Mi would be sitting down at sweet harmony still, drinking a smoothie as she sat down in silence. Her mind raced with thoughts of Kibe. Her mind racing as she thought about him, her mouth going against her food in the same force she wished-
"WHAT AM I THINKING!? Hes so cold and distant. He doesn't really want to..." Mi stuttered as she and everyone turned to see Akia run inside with heavy breath.
"SOMEONE HELP! A boy...hes....HES BEING JUMPED! 5 or something guys, hes...HE NEEDS HELP!" Akia shouted, Mi looked at her for a moment. She was ready to just ignore it before she saw Akia holding Kibe's bag.
"Kibe? What are you doing with Kibe's bag!" she asked as she got up and went to Akia who was still a bit spooked.
"I-I, he was just...I-I don't know." Akia mumbled as the Mi grabbed the bag and set it down.
"It's alright how about, you sit down and we'll call the police." Mi said
"Don't bother. I handled it." said Kibe, the two girls looked over and saw Kibe sitting down with a glass of water. They looked in total shock, his uniform was a bit loose and had a blood stain or two, but he was sitting calmly, and his hair wasn't even frizzled or scuffed.
"K-Kibe?" Mi said
"How did you...But I just saw you-"
"I blend in pretty well." Kibe said
"When did you get the glass of water?" Mi asked confused
"He ordered ma'am." Said the woman behind the counter. The girls looked at one another confused, Soon after Kibe explained to them what happened.
"No way! Thats insane. I can't believe you fended them off so well and that many." Akia said as Mi then grabbed Kibe's arm.
"OH MY GOSH! WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! YOU SHOULD HAVE RAN WITH AKIA!" Mi shouted
"Please stop shouting. I wasn't in danger. Though I did conclude that we may have been followed." Kibe said
"Huh?" Mi said
"Yes, I have a sneaking suspicion that they weren't entirely there by coincidence. They were set up there. That many goons of his and the fact that it was the same two from before. Not a coincidence.
The only person missing was-"
"The boss." Akia finished.
"Precisely, I can't have any conflict happening right now. Now when I'm almost knee-deep in school. So I'll have to end this." Kibe said as he gestured for his bag, Mi gave it to him.
"What are you going to do? It looks like this Tatsuo guy has a big gang, I think the police should still be called." Akia said
"No, cops only lead to one thing. And that's unwanted questions. Questions of which I don't want to have to answer." Kibe said as he reached into his back pocket. Mi looked at him concerned.
"Hes acting like it again, this reminds me of that day. There were so many police and the blood...he was so young too. Kibe, please don't do anything crazy." Mi thought to herself, that's when Kibe pulled the gun he had gotten from one of the goons out of his back pocket. The girls looked in total shock.
"WOAH! Th-that's a real gun!" Akia said
"Yes, it is. It's a taurus G2C 9mm pistol, 3.2 inch barrel, polymer grip, and has 12 rounds in it. The guy only had one magazine though. Weighs about 22 ounces, and has a steel ramp sight and adjustable aim.
It's nice." Kibe said as he then looked at Mi and Akia who were creeped out at how well he knew about the gun.
"When did you get into guns? Let alone know how to use one?" Mi asked
"About 4 years ago, I'm certified, can use and have a license to use about any gun and weapon in Japan, Russia, Canada, and the US." Kibe said as he put the pistol in his bag and stood up.
"Akia." Kibe said, she looked up at him.
"I'm going to get my answers from you. Until then. Be safe." Kibe said as he got up, he looked over to Mi and bowed to her.
"Thanks for taking me out. I'm sorry we couldn't do more." Kibe said before walking away
"Wait, Kibe! School starts in about an hour, aren't you coming?" Mi asked
"I can afford to miss a day." Kibe said, he then opened the door to the restaurant and left. As he walked down the street he grabbed his phone from his pocket.
