KNY Fanfic: Priceless Smile

Chapter 74: Orphanage

Kazumi's now on her way to her new mission again. Take informed her about the letter before they left the estate.

"It seems like you're still fuming in anger Take-kun." Kazumi said while walking as Take landed on her head.

"My anger towards them will never be below the ground." Take replied.

Kazumi just gave out a sigh while caressing him.

"Then please calm down. If you keep on getting angry like that, you might die in a lot of stress." Kazumi said calming him down.

As the three of them reached the village Kazumi's assigned to, they noticed something. Something very saddening. It is as if the village is divided in two. As Kazumi walk along the streets with Take and Taro on her head and shoulder, they saw how people just get to treat each other.

"This village.... is just like a small model of our world." Kazumi muttered out.

She could see people dragging and hitting several slaves. Some even kicking the beggars while the rest are just ignoring them. Despite this, she put on a smile. Until she saw a child begging for food and walked closer to him. Take and Taro flew away.

"Here, you may eat this." Kazumi offered handing him her rice ball.

The child's eyes twinkled as he accept it and eat it. He also divided it in two.

"Why won't you eat the other half?" Kazumi asked crouching down at his level.

With his looks, the boy's pretty much older than her though, he looked so thin. Almost as if he's nothing but skin and bones.

"For the night. If you're a beggar, you won't get any food like this for week or more so I'm saving it." The boy answered.

"I see.... could you perhaps tell me, how you ended up like this?"

The boy stayed silent for a while until he nodded his head and stood up.

"Follow me, we can't talk here." The boy replied.

Kazumi followed him. Walking into a dark small pathway then a few turns after that, they ended up at a certain building with a huge gate. Him and Kazumi were hiding among the bushes.

"Here?"

"Yes. That estate you can see there was once an orphanage and that's where I'm from."

"Then, how come you're a beggar now?"

"Beacause more than a month ago, the orphanage went bankrupt and was bought by a wealthy couple. We thought they're nice but, they're just the same as the other people in this village. They abused us and turned us to slaves." The boy explained sitting down hugging his knees.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Say, were you the only one who escaped?" Kazumi asked still smiling but the boy didn't mind.

"No, I have other children with me but.... some of them were caught back while the others scattered around here. I've seen the others being sold to some wealthy people whenever I took a peek here. I felt so sad for them yet I can't do anything."

"How about the former owner of the orphanage?"

"Mother Anzu's dead, she was the former owner. That was the reason why the orphanage went bankrupt because one of the couple was her daughter. Mother Anzu's daughter is very different from her."

While they were talking, Kazumi's also using her senses at the same time.

"Is there something scary in there?" She asked which shocked the young boy.

".... I think.... Ever since the couple took over, children disappear every after three days. They just disappear like a bubble and nowhere to be found or seen again. I knew there's something wrong so that's one of the reason I escaped. I tried my best to ask for help but no one did."

"I see, don't worry. I'll help you." Kazumi said.

As the both of them stood up, a man from behind her pointed a gun on the back of her head. That man was one of the guards.

"If you don't want me to kill you, raise your hands up slowly and turn around."

The boy was about to talk when Kazumi just signaled him to stop, putting a finger on her lips. She raised her hands up in the air and turned around to face the man.

"You even have a sword. Now walk." He ordered.

"Why should I?"

"If you won't obey I'll shoot." He threatened pointing the gun at Kazumi's face.

Kazumi didn't move the slightest. This triggered the man and made him attempt to pull the trigger. He was about to do so, but Kazumi's fast enough to grab his gun and used the end of it to hit his head. The man fell on the ground still conscious but dizzy.

"Say, is there some sort of creature inside that orphanage?" Kazumi asked now pointing the gun at his face.

The man gulped down and fear now painted on his face. Seeing that Kazumi is smiling at him while pointing the gun gave him shivers.

"Th-There is.... I-It's a monster i-inside." He stuttered.

"There. Now leave." Kazumi said throwing him back his gun.

He instantly stood up and scurried away even when he tripped so many times.

The sun has finally set, a signal for a battle to begin.

"Boy, hide here for a while and don't come out until I come back." Kazumi said giving him a closed eye smile.

The boy just nodded as Kazumi vanish from in front of him. He got shocked but he managed to collect himself and hide among the bushes again.

Kazumi rounded the whole place. She entered the building and hid herself. As she hide behind a couch, she heard a woman ordering the children to go and prepare dinner. While they were distracted, she jumped up the second floor and run on the halls. Until a man in his late thirties came out of a room. As he was about to talk, Kazumi covered his mouth and knocked him out cold.
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A woman is seen sitting on a couch inside a dark room with candles lighting it up. She's wearing several layers of expensive and beautifully long kimonos. With how she looked like, she looks like an oiran without her hair being held up and in place by hairsticks and pins. Her long violet hair placed behind her, what a beauty she is if anyone would see her. Her red lips and lavander cat-like eyes looking at a skull she's holding.

"What a beautiful skull. Don't worry, more beautiful skulls would be added to my collection." She said.

"And so is your head to be added in hell."

She jolted up and jumped away hearing the voice from behind her. Her eyes glowed and saw the figure clearly.

"My apologies for surprising you, demon." Kazumi said sitting on the couch and grabbing one of the skulls on the floor.

"Hands off! Those are mine!" The demon exclaimed dashing towards Kazumi.

As she do so, she passed by her. She smirked thinking she had killed the intruder. But to her surprise, her kimonos were cut and fell on the ground leaving only two layers to cover her. The demon grabbed a ribbon to fasten her two kimonos left.

"How troublesome, eating children after making them suffer." Kazumi said caressing the skull gently.

"Dammit! I'll kill you!" The demon charged towards her again.

This time, instead of her kimono falling off of her, it's her head that fell on the ground. Speechless as she saw her body fall on the ground too.

"Now pay for the lives you took."

With that said, the demon's body disintegrated completely. The lighted candles were gone and only complete darkness enveloped the whole room.

Footsteps can be heard rushing forward. As they opened the room, they didn't saw anyone. They decided to light up the room with a lantern and saw the torn pieces of kimonos on the ground and the skulls and human bones.

"No." The lady muttered out.