Takumi was sitting on the same dirty bench at the park that he liked to visit during breaks from gaming at Cafe or after school. The day was a cloudy one and the sky was glowing a deep shade of orange near the horizon as the sun began to set. There was a slight breeze and faint chirping sounds could be heard from a distance. A few other people were around, but only couples who sat on other benches nearby holding hands and enjoying the romantic view. And to think...
Here he was, thinking about murder.
It was yet another exhausting day. Ever since Takumi had learned about the NewGen murders that had apparently been going on nearby without my knowledge, he'd barely had any rest. And now it was even harder to separate delusions from reality.
For example, take that Rimi girl in his class. She was so friendly and caring, yet she bore a striking resemblance to the demon he ran into that night in the alley. A night that he wished he could forget...
It was enough to make his head spin. And make his palms sweat. As if Takumi didn't feel enough anxiety already. Now he had this to worry about, too. This was part of the reason why he'd left his home to spend the remainder of the day out. He hadn't felt comfortable there ever since his "chat" with Shogun.
A cool wind blew Takumi's hair up and into a tousled mess. He frowned and brushed his bangs out of his face, then pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his chin against his bony knees. It was quiet now save for the occasional whisper or giggle from the direction of the couples. The sun had set and the lake's orange tint near the horizon had darkened to a muddy brown.
He wished that he could appreciate the view...but he really wasn't in the mood. He honestly wished he had brought Seira-tan with him, as sad as it may sound, but he'd been in such a hurry to leave it was a miracle that he was even able to throw on a pair of shoes. Then again, it probably wouldn't help much anyway.
The girl who says hi to Takumi when they cross paths at school, who shyly asks if she can read from his textbook...that same girl was also spattered with blood in front of a corpse and holding the murder weapon.
As Takumi began to tremble, he forced his mind away from these thoughts.
Normally he came here to relax because of the soothing atmosphere. The lake water was so still and serene that it almost seemed to instill that same feeling of peace in him. The ducks that swim as a group in it made him wish that he could join them.
But now all he wanted was to hear someone talking loudly. He wanted to hear some laughter. Someone crack a stupid joke or something! 3-D people were usually so noisy. Laughing loudly at stupid things or whining loudly about stupid things...
Takumi tiredly turned to look in the direction of the couples who seemed to be enjoying the view more than he was. He watched as a boy reached around a girl's back to pull her closer to him. The girl then looked up at him, shut her eyes, and slid her tongue into his mouth. They exchanged a few french kisses before pulling apart to look into each others eyes. After a few seconds, the girl laughed and laid her head against the boys shoulder. He then rested his own head against hers.
Takumi turned away slowly, numbly. He was annoyed and grossed out, yes. But mostly he felt depressed. Somehow he felt that the couples PDA was more upsetting than anything else. People were being killed brutally all around this city...and they were just making out like they haven't got a care in the world. And besides, how rude and self-centered is it to make out like this in front of a bunch of strangers? This lake was big enough where they didn't all need to group together like this...
Feeling like he'd had enough of this "break", Takumi grabbed his things loudly enough to make someone look back in annoyance, and stood up. But before he could reach the sidewalk, he caught one more glimpse of the lake and its calming waters. A white duck was paddling along happily before it stopped to flip upside down, its feet dangling in the air. The strange sight made his lips quirk upward and he could actually feel how weak his facial muscles were.
Shaking his head, Takumi walked back in the direction of the street. Speaking of muscles, his legs weren't feeling too great either. He was definitely feeling a burn on the backs of his calves, although he'd sooner die than allow those horny teens see him stretch like a fatty...or the shut in that he was.
But just before he was out of hearing distance, a girl, just loudly enough for him to hear, said "Wasn't that the guy who never talks in Chemistry?"
Takumi tried to block out the snickers that followed as his face burned.
After a long and nerve-wracking walk, Takumi finally got to the ceiling of his dad's company building, and his container house was in view. Feeling a great weight drop from his shoulders as he was safe off the streets, his eyes softened at the metallic home that he didn't know he'd missed so much until be got to it. He walked to his door and unlocked it and then went inside, and closed the door behind him. The interior was illuminated by the computer screen that he tried to leave on at night.
