Bokutachi wa Akuma: Chapter Twenty-five

They had obviously arrived first, again. Even with the strict transit system, Aiya still seemed to find a way to be the first one to the destination. Dragging Maruki onto the platform, Aiya dragged his friend up the many stairs to the ground level of the station, searching around for their other friends. Setting his butt down on the nearest bench, Maruki told Aiya to stay still or the other two would never be able to find them if they were running around the station.

After hearing that the train from the other direction had passed three times and having no sight of the other two, Maruki began to get frustrated. Just before the fourth train was about to arrive at the platform below them, Maruki was writing a text to Daichi, impatiently asking where he was and why he was taking so long.

Just as the text had sent, Aiya pointed off into the direction of the stairs, seeing them come their way. Standing up, the two friends walked over to the two who had gotten off the train.

“So where are those guys?” Maruki went straight to the point. Before Daichi could answer he pulled out his phone, feeling it had vibrated from a message. “Oh, it’s just me.” The two who came from the park lead Maruki and Aiya out of the station, whatever or whoever those people were, a train station was not the place to talk about them.

Daichi stood next to Maruki, hoping to keep things quiet and between them. He described the two mysterious men as best he could remember. Their physical appearance was enough description for Aiya to know who they were.

“Wait! What?” Aiya stopped in mid step, his jaw hanging wide open. “Aren’t those two members of the idol group H2O?” He looked from Daichi to Ryota quickly.

The two looked to each other quickly, the same epiphany hit them at the same time.

“What!” Those two were celebrities. “Why would they be looking for Maruki?” Ryota would not believe it if it was not true, they were the ones that were asking for Maruki.

Maruki was nothing special, or so the two innocent standbys thought. He was sweet and polite to everyone. He was great to console in for he was a very good listener and was one to never judge others. He was a loving and caring individual to all his friends. He was brave and intelligent in almost every aspect of life. He was talented in everything he put his heart to. Though he was a friend, his friends found that he was rather attractive, for a male. Other then his normal, cheerful personality, there was nothing special about him. He was unique in being a best friend, but nothing like they had thought.

Maruki and Aiya both knew what these men were looking for when they were looking for Maruki, their only concern was how they found out. Maruki stared down at the ground for a moment with a harsh furrow in his brows.

“I can’t imagine anything that they would want with me.” He lied. He couldn't risk the safety of Ryota or Daichi, nor was he prepared for a difficult conversation with them about his unique secret as to why they were after him.

Not another word had a chance to be uttered; Ryota had seen something that was neither a dream nor a vision.

“Ne, Dai chan.” He tugged on his sleeve, his eyes not prying away from what he had seen. “It’s them again.” He spoke distantly, worried by these two celebrities now. This was no coincidence; they had known that they came to this train station to meet Maruki. The two men had followed Daichi and Ryota to this station.

Aiya looked up and around, trying to see what Ryota had seen. The platinum blond hair and the cute, girly face; along side him was the fiery red hair and round baby face, it was unmistakably them.

“It’s Raike and Yutaro. It’s them alright.” Aiya may have been the upmost quietest of Go! BEST, but it had its perks. In his spare time he would listen to music, and study to pop culture of the groups he would listen to. “I'm 100% positive it’s them.” No one had questioned him, he was correct.

This was no time for any quarrel, especially between two idol groups in the middle of a train terminal.  Maruki tugged on Daichi's and Aiya's sleeve a couple of times, getting their attention back on him.

“We should go.” There was no argument, they all had turned away and sped off to the nearest doors to the streets where there would be more people around.

The four of them reached the crowded streets, looking around as to which way to go. None of them were near their homes, having all lived in the Shibuya area. They only had the option of getting on a bus, or going back into the station if they wanted to go back home.

“Where do you want to go?” They were being followed, and they, but Maruki, didn't know why they were being followed. “Want to go into a mall or something?” Aiya was most of all scared, he always was.

They had stood for a moment trying to figure out what to do. Maruki was not afraid at all, he was worried for his friends safety. Many people had walked around them as they stood in the middle of the doorway, contemplating as to what to do. From around the corner, on the other side of the glass, came the two celebrated, accompanied by two other men whom came from the other side of the station terminal. They would have boxed them in if they were still in the door, which was their plan all along.

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll talk to them. Just to see what they want.” Maruki let the other three go on ahead, obviously Aiya was hesitant in leaving. “I’ll be fine Ai, I'm sure they just want to talk.” He smiled to Aiya sweetly, patting him on the shoulder and sending him off like a child to school.

Daichi, Ryota and Aiya nodded, walking off to go to the nearest mall to wait for Maruki.

Maruki watched them all walk off into a safe area before he turned around to see all four men standing in a row behind him. Of the four men, he recognized one, he was one of the men that Ruka had been following that day. The elegant one who was tall and thin, he seemed just as classy and aristocratic as the first day he caught a glimpse of him. Stepping closer to him, the four men formed a crescent around the small, sweet boy.

“Can I help you?” He looked to the elegant man. “I know you.” There was a grim memory of him. Maruki had only seen the back of his head and the side of his face, but he remembered him whole-heartedly.

Kyoukei looked down to the boy, leaning forward to be at eye level with each other. His dark hollow eyes stared deeply into Maruki's.

