hakai | gabimaru

十一

cw: capital punishment/death sentence

Riku wraps Rika's neck with a knot that is suspended by a noose.

Kosatsu or death by hanging. A method of execution that involves suspending criminals from a crossbeam until they die of asphyxiation. Another immediate cause is rapid brain death.

Though as much as Riku opposes to this, Rika respectfully obliged.

"Any last words?" Riku asks, head lifted up to look at Rika who stood at the edge of the drop.

"I have no last words." Rika simply replies, displaying a small smile on her lips.

As soon as those words escape her lips, Rika extends her right foot out until her weight drops down. The drop is approximately six feet high and there is still visible distance between Rika's toes and the ground Riku steps on. At this point, Rika's head should have manually dislocated by itself. Head forced to hang on one side while the neck vertebrae dislocates.

However, Rika's eyes remains open. Blinking to herself before darting her eyes down to the ground and to Riku's. To Riku and everyone else, it seemed as if Rika is just levitating in front of them.

"Can I be put down now?" Rika asks, turning her attention towards them. "I feel like if I'm still in this position any longer, my kimono will slip down." She reasons. Smiling with her eyes closed afterwards. "I'm sorry but aside from my twin brother, I simply don't know all of you. So I feel shy showing my body!"

As Riku turns his head to look at the Magistrate for any signal, the stout man could only nod his head. Taking steps closer to his twin sister, he sheaths out his katana; one arm wrapped around her waist while the other holds onto the handle of his blade, cutting the knot. Slowly he brings her feet back down on the ground, ushering her back to her hollow cell.

"Did you hold out on that one?"

"How can I hold myself on that one? The rope around my neck felt ticklish even!"

Back inside her cell with her wrists tied above her head, Riku sat down on the ground in front of her cell. Notebook and pen in both hands. Flies flew around the lit torch in circles.

"How long do I have to be here?" Rika asks, her facial expression hollowing as she narrows her eyes at Riku. The tone of her voice is low but dangerous. "I did not burn down a capital just to be stuck in these walls for almost a week." She adds.

As Riku continues to write down on the scroll, his eyes kept glued onto the page of the notebook he is currently in. He heaves a deep sigh. "It may please you to know that I've got preparations done." He replies to her, the tone of his voice also low. "I don't know why it took them so long for a decision making but I've got the answer in my hands now. Until then, hold out until tomorrow morning."

The pair of twins were silent for a moment. Rika staring at Riku and Riku still scribbling down. When he is done, he keeps his items to himself in an organized fashion, standing back up on his feet. 

"It is my duty to compile the records of investigation. As long as you give me your cooperation I will continue working with you like this." Riku says, his voice now a little louder, beginning their act. Turning around on his heels, the white haired male walks away. Rika could only listen to his footsteps grow distant and distant.

As Rika's eyes darts to the inmate in front of her, an amused smile paints her lips as she catches him staring at her.

"What do you think separates a man from a beast?"

The man with white hair and yellow eyes continued to stare at her. A million thoughts running through his head. One is her way of thinking - it has him questioning as well. 

"You tell me." He replies to her in the same nonchalant tone. 

"Should I give you a thorough answer? Or a straight to the point answer?" Rika asks. 

The man blinks his eyes twice. "Uh...the first one?" 

"Human beings are perfectly capable of self analysis, mental imagination, creativity, logical and abstract thinking and morality. There is a reason why our brains are placed on the very top of our body. Human beings are also able to think through certain things and are motivated by instincts, intellect, reason and logic. These higher level of thinking skills are what separates us from beasts. Apart from that, humans are bipedal while beasts moves on quadrupedal." Rika answers.

As the white haired male inmate in front of her stares at her with slight wide eyes, Rika could only smile at him.

"That sounds...interesting." He tells her.

"I'm glad that you found it interesting." She says. "But want to know something more interesting?"

"What?"

Rika leans her head a little, as if she is sharing a secret with him. "Everything that I told you earlier...is also what turns a man into a beast."

The white haired male inmate continues to stare at her. At first, he didn't know what he is supposed to say, he didn't really know how what to reply to her words from earlier. All he knows is that she is a breath of fresh air amidst the hollowed cube.

"Hey" He speak to her, earning her attention. "Aren't you going to at least curious as to why am I locked up here with you?"

Hearing his question, Rika shook her head. "I'm not." She begins to say. "For now at least. You must have had your reason. I too have a a reason of my own. That's why for now, I won't ask you about it." Is her reply.

"Besides" Rika continues, "We just got to know of each other just yesterday. If we get too close to each other too soon, we'll find each other boring."

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

When the following day arrives, Riku tugs on the rope that binds Rika's wrists together. Despite the circumstance and with Riku leading the way, Rika savored the the feeling of being able to walk on the beach. The color of the sea water is jewel blue and the skies looked like a curtain of silk. Despite the air heavily laced with the scent of salt, the sound of the waves swelled inside her heart. A feeling of soothing coursing through her.

"It feels nice to live in an island, don't you think?" Rika asks, closing her eyes as she feels the warm breeze blow her hair back.

"Be prepared, Rika." Riku says. "There will be much more eyes around us and I won't be able to intervene. Not when there's more Asaemon's. The answer lies within that tent."

Stepping through, there were about forty criminals sitting down on the golden sand while fifteen Asaemons stood in each side. On the front is the same stout Magistrate with at least six attendant; three on each side. As she notices a free space, she voluntarily walks over to that spot, sitting down with her legs crossed over the other.

Settling down, a small smile paints her lips. "It's nice to see you without the wooden bars and cells."

Turning her head to the left, she faces the white haired inmate with a sweet genuine smile on her lips. Despite her sweet disposition, he stared at her with a shocked expression. The first time they ever be this close to each other. 

They're view of each other slowly fades as a piece of white cloth covers their face.