Other Fan Fiction ❯ A Push in the Right Direction ❯ Chapter 3
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: MikariStar 
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Fantasy / Mystery / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.23.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 275 | Status: Completed
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Fantasy / Mystery / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.23.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 275 | Status: Completed
A Push in the Right Direction: Case III
Mystery 15: A Terrifying Morning
The next day, Neuro still wouldn't talk to Yako. She got up and when she went to get the baby from his crib, she had quite a scare and screamed at the top of her lungs. There, in the boy's mouth, there was a human hand.
"No, you didn't, you can't, you, you..." Yako's heart pounded as she stammered to assimilate the situation. No one ever said all of Neuro's kind ate mysteries; maybe the baby, who was ironically nicknamed Mystery, didn't eat mysteries at all. What if he ate humans? Shaking and pale, Yako, who had fallen back on the floor, pushed herself to her feet on unsteady legs and peeked over the edge of the crib, hoping that she had imagined the hand.
Sure enough, there it was; a human hand with three inches of bloody wrist, adorned with golden bracelet. The child held the hand by the thumb, chewing on it contently. Yako feared that she would suffer the same fate as the poor girl who became a midnight snack and had no intentions of becoming breakfast. She backed away from the crib and tripped over a circular thing she was sure wasn't there when she entered the room.
Afraid to look, Yako slowly gazed at the thing she had tripped on and found the decapitated head of a young girl around her age, who curiously also had short blond hair. With a scream of terror, Yako darted towards the door, to find it locked. She battled with the bolt, but it had been melted and fused. Yako then made a run for the backdoor, which she found to be locked in the same state. She tried the windows, but they were all impossible to open.
"I'm trapped," Yako breathed heavily. "no, Neuro wouldn't let him eat me, he wouldn't, he's just trying to scare me." Yako wasn't sure if it was true, but she tried to convince herself it was true. "Besides, Mystery has been fine for a while without eating humans, sure he ate raw meat, but that was animal meat. He just ate a human last night so he won't be hungry for flesh again so soon. Yeah, I'll just feed him chicken and that should satisfy him. He has no reason to eat me..."
Yako took deep breaths and made her way to the kitchen. She dug around the freezer and pulled out a frozen chicken. She put the chicken in the microwave to make it soft and warm, but she did not try to cook it. Mystery liked his meat raw and there was no time for cooking anyway, the boy had to be kept well fed. Yako placed the warm raw chicken in a tray and carried it out of the kitchen.
When Yako approached the baby's room, she screamed again, the decapitated head that looked remarkably like her, was hanging by the hair from the door frame, blood dripping from the neck. Clutching the tray so as to not drop it, Yako wobbled closer to the open door of the baby's room. She looked at the head and wondered how to get past it. She didn't want to touch it and didn't want to run under it either, yet it appeared to be the only option.
Taking a deep breath, Yako ran under the head, which fell at that very moment and hit her on the head. She let out an earsplitting scream and stumbled forward, trembling violently. Pale, sweaty and terrified, Yako stared wide eyed at the head on the floor. She closed her eyes tightly and whispered under her breath, "Neuro..."
Then something clicked, of course, she should have known. Despite the situation, a wave of relief washed over Yako. The decapitated head couldn't have hung itself on the doorframe and there was no reason for Mystery to put it there. Neuro must have hung it to scare her, which was proof that he was there, hiding somewhere. Yako breathed, her heart still beating wildly, she would be fine if Neuro was there, she would not be eaten alive.
"Mystery, breakfast time," Yako's voice crackled in fear as she lowered the tray with the raw chicken into the crib. Mystery was pleased and ate happily. Yako closed her eyes to stop herself from looking at Mystery and imagining him devouring a human in the same way as the chicken. Then something collided with her face and Yako instinctively caught it when it bounced off, it was the hand. Yako screamed and froze, unable to drop the hand.
When her throat began to hurt, she stopped screaming and stared at the hand. She tried to tell herself that any part of a dead body was not capable of hurting her. She had heard people say before that one should worry about the living, not the dead. Then she noticed something, the hand didn't feel like flesh.
Yako looked at the wrist where the golden bracelet was, drenched in blood, there were no leftover bones or veins sticking out, just hollow plastic, the hand was part of a mannequin. Yako smelled the red substance on the hand; it smelled like ketchup, it wasn't blood at all. She rushed to examine the decapitated head and found that it too was fake, merely part of an unfortunate mannequin drenched in ketchup.
Feeling immense relief, Yako sighed deeply and allowed herself to sit on the floor; her legs no longer had the strength to support her. "Neuro you idiot, is killing me of a heart attack your way of stealing my heart?" There was a thud behind Yako, which made her jump; her nerves were still on edge.
There was no sign of Neuro anywhere; it was just a blue bag with bright yellow handles and zipper. "I know you're there," Yako opened the bag, waiting for some terrifying creature to jump out, or maybe Neuro himself, but nothing moved inside it. Instead Yako found an assortment of Halloween toys, no doubt for Mystery to play with.
Yako shook her head but knew better than to argue with Neuro. "Fine, I get it, toys for the baby." At least nothing was actually sharp; the weapons were made of soft plastic, knives, swords and ninja stars. There were monster plushies, zombie action figures and all sorts of similar things. They were not physically dangerous, just creepy.
Yako took the golden bracelet off the wrist of he mannequin hand, washed off the ketchup and put it on, noticing only then that the links were little golden triangles. "Thanks Neuro," no reply came, Yako wasn't sure what Neuro was waiting for to show up. Maybe he was expecting her to beg him to return, but Yako decided to pretend she didn't get the message for the time being; besides, she wasn't going to beg anyway.
With renewed strength, Yako decided that she would go to school. It was her final year of school and in a few months she would graduate. She didn't want to miss anything; she couldn't spend her life hiding. Maybe the press would have backed off by then and if they haven't, she would make them. If Yako could survive dealing with Neuro, she felt ready to take on the world and the gossipy media wouldn't stop her from leaving the house, as soon as she figured out how to break out of her own house.
Yako checked the locks again and to her surprise they were as good as new. It seemed that Neuro was no longer intent in keeping her locked up. She shrugged and went to prepare for school, feeling much better after a cold shower to wash off the remaining fright.
Yako would probably miss her first class, but with all that was going on, she thought she could allow herself that. Besides, she was certain she would collapse along the way if she tried to leave the house on an empty stomach. Mystery would be no problem because Yako was sure Neuro was in the house, watching her from the shadows and she could leave the baby with him.
As Yako passed by the living room on her way to the kitchen, she turned on the TV and left it playing commercials while she got a large bowl of cereal, big enough to hold the entire contents of the box, and a tall glass of milk. Yako returned on time to see the commercials end and the morning news coming back on. She listened for anything about Neuro or herself as she ate her breakfast.
"Since it has been widely requested by our viewers, we will once again show you the scandalous video of detective Yako Katsuragi and her assistant Neuro Nogami." Yako stared at the screen. There she was, in the restaurant with Neuro and Mystery was there as well, eating baby food? Of course, Neuro must have edited the video before giving it to the press; he must have done something to the restaurant employees too.
Witnessing herself jumping on Neuro on the screen, Yako decided she had seen enough. Watching the news and worrying wouldn't solve anything. She had decided that she would face the world and she was not going to back down. She checked her school bag for necessities and confirmed she had what she needed. Yako checked on Mystery one last time before leaving; he was blissfully napping in his crib next to the empty food tray which Yako removed, the chicken was gone, he didn't even leave the bones.
With a determined and brave pace, Yako headed to the front door. "I'm going to school," she spoke as if Neuro was right next to her. She didn't know exactly where he was hiding, but she knew he could hear her. "Take care of Mystery, see you in the afternoon." Yako marched out of her house, off to face the world.
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 16: An Unusual Day at School
Yako expected the whispers and murmurs that came with her arrival at school. She knew that everyone would be talking. She wasn't surprised to feel all eyes plus a couple of cameras on her and she was determined not to care.
"Miss Katsuragi!"
"A few words please!"
"What is your opinion on what's being said about you?"
"Is it true that you and your assistant Mr. Nogami adopted a child that was abandoned at your doorstep, or did you make that up to fix your reputation?"
Yako ignored everyone and headed straight for her classroom. The students were already settled in, Yako had missed her first class but second period was just starting. "Take your seats everyone." The teacher closed the doors. "It was much worse yesterday." Yako did not meet the teacher's eyes. "As you know, you have a test today," Yako did not remember this, but didn't say anything as the papers were handed out.
The students quietly worked on the test, Yako had trouble focusing on the equations, but she would try her best and stay strong through the ordeal of the test and a day among society.
Realizing she made a mistake, Yako reached for her eraser and accidentally knocked it off her desk, watching it bounce away. She looked up at the teacher, to make sure it was clear she was only getting her eraser and not trying to cheat, then got up from her seat to pick it up.
A loud crash broke everyone's concentration and the room was filled with gasps. The lights above Yako's seat had fallen and if she had been sitting there, she would have been hurt. Everyone whispered everything from comments steaming from pity and compassion, to spiteful gossip claiming it was karma.
Yako stood frozen for a moment, then sighed deeply and picked up her exam, pencil and school supplies in a bundle in her arms. She calmly looked around the room, trying to ignore the curious stares of her classmates, until she spotted an empty chair. "Sensei, do you mind if I sit over there?"
