Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Synthetic Emotions ❯ Phase 13: Killer ( Chapter 13 )

XxXx

Synthetic Emotions

By: Melissa Norvell

Phase 13: Killer

XxXx

"An early meeting?" Aroura questioned the tall, lean man before her. She didn't know the meaning of this early meeting that Asagi had told her about. He had a serious look on his face when he said it as well. Did this mean that Eros was in trouble for something? It made her a little uneasy to want to attend the meeting.

"That's right and we need both you and Eros present," Asagi informed.

"Why me?" The girl wondered out loud. Eros was in the martial arts club so why did they need her to be there?

"Since Eros is prone to amnesia, we need you around if something were to happen to him," Asagi informed. Aroura then nodded in agreement and told him that she would definitely be there the next day.

XxXx

Flashing lights, people dancing and loud music playing were all the scenes at yet another nightly party that was being held. Despite the news of the killings some of the students still managed to attend. Some of them drank, some danced and some stood in groups to communicate with each other. Trista had walked through the crowd. She had been headed to the punch bowl, in hopes to find some non-spiked punch there. As she made her way through, she could see Sonata and Momo, who was holding a beer and laughing about something.

"Hey guys. I didn't know you'd be here again," she commented as Sonata glanced at her in acknowledgement.

Momo held up her beer, as if she had been advertising. "I'm here for the beer!"

"They did say it was an accident that the one guy died," Sonata was optimistic. Maybe something like that wouldn't happen again.

"I didn't hear about that," Trista commented. Then from the other side of the room, loud, explosive laughter could be heard. The group glanced over to see Mariko, clad in a red, form-fitting dress around a group of people. She hung around a boy's neck and was obviously drunk. The whole sight of the situation made Trista angry. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Honestly, no wonder men have such a low opinion of women."

"Well, you can't tell her any different," Momo had tried to reason with Mariko and the outcome was anything but good. "None of her friends like her doing it either."

"One of these days, someone's going to take advantage of her," Sonata shook his head. He hoped that they didn't but nothing good could come of such destructive habits,

"Good, maybe she'd stop acting like a tramp," the curly-haired girl shot.

Momo frowned deeply under her black hat. "Hey, she's still my friend!"

"Well, she isn't mind and I'm not going to stand here and watch her act like a tramp," Trista replied, her blood had finally reached its boiling point as she walked off crossly. Sonata sighed in exasperation and commented about how it would be a long night. Behind him, the faint sight of a small white haze drifted into his sight and the familiar smell of tobacco filled the air around him.

"No joke." A deep, tough-girl voice chimed in. It was Mizuki." Just be glad Aroura doesn't come here…I think it would really upset her to know that Mariko acts like that." The blonde commented as she took a final glance at the drunken girl and casually turned her sights to the two humans before her.

"Yeah…Hey, Hima-Hima is here!" Momo perked up after she saw the black-haired girl through the flashing lights. Sonata called out her name and waved above the crowd so she could see him. Her large, deep blue eyes caught his hand and she waved back as she called out a greeting to him. The tall, yet petite girl ran over to them as she raven curls bounced with each footstep. When she had finally made her way over to them she asked what they were doing.

"Drinkin' beer!" Momo said loudly.

"I see that," Himemari said with a nervous laugh as she put a hand behind her head and sweat dropped.

"I didn't think you'd be here at a place like this," Sonata commented. Himemari didn't seem like the type at all to hang around a place with people who drank and smoked as well as the sexual activities that went on. She seemed far too pure for something so full of sin.

"I don't usually but Kyoui wanted to come so I went with him," she smiled lightly.

"Oh…" The curly-haired boy wasn't too thrilled with that statement.

"He's here?" Mizuki asked. Of course, she wasn't too thrilled either. The last thing she wanted was to be in the same place as that jerk. As soon as the question left her lips, she could hear a young and arrogant voice call to her. As the girl looked over to see the tall, athletically built man with straight, shoulder-length dark chocolate hair and blue eyes called out to her from the crowd.

"Okay!" She called out happily and bounced over to him. He wrapped his built arms around his girlfriend's waist and offered to dance with her. She agreed as the two of them disappeared within the masses as the music blared.

