Excursions in the Dark, Chapter 1
�Misato-chan, don�t fret. I�ll pick up some of that special tofu you like.� He sighed and ran his fingers through his ebony locks, wishing to be home. However his dear wife just had to have her favorite brand of tofu for a special dish for her mother�s birthday, which happened to be tomorrow. �See you soon.� Click.
It was an evening just like any other, except that Hanajima-san, his boss, had kept him at work later than usual, and that his wife had just called him asking him to pick up tofu, when he was dead tired. Add to that, rent was due tomorrow, and it wasn�t cheap. God bless his bargain-dealing wife.
All right, so it wasn�t a normal evening.
He needed a drink. However, Misato had a talent for spotting any hint of alcohol no matter how he tried to disguise it with food. She disliked drinking except for holidays like birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, and weddings.
The scent of rice wafted to his nostrils, and he immediately perked up. He was starving. Turning the corner he saw a street vendor still in business, as there was only one person in line at the moment. A young man with an unusual shade of white, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes was attending the customer, but he brushed that aside.
The youth had just finished serving the previous customer, and smiled in a friendly way. Yet there was something about him that unsettled his very spirit, though there wasn�t a reason to think so. �Hello, sir. What would you like?�
Leaning his elbows on the edge of the vendor, he scanned the menu and found a simple favorite of his and directed his attention at the worker. �I would like a rice bowl with vegetables and sake, please.�
Nodding, the white-haired young man set to work making his meal. Still feeling unsettled he focused his attention on the scenery. Bare-leafed sakura trees cast shadows on the cement, grass, and shrubbery as the sun continued its slow descent. The swings and play ground set were devoid of children. It was just the two of them.
�Sir, your order is ready.�
He turned to the worker and slid his wallet out of his wallet, and paid for the meal encased in a styrofoam container, steaming hot, and topped with a plastic lid. A pair of chopsticks lay beside it. The youth took the money and placed in a money box, still smiling. He got the feeling that nothing escaped this guy, and that feeling drove him to bow his head in thanks and move on, food and chopsticks in hand.
Walking off in a measured pace, he slid the plastic lid off the container, extricated the chopsticks from their paper hold, and holding it close to his mouth began shoveling it into his mouth, temporarily distracted by the warmth of the rice and vegetables as it warmed his stomach.
All went well as he exited the park and quickly made his purchase of two packages of tofu at the nearest convenience store. By then he had finished his snack and was eager to get home. In fact, he was on the verge of falling asleep on his feet when a streak of midnight black caused him to blink and stand in horror.
A kitten with black fur was crouched at the entrance of an alley with a dead rat in its mouth.
Now he wasn�t one to be superstitious, but one of his close friends had run into trouble lately, all because of such an ill omen.
�What bad luck you have,� a voice whispered from somewhere. It was deep and husky, tinged with a malicious tone.
He stood, rigid, and his hands began to shake. Oh no, he was hearing voices now! His wife would not believe him. Unsteadily, wide awake, he hurried off at a run down the street, but not before a shadow of a person stepped out from a trashcan with measured cadence toward him. A flash of brilliant white hair was the only thing that caught his attention.
I�m being followed was the only thought running through his mind.
He skidded to a halt and turned a right, choosing to hide until whoever was toying with him left. Forcing his breathing to even out from the run, he tightly gripped the plastic bag holding his purchases, a reminder that getting home was first priority. All this nonsense was making him jittery.
It was very dark, so much so that he could only make out the vague shape of the alley exit. There were no cats in sight, so feeling it okay to leave, he got up and walked as calmly as he could.
�That�s right, my prey, go home to your pretty wife,� the same voice whispered just loud enough for him to hear. �Sweet dreams.�
Startled, the poor man shivered. The voice�s last adieu was anything was sincere, but tinged with a humor lost to him. He lost no time in bolting around the corner and away from the disembodied voice that would no doubt cause nightmares.
The alley was once more just that: an alley. The ebony kitten meowed and curled up in a somewhat dry and clean spot of the concrete. Then, the same white-haired boy stepped out from his hiding place and smirked to himself. �Toying with mortal�s minds today is an enjoyable hobby that I doubt will never tire.� He paused and went over to the shivering kitten, scooping the creature up into his arms. �I must thank you for your aid in my hobby, you little devil,� he said, scratching its ears.
The kitten responded by purring and rubbing its head against his head. �Now to go home. My host has school tomorrow, and there I will be able to taunt Pharaoh.�
Then he was gone just as silently as he had gotten there.