Takumi looked around his home, eyes darting nervously at every dark corner. It looked safe. He sighed happily as he saw who was lying on his couch. Seira-tan had been lying on her back, facing the front door with one knee up against her chest while her other leg was off the couch.
Takumi's eyes lowered to her crotch which may as well have had a big red arrow pointing at it. And she was wearing pink...panties... with tiny black hearts. Before his nose could explode like a water balloon full of blood, he tore his eyes away and noticed she looked immersed in the two little toys she held in her hands. Not noticing his puzzlement, her face lit up and she briefly forgot what she was doing.
"I see my prince has finally come to save me from boredom," she said.
Takumi couldn't help but laugh. "If only I were greeted this way by the mortals in this realm."
"You can't blame them for being so in awe. You're just too sexy for them, Takii."
As Takumi focused more closely on her, he arched an eyebrow. Seira blushed and tried to hide what she was holding in her hands. But he had already recognized the figurines. She had been holding his limited edition Saya figure in her monster form and a figure of Fuminori from Saya no Uta. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she had been doing with them, though.
But she looked so awkward, and he did know what it was like to get caught with your pants—or skirt- down, too. After all, he was the most unpopular guy in school. So he decided to cheer her up the Takumi way.
"It's okay, Seira. Imagining pornographic scenarios between figurines is nothing to be ashamed of. I do it all the time."
"Wh-What are you—I...I wasn't doing anything icky with them, idiot! Perverted Takii. I was just...playing house. Like one of those ugly 3D girls. Yeah, I was actually just getting Saya to teach Fuminori how to cook. And he tells her that he doesn't need to cook because he's just fine with eating his victims raw. And Saya says that's actually how she likes it too and then they...they start eating and – wait, no, I mean—w-will you stop laughing!"
Her face twisted in a way Takumi had never seen before and she hit him a little hard on his shoulder. Goddamn that hurt…
For the first time he felt the strength of the warrior from Blood Tune. It managed to make his giggles stop instantly.
"I'm sorry Seira-tan. I didn't mean to hurt your..." Takumi bit his lip for a moment and rubbed his arm as he started to really feel the burn. "Geez, did you rip a muscle or something?" He lifted his shirt to look at his bicep and he saw a bruise beginning to form. Honestly, when he looked back up at his cute wife he could only cringe a little. And he was trying to smile. "Um, anyway, I didn't mean to embarrass you. And, I'm sorry I took so long to get back. I...guess I got sidetracked. But whatever. I'm here now, so...do you feel like doing anything?"
There was a pause before Seira-tan cried out "Blood Tune!"
Takumi smirked. Couldn't say no to that.
He plucked the DVD box set from a shelf and put the disc with his favorite episodes into the DVD player. Once it was playing, he turned and grinned devilishly at Seira-tan before jumping onto the couch beside her.
Takumi leaned forward, smiling at the screen as he watched the half-naked rainbow haired girls pull out massive swords and attack ugly monsters. He honestly preferred shows with female characters to ones with male characters. Maybe it was partly because he couldn't relate to guys in real life. Or it was simply because he was into girls. Either way, it made Blood Tune one of my favorites.
Whenever Seira-tan appeared on the screen, Takumi would turn to her, grin, and poke her side playfully. She'd laugh and then wrap her arms around him, giving him a nice tight hug.
This time, however, he found that it was hard to concentrate on what was going on in the episode, and his mind kept drifting off, back to the night in the alley. He would clench his eyes shut every time the image of Rimi would pop into it and he soon began to sweat a little.
Before Seira could notice that something was wrong, Takumi reached for the remote and turned off the TV. Unfortunately, he wasn't good at hiding his discomfort, as Seira-tan seemed to instantly know something was wrong.
"Taku? What's going on?" Seira-tann stood up and came to Takumi's side, placed a hand on his shoulder, making him shiver as he avoided looking at her.
"Nothing's wrong," he lied, forcing a smile as he looked back at her.