"Dancing sounds fun! Hey Sonata, dance with me?" Momo looked to the boy beside of her.

"Okay, what about you Mizuki?" He looked to the smoking girl in question. He felt a little guilty that she didn't seem to have a dance partner. It did seem wrong to just leave her there alone with no one to be around or communicate with.

"I don't dance," she told him simply and dismissed him to go his way with Momo.

"Suit yourself," Sonata headed out to the dance floor followed by the wavy-haired blonde. The two of them stood in the middle of the dance floor and began to dance with her to a fast-paced rock song that had blared over tall speakers. Himemari danced with Kyoui. The two of them were doing quick steps and they looked at each other and smiled. For once they were sheerly having fun.

A few moments later, she noticed Mariko walk by them with the guy that she was hanging on earlier. The black-haired girl uttered a 'huh' in response to seeing her friend and turned her sights to the pair, who headed off the dance floor.

In a darkened corner, Asagi was dressed in a black tux with a red bow tie and sash. His coat was unbuttoned and his piercing lime-green eyes glanced over the masses as he held his glass of wine. Asagi saw the two broke off a few feet short from the doorway. He could hear the young man's voice inform Mariko that he needed to go to the bathroom and would be back with her shortly.

Green eyes narrowed as the Souhi's demonic blade pointed to the ground. "My first victim."

XxXxXx

Mariko's hands were entangled in the young man's short, blonde hair as they leaned against the door frame in an entanglement of limbs. They were close- sensually so and their bodies danced in a swaying motion to the music of lust and sin. Hot, passionate kisses were exchanged and hands roamed to the darkest, most hidden areas.

The two broke a long kiss, he had been panting heavily and she simply looked emotionless as she should- it was just another man who wanted a one night stand. He looked into her vibrant green eyes with nothing but pure lust.

"Hey, I'll go get something to drink," he told her. The short-haired girl nodded as he walked back into the building. Only about ten minutes passed before a loud scream was heard from inside. Curious and even a little fearful, Mariko dashed into the doorway and on to the dance floor. The man who had been making out with her only a moment before was found dead on the floor. His blood had been splattered all over the floor, as if whatever killed him had struck a vital vain.

A crowd of frightened girls behind her were crying and horrified looks crossed everyone's faces as they stared in shock and appall at the scene before them.

"Hirowaki…What happened? Who did this?" Mariko looked around the student body. Surely someone had to see something! This was not the first time this had happened.

Noel took a couple of steps towards her. Tears streamed down her face and her voice quivered when she spoke. "I don't know. We were all dancing and all of a sudden, I spun to do a dance move and all I saw was blood spraying through the air and I saw him lying on the ground."

"Did anyone see who killed him?"

"I don't think anyone was paying attention," Kyoui held Himemari close.

"Aw man, not again," Momo pouted. This was the second party that she'd been to where something like this had happened. It was getting really repetitive.

"This time, it was no accident," Sonata stated. "Whoever did this did it on purpose."

"Come to think of it, all of the people that have died so far are all people that I've been with at parties," Mariko remarked. It was very ironic. It almost seemed orchestrated by someone. It made her worry for her safety.

"So you don't think it's a coincidence?" The curly haired boy turned to look at the blonde. She was trying her best to keep a straight face, even though she was shaken on the inside.

"I wonder if whoever it was, was trying to kill me," Mariko remarked.

"I hope not. I'm very scared for you," Himemari reached up and held Mariko's hands in a comforting way. Large, navy blue eyes gazed into her own with deep concern for her friend. She didn't want Mariko to die and even thought that maybe she shouldn't attend any parties until the killer was caught.

"I doubt it. Come on, who wants to kill me," she played it cool and decided to brush off the matter. She didn't want Himemari to worry about her.

A shrill scream cut through the air and caused everyone to jump and whip their heads towards the projection of the sound. On the other side of the room, a brown-haired girl stood in the doorway with her hands up to her mouth. Fright and dread consumed her form and her eyes were on the verge of tears as her friend lay on the floor, blood stained her light blue dress and her black hair cascaded on the floor. She had hit the ground face first and lay on her stomach. "Yuriko is dead!"

Another voice sounded from the next room. "So is Seijiro!"

"Yuki!" Yet another voice added a new victim to the recent death toll.

