Vox de la Morte
3: Surrealistic Pillow: White Rabbit
"Tick, tick, tick…" the clocks sang as they sat upon the bronze lined walls. One had huge slit eyes, swinging back and forth as it peered into the shadows while its prized tail swung in accordance with the eyes. Another was an old man, swinging his arm back and forth with a louder tick. And when the arm struck the hour, he would sing in a sonorous voice for all to hear that now was the time to get to work.
For some, that toll would be a glorious sound. But to a man sitting and staring at the ceiling above him, it was just a way to keep the loneliness from devouring him. He sat waiting, waiting, and waiting. Now it was five in the morning, and worry set in. He always came back at four thirty, and now he had been out for way too long… He had no way to contact him; oh what was he going to do? Then the blinds of his only window began to shake.
The man's eyes lit up and he smiled happily to see his prized affection slowly slip into the room. "Ryuu!" he said happily, helping the man from the open window. "Oh, I was so worried, I almost thought you had died, did you know that you were thirty minutes later than you usually were?"
"S'okay…" Ryuu muttered sleepily, clinging onto his own prized possession. "Kuma-chan and I saw an old friend… And we had to say hi, but we didn't feel like having enough guts to do so…" he muttered in a voice that sounded like a teenager's.
The man ruffled his hair and sat back down, watching the clocks. It had been the only thing he had originally done when Ryuu was gone, but now that he was back, now he could truly take his attention off of them.
"Do you need me for anything, Tatsuha?" Ryuu asked in a deeper voice, but still retaining the image of a fifteen-year-old kid. Tatsuha looked up into his eyes, only to regret it. There was a want to be important there, just a need to be needed. Tatsuha smiled slowly and patted Ryuu's head happily. Then he replied: "You could sing me something."
Ryuu put two and two together and laughed loudly. "Of course I can! That's easy!" He hummed quietly; trying to tune his voice while his exterior appearance seemed to change from carefree and flowing energy to stiff and almost a cold posture. From humming, he opened his mouth and went from C sharp up to E sharp and back down. Finally, he was ready to sing.
"Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain. Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain. Ain't no time to pack my bag, my foots outside the door. Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball.
"Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean roar. Play for free, play for me and play a whole lot more. Singing of the good things and the sun that lights the day. Singing to the ocean, has the ocean lost its way.
"Sitting round, singing songs 'til the night turns into day. Used to sing to the mountains but the mountains washed away. Now I'm singing all my songs to a girl who won my heart. She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start."
Tatsuha clapped, but his brows had caved in and he spoke with a shaking voice. "That was nice…" But it had pertained too much to where Ryuuichi had remained before. Sure, he had liked the band and he had heard the song… But did Ryuuichi had to pick it out right when they were already close to being comfortable?
"You always say that…" Ryuuichi muttered coldly. Running a hand through his brown hair, Ryuuichi looked off into the night sky from the window, his free spot, and his base. Yet here he was stuck. Stuck… stuck until he got it back. "I'm going to take a nap", he murmured. "If you need anything, don't bother me."
With that, Ryuuichi was gone and Tatsuha could hear the door close. Had he angered him? Oh, it had been his fault once again! He swore he would never do this again, but he did it again! Oh, he had promised himself! And now he was breaking promises… Whenever he got into that mood, he always seemed to be filled with vengeance towards Tatsuha.
"Not like I blame him…" he whispered. "It was my fault, anyway… But I'll make him change his mind!" he shouted, immediately pulling out his new book. He didn't need the book, but Ryuu really did need it, and if he were to ever understand Ryuu, he'd have to read the type of books that would influence him first. Then he could give it to Ryuu.
A knock on the door brought him to his senses after minutes had passed, and Tatsuha grunted for the first time in the day. Why now? "It's open!" he shrieked, hoping the scream would travel all the way down to the first floor. The door opened, and Tatsuha could hear footsteps calmly walking up the stairs.