"Go ahead," the teacher stammered, astonished by Yako's apparent indifference to the accident.
"Thank you," Yako sat down at the new desk and continued working on the exam, feeling all eyes on her.
The teacher finally snapped out of the shock, "everyone continue with the test. I will call someone from maintenance to take care of this."
Yako assumed that Neuro was picking on her as he always did, but he wouldn't seriously hurt her so she wouldn't worry. She felt reassured that he was apparently watching her, if anyone truly tried to harm her, Neuro would protect her, Yako counted on him. She smiled sheepishly, though the equations in her paper were just as unfriendly as they were from the beginning. Maybe this was Neuro's strange way to let her know he was protecting her.
xoxox xox xoxox
Strange things continued to happen during the rest of the morning. Doors fell off their hinges, shelves came apart in an avalanche of books, ceiling lights fell; it was one casually after another. Yet no one found it too strange at first, they were only accidents and no culprit could be identified. No one was doing anything suspicious when the events occurred and the school building was old, as were the furniture and materials, they could fall apart any minute, it was only natural.
All those accidents narrowly missed Yako by some sort of odd coincidence, because she dropped something and moved to pick it up, because she stopped to talk to someone, because someone called her and she turned in the opposite direction following the voice. Through it all, Yako didn't worry; she told herself it was all Neuro's doing.
It was lunch time when the cafeteria cook offered Yako a free meal, claiming that, "I feel bad about all those rumors going around about you."
With a bright cheerful smile and a loud, "thank you!" Yako happily accepted the meal and sat down with the friends that still remained by her side, to enjoy her favorite part of school, lunch time.
"The cook was just carried away by an ambulance!" A student ran towards the table next to where Yako was sitting to share the news with some other students. "It's true, I saw it all, they say another teacher found the cook unconscious in the teacher's lounge!"
Yako was in disbelief, she saw the cook a second ago and this time she couldn't blame it on Neuro, he wouldn't arrange a free meal for her unless something worse was to come and it wasn't like him to use the same trick twice with so little time between. The results of the restaurant incident were still being constantly talked about.
Yako looked at her food while her table was filled with suspicious theories. She was tempted to shrug it off and eat, when her best friend took her food away and walked to the nearest trash can. "It could be poisoned, too many strange things have been happening!"
"No!" Yako grimaced, "we didn't know for sure if it was poisoned," she frowned sadly at the waste of food. It appeared to be alright and it smelled appetizing, though Yako had to admit that the situation was suspicious.
Among the crowd of students, gossiping over the day's events and the fate of the cook, which seemed to be the last drop that made them begin to see the strange accidents in a new light, someone passed close to Yako and deposited a note in her hand. Yako turned to look at the person who gave her the note, but couldn't tell who it had been, there were too many people near by.
Thinking that this could be a clue, Yako read the note. "Meet me behind the gym," and between warnings of it possibly being a grudge and teasing about the possibility of a secret admirer, Yako went to the meeting place to investigate.
xoxox xox xoxox
Since it was lunch time, everyone was taking a break and there were no students practicing sports near the area around the gym. The place felt desolate and eerie, even in broad daylight. "Hello? Did anyone want to meet me here?"
"I did," a male student stood behind Yako, startling her with his sudden appearance. He was tall and handsome with messy red hair and matching deep ruby eyes that had a sinister glow. He grinned and Yako could see he had unnaturally sharp teeth, then a realization washed over her, those teeth, those eyes, he was not a human. "There's no need for the master to be bothered with someone like you."
"The master?" Yako realized that maybe Neuro wasn't watching her at school like she thought. The odd accidents were not part of Neuro's mischief to scare her; they were part of this guy's plot to kill her. "Who are you and what do you mean by master? Are you talking about Neuro?"
"Neuro is a traitor! I, Quemar, will serve the master by eliminating you!"
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 17: Stranded
Yako's eyes widened in terror, she was in a deserted area of the school, behind the gym, alone with a man of Neuro's species, who by the sounds of it was an enemy of Neuro and was dead set in killing her. "What do you mean traitor?" Yako questioned as she attempted to back away, only to press her back against the gym's wall behind her.
The man who identified himself as Quemar had called Neuro a traitor. He scuffed, "you dare ask, human filth? To take you as a mate is an unforgivable offense!"
"Mate?" Yako absentmindedly repeated, "mate..." She stared into Quemar's ruby eyes, suddenly feeling a rush of courage, "Neuro can date who ever he wants!"
"I'll silence you permanently, trash!" Quemar extended his hand, forming a ball of fire in his palm. "To keep the master out in such a way, his trick won't serve to extend your life, I was still able to pass through the barrier and I'll prove the master doesn't need to bother with you!"
"Neuro! Neuro, help!" There was no reply, "Neuro!"
"He's not here," Quemar gave her a sinister look, grinning cruelly.
"Yes he is, Neuro has been playing jokes on me all day, he's been watching me, he'll protect me," a short moment of silence passed as Yako analyzed the confidence Quemar held. "That was you!" Her entire world went spinning out of control, she had been in real danger and by dumb luck, she had somehow avoided being injured.
"Time to finish the job, no more stalling!"
"Stay away, stop!" Yako's bracelet glowed brightly as she punched the fire user. He fell back by the unnatural force of the blow and Yako took the opportunity to run for dear life. Surely humans couldn't do anything to help her in a fight, but maybe Quemar would worry about keeping a low profile and wouldn't attack her if she was surrounded by people.
xoxox xox xoxox
Yako returned to the cafeteria out of breath and collapsed into an empty chair at her friends' table, receiving odd looks. "It's nothing," she tried to compose herself, though her hand hurt a lot. She examined the hand she had used to punch Quemar, she caught a glimpse of her bracelet glowing when she attacked, but it was no longer glowing, it wasn't even golden. The bracelet Neuro gave her had turned a rusty brown and when Yako touched it, it dissolved into dust.
"You got that from a cereal box didn't you?" Kanae joked, "if you get those things wet or leave them out in the sun, they fall apart. But why were you wearing something like that? You should-" she stopped, eyes wide in realization as she stared at Yako's hand, "your hand is burnt!"
Yako blinked in confusion, she didn't know what was going on, she was sure Quemar's fire didn't touch her, she punched him in the face before he could attack and in a split second, he was flat on his back and she was running away. Clearly, Quemar was of Neuro's species, but maybe he wasn't one of the strong ones. Even so, Yako was certain her human punch couldn't have that much of an effect; it must have been the bracelet. Whatever magic that bracelet carried, it had given her strength, though at the same time it hurt her, and it looked like that power had been used up.
"What happened?" Yako wasn't sure how many times the question had been asked, but she didn't snap out of it until she felt someone shaking her shoulder. "Yako!"
"Um..." Yako took a deep breath and thought fast. "I snuck into the cafeteria's kitchen..." She didn't finish her explanation but she didn't have to, her friends could clearly picture the rest of the story. Yako must have tried to take some food that was being cooked and burnt her hand, along with the bracelet.
None of those present suspected anything supernatural could be happening; the picture Yako's explanation painted for them was perfectly logical. "Let's go see the nurse, and don't sneak into the kitchen again, if you want extra food and can't afford it for whatever reason, I'll help." Yako nodded and left with Kanae.
xoxox xox xoxox
People stared at Yako as she walked down the halls, but she felt secure, instead of embarrassed or angry. Quemar might still try to cause more accidents, but if her guess was correct, he wouldn't dare expose himself to humans. Yako could deal with the odd accidents; she had Neuro to thank for the survival skills, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop an all out attack.
The girls arrived at the nurse's office where Yako's hand was treated. Kanae was kind enough to bring Yako some food, which she was very grateful for and had no trouble eating with one hand. Kanae stayed in the infirmary with Yako, listening to the nurse preach about being careful in the kitchen. "It was home economics, right?"
Yako laughed nervously and nodded, she decided it was best to pretend this was an accident from class, instead of giving the nurse the story about sneaking into the cafeteria.
After a while, the bell rang and Kanae returned to class, while Yako remained in the infirmary, she wouldn't be able to take notes with her injured hand anyway, and Kanae would make a copy of hers, along with all the other notes Yako missed.
As Yako lay in bed, she couldn't help it but to keep an eye on the nurse to make sure she wouldn't be left alone. "Katsuragi, you really need to rest, I feel your eyes burning into the back of my head. Relax and take a nap, I've heard all about your bad luck today and everyone has heard the rumors, you must be stressed. Even if you were absent before, I'm sure you can be excused for the afternoon, I'll write you a note."
"Thank you," was all Yako could manage to say. The nurse pitied her, it wasn't just mercy, it was the deep pity one would feel looking down at an unfortunate being with compassion, but looking down none the less.
Yako shifted and stared at the ceiling. She wanted to go home, but knew it would be suicide to go alone. She would be alright on the way if she stayed in the crowded streets, but what if Neuro had gone and taken Mystery? Then Yako would be alone in the house, an easy target for Quemar.
Worse yet, what if Neuro had left Mystery alone in the house while he went out to investigate? The child wouldn't need constant supervision to ensure his well being, he wasn't human after all, maybe he would need to be constantly watched to ensure the well being of the furniture, but he would be otherwise alright by himself, unless he was attacked. Yako shuddered at the thought, she couldn't lead danger towards Mystery, even if the child was stronger than a human, Quemar was of Neuro's species and Mystery was still a baby.