"I don't like this," Mariko felt very intimidated and vulnerable and she didn't want to keep staying in a place that killings took place in every time a party was held.

"This was a mass homicide of the same place the balcony incident occurred," Mizuki informed. Her demeanor was calm, like Sonata's. Thanks to their dojo training they were able to remain calm under such a situation. It was rather strange that the same place kept getting hit over and over again with murders. Wouldn't the killer move to avoid being caught? Whoever this killer was, he had daring to strike the same place multiple times.

"Ever get the feeling that they should just move the party?" Sonata said. It made perfect sense to him. He was sort of surprised that they wanted to have it again after what had happened prior to this incident.

"Damn…Like half of my science class died," Momo's comment seemed a little off-color for the situation but she had known everyone who died and they happened to be in the same science class as she was. It was going to be a lonely lecture when she had to go back to school.

'I wonder who's doing this and what they want.' Mariko thought to herself. She would get answers before anything substantial happened to her or her friends. Even if it killed her, she was determined to find out who this killer was and why they were doing what they were doing. Hopefully she could come to some agreement with them so that people's lives could be spared. It didn't matter what happened to her, as long as her friends were safe.

On a rooftop a few feet away, Asagi stood with Souhi's blade laid lightly across the pals of his hand. Blood dripped from the blade and the gentle, cool breeze from the night caressed his skin and toyed with his hair. It caused his raven spikes to dance with the winds as he gazed at the two story house a few feet away.

'Sorry Mariko but I can't let them live. They saw far too much…'

XxXxXx

Hot water ran down his nude form and hugged every muscle as the shower coated him with fine droplets. The air around him was moist and warm and it smelled of mint and cedar as he bathed. The sound of a door opening caught his keen ears as Asagi stepped out of the shower and wrapped a pristine towel around his flat belly. Mariko had come home, so he decided to get dressed before she could come to his room.

He dried himself off and ran the towel through his hair a few times. It felt refreshing against his skin to have it rid of blood and sweat. He laid some clothes out- a button-up light blue shirt and some black slacks. He stuck his legs in the holes and bent over to pull them up, just as Mariko opened his door. Eyes of different shade of green met and a blush rose to both of their faces.

Mariko screamed as Asagi pulled up his pants in a hurry. He apologized and could feel his heart racing. Mariko had never seen him nude before. This had been the very situation that he'd been trying to avoid. So much for luck… He turned away still flushed from the incident.

"You don't…wear underwear…" He heard the shaken voice point out to him. His lime eyes widened.

"Uh…sometimes I do but I didn't figure I needed to around the house," Asagi didn't feel like wearing them to be honest. Mariko would probably think something of him but he didn't figure that she'd learn something so personal about him so quickly. This was not only awkward but embarrassing as well.

"I'm blind."

"Nice to know that you think I'm ugly," he frowned deeply, quite unpleased with that answer. For some reason, he didn't want her to think that he was ugly.

"I've just never seen one before…" She commented. This was very uncomfortable for her as well.

"I thought that you have since you were with all of those men," he figured that she'd gone all the way with them, since she'd always walk off from the scene with one. It did indicate that something sexual would happen and everyone in high school had simply understood it as that lingo.

"I never had sex with them," she told him sternly. That was one thing that she'd never do with any of them. Mariko had been saving herself for the right person and even if she didn't have anything new to learn, she would only give herself in to someone that rightfully deserved her.

"What have you done with them?" Asagi asked, his voice was serious in tone.

"I made out with them but there is one guy that I gave oral sex to," she didn't know why she felt the need to be honest with him now. Part of it was because she owed him for what she'd done with him. It was only fair that she at least tell him something like that. Mariko had also oddly trusted him. Despite being a jerk and a hot head at times, Asagi was quiet and didn't like gossiping.

"Why would you do that?" He asked. The sheer fact that you would do something intimate with someone who cares nothing about you was beyond him.

"I don't know. It happened for a while but he died at the party so you don't need to worry about it anymore," Mariko said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

"Yes I do. You can't keep doing this to yourself." Nothing good would become of her destructive behavior and he didn't want to see her raped or worse. She needed to realize what was happening before it was too late.