"Tatsuo wasn't there, just his goons. If they were stalking me and Mi then they may know where I live. Or at least a general Idea. Either way. I won't risk anything." He said as he then began to push in some numbers. Back at Kibe's house Tatsuo had picked the lock to the front door and gotten inside.
"Geez this place is bland, no comics, movies, or anything. The kitchen is pretty clear too. If the boss wanted to know anything about this guy then I already told him everything." Tatsuo said as he then walked around the house. He went to the kitchen and looked around. As he did he then would see a picture on the fridge. It was of a young boy Kibe and his mother. She was holding him on her shoulders as they were at a park. The photo was straight.
"Damn, she has some nice ones on her." Tatsuo said as he grabbed the photo. He then looked around some more before he put it back on the fridge, he tried to make it as straight as possible. He then went upstairs and went to Kibe's room.
"What the- It's bland as hell here! Nothing, not a single videogame or station." He said, thats when he heard the sound of the door opening to the house. His heart dropped as he heard it. He froze for a moment, his head going in different directions.
"Kibe? Sweetheart, are you home? I got a phone call from school. They said you didn't go today. What's up?...He must be out." said Kibe's mother as she went over to the kitchen and grabbed her a bottle of whiskey. She then sat down in the living room and poured herself a glass. Tatsuo then sneaked to Kibe's closet and sat in there. After about 30 minutes Kibe would make it back home. He looked over and saw his mother's car. He looked at his phone, 12AM. He put his phone away and then walked up the stairs to his house, he was about to open the door with his keys before he then looked at the lock. He bent over and looked at it. He immediately could tell it was picked.
"Sloppy work, the insides are too messed up." Kibe thought as he then stood up and put his key into the lock, With a few moves of his keys he fixed the lock and then opened the door. He entered inside. Before he even closed the door he sniffed the air.
"...Cologne?" Kibe thought, he closed the door and walked to the living room. He looked over and saw his mother sleeping, snoring really. He walked over and patted her on the head before making his way to the kitchen. He figured the scent likely may be from a man she brought over. As he went to grab the handle of the refrigerator door his eyes moved to the picture of him and his mother. It was off from being completely straight by about 2 degrees. He used his finger and fixed it. He grabbed a glass of cold water and then went to his mother. He set the glass down and sat next to her.
"Mom." Kibe said as he put the cold glass on her face waking her up immediately, She jolted awake, but not before Kibe would move the glass so it wouldn't spill. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Kibe.
"Oh, my sweet boy! OOOOOoooh I love you so much." she said as she hugged him and gave him kisses on his face. Kibe then handed her some water as she then drank it.
"Mom, did you have someone over?" He asked
"Huh? You know I'm not dating nor interested in anyone." his mom said as she kept drinking the water, Kibe then got up and rubbed her shoulder. His heart immediately began to race, he tried his best to keep cognitive thought. To stay critical.
Breath
Breath
Breath
Kibe walked over to the hallway to the stairs and the front door. He then moved his head back a bit as he saw their back sliding door was open. His eyes widened as he faced forward again.
"Breath, breath, breath, breath, breath." Kibe thought to himself as he tried to calm himself down. His eyes then went into instantly looking around for clues.
"Hey Kiby, what happened to your cologne? It smelled so nice, though that brand isn't good for your skin." his mother said before lying down again. Kibe looked back at her and then looked to the door, his eyes then went down.
"No shoe marks, they took off their shoes. Which means they walked around their bare feet." Kibe said as he looked to the carpet floor. His eyes hyper-focused with his attention turned to the strains of carpet. He took a knee and looked closely. He could see the bends in them and the direction from which way the person had possibly moved. He turned back at his mother and looked at her feet. She was wearing stockings which meant her pattern would be different and assuming it was a male and not a woman, then he'd be heavier. Which meant that his focus was on strains that were more laid down. He looked at them, judging from when they were bent and the time when he got back. Suggesting the male isn't anything over 180lbs, the strains should all be at a precise angle.