Running to the detective office was also out of the question. Yako had no warranties that Neuro would be there and if Quemar followed her, Godai and Akane would be in danger. It was ironic, Yako was in a city full of people, paying more attention to her than she ever wanted, and yet she was isolated and stranded.
Her mind was filled with questions, who was the master Quemar spoke of? Why did he consider Neuro a traitor? What prevented the master from coming? Why was Quemar able to go after her, but not his master? What exactly was that barrier he mentioned? Was there a connection between all of that and Mystery's secrets? Did Neuro expect a danger like this and that's why he gave her that bracelet? But with the bracelet gone, what would save her from another attack?
Yako felt her eyelids becoming heavy with the exhaustion of stress. She had lost count of how many times her heart nearly stopped on that day alone. She wasn't sure where to go, if only she knew where Neuro was. Maybe she should stay out in the city in crowded places until Neuro came to find her. He would be angry, but at least she would be safe and she could tell him what was going on. Before Yako could analyze the situation further, she drifted off to sleep.
xoxox xox xoxox
Yako wasn't sure how much time had passed while she slept, but judging by the way her stomach craved for a snack, it must almost be time for school to end. A little panicked, Yako sat up and looked towards the desk and sure enough, the nurse was there, she breathed in relief and allowed her head to fall back into the pillow, closing her eyes once more; her nightmare filled nap was anything but restful. The nurse wouldn't leave her there, she would wake her up when school ended and Yako couldn't focus on class anyway, or take notes with her bandaged burnt hand.
"Sensei, my head hurts; can I rest here for a while?" The voice was male and familiar, Yako's heart accelerated.
"Sure, you can keep Katsuragi company, I'll be back in a few minutes," as the nurse started to leave, Yako sprinted to her feet.
"I should go now!" She blurted out the sentence as if it was a single word. The student who had just arrived was Quemar.
"Don't worry about it Katsuragi," the nurse insisted, "school will be out in twenty minutes, you might as well rest until then."
Yako energetically shook her head, but Quemar wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "relax Yako, I'm a nice guy."
The nurse left before Yako could shake him off and when she tried to run away, he jumped in front of her and closed the door. "If I yell, they'll hear me, they'll come!"
"Yes, I know, they'll think I'm trying to take advantage of you and by the time they manage to get past the locked door, you would have escaped out the window and I would be taken to the principal's office to be suspended, not that I need to return here after getting rid of you. Given the situation with your reputation, no one will find it strange if you're mysteriously absent for the rest of the year. You could have left the country to escape the pressure."
Yako backed away and glanced towards the window, but before she could make a run for it in an attempt to escape like in the cover up story, Quemar firmly held her by the arm. Neuro wasn't there, nobody could help her, Yako was trapped, she was stranded.
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 18: Confusion
Yako was in big trouble; there she was, trapped with a pyromaniac intent on killing her. Neuro was nowhere to be found and he would be the only one who would question her disappearance after Quemar blew away her ashes. People would truly believe she fled, the great detective let her fame get to her head, started living a crazy life, fell from grace and ran away to another country, where she lived hidden in shame. Yako didn't want that fate to pass.
Suddenly, the door was opened with a suspicious sound from the doorknob as if it was twisted into breaking. "Yako-neesan, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!"
Quemar jumped away from Yako and backed into a wall. At that point, there were many things that could have caught Yako's attention. She could have noticed that the suspicious student at the door was somehow strong enough to break the doorknob with apparent ease. She could have noticed his perfect angelic face, his brilliant silver hair, shinier than anyone would think possible for hair to be, or his peaceful and intelligent azure blue eyes.
Yako could have also noticed the fact that Quemar let her go. She could have noticed his fearful expression and how it was directed at the mysterious young man. She could have also taken note that he called her 'Yako-neesan', despite the fact that she did not remember ever meeting him before and they were in appearance the same age.
However, out of all the things Yako could have noticed, the one thing that caught her attention was the cookie the silver haired boy was holding. It was a large cookie, about five inches wide and half an inch thick. The cookie's consistency was perfect, with beautifully distributed equally sized rich chocolate chips, arranged in perfect symmetry. The cookie's scent was amazing and it attracted Yako in a trance. "Cookie..." she muttered like a zombie.
"Oh yes, this cookie is for you, go ahead, you can eat it." The mysterious boy gave Yako the cookie.
"Thank you!" All of Yako's worries disappeared as she ate the heavenly cookie. She didn't notice that Quemar had jumped out the window and ran away in a panic. "This is... this is... To say it's delicious is not enough! It's amazing, wonderful, it's... it's... it's impossible to describe it with words! This cookie is like a little piece of Heaven. I must know where it came from!"
The mystery boy smiled, amused with Yako's infatuation with the cookie, "would you believe me if I said the cookie was made by an angel?"
Yako nodded her head energetically, "tell me, where can I find more?"
"Aren't you worried about Quemar?"
Yako blinked and remembered the situation. She spun around searching for Quemar, but didn't find him. "When did he leave?"
"While you were eating, never mind, it's okay. Yako-oneesan, I must ask you not to speak of me to Master Neuro."
"Master?" Things were becoming more confusing then ever. Yako tried to put the facts together in her head. This man, whoever he was, was clearly not human. Quemar was afraid of him, thus it was logical to conclude that he was stronger than Quemar. Quemar called Neuro a traitor and this man called him master, thus it could be inferred that he was on Neuro side.
"Master Neuro must not know of me, it was his own order."
Yako tilted her head to the side, "okay..." Neuro was unusual, though Yako couldn't imagine why he would order someone to save her and have it all be kept in secret from him. If Neuro gave the order, then wouldn't he already know? Regardless of that, wouldn't he want the details either way?
"Please, Yako-neesan!"
"Alright, I understand, you did save me and you're on Neuro's side, so I'll do what you ask and not tell Neuro. I'm not sure why he would request something like that, but I'll do it." Yako was as confused as ever, but she felt she should go with the flow in that situation.
"Thank you, now go to Master Neuro and tell him about Quemar, but you must tell him you escaped on your own, don't mention me at all. You probably won't notice me, but I'll watch you from afar all the way. Master Neuro is in the office right now; I'll leave once you're with him."
Yako nodded, eager to be with Neuro again, she wouldn't mention the man with silver hair, but maybe when she told him about Quemar, he would reveal something that would help get her out of this confusion. "What's your name?"
"That would be revealing too much information."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Even so, my name says too much about me. Go now, Yako-neesan, return with Master Neuro, you'll be safe with him."
"I take it you won't tell me why you call me Yako-neesan either?" The boy shook his head and Yako sighed, "but you will tell me about the cookie, right?"
"You will not allow me to escape without that information, I'm sure. Very well, the cookie was baked by Yuka-neesan."
"Yuka?" Yako mused over the name for a moment. "Yukari? My cousin Yukari?" Yako's shock grew as he nodded. "I didn't even know she could bake! Where is she? She's always traveling around, I get postcard sometimes, but they come from all over the world. To be in so many different places at such close dates, she must practically live on an airplane."
"You must be on your way now, Yako-neesan, don't forget to keep the secret, as per Master Neuro's wishes." The boy hopped out the window and when Yako looked outside, he was nowhere to be seen.
xoxox xox xoxox
As Yako made her way down the crowded streets, she was too lost in thought to notice the stares and murmurs. Several journalists had approached her the way, but as she mumbled, "no comment," she sounded so lost in thought that the reporters knew right away they wouldn't get anything out of her.
Yako didn't see the boy following her, but she somehow knew he was there. He must be of Neuro's race as well, it was the only explanation Yako could think of. She thought of her cousin Yukari, whom she had not personally seen in years, though she sometimes received pictures of her standing in front of famous monuments and places around the world. She was a few years older than Yako and never interested in cooking, yet that mysterious boy knew her and claimed she baked that delicious cookie. Yukari was not an angel, all the opposite, she thrived in having abundant material positions, especially jewels, she loved jewelry.
Yako's cousin also loved to travel the world and didn't stay too long in one place. She sent gifts for Christmas and birthdays. Yako remembered the latest gift she received from her cousin, she didn't dare wear those huge diamond earrings in public; furthermore, they were heavy and uncomfortable. Yukari was no angel, she was materialistic, vain and conceited. She couldn't resist the glitter of gold and jewels and most of all, she couldn't resist chasing after handsome men. But she might have changed since Yako last saw her in person...
Yako shook her head at the thoughts; she shouldn't be thinking such things of her cousin whom she had not seen in years. Yukari had always taken care to send presents during birthdays and holidays, they were of little use to Yako, but it was the thought that counted. Yako had tried to send Yukari gifts as well, but they were always returned because she had already checked out of the hotel by the time the packages got there, thus Yako eventually gave up. Emails were the only form of communication they had.
Yako sighed, she was thinking too hard and in her trance she reached the office. She made her way in, opening the door and observing the scene inside. Godai was looking over some papers and grumbling obscenities, those must be bills. Neuro was at his desk, looking at Yako from the corner of his eyes while he pretended he was absorbed on reading something on the newspaper. Baby Mystery was giggling cheerfully while Akane tickled him.
