoshi was emtpy, so to speak. He was closer to being a puppet of his own emptiness than a normal person. Since he was a little child with minimum sense of reason, there was nothing that could entertain him for more than 10 seconds straight before he acted like he really cared about it. Absolutely nothing could really make him feel as part of a whole, not in his house, and not in society.

Or that was, until he learned about "Justice". A concept like any other, but so hypnotizing for him in particular. His father told him about Justice as the principal drive of a police officer, even more important than money or oneself when compared to the well-being of other people. It had him totally fascinated. He couldn't explain why, but it was definitely there. The satisfaction of thinking that, if he helped the innocent and punished the evildoers, he could fulfill himself like he always wanted to. Almost like a compulsive disorder, he was extremely particular about his grades and life, with the one and only objective of becoming the thing he always saw on his father and mother: A hero, in a way or another.

That was one of the main reasons he became a detective. So, when a new murderer makes a flashy and rather bloody entrance on the city, he can't help but to attend to the call as the goody-two-shoes he is.

Hobbies: Likes reading novels and watching movies.
Other:

• Jack O' Lantern is a nickname given to him by other officers, because Hideyoshi is a "nasty surprise" to the criminals: or you give yourself in, or he'll make your life a living hell.
• When pushed in a corner, he smokes. This is his way to mask his anxiety and nervousness with a cloud of nicotine and smoke. Ironically, he hates cigarettes.
• Theme: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing.

Rumi Kozuke

More

Name: Rumi Kozuke

Age: 18

Personality: Rumi's personality is rather.... ambiguous. Most of the time, she has a happy-go-lucky attitude and is no different from any other high school girl. She studies, has a healthy social life with her classmates and family, talks about boys and celebrities, all in all she's like a typical nice girl next door type. However, this just masks her other side. Almost like an alter-ego, this side is dark, cunning and an intelligent psychopath who likes control and gets a high from bloodshed. Rumi sees the other face of her as another entity, referring to 'Her' or 'She'. She secretly knows that she enjoys it too, the excitement she gets from draining the life of another in her hands is dangerously addictive. Her dark side is rather flirty and likes to play with her victims.

Hobbies (If any): Choreography, dancing (hip-hop, contemporary)

Personal Backstory (Optional): Her friends and classmates know her as the dance junkie- always listening to the latest music with her ear phones and dancing randomly along the corridor or when she's alone in school. Her social circle doesn't really know much else about her as she pretty much talk passionately about her hobby.

Other: Along with dance club in school, she joined a dance studio in the city that she goes to a few times a week.

Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hFKppDtUqc

Dirge of the Devil (Blackened World and eRia)

Where do monsters come?

Some think that they are born, product of a rotten bloodline and a dark prenatal nature. Others think that they are made, thanks to an oppresive society and bad life experiences. But in the end, it doesn't matter what their origins were, if not what they're going to do in the future.

One of these "monsters" has maken its way to the city of Hashiramoto, Japan. With a seemingly insatiable bloodlust and a total disregard for human life, this person unknown to the public causes as much havoc as it wants, without caring that innocents are involved in the process.

However, there's one who will pose a challenge to the monster's threat. A "puppet" that works under the current system of society, whose only drive is to bring the monster to the light justice.

And where do the puppet comes?

It doesn't really matter. What is interesting is "what" is the puppet.

A puppet does not feel, a puppet does not love. It serves to someone else, thinking that it's granting its own wishes when in reality is just serving a higher power. The puppet can't cut its strings, because that would mean that it's rejecting everything that it is as itself. The poor puppet would lose purpose, and become a hollow carcass.

However, not everything is white and black. Maybe is the monster and its guilty pleasures that are misunderstood. Maybe is the puppet that works blindly for a greater goal, one which it doesn't know of.

But regardless of everything, it all boils down to the same end. The end of the "game".

Will the monster win and paint Hashiramoto with the crimson red of its victims?

Will the puppet return the monster to nothingness and make the city devoid of emotions as it has always been?

Or they'll both reach a completely different finale...?

...One of passional red over hollow white.

The Beauty, The Beast, and Sweets (eRia and Blackened World)

The blond had taken the job of hiding that particular picture of him and Misaki beneath the pillows of his bed, given that no one was going to look at a strange place like that. After that, he quickly went downstairs again and into the living room, and saw how Misaki was eyeing all of the frames in the room out of pure curiosity. "You're so cute in these photos, Ikari. How long have you had blonde hair? I kinda want to see you in your natural hair colour now" She said, before giving him a warm smile. For some reason she looked a bit nervous, though he couldn’t tell why.

