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Avazona Illigardi

"Let's paint a picture together. Pretty please?" {VERY Minor WIP}

0 · 1,999 views · located in Town

a character in “Love is a Fickle Matter”, as played by Kura Ravengade

Description

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"My life is whatever
I make it out to be."

Rolling Girl | Miku Hatsune
Alyssa Lies | Jason Michael Carroll






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Name: Avazona Kiza Illigardi
"I'm pretty unique, I'll admit. It's a bit long though."

Nickname(s): Ava, Illi, Zone, Vaze
"Apparently my name is a bit of a mouthful."

Age: 18
"I'm not as young as I look."

Grade: College Sophomore
"So I skipped a few grades. So what?"

Gender: Female
"Wait, what!? You can't tell that I'm a girl!? Why you-"

Role: Female #1
"So I'm stuck in this role. Well, that sucks."

Oddities: Her cotton-candy-like hair tends to stick out like a sore thumb. In addition, she often wears odd, Lolita-like clothes, and is obsessed with being the
best in her school. Also, her MPD comes out often, but she does her best to hide it from everyone - including her brother.
"Yup, I'm weird. Sorry - not sorry."

Sexuality: Heterosexual
"Sorry, but I prefer men, ladies."

Romantic Interest: Male #1, but this could change.
"W-W-What!? J-Just shut up!"

Nationality: Japan
"I haven't left since I was born. I dream of traveling, but I don't believe this will ever come true."

Job: She works part-time at a little cafe a few blocks from her school, and part-time at a bookstore not too far from the house that she shares with her half-brother.
"It pays the bills and passes the time."

Ethnicity: 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 Italian
"Yes, I'm a mixed breed - but what are you?"






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Eye Color: Ruby
"Be careful - you can lose yourself in them if you look for too long."

Hair Color/Length: Cotton-Candy Pink; Breast-Length
"Don't you even think about teasing me about it! It isn't dyed - I swear!"

Height: 5'3"
"I'm not short - I'm fun-sized!"

Weight: 115lbs
"Stay in shape? Heehee ... I like food way too much."

Scars: Several along her stomach and back due to years of abuse from her father.
"St-Stop looking at them!"

Tattoos: Just two - one in the shape of spider-webs stretching from her index finger to her thumb on her left hand, and two single teardrops beneath her right eye.
"They both mean something to me, and if you're really that curious about them, why don't you ask me yourself?"

Birthmarks: None
"Birthmarks are weird, so I'm glad I don't have any."

Piercings: Two pairs of studs in each earlobe.
"Nice and simple - which is nice, seeing as I had no choice in having them. Yeah, thanks mom."






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Danger Level: Between a 2-3; Avazona is more dangerous when it comes to her mind, not her fighting abilities. In truth, she's about as frightening as a newborn baby bunny appearance-wise. However when it comes to her intelligence, her IQ puts even Einstein to shame at times. She is definitely not one to be trifled with.
"Hey, I'm scary! What? No, I'm not adorable! Don't call me that! I'm as scary as a T-Rex, you jerk!"

Dominant Emotion: Stubbornness
"If you can't handle one simple trait to how I am, than you should get off of the Avazona boat at this stop. Right. Now."

Personality: Well, Avazuna is a bit more complex than the average person when it comes down to who she actually is. This mostly stems from her Multiple Personality Disorder, but also partly from her antisocial, 'nerdy' status. So who, exactly, is Avazona?

Well, let's begin with the most obvious parts of her personality - the parts that are most often seen by those around her.

Ava has always been a quiet girl. In school, she would often sit at the back of the classroom with her nose stuffed in a book, while her peers continued to babble about what she found to be nonsense. She was known as the 'Nerd-Girl', and spent most of her life friendless due to this. Her idea was that if she kept to herself, no one would know about what her past was like, and she could focus on her studies and keep her father from growing angry with her. Besides, in her mind, all she needed was her brother.

In addition to her silent nature, she often had an inquisitive side to her. Anything that she could get her hands on that even hinted at being able to improve her intelligence, she snatched at in the moment. She was hungry for knowledge, and spent most of her time in the school library - hidden away from everyone and everything.

Ava has the type of personality that pulls people in, leaving them wanting to know more about her. It tugs them towards her, leaving them with a fierce protective feeling for the small girl. It probably doesn't help that her appearance makes her look like a little kid, to be honest.

Now for the complicated part.

When Ava's MPD kicks in, it's a bit different from most cases of the disorder. Her opposite personality doesn't have a name of its own, nor does it completely control her. In fact, she has two additional personalities.

But let's stick with the more prominent one for now.

This personality came about to assist her in being more social and making more friends. It's a bubbly and sweet personality that cannot always be contained. In fact, she turns into something close to a bunny. She tends to bounce around from place-to-place due to her excitement, and she talks a mile per minute. She becomes a bit of a pout and far more child-like than many of thee people younger than her. She demands control of situations and is very easily offended, such as when people tease her about her height - which has always been a common ground of laughter between bullies when it pertained to her.

Ava named this personality 'Usagi', due to her bunny-like nature - but of course 'Usagi' doesn't go along with this name, but instead Ava's true name - Avazona.

And now for the final personality.

Keep in mind, this personality almost never comes out - unless she absolutely needs to. This personality was created for the sole purpose of Ava's protection. After years of torment from her peers and hatred from her father, this personality was created as a defense mechanism. It only occurs when she's pushed to the very brink of her tolerance and sanity with people. This is the part of her that people should fear. It's like she snaps, because afterwards she remembers nothing of the time that elapsed while she was in this personality. And people always end up injured in the end.

But as said before - she remembers nothing.

No need to worry, however, because this part of her only comes out when she's threatened. So long as she isn't threatened, you're safe.
"I am who I am, and I wouldn't change myself for anything."

Likes:
ā™„ Food
ā™„ Rice Balls
ā™„ Sleep
ā™„ School
ā™„ Cooking
ā™„ Books
ā™„ Reading
ā™„ Art
ā™„ Music
ā™„ Acting
ā™„ Male #1
"Oh, how I adore these things!"

Dislikes:
āœ„ The word 'nerd'
āœ„ Bullies
āœ„ Relying on Others
āœ„ Idiocy
āœ„ Immaturity
āœ„ Judgmental People
āœ„ Stereotypes
"These things bother me to no end."

Talents:
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Acting
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Technology
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Academics
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Drawing
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Photogenic Memory
ĘøĢµĢ”ӜĢµĢØĢ„Ę· Guns
"If someone works hard enough, that person can possess any skill that they wish to hold."

Flaws:
ā˜£ Easily Manipulated
ā˜£ Extremely Secretive
ā˜£ Low Self-Esteem
"They're hard things to look past and beat, but I will overcome them."

Weaknesses:
ā˜¢ Male #1
ā˜¢ Love
ā˜¢ Food
ā˜¢ Animals and Babies
"Everyone has them. It's when one overcomes those weaknesses that they truly become powerful."

Hobbies:
ā™¬ Cooking
ā™¬ Sleeping
ā™¬ The Arts
ā™¬ School
ā™¬ Computers
"They .... Pass the time."






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Typical Attire: She often is seen wearing comfortable punk, artist-like clothing. When not wearing those, she tends to don the outfits typical to those of Lolita girls.


Keepsakes:
~ An Amber Teardrop Necklace that belonged to her late mother.
~ A stuffed animal given to her by her older brother when she was six years old.
~ A sketchbook and paintbrush given to her as a child by a close friend. It is this sketchbook that she uses only for the most important of projects to her, and it is this paintbrush that she cares for more than almost any other possession she has.
"Someone once tried to tell me that my things were childish possessions - which they then proceeded to attempt to take from me. Needless to say, they do not speak of what happened that day."

History: "You wish to know of my past? Well, as I have always said - curiosity killed the kitty cat. And you must be one beautiful kitten, mio caro."


Let's start from the very beginning, shall we? It's a bit cliche and overdone, but there isn't much of a choice in the matter - now is there? Keep in mind - I can't control to whom I was born, or how for that matter, so none of what I am about to tell you makes me who I am.

I was born to a young Italian woman, with no known home. Not even I know who she is, to be completely honest with you. All I know is that I was the bastard child of my father. Supposedly, she was, as I said, a young Italian woman - more than likely in her late teens to early twenties - who found herself in Japan with little to no income. In an effort to find a source of money, she turned to the role of becoming a concubine of sorts.

Yes. My mother was a whore. But like I said, I know very little about who she was. In fact, I don't believe many people know much about her.

Anyway. Back to the tragic story of how Avazona Illigardi came to be.

Apparently my mother was quite the beauty. Everyone who I have spoken to that had at least seen her admit to me that one did not look lightly upon her appearance. Many men tell me of how she was one of the most divine women they had ever seen, and that it was quite a shame that she ended up in the business that she found herself in.

Supposedly, my father was not immune to her appearance. However, instead of courting her and attempting to marry her, he took her on as his mistress.

Despite the fact that he was already married.

Yes, my father was a lying, cheating asshole.

Let's skip ahead a bit, shall we?

Needless to say, a year and a half after my parents met, my mother found herself to be with child. Afraid of what my father might do should he discover her pregnancy, she hid it from him until it was too late for an abortion of any sort.

In the end, my mother was, well, a mother.

But this story isn't one of happiness and joy. A tragedy is not such without there being love and loss in it, now is it?

My father discovered my existence when my mother began to show - so I would imagine she was about five or six months along. Far too late for an abortion, of course. Yes, he was quite angry - but he could not do anything to her or me without severe repercussions.

You see, my father was the Head CEO of a famous and well-known Arts company. One that not only dealt in the management of actual artistry, but also in that of the music and theatrical industries.

Explains where I get my talents, doesn't it?

Back to the story.

My father feared his reputation, of course - he was quite a despicable man.

Somehow, his wife discovered his affair and the fact that the woman that was his mistress also held his child. Due to the fact that they already had a child of their own, a son, who was going on the age of three, she didn't really know what to do. So instead of hating my mother, his wife accepted her on one condition and one condition only:

That word was never to spread of who she was, and that she was to give up the baby to my father and his wife once it was born. She was then to leave the country and never return.

