A Tear in the Tent of Sanity

*Taro*

I can�t exactly remember how this all started either. I am pretty sure it was something small. Something that would go unnoticed even after we all tried to remember what it was. Whatever it was, that must have started us on this whole thing.

For some reason, I�m talking to Robin more often now. I�m guessing it�s because I�m seen her around so much that it just happened. Today, she sat outside my school waiting for me. I still can�t figure out why she does this. She won�t give me a reason for following me around. I gave on asking her after the third time I talked to her. She looked up at saw me. Her black sunhat shadowed her pale face.

�Oh, it�s you,� she said so nonchalantly. I gave her a strange look like I normally do. She looked over at me school.

�Reminds me of my old school,� she said.

�I see,� I said, humoring her.

�Oko Elementary was a big school before it burned down,� she said. That sentence itself caught my attention.

�Did you say Oko Elementary?� I asked. Robin swayed her head a little bit.

�Yes,� she said.

�You were in that school fire?� I asked.

�Maybe,� she said. Oh great, she�s messing with me again. But then, she looked at me with a little smile on her face.

�You�re the heir of the sake brewer, aren�t you?� she asked. I blinked at her.

�Yes,� I said.

�And your sister�s name was Mizuka, yeah?�

I wasn�t sure where she was going with this. It was like talking to Masayuki when we first met, only this felt much more disturbing. I need to end this quickly as I can before she does something that could open up old wounds. I tried my best not to show what I was thinking on my face.

�Yes�� I said. Robin sat up a little bit.

�You were kidnap victims,� she said.

�Yes��

�I always wondered why did the kidnapper really do it, eh?�

�I have no idea,� I lied.

�Usually kidnappings are for revenge or money, am I right?� she asked.

�Well, yeah��

�Funny thing, the motive was neither. So, why did he do it?�

�I think you�ve pushed in far enough.�

Robin gave me a child-like look on her face. �And what happened to your sister?�

I lowered my head at that question. �She�s dead.�

She went quiet from there. �Oh.�

I looked at her with discontent in my eyes. �And what about you?�

�What about me?�

�What about your family? And why are you so interested in my life for?�

I expected her to put me through another annoying head game like she normally did when I asked her questions to find out more about her. She didn�t speak at first as I expected she would. But this time, she gave me a little shrug.

�I am just me,� she said. I tried my best not to lose it at that point. This woman kept getting to me good. So much so that I hated her every time she opened her mouth to spill out more confusing gibberish.

�And what�s that supposed to me?� I asked. Robin rose to her feet with dark green skirt hiding her black stockings.

�I live freely and as for us,� she replied. She turned to walk away, but before she did, Robin glanced over her shoulder at me.

�I�m just curious about such a boy like you,� she replied. She flipped back her dark red hair and walked away. I stood there, blinking. What just happened?, I thought once again after talking to her.

Looking back on that day, I think I know how Robin dragged Makoto, Miyako, Masayuki, and me into what was bound to unfold.