Beautiful Blood

The Island

Eihi was standing in front of Ryuuji’s car, smoking the last cigarette before the flight, waiting for her partner to get downstairs. He was so slow for a man; she wondered what he was doing upstairs, maybe looking for his purse?

She snorted softly as she exhaled some smoke that disappeared in the air the same moment. A gust of wind moved a bunch of leaves on the pathway, whirling them around like a tornado, causing a poodle dog to bark at it as if it were alive; the owner pulled her dog back and continued making her way through the crowd.

Eihi stared at the leaves. She looked up at the trees; it was summer. The trees were covered in green leaves but some of them began falling off, like it was autumn. It seemed as if something was not to Nature’s liking.

Last night, that girl Yuka was kidnapped. It seems someone came to finish the job. Eihi thought how she was certain who that someone off. Either that Terachi boy or the demon. Although, somehow she had a feeling the demon did not bother with the dirty work.

She wondered why they had kidnapped Yuka anyways. According to the legend, a hundred women would be offered as a sacrifice...Well, since MyAnna managed to survive, Eihi thought the legend and the...curse or whatever it was, was not fulfilled.

As Ryuuji was leaving the building, a strange thought that the legend itself had many fallacies occurred to Eihi. She slipped into the car, on the driver’s seat and waited for Ryuuji to load his suitcase into the back. Then, he sat on the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt and told her to go.

Eihi started the car and drove off towards the airport, the thought from before lingering in her mind, somewhere, well hidden.

-Are you okay?- Ryuuji asked.

-Yes. Why?- She nodded, turning right, then left at the next turning.

-You’re quiet.-

-I usually talk too much?-

-No, I did not say that. Ah, you women.- He shook his head, although he was clearly amused by her conclusion.

She shrugged –I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.-

-Tired? Don’t be tired when we are supposed to do the job.- He eyed her.

-I won’t.- She squeezed the wheel –You know how determined I am in finishing it.-

-But...How will we find them? I mean, we know what we are supposed to do and how, but we have no idea how or where to find them.- He looked in front of himself, somewhere in the distance of the road –We can’t just knock on everyone’s door and ask them whether or not they are some foul demons.-

She snickered softly, stopping at the traffic light –Of course not! However – She reached back, for her purse; she could not reach it and she had to take the wheel with her both hands again –Could you hand me the bag, please?-

Ryuuji nodded and reached for a medium sized white purse –This one?-

-It’s the only one there, yes.- She huffed teasingly as he took it and placed it on her lap. She held the wheel with her one hand and began opening the purse with the other. She took out a sheet of paper; it was yellow and old, probably ages old. Ryuuji noticed that whatever was written on it was written with ink or something similar to that.

-What’s that?-

-Read.- She handed him the paper and looked straight ahead, seeing the airport in the distance; a plane was just taking off, looking like a huge metal bird that just spread her wings and flew off into the far distance, merging with the clouds; becoming one with them.

Ryuuji frowned –Is this a spell?-

-Yes.-

-And – He turned the paper a few times, examining it under his fingers, hovering with his index finger of the free hand over the letters –Is this ink?- He rubbed his thumb and index finger –Doesn’t look like that. What is this? - He looked at her questioningly.