Well, like I said, tragedies hold just that - tragedy.

Obviously I was born, and obviously my father took me in to raise. However, my mother never got her 'happy ending'. Instead, she died in childbirth, really leaving my father with no choice but to accept me. His wife refused to allow him to put me up for adoption, she his hands were tied.

I spent the first five years of my life thinking that this woman was my mother, when in fact she took me in for no reason other than to save her husband's good name - and ultimately her own. She had pretended that they had adopted me, out of their own good natures.

What a load of crap.

My father's wife died a few days after my birthday, leaving my brother and me alone with the man.

Needless to say, it was not a happy beginning for me.

He spent the next decade forcing me to push myself to the very brink of sanity. Day-in and day-out I was forced to perfect everything I did. My arts, my academics, my hobbies - everything. I was not allowed a moment's rest. I suppose it was his way of lashing out at me and getting his revenge on my mother - indirectly, of course.

Oh, don't get me wrong - I don't blame my mother. In fact, I never really had a mother. How could I when I never met her, and the only one I ever knew took me in for her own good face?

The world is a cruel place to be.

My father died when I was fifteen and my brother eighteen. Upon his death, we inherited the company of Arts that he had come to own while I grew up, along with a large sum of money to keep us comfortable, and a house to share until we decided what we wished to do. To be honest, our father did act like one in the very end - despite the way he treated me growing up, and the fact that he was so lenient and carefree when pertaining to my brother.

Not that I blame my brother, of course. He's my brother, after all. And we've always been close. Closer than we should have, anyways. And he was always very overprotective of me. Many people found it .... Oddly so.

When we began living alone together, that's when things ... Started.

Don't get me wrong! I'm not proud of what we do. It's looked upon as despicable and disgusting, and I realize this. But I can't help myself, and from what I can tell, neither can he. How can you blame us? We're simply acting upon our human impulses - something that was often done throughout a great expanse of history. We're simply being ... Human.

And that's all that I will say on the matter.

Instead, I'll say this:

That guy wouldn't be surviving if it weren't for me. Seriously, have you seen the house when I'm not around? He makes those awful microwaveable food and leaves trash everywhere. He downs soda as if it were water, and if he could live off of candy bars, I have no doubt that he would.

Seriously. How does he not have diabetes yet?


"My past is what molded me into who I am today. Besides, if it weren't for that, how would my brother have survived up until now? Honestly, that guy probably would have withered away, living on nothing but junk food and pop, and died an early age of diabetes."

Other: She makes it a great effort to hide her MPD from everyone, and no one knows about it - not even her brother.







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So begins...

Avazona Illigardi's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Eurydice Desir Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima Character Portrait: Zero Tamashi
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NOTE: I tagged everyone in this to get the first post noticed by everyone. This does not mean that your character is necessarily in this post.



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"Isn't the morning sky just as lovely as a blooming rose?"



Morning already ...? But ... How did it come so quickly ...?

The mattress shifted slightly as Ava adjusted her weight. She sat up slowly, one hand on the mattress while the other lifted to rub at her eye sleepily, in much the way that a child would. She yawned a bit, a soft sound escaping her lips as she did so. It was way to early for it to be morning, but a quick glance at a clock on the wall assured her that it was, indeed, time for her to get up and start breakfast.

Turning her gaze to the person beside her, her face shifted from a sleepy expression to that of a gentle one. Her heart skipped a beat as her hand moved out to softly brush a stray strand of blue-black hair from the person's face, revealing the eyelids that masked the intense blue eyes of her brother.

Kiro ....

Closing her eyes for a moment, she leaned down and dropped a light kiss on his forehead. Her hand lingered in his hair for a moment as she pulled away, before that too was withdrawn from his body.

Reaching out, she snatched a stray shirt of his that was tangled with a pair of her boxer shorts on the floor, hopped into the odd outfit, and freed her hair from where it was trapped beneath the shirt. Six a.m. What a ridiculous time for someone to rise - b ut it couldn't be helped.

Stifling a yawn, she stretched as she padded from the large room that belonged to her elder brother, down the hallway and into the kitchen. As she entered the room, she slipped her apron over her head and tied it around her waist, and then plucked up her cell phone from the counter, sliding her thumb across the screen to check her messages, before sighing once more.

This stalker is getting out of hand ... I should tell Kiro ... But ... Then he'll go all 'Over-Protective Alpha-Male' on me ... On second thought, I'm sure I can handle this on my own.

Opening the text, she blinked at the blaring screen in an effort to dull the aching protest her eyes gave her at the sudden onslaught of bright light.

I won't be ignored, Ava. Damn it, my love for you is real.
And if you don't accept me and my love soon, I can promise you, my dear ...
The pain I will make you feel will be just a real as my love.


Pressing her lips together, she pushed back the fear that threatened to bubble up and escape.

It'll be fine. You'll be okay. Just because you don't know who it is or how they got your phone number, doesn't mean that they can hurt you .... Right?

Roughly shaking her head, Ava clenched her fists.

"He can't hurt you, so stop overreacting," she whispered, nodding as she spoke.

Saving the message to a file on her phone so that if need be she would still have it, and locked her phone and set it back on the counter.

"Just put the problem out of your mind. All you have to do is be careful when you're alone, Ava, and you'll be fine," she said, as if trying to reassure herself that the problem wasn't as real as it was proving to be.

Moving over to the fridge, she pulled out a carton of eggs, a box of bacon, and various other ingredients - green peppers, ham, mushrooms, shredded cheese, and sausage. Placing them on the counter beside the stove, she ducked down to grab a small pan and two medium sized skillets, before popping back up and placing them on the stove. After flicking on the heat of the stove, she grabbed up a remote and turned on a nearby stereo, which immediately began to softly play Girls Dead Monster, a band that Hiroshima Arts Inc. had signed and produced. After putting the remote down, she turned back to the stove and easily layered the pan and skillets with a spray-on, nonstick pan spray. Immediately afterwards, she cracked a couple of eggs into the pan, dropped the bacon and sausage into the skillets, and stepped back as the meat crackled and popped in the spray.

Rotating on her heel, she moved into the bathroom that was joined also to her bedroom. Having showered the night before, there was really no need for her to do so this morning, so instead of slipping under the shower head, she plucked up a brush and quickly took care of the tangled mess that she called her hair.

"Why couldn't I have been born with a normal hair style and color? I mean, jeez, if it gets any more wild, I won't even be able to contain it with my ponytails and barrettes," she muttered, scowling.

Lightly patting her cheeks, she left the bathroom to check on the food before going to her bedroom and pulling out a blue skirt that reached to mid-thigh, a matching blue tank top, and a dark brown leather jacket. Alongside those, she snatched up a pair of white socks that reached to just above her knees, which were adorned with a pair of little blue bows at the tops, and grabbed a pair of knee-high brown boots.

"Stupid college, banning me from wearing my Lolita dresses ..." she grumbled as she tugged on her clothes. It took her only a minute or two to do so, and as soon as that was done, she was back in the kitchen, flipping the eggs in much the way that one would do a pancake. It landed perfectly on it's opposite side, and while that side cooked, she turned to her bacon and sausage. It wasn't long before she had the meat on two separate plates and she was crushing half of the sausage. As soon as the eggs were done, she removed the omelette and added the ground sausage to it before slipping it onto a plate and sprinkling shredded cheese on top. Sliding it across the counter, she put that plate, a plate with a heart helping of bacon, and a glass of orange juice in the spot that Kiro normally sat, before turning back to make her own omelette.

Once all of the food was finished, she turned off the stove, put the ingredients away, and quickly and easily took care of the dirty dishes before returning them to their rightful places.

Sighing, she glanced at the food and then at the clock. Six-thirty, and Kiro still hadn't even stirred. He had to be work at seven-fifteen, the dummy.

Shaking her head, Ava left the kitchen and padded down the hallway once more. Popping her head inside, she shook her head again at the sight of him still sleeping.

"Sleeping like a baby. Why am I not surprised?" she murmured.

With a small smile on her lips, she tip-toed into the room and over to his bed, her hand reaching out to lightly touch his shoulder.

"Kiro, you need to wake up. You have to be to work in forty-five minutes and you still need to eat and drive there," she said softly, gently shaking his shoulder.

When this gained no response, she rolled her eyes and climbed onto the bed on her knees, directly beside him, and used both of her hands to shake him.

"Come on, Kiro, you can't be late for work and you know that. So get up and out of bed, lazy-bones," she said, pouting slightly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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#, as written by Yato
---Kiro





Kiro's fantastical dream world consisted of potato chip boats, seas of cola and oddly dressed carrot pirates. It wasn't to rare for the man to dream of food, especially the kind that wasn't good in practically any sense. Kiro just assumed he would never grow up in that way. Pirate Kiro was just about to save Prince Watermelon when a distant voice and soft hands pulled his mind from slumber to reality. He blinked several times before he could make out the appearance of his younger half-sister, Ava.

"Come on, Kiro, you can't be late for work and you know that. So get up and out of bed, lazy-bones," she said, pouting slightly. Kiro simply chuckled and reached to lightly caress her cheek.

"Don't worry, I'll wake up eventually."

The man stretched as if he were a cat before sitting upright and looking around his room. It was slightly disturbing he was more worried about what to wear instead of the fact he was soon going to be late.

"What to wear, what to wear ..." Kiro searched the room before giving up and deciding to wear slacks and a dress shirt. He could have been more professional, but as far as he knew, there weren't any meetings this morning, so it didn't matter. He turned to his sister and winked, leaving her on his bed so he could shower at least. "Night classes again," he muttered, turning the water all the way to steaming hot. Only way he liked it. The hot water ran down his exposed body, giving him the relaxing feeling he always enjoyed before a long day.

Within 5 minutes, Kiro was dressed to impress and ready to go. But he knew better than to leave without eating a healthy breakfast. Don't get him wrong, he adores Ava's cooking and is very thankful for it. Healthy always makes him slow and a little cranky.

