Title: Isle Fractions

Fandom: Rave
Disclaimer: Umi-chii still can't make Hiro Mashima sell Rave.
Author's Notes: The plot bunny was spawned while reading this fic, where Byakuya was described as a fleeting figure. It was further fueled by the memory of watching Supernatural so... this is where I am right now. Besides, I don't think there has been a Rave ghost fic.

0. Down the Road

Lucia stared out the car window, chin propped on top of his fist. Beside him in the driver's seat, King hummed a soft tune, probably to that of the rock band Demon Card's.

They'd been on the road for the entire day. A few more hours and the road would be dark. Hopefully enough, they'll arrive at their designated new home before the dark gets them.

Home. The word hung too heavy in Lucia's mind.

As the road got bumpier, Lucia recollected his thoughts about the entire decision to move. His stepmother died just two months ago. His father, King, was totally devastated by it.

Lucia didn't really care at first. He is—was never close to her, perhaps likely because she was already the second stranger who married his father after his real mother died. After her burial, a friend of King's called, notifying him about a new house on sale. That was the time when King decided to move to a new place, a new town, wishing to start all over again.

Yeah. Might as well remarry again, like last time, Lucia thought darkly, before glaring back at all the trees they passed.

The new house was actually located two towns away from their home, Mary Loose. They began traveling yesterday early in the morning, stayed at a cheap hotel for the night, and continued the journey by car the morning after. And now, after a short nap, Lucia counted the number of days it would take his father to realize that moving into a new town was, indeed, a complete pain in the ass.

They had already moved in and out of four towns in his entire seventeen years of living, this last one (hopefully, Lucia prayed. He had enough of this) being the fifth. First was when his father divorced his second wife, Lucia's first stepmother. He was only seven then. The second time was when Lucia got into a fight—rather, a huge brawl of fists and kicks with the neighborhood's kids. That must be the bloodiest moment of his life. He had to stay at the hospital for an entire week after being beaten up by brutes bigger than his frail size. The next one was when his father picked the wrong location (in Ska village, of all places) and after the Great Hurricane of 0059, with no house to live in, they decided to move again, and this time, to Mary Loose, where King met Emilia. He was already fourteen when he met the sweet and gentle lady. He would have learnt to love her, if only she didn't look down at him with hidden fear and worry. Worry for what, he didn't bother to know. Besides, he was too busy trying to avoid everyone at school.

The car made a screeching noise when it went past a bigger rock, the jump startling Lucia completely awake, back snapping ramrod before turning to glare at his father.

"What the hell is that for?"

"You were thinking bad thoughts."

"Moron," he spat at him.

His father made a low chuckle. A large hand let go of the steering wheel just to ruffle already unruly blond hair. "Whatever you said, kiddo."

Lucia chose to pout and ignore his father. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, except for King's continuous humming of old 40's rock songs.

Parking the car outside an old inn, father and son stepped off the car, shoes landing on rough, dirt road. They both looked around the isolated town. A nagging worry crept up Lucia's mind.

"Dad, are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Well, if that's not a 'Wecome to Garage Town' sign, then I don't know what else it could be. Anyways, it'll be a few more miles of riding before we get to the house. Let's just take a rest here."

Frowning, Lucia followed his father into the ba without another word. Once inside, he grimaced at the sight of old and greasy men loitering around, some unconscious, either from fists or too many drinks.

"Dad…"

"Hush, kiddo."

He scowled at his old man but did so anyway. He couldn't help but flinch when a drunk man with fuzzy beard slumped right in front of him. He was able to avoid it, trained with years of training in dodging flailing bodies, but the side of his arm was touched.

Sidestepping another drunkard, Lucia rushed to his father's side and practically attached himself exactly an inch next to his father.

Behind the bar, a girl barely eighteen was polishing some glasses with a white rug. King pulled out his wallet and slammed a hundred Edel, speaking in that weird Western accent he picked up from staying in the desert in his youth.

"50 for food, the rest for gas."

