You were nowhere to be found, not on the surface, at least.

Shiro's heartbeat is running in circles.. there's no way you went back down there, right? His feet are inching closer to the door before he is able to fully comprehend his movements himself.

This sensation of utter apprehension... He wasn't the slightest bit disturbed when he talked to Leo a moment ago. Now, however, he felt his palm building with sweat. "Kazuma? ... [Y/N]..? Are you two playing hide and seek?" He stretched out his hand and then grabbed the doorknob, pulling it open so he could adjust to the light seeping in from below. Of course, there's no response... and it sincerely worried him.

Clearly, it's either you were down there or perhaps tripped into the backrooms. Regardless, he quickly begins to descend down the steps in search of you .. and to his utmost surprise; he sees no one. Neither his pet, or the love of his life.

What did the instinctively do? Pull out his cell phone. He went straight to calling your phone number, tapping his foot against the cold cement while his eyelids lower skeptically. That jet-black draping sheet in the corner hasn't been moved either, judging by the looks of it.. so what was your reason for disappearing?

His shoe stops tapping impatiently once he heard a buzz just beside him. There in the corner, your phone peeked out beside a large storage box. It shifts away from the light discreetly and is immediately concealed, presumably by your hand... so he had no choice but to inspect more closely. "...I hear you." Shiro remarked calmly. His low voice prompted the shadow tucked away to flinch-- and along with that involuntary movement a dog's bark is finally heard.

Kazuma flails around erratically in your arms, desperate to get free, and because of such he is wiggled away from you in no time at all. He ignorantly scampered up towards Shiro, happily revealing himself... Yet that wasn't his concern. He never batted a single eye towards his buddy. In fact he was looking past him and glaring daggers at that box.

No, he wasn't talking to Kazuma... He was talking to you.

His red eyes light up once you shifted around. Your phone is still vibrating loudly, clenched firmly in your palm. And as you stand up beneath the luminescence, you look all too pale for comfort.

"Huh..? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Shiro's happiness vanishes, and replacing it would be instant anxiety. He steps forward, only you cautiously stagger backwards.

Then he proceeds again, just to be met with your retreat once more.

"I said, what's wrong?" Asked Shiro sternly. By then he is pushing his phone into his back pocket, hoping you'd follow up with a reply. It's strange for you to remain so silent. You're always responsive... "[Y/N]." Even if you didn't respond, he knew you like the back of his hand. Your mannerisms, your actions, your thinking process... You're probably wondering if you should answer him at all right now.

"Ah.. ha.. I-- was only hiding!" You finally blurted out. It's not a very convincing statement though, because your voice trembled along with your lips. He simply continued approaching you, his aura excluding an unfamiliar wave of dominance; the type that isn't welcoming. He is trying not to show his displeasure. If he does, it will frighten you.
But, how could he not?
You're lying, blatantly, in his face.

"You're not being honest..." He mumbled out audibly. If only you'd notice his pout, only your eyes are quickly darting to the side out of avoidance. Instinctively, they shoot towards what else lays in the opposite corner, slouched there against the wall discreetly. Knowing this, Shiro also tracks the direction of your [E/C] optics -- leading his displeasure to steepen.

There's no reason you should be looking over there, or hiding for that matter. And let's suppose for a second that he ignored it... Eventually you'll have your questions again.

"I--" Fearfully, you stood there stiffly, and then pulled your fingers through your hair in order to soothe your nerves. "Kazuma was making me curious.. an.. and I... I wanted to take a peek at what was under that black sheet over there--" As you told him your truth, he just keeps holding his stare. Shiro's analyzing you. He's stoic and unreadable, but waited patiently for your continuation.

"I just saw some ligament, I think-- or .. or bone? I don't know, I could barely catch a full glimpse of it."

He'd eagerly twitch an eyebrow. Surely he couldn't be hearing this correctly... You're giving into your curiosities, which we all know would kill the cat. The twin turned his posture, facing it towards that pile of shrouded mass. "..Oh..." He's hesitating again, which isn't a pretty sight for the self-assured person that he is.

"... That's just my old Halloween decoration. It's nothing you should worry about. Really, [Y/N]." Shiro acknowledged the tensing of your shoulders. And seeing the way you still looked at him like a liar, he didn't want to say anything more than that. He's already just being ignorant; you may be gullible, but not that gravely naive.

You clamped your fingers around the pajama pants you wore, knowing better than to rub it off. Looking at what's over there still gives you the chills... Your entire being is practically shouting at you to listen to the unsavory feeling dwelling in your gut. All things considered, Shiro is going to continue lying to you just as you will to him. "Aa..Ah.. I see... We-Well... okay.." So, your only choice here is to feign ignorance.

Don't stick your nose in his business.