At the table sat a wonderful looking meal that Kiro took no time to dig into. "You know," he began, draining the juice provided. "I really should try cooking for us sometime. I feel bad that you are always doing it." Kiro carried his empty dishes to the sink, suddenly catching a glimpse at his watch, he had to leave and now.

"Thank you for everything!" Kiro gently kissed Ava on the cheek and took her hand. "I'll take care of my dishes when I get home. The food was amazing and so are you. Have an awesome day and text me if you need anything." He kissed her again befpre running through the house and to the garage where his car awaited him. Kiro shunned himself for being so careless, no more late studying for him.

He backed out of the driveway then proceeded, at a safe rate, to hurry to work before he was any more late than he already was.





Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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Well, since I'm not going to sit around and wait for just two people to post
(one of which still hasn't completed their CS, and the other
promised to have it up but still hasn't posted it), I'm going to go ahead and get another post up.


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"A petal falls piece-by-piece; a tear falls soul-by-soul."




Quirking an eyebrow after her brother, Ava smirked. "Seeing as you can barely tell a pair of tongs from a whisk, I'd be afraid to eat anything you concocted," she laughed, waving after him. She moved over to the front door, stepping outside onto the stone step, her hand up and moving through the air as he drove away.

"Come home safe!" she called after him, a bright smile on her lips. It wasn't until he was out of sight that she dropped her arm and her smile diminished slightly.

What was she going to do about her stalker?

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


A soft cough escaped Ava's lips as she stepped off of the train at the depot. She couldn't be getting another cold, could she? She had barely even had time to get over the last one, let alone had time to prepare for yet another. Honestly, it was getting a bit old.

Shrugging a bit, she adjusted her grip on her brown, leather school bag, her teeth biting down on her lower lip.

The text that she had received just before leaving the house still haunted her, echoing in her mind.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, little doll ... I gave you time to decide, and all you do is ignore me.
Say goodbye to your happiness and life, because it's about to disappear.

With Love,
T.


Tightening her hands on her bag with such strength that her knuckles turned white, tears appeared in Ava's eyes. What was she going to do? She had never been so afraid in her life. At least when her father came after her, she knew who he was and what his intentions were - and his intentions almost always went along the same string when it came to punishment.

With this ... This was very different. She did not know who the man was, nor did she know how he had gotten her information. She also didn't know what his intentions were to harm her, and she most definitely did not want to find out.

Shaking her head, she brushed her tears from her eyes.

"Don't cry, little doll ..."


Letting out a small cry, Ava whipped around, her eyes darting back and forth in an effort to find the owner of the voice that had disturbed her mental debate. A bubble of laughter formed from pure hysteria escaped her lips as she looked up and down the train depot, more tears appearing in her eyes.

"I'm going crazy ... I'm going completely and utterly insane," she cackled, her laughter frightening in it's slight-madness.

"Avazona?"

Snapping around, her insane laughter abruptly stopped, and she focused her gaze on the person who had addressed her.

"Oh, hello Tsubaki," she said, her voice trembling a bit in leftover hysteria.

"Are you alright?"

Looking away, she cleared her throat and used a moment to compose herself, before turning her gaze back to the young man before her.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Thank you for asking," she said with a smile. "Would you like to walk to the campus together?" she asked.

A smile was her reward, and he swept his arm out before them. "After you, milady," he chuckled, a glint in his eyes.

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


They bid their farewells when they reached the campus, and Ava soon found herself heading towards the large school. There was still quite a bit of time until school began, and her fear had finally pushed her over the edge. If she couldn't tell Kiro, she could at last tell Jou. He would know exactly what to do.

It didn't take her long to find him - he was just arriving on campus when she did. Hurrying to his side, she grabbed his sleeve and yanked him to the side.

"Jou," she whispered, looking back and forth to ensure that no one would hear her. She dug out her cell phone, unlocked it, and brought up the hundred or so messages she had received from the stalker - including quite a few pictures that were taken of her when she wasn't aware.

"I need your help. I-I can't tell Kiro, because he'll go ape-shit crazy and you know that. Plus, he'll be really upset with me for not telling him sooner," she mumbled off to the side, grimacing slightly. Turning a teary-eyed gaze back to him, she sniffed a bit. "Please, Jou - I don't know what to do. This is eating me alive with fear. I don't know what to do," she repeated tearfully, her lower-lip beginning to tremble.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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#, as written by Yato
---Kiro





"Mr. Hiroshima! Pardon me, but what in the hell took you so long?!"

Kiro laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"My apologies Nakuzaki, my alarm didn't go off so my sister had to wake me." Kiro laughed once more before backing into his office quickly. He looked at his desk to find an enormous stack of papers waiting for him. "Ugh," he groaned, walking sluggishly to his desk. A knock on the door didn't surprise Kiro in the slightest. "Come in!"

"Sir, you have a meeting at three and some of our scouts brought in new models. Would you like to look at them now or after the meeting."

"How about I do all this paperwork, then see the models, then go to the meeting. I thought I didn't have one anyways." His assistant proceeded to explain it was one of the joint talent agencies that needed to see him about the budget they received for the year. Kiro sighed and pulled some of the papers from his desk. "They didn't do well at all last year and they expect me to reward them for that. I'll go to the meeting, but they should know I'm not going to change my mind about the budget." The assistant nodded and let herself out. "Now for all this."

Kiro sat down like his body suddenly weighed twice as much. He decided to send Ava a quick text to tell her he might be a little late getting home. He pulled out his phone, sliding his thumb across the screen to unlock it. One missed call, three unread texts, none from Ava.

Hey, Ava, I might be late coming home tonight.
Don't wait up for me, okay? You need your sleep.
They have me doing a ton of paperwork. But I'll go through it as fast as I can.
Did you get to school fine? Are you feeling okay?


Every time he sent texts like that, he felt slightly clingy, but he knew that she knew he was just being a worried big brother. She was his responsibility after all.

"More like I'm her's," he chuckled, think about everything she does to keep him in line. She's his cook, his maid, his alarm clock. He always wished he could do more. But she was just to strong for him to do much other than worry. "Maybe I'll take her out tomorrow. Yeah, I'll do it." Kiro shuffled through the papers, writing random notes here and there. "This is gonna be a long day."



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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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"S-sorry!"




Jou munched on a jelly cream puff as he made his way down the sidewalk just outside the campus entrance. He had just wanted to grab some coffee but the lady at the counter said they were having a special. She also was quite attractive and persistent. Jou couldnā€™t really refuse. Though he didnā€™t have enough pocket change to cover both the coffee and the pastry. Not wanting to make the clerk go through the trouble of breaking a larger bill he opted to skip the coffee. As he rounded the corner he stuffed the rest of the pastry down and swallowed.

I wish i had something to drink.


--------


While Jou was on his way to kill some time at the library he spotted Ava. Though before he could say hello she scurried over to his side and yanked him off to the side, out of the way of the bustling morning student traffic. The move caught Jou off guard and he nearly tripped over his own feet as she pulled him. He was barely able to save from dropping his satchel and spilling its contents across the floor.

Jou knew Ava had always been a bit straightforward in their interactions, but this didnā€™t seem normal. Before he could ask what was up she suddenly stopped pulling and got very close, looking around as though she was sure someone was watching them.

ā€Jou.ā€

Somethings wrongā€¦

Jou was tipped off immediately by Avaā€™s tone. Though he was a bit flustered by the whole thing, he tried to keep focused. Ava was family, more than that she was a very dear friend.

Ava pulled out her phone and showed it to Jou. At first he was confused, she seemed to be just showing him random messages and photos of herself. Though after a few moments he began to grasp the situation. Heā€™d heard about this kind of thing on TV and dramaā€™s but he had never seen it first hand. A little out of his element didnā€™t really know what to think.

When Ava started to ask him help he quickly snapped from confusion into a more serious mental state. He refused to not at least be of some use to Ava. Though he was a little surprised when she revealed that she had come to him before Kiro. Kiro seemed much more capable of dealing with something like this than himself. Though he did agree that the young CEO might be a little heavy handed and too ā€œscorched earthā€ inclined when it came to his sister. Despite his surprise over the whole situation tried to keep a calm head and thought the situation over for a few moments.

She didnā€™t say anything about someone approaching her yet right? Should we just ignore it? Maybe it will go aw-... no. There were so many messages, those pictures also prove that this person has already been too close to Ava. This is serious. Maybe she should go to the police. They probably deal with this kind of thing a lot. Though there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to go onā€¦

Jou took a brief moment from this thoughts and noticed Ava, standing there looking scared and helpless.

ā€œEverything is going to be fine.ā€ Jou said out of instinct. Not able to bear seeing one of his friends, or even anyone look like that. He put his hand over the phone she was holding and slowly lowered it.

ā€œI, and everybody you know, care for you too much to let something bad happen. You are going to be fine.ā€ Jou restated his point with conviction. There seemed to be a silence for a few moments. When Jouā€™s brain registered what he said he blushed in embarrassment for a moment. That was way too cool to come out of his mouth, he took his hands away and scratched the back of his head.

ā€œAn-anwaysā€¦ā€ He tried to recover. ā€œI think this is something you should take to he police. This is obviously serious enough to not be a prank. And even if it is, the person responsible needs to be punished. You donā€™t have to go alone, I can come with you if you want. This afternoon I have a study session with Miss. Zurita, but after that I can come with you to the police station and we can get this all figured out.ā€ Jou knew the best idea was to let the professionals handle this.

ā€œAlsoā€¦ā€ Jou paused, feeling uncomfortable.ā€Ava you should haveā€¦ you shouldnā€™t haveā€¦ā€ Jou was bad at scolding people, especially someone like Ava. ā€œI donā€™t think you should have kept this to yourself for so long.ā€ He finally got it out, though he definitely ended up sounding a bit sheepish.

ā€œYou donā€™t have to carry something like this on your own shoulders. Itā€™s your decision, but I think you should probably tell Kiro tooā€¦ā€ Jou had faith beyond all else in his cousinā€™s ability to keep Ava safe.ā€... and donā€™t, donā€™t worry about him getting out of hand. I needs be, Iā€™llā€¦ā€¦ keep him in check.ā€ Though Jou had virtually no confidence in his ability to back up that statement, and it showed quite easily.