"Then why did you turn off Blood Tune. You never turn off Blood Tune. Blood Tune is Takii's-"
"Yes, I know!" Takumi snapped, before covering his mouth, turning away to calm down. He could sense Seira-tan on the verge of tears without having to look at her. He felt bad whenever he yelled at her like this. He could only imagine what it would be like if he ever had a real girlfriend (although that would never happen since he didn't like 3-D girls). Takumi shut his eyes and inhaled deeply before turning back to her, though it was hard to bring himself to look at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled like that. It's just...It's..."
How was he supposed to tell her that she reminded him of the demon? That she reminded him of Rimi? Without sounding crazy, that is.
Seira-tan's eyes were soft and sad as she studied Takumi, and he felt more and more embarrassed as the situation progressed. Just as he was about to turn on the stupid TV again, so that they could try again, she grabbed his hand that was about to reach for the remote.
Takumi gasped in surprise, and turned to her, saw a mischievous glint in her eye. "What is it?" he asked, confused and a little shaken by her sudden movement.
Seira-tan's lips spread into a smirk as she pulled him towards her, making him nearly collide into her. Takumi wasn't sure if it was because she was that strong or because he was that thin and weak.
He had to employ some serious balancing skills that he didn't know he had in order to keep his chest from pressing against her breasts. He began to sweat at the look on her face. Seira was looking into his eyes, and her dainty mouth was smiling faintly.
Takumi was trying not to breathe hard due to his surprise and nervousness, but that just made him expel a pathetically loud breath right into her face, blowing a few strands of her bubblegum pink hair away from her forehead. She didn't flinch the slightest. Instead, her lips curled into a devilish smirk.
"I missed you Takii. That's why I was getting dirty thoughts with your figurines."
Takumi lowered his head, his face now sticky with sweat and hot with shame. But he felt something cold and thin grasp and lift his chin and his lips connected with lips for the first time in his life. Was it sad that he had never even kissed a hallucination before?
The kiss was brief, but he felt as though he might pass out as she pulled away. It was as though she sucked the life out of him. And it felt good...so good. Takumi wanted more, but at the same time, he found it hard to raise his head and look her in the eye.
"Taku."
"Mmm, what?" Takumi murmured stupidly. His heart was hammering against his chest and he felt desires awakened in him that he hadn't known he even had.
"I love you, Taku." That innocent voice...He loved that voice so much. High pitched and girlish. Sensitive and sweet. Always there for him. Always waiting.
"I love you, too, Seira-tan."
The words left his mouth easily, far too easily. How could he express himself so well to another person? How could he feel so close to someone else? This felt amazing. Love felt amazing.
"Look at me, Taku."
Takumi hesitantly raised his head to look into Seira-tan's eyes. Those eyes...if only her eyes were the only ones he had to worry about. They were so round, shy and inviting. He never saw derision or judgment in those eyes. Only gratefulness and pride. He had to shut his eyes out of shyness. He couldn't help but feel inept, even around her. She was his cheerleader. She was his warrior. She was...
She was…
She wasn't there.
Takumi gasped and looked around him, confused. He felt his heart stop at how quickly it had happened. He had shut his eyes for only a few seconds, and then when he'd opened them, she'd disappeared. He turned around and around, searching for her, trying to look for a sign that maybe he wasn't going crazy (again), but there was nothing.
Was this some sort of a joke or something? It didn't seem like her to joke around like this.
"Seira-tan?" Takumi called out. What was going on? Where did she go?
He knew something wasn't right when he felt that funny feeling of the tiniest pressure against his head. Like he was being watched.
"Seira tan?" Takumi tried again. He waited a few seconds, practically hearing his heart pounding in his ears. He walked like a rabbit, his shoulders hunched with his hands together in front of him, protectively. There was no answer, and he felt eyes on him yet again. He gasped, his head whipped to his left and he made eye contact with Saber, her stern eyes silently mocking him, it felt.
"S-Seira...tan?" Takumi rasped a third time, clasping his sweaty hands together and feeling like he was on the verge of sudden death. His heart felt like it might fly out of his body. He didn't want to accept the cold truth. The bizarre truth.
Seira-tan wasn't here.
