Wonderland Bites

Yorokobi

Yorokobi

It's another wrap party. This apocalypse survivor movie was going to be set for later this December. Around Christmastime. Though he didn't show it, Kasuka wasn't in the mood. He hadn't from Shizuo in moods. That wouldn't be out of the ordinary if not for the radio silence in the city. No vending machines, trash cans, guard rails, signs, or people were being tossed around. There had been no new guys in the hospital either. Tom wasn't giving him any straight answers either. Plus, there were rumors about a bull man. What was that about?

"Hey!" someone said. The actor turned his head. Max walked up to him. His blonde afro stood out from the other guests. He leaned on his client's shoulder.

"Crazy party, huh?" he asked. Max chuckled as he held up his drink.

"Yeah," Kasuka said, holding up his drink. Max kind of frowned.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No," Kasuka said. The actor turned away from him. Max frowned with a disappointed look on his face.

"Hm..." he said.

-Yorokobi-

I can't figure him out. There's no emotion on his face. On the screen, he comes to life. But in real life there is nothing.

I don't think I like this. There has to be something that will break him. I have something new to do until the game ends.

I am watching this party right now. That looks fun. My eyes stayed on the star of the party. There's no emotion on his face. But then I froze.

What is this?

He seems to be worried about something. I squinted and tuned out the party. The muffled voices started to fade away. I could see his light glowing a faint purple. Hm... I started moving closer. His worried started to take shape. Every hair on my skin stood up.

Oh! I see. Things just became more interesting. I could feel myself smiling. Right then, my plan came together.

Kasuka had just finished his drink when something caught his eye. A small black rabbit stood near a hallway. A small black rabbit stood in the doorway. The little red eyes stood out. The actor stared at the little creature. He looked around at the partying guests. Not even the teenage idol girl talking to him seemed to notice. Her voice disappeared into the background. The actor walked toward the rabbit.

"Kasuka-san? Kasuka-san?" the idol asked after him. He pushed his way through the crowd to the door. The rabbit stood staring at him.

"Hey little fellow," Kasuka whispered with his hand out. The bunny wiggled his little nose. Then it turned and ran off. The man had that urge to follow. Kasuka didn't understand why. He didn't have that much to drink and he was sure that no one slipped him something earlier.

Things became apparent that something was off once he walked into the hallway. The walls, ceiling, and carpet were a burning bright red. Kasuka looked around as he tried to piece together what was happening. Where did all of this red come from? There was no place in this building like this.

"Is this a hidden TV set up?" Kasuka asked himself. It didn't feel like it. He looked ahead and saw that rabbit again. This time, it stood in front of an elevator. Its very presence told him to come closer. The actor couldn't stop himself from walking. He grew closer to the elevator doors. The rabbit sat there, staring at him.

"Where did you come from?" Kasuka asked. The elevator doors drew open. The rabbit hopped inside. The actor followed it inside. Before he knew it, the doors slid closed. Kasuka turned around. He pulled out his phone. No service. The actor didn't get a chance to think as the elevator started moving.

First floor. Second floor. Third floor.

Suddenly, the elevator stopped.

The doors slid open. More fiery red greeted the actor. The color was so bright that it hurt Kasuka's eyes. He stepped back and shield his eyes. A flash of black hopped out past his feet. It happened so fast that he almost didn't catch it.

Almost.

Something or someone called out to him. The voice was so low that he could barely hear it. Still, he started walking again.

This place was so quiet. So quiet that Kasuka's ears were ringing. His vision started to swim. Still, the man kept walking. There was something up ahead at the end of the hall. It looked like a person sitting on a throne. The actor walked closer for a better look.

This figure looked so pale. Dark purple robes covered their body. They had their legs crossed. Pink hibiscus covered their platinum blond hair. Kasuka got a better looked at the figure. The androgynous figure had chains around their head and hands. Religious symbols were drawn just below their left eye. The person had a masculine face and hands but a feminine-looking body. Kasuka stood in front of them.

"Who are you?" he asked. The figure looked down at him. Their lips curved into a demonic smile.

"Nice to meet you," they said. "My name is Yorokobi." They bowed as they spoke. Kasuka looked around at the endless red.

"Where are we?" he asked. Yorokobi held out their arms.

"You are in my domain," they said. The red lights above made the figure look like a demon. Their robe was open in the chest.

"So... why am I here?" Kasuka asked. Yorokobi perked up.

"Delighted you asked!" they said. "I am curious about you. You show no emotion when you are in real life. But you come to life on the screen. Why is that?"

"My brother," the actor said.

"Who is your brother?"

"Heiwajima Shizuo."

"What is he like?"

"Angry. Violent. Misunderstood."

"Why is that?"

Kasuka shrugged and shook his head. "I don't really know."

Yorokobi frowned. "That's it?" They sat back on the throne as another question brewed in their head.

"Are you like him?"

"No."

Yorokobi leaned in with a curious look on their face. "And why do you say that?" The figure took a long while to take in Kasuka in front of him. Their lips curved into a hungry smile. Maybe they won't have to go hungry tonight.

"Oh! This is interesting," they said.

"What?" Kasuka asked. Yorokobi leaned back on their throne.

"Where do I begin with this?" they asked. "Hm..."

"Listen, I have to go," the actor said. "Everyone is probably wondering where I am right now." Yorokobi held up their hand.

"I know," they said. "I will let you go when I get good and ready." The actor had no emotion on his face.

"Oh? You're getting annoyed, I see," the figure said. "Tell me something, what will it take to bring out the beast of rage deep inside of you?" Kasuka said nothing as he stared at them. Yorokobi closed their eyes and chuckled.

"Heh," they said. "You're going to be much more entertaining than I thought."

"Can I please leave?" Kasuka asked. For a second there, Yorokobi could detect the smallest hint of agitation in the actor's tone. They waved him off.

"Fine," they said. "You can go now."

"Thank you," Kasuka said. The actor turned to leave. Yorokobi lifted their head.

"Oh, Kasuka!" they called. He paused and looked over his shoulder. Yorokobi stood up from their throne. They seemed to be gliding over to their target. Before Kasuka could act Yorokobi's lips were inches from his ear. It took them to whisper one thing to make their mark in this apocalypse game.

Kasuka made it back to the party. He looked drained of all emotion. Nobody really noticed because he always looked so stoic. They didn't even notice that he had been gone for twenty minutes. The teen idol girl who had been talking to him just thought he went to the bathroom. They didn't know how serious things were about to get.

Hours later, Kasuka got the call about Shizuo.