"Why is it your business?" Mariko asked, a little irritated. She was annoyed by his preaching and she really didn't like him prying in her business like that either.

"Because I care about you."

"Don't say things like that," the blonde told him lowly and tried to make her voice sound as unemotional as possible. One thing that she could not hide was the sharp pain in her heart. Every time he said something like this to her it caused her to feel warm and even protected. Mariko didn't want this feeling at all. It frightened her and to know that she couldn't stay faithful to anyone wanted to make her lock it out even more. Mariko didn't want to ruin relationships with friends by turning it into love and cheating on them. It's happened far too many times and she didn't want to hurt them. Being close to anyone- friendly or not was highly advised against.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you because you don't want anyone to care," he commented. Lying to her was like delusioning her and he did care so he would say it. From monitoring her daily life, she needed someone like him.

"What's wrong with you? You act like we're a couple!" She shot. What was with all of the private questions about sexual things that she'd done with other men? It was none of his business at all! He needed to back off so she was warning him. Mariko felt as if she had to be defensive around him. He was testing her patience to the extreme.

"If you had some class I wouldn't have to tell you to stop being so stupid by throwing yourself away!" Asagi yelled back. She had launched the first attack so he counterattacked. He usually didn't out lash at anyone in too harsh of a way unless they attacked him first and in Mariko's case, she attacked him first so he was attacking back.

"I'm just a slut, right? So why does it matter?" Mariko asked. Surely he thought it too. They all did. It was the truth.

"You're not a slut," Asagi told her. Even though she made out with a lot of men, it didn't make her a slut at all. She simply possessed a destructive habit and needed someone to help her out.

"What?" Large, green eyes widened as she attempted to take in his sentence. 'Impossible! Everyone thinks I'm a slut so why doesn't he?' It had completely baffled her that this man had opposed her very reputation. No one has ever denied the fact that she was promiscuous. Why? Why didn't he think it too?

"You heard me. You're not a slut," Asagi caught the expression on her face and knew that she had trouble processing her thoughts about the subject so he decided to make it crystal clear to her.

"Asagi…" Her voice was shaken and confused. Cryptic emotions buried themselves within her heart. She secretly found it endearing that he was one person who didn't think of her as a slut but another part of her was in denial. No one could deny that she was! He was lying! But he sounded so sincere when he spoke to her…

"What now? Still blind?" Asagi crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"No…I'm just…sorry. I'm dealing with a lot of stuff right now. More people died at that party and-"

"Why do you keep going?" He asked. It was rather stupid to return to a place where people kept dying around you. Logic would tell you that you needed to stay away, so why did she run head first into danger.

"Well, it won't stop me. Besides, I didn't die so why does it matter?"

"Don't you care about yourself at all?" She seemed so damned nonchalant about it! It really got under her skin.

"Not really."

"Then I'll care about you for you."

"What are you gonna do? Stand by my side like a guard," Mariko shot sarcastically. He was being ridiculous with such ludicrous demands.

"If I have to."

"You don't know me," the blonde warned.

"I know you better then you think," he wasn't stupid and it wasn't like he didn't know anything about her at all. How dare she treat him like a complete and total stranger! They had been living together close to a month now.

"Yeah right," the girl blew him off. "No one knows me."

"I'll be sure to convince you otherwise."

"If you want, do whatever. I'm going to sleep," Mariko walked away from the conversation and headed to bed. She would take a shower in the morning. Besides, Asagi had been particularly possessive for some reason. It confused her and irritated her at the same time.

Honestly, she didn't know how to feel about this man!

XxXx

Early the next morning, a small group had assembled in the dojo room. Asagi, Sonata, Tetsumaru, Chacha, Hisaka and Momo were present. This was it. This was the moment of truth to Aroura about what Eros' true intentions were. Each of them waited patiently for Aroura and Eros to arrive. They were all silent and the tension in the air was thick and hot.

Footsteps could be heard as someone approached them. Each person filled with anticipation as all eyes glanced at the shoji door and waited for it to unveil the mystery that had formed in each of their hearts. It slid open as the clicking of shoes stopped and revealed Susumu, who had been a little late. He ignored the casual looks and strode into the room to meet the group of people.

"Don't do that to people!" Momo yelled. "We thought you were Aroura!"