Kibe got on his stomach and used his fingers, he put one over the bent ones that weren't his from walking, and then looked to where his mother was standing. He looked at where her feet had been as he looked at her exact route. He then found the angle of strains he was looking for. He got up and looked around the floor where the footprints had gone. He began following them around the living room and kitchen. His mother watched him walk around, she wasn't bothered and just kept drinking her water. He then went over to the stairs. He looked up at them and went up his carpeted stairs. He followed them to his room. He looked around and followed them to his closet. He looked at it and saw it was closed, but not all the way.
"No thief, nothing appears stolen from my room. Unless the man wears a 15, which judging from his foot size I'd say hes about a 12 or even 11. Smaller than the average male. Then he was just looking around, but why and who?" Kibe said as he closed his closet all the way and stood in his bedroom for a minute. As he connected the dots he then walked downstairs and went to close the back sliding door. He then got on his phone and typed in a number.
Halfway across town in a warehouse at night, Tatsuo and the rest of his goons, along with the wounded ones were sitting around.
"I'm not kidding boss, he beat the shit out of us! Hes not normal!" said goon #8 as the rest of the others that were with him were sitting down and patching themselves up. Tatsuo was chewing on some gum as he massaged his head, annoyed and pissed as hell.
"So let me get this straight, one guy. One fucking ordinary guy, beat the shit out of 12 of my boys. Is that...is that what are you telling me?" Tatsuo said in anger as he looked at them, they all looked at one another and shrugged. Tatsuo got up and then kicked a barrel in anger. That's when he'd suddenly get a phone call. He grabbed his phone and looked at it, it showed no caller ID. He picked it up.
"Who the hell is this?" Tatsuo
"One of the residents of the house you broke into." Kibe said on the other line. Tatsuo backed away from his phone in shock, he looked at his other guys and then got back on his phone.
"How the hell did you get this number?" Tatsuo asked
"That is entirely irrelevant to the purpose of my calling you. I want you to know that I have the fingerprints of everything you touched here and evidence to prove that you indeed did break into my house. With your horrible record and accounts of violence at school, no one will be taking your side when I tell the police it was you. I'd get a lawyer if I were you" Kibe said before he then hung up. Tatsuo looked at his phone after Kibe hung up. Kibe was standing in his room. His hands folded and gripping his arms tightly, he set his phone on his desk and then walked downstairs. He looked at his mother sitting down in the living room on her phone. He thought about all the possibilities of what could have happened.
His heart continued to race more and more until finally, all critical thinking left him, and his face twisted with anger. He then stomped upstairs and went to his phone and called Tatsuo again.
"WHAT!" Tatsuo shouted into his phone as he picked it up
"You know what, instead I'd like to kill you." Kibe threatened which caught Tatsuo completely off guard and then sent a shiver up his spine. Tatsuo looked back at his gang and then at his phone again.
"Listen here you little prick, when I-" However Kibe hung up before Tatsuo could finish, Tatsuo looked at his phone in frustration.
"SHIT" He mumbled as he put it in his pocket, Kibe stood in his room looking at his phone. He tried to breathe and after taking a minute to do so would eventually come to...a somewhat more reasonable mood. To him at least. Kibe would call Tatsuo again.
"Hey pal I-"
"I will you to listen and not speak a word, I don't know what kind of game your playing or who you think you may be. But not being a breather of oxygen is about to be off that list. I'm an ordinary guy. A VERY ordinary guy, blander than the concept itself. Messing with me while still stupid at least meant you'd get to see the sun, but entering my home and endangering my mother was the last thing on the list of tricks you could have pulled. Be grateful your a somewhat decent human being, because if you had hurt her and even given her so much as a fright.
I would have been to your location faster than a heartbeat, I'd have beaten every thug, scumbag, and delinquent there and I would have beaten you to near death! But not before I forced you to drink the blood of every broken and battered member of your little gang and as I watched you choke on it I would have forced you TO DRINK SOME MORE!