He became overly aware of the heavy silence inside his dark container. The only thing keeping him from losing it right now was the light from his computer screen. And he wasn't about to wait for that to go out.
Takumi ran to his door the fastest he had run in his life, aware of how silly he would have looked if anyone was watching. All he cared about was that he wouldn't feel fingers graze his shoulder or wrap around his arm. No, he wasn't like those brave teens who went around looking for their friends in vampire's basements in the movies. Sometimes he wished that he was, but right now wasn't one of those times.
Just as Takumi's wet hand took hold of the metal door handle, there was a banging sound that he could swear gave him his first gray hair.
He nearly stumbled over his own two feet as he backed away from the door, terrified. His mind felt like it had frozen with fear, like he had absolutely no idea what to do and he couldn't even bring myself to do anything at that moment but fall to the floor on his ass and tremble like a child.
He could imagine what Seira-tan would say right now if she were still here. "Takii? Did one of those creepy 3-D people follow you home or something?"
"Don't say that!" Takumi snapped, then clamped both hands against his mouth, cursing himself inwardly. He had heard her voice so clearly in his head that it felt as though he truly heard it in real life. This had happened before and, yes, he often did look insane.
There was a gentle knock at the door as though in response to his outburst, and he whimpered.
For the first time in a long time Takumi actually missed his sister. He couldn't stand the brat, but even her annoying presence would be a comfort from the creepy silence in his container...outside of the not-so-comforting knocking of what he assumed was the murderer at his door.
Maybe if I could think of something or imagine something else, I won't have to die. If only...if only I could just imagine the person at that door is a pizza delivery guy...or...or just Seira-tan playing a sick joke on me. Haha very funny Seira-tan. Next time how about I pull the shower curtain and greet you with a knife as a joke?
It was one of those moments Takumi hated. Those rare times that he felt that ache that made his stomach knot up and his chest tighten. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he felt guilty. He felt like a fool. I mean, for him to have not known something so major that was happening in the city where he lived...Could it be that he'd become a little too reclusive?
He knew Nanami wasn't out there. There was no way his parents would let her visit him alone so late at night. And she had never visited him at night in the first place. It just seemed too unlikely. Plus, that didn't sound like one of her annoying never-ending knocks...Yua was a higher possibility. Although she had yet to drop in on Takumi unannounced. And that was the end of possibilities.
Possibilities that he wanted to consider, anyway.
Sweat broke out on Takumi's forehead as he inched his way to the door. He just wanted it to end. It would end the same way either way, wouldn't it? With him crucified or impregnated with a dead baby or something even more disturbing. Might as well just get it over with.
His fingers trembled as they grasped the cold door knob. He didn't have a peephole so he couldn't even see who was outside. He was partly grateful for that, though. Because what if he looked outside and-
"Taku? You in there, man?" A deep voice echoed and Takumi pulled his hand back from the door knob as though he'd shoved it into lava. He couldn't respond even if he wanted to. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and he saw black as he nearly fainted. A part of him had been hoping that there really wasn't anyone there at all. That he was just going cuckoo again.
"W-Who is it?" Takumi asked when he was finally able to speak again. "What do you want!?" His eyes darted around for a weapon, just in case it was a trick. But all he saw were stupid dolls, CDs, and games. The only time he would dare call them stupid...
Takumi heard a deep rumbling laugh. "Thank God...Why the hell didn't you answer? I was starting to worry that I'd found the murderer's little cave thinking he was you..."
That voice...The image of shaggy brown hair and a thin-lipped smirk flitted across Takumi's mind.
"Daisuke...you scared the shit out of me." Takumi leaned against the wall, this time out of relief rather than fright.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, whatever. Can you just let me in already? I wonder if coming here was worth the risk of being stabbed to death after all..."
Takumi felt a pang of guilt and instantly reached for the door handle. He opened the door and Daisuke walked in. Scowling, Takumi watched as Daisuke dropped himself onto his couch. Daisuke turned towards him and smiled.
"Thanks." Then, just as quickly as he sat down, he stood back up looking abashed. "Uh, sorry. You don't mind if I sit, do you? I'm kinda pooped, honestly."