It's only a Halloween prop.

It's oNly a pRop.

Nothing more,

Nothing less.

"I should just ... " Your legs, though afraid to shift an inch, finally start to scurry past him, "I'm going to head back upstairs.." What would have been an easy way to avoid confrontation turned out to be a missed opportunity -- for Shiro casually blocks your path. He is standing there, preventing you from travelling forward.. and even if you did, he will stop you.

The male stopped you by grabbing your forearm, earning a slight and subtle jolt out of you. His fingers felt cold, just like his hues ... the sting would persist while he gradually sinks his short nails deeper into your flesh. "Do you want to see?" Shiro is no longer thinking; he's wearing this absurd smile as madness flashes within his expression. You were already feeding your curiosities this far... So why not satiate your hunger? You wanted to know so much, didn't you? So why not get straight to the root and rip it out?

"No, it's okay! I believe you!" You'd quickly defend your resolve and gently touched his hand, as if doing that would lead him to break his arm away. Still, the twin refused to budge-- let alone let you relax. Your heart which is already accelerating now ran profuse circles in your chest... So much so that you thought you'd cave.

He tilted his head, unsure. "But I don't believe you, my love." Shiro let go of your arm, creating emphasis on his opinion. At least he had enough reason to have sensed your rising anxiety. It's not enough to put a candle on his irrational way of thinking, however. "So I'll show you."

Unsettled by his dark voice, your spirit ruptured along with your soul. You are reduced to an anxious mess once he draws closer to the sheet-- yanking it off in one fell swoop. He knew it perfectly... It's the only way you'll ever be satisfied.

You turned your head away the instant you heard the fabric fall to the floor. Shiro was staring at it, almost like he was too enamored... yet while his white eyelashes flutter he is secretly hoping for you to take a peek, so he could finally let out this pent up delirium he's been bottling all this time. "You wanted to know, didn't you? So come look." He says aloud, maintaining his eye contact with the assumed prop.

Regardless, you kept your head lowered. Shiro hates to admit that it pissed him off-- he knows you're infuriatingly stubborn once it applies to your emotions ... Perhaps he should change that. His shoes gently thudded against the floor, sauntering back up to you, and when you didn't see it coming he had grasped your jaw by his hand. It was a rough, single movement-- it's like he could snap your neck effortlessly if he so wanted to.

"I SAID LOOK."

The air is thrown out of your lungs, causing your eyes to widen in the moments he pulls you over himself. Before you, that thing you noticed before is fully present.. still and motionless all at once.

What looks to resemble a person's skeleton proceeds to shock your brain. The dusty spine is leaned up against the wall, and it's fingers are curled up like it was attempting to grasp at someone. It's ribcage didn't seem complete, either. In fact, a few bones were missing once you thought you counted twelve on each side, though it seems you were wrong. Given the context, someone happened to tamper with it... And so you took a heavy gulp. For some terrible reason, the thought of violence flashed your mind. If this was a real person, then their ribcage was probably battered by something heavy...

Then, there was the skeleton's head itself; rather large, and its pure white teeth are slightly stained in spite of its obvious years of decay. Actually, funnily enough-- the thing reeked with no scent. Not of flesh, or death. To you, it did in fact seem like a harmless piece of plastic... Although, under the lit room there is no reflection bouncing off of it.

Meaning, this is a real skeleton.

Upon your realization you tossed yourself backwards, fleeting a few steps away and almost falling onto your rear. During this, your phone flung to the floor, cracking instantly. "Wh..a..t--" You stood your ground while you released a timid shriek in the process. "Wh-- What.. What the hell!?" God, you sincerely hoped you were dreaming.

Shiro couldn't.. he.. he wouldn't... would he?

You quickly covered your head and then slouched forward, your legs wobbling uncontrollably. You staggered, left, then right, suddenly feeling dizzy. "Ah.. Ahh..h.. this... just.. a.. a-- s..ick prank..!" Your words are understandably breaking. The sight flashed your brain over, and over again. You swear it was playing in a constant loop simply to mock you.

You lost the feeling in your legs as the sound of laughter fills your ears. Shiro's laughter. He clenched his stomach and then tilted his head back-- suddenly coming across as deranged after seeing your expression deteriorate in such a lousy manner. This isn't the sound of chuckling coming from a friend, or boyfriend for that matter.. it's the sound only an utter psychopath could muster. Someone who genuinely gets pleasure in seeing another break.

"[Y/N]--" A breath of air leaves his lips as tries to say your name, but continues bursting out into a fit of chuckles. In return-- you looked at him, completely horrified by the extreme change in his personality. Your [E/C] eyes are dull, practically about to leak with helpless tears.

