Chapter 7 – Bonsai
You loved the video didn't you? Marvelous, I could be a movie director or something. I bet once you started watching you couldn't turn it off, you have always been curious. You saw the whole thing. I take pride on being… medically accurate, but I don't like to brag.
Such pretty hands aren't they? I can imagine you, with your delicate long fingers, using your own hands to gain release! What am I thinking? Of course you wouldn't do such a thing, it's shameful. You are an honorable, dignifying samurai. Well, since you won't do it yourself, I decided to give you a hand.
It's a very cliché joke isn't ? Je sais, je sais.
Gakupo felt like he had just thrown up his bowels into the toilet, but didn't actually bother to check. Kaito had already turned off the video and seemed as disturbed as the younger Vocaloid was when he saw it. Why did he watch the whole video? The same reason why he watched almost the whole Human Centipede movie, because he was far more curious than repulsed. He got up slowly, feeling dizzy and faint. Indigestion, plus fear, plus repulsion resulted in a very bad combination for one's health and stomach. He walked out of the bathroom, cleaning his mouth with a towel.
"Ga-kun… are you alright?" Kaito asked. He seemed worried and disturbed.
"I'm Ga-kun again?" Gakupo asked. For some reason he felt the need to cry, to yell, to jump at someone's throat and rip it out like a famished vampire who hadn't seen a neck for centuries.
"Wha…" Kaito started and realized what he had just said.
He looked away and bit his lips. He understood what was going on. Gakupo's frustration had finally hit the boiling point and he was looking at someone to vent off, and Kaito becoming distracted at what he said resulted in him being the target. Kaito frowned. He was tired of being the purple haired Vocaloid's target. He wanted to vent off on him? Well, he had another thing coming.
"You always were 'Ga-kun' for me! It's your own fault you're not anymore!" Kaito said.
"Well, excuse me for not finding the fact that you took advantage of me and practically raped me something to be praised for!" Gakupo bit at him.
"I didn't rape you! You begged for it! It's not rape if it's consensual!" Kaito stated irritated, lifting his hands as if trying to prove a point. He wasn't a rapist! He already felt bad with what he did and the younger male calling him a rapist didn't help.
"Then it was certainly rape by deception!" Gakupo threw at him. He could feel another gag build up but tried to keep it down.
"What?" Kaito shouted surprised. "That doesn't even count as rape!"
"Yes, it does!" Gakupo stated. "You wouldn't like losing your… virginity when you're not ready, or not even sure you wanted it!" He walked around the room feeling rather queasy again.
"I didn..." Kaito shut his mouth. He never meant for things to end up that way. Was there even anyway of him redeeming himself in Gakupo's eyes?
"Get out of my room," Gakupo requested desperate, he didn't want to see Kaito there anymore. He wanted him gone of his sight, his room and his thoughts!
"You have to call Inspector Otome about the…" He started clenching his fists.
"Get out of my room!" Gakupo yelled. Kaito was so sick of all the yelling.
"Suit yourself, you crazy purple fag!" Kaito yelled back.
He didn't even knew what hit him until he was staggering back. His jaw was propelled back by the force of the impact that hit him. He felt it rather dislocated and aching. The older male rubbed his jaw and looked at Gakupo surprised, the Vocaloid had punched him! Gakupo had struck at Kaito with all his strength and was now shaking his hand around probably from the blow of the impact.
"Get out of my room," Gakupo ordered, his hands clenched back into a fist. His expression wrinkled into a desperate, angered and depressed frown.
The door suddenly opened back and they saw the silver-haired British beauty. Miriam looked inside. Miriam was a beautiful woman with a voice that could make someone break into tears. She had silver hair despite being a young woman (well, middle thirties) and green eyes. She wore a long black corset like jacket and black pants.
"What is going on in here? I could hear you two arguing downstairs!" She stated.
The two stared at her in silence. Did they really have to explain all that happened? Kaito could already feel the accusations that would come from her once Gakupo explained what happened.
"It's nothing Miriam," Gakupo stated; Kaito actually got surprised.
"I doubt so. Either way, you better come downstairs," She stated. "There is a very… disturbing package for you."
"We better call Otome…" Kaito said.
xxxXXXxxx
It was a pity indeed. Inspector Otome could not help but feel a certain pity as he walked to the Hospital. His officers had found the Utauloid known as Tsubame the day before in the morning. They found him in the same place they found the other girl, but thankfully they found him on time. He was barely alive, and the ambulance made it on time.
He was on critical state and had lost a lot of blood. He looked over at the hospital bed in which the young man fought for his life. Both his hands had been cut off almost with a chirurgical flawless perfection. The man had been heavily tortured and beaten up, revealing multiple bruises and hematomas. He also had been shot several times with a nail gun.
