TCM Act 8: Artistic
"The Tokyo Police stated that this mysterious murderer dubbed Uroboros has resurfaced once again! They will do their best to track down this cautious assassin that lurks in the shadows, but things that are unexplainable are constantly occurring! Not even Sherlock Holmes can solve this case!"
[Scene 1]
After pulling away, Kyo licked his lips before dropping in with him. Jui felt the cold water envelop him and crush his body. He didn't have time to catch any air, nor could he try now. His eyes widened before closing. He held his breath, but even his lungs couldn't stand it for very long. He let go and little oxygen bubbles floated up above his head. Wrapped around his waist were two strong arms belonging to Kyo. Was this a double suicide? Jui didn't know, but he held tightly onto Kyo.
It was black. Soon, he was numb. He couldn't feel anything at all. His body allowed himself to swallow some water. He was prepared. He knew this was coming ever since Kyo told him the truth. He was ready... He was willing to go. Kyo had paid attention to him to the very end. There was a brief warmth and a shock going through his body.
Just for a moment, his eyes flickered and he saw dark orbs staring back and pulling him up to the surface. He smiled. In the end, he still loved Kyo.
Kyo dried his wet hair with a small white towel as he exited the bathroom. He'd probably catch a case of hypothermia. It was possible. Then again, he had a strong immune system. He sighed and waited for Ruki's report. He wanted the next victim as soon as possible, and this victim better be nearby. Kyo was not riding a train for three hours or longer.
But that was one case. There was another case that was slightly bothering him...
That would be the fact that his main dishes were smiling peacefully when they died.
It was settled. He was the sadist, and they were the masochists...extreme masochists if they didn't mind dying. He turned up the heater some and plopped down on the couch, only in towels. The door clicked open and, by those oh-so familiar footsteps, Kyo knew that Ruki had just strolled in casually without a care in the world. It wasn't completely Kyo's territory, but it still felt like an invasion of privacy.
Although that probably didn't matter, since a lot of things didn't really faze Ruki, Kyo didn't mind if Ruki just happened to drop by unexpectedly. He dropped off an envelope on the counter, saying that it was for Kyo. After he left, the blonde decided to flip through 500 channels without stopping once. Well, he did leave it on some random news station while he went off to fetch the letter.
"The Tokyo Police stated that this mysterious murderer dubbed Uroboros has resurfaced once again. They will do their best to track down this cautious assassin that lurks in the shadows, but things that are unexplainable are constantly occuring. Not even Sherlock Holmes could crack this case!"
Kyo hummed as he slid the white paper out of the envelope. Unfolding it slowly, making sure not to rip it, he began to skim through the contents.
"Name: Bou - regular at Reita's ice cream parlor. Famous internet-wise. Suspected to head to ice cream parlor at 15:30 tomorrow. Stands out."
Not a lot of information, but it was all that was needed for Kyo. Apparently, according to Kamijo and Hizaki, he had a knack for this sort of thing. Rich bloods were attracted to him for some reason. He wondered if his mother would be happy to hear that. He smirked to himself.
Mother in heaven, I killed my wife, he joked to himself. But still... He did wonder why Shou and Jui both fell for him, and he had been pondering on the reason why they didn't mind being killed by him. In the end, they both knew that he was going to destroy them eventually, but they didn't mind.
He turned off the television and turned on the radio that people have been listening intently to.
"Kimi-chan! Did you hear? There's a famous star on the web! Their name is Bou! I heard that it started out with taking random pictures that suddenly got so huge, they became a model online! It turns out that they got a contract with a fashion designer, too!"
"'They,' Jenni-chan? Are they a boy or a girl?"
"Yeah... Thing is, nobody knows. Not that anyone really cares because we're all drowning in fantasy! They're so pretty, I'm sure anyone would turn bi or gay for them! They're kind of like the mysterious Hizaki! Sometimes people have wondered his or her gender and orientation! I heard that the talent agency they signed with is Hizaki-san's agency, too!"
[Scene 2]
"Tora-nii," Hiroto moaned as the older sibling picked out another pair of sunglasses, "hurry up! It's going to start any moment now!" Tora exhaled a long and deep breath. He did not understand why his younger brother was in a rush. Apparently, some kind of internet celebrity was moving to an apartment nearby theirs in Tokyo. Somehow, his younger brother got "the scoop" that said celebrity was going to make an appearance at an ice cream parlor. Which one, Tora did not know, but Hiroto seemed to be in a hurry.
The older brother didn't know what to feel for him. Should he be happy and excited that he and his brother was going to meet a star? However, he felt rather envious of this star who had captivated Hiroto. He put down the shades and exited the shop with a bewildered Hiroto following shortly behind him.
"Nii-san? Are you okay?" Hiroto questioned.
"Let's hurry up and meet with Reita," Tora responded with a light smile, "we got to meet that star of yours."
All that mattered now was Hiroto's smiling face. Tora's tangled emotions can wait until after he saw that beaming grin. The two brothers traveled all the way from Harajuku to the ice cream shop in Shibuya, where Hiroto claimed that he could meet the oh-so famous Bou. Another thing was that Hiroto brought a digital camera to "capture the moment." Tora didn't know what to do with him.
