Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Synthetic Emotions ❯ Phase 16: Asagi Sheds His Mask ( Chapter 16 )

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Synthetic Emotions

By: Melissa Norvell

Phase 16: Asagi Sheds His Mask

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Students stood around the school grounds with flyers on neon-colored paper in their hands. Something was happening and a new event was about to be put underway, the only question was- what was this event? Sonata had been given one of the flyers and held it out to Aroura, Eros, Momo, Mizuki and Asagi, who all glanced at it with curious eyes.

"Bitchin'! Another party!" Momo called out in happiness. To her, there was nothing like the feeling of losing yourself on the dance floor and being with your friends in a relaxed setting.

"Are you guys sure that you want to go to another party? A lot of people have been dying lately and all at the parties that have been going on," Mizuki told them, a little concerned.

"It doesn't happen to us so why should we care?" Momo dismissed. A few people dying really didn't make much of a difference to her. It had nothing to do with her and it wouldn't stop her from doing something that she really loved to do.

"It's really dangerous to do things like this. You could really be hurt or even killed," Aroura warned Momo against such foolishness but it didn't look like the wavy-haired girl was listening in the least bit.

'Syntacom...I'm a Syntacom?' Eros thought to himself as his friends, minus Asagi, talked about the deadly circumstances that accompanied going to those wild parties at night. 'I knew that I was different from everyone else...and that mark on my arm was obvious. Was Aroura right about my feelings? Since I'm a machine, do I really not have feelings that are considered real? These synthetic emotions...Can they ever amount to the real feelings that living things express? Can such a thing be manufactured?'

"I worry about you guys every time you go to one of those parties," Aroura was still trying to convince them not to go.

"Don't worry. If we're stupid enough to go, then we're stupid enough to die," Momo acted like life was so trival. If she went out, she wanted to do it while she was having fun.

"That's not something I'd admit in public," Mizuki folded her arms across her chest and frowned in disappointment at the girl.

"Well, you know." Was Momo's only response, as if that covered her reasoning.

"I never agreed with her statement. I just want to make that clear," Sonata spoke up as Asagi walked over to speak with a certain blonde woman, who had caught his eye. He and Mariko began to talk a few feet away from the arguing group, who were in the middle of putting themselves on sides of the argument.

"There's Mariko,” Mizuki glanced over to the two roommates, "I wonder if she's going to the party."

"We can ask her. MARIKO!!" Momo shouted shamelessly as the two looked at her in unison. A few moments later, a cross look ran across the blonde's features as they walked up to the group of people.

"Does she have to announce my name so everyone can hear?" The girl complained on her way over to the group.

"What's wrong? Do you not want all of the attention to yourself?" Asagi asked, awarding him with a punch to the elbow. This caused the man to call out a quick 'ow' before he placed his hand over the affected area and looked offended. She had struck his funny bone and now the irritating pain wouldn't go away for a while. Damn her.

"Damn!" Mariko called out in pain and held her hand. "That hurt!"

"Because you hit my elbow," Asagi replied in dead pan.

"MARIKO!!" Momo still called at the top of her lungs. The blonde grew even more irritated and stomped over to her.

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" She fumed to Momo, overdramatically imitating her shouting in her face so the girl could get the idea that it was irritating. The wavy-haired girl just shook it off and asked if she was going to Tori's party. The green-eyed man made it over in time to hear his roommate's response of 'yeah, why'?

"Yes! You're still going even after people have been killed!" The crazy girl called out in delight as she threw her arms up into the air.

"You make me sound stupid," Mariko felt the sweat roll down the back of her head and produced an unamused look on her face.

"You guys are stupid for going despite the fact that people are dying," Mizuki commented. Anyone with a decent head on their shoulders would have stopped going to those parties a long time ago if they cared one bit about their life.

"I want to find the killer," Mariko's objective was a little different then Momo's and she wanted to make that clear. She had business to take care of. Asagi glanced at her as if he was interested in what she had to say about it. Revealing her plans to him now would definitely give him the edge.

"What!?" Aroura and Sonata blared out in unison.

"Are you crazy?" Momo had no right to ask but she did all the same.

"Do you need to ask?" Mariko had thought that everyone who knew her knew that her sanity was one that needn't be questioned regarding decisions like these.

