Tales from the Club Room

Episode 49: Madarame and the ghost of Lance's Past

8:51 PM Coshocton Ohio

Kuzco and Melina raced through the desolate streets, they were looking for them. What they were they had no idea, some Dark Realm evil that had possessed this town and was manifesting itself. Kuzco ducked into an alley and saw the stairwell. "Come on, down here!" he said racing down the steps Melina's moccasins clacking on the concrete. Busting the door open they raced inside and slammed it shut locking it and bracing it with their backs. The light was dim and the walls were decorated with flags, POW-MIA, AFL-CIO typical small town banners. A picture of Johnny Cash with his middle finger raised and the words "Cash Only" was taped to the wall next to the bar. Catching their breath, they sat and waited, hopefully soon, for someone to come.

8:52 PM Spirit realm control center

"Connect me to the reapers." Shingami-sama said stepping in front of a large screen. Kid-kun typed the code. Static filled the screen as a blurry image of Reaper Kuzco came into view then faded. "This is Spirit realm central command to Reaper Team Bravo. Can you hear me? Shinigami-sama to Reaper Team Bravo, are you there?" Shinigami-sama said, Kuzco's voice waxed and waned through the static. "They got us! I don't know how Melina and I are the only ones left. It was a fucking ambush." He said Shinigami-sama looked at the screen. "Where are Reaper Makuouchi and Reaper Jasmine?" he said. The door behind them began to rattle, "For the love the creator, send help!" Kuzco said as the door burst open and the two reapers, were both drug violently out of the room. Shingami-sama looked at screen and turned to Kid-kun. "We need our best reaper's there. Give me the status of Reaper Kouga." Kid-kun turned to him. "He is in Germany still." He said. Shingami-sama looked at his son. "Reaper Inuyasha, what about him, is he available? He said Kid-Kun shook his head. "He's still investigating that rogue Djinn case in Egypt." Shinigami-sama looked at his map. "We have no choice. Send our newest Reapers to Coshocton." Kid-Kun stood up, "Father, sending Reaper Lance and Reaper Angela would be suicide. You're out of your mind!" He said. Shinigami-sama sat down and shook his head. "It's a risk we'll have to take. I am not going to lose four good reapers. As soon as you know their status give them their assignment." Shinigami-sama said, Kid-kun nodded and walked out of the command center.

Lance awoke to find himself in a theater, not sure how he wound up there. He had remembered being stabbed in the neck but that was all, he was positive Shinigami-sama had healed him before he lost too much blood. The lights were still on and the scent of popcorn lingered in the air like a relic of days past, walking down the aisle he heard a familiar voice. "C-come right here, you've got the b-best seat in the house!" It was Kugayama. He was wearing a white sport coat with a white dress shirt underneath and a black tie. "What the hell is this?" Lance said, as he sat down and the lights dimmed. "Just a little entertainment before you return to your realm." Kugayama said without stuttering an odd thing for him. There on the screen was a diner, the same diner he had seen Ann in when he attempted suicide before he and Angela were married. There sat Ann at a booth, but it was who walked into the diner that caught Lance's eye. There in his normal attire was Madarame. "No," Lance whispered. "How did he end up in here, he isn't dead?" "H-he attempted to kill himself after he couldn't impress that girl." Kugayama said his stutter returning. Lance felt sick; he sat and watched making silent prayers that nothing would happen.

