Chapter 1. Sicilian Defence

A pinkish hue was running down the length of his pants. He grunted in disgust as he stood up and pulled up his flyer. The pounding rain was ruining his mood, but he wouldn't complain for it was aiding in cleaning up his mess tonight. He looked down and watched as the rain continued to dilute the red substance that was staining the cold, cement. It didn't take long for the tainted water to congregate, slip into the rest of the runoff, and down a nearby drain. Good.

A sound of a distant car knocked him out of his reverie.

He sighed as he dragged his steel eyes back to the dead women that lay splayed across the dark alley. Her body was nude, her legs were parted, and her head was bleeding. Her golden locks were now a pretty bronze with a slight tinge of orange. Even in death, she was a beauty. It was quite tragic, really. She could have become something meaningful if only she would have listened and shut her damn mouth when he had told her to. All her screaming and sobbing had disturbed his libido greatly and that was not something he wanted once he had started his pleasurable ministration.

"Stupid whore, you had it coming."

Yawning, he accessed that the drainage was running it course to completion. His car was close. He could dump her in there for the time being. Once he had moved her in the car, he went back to the ally to finish his business. As his boots crunched under glass, he couldn't help but think about one thing that he was grateful for about dead alleys. He dropped expired food onto the ground and watched as rat came to gather in clusters. And that was that they were congested with rodents, more specifically hungry rats. He picked up a fat one by its tail and, just for humor's sake, he watched it struggle in the suspended air for moments.

"Don't worry," he stopped in front of the area where his 'victim' had previously laid and pulled out a pocket knife. "You'll be doing a good deed."

With a quick slice, he gutted it. For such a small creature, it supplied a sufficient amount of blood for his mess. His rodent kin should be grateful. It didn't take long before all of its blood mixed with the remaining blood of his victim.

"Your endeavor are well appreciated, rodent." His words belied his next actions; he dropped the rat from his standing position without care and turned to his waiting love in the car. As he walked back, he heard the scurrying of little feet. The other rats are probably going to eat him. After you saved them all from me, this is what you get. Animals and humans, they're all the same. Heartless bastards. He smirked.

He got into the car and buckled himself in. He turned to the passenger's seat and her dead eyes stared back at him. He cleaned his hand on her reddening blouse before turning back to face her glazed eyes. He smiled at her while tucking back a defiant strand of her hair. His hand came back slick with blood.

"Now, how about I take you somewhere so you can rest, Love?"

Kyo groaned as he sat up from his bed. His head was pulsating, his breathing was quick and shallow, and he lacked vigor in his being. Though his mind was slugged due to his condition, it didn't take him long to figure out why he was so disposed – it was raining, heavily.

"Stupid rain," he grumbled as he got up. Maybe he could ask Tohru to make him some tea, it would relax his mind. With that in mind, he trudged down the stairs. All the way down, he was glad that Yuki was stuck in Student Council until late for he wasn't in the mood to argue with Yuki.

He was surprised to be greeted with an empty kitchen. Where's Tohru?

He moved to sit down on the kitchen table. He drummed his hands steadily as he crossed out the possibility of where Tohru could be. It wasn't long before he was interrupted by a shrill and girlish voice.

"Oh, what's this?" Shigure trilled dramatically from the doorway. "Kyo-chan is finally awake, I see. While you were taking your catnap, everybody else was slaving away doing work."

"Shut up, Shigure." Kyo looked at the clock. Tohru was still at work then. The darkened sky outside had made the day so much later than what it truly was. Kyo grew slightly annoyed as he figured that Yuki was going to be home soon.

Shigure waved his hand in front of Kyo's face causing him to snap at him.

"Stop, dammit." Kyo swatted his hand away.

"What were you thinking about, Kyo? Were you thinking dirty thoughts?" Shigure giggled at the prospected reaction.

"I'm not like you, you perverted dog!" Kyo got up and got ready to storm up to his room. Dreadfully, he was halted by Shigure again.

"Oh, good, now that you're up, you can pick up our Little Flower."

Kyo spun around only to find Shigure sipping his tea contently. On any other day, he wouldn't mind picking up Tohru, but the weather outside was not in his favor today. "You do it! It's raining!"

Shigure looked horrified at the suggestion. "Why, I would love too! But my manuscript awaits me!" he declared loudly then he proceeded to sprawl his torso across the table. "And I am so tired."

"Doing what?" Kyo snapped back just as quickly.

"My writing, of course! I can't disappoint Mitchan." Shigure grinned up at him.

"Writing smut doesn't take much effort especially from a pervert like yourself." Kyo grumbled. He knew that he had long lost the game before he started it. Talking to Shigure only made him more exhausted. Why do I even bother?

"Besides, if something happens, you can protect her! A lot of bad things happen at night!"