"I want to find out with you!" Her fellow blonde party-goer asked as she leaned in with a painted red smile as everyone else fell, including Mariko. "What?" She looked at them in question with a finger to her lips. She didn't see the need to be so overdramatic. Catching the killer would be exciting and fun!

'Seems I'll have some trouble tonight.' Asagi thought to himself. He now had to fool two girls instead of hust one. Mariko seemed to be on to him but Momo knew nothing about him.

"Are you coming, Asagi?" Mariko turned to her roommate and asked.

"I'm a little busy. I don't think so." If he wasn't there, then it wouldn't be too big of a deal. If he attended and was gone when people were killed, then Mariko would have easily gotten suspicious of him. He couldn't risk that, even if he knew that the time was drawing near before he'd be found out. Soon, Mariko would know and the game would be over.

"Alright then, looks like it's you and me, Momo," Mariko turned to the wild girl, who shouted 'alright, we rock like that.' "It's a girl's night out."

"Yeah! We'll catch that killer! We'll kick his ass!" Momo held her fist out with a fiery determination.

"I'm really not too keen on you guys doing this," Aroura advised them against it. Going to the party was bad enough but now they were going to try and confront someone who had killed over 100 students so far. They had no weapons or anything! What made them think that they would apprehend whoever was responsible for taking that many lives?

"We'll be alright. You worry too much!" The strange girl waved her hand in dismissal.

Aroura sighed. She knew when she was defeated. "I'm glad that Eros doesn't take up your bad habits."

'Can a machine truly experience love in the same way that a human does?' The thought repeated through the robot's circuitry as his thoughts became words. "These things, I wonder..." He trailed off.

"What do you wonder?" This caught Aroura's attention.

"Sorry, I was processing out loud."

"It's okay, people do that too."

"Well, we have to get going," Asagi replied after checking his watch.

"Yeah," the blonde turned to Momo and told her that she'd see her at the party.

"Okay!" Momo waved at the short-haired blonde. "See you girl! Too bad you can't come Asagi, Mariko would have been happy!" She teased, which caused the said girl to flush a bright red.

"Don't say that junk about me," Mariko warned in an angry voice, trying to fight back an odd, warm sensation that grew in the pit of her stomach.

"It isn't true. Her intentions lie elsewhere," and just like that, those feelings were killed off completely. Only Asagi knew how to make her feel like complete shit with simple words. Mariko stood there, frozen before she turned around and hit Momo across the head with her forearm.

"Ow! What did I do? Why did you hit me?" The girl held her head in pain.

"You're a bitch sometime, seriously," Mariko's voice trembled as she ran off in the opposite direction. She seemed very upset, as if there was some kind of problem between her and Asagi. To her, it meant a lot. She had just started to get along with him and things were going great until Momo opened her big, lipstick red mouth and had to tease her about liking him. This caused the bitterness to come back into Asagi, enough to cut her down for the men that she'd been with.

She knew that it hurt Asagi that she did what she did but she couldn't allow him to be in love with her. Mariko didn't want him to become another one of her toys. She respected him far too much for that. He was the only man who was ever kind to her and accepted her for who she was, instead of some street-corner slut.

Although she couldn't comprehend why.

"What did I do?" Momo was very confused. It was just a joke. Usually Mariko was mildly peeved but not angry enough to lash out at her.

"What's her malfunction?" Eros asked innocently.

"Mariko..." Aroura sympathized as she watched the pixie cut girl fade off into the school grounds. 'Do you feel as confused as Asagi as I do about Eros?' She wondered. "She's having a hard time."

"Oh, okay," Eros replied. He had wondered about the same situation himself.

"Well, I'll see you later. Hope you get things settled with Mariko, Momo," the black-haired girl replied. It was about time for classes to resume and she didn't want to be late again.

"Yeah, thanks for nothin'," Momo was clearly on her own on this one and considering it's Mariko she set off, she might not get acknowledged for several days on end. Mariko had a reputation for being quite stubborn and accepting apologies was one of those things.

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Flashing lights, talking, drinking, loud music and dancing filled several rooms of a large house that Tori's party had taken place at. Momo and Mariko stood amongst the crowd that had gathered at the punch table and were getting crackers, cheese and punch. Momo looked at her fellow partner in crime and asked what they were supposed to do now. Mariko told her that they would wait until someone turned up dead. Once someone died, then they would know that the killer was undoubtedly at the party.