Brushing off that small detail, he proceeded to answer Misaki. "I'm far from being cute, and my natural hair color was boring. I look awesome as I am right now" He said with a playful smirk, trying to push aside the topic of his hair. Even the smallest things could lead to him being discovered, so better be safe than sorry. "So, Ma made my favorite chocolate cake with strawberries, and a good amount of chocolate bars. There’s Cola too, but you can drink water if you want to” He said, obviously ignoring the fact that he just said that he was having sweets with Cola, which was a very strange combination altogether.

“Sit in the table or something” Ikari told her half-heartedly while going to the fridge and pulling out a fresh-looking chocolate cake and some kind of big lunchbox, which had a lot of delicious chocolate bars without design inside. Ikari placed the sweets on the table along with 2 plates, glasses and spoons for him and his childhood friend, and while he waited for Misaki to sit down the blond went to the fridge again and pulled 2 bottles, one of water and one of Cola, which he rested along the desserts.

"You can turn on the TV if you want" He told her while cutting the cake in fair shares with a knife he took out of the kitchen, so the 2 of them could eat as much as the other did. The cake was pretty big, so their stomachs would be full later on. "So, eat to your heart's content" The teen said while signaling with his open arms the table. "I don't really have much to say. If you want to talk about anything at all, then go ahead. I don't bite" He advised as he took a piece of the cake and placed it in his plate.

Hey guys and girls

@Zerox Hey, welcome to ZA GUILDO.

It's great to have someone new in the site! Let your imagination run wild, and have fun!

The Beauty, The Beast, and Sweets (eRia and Blackened World)

Ikari narrowed his eyes when Misaki explained her reason of being like she was, not because he was angry, if not because he was frustrated. Frustrated wit himself for not being able to follow her example and causing so much problems to everyone. "I'm... I'm sorry, but I just can't be like that. Almost everyone I know wants to kill or simply ignores me, so talking isn't an option for me now, as much as I would like to..." The blond explained while looking down, his stone face replaced with a hurt look, but he quickly composed himself. "...But that's what someone like me deserves. I even got you hurt just because an idiot had a grudge against me, and I dragged Ma into the problem too" He kept going without missing a beat, like he really meant all those things.

Misaki helped an old lady to carry her bags full of groceries moments later, all while he watched the interaction between the 2 of them. His childhood friend waved a fresh apple that the granny had given her as a reward, which only made him feel more complicated. "Ok, ok, I get it. Talking and being nice with other people can reward you..." He surrendered, not willing to keep talking about what's good and bad with her. His childhood friend made a very awesome pose some moments later, before proceeding to give him a soft smile. For some reason he felt she was thinking of something else. He didn't follow that idea any further.

As they kept walking, the blond stealed some glances at the girl, like making sure she didn't fall too far behind, or just to simply look at her. Was he getting worried for her? Or maybe it was too hard to really tell she was the real Misaki? No, that couldn't be it. Ikari thought he was being paranoic about basically nothing, so he brushed off that strange feeling.

"So, here we are" He said while pointing to his rather big house with one hand, and placing the other one on Misaki's shoulder to stop her. Unlocking the front door with his spare key, he led Misaki inside the house and locked it again. "I know it's not the best, but make yourself comfortable." Ikari told her while pulling off his shoes and leaving them on the entrance. He went ahead to the living room, which had a table with 4 chairs in the middle, a red couch to the left and a TV to the right. The place was connected with the kitchen, so getting the sweets wouldn't be too hard. There also were some old photos of his mother and him many years before on the walls, or others where his father was.

Ikari's father was... complicated to deal with. They didn't have much father-son interaction in some time, but they both didn't care about it. His father looked at him as a problem child, while Ikari had given up trying to impress him since long ago. Just thinking about him gave the blond headaches, so he focused his attention on the photos again.

He had already dyed his hair blonde on most of them, so Misaki would have difficulty trying to uncover the truth. As he looked around, his eyes widened in surprise. There was a single picture in a drawer along the couch of him as a little kid with his natural black hair, and along him was... Misaki. 'Shit..I need to hide that one' The blond rapidly grabbed the enmarked picture and placed it behind him. His mother had always liked Misaki, and she had some things to remember her. The blue-eyed teenager didn't think that the only things he had to think of Misaki would almost sell him out.

"H-Hey, just find somewhere to sit. I'll return in a moment and then we can eat sweets" Ikari advised his friend while running upstairs to hide the incriminating evidence, leaving her alone.

Hello!

@Winter Star12 Greetings, and welcome to ZA GUILDO!

The place may be overwhelming at first, but it's pretty funny once you get accustomed! Have fun~

Akame ga Kill: A New Dawn [Always Open]

Wait, what? So soon?

Well, that's... a shame, I suppose. I will keep track of this regardless, to see if anything of interest pops up.

Knight Of Knights - Interest Check

Le Bump.