Lucky for you, she's alright. She was passed out while you were still infesting this place with your wrenched stench you call cologne. So now you have two options, either you suddenly become Superman and knock me into the next universe, or you can tell me what your last words are cause as soon as I'm done with this call. I'm gonna call the cemetery and let them know what to put on your obituary." Kibe said as then hung up the phone for the last time. Tatsuo looked at his phone in a cold sweat before looking at his other boys. He didn't know what to say.
Kibe put his phone in his pocket as he then got dressed up. He put on a black short-sleeved shirt with some black shoes and some black pants. He grabbed the gun from his bag and put it in his back pocket. He then stretched for a bit and put on his watch. He proceeded to walk downstairs and to the front door.
"Where are you going out so late sweetie?" His mother asked
"Out." He said
"Ok, well be safe. Don't let me hear you got into any trouble." she said as she waved him away.
"Of course." Kibe said, he went to reach for the door and left. Someplace else the figure that Tatsuo was talking to beforehand was sitting once again in the shadows, he was in a hotel room. four other people there as well. One of them was a girl with long lavender hair, a boy with a paper bag on his face with a smile drawn on it, another a boy with blonde hair, and lastly a short girl with pink hair and a bowtie. The figure put down a phone, setting it down on a small table.
"It would seem that one of our playing cards, has been outplayed." said the figure.
"Which one?" asked the blonde boy
"The gangsters have finally run their course." said the figure
"Gangsters were dime a dozen, we'll for sure find more who are willing to throw their lives away for little. Reward." the lavender-haired girl said as she moved a fan in front of her mouth.
"But who would go around ruining our fun? Now we have to go and get all new toys." said the short pink-haired girl.
"That's what I want to know. So, Takashi. Go and observe the interaction between our friend and Tatsuo." said the figure
"HUH? Me? Why? I don't give a rat's ass about wannabe gangster's ass! Why do I have to go?" Takashi asked, but when the figure's ruby-colored eyes pierced all Takashi could do was sigh as he began walking to the exit of the room.
"This mystery figure sure is interesting, I hope he'll last longer in our game than the other pieces." said the short girl with pink hair.
"Oh, I don't think this piece will break so easily. In fact, I think they may indeed be the last piece we've been looking for." said the shadowy figure, elsewhere Kibe was making his way to Tatsuo's location. As he walked through the empty streets of the city his mind ventured through millions of possibilities. How was he to do it? How could he do this without drawing more attention to himself? He knew there was a way. He just hadn't thought of it yet. That's when he got a buzz from his phone.
"A notification? But I don't have any sort of social media. How could someone be messaging me?" Kibe thought, he then looked at the message.
"Goodluck? We'll be watching." Kibe read, he looked at the number attached to the message. He tried to pinpoint it, but it was entirely blocked. No method he used could allow him to reach the original sender.
"...Someone's been watching me." Kibe said with for the first time, a sign of worry and pinch of fear in his voice. He then looked ahead and saw he was already at the warehouse. He looked at his phone one more time before he then put it away and walked forward. As he did, two thugs outside the entrance to the warehouse looked at him.
"Hey punk this place is off limits, go somewhere else." said the thug
"I'm not going anywhere till I see Tatsuo." Kibe said
"Then I guess you'll just have to-"
"Hey, want to know something?" Kibe asked, the two thugs looked at each other and then to Kibe.
"I can't believe that guy figured it out. How in the hell did he-" But before Tatsuo could finish the doors to the warehouse opened, and through them walked in none other than Kibe himself. Everyone looked at him in shock as he simply walked inside.
"You...How the hell did you find me?!" Tatsuo shouted
"It was pretty easy, from getting your phone number, to tracking your phone through the school network let alone the regular phone system. It was like riding a bike." Kibe said as he stood in front of Tatsuo who was illuminated by the light above him from the skylight. While Kibe was standing in the darkness with the other thugs.