"It's fine, I guess," Takumi said hesitantly as he shut the door behind me. Then, turning back to Daisuke, he asked "What are you doing here? How did you even find me?"
"Straight to the point, eh?" Daisuke chuckled as he twisted a strand of hair between two fingers. "I like that. Well, if you must know, I was on a date with a girl from class and I just so happened to notice someone get up from a bench. You ended my makeout session man!"
Takumi rolled his eyes at this and nearly slapped himself out of exasperation. "You're here because you're mad that you didn't get laid?"
"Hey, I've still got a chance to get laid, so no biggie. But anyway, I also felt kind of bad when I realized it was you. I mean, what were you doing there? Were you…?" And he paused awkwardly before making a fist and a pumping motion.
"What? No! What the hell...You think I'm that gross?" Takumi scowled in disgust at Daisuke, but he just shrugged.
"Well there are guys out there who are into that... Just thought it was weird that you were alone. Sorry."
Takumi fumed silently before Daisuke spoke again.
"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're okay. Nice...house?" Takumi ignored the face he made.
"You know, you would have saved me a lot of trauma if you'd just talked to me on the way here instead of knocking on my door like that." Takumi was close to just throwing the bastard out of his home. Okay, well he wasn't really, but still. What the hell?
"Sorry..." Daisuke looked sheepish as he smiled apologetically. Then he cleared his throat and looked around. "um, I don't want to be rude or whatever...but have you got a light in here besides your computer? I can hardly see your face. I could be talking to Fes for all I know. Although if it was her, I'd probably like the light off."
Takumi hung his head. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world right now. "My container can only handle so much electricity at once. I'd have to completely unplug my computer and video game systems so that I could turn on the light."
There was a moment of silence. Then, "So, that's a no I guess."
This was starting to get weird. Takumi knew what he meant by the way he was talking. Daisuke wanted to hang out with him. It was bizarre and terrifying at the same time. Sure he was Lightning fast Knighthart in the game world, but a mere awkward silence was enough to bring him to his knees in real life.
He was accustomed to being alone, so the longer that Daisuke stayed, the more uncomfortable he felt. He was overly aware of how his container looked, how it smelled (should he have invested in some air freshener just in case another near stranger decides to drop by unexpectedly?), and even how he looked and smelled.
Takumi wanted Daisuke to leave.
But he also felt a little safer now that he had company.
"Is something wrong, Taku?" Takumi jumped and saw Daisuke frowning at him. "Am I overstaying my welcome? Do you want me to leave? I mean, I was just checking up on you so if you want me to go..." And Daisuke stood up and began edging his way towards the exit.
Takumi ran in front of Daisuke and spread his arms out, blocking the exit. "No! Don't go!" Takumi felt his face heat up at the shock on Daisuke's face. "I mean, you don't have to go now. You stalked me all the way here, so you might as well stay." Okay, that wasn't any less embarrassing. He peeked at Daisuke, expecting him to be on the verge of laughter.
But Daisuke's eyes had softened as he placed his hand on Takumi's shoulder and squeezed it. "Taku...I totally understand man. You look like you're prepackaged for killers here. Honestly," and he shook his head in distaste. "I can't believe your parents are letting you live like this. Don't you have a home? I mean a real home. Not this...box."
"This is a real home," Takumi said, irritated. "And I can't live with my parents."
"Okay...if you say so," Daisuke said, grudgingly. His eyes flitted to the figurines that sat on Takumi's shelves. "At least you got company, I guess. And that one looks a little like Rimi. Is she from some fighting anime or something?"
"Yeah. Blood Tune." Takumi knew he was talking about one of his Seira-tan figures without having to look. He didn't want to look because he felt unnerved at the very mention of Rimi.
"Blood Tune? What does that even mean?"
"I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" He was only half-joking. It was at that moment that it hit him that Seira-tan was no longer missing. He didn't know when she had gotten back onto that shelf. Now that he thought about it, it left him feeling even more uneasy.
Had he...imagined her disappearing?
"So what were you doing at the park anyway? If you weren't whacking it, I mean."