Godai suddenly got up, he was in a very bad mood and possibly still annoyed about the incident he walked into and more so about the credit card. Yako could feel herself blush just thinking about it. "I'm going to get some food," Godai headed for the door where Yako still stood. "I got it; I'll bring you a bag of chips or something."
Yako moved aside, finally realizing she was blocking the exit. After Godai was gone, Yako approached Neuro and noticed his gaze was fixed on her hand. "I hurt my hand; it was a side effect of the bracelet. The bracelet saved me and then it dissolved." She would only tell Neuro about the first confrontation, altering the time frame if he asked for further details, and nothing more.
Neuro shook his head, letting the newspaper fall into the desk and getting up from his chair. He rounded the desk and stood next to Yako. "Only someone as stupid as you could break it. That bracelet was for your protection because you're such a helpless weakling. It would give you enough strength to overpower any human."
"But the man who tried to kill me wasn't human! He was of your kind, his name was Quemar," Yako revealed.
Neuro paused, his expression melting from icy indifference to surprise for just a split second, before becoming serious. "What idiocy brings you to that conclusion?"
"He told me his name. He had red hair and red eyes, he was a pyromaniac and he tried to kill me. I punched him and got away," Yako elaborated.
"Quemar, that weakling, to be beaten by a lowly human so easily... But why would the lackey be here?" Neuro was thinking aloud, more so than speaking to Yako now.
She responded anyway, "lackey? You know who he works for?"
"That is not your concern, slug. Explaining it to you is as useless as you are."
Yako pouted, she knew she wouldn't be getting any more information out of Neuro, but she could tell he knew plenty. She didn't understand why he would order the silver haired boy's interference to be kept quiet, but maybe he already knew and wanted to avoid repetition, at least that was Yako's theory.
"Slave, from now on, you are not to be away from me for a single second. You will stay where I can see you at all times." Though Neuro's decision could only mean there was danger, Yako couldn't help it but to feel strangely happy.
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 19: Pretense
"My throat is dry," Yako announced after several minutes of silence. Mystery was still playing with Akane and Godai was still out. "I'll just grab something from the vending machine real quick."
"You are not going anywhere," Neuro was firm and commanding.
Yako had been given the privilege of regular vending machine breaks lately, provided that she returned to work swiftly, a distraction of above two minutes was out of the question, but that aside, Neuro had become more lenient over time.
Before Yako could protest, Neuro rolled up a newspaper and hit her on the head, "what part of not being away from me does your single brain cell not understand?"
"I was just-"
"Unnecessary."
Yako was quiet. Neuro seemed to be on edge, he already had a big mystery on his hands and he didn't like the turn of events Quemar's precense announced. Yako continued her task of cleaning the office in silence, occasionally muttering a small complaint about her thirst. She opened a window, leaning out to shake the dust out of her feather duster, then suddenly felt Neuro pulling her back by the ear.
"Don't lean out so far, with your lack of coordination and balance you'll fall. You're so stupid, useless, pathetic, clumsy and weak." He dragged Yako along with him, sitting at the desk with her on his lap.
Yako rubbed her pained ear and wondered how Neuro could continue working so easily with her sitting there as if she wasn't. She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful slumber.
The next thing Yako knew, Neuro stood up abruptly, catching her by the shoulders, "wake up!" His voice was too urgent.
"I'm awake!" Whatever slumber was left in Yako's eyes, disappeared when her eyes were locked on Neuro's analytical expression.
"You didn't eat any strange foods did you?"
Yako shook her head but her expression betrayed her. The cookie itself wasn't strange as most people would define the concept of strange. But it was unusually good and the situation in which it was received was definitely strange. "I might have eaten something rotten..."
"That would explain why your breath stinks," Neuro actually sounded like he did smell something, but it wasn't bad breath. He smelled the work of a sort of spell.
"It does not!" Yako blew into her hand and was caught off guard, not because her breath smelled bad, but because it smelled too good. The perfect scent of the cookie was in her mouth, exactly as she remembered it, perhaps a little lighter. It was a pleasant smell, different from the lingering scent of food one would get after eating. It was like one of those air fresheners meant to make the house smell like a bakery, it was like a cookie scented body lotion, it was good.
"Let's go," Neuro dragged Yako by the arm and approached the door. He looked back at Mystery playing with Akane, "Mystery, if anyone bad comes, scare them away, and if they persist, eat them."
Mystery giggled and cheered, while Yako's eyes widened and Neuro dragged her out of the office to the elevator. "He's not really going to eat anyone, is he? Neuro? Mystery doesn't eat humans, right? The joke with the mannequin was only a joke, right? You didn't do that to mentally prepare me, did you? Neuro? Neuro, please answer me!"
"He can consume my kind's energy, but I doubt he would try to eat their bodies, he prefers the meat of earthling animals, excluding humans." Neuro finally had some mercy on Yako and revealed a small piece of information.
Yako let out a breath of relief. "He's really special..." He must be if Neuro left him in the office, even if it was for a few minutes. Mystery must be stronger than she could imagine. "What about human energy?"
"He can eat human energy also but that energy is too weak to be satisfactory unless it is in the form of a mystery. The hatchling has a voracious appetite, like someone I know. That's enough questions, shut up maggot."
When the elevator doors opened, Neuro placed his arm around Yako's waist and led her towards the vending machines, where a secretary from one of the offices on the lower floors of the building, was battling with the soda machine. "It ate my money!" She shouted as she pointed at the machine accusingly and pouted indignantly.
Neuro put on his nice act. "I'll get it to work, Sensei, why don't you and the nice lady go stand over there," he pointed to the far corner, away from the exits and windows, where he could easily intercept anyone who tried to approach.
The secretary didn't question the need to stand away from the machine. She never knew Neuro intended to use his powers on it and didn't want the light shockwave to be detected. Instead the secretary took the opportunity to chat with Yako. "He's so considerate. I'm sure you two are truly happy together. I'm not listening to the press; they just love to ruin relationships, that's what makes a story. By the way, what is the name of that lovely perfume you're wearing, it smells just like cookies, or is it a body lotion?"
"Um... I was making cookies and the smell stuck to me," it would be silly for such a noticeable scent to stick to her breath enough for Yako to transmit it by simply breathing, thus she tried to give the lady a more believable excuse. Maybe that cookie was special in more than just taste, but she couldn't tell Neuro. Not only had Yako given the mysterious boy who saved her, her word that she would keep his precense a secret, also Neuro would be furious if he knew she accepted food from a stranger, a very strange stranger. Nevertheless she didn't feel ill and it would make no sense for the boy to save her then poison her.
While Yako was lost in thought, the secretary continued to chatter until Neuro approached, "excuse me miss, this came out of the vending machine so I'm guessing it was the drink you were trying to buy."
"Oh yes!" The secretary happily took the Diet Pepsi can. "Thank you!" She cheerfully skipped back to her office, satisfied with herself for giving Yako all those words of encouragement, she didn't realize Yako hardly heard any of them.
"Here you are, Sensei, let's go back to the office," again Neuro led Yako to the elevator with his arm around her waist after handing her a large bottle of Pepsi. Yako opened it in the elevator but Neuro warned her, "not yet," and she dared not drink it.
After the pair returned to the office, Neuro handed Yako a second Pepsi bottle, which he pretended to have gotten for himself, she would need it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black candy ball, wrapped in clear paper. He removed the wrapper and pushed the candy into Yako's mouth, holding it closed as she attempted to scream and spit it out.
Yako struggled and stomped her feet, closing her eyes tightly from the pain. Finally, after a few eternal seconds, the odd candy ball dissolved and Neuro let her go. Yako drank both bottles of Pepsi in five seconds. She panted for breath, letting the empty plastic bottles slip out of her hands and she desperately fanned her mouth. "I think you burned off my ability to taste," her fear was real.
"You're too much of a glutton for that to happen," Neuro's words were somewhat comforting. "Now you don't smell quite as foul. Of course you're still terribly ugly, but nothing can solve that." Neuro couldn't smell the spell any longer, but his instinct told him it might still be on Yako, waiting to be activated when she fell asleep, yet he didn't detect anything so he ignored the nagging feeling. He didn't ask her about it, if anyone had casted a spell on her to her knowledge, Yako would have mentioned it already. If she didn't say anything, she either couldn't speak of it as a side effect of the spell, or simply didn't know she was under a spell.
Yako tested her breath again but she didn't smell anything, nothing at all. Neuro had never complained about the scent of cookies before, though Yako had to admit the smell was unusually strong, it was nice. Did Neuro perceive something else in the scent? Had she truly eaten something she shouldn't have? What about his reaction when he woke her up, what did he sense then? Something was going on and Neuro wasn't giving her the full explanation. "I don't think I'll ever feel anything in my mouth again, the burning is going away, but I'm all numb now."
"Stop complaining, pathetic insect," Neuro suddenly pulled Yako into his arms and proceeded to prove she wasn't as numb as she thought, by kissing her.
Godai entered the office and cursed his timing, "lock the door you two! For crying out loud, the kid's watching!"
"Shut up and get back to work, slave number two! What I do with my property is none of your business," Neuro ordered.
Yako blushed and of all the things she could have done at that moment, she chose to let her eyes wander towards the bag of chips Godai held and asked, "is that for me?"
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Private Evileye Nogami Neuro or Pepsi. Quemar means "to burn". About mystery 15, many thanks to Unknown D Flamerose for the idea of the baby liking Halloween toys and to FreyaLin for reminding me of the issue of the baby eating meat in the video, it was clarified in this chapter.