"What do we do until then?" Momo asked.

"I want you to look around for anyone who looks suspicious," Mariko instructed.

"Will do!" Momo saluted. "You take the east side and I'll take the west side."

Mariko nodded as the two split up and searched through the crowds for anyone who could possibly resemble the killer or who looked like a killer in general. Despite the deaths, many people still attended this party. There was a number in population but not nearly as big of one as she thought that there would be.

From across the room, her red-clad reflection moved across the beveled part of Asagi's wine glass as he watched the lady in red move across the room. He glanced at her from a darkened corner of the room, where he wore a black tux with long coat tails and a red bow tie in order to blend in with the population.

"It's time to end this game," Asagi knew that he'd be found out tonight but he had planned it this way. Once and for all, Mariko would know his true intentions and if that broke their friendship, then she would only have larger things to worry about in the future.

"I can dance and watch people," Momo walked towards the dance floor. After all, what good was attending a party if she couldn't at least have some fun?" Last time people died on the dance floor so..." The girl walked into the crowd of dancers. "Who says that you have to be serious on the job to get it done? Time to party!" The girl called out as she began to dance, losing sight of the mission at hand and giving in to the tunes of the night. Soon she became immersed in the music and decided to do more dancing them watching.

After what seemed like two hours, the ear piercing sound of a girl rang through the room.

"It's the killer! He's back and he get Midori this time!" A boy shouted.

This caused a pandemonium as students ran as quickly as they could, in order to find the door first and be out if the killer decided that he wanted to come after them. In the midst of the crowd, Momo was slammed in to by a taller girl and thrown to the ground on her butt, causing her black vinyl skirt to ride up.

"Ouch! Hey! Did he just say that the killer was here? Sweet ass!" The girl smiled devilishly. Now was the time to get serious! Momo rose up and ran over to find Mariko to tell her the good news.

Mariko peered through the people who ran for the doors as she stood on the outskirts of the crowd. 'This is it. It's just you and me.' She was a little nervous and she knew that she might die but she had a feeling that this whole ordeal somehow centered around her and she couldn't let it go on any longer then she had. No more people were going to die because of her. Her green eyes narrowed as she called out. "Show yourself, killer!"

At that sentence, blood flew past her face. Her eyes widened as a girl walked towards her with a gash out of her neck and blood pouring from her neck and mouth. The expression on her face was one of sheer fear, dread and horror. Mariko couldn't even stand to look into her eyes without wanting to cry.

"Nikaya?" She questioned in a trembling voice as a tear ran down the girl's face, mixing with her blood.

"Mari..." The girl didn't get a chance to talk before she was finished off by a quick slash to the back by what seemed like a sword. Her beaten form crashed to the ground to reveal the killer before her eyes.

She could hardly believe who it was.

It was Asagi.

Mariko's green eyes widened in sheer shock at his blood splattered form. She had never seen him like this before. His expression was cold and emotionless, that of a true killer. She was nearly speechless. Mariko had been living with the killer this entire time. She didn't have to figure out who he was, she had already known. This was why he could tell her about the killer's moves- because he was the killer. Not only that, he'd played her nicely into his hands. He hadn't lied to her because she never asked him if he was the killer.

He was an absolute genius but now, she stood, facing him, nearly speechless.

"It...It's you..." Those were the only words that escaped her mouth as she stared down those cold, lime-green eyes.

"It seems that there are no more masks to wear. My final disguise has been shed," Asagi told her.

"You're the killer...but why?"

"There are a lot of reasons that I've done this. It's a brilliant plan, really. I'll get rid of the people you go out with and then you'll spend more time with me," the assassin explained.

"That's why you killed the people that I went out with, but what about the others? They didn't do anything," the girl looked very upset as sirens went off. The police were near and Asagi didn't have time to stay and talk so he decided to pick up Mariko, bride and groom style and jump out of the nearest grabbed a child's shoulder with his gloved hand and jumped through the window, bursting it and shoving the struggling boy forward, causing him to plummet to his death.

"Aito!" Mariko called out for the boy, but his screaming form was too far away.

"Mariko, you did this?" Aito asked as he fell to his death, three stories below.