Everybody Tatsuha knew quite well used the window. Ryuuichi used it, and long ago, a few college students had chosen that route. It was far easier to use, as the front street was usually clouded with cars. Especially since an apartment complex was right next to his house. Yes, only people he knew really well would use the door. Well maybe with the exception of-
"Eiri!" Tatsuha squeaked, seeing his older brother with lighter hair. "What have I done now…" he squeaked and whispered at the same time.
Eiri rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair across from Tatsuha. "I'm not here to lecture you and I'm not here to hurt you…" he muttered, thinking back to the past. "I…"
"What is it?" Tatsuha asked, somehow interested. "Do you… possibly need my help?"
"I… No. I don't need your help. Just advice", Eiri rebounded in a deep voice. "Listen… Aizawa has another request from me." Tatsuha shivered like a leaf in the wind when he hear Aizawa's name. "He wants me to catch this obnoxious and annoying kid so he can kill him just so we can survive. Well, at first he wanted me to catch him. Then things kind of screwed up, and now he wants me to… Give the kid a shoulder he can cry on."
"And you want me to help you… how?" Tatsuha asked, almost on the verge of laughter. It was his funeral if he burst out into laughter, but he couldn't help but to smirk at his brother's disposition. Oh, he hated being the youngest. He could never laugh at the others without loosing a body piece.
"I… need… I really don't know how to…"
"For gods sake! You're the one who decided to write romance novels! You should know about this type of thing. I'm the one who needs help!" Tatsuha laughed out. "The only time Ryuuichi likes my company is when he's in his cute personality, and even then he just wants to sit in my lap and have a story read to him."
"It's really not that easy…" Eiri muttered, thinking back to his old books. The lovers had always been a male and a female. But… him… with a boy… "And how long have you kept that siren prisoner? They get restless after a few years."
"*That Siren* has a name, you know. I've only kept him for almost a year now. Besides, his band disappeared, so I thought it was okay to take him. And he still doesn't have this…" Tatsuha muttered, waving the lucky rabbit's foot in Eiri's face. "Therefore, he can't leave me."
"You're getting off topic", Eiri muttered, shoving the rabbit's foot out of his face.
"You tricked me into getting off topic."
"Right… Well, I don't know… I don't know how to woo a boy. Does that answer your first accusation?" Eiri asked, digging his fingernails into the chair's arm.
"Very, very easy. If he's clingy, then let him cling onto you. But if he's sulky, then let him have his space. Put in a few kisses here and there, and soon you'll have the kid clinging onto your leg or else his world will tumble without you."
"You're talking as if you have experience in this field…" Eiri muttered, scratching his knuckles on the chair's arm now.
"I've tried many different types of things on Ryuuichi. Some of them work; some of them don't work. In the long run, it's really easy to get somebody to like you. The only problem is if you like them. Now, why don't you get your little rear in action and get to work?"
"Why does everybody tell me to do that…" Eiri muttered to himself.
**
"Some more cereal?" the strange man who had been sitting at the end of Shuichi's bed asked. Shuichi shook his head quietly and wondered why the man had been here in the first place. This was private property, and he could kick him out of here if he wished.
"Exactly who are you… and what are you doing in my apartment?" Shuichi asked the man.
"That's simple to answer. My name's Seguchi Tohma. I'm here for your help. Didn't I tell you it was simple?" he asked coldly. Shuichi nodded politely and cleared his throat while he tried to get a better picture of the man. He had never seen someone wear all black in quite a while, and his eyes needed adjustments for that type of person.
"I don't see why you'd need my help… I can't do anything. Really, I can't. All I can do is maybe make one man clap during a performance. But that's about it. I can't even fend off a… Well, a vam-"
"Don't say that word!" Tohma shouted, covering Shuichi's mouth with swift reflexes. "Do you want a whole entire pack on your shoulders?" Shuichi shook his head. "Then don't use that derogatory word. You do know that they have acute hearing, don't you?"
"Whatever!" Shuichi shouted, smacking Tohma's hand away from his mouth. "I don't have anything to do with them, and I don't have anything to do with you. Go away and leave me alone. That includes Hiro."