Mystery 15: A Terrifying Morning
The next day, Neuro still wouldn't talk to Yako. She got up and when she went to get the baby from his crib, she had quite a scare and screamed at the top of her lungs. There, in the boy's mouth, there was a human hand.
"No, you didn't, you can't, you, you..." Yako's heart pounded as she stammered to assimilate the situation. No one ever said all of Neuro's kind ate mysteries; maybe the baby, who was ironically nicknamed Mystery, didn't eat mysteries at all. What if he ate humans? Shaking and pale, Yako, who had fallen back on the floor, pushed herself to her feet on unsteady legs and peeked over the edge of the crib, hoping that she had imagined the hand.
Sure enough, there it was; a human hand with three inches of bloody wrist, adorned with golden bracelet. The child held the hand by the thumb, chewing on it contently. Yako feared that she would suffer the same fate as the poor girl who became a midnight snack and had no intentions of becoming breakfast. She backed away from the crib and tripped over a circular thing she was sure wasn't there when she entered the room.
Afraid to look, Yako slowly gazed at the thing she had tripped on and found the decapitated head of a young girl around her age, who curiously also had short blond hair. With a scream of terror, Yako darted towards the door, to find it locked. She battled with the bolt, but it had been melted and fused. Yako then made a run for the backdoor, which she found to be locked in the same state. She tried the windows, but they were all impossible to open.
"I'm trapped," Yako breathed heavily. "no, Neuro wouldn't let him eat me, he wouldn't, he's just trying to scare me." Yako wasn't sure if it was true, but she tried to convince herself it was true. "Besides, Mystery has been fine for a while without eating humans, sure he ate raw meat, but that was animal meat. He just ate a human last night so he won't be hungry for flesh again so soon. Yeah, I'll just feed him chicken and that should satisfy him. He has no reason to eat me..."
Yako took deep breaths and made her way to the kitchen. She dug around the freezer and pulled out a frozen chicken. She put the chicken in the microwave to make it soft and warm, but she did not try to cook it. Mystery liked his meat raw and there was no time for cooking anyway, the boy had to be kept well fed. Yako placed the warm raw chicken in a tray and carried it out of the kitchen.
When Yako approached the baby's room, she screamed again, the decapitated head that looked remarkably like her, was hanging by the hair from the door frame, blood dripping from the neck. Clutching the tray so as to not drop it, Yako wobbled closer to the open door of the baby's room. She looked at the head and wondered how to get past it. She didn't want to touch it and didn't want to run under it either, yet it appeared to be the only option.
Taking a deep breath, Yako ran under the head, which fell at that very moment and hit her on the head. She let out an earsplitting scream and stumbled forward, trembling violently. Pale, sweaty and terrified, Yako stared wide eyed at the head on the floor. She closed her eyes tightly and whispered under her breath, "Neuro..."
Then something clicked, of course, she should have known. Despite the situation, a wave of relief washed over Yako. The decapitated head couldn't have hung itself on the doorframe and there was no reason for Mystery to put it there. Neuro must have hung it to scare her, which was proof that he was there, hiding somewhere. Yako breathed, her heart still beating wildly, she would be fine if Neuro was there, she would not be eaten alive.
"Mystery, breakfast time," Yako's voice crackled in fear as she lowered the tray with the raw chicken into the crib. Mystery was pleased and ate happily. Yako closed her eyes to stop herself from looking at Mystery and imagining him devouring a human in the same way as the chicken. Then something collided with her face and Yako instinctively caught it when it bounced off, it was the hand. Yako screamed and froze, unable to drop the hand.
When her throat began to hurt, she stopped screaming and stared at the hand. She tried to tell herself that any part of a dead body was not capable of hurting her. She had heard people say before that one should worry about the living, not the dead. Then she noticed something, the hand didn't feel like flesh.
Yako looked at the wrist where the golden bracelet was, drenched in blood, there were no leftover bones or veins sticking out, just hollow plastic, the hand was part of a mannequin. Yako smelled the red substance on the hand; it smelled like ketchup, it wasn't blood at all. She rushed to examine the decapitated head and found that it too was fake, merely part of an unfortunate mannequin drenched in ketchup.
Feeling immense relief, Yako sighed deeply and allowed herself to sit on the floor; her legs no longer had the strength to support her. "Neuro you idiot, is killing me of a heart attack your way of stealing my heart?" There was a thud behind Yako, which made her jump; her nerves were still on edge.
There was no sign of Neuro anywhere; it was just a blue bag with bright yellow handles and zipper. "I know you're there," Yako opened the bag, waiting for some terrifying creature to jump out, or maybe Neuro himself, but nothing moved inside it. Instead Yako found an assortment of Halloween toys, no doubt for Mystery to play with.
Yako shook her head but knew better than to argue with Neuro. "Fine, I get it, toys for the baby." At least nothing was actually sharp; the weapons were made of soft plastic, knives, swords and ninja stars. There were monster plushies, zombie action figures and all sorts of similar things. They were not physically dangerous, just creepy.
Yako took the golden bracelet off the wrist of he mannequin hand, washed off the ketchup and put it on, noticing only then that the links were little golden triangles. "Thanks Neuro," no reply came, Yako wasn't sure what Neuro was waiting for to show up. Maybe he was expecting her to beg him to return, but Yako decided to pretend she didn't get the message for the time being; besides, she wasn't going to beg anyway.
With renewed strength, Yako decided that she would go to school. It was her final year of school and in a few months she would graduate. She didn't want to miss anything; she couldn't spend her life hiding. Maybe the press would have backed off by then and if they haven't, she would make them. If Yako could survive dealing with Neuro, she felt ready to take on the world and the gossipy media wouldn't stop her from leaving the house, as soon as she figured out how to break out of her own house.
Yako checked the locks again and to her surprise they were as good as new. It seemed that Neuro was no longer intent in keeping her locked up. She shrugged and went to prepare for school, feeling much better after a cold shower to wash off the remaining fright.
Yako would probably miss her first class, but with all that was going on, she thought she could allow herself that. Besides, she was certain she would collapse along the way if she tried to leave the house on an empty stomach. Mystery would be no problem because Yako was sure Neuro was in the house, watching her from the shadows and she could leave the baby with him.
As Yako passed by the living room on her way to the kitchen, she turned on the TV and left it playing commercials while she got a large bowl of cereal, big enough to hold the entire contents of the box, and a tall glass of milk. Yako returned on time to see the commercials end and the morning news coming back on. She listened for anything about Neuro or herself as she ate her breakfast.
"Since it has been widely requested by our viewers, we will once again show you the scandalous video of detective Yako Katsuragi and her assistant Neuro Nogami." Yako stared at the screen. There she was, in the restaurant with Neuro and Mystery was there as well, eating baby food? Of course, Neuro must have edited the video before giving it to the press; he must have done something to the restaurant employees too.
Witnessing herself jumping on Neuro on the screen, Yako decided she had seen enough. Watching the news and worrying wouldn't solve anything. She had decided that she would face the world and she was not going to back down. She checked her school bag for necessities and confirmed she had what she needed. Yako checked on Mystery one last time before leaving; he was blissfully napping in his crib next to the empty food tray which Yako removed, the chicken was gone, he didn't even leave the bones.
With a determined and brave pace, Yako headed to the front door. "I'm going to school," she spoke as if Neuro was right next to her. She didn't know exactly where he was hiding, but she knew he could hear her. "Take care of Mystery, see you in the afternoon." Yako marched out of her house, off to face the world.
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Mystery 16: An Unusual Day at School
Yako expected the whispers and murmurs that came with her arrival at school. She knew that everyone would be talking. She wasn't surprised to feel all eyes plus a couple of cameras on her and she was determined not to care.
"Miss Katsuragi!"
"A few words please!"
"What is your opinion on what's being said about you?"
"Is it true that you and your assistant Mr. Nogami adopted a child that was abandoned at your doorstep, or did you make that up to fix your reputation?"
Yako ignored everyone and headed straight for her classroom. The students were already settled in, Yako had missed her first class but second period was just starting. "Take your seats everyone." The teacher closed the doors. "It was much worse yesterday." Yako did not meet the teacher's eyes. "As you know, you have a test today," Yako did not remember this, but didn't say anything as the papers were handed out.
The students quietly worked on the test, Yako had trouble focusing on the equations, but she would try her best and stay strong through the ordeal of the test and a day among society.
Realizing she made a mistake, Yako reached for her eraser and accidentally knocked it off her desk, watching it bounce away. She looked up at the teacher, to make sure it was clear she was only getting her eraser and not trying to cheat, then got up from her seat to pick it up.
A loud crash broke everyone's concentration and the room was filled with gasps. The lights above Yako's seat had fallen and if she had been sitting there, she would have been hurt. Everyone whispered everything from comments steaming from pity and compassion, to spiteful gossip claiming it was karma.
Yako stood frozen for a moment, then sighed deeply and picked up her exam, pencil and school supplies in a bundle in her arms. She calmly looked around the room, trying to ignore the curious stares of her classmates, until she spotted an empty chair. "Sensei, do you mind if I sit over there?"
"Go ahead," the teacher stammered, astonished by Yako's apparent indifference to the accident.