ā€œ-but yeah.ā€ Jou tried to change the subject a bit. ā€œDonā€™t worry. Itā€™s all gonna be ok Ava.ā€ Jou finished the statement off by showing a sheepish but genuine smile and giving his little cousin the A-ok hand sign.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Eurydice Desir Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Zero Tamashi
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Eurydice tossed and turned in her sleep, her cherry red hair sticking to her face with perspiration and her eyes closed tightly shut against the nightmare. In her dream, a young man with grey-colored hair and lavender eyes stood over her menacingly. As he smiled, his teeth glinted like the Cheshire Cat's and his eyes took on an angry hue. He leaned down as his hand cupped her and whispered, "You're my slut now."

Eurydice shot up with a scream, heart beating a million miles per minute and her eyes wide as saucers. She put a shaky hand to her chest and glanced over at the clock. Seeing the time emblazoned in red against her retinas, she sighed and laid back down against the pillow, knowing she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon. Those nightmares had ruled her darkness ever since that day in the closet. At first, they were bearable. Frightening, but bearable. Now, however, they shook her and terrified her to the extent where she couldn't even function normally in the daytime. What made matters worse was that he went to the same school as her, so she never got a break.

Sighing again, she rolled off the bed onto the mound of pillows she had laid out on the floor last night, specifically for this reason. Grabbing her phone from her dresser, she checked her messages. She saw nothing, as always, and opened up a new message slot for Jou.

Good luck with tutoring today, hope she shows up


He had told her a little of his schedule to tutor a girl in her grade. Kai, she remembered vaguely, was the girl's name. She had seen her around, but they had never exchanged words, as was most often the case with Eurydice. Standing up, she stretched a little and opened her dresser, pulling out her light-wash jeans with a hole in the knee, and a navy blue v-neck. Most of the time she'd be terrified of wearing a v-neck, afraid he would take it as an invitation. But, seeing as how she hadn't gotten the chance to do laundry over the weekend, she didn't have much of a choice.

Heading down the stairs quietly, so as not to wake her father, she pulled out the milk jug and a bowl of Lucky Charms, sitting down at the table and eating peacefully. Not that anything would have awoken him in his passed out state, she still wanted to be careful. Her father could be a real pain when he was hungover, and she didn't think she could handle the brunt of it after a night like she had.

Finishing her cereal, she checked the clock over the microwave and decided it was an appropriate time to start walking to school. She grabbed her brown leather backpack and slid on her converse, walking out the door quietly and gently closing it shut. A month ago, she would have popped in her headphones and listened to her music, but now she was too terrified that she would get lost in the sound and be unable to hear what was going on in her surroundings. He always tended to be lurking, and she hated being caught off-guard around him. He would no doubt find a way to use it to his advantage.

As she arrived at the school, she spotted the familiar people walking to class or to meetup spots with their friends. As she continued walking to her locker, she spotted Jou and was about to make her way over to him when Ava came bursting through the crowd, dragging him away into the corner. Taken aback, Eurydice made no move to intrude on their conversation. While she liked Ava, the girl had been the one to introduce Eurydice to him, and some part of her will never forgive Ava for that.

Reconciling that she would see Jou later, Eurydice went on to her first period class, taking a seat in the back and waiting for the lecture to begin. About five minutes after it started, a girl with black hair rushed in and took her seat by the window. The teacher was cross, but Eurydice didn't pay much attention. She recognized the girl as Kai Zurita, the student Jou was supposed to tutor later. Thinking nothing of it, Eurydice returned to her notes.

About twenty minutes later, just as the class was coming to a close, the teacher yelled at Kai for being on her phone. Eurydice glanced at the girl, but not long enough to make eye contact as she made a seductive exit. The instructor was so flustered they didn't even finish reading the passage. He excused them all early from class, and Eurydice was the last to walk out. As she entered the hallway again, she looked around for Jou, but seeing no one, she took it as a blessing that he didn't find her, and she walked out to the courtyard where she could sit in peace.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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I'm gonna throw some crazy shit into this post to add some drama.
Super excited >:D



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"It doesn't matter who or what you are. Evil is evil, and there is no right to be such."



Her lips turning downwards, they trembled a bit. What was she going to do? And now she had told Jou and-

At least her cousin was more than willing to help her.

But dear God, what if this psychopath went after him because she told him? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to her dear cousin because of her.

Shaking her head viciously, she clenched her hands into fists, almost breaking her phone in the process.

No, she had to have faith that whatever force out there would ensure her cousin's safety. Besides, this was another form of punishment for her - it was the universe saying that she never should have even existed, and therefore should live in torment for the rest of her days.

At least, that's what her father had always told her.

Glancing down at her phone as it vibrated in her hand, she grimaced. Was her really sending her another text?

It wasn't until she looked at her phone that she sighed with relief. The picture of her brother popped up, alongside a message that he had sent her. She quickly unlocked the phone and scanned over the words on her screen.

Hey, Ava, I might be late coming home tonight.
Don't wait up for me, okay? You need your sleep.
They have me doing a ton of paperwork. But I'll go through it as fast as I can.
Did you get to school fine? Are you feeling okay?


Pressing her lips together, she mulled over what Jou had said, before quickly typing a reply.

I'll leave some dinner in the fridge for you.
But when you get home, wake me up.
There's something I should have told
you a while ago. It's important and you
need to know as soon as possible.


Pressing send, she locked it and lowered her hand to her side.

"Alright, Jou. You're right - as always," she said with a small, trembling smile. "I should have told someone sooner, and I should have told Kiro. I'll tell him when he gets home tonight, okay?" she said, forcing her smile to become steady. It didn't quite reach her eyes, though, as she turned them up to his. Reaching out with the hand that held her phone, she grabbed his sleeve in a light pinch. "Thank ... Thank you, Jou," she said softly. "I don't know what I would have done. I was going crazy, you know?" she said, attempting another smile. Turning her face away, she dropped her hand.

"Anyway, we should probably get to our classes. The tardy bell will be ringing soon, and we can't be late, now can we?"

Turning on her heel, she gripped her bag more tightly, shaking her head quickly. She stepped away, and before she knew it, she was walking towards the school.

Just put it out of your mind, Ava. It's nothing to worry about. Everything will be okay. You'll go to the police after school with Jou, you'll see Kai, and then you'll tell Kiro when he gets home tonight. Everything will be alright.

She rounded a corner, nodding firmly as if she were agreeing with herself.

Her phone vibrated again, causing her to lift it and slide open the message without thinking. Her eyes turned down to the screen, and as soon as she realized what she was looking at, the phone slipped from her fingers and thudded to the grass below, bouncing a bit as it did so, the picture remaining open and prominent on the screen.

It was of her. Walking.

Wearing a blue skirt, tank top, and thigh-high socks with bows and knee-high boots.

Next to a building.

The building she was next to right then.

And the clothes that she was currently wearing.

Trembling, she back away from the phone, her eyes locked on the screen as tears appeared in them. Her hand shook as she raised it to her lips.

She didn't even have time to prepare herself for what was to come, and all she knew was a flash of pain in her skull, and then all was black.

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


Dark ... It's ... It's dark ... Turn on the light ... Please ... I don't like the dark ...

Ava groaned, stirring slightly. Whatever she was laying on, it was cold and hard - and extremely uncomfortable.

"K ... Ki ... Ro ..." she groaned out, moving her arm out from beneath her body. It was heavy and numb from laying on it, and almost seemed to be like dead weight. She ground her teeth together as she pushed herself up with her opposite arm, sitting in a cross-legged way.

The room was pitch black, but her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness so that she could make out shapes in the shadows. The floor was cement and dirty, cold and hard, and explained why she felt so stiff.

Turning her head sharply, pain exploded through her skull, causing her to nearly go unconscious. She gasped and lifted her hands to clutch her head, only to hear rattling sound of metal-on-metal.

Chains.

Or, well, shackles for that matter.

Adjusting her weight, she moved so that she was instead kneeling on the ground, her eyes looking side to side in an effort to figure out where she was exactly.

"Ah, so I see that the pretty doll is awake. Do you like your new outfit?"

Blinking, Ava reflexively looked down at herself, only to find that she was wearing a revealing, long maid dress.

Shaking her head, she turned her face upwards, her expression hard and unyielding. "No, I can't say that I do. I know your voice, but I can't place it. Now show yourself, you coward!" she snapped, yanking roughly at the chains that held her to the floor.

Several moments ticked by until there was a response. When it came, it was shocking to say the least.

Laughter.

Maniacal laughter.

From the shadows stepped a man, a man who was all too familiar to her.

Yanking back, Ava's eyes widened. "Tsu-Tsubaki?" she stammered out in surprise.

He chuckled, brushing his hair back as he used slow, languid strides to approach her. "Well, it definitely took you long enough, love," he purred. When he reached her, he crouched down and grabbed her jaw. His eyes bore into hers, which were hard rubies at this point. She pulled at his grip, attempting to yank herself from his grasp.

"I do apologize for the damage I did to your head. Such a shame. But I warned you to accept me and love me in return, so it really isn't my fault at all, now that I think about it," he smirked, lifting his free hand to brush some stray hair from her face. She recoiled from his touch, which drew a chuckle of amusement from him. He leaned back, releasing her chin. "Don't worry, pretty doll. You'll warm up to me eventually. And then you won't be able to resist taking me into your arms and loving me," he laughed aloud, spreading his arms out wide.

Ava scowled at him, turning her nose up as though in disgust.

"I could never love a rat like you. My heart belongs to someone else, and it will never be yours, te figlio di una cagna," she spat, her lips twitching in anger.

He simply smirked and leaned back from her, his eyes glinting with malice.

"Well, if I can't win you over the easy way ... Than I suppose I will have to do it the hard way."