There was a possibility that maybe Tsubame was the luckiest victim so far of Gakupo's stalker, or as they were calling him, the Purple Stalker. Since the time they found him to the time they found his hands there was only a few hours difference, they had been able to reattach his hands. The other girl who had been his victim ended up drowned, blinded and with her tongue cut and she was just nine. Either way, the next hours would be critical.
The Inspector had seen a lot of things during his life, but never an obsession as dangerous and scary as that of that man. He slowly remembered arriving at the Vocaloid Manor the day before. He had been called over by Leon, who had found at his door a bloodshed package for one of the Vocaloids, Gakupo.
After taking care of everything regarding Tsubame's appearance, Otome went there the day before at night and got greeted by a tall blond man with blue eyes, wearing a very exquisite suit. Leon was one of the grandparents of the Vocaloid Company, one of the very first Vocaloids. He led the Inspector inside to show him the package, saying no one other than him touched the package. The other Vocaloids watched the Inspector curious; obviously none had been informed on the reason why he had been called there.
He quickly got to a small, private living room. Alongside Leon were others there. There was the British Vocaloid Miriam, the large red and white haired man in white jeans and a red vest, who the Inspector recognized as Big Al. And also was Gakupo on an armchair, as usual drinking tea, with his bare feet over the small armchair, wearing what seemed a white sweater and grey sweat pants, he seemed pale and rather sick. The other end, also looking rather pale and drinking tea was Kaito.
"They saw the package?" Inspector Otome saw himself forced to ask.
Leon looked at the two. "Gakupo is having some indigestion problems…" He explained.
"Plus the fact that we watched the whole video didn't help…" Kaito said. "He filmed and showed us how he cut off Tsubame's hands."
"Excuse me?" The Inspector asked, shocked.
They showed him the e-mail the purple haired had received and the content of the package. He quickly understood why anyone would feel sick. Even his officers when he showed them the video afterwards fell sick to their stomach, though one of them started to sing the rhyme around since it was catchy. Very soon the entire forensics had made the Purple Stalker's rhyme their theme song:
Pull the skin, rip the flesh, cut the nerves, break the bones.
After a while the Inspector had to threaten to shoot one of them if they didn't stop singing that sinister demented rhyme. Just afterwards they finally stopped. It was amazing, the man was obviously a professional, no clues were left whatsoever.
The Inspector advised Gakupo to stay living in the Vocaloid Manor until the Stalker was caught, but for some reason Gakupo was against it, something about needing space to think. That would make things harder. He couldn't still put an officer watching over the purple haired Vocaloid, even though they accepted to let one watch over Tsubame, they believed the Stalker probably wasn't bold enough to try and get to the object of his affection. Usually those stalkers idealized the object of their affection but avoided actually being with it of fear of it not being like they expected.
Otome found that hard to believe.
The old man watched the young Utauloid and sighed. He was not paid enough for that, when he turned around he saw two people walking towards the room. The purple haired Vocaloid, wearing a suit Gakupo, a girl with curly pink pigtails and a short pink dress over a black shirt, the leader of the Utauloid company, Kasane Teto.
"Mister Kamui. Miss Kasane," the Inspector greeted bowing at the two, they bowed in answer. "You came to visit Mister Utanomiyatsuko?" They nodded in answer.
"How is he?" Gakupo asked. He and Teto were holding flowers for the Utauloid.
"Still on critical state. It's still too early to tell if he's going to survive or not," the Inspector explained.
Teto took Gakupo's flowers and she walked into the room quickly while the men followed slowly behind. They stood there in silence while Teto placed the flowers in the pretty vase with water and placed it next to Tsubame, watching the Utau, hearing to the singing of the machines: Beep. Beep. Beep.
"How is it going Mister Kamui?" The Inspector asked seeing that the bags under his eyes were gone.
"I have slept better. Big Al and Luka have been keeping me company. It's always better than being alone." Gakupo said, though deep inside, remembering the words in the e-mail, he felt a growing worry for the two.
"Have you got any more letters?" The Inspector asked.
"No. Things have calmed down. But I'm sure I'll get something in a few days," he confessed, he was afraid that was the stalker's pattern, give him a few days to calm down and then scare him again.
"These situations are always very complicated." The Inspector spoke.
"Teto, will you stay?" He asked suddenly at Teto. The inspector eyed him, he seemed uncomfortable in there.
"Yes, you can go Gakupo-sama," she said.
"Arigato. Call me if anything changes," he asked. "Inspector, a pleasure. I must take my leave now," he bowed at the inspector and walked away.
"Sayonara, Mister Kamui."
xxxXXXxxx
Oh, you didn't forget! What a caring son. I wonder if they already know. If they know they won't be having grandchildren. Poor, poor Rika.
