Faded

Why this...?

The blue haired demon greeted her with a firm handshake; reintroducing himself and reassuring her that the scene wasn’t as bad as she thought. Wadanohara wasn’t so sure; any sudden call from the police at two in the morning regarding a patient had to be pretty serious, and here he was brushing it off like it was just a circus act.

“I haven’t done much of the investigating, but… you know what? Just follow me; she’s right around the corner.”

Dead around the corner. The witch wasn’t sure whether to trust him or not… then again, he was a police officer. It was hard not to trust someone with that great of authority, but seeing that he had demon tails swaying around playfully as he approached the corner didn’t give her a warm and fuzzy feeling. If anything, she was desperate not to see the carcass of her beloved pelican. She had to accept fate; she had to come face to face with destiny if she were to get anywhere.

The two turned the corner, and the caution tape crinkled in the wind. With that wind brought along a strong musty scent… blood. Wadanohara recognized it from anywhere. Mumbling and raspy voices from walkie talkies sprouted from this area more than any other, and with Roc in front of her blocking her way, it was as if she were receiving a surprise present; not able to see it just yet.

“Well… here she is. Mocha! I mean… Memoca.”

The officer stepped away, exposing a demolished body that used to belong to the pelican. Her hair had been sliced off short (there were ends that were uneven) and her body was bloody and bruised. Some officers were digging through her open throat; pulling fragments of what looked like cotton you’d find in a plush toy from the incision. A sticky note was exposed from her pocket, and when Wadanohara gasped, the officers on duty turned to look at her.

“This is your patient… correct? From the looks of it, she got herself into a quarrel between some gangsters. They beat her up severely, plucked off the feathers on her sleeves, and left her to die… not before shoving a plush shark down her throat against her will. Strange… the feathers they plucked from the sleeves drew blood. Her arms are incredibly pale and fragile… we’re doing our best to scope the rest out.”

One explained. The witch’s features went pale, and she bent down to retrieve the little sticky note. The officers, taking it as evidence, followed the flimsy sheet of paper as if it were the savior of the world. She probably shouldn’t have done that… but knowing how tired she was, how early it was, and how sorrow stricken she was, could the nurse really help it? This was probably the only thing left behind from the pelican… she had to at least read it, if there was anything on it.

As the nurse began to unfold it, there were splotches of crimson across some of the words, but with the black ink Memoca had used, it was at least a bit legible. There was clear writing on this… and from the first words, ‘Dear Wadanohara’, she knew it had to mean something.

“Dear Wadanohara,

Surprise! I got this gift for you! I hope you like it! I know you’ve been going through some difficult times lately… everyone dying and all. Maybe if I got you something, it could cheer you up! I thought a plush shark would be perfect for you, knowing you love Samekichi so much! I wish I could write more… but I don’t know what to say!

Hugs and KISSES!!!,

Memoca (Momecha says Hi~!)”

This was definitely hers. After reading it, the police snatched it from her; ripping it in half where the blood was. They read whatever it was, and stashed it into a bag, along with the other side of the piece tightly clutched in Wadanohara’s hand. Roc’s tail slithered up her arm, making her flinch and nearly let go of the paper. The blue haired demon took it as he walked past her, muttering a ‘thank you’, before putting it in the bag with the other piece.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wadanohara, for taking part in this investigation. Even if it wasn’t much, you found this piece of evidence that will greatly help our attempts to find the cause of the murder. You went out of your way to come here, which is great dedication on your behalf. I bet Memoca is happy to know that you had the concern to come and see her… may Fumus bless her…”

One of the head officers in charge of the mission addressed to her. Fumus? Who was Fumus? Was she supposed to know…? Well, if there were devils, there had to be gods, right? Oh! Etihw was one! But… Fumus? That name had never crossed her ears before.

“Well, if he ever does. Or wants to, anyway.”

Roc teased, getting a nudge from another officer by his side.

“Don’t be so rash, Roc. Knowing the nurse’s interaction with you know who and you know what, he’s gotta at least do something.”

The blue haired demon laughed at their comment, before the cops walked back to their police cars which still had their lights and everything else lit up for the whole town to see. Some paramedics approached Memoca’s body, heaving her into a stretcher, about to take her away before Wadanohara stopped them.

“Wait…!! Please… let me say my last words.”

The witch murmured, getting a firm nod from the one’s on duty. She stood by the pelican’s head; letting a few tears fall onto the ground beneath her. This was the most brutal death yet… if anything could get more nasty than being eaten by an orca or being shot down by harpoon bullets on fire (or even… never mind).

“Never forget… Dolphi and Fukami… or Cherryblod… Doloz… or Lobco… whatever you do, don’t ever forget them… or us. I… I…”

Before she could finish, they were given commands by Roc to drag her off to their facilities. As they pulled away with the pelican’s body in their possession, the witch turned around to glare (somewhat) at the demon, who only grinned deviously in response.

“Adios!”

He sang as his vehicle drove away into the night; their blue and red lights disappearing into the distance. Wadanohara was left there alone… so she thought. As she headed back for the rehab center, someone came running up to her, holding what looked like a black and white scarf. When they halted in front of her, panting, they held up the item.

“You’re Mrs. Wadanohara! This… this is what was left of Memoca’s feathers… a scarf. Oddly enough, it smells like the ocean… you might want to clean it. B-Bye!”

Off they went before the nurse could thank them. The scarf was… incredibly soft. These were the pelican’s… this was a part of her body put together into a scarf to wear leisurely. Who could have done this…? Whoever it was… no. The nurse didn’t want to think about it. For now, she went back home…

Where everyone was awake, searching for her.