"What are you talking about?" Kyo crossed his arm against his chest and leaned against the wall.

"Oh, Kyo,"Shigure grinned at him. "You need to keep up with what's going around you." Before Kyo could refute to the obvious, condescending words, Shigure continued. "A couple months ago, a girl was raped and then murdered when she was walking home from work."

Kyo instantly tensed. "Did they find the killer?"

"They did!"Shigure replied happily as he placed his hand on his bosom and sighed. "Isn't it a relief? To have him locked up?" Shigure then leaned forward, his usual childish demeanor becoming slated from the room. "But you never know how many more perverts are lurking around in the dark."

There was a pregnant pause of digestion before it was rudely broken by Shigure's childish giggles. "So, you see, Kyo, that's why you must pick up our Little Flower! So such a horrific tragedy won't bestride her as well."

By Shigure's childish chortles, Kyo couldn't tell if Shigure had made the whole deal up or not and for that reason he found himself irked. Playing mind games and listening to fallacies was not something he embraced well. He turned to the door. Kyo slipped on his jacket and grabbed his umbrella on his way out.

"Bring our Flower home safely, Kyo!"

Kyo gave a non-committed grunt before the door was slammed shut.

Shigure hummed to himself as he swirled his cup of tea at a leisured pace. Today had been nice. He had gotten his manuscript done even though he told Kyo otherwise and had even passed a few words with Hatori before the line had been rudely disconnected. How could the day get any better?

As he brought his tea to his lips, he felt the house tremor though it was so subtle that he wasn't sure if it was his imagination. It wasn't long that his thoughts were confirmed when he heard a notifying howl from outside.

He stood up from his seat and crossed the kitchen. He looked through the window, and right to the cur's words, there truly was a tree that lay trodden in the midst of the foliage.

Shigure found his eyebrows arching as he realized that the tree was quite young; it was usually the old and brittle who bowed during the destruction of the storm. How odd. What could have caused only that lone tree to fall and not have any other counterparts to fall with it? Odd, indeed.

There was a distant sound of phone ringing and Shigure quickly went to retrieve it, the young tree now a distant memory.

"Oh, Aaya! Today was just brilliant! Guess who I talked to today!"

The wrapping crinkled as it was placed next to newly thread tombstone. Water drizzled down heavily, wetting the flowers and giving them a slightly tumescent aura of life. It was the only thing that looked alive in this whole pathetic excuse of a cemetery.

"I miss you." Digits traced the carving of the stone. Mud was slipping into his pants and his body sunk just a little lower into the ground. He was sinking. He pulled his hand back and his brow furrowed in anger. "I won't forgive him for hurting you. He violated you and led you to your death. Don't worry, I'll set things right."

He stood up causing some of the mud to rush down, but the majority clung on vigorously. "Enjoy the flowers. I will come back again."

He threw his hood back on. It was late, it was raining, and he was tired. He kept close to the shadows as he walked home; it was a habit that bred into him after a few short months of loneliness and resentment and with it came the machinating will.

But his scheming was halted when he heard the soft sound of a curse. He looked up to see a boy with bright orange hair that was obviously making an effort to just steady his umbrella in his arm. The boy was tottering about with his hand braced against the building's walls while he panted heavily. The sight of the boy gave him slight hope. He looked around and found that the streets were completely desolate of everything except him and the boy.

Don't worry, I'll set things right.

He fisted his hands and tightened his resolve. It was either now or never. He quickly crossed the streets and found himself behind the boy. The last thing that drowned into his mind as he fingered the chloroform that sat in his pocket was that vendetta was looking sweet.

"Stupid Shigure." Kyo stomped across the street as straight as possible. "This is all his fault."

He had only been walking for ten minutes and his pants were already wet. Setting that aside, it was even worse that his vision was starting to swim and his umbrella was starting to feel heavier than it really was.

He halted as a coughing fit overcame him. He managed to hold his umbrella suspended above himself as he kneeled slightly over. He was too focused on catching his breath that he was wholly taken off-guard when he felt a hand clamp over his mouth. He immediately dropped his umbrella is his panic, wetting both him and his sudden assailant. Thinking as quickly as possible, he vainly tried to elbow his oppressor. Before he knew it, he was being pushed into a wall, with every single of his limbs somehow locked. It didn't take him long to notice that he was inhaling chloroform – he wasn't going to last. As his knees buckled under him, and his eyes droop shut, he heard something that he wouldn't think he would ever hear from his attacker.

"I'm sorry."

A/N: My Beta hasn't beated this yet but I have gotten a message from her where she stated that she will be free very soon and thus she can check my work! Isn't that great?

Anyway, I must make this quick before my mother catches me.

Please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please.

4/13/13