Bonsai trees, delicate, ancient beauties of nature. Gakupo adored those trees, he learned to live and grow with them, surrounded by Bonsais so big they had to abandon their delicate vases and be planted on the ground surrounding the pond of his childhood house.
He was looking for a particularly old one. One with his age, but was having a hard time finding one with his birthday. He wondered if chichioya would break it again. Yet again, it was an accident, the first time. With a sigh he stopped looking. The oldest in the whole store was 18 years old; he needed a bonsai tree that was 20 years older.
"It's him! I tell you!" He heard a couple of girls discussing with each other at the cashier.
"I'll go check!" The red haired one said and she run over to Gakupo. "Good afternoon! May I ask you a question, sir?" She asked and Gakupo nodded putting his bang behind his ear. "Okay, okay. Are you the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo?"
"Yes, I am," he answered and smiled. The two girls left go of a squeal and ran over to him, bombarding him with questions and squeals.
"Oh my gosh! Kamui Gakupo, Vocaloid superstar in my store! Aaaah!" The girls squealed. Gakupo felt a sweat drop go down his head, he was not a superstar. "Oh my god! Can we help you find anything at all?"
"I was looking for a bonsai tree…" He said, though that was rather obvious; what else would he be looking for on a store called "Bonsai Haven?" "I'm looking for Bonsai tree that is 20 years old, from the month of July."
"Oh my god! Let me guess, for your birthday?" The girls asked and he nodded. That was very specific, but he would be happy if it was just 20 years old. "We have one! Well, not from 31 of July, but from July, and it's 20."
"That's perfect," he said.
"We'll go get it! Is it a present for someone?" The brown haired one asked while the red haired one went to get the bonsai.
"Yes," he answered feeling rather uncomfortable, a bonsai tree was a rather strange gift to give to someone.
"For Kaito?" She asked and he blushed surprised.
"What? No, why would…" He fell silent. They had certainly seen the photos. "You saw the photos…"
The two girls blushed madly and started with almost no consensus saying: "No! What? What pictures? Maybe… Yes…" He sighed, great, everyone knew he had a one-night-stand with Kaito, he rubbed his head. Wait; there was something he could do.
"Those pictures are fake," he lied, noticing his voice was a bit shaky. Feeling a sweat drop he tried to smile.
"Oh, really? Not that we're disappointed, we're actually relieved, it's a pity for a guy as hot as you to be gay! Not that we have anything against gays… I'll shut up now!" The girl stated blushing wild. Gakupo chuckled nervously.
"But Kaito said they were real. Here it is!" The red haired said coming back with the Bonsai and putting it over the table, it was a bit bigger than the others around the store but it was still small.
"He said they were real...?" He looked at the girl.
"On Twitter, he commented on the pictures," the girl said. "He said how he had a great time with you. He said how he should get you drunk more often, he also said you… hmmm… well… tasted divine and that it was a very fun… experience."
Gakupo blinked surprised, and for some reason, his chest was aching.
He said what? He did not verbally express the question that was piercing through his mind and heart like a bunch of very painful darts, just shoving it down alongside the chest ache.
"I see. How much for the Bonsai?"
He paid the girls and left the store running.
The two girls saw the purple haired Vocaloid run away carrying the Bonsai. They actually felt guilty for what they said, that would probably arouse problems between the Vocaloids. Yet again, why should they care? That creepy large guy offered to pay them 50000 yen if they said that.
You have to love a little conspiracy! It's what makes this world go around, spices up the things and the relations. Such an innocent white lie, enough for you to see what I want you to, enough to drive you to desperation, it will work perfectly.
xxxXXXxxx
Kaito wasn't at home. According to Meiko he left to meet up with some friends, so Gakupo could not face him with what he did. Commenting such things on Twitter, for everyone to see, claiming that moment as an experience. Was that all that Gakupo was? Kaito's "experience?" To figure out if gay sex was good? Was that it?
He felt a bulge in his throat. Putting the Bonsai over his coffee table he left himself fall on the couch. Fabulous, his life was absolutely fabulous right now. The young man looked at the windows. Luka and Big Al hadn't arrived yet. He walked to the windows and closed the shutters, he was sure he was being watched. The purple haired man had no interest of giving to his stalker the pleasure of seeing him desperate over stuff.
Gakupo looked at the Bonsai tree and smiled. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
Beeeeep… beeeeep… beep…
"Konichiwa, you have reached the Kamui Residence, this is Kamui Rika, how may I help you?" He heard an elder female voice on the other side. That voice made him feel for a minute so safe, like all the worries were gone.
"Konichiwa, Mother," Gakupo greeted with a smile.
"Ga-Ko! Gakupo! My sweetheart!" The woman said excitedly.
"How are you, mother?" He asked. He really had missed his mother, just hearing her voice made him feel better.