"Thank you," Yako sat down at the new desk and continued working on the exam, feeling all eyes on her.
The teacher finally snapped out of the shock, "everyone continue with the test. I will call someone from maintenance to take care of this."
Yako assumed that Neuro was picking on her as he always did, but he wouldn't seriously hurt her so she wouldn't worry. She felt reassured that he was apparently watching her, if anyone truly tried to harm her, Neuro would protect her, Yako counted on him. She smiled sheepishly, though the equations in her paper were just as unfriendly as they were from the beginning. Maybe this was Neuro's strange way to let her know he was protecting her.
xoxox xox xoxox
Strange things continued to happen during the rest of the morning. Doors fell off their hinges, shelves came apart in an avalanche of books, ceiling lights fell; it was one casually after another. Yet no one found it too strange at first, they were only accidents and no culprit could be identified. No one was doing anything suspicious when the events occurred and the school building was old, as were the furniture and materials, they could fall apart any minute, it was only natural.
All those accidents narrowly missed Yako by some sort of odd coincidence, because she dropped something and moved to pick it up, because she stopped to talk to someone, because someone called her and she turned in the opposite direction following the voice. Through it all, Yako didn't worry; she told herself it was all Neuro's doing.
It was lunch time when the cafeteria cook offered Yako a free meal, claiming that, "I feel bad about all those rumors going around about you."
With a bright cheerful smile and a loud, "thank you!" Yako happily accepted the meal and sat down with the friends that still remained by her side, to enjoy her favorite part of school, lunch time.
"The cook was just carried away by an ambulance!" A student ran towards the table next to where Yako was sitting to share the news with some other students. "It's true, I saw it all, they say another teacher found the cook unconscious in the teacher's lounge!"
Yako was in disbelief, she saw the cook a second ago and this time she couldn't blame it on Neuro, he wouldn't arrange a free meal for her unless something worse was to come and it wasn't like him to use the same trick twice with so little time between. The results of the restaurant incident were still being constantly talked about.
Yako looked at her food while her table was filled with suspicious theories. She was tempted to shrug it off and eat, when her best friend took her food away and walked to the nearest trash can. "It could be poisoned, too many strange things have been happening!"
"No!" Yako grimaced, "we didn't know for sure if it was poisoned," she frowned sadly at the waste of food. It appeared to be alright and it smelled appetizing, though Yako had to admit that the situation was suspicious.
Among the crowd of students, gossiping over the day's events and the fate of the cook, which seemed to be the last drop that made them begin to see the strange accidents in a new light, someone passed close to Yako and deposited a note in her hand. Yako turned to look at the person who gave her the note, but couldn't tell who it had been, there were too many people near by.
Thinking that this could be a clue, Yako read the note. "Meet me behind the gym," and between warnings of it possibly being a grudge and teasing about the possibility of a secret admirer, Yako went to the meeting place to investigate.
xoxox xox xoxox
Since it was lunch time, everyone was taking a break and there were no students practicing sports near the area around the gym. The place felt desolate and eerie, even in broad daylight. "Hello? Did anyone want to meet me here?"
"I did," a male student stood behind Yako, startling her with his sudden appearance. He was tall and handsome with messy red hair and matching deep ruby eyes that had a sinister glow. He grinned and Yako could see he had unnaturally sharp teeth, then a realization washed over her, those teeth, those eyes, he was not a human. "There's no need for the master to be bothered with someone like you."
"The master?" Yako realized that maybe Neuro wasn't watching her at school like she thought. The odd accidents were not part of Neuro's mischief to scare her; they were part of this guy's plot to kill her. "Who are you and what do you mean by master? Are you talking about Neuro?"
"Neuro is a traitor! I, Quemar, will serve the master by eliminating you!"
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 17: Stranded
Yako's eyes widened in terror, she was in a deserted area of the school, behind the gym, alone with a man of Neuro's species, who by the sounds of it was an enemy of Neuro and was dead set in killing her. "What do you mean traitor?" Yako questioned as she attempted to back away, only to press her back against the gym's wall behind her.
The man who identified himself as Quemar had called Neuro a traitor. He scuffed, "you dare ask, human filth? To take you as a mate is an unforgivable offense!"
"Mate?" Yako absentmindedly repeated, "mate..." She stared into Quemar's ruby eyes, suddenly feeling a rush of courage, "Neuro can date who ever he wants!"
"I'll silence you permanently, trash!" Quemar extended his hand, forming a ball of fire in his palm. "To keep the master out in such a way, his trick won't serve to extend your life, I was still able to pass through the barrier and I'll prove the master doesn't need to bother with you!"
"Neuro! Neuro, help!" There was no reply, "Neuro!"
"He's not here," Quemar gave her a sinister look, grinning cruelly.
"Yes he is, Neuro has been playing jokes on me all day, he's been watching me, he'll protect me," a short moment of silence passed as Yako analyzed the confidence Quemar held. "That was you!" Her entire world went spinning out of control, she had been in real danger and by dumb luck, she had somehow avoided being injured.
"Time to finish the job, no more stalling!"
"Stay away, stop!" Yako's bracelet glowed brightly as she punched the fire user. He fell back by the unnatural force of the blow and Yako took the opportunity to run for dear life. Surely humans couldn't do anything to help her in a fight, but maybe Quemar would worry about keeping a low profile and wouldn't attack her if she was surrounded by people.
xoxox xox xoxox
Yako returned to the cafeteria out of breath and collapsed into an empty chair at her friends' table, receiving odd looks. "It's nothing," she tried to compose herself, though her hand hurt a lot. She examined the hand she had used to punch Quemar, she caught a glimpse of her bracelet glowing when she attacked, but it was no longer glowing, it wasn't even golden. The bracelet Neuro gave her had turned a rusty brown and when Yako touched it, it dissolved into dust.
"You got that from a cereal box didn't you?" Kanae joked, "if you get those things wet or leave them out in the sun, they fall apart. But why were you wearing something like that? You should-" she stopped, eyes wide in realization as she stared at Yako's hand, "your hand is burnt!"
Yako blinked in confusion, she didn't know what was going on, she was sure Quemar's fire didn't touch her, she punched him in the face before he could attack and in a split second, he was flat on his back and she was running away. Clearly, Quemar was of Neuro's species, but maybe he wasn't one of the strong ones. Even so, Yako was certain her human punch couldn't have that much of an effect; it must have been the bracelet. Whatever magic that bracelet carried, it had given her strength, though at the same time it hurt her, and it looked like that power had been used up.
"What happened?" Yako wasn't sure how many times the question had been asked, but she didn't snap out of it until she felt someone shaking her shoulder. "Yako!"
"Um..." Yako took a deep breath and thought fast. "I snuck into the cafeteria's kitchen..." She didn't finish her explanation but she didn't have to, her friends could clearly picture the rest of the story. Yako must have tried to take some food that was being cooked and burnt her hand, along with the bracelet.
None of those present suspected anything supernatural could be happening; the picture Yako's explanation painted for them was perfectly logical. "Let's go see the nurse, and don't sneak into the kitchen again, if you want extra food and can't afford it for whatever reason, I'll help." Yako nodded and left with Kanae.
xoxox xox xoxox
People stared at Yako as she walked down the halls, but she felt secure, instead of embarrassed or angry. Quemar might still try to cause more accidents, but if her guess was correct, he wouldn't dare expose himself to humans. Yako could deal with the odd accidents; she had Neuro to thank for the survival skills, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop an all out attack.
The girls arrived at the nurse's office where Yako's hand was treated. Kanae was kind enough to bring Yako some food, which she was very grateful for and had no trouble eating with one hand. Kanae stayed in the infirmary with Yako, listening to the nurse preach about being careful in the kitchen. "It was home economics, right?"
Yako laughed nervously and nodded, she decided it was best to pretend this was an accident from class, instead of giving the nurse the story about sneaking into the cafeteria.
After a while, the bell rang and Kanae returned to class, while Yako remained in the infirmary, she wouldn't be able to take notes with her injured hand anyway, and Kanae would make a copy of hers, along with all the other notes Yako missed.
As Yako lay in bed, she couldn't help it but to keep an eye on the nurse to make sure she wouldn't be left alone. "Katsuragi, you really need to rest, I feel your eyes burning into the back of my head. Relax and take a nap, I've heard all about your bad luck today and everyone has heard the rumors, you must be stressed. Even if you were absent before, I'm sure you can be excused for the afternoon, I'll write you a note."
"Thank you," was all Yako could manage to say. The nurse pitied her, it wasn't just mercy, it was the deep pity one would feel looking down at an unfortunate being with compassion, but looking down none the less.
Yako shifted and stared at the ceiling. She wanted to go home, but knew it would be suicide to go alone. She would be alright on the way if she stayed in the crowded streets, but what if Neuro had gone and taken Mystery? Then Yako would be alone in the house, an easy target for Quemar.
Worse yet, what if Neuro had left Mystery alone in the house while he went out to investigate? The child wouldn't need constant supervision to ensure his well being, he wasn't human after all, maybe he would need to be constantly watched to ensure the well being of the furniture, but he would be otherwise alright by himself, unless he was attacked. Yako shuddered at the thought, she couldn't lead danger towards Mystery, even if the child was stronger than a human, Quemar was of Neuro's species and Mystery was still a baby.