The diner was a classy affair. Red Leather booths and chrome lined tables were lined against walls while alternating black and white tiles covered the floor. The Ronettes "Be my Baby" was playing in the background. There in the center booth was a woman with brown hair and a floor length red dress. "Where am I? Am I dead?" Madarame said, "No," Ann said "far from it." Madarame sat down at the booth and looked at the woman, "Who are you?" he said as the song on the jukebox changed from The Ronettes to Roy Orbison and "Only the Lonely" "I am here to help you with your romantic problems. Consider me your love doctor." Ann said "You must be thirsty, think of something to drink and it should appear." She said Madarame then noticed a pitcher of rice beer and mug sat in the middle of the table, he poured himself some and drank. "You know she isn't real." Ann said, "Who?" Madarame asked, "Fumi, of course or as she is more well known in the spirit realm Angela Burton. In your realm she calls herself Angela Evans but that is her adopted name. Her old family had connections to the last great one." Madarame was puzzled, "Last great one, and who might I ask is that?" he said taking a cautious sip of rice beer. "Kuchiki Manabu of course, who else would I be talking about?" Madarame choked on his beer, "He's not, you know, alive? Is he?" Ann smirked, "Not anymore. Damn skull masked fucker turned him into a lost soul tree and now he can't leave the sprit realm ever. Fate worse than death if you ask me; of course you can't really die here." Madarame looked at her "How is Ohno's friend connected to him?" he said. "Well if you must know Angie's parents were archaeologists who were looking for relics in the town where Kuchiki was born. They were both sacrificed to a demon at the cotton drifting festival; this was two years after she was born of course. They found her at a campsite and were going to kill her but Kuchiki's grandmother, who was a high priestess, saved her life." Ann said. Madarame poured himself another mug. "Why did she look like Saki-chan?" he asked. "The Evans owns a technology company in California, they were developing a new kind of nanotechnology that would replicate skin and make identical copies of anyone's face. Angie knew about it, did some homework and broke into her dad's lab and made one of Kasukabe, the end. Now let's talk about your love life." She said, Madarame guzzled another beer and smiled.

"How's he holding up?" Angela Ryan asked as she sat next to Kasukabe, she was referring to Madarame. "He's gone through five pints; heart rate is okay, I'm sure he'll live. I can't imagine being Ohno and finding that mess. The bathtub looked like hell. How's Lance?" Angela sighed, "He's fine, lost a little but not much. I'm letting him rest; doctors want to keep in overnight to see if he's okay." Kasukabe looked at her, "I knew something wasn't right the night that woman came to my door claiming to be my twin. I fell for it though, hook, line, and sinker. Did the police do anything about the two baka's that kidnapped you and Ogi-chin? "Angela looked up. "Planned charges filed here, and an extradition back to the states after they serve time here, they won't let them get the death penalty though. That's the problem with these foreign nations. They don't want our criminals, but when we want to get them back and we want them to suffer for what they did, they won't them back. Although I think aiding and abetting a fugitive is not a death penalty crime." Kasukabe stood up, "I'm going to get something to drink. You want anything?" Angela shook her head "No, I'm just fine." She said, put her head down and closed her eyes.

"I have never been lucky in love. For years, I thought I never needed a girlfriend. But right now I feel this emptiness. My brother has a wife and kids, my sister has a husband and is expecting. I feel I'm letting my family down and shaming them. Bacchi-gu is less of an embarrassment than me." Madarame began to cry. "Taijin Kyofusho. It is not uncommon among Japanese individuals. My ex-fiancé compared it to a social anxiety disorder. You do know my fiancé don't you?" she said. Madarame shook his head, "Who's that?" Ann smiled, "Lance Ryan.

"She's up to something Kugayama, I want to know and I want to know now!" Lance shouted, "H-he'll be all right, that is unless she gets him to kiss her." Kugayama said. Lance turned to him "What happens then?" Kugayama smiled, "T-then she can enter the m-mortal realm!" Lance looked at the screen and then got up. "Get me in there now!" Lance shouted Kugayama shook his head and put his finger to his lips. "Here comes t-the b-best part." Lance looked at the screen and listened. "You know you need a girlfriend," Ann said, "have you ever kissed a woman before?" Madarame shook his head. Ann smiled, "Let me teach you!" She said and pressed her lips to his. Lance raced down to the screen. "NO. Madarame stop, you don't know what you're doing!" He shouted as they began to passionately kiss. Lance banged his fists on the screen. "No God damn it. She's evil!" Lance then felt the screen give way and the diner filled his view. Lance grabbed Ann by the hair and slammed her on the tile floor. Her head made a cracking sound on the floor and black blood began to pool around her. "Too late, babe, see ya on the other side!" Ann said and dissolved into the floor. He looked at Madarame; Ann's lip glitter clung to his lips. "Get out of here now Madarame," Lance shouted "you don't belong here; this is a realm in between the living and the dead. Just walk out those doors and never come back you hear me!" Madarame nodded and stepped through the red doors and opened his eyes in the mortal realm.

Lance looked at the floor where Ann had dissolved, and touched the black blood. It felt like the pop syrups they kept in boxes when he worked at Kent State and had to do dining room at Rosie's. "God help us all." He said and walked out the door.

To Be continued. . . .