“I know you too young man.” He narrowed his eyes darkly at the young vampire, already sensing something different about him. “You know, we know already.” Kyoukei could not forget such a wonderful day so easily as he had to guide the arrogant vampire through a transformation in the middle of the streets.

Maruki cocked his head back, distancing himself from the man without backing away, like cowardice individuals would have done. He bit down on his bottom lip as he breathed slow and deep, trying to calm himself.

“Is this how those two know?” He shot a glare to the two members who followed his friends to the Nishiazabu terminal. “You were there. And I have a little secret for you too, sempai.” Maruki was young, not aware as to what he could even do in this new form of his seemingly normal body, getting angry was not a good idea for him. He leaned into Kyoukei, whispering into his ear.

“I know you are the same as me.” He didn't need a special power like Kyoukei and Akira relied on, Maruki only needed to special power of memory to know this fact. The small vampire leaned back, looking to the other three behind Kyoukei.

Maruki looked from one to the other slowly, memorizing the other side of their seemingly innocent faces.

“Why?” The young, smaller vampire was alone in this argument, wondering what a group of celebrities could want with one individual like himself. “What would H2O what with me?” he took half a step back, if anything was to happen between them, he was out numbered. A hand gently rose up, holding innocently at his side.

“Up until recently with the help of my friends, I had nothing, I was a normal person. I had no fame, nothing about me in magazines, nothing.” These were experienced idols; they could have long forgotten what it was like to be normal. Talking like that, made him feel a little weary, putting pressure on himself about his faith as a so-called human. “You guys are used to that life, and yet you do this, destined to break many fans’ hearts if they ever found out that you were only acting for the sake of what? Money?” he took another step back, worried about what their comeback could be. From the anger a moment ago, Maruki had felt sad now, thinking about how far he had come with the help of his friends.

Kyoukei stood straight, folding his arms across his chest. He looked to Katori to his right and whispered something in his ear. Silently looking back to Maruki, awaiting his demand to be fulfilled. Raike and Yutaro followed Katori away back into the station doors.  He dropped an arm, stretching out the other to the boy, offering to shake.

“My name is Kyoukei if you were wondering. I have no intention on harming you either.” Maruki would not take his hand if his life counted on it. “Tell me your name.” Kyoukei lowered his hand, slipping it into his pants pocket defenselessly.

That was Kyoukei's ability, to be able to gain the trust of others just by the calming nature of his mysterious voice. He was a bad man, but Maruki could not help feel calmed now by his voice. alone, this man seemed very nice, but with his group, they seemed so threatening.

“My name is Maruki.” He looked to the ground shyly. “I thought you knew that.” Kyoukei was second in command with these murders around the city, and in the search for Maruki, yet he did not know of his name, only his appearance.

Kyoukei let out a soft chuckle of amusement, this young vampire had fallen for it right away.

“You are part of that new idol group are you not Maruki?” Kyoukei kept a close eye on this boy from the very start. Maruki had disappeared for a while, but when their debut finally came, he had come out in the open again. “What was the name again?” Kyoukei kept talking in his hypnotic tone, needing to keep Maruki around long enough for Akira to show up.

Maruki looked up to his senior celebrity with curiosity in his eyes, he had been catching on that he was not thinking right. Narrowing his brows, Maruki was a little taken back that Kyoukei did not know of him, as they were in the same category of idols.

“Hey! GO Hei.” Maruki spoke distantly, trying to figure out why he was still talking to this man.  “Did you not know of us?” Maruki's sweet, distant voice of hypnotism had diminished and he looked up to Kyoukei seriously.

“I mean, we are in the same genre.”

Having taken himself out of the trance that Kyoukei had him under for only a minute, Maruki looked up to him with little amusement in his eyes.

“Gomen ne sempai, it was nice talking to you, but I really need to get going.” Maruki tilted his head in a victorious manner, a small smile on his full, lush lips. “Jaa.” Maruki waved to the elegant man cockily and ran off to meet up with his friends.

Kyoukei clicked his tongue angrily at himself that he could not keep Maruki around long enough for Akira to show up. He folded his arms across his chest stiffly when his cell phone rang. He reached into his breast pocket, pressing the answer button before he could see who it was.

“Kyoukei.” Instead of saying ‘hello’, Kyoukei had always found it easier to answer with his name to avoid any confusion with wrong numbers.

“He’s gone isn’t he?”

He sighed.

“Akira?” He clicked his tongue again. “He's gone.”

“I didn't expect that he would stay around long. “Akira did not sound surprised at all.

“You didn't? Why not?”

He chuckled lightly.

“Because, that's not his personality.” He let out a gentle sigh. “You didn't do your homework did you Kyoukei?”

He was silent.

“Kyoukei. You are going to find out sooner or later. Maruki is not going to be the easiest to deal with. He still holds onto every memory and every emotion possible. He is also very protective over his friends. Because he is protective, he is very cautious of others. Don't prolong an interaction and don't be suspicious.”

“But I…”

“It doesn't matter Kyou, he will still find a way.”

“Tch.” He was getting angry.

“That's what you did, isn’t it?”

“Yes Akira.” He hung up, placing his cell phone back into his breast pocket.

Maruki had obviously stumped this ancient aristocrat. Maruki's adorable personality was too strong for Kyoukei's one-track mind. If Kyoukei wanted to get into Maruki's mind and manipulate him, he would have to start thinking like him.