Running to the detective office was also out of the question. Yako had no warranties that Neuro would be there and if Quemar followed her, Godai and Akane would be in danger. It was ironic, Yako was in a city full of people, paying more attention to her than she ever wanted, and yet she was isolated and stranded.
Her mind was filled with questions, who was the master Quemar spoke of? Why did he consider Neuro a traitor? What prevented the master from coming? Why was Quemar able to go after her, but not his master? What exactly was that barrier he mentioned? Was there a connection between all of that and Mystery's secrets? Did Neuro expect a danger like this and that's why he gave her that bracelet? But with the bracelet gone, what would save her from another attack?
Yako felt her eyelids becoming heavy with the exhaustion of stress. She had lost count of how many times her heart nearly stopped on that day alone. She wasn't sure where to go, if only she knew where Neuro was. Maybe she should stay out in the city in crowded places until Neuro came to find her. He would be angry, but at least she would be safe and she could tell him what was going on. Before Yako could analyze the situation further, she drifted off to sleep.
xoxox xox xoxox
Yako wasn't sure how much time had passed while she slept, but judging by the way her stomach craved for a snack, it must almost be time for school to end. A little panicked, Yako sat up and looked towards the desk and sure enough, the nurse was there, she breathed in relief and allowed her head to fall back into the pillow, closing her eyes once more; her nightmare filled nap was anything but restful. The nurse wouldn't leave her there, she would wake her up when school ended and Yako couldn't focus on class anyway, or take notes with her bandaged burnt hand.
"Sensei, my head hurts; can I rest here for a while?" The voice was male and familiar, Yako's heart accelerated.
"Sure, you can keep Katsuragi company, I'll be back in a few minutes," as the nurse started to leave, Yako sprinted to her feet.
"I should go now!" She blurted out the sentence as if it was a single word. The student who had just arrived was Quemar.
"Don't worry about it Katsuragi," the nurse insisted, "school will be out in twenty minutes, you might as well rest until then."
Yako energetically shook her head, but Quemar wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "relax Yako, I'm a nice guy."
The nurse left before Yako could shake him off and when she tried to run away, he jumped in front of her and closed the door. "If I yell, they'll hear me, they'll come!"
"Yes, I know, they'll think I'm trying to take advantage of you and by the time they manage to get past the locked door, you would have escaped out the window and I would be taken to the principal's office to be suspended, not that I need to return here after getting rid of you. Given the situation with your reputation, no one will find it strange if you're mysteriously absent for the rest of the year. You could have left the country to escape the pressure."
Yako backed away and glanced towards the window, but before she could make a run for it in an attempt to escape like in the cover up story, Quemar firmly held her by the arm. Neuro wasn't there, nobody could help her, Yako was trapped, she was stranded.
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 18: Confusion
Yako was in big trouble; there she was, trapped with a pyromaniac intent on killing her. Neuro was nowhere to be found and he would be the only one who would question her disappearance after Quemar blew away her ashes. People would truly believe she fled, the great detective let her fame get to her head, started living a crazy life, fell from grace and ran away to another country, where she lived hidden in shame. Yako didn't want that fate to pass.
Suddenly, the door was opened with a suspicious sound from the doorknob as if it was twisted into breaking. "Yako-neesan, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!"
Quemar jumped away from Yako and backed into a wall. At that point, there were many things that could have caught Yako's attention. She could have noticed that the suspicious student at the door was somehow strong enough to break the doorknob with apparent ease. She could have noticed his perfect angelic face, his brilliant silver hair, shinier than anyone would think possible for hair to be, or his peaceful and intelligent azure blue eyes.
Yako could have also noticed the fact that Quemar let her go. She could have noticed his fearful expression and how it was directed at the mysterious young man. She could have also taken note that he called her 'Yako-neesan', despite the fact that she did not remember ever meeting him before and they were in appearance the same age.
However, out of all the things Yako could have noticed, the one thing that caught her attention was the cookie the silver haired boy was holding. It was a large cookie, about five inches wide and half an inch thick. The cookie's consistency was perfect, with beautifully distributed equally sized rich chocolate chips, arranged in perfect symmetry. The cookie's scent was amazing and it attracted Yako in a trance. "Cookie..." she muttered like a zombie.
"Oh yes, this cookie is for you, go ahead, you can eat it." The mysterious boy gave Yako the cookie.
"Thank you!" All of Yako's worries disappeared as she ate the heavenly cookie. She didn't notice that Quemar had jumped out the window and ran away in a panic. "This is... this is... To say it's delicious is not enough! It's amazing, wonderful, it's... it's... it's impossible to describe it with words! This cookie is like a little piece of Heaven. I must know where it came from!"
The mystery boy smiled, amused with Yako's infatuation with the cookie, "would you believe me if I said the cookie was made by an angel?"
Yako nodded her head energetically, "tell me, where can I find more?"
"Aren't you worried about Quemar?"
Yako blinked and remembered the situation. She spun around searching for Quemar, but didn't find him. "When did he leave?"
"While you were eating, never mind, it's okay. Yako-oneesan, I must ask you not to speak of me to Master Neuro."
"Master?" Things were becoming more confusing then ever. Yako tried to put the facts together in her head. This man, whoever he was, was clearly not human. Quemar was afraid of him, thus it was logical to conclude that he was stronger than Quemar. Quemar called Neuro a traitor and this man called him master, thus it could be inferred that he was on Neuro side.
"Master Neuro must not know of me, it was his own order."
Yako tilted her head to the side, "okay..." Neuro was unusual, though Yako couldn't imagine why he would order someone to save her and have it all be kept in secret from him. If Neuro gave the order, then wouldn't he already know? Regardless of that, wouldn't he want the details either way?
"Please, Yako-neesan!"
"Alright, I understand, you did save me and you're on Neuro's side, so I'll do what you ask and not tell Neuro. I'm not sure why he would request something like that, but I'll do it." Yako was as confused as ever, but she felt she should go with the flow in that situation.
"Thank you, now go to Master Neuro and tell him about Quemar, but you must tell him you escaped on your own, don't mention me at all. You probably won't notice me, but I'll watch you from afar all the way. Master Neuro is in the office right now; I'll leave once you're with him."
Yako nodded, eager to be with Neuro again, she wouldn't mention the man with silver hair, but maybe when she told him about Quemar, he would reveal something that would help get her out of this confusion. "What's your name?"
"That would be revealing too much information."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Even so, my name says too much about me. Go now, Yako-neesan, return with Master Neuro, you'll be safe with him."
"I take it you won't tell me why you call me Yako-neesan either?" The boy shook his head and Yako sighed, "but you will tell me about the cookie, right?"
"You will not allow me to escape without that information, I'm sure. Very well, the cookie was baked by Yuka-neesan."
"Yuka?" Yako mused over the name for a moment. "Yukari? My cousin Yukari?" Yako's shock grew as he nodded. "I didn't even know she could bake! Where is she? She's always traveling around, I get postcard sometimes, but they come from all over the world. To be in so many different places at such close dates, she must practically live on an airplane."
"You must be on your way now, Yako-neesan, don't forget to keep the secret, as per Master Neuro's wishes." The boy hopped out the window and when Yako looked outside, he was nowhere to be seen.
xoxox xox xoxox
As Yako made her way down the crowded streets, she was too lost in thought to notice the stares and murmurs. Several journalists had approached her the way, but as she mumbled, "no comment," she sounded so lost in thought that the reporters knew right away they wouldn't get anything out of her.
Yako didn't see the boy following her, but she somehow knew he was there. He must be of Neuro's race as well, it was the only explanation Yako could think of. She thought of her cousin Yukari, whom she had not personally seen in years, though she sometimes received pictures of her standing in front of famous monuments and places around the world. She was a few years older than Yako and never interested in cooking, yet that mysterious boy knew her and claimed she baked that delicious cookie. Yukari was not an angel, all the opposite, she thrived in having abundant material positions, especially jewels, she loved jewelry.
Yako's cousin also loved to travel the world and didn't stay too long in one place. She sent gifts for Christmas and birthdays. Yako remembered the latest gift she received from her cousin, she didn't dare wear those huge diamond earrings in public; furthermore, they were heavy and uncomfortable. Yukari was no angel, she was materialistic, vain and conceited. She couldn't resist the glitter of gold and jewels and most of all, she couldn't resist chasing after handsome men. But she might have changed since Yako last saw her in person...
Yako shook her head at the thoughts; she shouldn't be thinking such things of her cousin whom she had not seen in years. Yukari had always taken care to send presents during birthdays and holidays, they were of little use to Yako, but it was the thought that counted. Yako had tried to send Yukari gifts as well, but they were always returned because she had already checked out of the hotel by the time the packages got there, thus Yako eventually gave up. Emails were the only form of communication they had.
Yako sighed, she was thinking too hard and in her trance she reached the office. She made her way in, opening the door and observing the scene inside. Godai was looking over some papers and grumbling obscenities, those must be bills. Neuro was at his desk, looking at Yako from the corner of his eyes while he pretended he was absorbed on reading something on the newspaper. Baby Mystery was giggling cheerfully while Akane tickled him.
Godai suddenly got up, he was in a very bad mood and possibly still annoyed about the incident he walked into and more so about the credit card. Yako could feel herself blush just thinking about it. "I'm going to get some food," Godai headed for the door where Yako still stood. "I got it; I'll bring you a bag of chips or something."
