Xterminating the Norm

Heartthrob

NOW PLAYING: STALKERS TANGO BY AUTOHEART

A few days and then some have passed. Haruka was just laying in her room, bored. She just finished watching some of the news, only the report of ZerØ's killing though. She had been watching every single broadcast that had to do with ZerØ, trying to tie whatever she can together. It gave her a soft and warm feeling in her chest. She loved seeing her so much. She wished she could see the real deal again though. She sat in silence for a bit. Then she had an idea. She decided she should walk outside or something. It's better than just sitting and doing nothing, anyway. Haruka threw on her black hoodie and leather gloves. The same leather gloves that ZerØ had lent her. Haruka never got rid of them. She cherished those gloves. She wore them anytime she went outside. She walked out the door, her dad still knocked out on the couch. She walked around for a bit, taking in the quiet night and overall calming atmosphere. The wind blowing softly, the rustling of leaves. And the full moon is shining brightly as ever. She took a deep breath in, taking it all in. In between her admiring the night she heard something. Screams. Screams of agony, of pain. She quickly rushed over to where she heard the sound. She ran into an alley. Why are there so many alleyways around here? She peaked around the corner and saw her. The same girl she's been fixated on for basically an entire week. ZerØ, sitting on top of someone and stabbing them repeatedly. Her laughter echoed. Seeing ZerØ and hearing her laugh made her heart stop for a second. She was trying to hold her breath to not alert her. Then, ZerØ started humming to herself as she was drawing with the victim's blood. Haruka felt her heartbeat rapidly speed up. Her humming sent chills down Haruka's spine. But despite that, her humming sounded beautiful, and listening to it made her heart swell. She loved the sound of her voice. She felt privileged to even be in ZerØ's presence at that moment. Haruka had to try and process what she was thinking. Did she, like ZerØ? Haruka pulled out her phone, attempting to distract herself from whatever she felt at the moment. A good photo would be perfect for her investigation. She quietly snapped a photo of ZerØ. Haruka let out a sigh as she looked at the photo. The only thing she didn't take into account was that ZerØ would hear her. ZerØ quickly turned around.

"Hm? Who's there?"

Haruka let out a small gasp before covering her mouth. Trying to keep a low profile.

"Ah, I see...So you're trying to hide from me huh? ~ We'll see how long that lasts..."

ZerØ began to walk out of the alleyway, blood still dripping off her knife. Haruka began to run away, there was no way she could explain this one. How in the hell was she supposed to explain that she was watching her and taking photos of her for her research? That sounds super creepy. She'd get killed. She ran even faster, ZerØ was catching up to her quickly. Haruka managed to find a place to hide. An abandoned building. She stood there silently for a second, hiding behind a wall as ZerØ scanned the area.

"Come on out! No need to be scared! I promise I won't hurt you! ~"

Haruka had to use every fiber of her being to not step out of hiding. ZerØ finished her quick look around.

"Aww...no fair. I lost the chance of making a new friend..."

Haruka was relieved that she didn't get caught in the act.

"Oh well, I can always make one later! Ima just eat some of my gummies!"