"Hehe, Even if that's the case. All you've done is walk right into a wasp's nest." Tatsuo said with a smirk, but it'd go away as Kibe still gave no expression to him. Kibe did however look around the room, it didn't seem like anyone possessed a firearm. Perfect.
"You still think your are in control here? Still feeling like you can win?" Kibe asked
"....Yea, guess I am." Tatsuo said as he then got a bat from behind him. He got himself ready to fight against Kibe. Everyone watched as the two stared at one another.
"ALRIGHT KIBE! PREPARE TO BE-"
"That won't be happening." Kibe said as he got out his pistol and pointed it right at Tatsuo, Tatsuo's face dropped along with everyone else's. He was shocked.
"I- this is supposed to be a fair match!" Tatsuo shouted
"Fair? Was attempting to ambush me fair? Was having your goons follow me and Mi around fair? Was invading my home and endangering my fair?" Kibe asked, to which Tatsuo had no response.
"I didn't think so. Fairness is a concept created by man only to be broken. The world wasn't built nor made to be fair. Fairness is equality and as we both know; that doesn't exist. Otherwise, you and I wouldn't be so far apart in terms of intellect now would we." Kibe said, Tatsuo looked around at his boys before he dropped the bat.
"Alright then, you win. Go ahead. Shoot me, wise guy." Tatsuo said
"No." Kibe said to which Tatsuo looked at him in shock.
"I didn't come here to kill you, I've come here to watch you kill yourself." Kibe said. Tatsuo looked at him in disbelief.
"The hell? LIKE I'D EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Tatsuo shouted
"Oh, but you want to. I know you do." Kibe said
"The hell would you know about me freak?!" Tatsuo said
"A lot actually, you see unlike you. I do my research before I go flying into something. All people are just books waiting to be read and unfortunately for you Tatsuo. You've been read." Kibe said
"..."
"Don't believe me? At least your sister would have understood when she was nicked." Kibe said
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER?! DON'T SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE YOU KNOW HER!!" Tatsuo shouted
"Oh, but I do know a lot about her. Social media keeps track of everything, including what everyone post. I never got into social media until our little incident and then I realized all the new books I can read. That includes the dead too. Like your sister." Kibe said
"What are you getting at?" Tatsuo asked
"Your no killer Tatsuo, but that doesn't mean you've never killed before. It was an accident, wasn't it?" Kibe said, thats Tatsuo began to back away.
"S-Stop..." Tatsuo said with shaky words
"You were young and foolish, but it still happened. You pulled the trigger. You wanted to look cool. Just like how you're trying to now." Kibe said
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Tatsuo screamed as his eyes began to get watery
"That day you wanted to show off how cool you were to your pals, so you stole your father's gun. But you didn't know how it worked. So in your room, you practiced. Until your sister walked in and-"
"I SAID SHUUUT UUUUPPP!!!" Tatsuo screamed as he fell backward, his hands over his ears as tears rushed down his face.
"....I-I just wanted to be accepted. I was so tired of being alone. Tired of always being bullied for trying, 'cause that's all I ever did was try." Tatsuo said
"..."
"She...she, oh god Momi, I'm so sorry." Tatsuo cried, Kibe looked down at him, his gun to his side. His green eyes almost glowed in the darkness as like spotlights onto Tatsuo, the moonlight beginning to leave this place.
"Your not sorry. Look at you now. Still trying to do what got her killed in the first place. If you were sorry, then you'd make for it in the right way. Show her and the family that threw you out how truly sorry you are.
Sorry for taking away the life of someone who could have given more to this world in a few years, than you could ever do in your entire life. Why was she killed instead of you? Why didn't your mother just get an abortion when she knew about a second child. Why keep alive someone whose only good trait, is trying." Kibe said
"....I-I....I don't know." Tatsuo cried
"Then do the right thing Tatsuo." Kibe said as he walked over to him, Tatsuo looked up to Kibe. Kibe looked at the gun and then handed it to him.