Yako moved aside, finally realizing she was blocking the exit. After Godai was gone, Yako approached Neuro and noticed his gaze was fixed on her hand. "I hurt my hand; it was a side effect of the bracelet. The bracelet saved me and then it dissolved." She would only tell Neuro about the first confrontation, altering the time frame if he asked for further details, and nothing more.
Neuro shook his head, letting the newspaper fall into the desk and getting up from his chair. He rounded the desk and stood next to Yako. "Only someone as stupid as you could break it. That bracelet was for your protection because you're such a helpless weakling. It would give you enough strength to overpower any human."
"But the man who tried to kill me wasn't human! He was of your kind, his name was Quemar," Yako revealed.
Neuro paused, his expression melting from icy indifference to surprise for just a split second, before becoming serious. "What idiocy brings you to that conclusion?"
"He told me his name. He had red hair and red eyes, he was a pyromaniac and he tried to kill me. I punched him and got away," Yako elaborated.
"Quemar, that weakling, to be beaten by a lowly human so easily... But why would the lackey be here?" Neuro was thinking aloud, more so than speaking to Yako now.
She responded anyway, "lackey? You know who he works for?"
"That is not your concern, slug. Explaining it to you is as useless as you are."
Yako pouted, she knew she wouldn't be getting any more information out of Neuro, but she could tell he knew plenty. She didn't understand why he would order the silver haired boy's interference to be kept quiet, but maybe he already knew and wanted to avoid repetition, at least that was Yako's theory.
"Slave, from now on, you are not to be away from me for a single second. You will stay where I can see you at all times." Though Neuro's decision could only mean there was danger, Yako couldn't help it but to feel strangely happy.
xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox
Mystery 19: Pretense
"My throat is dry," Yako announced after several minutes of silence. Mystery was still playing with Akane and Godai was still out. "I'll just grab something from the vending machine real quick."
"You are not going anywhere," Neuro was firm and commanding.
Yako had been given the privilege of regular vending machine breaks lately, provided that she returned to work swiftly, a distraction of above two minutes was out of the question, but that aside, Neuro had become more lenient over time.
Before Yako could protest, Neuro rolled up a newspaper and hit her on the head, "what part of not being away from me does your single brain cell not understand?"
"I was just-"
"Unnecessary."
Yako was quiet. Neuro seemed to be on edge, he already had a big mystery on his hands and he didn't like the turn of events Quemar's precense announced. Yako continued her task of cleaning the office in silence, occasionally muttering a small complaint about her thirst. She opened a window, leaning out to shake the dust out of her feather duster, then suddenly felt Neuro pulling her back by the ear.
"Don't lean out so far, with your lack of coordination and balance you'll fall. You're so stupid, useless, pathetic, clumsy and weak." He dragged Yako along with him, sitting at the desk with her on his lap.
Yako rubbed her pained ear and wondered how Neuro could continue working so easily with her sitting there as if she wasn't. She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful slumber.
The next thing Yako knew, Neuro stood up abruptly, catching her by the shoulders, "wake up!" His voice was too urgent.
"I'm awake!" Whatever slumber was left in Yako's eyes, disappeared when her eyes were locked on Neuro's analytical expression.
"You didn't eat any strange foods did you?"
Yako shook her head but her expression betrayed her. The cookie itself wasn't strange as most people would define the concept of strange. But it was unusually good and the situation in which it was received was definitely strange. "I might have eaten something rotten..."
"That would explain why your breath stinks," Neuro actually sounded like he did smell something, but it wasn't bad breath. He smelled the work of a sort of spell.
"It does not!" Yako blew into her hand and was caught off guard, not because her breath smelled bad, but because it smelled too good. The perfect scent of the cookie was in her mouth, exactly as she remembered it, perhaps a little lighter. It was a pleasant smell, different from the lingering scent of food one would get after eating. It was like one of those air fresheners meant to make the house smell like a bakery, it was like a cookie scented body lotion, it was good.
"Let's go," Neuro dragged Yako by the arm and approached the door. He looked back at Mystery playing with Akane, "Mystery, if anyone bad comes, scare them away, and if they persist, eat them."
Mystery giggled and cheered, while Yako's eyes widened and Neuro dragged her out of the office to the elevator. "He's not really going to eat anyone, is he? Neuro? Mystery doesn't eat humans, right? The joke with the mannequin was only a joke, right? You didn't do that to mentally prepare me, did you? Neuro? Neuro, please answer me!"
"He can consume my kind's energy, but I doubt he would try to eat their bodies, he prefers the meat of earthling animals, excluding humans." Neuro finally had some mercy on Yako and revealed a small piece of information.
Yako let out a breath of relief. "He's really special..." He must be if Neuro left him in the office, even if it was for a few minutes. Mystery must be stronger than she could imagine. "What about human energy?"
"He can eat human energy also but that energy is too weak to be satisfactory unless it is in the form of a mystery. The hatchling has a voracious appetite, like someone I know. That's enough questions, shut up maggot."
When the elevator doors opened, Neuro placed his arm around Yako's waist and led her towards the vending machines, where a secretary from one of the offices on the lower floors of the building, was battling with the soda machine. "It ate my money!" She shouted as she pointed at the machine accusingly and pouted indignantly.
Neuro put on his nice act. "I'll get it to work, Sensei, why don't you and the nice lady go stand over there," he pointed to the far corner, away from the exits and windows, where he could easily intercept anyone who tried to approach.
The secretary didn't question the need to stand away from the machine. She never knew Neuro intended to use his powers on it and didn't want the light shockwave to be detected. Instead the secretary took the opportunity to chat with Yako. "He's so considerate. I'm sure you two are truly happy together. I'm not listening to the press; they just love to ruin relationships, that's what makes a story. By the way, what is the name of that lovely perfume you're wearing, it smells just like cookies, or is it a body lotion?"
"Um... I was making cookies and the smell stuck to me," it would be silly for such a noticeable scent to stick to her breath enough for Yako to transmit it by simply breathing, thus she tried to give the lady a more believable excuse. Maybe that cookie was special in more than just taste, but she couldn't tell Neuro. Not only had Yako given the mysterious boy who saved her, her word that she would keep his precense a secret, also Neuro would be furious if he knew she accepted food from a stranger, a very strange stranger. Nevertheless she didn't feel ill and it would make no sense for the boy to save her then poison her.
While Yako was lost in thought, the secretary continued to chatter until Neuro approached, "excuse me miss, this came out of the vending machine so I'm guessing it was the drink you were trying to buy."
"Oh yes!" The secretary happily took the Diet Pepsi can. "Thank you!" She cheerfully skipped back to her office, satisfied with herself for giving Yako all those words of encouragement, she didn't realize Yako hardly heard any of them.
"Here you are, Sensei, let's go back to the office," again Neuro led Yako to the elevator with his arm around her waist after handing her a large bottle of Pepsi. Yako opened it in the elevator but Neuro warned her, "not yet," and she dared not drink it.
After the pair returned to the office, Neuro handed Yako a second Pepsi bottle, which he pretended to have gotten for himself, she would need it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black candy ball, wrapped in clear paper. He removed the wrapper and pushed the candy into Yako's mouth, holding it closed as she attempted to scream and spit it out.
Yako struggled and stomped her feet, closing her eyes tightly from the pain. Finally, after a few eternal seconds, the odd candy ball dissolved and Neuro let her go. Yako drank both bottles of Pepsi in five seconds. She panted for breath, letting the empty plastic bottles slip out of her hands and she desperately fanned her mouth. "I think you burned off my ability to taste," her fear was real.
"You're too much of a glutton for that to happen," Neuro's words were somewhat comforting. "Now you don't smell quite as foul. Of course you're still terribly ugly, but nothing can solve that." Neuro couldn't smell the spell any longer, but his instinct told him it might still be on Yako, waiting to be activated when she fell asleep, yet he didn't detect anything so he ignored the nagging feeling. He didn't ask her about it, if anyone had casted a spell on her to her knowledge, Yako would have mentioned it already. If she didn't say anything, she either couldn't speak of it as a side effect of the spell, or simply didn't know she was under a spell.
Yako tested her breath again but she didn't smell anything, nothing at all. Neuro had never complained about the scent of cookies before, though Yako had to admit the smell was unusually strong, it was nice. Did Neuro perceive something else in the scent? Had she truly eaten something she shouldn't have? What about his reaction when he woke her up, what did he sense then? Something was going on and Neuro wasn't giving her the full explanation. "I don't think I'll ever feel anything in my mouth again, the burning is going away, but I'm all numb now."
"Stop complaining, pathetic insect," Neuro suddenly pulled Yako into his arms and proceeded to prove she wasn't as numb as she thought, by kissing her.
Godai entered the office and cursed his timing, "lock the door you two! For crying out loud, the kid's watching!"
"Shut up and get back to work, slave number two! What I do with my property is none of your business," Neuro ordered.
Yako blushed and of all the things she could have done at that moment, she chose to let her eyes wander towards the bag of chips Godai held and asked, "is that for me?"
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Private Evileye Nogami Neuro or Pepsi. Quemar means "to burn". About mystery 15, many thanks to Unknown D Flamerose for the idea of the baby liking Halloween toys and to FreyaLin for reminding me of the issue of the baby eating meat in the video, it was clarified in this chapter.