Salutations

Dom: What? You thought we were dead? Hah!

Violet: Wow, we have not updated for ages! Reason being we were completing our final year of high school. We have now graduated & preparing to go to university!

Dom: We're both really sorry about not updating, but school first, psycho Mugi later. Please review the past two chapters (28 & 29) as we have edited them to send the story down a different pathway. The whole 'spirit' thing just wasn't working, so It's been changed, but hopefully, it will still be awesome.

Now, we'll shut up & leave you to read.

By the way, for those who do not know, & is an ampersand that is just another way to write 'and.' Sorry, we picked it up in English class this year ^^;

Disclaimer: We do not own anything, this is 100% purely fan-made.

30.

Drip. Drip. Drip. That was the only sound in the entire shrine and it was driving Ritsu crazy. She strangled a pillow with a scowl on her face as the lazy rays of light refracted through the windows to reveal a silhouette of the blonde psychopath. Mio's grandmother had requested them to leave her and the black haired girl alone so they could focus on what had to be done.

"How long does it take to explain the situation?" Ritsu angrily called out with a groan. Tsumugi pirouetted on her heel & raised an elegant eyebrow at the golden eyed girl, who immediately shut her trap.

"Sorry, I'm just impatient & reckless," she muttered. Tsumugi sighed & walked back over to the living area, carefully sitting opposite Ritsu.
"Indeed you are, my dear," Tsumugi's articulation was as clear as crystal, & it made Ritsu uneasy.

"I know, it's a trait I got from my father more than my mother," the drummer grinned in an attempt to lighten the mood. Tsumugi looked up at her & blinked, her sapphire eyes glistening.
"Your mother is not?"
The brunette lifted her head.
"Not what?"
"Reckless."

Ritsu looked at the slightly stunned & confused blonde. She shook her head.

"No, not really. She's calmer, I guess. We do have the same eyes, though," Ritsu stated, battering her vibrant golden optics. Tsumugi looked down at the ground, contemplating the information Ritsu had given her.

"My mother was always calm."
"Was?" It was Ritsu' turn to be confused. Tsumugi looked out the window with a hint of unhappiness.
"My mother was never angry & always level-headed. She was very beautiful, too, & Finnish, hence being the head of Finland's international relationships."

Ritsu bit her lip. Mugi's mother seemed like an elder version of Mugi, just not psychopathic & insane.

"I-If you don't mind me asking," Ritsu stuttered, wincing slightly as Tsumugi turned to face her.
"Where is your mother now?"

The question caused the temperature in the room to drop 10 degrees. Tsumugi lowered her head so that her eyes were over shadowed.

"She passed away when I was eight years old," her words were cold with sorrow. Ritsu gulped, choosing her words as carefully as deactivating a bomb.

"I-I-I'm so s-s-sorry, Mugi, I had no Id-d-dea," She grew nervous as Tsumugi raised her head, but Ritsu was shocked when she saw the genuine sadness in the blonde's eyes. There were barely any traces of insanity, just glistening, sapphire optics.

"It's fine, Ritsu, you didn't know. No one does, not even Mio," Tsumugi sighed as she played with the hem of her dress.

"My mother was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder when she was 20. My father found it very difficult to communicate with her after the diagnosis was confirmed. In the early stages, my father was unsure of how to deal with it, because it seemed all my mother would do was bake cakes, prepare snacks & drink tea. He did, however, notice that she was a gifted pianist. She would play everyday & found that it was easier to communicate through music."

"Woah, that's really interesting," Ritsu gaped in awe at Tsumugi's story. The psychopath continued to speak as she twirled her knife with her long, fair fingers.

"When I was three, my mother taught me piano. She was also head pianist for Helsinki's symphony orchestra," Tsumugi smiled at the memory as Ritsu continued to sit & listen. This had to be the first time after Tsumugi's psychological change that the blonde was acting & talking like…well…a normal person. It shocked her, truly.

"S-So, what happened then?" Ritsu asked attentively. Tsumugi blinked & slowed down her knife-twirling.

"A week after my 8th birthday, my mother was rushed to hospital. Four days later, she suffered from heart failure."

Tsumugi paused as she looked out onto the shrine's gardens. A gentle breeze whistled its way into the living room, swirling & dancing around Tsumugi's hair like a dancer. Ritsu was trying to choke back tears as Tsumugi bowed her head.

"Holy shit," Ritsu choked out, wiping her nose on the back of her leather jacket.
"I'm so, so sorry, Mugi."

Tsumugi turned around & smiled. No sugar glint, no desire for murder, just a genuine smile.
"It's all right, Ritsu. There are some things we can control in this world, & there are some things we cannot."

& With that final remark, Tsumugi's lip curled & the sugar glint was back.
"I could not control my mother's passing, but I can aid the fate of some."

Ritsu flinched slighty at the sudden change of mood, & as if on cue, Mio emerged from the nearby room, looking rather tired.

"My grandmother would like to speak to all of us, now," Mio said, as Ritsu & Tsumugi both stood up & walked over to the raven haired girl.
"How did it go?" Ritsu asked. Mio shook her head.
"It was very hard to explain," she sighed while walking back into the room.

(^.^)

Mio's grandmother was an elder version of Mio. Her silver hair was tied back into a ponytail & her aged metallic eyes were aged with wisdom & experience. She wore a white kimono with accented grey fabric.

The room was a typical shrine-like room, with the only exception being the wall paintings- they were much more modern than other shrines.
Mio gestured towards the pillows on the ground for Ritsu & Tsumugi to sit on. They sat directly opposite Mio's grandmother, who was analysing the blonde.

"So, you are Tsumugi Kotobuki," she spoke in a well-aged voice, almost like a nice wine. The blonde nodded & bowed to show her respect.
"My name is Asami Akiyama."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Asami," Tsumugi was being polite, but something about it made both Mio & Ritsu uncomfortable.