He rose and disappeared into the darkness for a moment and she heard the clashing of metal-on-metal. He eventually returned, a tray in his hands, and set it down just out of her reach. She couldn't see the objects on it, but as he reached down and lifted a long, leather whip, she yanked away, scuttling backwards on her bottom.

"Oh, no you don't," he said with a laugh, easily grabbing her ankle and yanking her back towards him. He leaned his face down to hers, his nose almost touching her own. "I'm going to make you love me, pretty doll ..."

Then all she knew was pain.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Eurydice Desir Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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"S-sorry!"




Jou watched Ava with concern as she received another text. Though her face quickly turned to relief, there was a moment when he could tell she was experiencing true terror. Noticing the picture came up Jou deduced that it was just a text from her brother. Though for a moment it seemed that she thought it was another from her stalker. Jou gave her a little space while she replied.

"Alright, Jou.ā€

Jou felt a little relief as Ava seemed to calm down a bit and give him a shaky smile. Though she didnā€™t sound all to sure of herself, she told Jou that she would be telling her brother about the situation tonight too. He appreciated the thank you she gave him, but he was just happy that this was out in the open and they could take care of it. This wasnā€™t a situation he would wish on anyone, least of all his cousin.

He nodded a bit when she said they better get to class. Though before he could really confirm their trip to the police station later, Ava turned on her heels and walked quickly off.

Oh, well. Iā€™ll just text her or something. She probably was just too flustered and forgot to confirm.

Jou still had a while before his first class. He was currently reaping the benefits of earlier yearā€™s heavy loads. Now as a Senior, he didn't have all that classes, even fewer that were even marginally difficult. He decided to take a moment to sit down on a bench and text Ava about their trip to the station.

Itā€™s Jou.
Iā€™ll wait for you at the library after school today.
If you want, you can come to the tutor session with Miss. Zurita too.
Iā€™m sure she wants to say hi.
Weā€™ll head to the station after.


Jou sent the text but then thought of something else.

Everythingā€™s going to be fine Ava.


He sent the second text. He hoped they could quickly put this behind them without Ava having to go through much more. The station might be a little hard, but he figured it was the best plan. He knew Kiro wouldnā€™t be too mad either. His cousin had always been overprotective of Ava, but he never once treated her badly from what Jou could recall. If the young CEO got angry at his sister, it wouldnā€™t be for but a few seconds before he was consoling her.

Just then Jou noticed a text from Eury. It was from this morning, earlier than when he woke up. Jouā€™s phone wasnā€™t on vibrate or anything most of the day. He was pretty good at turning it on for classes, but most days he forgot to turn the notifications back on afterward.

The message gave him luck with the tutoring session this afternoon. It seemed Eury was looking out for him, making sure he didnā€™t forget his appointments. Jou smiled at the thought but then frowned a bit and sent a reply.

Thanks.
How you doing?
School going ok and everything?


Jou didnā€™t normally send messages that seemed intrusive like that, but the situation with Ava had put him a bit on edge. He also thought it seemed like it had been a while since him and Eury had hung out.

Jou shook his head, it was probably just his imagination. She was a high school senior now right? She probably had cooler friends to hang out with than Jou. Then Jou noticed the time and headed off to his first class.

--------


Jou had recently finished swimming a few laps in the pool when he arrived at the university library. As he checked the clock near the entrance he noticed he still had quite a bit of time until his session. Tired from his swim, he decided to take a short nap. Plopping himself down in one of the many lounge chairs strewn about the library. The Library was fairly empty at the moment and he was able to grab a chair that could easily be seen from the entrance.

Putting his satchel in his lap, Jou leaned back and closed his eyes. His still slightly damp hair felt cool on his head and the comfy chair let his body sink in and relax. He let the post-swim nap take him quickly and was soon in a black, dreamless sleep.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Eurydice Desir Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima Character Portrait: Zero Tamashi
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"Many of our greatest battles are also our greatest victories."





"Well? Have you decided to submit yourself to me, pretty doll?ā€

Sweat mixed with tears and blood on every exposed inch of her skin. It trickled down her face and into thee corners of her mouth, the sweet, metallic taste of the combination exploding her taste buds. It trickled from her lips and down her chin.

She had been moved from the chains on the floor to ware she was now held upright by a rope from a ceiling rod. The rope had long since dug into her skin, giving her severe burns and leaving an uncountable amount of rope fibers in her wrists. Her feet were bare in the wet, sticky mess of blood and sweat beneath her body and on the cold, hard floor, making it impossible to stand. Her bare knees were bent, and she simply hung from the ceiling at this point, her entire body trembling from the pain and exhaustion that filled it.

Her head was down and her pink hair was matted to her face and head. Her breathing heavy and loud, she clenched her fingers slightly in attempt to get the blood to flow into them once more, for they had long-since become dead weight from being strung above her head for so long.

Ava had long since lost track of how long she had been in the room for, seeing as there were no windows. It could have been minutes, hours - even days. She doubted it had been so short or so long, though, and could imagine that it had only been a few hours. But obviously that was more than ample time for him to come up with new, creative ideas on how to torture her.

Her head lifted slightly, more sweat trickling into the deep scratches on her face. She spat blood at it, and it landed square in the middle of his chest.

"Go to Hell, stronzo ..." she snarled weakly.

His expression clouded and his lips turned into an angry sneer. It took only two long strides for him to reach her, his hand moving out to grab her jaw in a bruising grip. He yanked her face up to his, his eyes boring into her own.

"You can fight me all you want, pretty doll, but you have only two options when it pertains to this: You can either give in to me ... Or you can die and no one can have you," he said, stating it as simply as one would state the weather or the time of day. He released her jaw roughly and stepped back, letting out a dark chuckle as he did so. "I truly hope you choose the first, but the latter works just as well, my pretty, pretty little doll ..."

Her scream echoed in the cement warehouse.

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


"Daddy, look! I drew you a picture!"

Holding up the page that was nothing but a scribbled mess, she beamed up at the man who was, indeed, her father. He glanced up from the newspaper he was reading, spared one fleeting look at the paper, before scowling at her.

"I'm busy reading the newspaper, Avazona. Unless you want a beating, I would highly recommend not bothering me again with something as stupid as a disaster of an excuse of a drawing," he snapped out, before turning back to his newspaper.

It was several moments before Ava slowly lowered the paper, her eyes sad and confused.

"But daddy-"

"I said be quiet, Avazona!"

"Daddy, I lo-"

"Avazona, shut the Hell up!"

The crack across her face sent her to the floor. She barely managed to catch herself with her small, seven-year-old arms, but as she pushed herself up onto her knees, she lifted a hand to gingerly cradle her cheek. Without a word she rose, the explosion of pain dulling only bit-by-painful-bit. Her footsteps made only soft sounds on the floor as she walked from the room, the picture long forgotten but still clutched in her hands.

When she reached the small room that was hers and adjoined her brother's large room by an oak door, she quietly shut her own door and moved to the center rug in the room. Plopping down on the floor and crossing her legs, she stared at the picture.

It wasn't until small droplets of wetness were forming little circles on the paper that she realized she was crying.

Sniffing and lifting her hand to rub at her eyes, she began to shred the paper, ripping it into tiny, unrecognizable pieces.

"Remember, you're nothing but the daughter of a whore. You're a bastard child. A mixed mutt who wasn't even supposed to exist. You deserve this. It's your fault that your daddy's so grumpy all the time. You were never even supposed to exist. You were just a mistake," she whispered, throwing the torn pieces on the floor.

"It's okay, you don't need anyone to love you. You're just fine on your own. Just don't tell Kiro. You can't tell Kiro, or daddy will be upset again," she sniffled, her already-bruising cheek still aching. She lifted her hand to rub at her eyes again, only to come away with blood. Moving over to the nearest mirror in her room, she frowned.

A nosebleed. Of course.


~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


A sob of pain escaped Ava's lips as the knife dug into inner arm. Her arms had long-since gone numb from her being strung up, but the knife slicing into her skin brought pain shooting through them. She couldn't tell what he was doing exactly, but he was making several curves in her skin, and the torture seemed endless.

Crying out, she jerked against the ropes as he struck an even more sensitive part of her arm.

It seemed like an hour before he pulled away, a slightly-mad look and smile on his face.

"What do you think of my art?" he asked, holding up a small hand-mirror to reflect her arm back to her.

Horror flooded through her as she slowly made out the design on her body, through the mess of blood and shredded skin.

Tsubaki.

Bile rose into the back of her throat, a combination of pain and horror causing her nausea to arise, and she turned only slightly before she lost her breakfast from that morning.

She was left shaking and trembling, tears streaming down her messy face. Her head drooped towards the ground. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. How long had it been? One hour? Four hours? Seven? God, how long had she been at his mercy?

"Kai ... Jou ... Kiro ... Everyone ... Please, forgive me," she choked out, her body jerking with her sobbing.

"Oh, shut up Avazona. They can't hear you, and even if they could, why should they care? They haven't come for you yet, so what makes you so sure that they even cared enough to report your absence to anyone who could help you? There's no help coming for you, so you might as well relinquish yourself to me," Tsubaki laughed, stroking the length of her face with the tip of his bloodied knife.

She jerked her face away, causing a small slice of the knife to dig into her skin - yet that was the least of her injuries at this point.

"They'll come for me - and if not them, than the police. You won't get away with this," she ground out, yet her certainty had slowly begun to wane on the matter. If they really were coming, than why hadn't they arrived yet ...?

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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Kai Zurita



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Jou explained everything to the two men in the office, then handing it over to Kai. ā€œMiss. Zurita, can you take a look at the tapes with them?ā€ Kai raised an eyebrow to him. ā€œI need to give her brother a call, make sure if heā€™s seen her or not and tell him the situation. Iā€™ll be in there in a minute.ā€ By the time Kai processed what he had said, he was in the hall making the call to Kiro. She ran towards him, snatching the phone out of his hand.