Asagi continued to jump from rooftop to rooftop until he was certain that he was far enough away that he wouldn't be sighted. A sorrowful look crossed her face for her biggest fear had come true. A large portion of her school had died and it was all because of her. How could Asagi be so cruel? He truly was mad for doing this to her.

"You cared about that bastard?" Asagi asked, his voice held no emotion to it.

"I didn't do anything with him. He was my friend," the girl replied through gritted teeth as they landed safely on one of the rooftops.

"Mariko..." Asagi told her, his voice held different emotions now. It was almost as if he had decided that he'd made a huge mistake by taking things this far all for the sake of attention.

"You jerk!" Mariko yelled in anger and sorrow, tears clung to her eyes as she was sat upon her feet again. "You couldn't tell me that it was you who killed them?"

"I won't let you be with people who make you feel bad," his intentions were good, he'd just went about it in an extreme way.

"You sound like a mother hen! How would you know what's good for me?" She spat.

"Your just mad because I killed your boyfriends," the jealous and cold remark came as the man narrowed his eyes.

"You had no right to do that! They didn't deserve to die!" She argued. He had taken things WAY too far this time!

"I beg to differ. They hurt you."

"Why? Why do you care?" Every time he said something like that, the girl felt a wave of confusion. Part of her thought him to be sweet for doing what he had for the sake of her happiness. Mariko never had anyone who did anything like that for her just to make sure that she was happy, but it was very hard to look past his murderous habits and the fact that he killed innocent people.

"I want to protect you. I don't like it when you're upset. I want you to be happy, Mariko. I want you to be happy because of me," Asagi placed his face close to hers, forcing her to look into the sincerity behind those lime green eyes. She blushed slightly as he wrapped his long arms around her waist. The smell of blood and rose scented cologne filled her senses.

Mariko turned her head away. "Don't do that. It made me think that you wanted to kiss me."

"You don't like me like that, remember?" Asagi replied, a little defeated.

"Well, if I kissed you, it wouldn't be like the way I kiss them anyway," Mariko admitted, much to her own inner detests.

"Don't play with my mind," Asagi shot, especially since his anger was still in full throttle from killing and he could go off at the slightest infraction. Before he could say nothing further, she placed a hand gently on the side of his face. He pulled back, not wanting anything to do with false statements or touches for they lied as well as words.

"I'm not. You are close to me, you know," Mariko stoked the side of his face. For some reason, it was hard to be mad at him when he was like this. As selfish as it seemed, he had killed all of those people for her. Mariko didn't care if he was an axe-murderer, he was her only true friend and she couldn't abandon him when he'd went out of his way to try and make her happy by getting rid of the things that had made her ache. "I don't want you to get caught. I know that you have bad seizures. You could have passed out, you know."

Above it all, his heart was good.

Asagi took her in his arms and jumped down from the roof top, landing safely on the ground. "Is this better then?" He asked but no quicker then he got the question out, he was kissed passionately on the lips. This caused his to open his mouth a little, as if to gasp and Mariko had found it a perfect opportunity to steal a french kiss from the blood-covered man.

"Trust me, this meant something," the girl replied as Asagi blushed and stuttered her name. Of all of the things that he expected that day, a kiss was far from any of those answers.

"You're cute when you blush and stutter like that. It makes you seem so innocent, even though you're covered in blood." Despite her teasing phrase, Mariko looked drained and emotional. "I'll see you at home and be lucky that I don't tell anyone about this. I'm still shook up over it and I don't know what to think, so don't think that you'll get off that easily."

Why? Why couldn't she hate him for this, as any normal human would?

She couldn't hold them back any longer, the tears began to roll down her face as her emotions were released. Mariko just couldn't take it anymore. She cried a little before she told him her final statement. "Don't think I'll forgive you for killing my friends."

Mariko wanted to sound tough before she walked off, but it came off more as an overemotional weakling who was upset and needed some time to herself. Mariko walked home and headed off down the sidewalk, the glitter from her red dress shining in the pale white of the streetlamps. 'Even though I should hate you for doing this to me. I can't be mad at you...Why? Why do I have pathos on you, even though I think you're pure evil for doing this...I don't know if I hate you or like you for what you've done. I hate being confused by you.

I guess I shouldn't judge you for it though...I've killed as well...'

...To Be Continued...