ZerØ pulled down her gas mask a bit and took out a small pack of Haribo gummies from her pocket. She opened the pack and opened her mouth, her long snake-like tongue sticking out and her fang's exposed. Haruka blushed a bit. ZerØ ate the gummies and pulled her mask back up. As ZerØ began to walk away, Haruka quietly followed. Making her footsteps as light as humanly possible. It wouldn't hurt to follow her, right? It's just for her investigation after all. After a bit of walking, she watched ZerØ walk into a huge mansion. She walked to the nearest window and pulled out a small notepad that she has been using to write down info about ZerØ that she's been getting from the news. She wrote a letter and climbed up a bit. She slipped the letter in the room before taking a quick peek inside. It looked like a stereotypical girl's room, pink and black all over, LED lights hanging on her walls, stuffed animals stacked up both on her dresser and on her large king-sized bed. She also had a mini fridge stacked up with healthy looking foods. Granola bars, chicken salad, and shrimp fried rice. But alongside that was also a ton of gummies, chocolate, and a few cookies. Not to mention the amount of glitter and sparkles on her curtains. There was also a collection of knives hanging up, what looked to be a small pink pastel pistol on her dresser, and a target with several marks on it. The marks appeared to be bullet holes and marks from a knife being thrown at it. There was a photo of the same man ZerØ had just murdered taped on it. All the marks were in a particular way. The knife marks were perfectly aimed at the center of his face, but not those weren't normal marks. The marks formed a smiley face. Seeing it made Haruka's hair stick up from the pure horror. There was one more thing in the room that she noticed, a small chalkboard titled "Friends! :D". The only name on the list was Haruka's. Haruka blushed a bit. But before she could ponder further, she heard someone opening the door. She immediately climbed back down and hid silently under the window, completely out of her view. ZerØ had opened the door and saw the small note. She immediately got excited and picked it up, not wanting to question where or who it came from. She read it out loud.

"Hello, ZerØ. Don't worry, I am not out to harm you in any way. I'm assuming this is your house because I just saw you casually walk into it moments ago. I have been keeping track of your actions for about a week now. Today was the one time I saw you in person. I loved watching it up close. By the way, today, I heard you singing to yourself. Your voice is very beautiful and soothing. Anyways, I'm on a time limit so I'll see you later. Write back if you want. Love, --"

And whatever name was written there was crossed out in black ink.

"Aww! How cute! A love letter! ~ I never had someone fall in love with me before! Or what Is it called...a secret admirer? I should write them back! Hmmm...Oh! I can just stick it on my window and hope they see it!"

ZerØ quickly wrote a letter in response. She stuck a bunch of stickers on it, sprinkled it with some glitter, and slid it on the windowsill. She closed the window on the edge of the note to hold it in place. Haruka climbed up and snatched the note. She then darted home, letter in hand. Once she arrived home, she read the letter to herself.

"Hi!! You seem fun! I never had anyone write me a love letter before! So, You're quite the sadistic one, aren't you? Finding pleasure in watching a person experience extreme pain and suffering, you seem similar to me! I never really met someone who was like me. Also, I appreciate the compliment of my voice! It made me feel all bubbly and fuzzy inside! I don't want this little note to be too long, sooo, please talk to me again soon! It gets lonely over here sometimes...Smiles and love, ZerØ :D"

Haruka blushed. Similar to her? That was too generous of a statement. She is way above anything she'd ever be. A person way beyond her understanding. Completely out of her league. Everything about her is just so amazing. There's no way there are even on the same level. Shes so far below her. It was a mystery why Zer0 even thought of her this way just from, what looks like to her, one singular note. She should write more notes. More notes means more of these interactions without the hassle of socializing in person. It would be pretty pathetic to grovel at her feet the next time they meet after all. Maybe she should grovel. Zer0 deserves that kind of respect and gratitude. Shes too kind to be given anything less. However, Haruka stopped in her tracks for a second. The way she was thinking of ZerØ, wasn't normal. She took a moment to look at herself in her hand mirror, thinking about ZerØ, it was making her face bright red. Love letter, huh? Did she really like ZerØ? It's a possibility. She's been completely fixated on her for a while now. Wanting to be the one, and only one to truly understand ZerØ, Including finding out her identity. But, a crush? She was scared to let her mind go to such a sensitive place. She's been on guard her whole life. Ever since she killed her mother, she had no reason to worry about letting her guard down. It wouldn't be bad if she loved ZerØ. Deep down, she'd love to be showered with attention from someone as beautiful, charming, intelligent, and kind as her. Constant praise from her would feel like heaven. Haruka began to bite her nail, barely being able to handle the thought. Perhaps she truly was similar to ZerØ. This moment, what she was feeling, it all made her come to a conclusion.

"I want her complete attention. I want her eyes to be on me, and only me. I'll make her see me. And I will do whatever it takes to reach that goal."