"No you idiot! Kiro's only gonna get in the way! You know just as much as I do that he cries when Ava is remotely late gettin' home! What do you think this situation with pull out of him?!" Kai was about to hang up his phone when she heard a faint hello on the cell phone. "Kiro! It's Kai, I didn't have your phone number so I stole Jou's phone. I was gonna ask you where he likes to be licked but I found it out, thanks, bye!" Kai quickly hung up and shoved the device in her pocket. "That was close, now come on!" The girl once again dragged Jou into the office. She saw that the men were looking at a tape when her eyes widened and she dashed to the monitor. "That's it! She was taken!"

"We will enhance it to see if we can identify the man," a security guard offered. It didn't take long for Kai to realize who it was.

"Tsubaki! The ass whole! I figured he only asked me all those questions 'cause he had a crush on her! Not so he could be creepy and kidnap her!" She wanted to call him and yell at him, but she figure it would make things worse for Ava. "Jou, you're a flippin' genius, here is his number," she stated as she pulled it up on her phone and handed it to Jou. "I need you to track this number. We need to get to Ava now." Kai started to panic, her anxiety kicking in. "I ... I-I need to run home real quick. You track the number and I'll meet you at the front gate in ten minutes." Kai left no room for conversation as she dashed out of the room, through the halls and off campus.

It didn't take long to arrive home. "I should have never agreed to go on dates with that creep ... all he wanted was dirt on Ava and I gave it to him." Kai hadn't realized she took off with Jou's phone until she was stripping and her skirt clunked to the floor. She quickly pulled on sweats, her workout sports bra and her finger-less boxing gloves. With her hair tied into a messy bun and her bare feet, she was ready to literally kill this guy. With all of her Kung Fu and his scrawny ass? There was no way she couldn't win. She took a quick puff of an inhaler then dashed off to meet Jou.

"Any luck," she said, running up to him with nothing but concern and hate in her eyes.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Eurydice Desir Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Zero Tamashi
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Eurydice took a sip from her third coffee just as her phone chimed. Looking down, she smiled when she saw it was from Jou. She hoped it was him saying he was on his way, but when she opened the message, her expression entirely changed into one of dread.


Sorry somethingā€™s up.
HAVE YOU SEEN AVAZONA TODAY?
Ask around for me.
Itā€™s serious.


She frowned, her brows creasing and her lips pursing. The last time she had seen Ava...talking to Jou in the hallway on campus. The girl had seemed frightened, but Eurydice generally didn't ponder about other people's behaviors. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she opened up the type screen and began to reply, failing to notice Zero as he arrived at the coffee shop and stood outside.

Last time I saw her was with you...everything alright?


She finished off the coffee and deemed herself full of caffeine for the day. As she got up in the modern-styled lounge--complete with comfortable chairs, a bar by the window, and a flat screen tv--her heart began to speed as she noticed a silhouette of grey/blonde hair under a tree. Noticing his body language, Eury could tell that he was angry. She hated it when he was like this, it always made him more susceptible to sadistic tendencies. She watched as he kicked at the tree in frustration, and her stomach filled with dread. As he sat below the tree, she knew that he was waiting for her. He knew that she was in there, and there was no way out of the shop without him seeing her. She would have to face him eventually, she knew.

Steeling her shoulders and hardening her eyes, she picked up her bag and exited the shop. As she made her way over to him, she took in a deep breath and vowed to hold it for as long as she could. At least if she passed out, which she knew was scientifically impossible, she wouldn't have to see him just then.

She reached him within moments but simply stood there, not meeting his gaze and not making a move to sit next to him. She intended him to know that she felt no pleasure in being around him. But, her curiosity and her survival instinct kicked in so she couldn't help but utter the first words she'd spoken all day.

"You're angry," she said flatly. There was no expression in her voice or on her face. It was simply a statement, one she knew might get her in trouble, depending just how angry he was.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Jou Kudo Character Portrait: Kiro Hiroshima
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---Kiro


ā€œKiro... you... need to calm down for a second.ā€

Calming down was the last thing on Kiro's mind at the time.

ā€œKrio, pull over for a moment. I, we think we know where Ava is.ā€

That's what the man wanted to hear. "Really? Where...Where?"

He couldn't help but to focused on the where of things right now. Jou was making everything seem indefinite, but what he wanted was a definite answer. He'd kill for any type of answer that was straight and direct. Kidnapping was already inside of his head. He didn't want to focus on that. What Kiro wanted to know was where he could find his sister. That was the only thing that mattered.

"If I come pick you up then what will I do if I'm just a minute too late? I have to go straight there Jou. You understand right? I'm sorry, but I can't waist any time." With that said, he called the local police station and quickly retrieved the information he needed. It was sometimes a good thing to known around the area, but most of the time it had always felt like a life cheat. Maybe this too was because of him. If good things could happen to people because of money and fame then bad things were also sure to happen, right? He had thought so. What if her kidnapper was nothing more than a person after his money? That'd make it his fault that she was taken. It had already felt that way seeing as he should have made sure she had a bodyguard or something. It may have seemed over the top in the past, but thinking of how their clients and singers would have security, he realized that maybe it wouldn't have been too far out of the ordinary for them to have some as well.

"OOOOhhh. What am I thinking? I have to hurry up." His cars engine could have been heard from miles away, as he was revving the rpm's almost to the red zone. Paying no attention to the speed and only stopping for lights, he wondered who would make it there first, him or the cops. Though, judging how things worked in the law systems, he was almost a guarantee to get there first. Justice was never there on time and when he pulled up to the alleged location, he marked yet another time where something was too late. Seriously, if the cops knew before he did the location, then why weren't they here? Was it a paperwork thing? Was his sister being left in her probably scared and hurt state just because of some needed paperwork.

"Why can't I stop thinking about dumb things?" The answer would never come to him. It was just his thoughts were jumbled do to his minds alerted state. It was even throwing off his thinking process. Before he even thought of a plan, or consequences to his actions, he was face to face with the door of the building. The same building his sister was said to be held captive in.

Without second thought, he opened the door, almost throwing it away from him. From there on, his memory get's a little hazy. For you see, when a person lays eyes on something that absolutely tears a hole into their world, managing to show that person he or she isn't as safe as they think they are and also managing to hurt someone who they never thought would have to feel pain...... When that happens.... well, the person might just break. It didn't happen as soon as he opened the door. His adrenaline was trying to take over his body, and as he was flung into an unfamiliar situation, he had his guard up, expecting the worse. However, when he laid eyes on his sister and the blood that was surely coming from her pain.... Well, there was actually no way he could prepare for that sight.

So he blacked out. Basically giving his body away to his current emotions. The man who had seemed surprised that Kiro was in the room didn't even have time to react before the man was on him. Kiro, who had not tried to hurt someone even with words before, was now mawing this deranged lad like the boy had just entered a lions den and messed with its king. Needless to say, when the cops did arrive, maybe six or seven minutes later, the kidnapper wasn't going to be identified as anything other than a lumpy red mush of cuts and bruises, and the man who entered the crime scene and did that to him was crying while holding his sister in his arms.

All the while this was happening, that man was still in a dazed state. Sure the tears were flowing his his grasp was tight, but his mind set, may have been forever changed do to the event.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Kiro T. Hiroshima Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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"Why do people ... Constantly fight and hurt each other ...?"





"Pretty, pretty doll ... I'm going to dress you up nice and pretty, so that you can stay my pretty doll forever ..."

Her entire body trembling from the shock it was receiving due to blood-loss, Ava managed to lift her head just barely enough to fixate a dark gaze on Tsubaki.

"Go ... To Hell ..."

A loud cackle echoed in the room as Tsubaki lifted the knife in his hand, his tongue flicking out and licking at the blood that coated it - her blood, to be precise. He crossed the room to her, tracing the tip of the knife across her blood-coated face.

"Ah, my lovely doll ... But I have already been there ... It was Hell to await your welcoming arms, but I have pushed on! And I am slowly breaking you down ... You will love me eventually ... I will have nothing less ..." He backed away and approached his tray of tools obviously contemplating the next technique to torture her with.

She went limp. Her arms had long-since lost all feeling in them, and her body no longer had the energy to stand upright. Even if it did, she would only end up slipping in the blood that was a pool on the floor below her. How she had lived through this for so long, she hadn't a clue.

All she knew was that she couldn't last much longer. Her body was cold - almost deathly so. On top of that, she couldn't stop it from shivering. It was an uncontrollable trembling, and soft whimpers of fear escaped her lips. Her mind had taken to shifting in and out of consciousness in order to protect itself, and black dots were sparkling and damaging her vision.

When Tsubaki turned with a long, leather whip - a technique he had already used on her - she shuddered, her eyes clenching shut and her head ducking down in an attempt to hide. It was to no avail, of course. His footsteps echoed in the room as he grew closer.

And closer ...

And closer ...

Just as he was about to reach her, the sound of a door flying open and hitting a wall cracked in the deadly silence of the small building. Ava's eyes slowly blinked open and she was momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight that suddenly flooded the interior of what had become her torture chamber. The room itself wasn't frightening, now that she could see what the shapes in it had actually been. Instead of what her worst imagination had thought up and created, she saw that they were simply cardboard boxes used for storage.

Tearing her gaze from those, they fixated on the figure that stood in the doorway. Due to the sudden light, she couldn't make out more than a black blob standing there, but despite this fact, that figure became her savior. Instantly her relief at being found vanished, and she was jerking at the chains that held her from the ceiling, her fear evident.

"No! Don't! You have to run or he'll kill you!" she shrieked, new-found energy and tears appearing inside of her.

Obviously the figure had no fear, or was very, very stupid, because in an instant he had launched across the room. When his body turned just right, the angle of the light revealed his face and showed him to be none other than her brother.

"Kiro! Don't! He'll kill you!" she cried, her fear for her brother completely overruling anything else that she may have been feeling in that moment.

The events that unfolded after that caused her to cringe and duck her head, her eyes tightly shut and nausea threatening to overtake her. She lost consciousness a few times while he turned Tsubaki into nothing but a carcass, and it was only when she felt her limp arms drop to her sides that she realized that carnage was over. She had blocked it all out - the screams that the man had made and the sounds his body gave off as it was torn apart.