"Sorry, I was late because I had to run by the hospital and check on my father. He is very ill," Susumu commented and bowed to the group. When he bent down to bow, he revealed Aroura and Eros, who stood at the door. Upon entering the room, the both of them could feel the steel in everyone's gaze as all eyes had been locked on them.

"What's going on?" Aroura felt a little intimidated by the stoic looks that had been plastered on their faces. "Why do you all look like that?"

"This isn't practice," Eros informed.

"No, it's more like a meeting," Hisaka told him as he straightened his glasses with one hand and held his laptop in the other. He figured that he'd bring it along in case she decided not to believe him or go into denial about the situation. It wasn't like her to have that reaction but at times, people do things that aren't expected. He wanted to be prepared for any situation.

"Why?" Aroura asked. It was an odd group but why was she involved?

"We know about Eros," Hisaka informed. His light blue eyes bore a hold straight through her façade at the moment.

She blinked in confusion. "Hm? What about him?" Aroura tried to play it innocently, although her heart was pounding hard in her chest. So much so that every time it best it felt as if she was going to be bruised. Even if she took a breath dull pain would shoot through her form.

Tetsumaru casually walked over to Eros and lifted the sleeve on his white shirt to reveal his '07' mark. "We know that he's a Syntacom and we've come to both inform you and ask questions regarding your method of purchase."

"Method…of…purchase…" The girl stammered. She was so nervous that she felt dizzy. Her palms sweat and her breathing accelerated and for that moment in time, she nearly wished that she would have fainted. 'Shit! I'm in trouble now! What do I do? I'm so dead!' Her thoughts screamed at her and wreaked havoc within the confines of her mind.

"Syntacom?" Eros asked.

"Not just any Syntacom, either," Hisaka clarified. Aroura looked down in defeat as she heard Sonata ask her what was wrong. It was about time she told them the truth. Aroura knew that the day would come where she had to tell them the truth about Eros but she didn't see it coming so soon.

"I knew it all along," the black-haired girl said lowly. Her hair shaded her eyes and her pink lips hung in a frown. She knew that her friends must have been angry at her for lying to them and keeping a secret like this one. "I knew he was a Syntacom but I didn't tell any of you…Sorry I've always wanted one and I just found him lying in the alley. I hid his identity because I didn't want to be questioned…"

"We can't entirely blame you," Chacha knew how much Aroura liked the Syntacoms. It would only be natural of her to take advantage of a situation like this.

"I knew it was wrong and I knew you would find out eventually. I really don't want to give him up and I know he probably belongs to someone but I found him on the road and he doesn't remember anything about his real master. If he did then I would have given him back," she reasoned.

"My…real master?" Eros had been attempting to process the information that he'd been hit with. As hard as he tried to scan his hard drive, everything turned up blank before he met Aroura. As far as he knew, Aroura was his master and no one else. Even if there was someone else in the picture before her, he didn't want to leave her side.

"Yes…" Aroura's red eyes seemed to quiver with sorrow as she looked to him in an upset manner. "I found you so I'm not really your master." It was hard to produce those words but they were the truth. She couldn't hide it any more from him. It was wrong and she'd feel even worse if she did.

"I doubt that Professor Gaiga would just throw you away," Asagi stated.

"Then why was I lying in the alley?" Eros wanted answers as to who his real master was and why he had been thrown away as well.

"Maybe you fell out of your transport when they were taking you to be fixed," the spiky haired man theorized.

"Fixed?" Eros cocked his head. Why would Asagi say something like that? What did he mean 'fixed'?

"He's malfunctioning. I think you should do a little research on him-without his knowledge," Asagi informed direly. Aroura needed to know something about him but if Eros figured anything substantial out, his memory may reboot somehow. It would be a dangerous situation to put her in by herself.

"What? Why?" Aroura didn't get any of this.

"Because you might not want him to remember the things stated on this website."

"If he does remember, we could be in a lot more trouble," Hisaka gently took her by the bicep and pulled her aside. His lenses flashed in the shifting light as he wore a look of stoicism and worry. "We need to talk." The black-haired boy replied as the two of them walked down the dojo hall.

This was a matter that needed to be discussed in private-without Eros.

To Be Continued…