'..I.. I.. need to..' The temptation of escaping, it sounded far fetched now that you were looking at who he truly is. Yet your legs didn't want to move, you were going to start crying before you could even try to. 'I need to call someone.. I need to get out of here...!'

In the midst of your thoughts, your thighs rattle and convulse. Meanwhile Shiro is dialing down and wipes a pleased tear from his eye while he exhales another breath. Smaller this time-- as well as relieved. "That's.. the most I've ever laughed in a while.. besides the first time we were down here, of course." He started clapping his hands, and joining it would be his misshapen smile, curling up deviously like the devil. "To think I fooled you this long, my love!" He spinned around, turning his back to you. "I mean I know you were blind, but even that junior detect might've had better luck figuring everything out."

What? What on earth was he going on about? And why did he have a person's skeleton loitering around where it shouldn't be at all? None of this made any sense.. just as you thought you were finally beginning to understand... he threw you back into uncertainty.

Something else is occurring. And it's not good.

"When I told you that I don't know why this is happening, I was telling the truth." Shiro remarked, "But I can't help but twist the truth a little... I couldn't tell you everything. What I've done, and who I've done it to." He is looking at the bony figure, feeling his eyebrows jerk. He then raised his foot up to its skull, demented eyes swirling from his cruel, demented ways.

You curled up the instant his foot thuds against the skeleton, knocking it over onto it's side and causing its arm to slip from it's socket. "I've killed someone. And I really, REALLY, enjoyed doing it." Shiro thrashed it about, steadying multiple blows against it as if it were an alive person. His grin grows wider and he releases some more uncanny chuckles-- his cheeks were also developing a tinge of red. He's sadistically reliving every ounce of his former glory.

"It's the reason why everything played out so perfectly." Shiro pummeled it again, "Why I got away with so much." Then once more, "Why I could assume what would happen to you, [Y/N]." A crack resounds, and rolling beside you had been the skull belonging to this unknown person. You had no idea whether it was a man or woman. But just judging by their tall physique... Maybe... Maybe it was a young man.

Finally, you lost the will to stand. You fell onto your knees and cowered in fear, desperately covering your mouth as you whimpered softly. Your breathing is not at all stable.. you were on the verge of hyperventilating where you sat.

A wave of nausea causes you to start wretching. To think you had slept with this monster nearly two hours ago ..!

"It's all because Neiji wasn't here this time."

Shiro finished. "..!" The name that sounds all too familiar causes your heart to skip a beat out of pleasure and pain. You may not recognize the person or even remember who they were.. although, your heart was very capable of doing so. Your head eased downwards, gazing upon the skull in horror. Again, your nausea is rushing up to catch back up to you-- amidst that panic attack of yours, it's making your emotions spiral.

'Neiji...' A student's name tag suddenly breached your mind. Within that pile of old notebooks, it looked so old and worn then, just like these remains. They carried specks of dirt... and.. and his clothes, what remained of his trousers are even clinging to the fossil itself; meaning he was trapped here for years.. perhaps even close to a decade or two.

The twin quickly stopped beating Neiji's body and lowered his leg, hearing a grotesque splat of some liquid near him. By the time he looked at you, he saw the profuse sweats on your face as vomit spilled from your mouth. Your tears are excessively dropping against the concrete, soaking the collar of your clothes. And as you'd like to wail out loud, your voice already felt broken... you desperately wished to remember this person and the despair he might have endured before the time of his death.

After all, you knew he was special to you.

About to pluck the skull using an unsteady hand, Shiro beats you to the punch; it's as if he doesn't want you to acknowledge the dead man, even if he's nothing but a pile of bones. "He's dead now, so he's technically at peace." Just saying something as corny as that made him want to cringe. Neiji should be suffering in the burning depths of hell right now. He raised the skull and then wrapped his hand beneath the jaw, pulling it up and down to mock the words of the living. "You shouldn't feel guilty, [L/N]. Shiro will take care of you."

Some more laughter then leaves him, rather uncontrollably. He'd pivot the head into his direction, childishly nodding his head to concur. "Yeah! Spoken like a true wise guy! I mean I've always planned to have her from the beginning, but you just kept getting in my way, four eyes."

His lovely chat is beginning to fade into the foregrounds to you.. and you couldn't say a word. You didn't want to .. there's nothing to say. Other than he is a monster, plain and simple. Your dejected appearance is looking all the more grim, for a few strands of your hair loosely fell over your face the more you slouched. All of it is now resonating through you.. his violence, his behavior....

That awful memory when he pummeled a stranger at school rampantly breached your memory. You recalled his intense face, and his bloody knuckles that trickled against the cement that day. How the poor young man's face had been covered in blood, his teeth butchered and his purple skin swollen to the touch.

You saw the warning signs, sure,

And yet you still chose to ignore them.

[Chapter END]