Other Songs 3 : The Darkness
1
Kaede had boarded the train in stealth, seeking to punish the one who lied to her.
Before her lay the body of Kouta's little sister, cut cleanly in half at the torso.
Before her lay the head and body of Kouta's father, killed so fast he never knew it.
This had been Kaede's aim all along since entering the train.
There was only one problem.
"I wish you hadn't see all this."
She hadn't been the one who killed them.
"I really wish you hadn't. Now what do I do?"
A quivering Kaede saw Kouta lick the bloody kitchen knife.
2
She left the bloodied train. What had she done?
A boom was heard, and Kaede was rapidly unconscious.
"Quite a job you did on all those families, girlie!"
A huge foot stomped on her, then kicked her to the wall. The air didn't taste right.
A woman in a poorly-made dominatrix helmet and like clothing smiled at Kaede.
"You're not anywhere near Earth, kid. He saw your talent."
An old woman who looked like every evil stepmother ever pointed at Kaede.
"Give this precious Granny's love, girls. Pound on her-and then bring her before Darkseid!"
Kaede whimpered Kouta's name.
3
He had started doing the really rough stuff on her. But she hadn't run away, and two weeks later, Mayu waited until both mother and stepfather were drunk before setting up the stove. She liked how the warm fire looked, and watched from a distance.
Later, she'd found a puppy, returned it for the reward money, and then burned down the house of the rude woman. That fire had looked even neater.
Now, she caught a ride with the poor wounded girl inside the helicopter.
Mayu wondered what the big facility on the island would look like when it burned.
4
The girl provided the opening.
"Stop, don't fight!"
Nana saw Lucy's eyes. She wanted to see her Papa again.
"I'm sorry."
Some small creature yelped. Nana threw the girl at Lucy. As she split in half, Lucy shrieked in horror, calling out someone's name.
"I'm sorry for her, but not for you!"
Papa and the soldiers came, and all were shocked to see the bloody thing she held in her hand.
"She's dead now, Papa. Her offense against you is punished."
"Nana, what about this other girl?"
"Lucy killed her, Papa."
She looked away.
"Nana is still your good girl."
5
Satan looked again at the severed torso of Akira Fudo, Devilman.
"Maybe I did to the Humans what was once done to demons. But we're on top, and they're ground to dust. Who can argue with results?"
A wave of blood, followed by endless body parts of his subject demons, washed over them.
" I NEVER argue with results!"
At the head of the Diclonius army seeded in the years leading up to the demon panic, Lucy Kakuzawa fulfilled her father's dream, and split the demon ruler in two, laying him beside his would-be lover.
"Thanks for clearing the way."
6
Yuka cleaned up after Nyu's pee.
"You're such a trial."
She cleaned up dishes that Koo dropped.
"You're so helpless."
Maa ran through the house naked, as did Naa.
"Don't get Koo excited, girls."
In the back room, kept 'safe', were Kurama and Chief Kakuzawa.
"Please-no more."
"Kurama-San! You wanted to take them away. Can't have that."
Kakuzawa's eyes were getting glassy. Soon Kurama's would too.
"Yuka-San? Please stop feeding us all the drain cleaner."
"Don't be silly, Kurama-San, if I stopped putting it in the food-"
Smiling, she held up the bottle.
"Then you all might leave!"
7
The boy cried for his hero.
"Kaede-Dono!"
"I'm here, Tomoo. Remember, you have to memorize a room now."
"Help me, Kaede Onee-Sama!"
Kaede helped the fallen girl, who sniffed.
"I didn't used to be helpless."
"Soon you'll have a friend like mine, and he'll help you around. I'd be lost without mine."
Kouta saw what this remarkable girl did for these hardest to train of all blind children, those who had only recently lost their sight.
"You're wonderful with them. Do they know about your horns?"
"Some do. None care. It's like in their darkness-I found my own light."