I have finally moved out of my crappy apartment! There were good times there, but I am so happy to be rid of it.
Anyway, enjoy!
The Skin House
Chapter 8: Out
What day was it?
What time was it?
Had it been a week? Had it been a month?
Kaoru felt as though the camping trip with his friends had all been a precious dream rather than a memory. It felt as though it had never occurred at all; that this was his life, and had been his life for forever. During the few moments of clarity in his mind, he would remind himself that his friends would find him and that this was not the end.
Tamaki would rush in and shout, "Little, Kaoru! We are here, never fear!"
Haruhi would assess his injuries and go in for a hug.
Kyoya would be writing something down and have an ambulance already on the way.
Hunny would jump on him and hug him tightly while Mori would bend over and stare at him with his expressionless face; though, Kaoru would know that he was concerned. It was a strange closeness that they all had with each other. Mori, the strong and silent type, could easily be read by all six of them no matter how blank his face was.
Hikaru.
Hikaru would be beside himself with worry. He would possibly cry and hold onto his hand and not let go until the ambulance arrived.
Following these thoughts would come another thought that had been pushing all of the comforting thoughts away like a bully.
Were his friend even still alive?
Kaoru's eyes were closed, though the sweet feeling of unconsciousness would not take him. Hardened wax still remained on his wounded arms and legs. The original thread in his lips were no longer in his skin. The doctor had burned them off a while ago, leaving burns on his face. Afterwards, the doctor sewed his mouth shut again.
The doctor had then proceeded to sew more thread through his flesh. He pulled both ears over and sewed them to the side of his face so that they were flapped nearly closed, leaving his hearing muffled. Finally, the doctor had performed a tarsorrhaphy on his left eye – sewing the corners of his eyelids shut – making seeing on that side difficult.
If Kaoru had had a clear mind at the time, he would have wondered whether the doctor was trying to turn him into some type of Raggedy Ann doll.
Kaoru lie on the hospital bed, thread weaved throughout parts of his head like a realistic voodoo doll. He wished that sleep would take him. Or perhaps death would be sweeter.
The door opened violently and the executioner walked in at a brisk pace.
Kaoru's eye opened only a fraction. He assumed another torture session awaited, though, he was not sure if he could survive it.
The muffled words that emanated from behind the black mask shocked Kaoru. It did not just surprise him because he had not heard either executioners' speak, but because the words spoken were not expected at all.
"Come on, kid," the man said. "I'm getting you out of here."
…
Hikaru took deep breaths over the wreaking puddle of stomach acid in the grass. That was the only other sound aside from the occasional buzz of a bug and the tweet of a bird
These sounds were all too natural. They were too normal. He had vaguely heard the quiet roar of a plane far, far overhead in the sky. How could the day continue running as though everything was normal? As though everything were alright? Everything was not normal, and everything was certainly not alright.
Kaoru was still missing. Kaoru was still in the possession of whoever had destroyed the skull of the dead man in front of him.
The thought just about made him puke again, if there was anything left in his stomach aside from stomach acid, he surely would have.
When the sun began to set in the sky, he let out silent tears.
Visions of Kaoru's bleeding, lifeless body kept appearing in his mind.
Hikaru had never felt so helpless. He had never felt like such an awful brother. Never in his life had he felt like this.
Hikaru stood up slowly. His arms dangled with his slumped posture. Tears were still falling, but a shadow was over his eyes. He was clenching his teeth together so tight that his jaws were beginning to cramp. As an image of Kaoru's sweet, smiling face appeared in his mind, Hikaru fiercely wiped away his tears.
With a steady look of determination, he began walking toward the. His shoes squished through the brain matter and blood that coated the ground. He heard one of his friends calling his name, but the image of Kaoru's smiling face followed by his lifeless body prevented him from paying much mind.
"Hikaru, wait!" Haruhi called, along with Tamaki and Hunny.
It was not until he was under the trees that he stopped, but it was not his friends calling his name that stopped him on his trek. It was the sound of rustling coming from ahead.
It did not sound like an animal, nor like someone walking. It sounded like something being slowly dragged along the ground. He could hear it drag, then stop, drag, then stop. He focused on the sound, trying to figure out what it could be. It was also so faint, Hikaru wondered if he was imagining it.
Suddenly, Hikaru felt a hand on his shoulder.
His breath hitched in his throat and he whipped around, his heart pounding in his chest.
Tamaki pulled his hand back, "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."
Hikaru took in a deep breath and placed a hand to his chest, feeling the heavy beating begin to slow.
"I thought it was made quite clear that no one should be venturing off alone," Kyoya stated.
Hikaru did not respond. Instead, he turned his head in the direction of the mysterious noise, which seemed to have stopped.
"Hika-"
"Sh!" Hikaru silenced Haruhi rather harshly, and she shut up immediately.
There were a few moments of silence until Hikaru turned his head and looked at his friends. The noise had started up again.
"Do you hear that?"
Tamaki, Kyoya, Mori, Hunny, and Haruhi all tilted their heads. It took a few moments before they heard what Hikaru was talking about.
Mori furrowed his eyebrows seriously while Tamaki whispered, "Stay here."
Haruhi was about to ask him if he was crazy, but Mori put his hand on Tamaki's shoulder.
Tamaki's face became less serious and he looked up at Mori, confusion in his blue eyes.
"I'll go with you," Mori stated seriously.
Tamaki's mouth was open, but he closed it and his face became serious again. He followed the tall young man as he began walking forward. Mori's hand slipped out of Hunny's grasp.
Hikaru followed the two as well without saying a word, determination once again lighting his eyes. Whoever it was that was ahead of them, they would reveal where Kaoru was; Hikaru would make sure of it.
"If you need us-" Haruhi said bravely, putting a step forward.
Mori turned his head and gave a rare, knowing smile before continuing his trek into the woods with Tamaki and Hikaru.
The three continued walking until the remaining few could barely see their outlines.