"Oh sweetheart… you shouldn't had called," suddenly her voice wasn't that eager.
"Is there something wrong, mother?" He asked.
"No sweaty… just… nothing…"
"Mother!" Gakupo started, but the silence on the other side told him to not push it. "How is father?" Again the silence. "Mom… are you still there?" He actually looked at the phone to make sure he hadn't accidently touched the hang up button.
"Yes, I am… sorry sweetheart," she said.
"Are we still going to meet up this weekend? I got you a birthday present, I think you're going to like…" He said touching the frail leaves on the small tree in front of him. He always thought Bonsais were bushes posing for trees, he actually lost count of the number of times his mother hit him with a spoon until he got it straight that they were Bonsai Trees, not bushes.
"Let me guess, you got me another bonsai," she said, again her voice sounded very unpleased. He could hear commotion in the background but his mother didn't seem that keen with the conversation. Was it because it was a bonsai? But his mother adored Bonsais! She always did.
"You'll see!" He answered back with a smile, the commotion was getting louder. "Mother, is there's something going on?"
"No… hummm… sweety, I don't think I'll be able to visit you this weekend," his mother said.
Gakupo got up, his heart was racing, it was racing for a while now, but only now had he noticed. "W-why? Is there trouble there? With the dojo? With father?"
"No… Not…" She was cut off by a man yelling in the background.
"Hang up that phone already woman! It wasn't bad enough that my son was a disgrace for our kenjutsu heritage, he also had to be a disgrace to our name!"
"Was that… Chichioya?" Gakupo closed his eyes and left himself fall back into the sofa.
"No sweetheart! That's huh… the television…" She said, her voice failing.
"Mother… what is wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing! So what did you got me?" She asked.
"Mother…" He sighed. "I got you a 20 year old bonsai tree," he answered staring at the small tree in front of him, his mother adored bonsai trees, and she had a ton of them on her garden, around the pond, on her Zen garden. She took great pride on keeping her trees healthy and magnificent. What else could he give her? He tried giving her a set of dishware she gave it to the neighbor, he gave her an Orchid she left it die, he gave her a kimono, she turned it into a set of curtains. Only things that he gave that she actually loved were the Lisianthus flowers and the Bonsais.
Again the yelling was heard interrupting his thoughts.
"I already told you to hang up that phone! I don't have a son! I shall not be this town's laughing stock!" He was sure it was his father who was yelling in the background.
"Mother… please tell me what's going on…" Gakupo asked. "I can hear father yelling in the background."
"I'm sorry sweetie. I am so sorry… I love you. I accepted when you preferred music, I was ready to accept whatever choices you may had, even if you became a drug addict like most artists become… however, I wasn't prepared for that… some things… are just too much to accept," she said.
"Mother…" The commotion in the background was still pretty loud.
"Don't call again!" He heard a male voice say. "It wasn't enough that you broke my heart, you also had to go out there and shame our family name?"
"Chi-chichioya…" Gakupo got up in a jump. "What's wrong father? What are you talking about?"
"Don't call me that, boy!" The man yelled on the phone. "You thought I wasn't going to find out? I saw the pictures, actually everyone saw them! Have you no shame? Doing such… disgraceful things with another male? Congrats Kamui, you won't be a grandfather! You have any idea how it feels to hear that?"
"Dad! Please let me explain! I was…" Gakupo started but was cut off.
"Don't ever call again! I don't have a son!" And the phone was hanged up.
Beep… beeeeep… beeeep… Gakupo stared at the phone in silence.
He still had his work, he repeated to himself, and his friends. He got up and looked down at the Bonsai tree. Taken by an out spike of rage, he grabbed the tree and threw it off the coffee table against the windows, the pot in which the tree was broke and cracked the window. The purple haired Vocaloid walked to the windows and opened the shutters looking at the neighboring apartment and yelled, he yelled as loud as he could, curse words and insults.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! ISN'T ENOUGH YOU SHOWED EVERYONE YOU ALSO HAD TO SHOW MY PARENTS?" He threw everything he caught on his hands around. "YOU WANT TO RUIN MY LIFE?"
And the phone rang. He fell silent and picked it up. "H-hello…?"
"Yes, I do. I want to leave you with nothing but me!" He heard the other side say and froze. He knew what Gakupo was saying? He was listening to?
"When I'm done with you, no one shall miss you, and then, you shall be just mine! By the way, a pity you broke that Bonsai, I had a hard time finding it to give to those girls! Check inside the pot, there's a small present for you! I love you, my Lavender voice."
The young man looked at the dirt and he could see the letter amongst the dirt. With a yell Gakupo opened the windows and threw outside both the Bonsai tree and the letter. He closed the windows and the shutters and left himself slide down the glass, crying. He was so terrified.