Asami analysed the girl. Her posture was proper & regal, yet the aura this girl admitted spoke otherwise- uneasy, haunting, & insane. Her skin was fair & calm, yet there were tiny cuts stitched into it like a rag doll. It juxtaposed the way she held herself.

"A stitched royal, perhaps," Asami thought as her gaze slowly shifted to Tsumugi's hands. They were also covered in cuts, with her left hand being covered in laceration scars. Her fingers were long, slender & elegant, with nails as sharp as a tigress.

"I can feel a lioness In this one," The elder Akiyama thought as she examined the girl's outfit. A navy blue sailor-styled dress, necktie & all. It was clearly made of expensive material, possibly satin or silk. There was not a single trace of blood or any abnormalities on her attire.
"Obviously sophisticated."

Asami moved up to Tsumugi's face- heart shaped with perfectly angled cheeks & a button nose. Her mouth was thin & her lips were an even rosy colour to match her cheeks. There was a hint of sweet madness hidden with the corners of her mouth.
"Hmm."

What drew Asami's attention the most were the eyes. Large & shiny, they were sapphire blue in colour & glinted just like the gemstone. However, as the elderly woman looked deep into the optics, she could see & even feel the haunted past of this girl. The torture she had suffered & some time of drastic change that affected her. It was uncertain, but amazing how much those eyes could tell one about what Tsumugi had been through. Yet despite the torture & sorrow, the madness & psychological unstableness was evident within her irises. They were twitching with anticipation & psychosis that made the faintess of shivers go down Asami's spine.
"Interesting," she thought, & a hint of sympathy washed over her for a second.

Mio watched her grandmother analyse & examine her girlfriend. She knew that Asami would do this to everyone she met, just to make sure they were safe. However, Tsumugi was not exactly the most harmless of people, so it made her worry.

Asami finished her analysis & cleared her throat. Everyone listened.
"So Mio tells me you want the mafia's help to take down an enemy, is this true?"
"Yes," Tsumugi answered truthfully. Asami blinked slowly.

"May I ask why you have resorted to us?"

Tsumugi smiled.
"I have wanted to kill her since the start, but to simply kill this person doesn't make it any fun, no? I tried different techniques, even resorting to a black magic curse of poisoning her mind with images of blood. My original plan was destroyed by the intervention of someone, so I killed this person's lover & reduced her to the brink of insanity."

It was clear that Asami was impressed by the blonde's work.

"Then why do you need the help of the mafia?"

Tsumugi's eyes fluttered slightly as she looked over at Mio, who was listening intently. Ritsu was as well, but she looked terrified as Tsumugi caught her gaze.

"I need some help getting to her," Tsumugi began.
"The group 'Death Devil' is popular enough to have rather loyal fans that would go out of their way to serve the members. She has a following willing to do enough to do her dirty work, & I cannot take on that following alone. She has also managed to poison the minds of some classmates of mine, & even the mind of a once close friend," with this being said, Ritsu recognized it as Yui. Tsumugi clenched her fists, & started to address everyone.

"I cannot destroy this fiend alone. My original idea to destroy her myself has failed. I staggered her by killing the one she loved. In order to deliver the final blow, I require the assistance of you three. It would be suicide to waltz up to Yamanaka & kill her now that she has people who are loyal to her. I am begging you all on bended knee. I want assistance. I need assistance."

Mio & Ritsu both looked at each other in shock. Tsumugi had never, ever, poured or let alone begged for their help. Mio recalled about stopping Mugi from going overboard, & this surely was completely over the top.

"M-Mugi," Mio began to stammer, & the blonde batted her eyelashes at the raven haired girl.
"Yes, Mio?" she said innocently. Mio gulped before speaking as she began to sweat.
"Y-You do know that if you go through with this, there's a…um…really, really, really high chance that you'll get caught."

Tsumugi rolled her eyes as her face flattened.
"That is the silliest thing I have heard all day, Mio," Tsumugi deadpanned at Mio.
"I am perfectly aware of what will happen when I finish her off, & of course there are risks, but that makes it all that more fun, no?"

Asami looked from the stunned Mio, to the even more shocked Ritsu & back to the blonde. The elder Akiyama stroked her chin in thought. She then too a deep breath, repositioned herself & spoke one sentence.

"My dear, you are insane."

Mio's heart skipped a beat as she got ready to pounce on Tsumugi. She got the sense that the blonde was offended by this. However, she mentally sweat-dropped as Tsumugi giggled.

"Why thank you, Mrs. Akiyama."

Ritsu's mouth hit the floor & Mio nearly passed out. Tsumugi's eyes glinted.

"Of course I'm insane! I've come to turns with it for a while, now. Everything I do is insane; killing a woman, poisoning someone's mind, slashing & stabbing people, it's all psychotic."

Tsumugi started to laugh as the sugar glint set firmly into place. Asami raised her eyebrow at the girl, then reached into her kimono & pulled out a phone. She dialled a number & held the phone to her ear.

"Kyo, this is Asami," she said into the phone.
"I have a new client for you."

Tsumugi smiled as Mio & Ritsu contained mixed emotions.

"With the mafia & my grandmother in on this," Mio began to whisper to Ritsu.

"Shit's getting serious, buddy," Ritsu whispered back, sweat glistening on her face as Tsumugi looked over at them with gleaming eyes.

Dom: All I can say is Ritsu is right, shit IS about to get real.

Violet: Now, we will not update as much as before because we, just like everyone, have lives & studies outside of the internet. I know, it is so weird to think that!

Dom: I can tell you that the next chapter will involve a Mugi vs Azusa fight, so that should make y'all happy.

See you in the next chapter!