Ava found herself cradled in her brother's arms, his tears dripping from his cheeks and onto her body. And yet, she could not move. This was mostly due to the fact that her body refused to let her do anything more than lay there, but also since she was too dumbfounded to see her brother crying. While she had been the only one to ever see the man cry throughout the entirety of his life, it was still very rare for him to do so.

Completely against all odds, she managed to lift her heavy, cold, and torn arm up, her blood-coated fingers lightly tracing across his face and brushing the hair from his eyes. She knew that she looked awful - after all, who wouldn't when they had been through what she had? - but she pushed down any qualms that she may look terrible. Her face was smeared with blood and sweat, covered in bruises and cuts, and one eye was even swollen. Her nose was undoubtedly broken and her lip split, but she managed a small smile, tears appearing in her eyes.

"Don't cry ... Don't cry, Kiro ... Remember ... The promise you made to me ...? You promised ... Never to cry if it involved me. You promised ..." she said, her voice hoarse and cracking. "Besides ... I like to see your smile ... You look so much better ... When you smile," she whispered, her eyelids fluttering a bit. Her mind was growing foggy, her eyes unable to focus and see straight. Her smile wobbled a bit. "Please ... Smile for me, Kiro ..." she murmured, her eyes slipping shut. Her hand dropped heavily from his cheek and into her lap, where it went still and un-moving. Her entire body stopped its' trembling, just as the sound of people came rushing through the door

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


"Ava .... Ava ... Ava, wake up darling ..."

The fog was thick. Heavy, dark, and so very, very thick. Somehow, she managed to slowly wade her way through it. When she reached the break between the fog and whatever lay on the other side, she was forced to lift her hand to shield her eyes from the bright glow of whatever it was she had come to face.

Once the glow had subsided, she slowly lowered her hand and glanced around.

"Avazona, dear ... Come sit down beside me."

Lifting her gaze from her surroundings, she found the source of the gentle voice. It belonged to a young woman who held a striking resemblance to her. The woman in question sat on a bench that was placed perfectly beneath a beautiful cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom. She felt no fear as she closed the distance between her and the other person, and easily seated herself on the white bench beside her.

"Wow," she sighed, curling her fingers around the seat of the bench. She leaned forward, drinking in the beautiful view that the spot provided.

Down below them was a large, sparkling blue lake, so clear that she could see the bottom even from where they sat. Golden and white fish darted beneath its' surface, and a dock led out several feet into the water. A dock sat in the center, and swans floated atop the clear pool.

A pathway of white stone cobble mixed in with grass led off in several different directions, and the entire place was decorated like a private garden, with a wide array of beautiful trees and flowers gently swishing in the wind. The sound of birds and other wild life echoed in the quiet air, and a chipmunk darted directly in front of her feet. Stifling a giggle, she sat back and gazed up at the sky.

"What is this place?" she breathed out, not sparing a glance to the woman.

"It is neither heaven nor purgatory, and it most definitely cannot qualify as Hell. It is the in between of the in between and heaven - if that makes sense," she laughed out. Ava lifted a white hand and held it up to the sun, watching as it outlined her fingers with its' bright glow. A flash of that same exact hand appeared, only this time it was coated in blood, darted through her mind, but was gone before she had even registered what it could mean. Frowning slightly, she lowered her hand before shrugging and turning her gaze to the woman beside her.

"Than what is it called?"

The woman pursed her lips, tilting her head back to gaze up at the sky this time. "This place has no name. It is simply a place for a guide to speak to a charge, or for families to once again speak - or for the first time, in some cases."

"If that's the case, than am I dead?"

The woman turned her eyes down to Ava before allowing a gentle smile to cross her rosy lips. "Of course not, dear. You business and purpose in the world has yet to be served, so you cannot die before you finish what you were born to do. That is how God intended for it to be. You are simply in a state that brings you far closer to death than you are undoubtedly comfortable with."

Ava lowered her gaze to her lap, biting her lower lip, before lifting it once more to the woman's.

"You said you were a guide. And that families can speak for the first time here. You also resemble me quite a bit ..." She paused, gathering her wits before continuing. "So ... Are you my mother?" she asked, tilting her head a bit.

The woman burst into laughter and dropped her hand onto Ava's head. "My, those wits of yours most definitely are not rumors. You are as intelligent as your father was, and as beautiful as me," she beamed, her proud feeling of her daughter evident.

Ava smiled for a moment before she quickly lost it.

"So why am I here?"

Her mother, Catarina, tilted her face up towards the sky.

"Ava, do you love your brother?"

Blinking, she tilted her head and gave her a confused look before slowly replying. "Yes ... Of course I do. Why?"

Catarina shook her head, turning her face back to her daughter's and smiling once more.

"Darling, I meant as a man. I know you love him as a brother - but do you truly love him as a man?"

A frown draw across Ava's lips. She drew her brows together and turned her look of confusion into one of even greater emotion. "Yes ..." she said slowly, her hands clenching on her legs. "Why?"

Catarina was silent for several heartbeats. Finally, she turned a smile on her daughter. "Than you have your answer, daughter. Now ... It's time to wake up, Avazona."


~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~


Why was her body so heavy? And what was she laying on that was so ... Comfortable?

The heavy sedatives were difficult for her to push through, but she somehow managed to do so. Slowly crawling out of the thick world of pain killers and sleeping medication, Ava slowly cracked her eyes open.

The room that she was in was dimly lit, with only a lamp to light its' interior. What it illuminated wasn't very impressive - hospital rooms rarely room, especially in the ICU - but it was just enough. The room itself didn't offer very much privacy, seeing as all of the walls were see-through glass, but it was just enough for her. The only furniture that she could see was the bed that she lay on, one hospital chair that looked extremely uncomfortable, and a small couch that would put couches to shame due to its' tiny nature. A bedside table sat nearby, and the beeping of a heart rate monitor slowly came into her knowledge.

Lifting her gaze, she spotted an IV bag, and slowly followed its' tubing to her arm.

And her entire body scared her shit-less.

Bandages covered her from her neck and below, hiding almost every inch of her skin. Her arms were wrapped in it and several of her fingers were held in splints. One leg was up and in a cast, and the endings of even more bandages hinted at that leg being swathed in them beneath the cast, also. The other leg was simply wrapped thickly in - you guessed it - more bandages, and the arm that wasn't hooked up to the IV was identical to the one that was. She could only imagine what her abdomen looked like, but due to her hospital gown and the immense pain that filled her body despite the pain killers, she was unable to view it.

Dropping her head back onto the pillow, she blinked back tears as memories of her dream entered her mind.

No. It wasn't a dream. It was as real as the bed she was lying on. Her mother Catarina had contacted and spoken to her, and there was nothing that would convince her otherwise.

Tilting her head, she glanced at the call button that rest directly beside her hand. It took a lot more effort and energy than it should have, but she managed to move her ring finger the inch that separated it from the control, and it pressed down the button firmly. It took only a few moments for the doctor arrive, who quietly opened the door and walked inside, clipboard in hand.

"Hello, Miss Illigardi. I know it's a silly question to ask, but how are you feeling?" he asked softly, drawing up the uncomfortable-looking hospital chair so he could sit directly beside her bed.

"Terrible," she croaked, and then cleared her throat before repeating herself. "Terrible," she said, satisfied when her voice came out more solid in sound.

He smiled a bit and nodded. "I can imagine. I'm Dr. Row, and I'll be keeping an eye on you while you stay in this hospital. Would you like for me to catch you up to speed on your condition?"

She nodded a bit, winced, and then let her head rest on the pillow once more.

He flipped up a paper and scanned the one that he had revealed until he finally focused on somewhere near the middle of it.

"To start out with, you have five broken fingers, but all of them can be healed in time if you keep the splints on them. Your leg was broken in three different placed, and you suffered from two broken ribs. You have a concussion, but not to the point of us worrying about you sleeping. We will, however, keep the lights dimmed for your own sake," he said with a comforting smile cast upwards at her. Returning his gaze back to the paper, he continued to read. "Your nose is broken, as well as one of your eye sockets, but both were surprisingly easy fixes. We did, however have to put an uncountable number of stitches on your body. It got to the point that we lost track, so we merely put down in your report that you were so severely injured that it was impossible to keep track of your number of stitches."

"Basically your entire body is covered in stitches, which explains why you have so many bandages wrapped around your limbs. You suffered from forty-nine knife cuts, plus an additional six stab wounds. Your back is laced with twenty-eight whip lashes, and your arms are carved with twenty-five slices on each, plus an additional nine."

"I have far more in detail for your report, but I'll save you the details," he concluded, flipping the paper back down.

Tears glimmered in her eyes as she looked at the ceiling, and turning the glittering pink-red orbs on the daughter, she felt a clog in her throat.

"I want to see Kiro. Please, can I see Kiro now?" she choked out. "And are Jou and Kai here? Please let me see them. Please let me see my friends!" she begged.

The doctor stared at her for several moments, obviously contemplating his decision. She was about to start a full-out temper tantrum if he didn't answer her soon, and if he did, denied her access to the only people in her life that she cared about, but he finally nodded and rose.

"I'll fetch them immediately," he said gruffly. With that, he disappeared quietly through the door, and Ava let her head fall back onto the pillow, her eyes falling shut as she dozed off a bit.

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Kiro T. Hiroshima Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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Kai's heart practically jumped out of her chest when Jou's cell phone rang. Was it the police? No ... the voice that blasted out of the small box indicated otherwise. Kai scurried over to Jou's side, pressing close to be able to hear everything Kiro said.From the way things were sounding, it wasn't going to well. From what Kai knew, Kiro was beyond protective of his little sister, so if he happened to get there before anyone else, Tsubaki was screwed ten fold. Kai made a 'tsk-' noise when Kiro hung up. Not realizing she was being hypocritical, she mentally reprimanded him for rushing into a dangerous situation head on.

"This isn't good," she stated blankly as she headed for the door. "If he gets there first, he might be the one getting arrested." Without any confirmation from Jou, Kai made a mad dash out the door and along a route she knew would take her to the storage unit.