"Stop trying, do it. Show your family you are truly sorry, and that you care about the fact you ripped the life away from a good possibly brilliant doctor, female astronaut, or even a teacher.
While you may have killed her, we both know that you've been the one looking down the barrel. You just never had the strength to do it. Cause you will always try and never do." Kibe said to which Tasuo's head slumped over, his tears still falling from his face.
"Do it Tatsuo, show them what it means to truly do something. In a world such as this Kibe, the only ones who should kill are those ready to die themselves.
So do it." Kibe said, Tatsuo looked at the gun, his hand slowly reached for it and grabbed it. His teary eyes reflected in the cleanliness of the weapon. He then looked up to Kibe.
"...W-Will you tell them I'm sorry? That I never meant to." Tatsuo asked as he slowly pointed the gun at his head.
"No." Kibe said
BANG
Tatsuo's body fell over, all of his boys were shocked at the action he had just committed. His body twitched for a few moments, and some of the guys around them threw up.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" shouted one of them, while the others began to scramble. Kibe took off his shoes and walked over to Tatsuo's bleeding body. Kibe picked up the gun and then took off his blood-soaked socks before putting his shoes on.
"Now, the rest of you! I want you all to disband and never and I mean never. Come for me again." Kibe said, all the boys then scattered. Kibe put his blood-soaked socks into his school bag. The silence of the empty warehouse was almost unreal.
"It's finished." Kibe said as he turned around and began to walk home, but once he reached the outside, not only was it raining, but someone was standing there waiting for him in the rain that had started outside.
"Hm?"
"Bravo, truly a spectacular show! Magnificent!" said the boy, Kibe looked at him and saw he was wearing a Sawa high school uniform. It was a little different though, he had a small arm band on with an odd symbol and his inner shirt was purple instead of the standard white.
"Do you know who I am?" asked the boy
"I do, your are one of the school student council members, Otsuka Takashi. And the head of the drama and music club." Kibe said to which Takashi smiled and gave a loud round of applause. Kibe looked at him and immediately began to learn everything he could, from what he could make of him. He was an elephant, a boy from space, and a man who killed hundreds of gods for vengeance-
"Wait what?!" Kibe thought in shock, that wasn't right.
"I can see you yaknow, your eyes as they gaze upon me. Trying to gather the intel you need. But at any moment I can be whoever I want. One moment I'm the monkey king, the next I'm a man who leaps small buildings in a single bound and the next I'm the president of the cosmos. Your trick of foresight won't work on me good sir." said Takashi
"What do you want?" Kibe asked
"To know why of course. Why are you suddenly blackmailing the school security and now, getting rid of the rubbish." Takashi said
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kibe said
"Oh I think you do, I don't need you to admit though. I can see it. I've had many and I mean many students and even adults come onto my stage and act their souls out. When I peer into them, when the lights come on and illuminate them on that stage. I don't see a actor. I see their true selves.
There are only two kinds of actors in this world, those that wear a mask and play the part and those that are the mask. Which one are you I wonder." Takashi said with a smirk, but Kibe gave no reaction.
"Well, I must be getting back. I got everything I needed." Takashi said as he began to walk away, but then he stopped and looked back.
"I don't believe I ever got your name." He said
"Nori Kibe." Kibe said
"Giving it away so easily, your not afraid for what's coming for you are you?" Takashi said
"Fear is a human concept, made to express an emotion towards something that brings them destress or they can't understand." Kibe said
"And you then?" He asked
"Whoever said I was human." Kibe answered to which Takashi smirked as he waved away leaving the scene. Kibe got on his phone and went to check the school's system and records.
"Nothing, no data, and no history on him or the student council." Kibe said, he then turned off his phone and looked into the darkness of the night. For the first time, he had no idea what was coming. For the first time-
It was him, who was in the dark.