??????? ?? ?????: The Next Generation. {BOOK 1/2.}

Seiji and Hoshiko made their way through to the backstage. It would have been better now that the guards were fighting their friends on the rooftop, but they were still in danger.

Hoshiko looking in an awe as she saw her friends fighting the men on the rooftop. But she noticed that they were using their nirichin blades. "Those men must be really playing with fire." Hoshiko smirked. She saw Yumi pulling out poisons and throw them on her arrow.
She jumped and shot them continuously.

"Focus Hoshi!" Seiji said, snapping his fingers infront of her face. Hoshiko snapped out of it and turned to him, they were crouching behind the food table that was set.

"You remember how to not get brainwashed by Mr. Akarimaru - I mean, the Upper Moon 6?" Seiji asked. "Yes. Resistance. With a pinch, a very painful one." Hoshiko replied, holding out her arms and pretending to pinch it for demonstration. Seiji nodded as if to tell her she was correct.

"But would of it IS really too powerful that we can't pinch ourselves?" Hoshiko asked, worry struck her sparkling eyes. "No, did these people pinch themselves?" Seiji asked bluntly. Hoshiko peeked up from the table and saw people still getting brainwashed by Mr. Akarimaru's performers. "No." She said finally. "Then I'm sure it will be fine." Seiji replied.

"I wonder when their going to send the brainwashing and send these people home; I mean, they were already taking people when we came back so shouldn't it be enough already?" Hoshiko asked, observing the crowd.

"Depends, but it would be better because he won't be able to brainwash us properly if he's doing it for a whole crowd at the same time." Seiji replied. "Oh yeah!" Hoshiko exclaimed happily.

All of a sudden, one of the performers spotted them. Seiji yanked Hoshiko behind the table. He put an icy finger to his lips and they stayed quiet. They waited. Once Seiji felt the cost was clear, he nodded.

"I'm really sorry Seiji." Hoshiko said with a guilty look on her face. "It's fine but you've now put us at more of a risk." Seiji replied bluntly again. "Ugh..." she said. "Don't worry about it, we still have an army on the rooftop." He said, she managed a weak smile.

"But now they know we're here so we're in deep shit right now." Seiji replied. They waited until they could come out of their hiding spot and move backstage.
But then something happened.

The music stopped playing. It was quiet for a long time. Seiji and Hoshiko exchanged alarmed glances at each other. Why did the music stop all of a sudden like that? Hoshiko thoughts were spinning with confusion.

Once the music stopped; everyone started talking on top of each other. Then they heard talking that silenced everyone. "Please calm down. The show is over." One of the performers reassured.
Hoshiko and Seiji stared at each other in shock.

Groaning and sadness rose from the crowd as they were sad it was over; but then everyone started to applaud the performers as they bowed on stage.

The two slayers heard kids crying.

"WHAAAAA! I CAN'T FIND MY MOMMY AND DADDY!" They heard a boy yell. "MOMMY WHERE ARE YOU?" a little girl cried. "DAD? DAD?! MOM?! DON'T TELL ME THEY FORGOT MEE!" another boy yelled as most kids started to cry.

The crowd made their way back to their homes and the train station.

All the kids started to feel useless and cried more.

Seiji could feel his fists clench in anger. Hoshiko's veins started to show as the cries started to to get louder. Both their blood started to boil.

"Fuck these people. They need to rot in the pits of hell!" Hoshiko chanted. "And I thought Mr. Akarimaru was a good man. Oh how far from wrong I was." Seiji said, his eye twitching.