"I just needed to get away," Takumi said carefully. He didn't want to say too much. "It's..." He hesitated before continuing. "It's where I go to sit and relax. When I need to be alone."
"I know what you mean," Daisuke said. "We all feel like that sometimes. Although being alone isn't such a good thing right now, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah..." Takumi said, his voice trembling a little. "It's pretty scary."
"You see, that's why you need to talk to people more. If you have a friend with you, you won't be as scared."
"Sure..." Takumi said, hoping he'd drop the subject. But he didn't.
Instead, Daisuke plopped back down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. "Sit, Taku."
Takumi sat next to him, but slumped forward so that they wouldn't be looking eye to eye. To his surprise, Daisuke grasped his shoulder and pushed him back against the couch. The touch had surprised Takumi so much he hadn't even protested. He only felt his face twitch nervously at the close proximity of their bodies.
It had been a long time since he'd sat so close to another person. Close enough to smell their breath...or their cologne.
"Rimi and I were just talking about you the other day. We don't like how everyone treats you at school. I mean, I know I can be a dick, but I got a heart. I don't like how people treat you like an outcast just because you're different. I mean, now that I know you a little better, you're not so bad."
"Thanks?" Takumi said.
"No, I mean it. The thing is, you gotta learn to stand up for yourself. Don't take shit from people. Like those dicks who won't talk to you when we're in groups. I'm sorry if I'm embarrassing you or whatever but it pisses me off! I mean, you're just like the rest of us. Just because you're quiet that doesn't make you a freak. I hate seeing that...I want to tell you to just come and join me and Rimi, but I guess I felt shy before."
Daisuke laughed.
"By the way, I watched Fate/Stay Night, too. But I liked Rin more than Saber. I guess you could say I found her more interesting than the strong and silent knight."
Takumi stayed quiet and tried nodding in the "right" places. He didn't even know how to respond to this. Was this guy talk?
"What I'm saying is that even though we're both different personality-wise, we got things in common and I think that's pretty cool. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk, man. Now that I know you a little better, I see how tough you have it. It's actually really brave of you to live on your own like this."
Daisuke's eyes were soft as he looked at Takumi, and his smile was gentle. The arrogant smirk he normally wore was nowhere to be seen. His perfectly tousled pop star hair was all over the place and parts of it stuck to his face, slick with sweat.
"Thanks," Takumi said, more sincerely this time. It was odd...he was already feeling more at ease.
Don't listen…
Takumi froze, eyes widening at the words that echoed in his mind. His eyes darted from side to side searching everywhere in his room to see if he'd left an mp3 player on or if a game was playing and he didn't know it. But his mp3 player was off and his laptop was on a screensaver of Seira swinging her sword at the screen.
Daisuke was frowning, his lips pursed together as he watched him. Takumi tried to shake off his fear after hearing that voice, but it was like trying to pull himself out of cement.
"Taku..." Daisuke said, concerned. "What's wrong? Did you hear something?"
"What? No...no. I didn't hear anything. I was just... thinking about something. I have to do my homework. I totally forgot until now." Takumi spoke quickly, sweating as he stumbled over his words and tried to act natural. He was an anxious person by nature, however, and this didn't fail to show.
He didn't want to look crazy, though. Especially not after they had started to bond like normal people.
"Do you want me to leave?" Daisuke asked.
"No, uh, I don't want you to go. Just...maybe we should go to your house? If that's okay." Takumi spoke breathlessly, amazed at his ability to even ask someone such a thing, especially someone who he barely knew. Perhaps he was going crazy after all.
"Of course you can come over, man," Daisuke said eagerly. "We can play some video games and listen to music or just flip through some of my dirty magazines." He smiled a little shyly. "To be honest, it would put my mind at ease to know that you're not sleeping here tonight."
"Me too." Takumi meant it, too. At least for tonight.
So he grabbed a jacket and as they walked out of his container, he looked back just once fearfully. Hoping that he wouldn't have something scary to look forward to when he returned the next day. Shaking his head at himself, Takumi locked the door and walked alongside a very cheerful Daisuke on his way to his very first sleepover.