~.~.~.~

It took a good fifteen and a half minutes of running on Kai's part, but she made it to the scene of the horrible incident. She ignored her wheezing and stumbled past the officers that were surrounding the place. Several told her to stop, but she had to see Ava. By the time she caught a glimpse of her best friend, she was being loaded into the back of an ambulance, a very distraught Kiro next to her the entire time. She was several feet away and she could smell the blood.

Here Kai had complained about being bullied in elementary school and here Ava was, on the verge of death. That's what it looked like at least. Kai stumbled into the storage unit, once again ignoring the officers, only to dash back out, holding back her own vomit. It was a terrible site ... something even someone as hardened as her couldn't handle it. Tears escaped, falling one after the other to the ground below her.

"What kind of person can't tell when their best friend is being tortured like this ..." She whispered to herself. Kai folded into herself, taking the fetal position against the building. She had no proof she was family so there was no way they would let her be in the ambulance with Ava.

A flash of anger hit Kai like a wave, her coping mechanism had kicked in. "What kind of sick bastard does this to an innocent girl like that?!" Kai quickly stood and, for no reason, spun around and round-housed the wall of the building behind her. In a match between solid brick and her foot, it was obvious who won. She crouched over in pain as the tears continued to swell. "I swear to God that if he even considers breathing within a one hundred mile radius of her again, I'll end him myself. If anyone touches her, they will pay."

~.~.~.~

Kai stirred in her sleep, she sat between Jou and Kiro in the chairs nestled next to Ava's room. She had assertively placed them there despite what the staff had told her. She held tightly onto both the men's hands that sat with her, waiting for their turn to see their friend. She would cough occasionally from running all the way to the storage unit and flinch whenever she would hit her bruised heel. But other than that, Kai appeared to be in a peaceful place, whatever she was dreaming about.

A sneeze emanating from somewhere in the hall made her jolt awake, squeezing the men's hands even more than she already was. Her gaze instantly went over to Kiro, his eyes red and puffy from crying. She wanted to say something to console him, make him smile, but she feared that the wrong words would set him off. She would understand completely too. If it were her in his exact situation, she would blow up too. Kai had her own anger held in of course, but none that could compare to that of Ava's brother.

"I-I'm kind of pissed," she managed to choke out. "I w-wanted to get there before you ... kick Tsubaki's ass and ..." Kai stopped mid-sentence. What else could she say? She wanted to be Ava's hero? Yeah, like that would help. Kai reached over to touch Kiro, but pulled back in fear of what he might do. Something overcome her, though, and she stood before the man, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you Kiro ... and if you need to talk, I'll gladly listen." Kai didn't let go of him until footsteps emerged from Ava's room. Kai shot straight up, staring at the man who was exiting the room that held their friend.

"She wants to see you," he stated, stepping aside for them. Kai dashed into the room but paused in the doorway. Ava looked so ... broken. And Kai wasn't exactly to be trusted around fragile items. So she simply stared at her friend from the doorway in sorrow, knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do to help. She was useless and helpless in this case, all she could do was watch.




[[Note: I'm just going with the flow so if you want me to change something message or PM me and I'll do so gladly XD]]

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Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Kiro T. Hiroshima Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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"S-sorry!"




Jou took a sip of the warm salty beverage then looked up, catching a glance of his partial reflection in the glassy plastic window of the drink machine. He had calmed down a little, but the sight of the reflection still gave him a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. He closed his eyes and put his forehead against the front of the drink machine, trying to gather his thoughts and go over what had happened.

--------


Miss. Zurita had dashed off after stating the least of Jouā€™s fears for his cousin. Jou tried to keep calm despite his racing heart and mind. Realizing that it would be nearly impossible for him to get to where Ava was before his cousin or the police, Jou decided to try and keep a safe pace. If he got there and was too exhausted to be of any help there would be no point. Jou set out after Miss. Zurita, jogging at a brisk but strategic pace for the distance he needed to cover.

Jou arrived at the crime scene just in time to spot the ambulance speeding off. He pushed his way through the small crowd that had been drawn in by the sirens and flashing lights. Running up to the nearest officer he asked what had happened, trying to state his relation to the situation as quickly as possible.

The officer pulled him past the civilian cut off point and began to explain what he had seen since he arrived on the scene. As Jou listened to what they had found his eyes grew wide with horror and disbelief. The description was brutal and Jou began to pick out small splatters of blood in the surrounding area. In a state of shock Jou caught a glimpse of a flashlight shining in the storage unit and the mutilated carcass that it revealed. Jou turned away, covering his mouth and stifling his gag reflex.

--------


Jou took another sip of his beverage, his senses numb from the exhaustion of the past hours. The drink cut into his grogginess, having recently awoken. Though he had gotten virtually no real rest in the hospital chair.

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Jou was already awake when Miss. Zurita jolted from her exhausted slumber. Though the tight squeeze on his hand brought him from his exhaustion fueled inner thoughts. He had tried to get some sleep in the hospital chair, but every time he closed his eyes he saw flashes of that mutilated corpse from the crime scene. Worse, he sometimes imagined a glimpse of pink hair on its head or a recognizable cellphone laying next to it. Though he knew it was just his mind playing tricks on him, the idea set him off every time in a fit of fear and guilt. Still he had no gauge for his little cousinā€™s state, considering the ambulance had already left when he arrived on the scene.

Jou watched in a bit of a blank daze as Miss. Zurita comforted Kiro. The sight sent more pangs of guilt into his mind. His cousin must be going through much worse. For him there had been virtually no buildup. Just all of the sudden his sister was gone without a trace. Followed by a frantic search ending with the storage shed before the police had arrived. The image of the corpse flashed through Jouā€™s mind once more. Yes, Jou knew that whatever Kiro was going through, it had to be much worse.

Then the doctor had given the three the news. That Ava was awake and wanted to see them. Jou had gotten up with the other two and walked over to the door.
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Jou tapped his head against the drink machine. The soft sound of the plastic warping slightly echoed through the mostly empty hallway.

Coward...

When Miss. Zurita had stopped in the doorway Jou had seen over her shoulder. The bandages, the braces. He knew, but for a moment he couldnā€™t believe. He froze up. Then he fled. He couldnā€™t bare to see it. It was like instinct.

Before he left the doorway he mumbled something. Right now he couldnā€™t recall. Something about giving Kiro some time? Something about a drink? The bathroom? He couldnā€™t remember. It had been an excuse. He couldnā€™t stand there witness to the results of his inaction. His incompetence.

Jou rubbed his aching eyes under his glasses. he turned around and put his back against the drink machine.

Cowardā€¦ selfish. Selfish coward. She needs her friends. She needs her family. You're trying to hide from yourself.

Jou stared at the ceiling for a moment. Then he gulped down the rest of the salty, now lukewarm drink. He bought a couple more then did a slight jog back to the entrance of Avaā€™s hospital room. Setting the drinks down by the chairs they had been sitting in.

Hopefully his absence had actually given his two cousins some time. He pushed the idea of an excuse out of his mind and entered the room. Hoping to provide whatever comfort he could to his cousins and Miss. Zurita.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Avazona Illigardi Character Portrait: Kai Zurita Character Portrait: Kiro T. Hiroshima Character Portrait: Jou Kudo
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#, as written by Damioa
---Kiro


As Kiro sat in the waiting area of the hospital he tried to remember what was so different about today than other days he had been in so far. Why, out of everyone in the world... out of every day spent in the world, did this have to happen to them, To his sister?

After a display of violence that he didn't even know he could show and anger he never imagined he'd have to display, he was taken in by the authorities. He couldn't make much out other than the fact that he was due to make an appearance in a small court session, just between the judges and his lawyers to find out a way to explain the whole situation. Apparently he had beaten the boy pretty bad. By causing so much damage to his brain area, he had been put to a small comatose state, one that might be fatal to his life. So it was only expected that some paperwork would be needed for the justice system. On top of that, he had to answer basic questions from the officers who arrived on the scene.

"Are you in any sort of danger?"

"Has anyone threatened you lately?"

"Do you know of anyone else who would want to cause you harm?"

All of which were completely unrelated questions. Why ask him these things? Why not ask his sister? She was the one in danger. She was the one who needed to be protected. Though he knows why things were more directed to him. He did have ties to millions, maybe even billions of yen, pesos, starlings, euros, and dollars. Not only did his company have ties to songwriters and singers in Japan, but all over the world. He imagined that maybe he would be put under investigation for conspiracy. Surely he wasn't, and was sure no one in his company was, but that wouldn't stop a few high ranking people from picking at him, just to make up a false story about him and his family.

Most of that was off the record of course. He knew that he had nothing to worry about. The person who was after his sister was dealt with and whatever legal nonsense he had to deal with would be dealt with. Soon things would go back to the way they always were and he would go back to worrying for not in the world and living out his days slowly, but happily. At least, that's what he had hoped for, but he knew that after the event that took place, both he and his sister would both change somehow. He only hoped that she wouldn't have a hard time recovering both physical and mentally.

After the questioning he was allowed to be released and headed for the hospital Avazona was taken to. To his dismay, when he arrived they wouldn't allow them to see her and he waited there with Jou and Kai, staying quiet as he thought about what he would possibly say. Something that would cheer her up. Something that would make everything better. Though there really was nothing he could do to take away the memory of the day and he knew so. With his head down, he caught word from Kai who was trying to tell him something.

"I w-wanted to get there before you ... kick Tsubaki's ass and ..."

Kiro stayed quiet. Not wanting to say the wrong thing to Kai either. He knew that she was strong, but had thought that maybe she too was scared at the moment. There was just nothing he could think of to say to anyone at the moment.

"I'm so sorry this had to happen to you Kiro ... and if you need to talk, I'll gladly listen."

Kiro nodded, but kept his eyes fixated on the floor until the doctor came to them saying that they were allowed to see his sister. Though the walk to Ava's room was a long one for him, he was happy to be able to see his sister again. He did feel slightly chocked up when seeing her after all was said and done, but that didn't stop him from walking over to her and grabbing her hand. Though the only thing that he could manage to say was, "Ava" as he was at a lost for anything else to say.