"Ah, Kyo-san, you're here, too?" Tora mused. That was his ever-so gentle way of greeting the latter. Kyo twitched and glared at the taller young man. Tora chuckled nervously, slightly flinching from the intense gaze. The shorter man did have a killer glare. As he turned around, he felt two holes being burned into his back.
"Ano... Can I get the vanilla? Ah--one scoop!" a blonde chirped at the front. Reita nodded and smiled before preparing the ice cream. Tora raised an eyebrow. A kimono? How peculiar. The young woman had a large bow in her hair, the pink ribbon sewn onto a floral fabric that was sewn onto black lace. Entangled with her stylish hair were strands of white beads and pink extensions. The kimono itself had a traditional Japanese floral pattern with pink and black as well. On her feet, she wore the classic wooden sandals.
But what puzzled Tora the most was the fact that her voice was kind of deep.
"Thank you, Reita-san," 'she' said to Reita.
"Bou-kun, are you doing some type of shooting nearby? Be careful not to make any man gay for you. Guys can be pretty damn troublesome when they're obsessed," the ice cream man advised. Tora choked on his spit.
Yes, he agreed that Bou was beautiful, but for him to be a guy--! It was...like another Hizaki! He turned about, searching for his brother, about to burst with all of these questions running through his head. He found the younger eating an ice cream cone with Kyo, who was also eating ice cream--although he was obviously less enthusiastic.
"Hey, Kyo-san, what kind of woman do you like?"
Kyo stayed silent before answering, "One in a kimono."
Instantly, Tora joined them at their table. "Hiroto, did you know that your Bou was a man?"
"Ah... He's not my Bou. I just felt like getting a picture of him because I never met a celebrity before--well, other than Hizaki-san the other day, but I didn't have a camera," Hiroto answered sheepishly. "I figured that I shouldn't miss out on another chance to surprise my friends." Tora groaned mentally. So that was it?! His brother really didn't care or obsess over this internet model? "Nii-san...? Are you okay?"
Tora rested his forehead against the younger's shoulder.
"God... Oh God, Pon... You always have to have me worrying."
Kyo rolled his eyes before adjusting them on the figure chatting with Reita. He left with his ice cream, but his big glassy eyes locked briefly with Kyo's only for a moment. The assassin stood up and left the two brothers as well. Reita, behind them, raised an eyebrow. It was a little strange how Kyo left right after Bou, but then he glanced at the brothers and sighed.
"Of course, the reason why he would leave is only obvious... Nobody wants to interfere with brotherly love," Reita mumbled. He glanced at the round clock to the side and sighed in relief before taking off his triangle hat. "My shift is finally over. I can get out of this uniform..."
[Scene 3]
"Hizaki?" Kyo questioned. "What are you doing here?"
Hizaki narrowed his dark eyes and pointed to the sign that said "LMC TALENT AGENCY" with his perfect thin and milk-white index finger. The blonde vampire responded with an annoyed and pestered tone, "I work here. More importantly, what are you doing here?"
Kyo jerked his thumb to the figure behind them. Of course, Bou was completely obvious to the fact that the subject was being changed to him. Kyo answered the question bluntly, "My next target is a newbie model. Isn't he a rich blood, too? You're the one with the nose."
Hizaki wrinkled said nose. "My keen sense of smell isn't as keen as my brothers'," he replied honestly, cheeks flourishing with the color of red as he grew even more flustered, "but I did know Bou-kun was a rich blood from the first day he walked in through those doors. It's a bit sad that I can't and won't kill him off due to orders of Kamijo. Anyways, I'll leave it to you, so I'll let you know this--Bou-kun won't die so easily in a couple of days. Don't underestimate a model even if they just signed a contract. He'll be a challenge."
"They say that a lot," Kyo commented, "but it turns out to be a lie."
Hizaki gave him a wry smile before strolling off. The princess didn't turn around one bit, but he did pause in his steps and added, "The first thing to do is gather some information. The second step is to get close. That way, it's easier. A quicker way would to grab him and go, but I understand that it's not your style to do that. You like the direct approach. I know." Kyo nodded, accepting this information. Despite the little prejudice and snide comments that Kyo had for Hizaki, he was helpful at some parts. If Hizaki said it would be difficult, it most likely was. The assassin had to hurry and think of a plan before his prey could escape.
The message replayed in his head over and over again.
Step one: gather some information.
Now...who had information on everyone in this city? Yuki would only have information on them if they were his patients. Kamijo...was too busy to stop by and say hi. Not only that, but there was some cold blood between the two at the moment. (It'll pass once Kyo made another mark.) Hizaki had already left, too.
Odd--weren't there more people in the Versailles clan? Deep in thought, Kyo ambled down the streets of Tokyo before stopping in front of an art studio. He raised his head and looked through the glass windows, finding the blonde with black streaks. Their eyes interlocked for a moment before the artist smiled and beckoned him to come in. Kyo pushed open the doors and found himself emmersed in a room filled with paintings of death (lynching, raping, stabbing, suicide--anything related to ending life or humiliation).
However, what really caught his attention was a painting of Jui drowning, being pulled down by seaweed that wrapped around his long legs and stomach. He was reaching out to another hand...Kyo's hand.
"Who are you?" Kyo questioned the street artist.
His hand stopped moving and the paint brush fell to the floor.
"You... You can see Jasmine You, right?" was the new inquiry.