The girl just looked up at King with a raised eyebrow, which Lucia noticed was pierced and tattooed, before snatching the money and walking away, maybe to call someone else in and do the work.

The moment the woman left, he quickly turned round and left the bar with a soft murmur to his father, the comfort of the car in mind. He didn't care anymore if it was stifling hot inside the car. His sociopathic mind was telling him to get out of there.

The burning hot air of the town only chilled Lucia to the bones despite the black hoodie he had on. Pulling the car door open, he settled himself inside and chose to wait for his father to come back with the supplies.

"And now I'm slowing it down and I'm looking around…"

"Dad, stop singing."

"And worried 'bout noth—The hell?"

"You were asking for it," Lucia bluntly said, fingers not leaving the radio's switch to make sure his father wouldn't try to switch the damn thing on again. His eyes remained glaring at identical ones opposite him. "I'll go mad if you keep singing."

King snorted at this and turned back to the road, but not after swatting the hand on the radio's switch away and ruffling his son's blond hair.

"Someday, you've gotta learn when to respect your father."

"How can I do that when you don't even respect me?" an almost meek voice asked softly, but before King could get an explanation for that, Lucia had already gone back at the passing trees on his side of the road.

King decided to continue humming his favorite 40's rock music, fingers tapping the steering wheel absentmindedly.

The ride continued on for another ten minutes, until finally they came to a screeching halt outside a black, looming gate.

Eyes wide, Lucia stared at the definitely creepy-looking manor, hands unconsciously clutching the seatbelt.

"Dad, are you really sure we're in the right place?"

"Has to be, kiddo," King muttered, eyes also staring at the manor warily.

There was a man waiting for them beyond the gate, waving rather enthusiastically. Lucia was almost expecting some gigantic head burst out of the mansion's door and grab the unsuspecting man in, precisely like those in horror movies.

"I think that's the dude, Dad," King heard his son whispered to him. He grunted in reply and tugged his own seatbelt off its place. "Come on."

Lucia followed reluctantly.

Car doors opening simultaneously, father and son approached the man inside. They jumped a bit when the rusted gate opened on its own accord.

Smiling widely at them, Genma continued waving his hand at the two approaching figures. "Well, howdy, guys. Glad ya can make it all the way here! Neways, gotta make 'is quick. Hafta leave, y'know?"

Nodding slightly, King listened to the man talk while Lucia looks around the mansion, examining its windows and walls with disdain.

"Old Man Sinclair wanna get rid of this ol' house, y'know? No one is alive from that family nemore, so instead of burnin' down hundred o' years o' generations, they thought o' sellin' 'em houses. It's a real pain, y'know? I've gotta sell 'em more than seven houses."

Ignoring the still talking man, Lucia goes back to observing the house. It was then when a sight of fluttering curtains caught his attention, something white caught mid-motion. Stepping closer, his eyes squinted to inspect the second floor window.

Then there it was again. The sudden appearance of something white with an unordinary matte of silver. Blinking rapidly, Lucia rubbed his eyes before looking back at the window, its curtain now not fluttering anymore.

"What the…"

"And that's all there's to know. Hope ya dun get a rowdy time with this lil ol' grandma. She gets cranky at times when some folks settle in."

Grinning back at the countryman, King sidestepped Genma and turned to approach his son.

"Dad, what does he meant by… cranky…?"

"Who knows, kiddo. You know how weird these country folk are."

Shrugging carelessly, King turned and returned to the car, probably to get their luggage. Lucia sighed softly and went back as well, but not after sparing one last look at his new home, spending an extra second at that particular window in the second floor's west wing.

"They're here."

A giggle.

"Here we go again…"

A sigh.

"Why don't we make it worth their while?"

A chuckle. Then silence.

"…They're different."

Cold lifeless fingers lay atop the window's knob, gazing out at the young blond who was leaving the gates, joining the older man he arrived with.

"…I think it'll be fun this time."

The Cheshire grinned.

TBC

Next chapter: First day of settling down, and Lucia had unknowingly dug up a ghost's grave... and met the furry guardian of the manor?