Tohma smirked with an iridescent glow. "You must know nothing about their kind. Never say the v-word. Never ever say the v-word. Besides, if you ran away to America, you would still be hunted down. Quite frankly, it's no use."
"Do-"
"Don't argue with me. Besides, I'm not here to filter information out to a baby. I'm here to strike a bargain, if you have ears to listen." Shuichi then came a little closer to Tohma, signaling him to continue. "What you have is strange, but not uncommon. The only reason why it seems uncommon is because everybody who had the same ability is now dead. Aizawa has killed off almost all of your kind to protect his people… You do know that to actually have a surviving chance in this world, you must kill five of them?"
"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked. "And what the hell are you talking about?"
"Most of your kind… either die off from them, or… accidents happen. You kill five of them, and your safety is insured. As for what you can do… You can see their memories. Mixed with yours, of course, but you see a little bit of their past. Whoever you see… if you recognize them in anyway… You kill them."
"I can't kill somebody!" Shuichi shrieked, backing into the wall his bed bordered. Kill somebody? Shindo Shuichi kill somebody? Had this man been taking drugs before he visited him?
"You won't do the killing. You'll do the searching. Right now, I have two… escorts for you and your friend." Tohma said so without showing any emotion on his face. Damn… Where he was good in that, Shuichi wasn't.
"Escorts?"
"Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. So… you've obviously had a few visions if they have been paying attention to you already. Have you seen anybody?" he asked. Now he had trapped Shuichi in a small corner, and it made Shuichi feel somewhat infinitesimal.
"I'm not sure… I couldn't tell who the first one was… But… the second one was…you. Does that mean I have to kill you?" Shuichi asked, quivering in his corner.
"Everybody sees me", Tohma said quietly, grinning widely.
"Right…" Shuichi muttered, wondering if he could squish into his corner just a little more. "Now… just what exactly are our escorts?"
Tohma magically warped the grin into a smirk. "Friends and family. Now I think I've told you enough, and I really need to get a move on. As for our bargain, if you accomplish killing five of them, then I'll get you a spot in the music business."
Shuichi remembered the words that Eiri had told him quite a while ago, promising him that he would be in the music business by now. It was eerie now to think that Eiri was… one of them. Probably laughing at him as he glued himself to a corner.
"Wait!" Shuichi called. "You still haven't-" But he was gone. Whether he had jumped out the window, or just disappeared, Shuichi would never really know. Tohma… was Tohma. That as far as Shuichi's knowledge was now.
And with Tohma out of the way, he could actually go check on Hiro. Shuichi jumped out of his bed and raced down the stairs. Oh dear, he had to still be here. Hiro would never leave him, even for a second, so he had to be here…
"Phew…" Shuichi muttered, seeing Hiro sit on the couch that Shuichi desperately wanted to get rid of. Sitting on the left of Hiro was a teen with a face filled with ennui. On the other side was a tall man with blond hair, cradling a rifle. "Hiro, you'll never believe what I just had to go through. There was this man, and his name was To…"
The teen's eyes leered over to Shuichi, waiting for him to speak the name so he could probably tear him to itty-bitty pieces. As far as Shuichi was concerned, he was planning on living for quite a long time, so he decided not to say the man's name.
"You'll never believe what I was stuck with…" Hiro muttered calmly, looking to his sides. The man who was cradling his rifle now pointed it at any object he thought was perfect for a target and grinned malevolently. "This over here…" Hiro muttered, pointing at the teen, "is Suguru. And that", he pointed to the man with the rifle, "is K. Who did you get to meet?"
Shuichi looked at Suguru, hoping he wouldn't bite off his hand if he dared to speak the name. "Seguchi Tohma… Kind of a weird man." Suguru almost seemed to emotionally jump up and scream, but thought better of it.
"This is my boom-boom stick", K muttered, grinning (1).
Shuichi tried to hold in all of the screams he was about to let out. What were these people doing in his apartment? Why did he have to ensure the death of five people? Why did he have to talk to a complete weirdo who had flashy eyes? Why did he have to run in with two other weirdoes? "What am I supposed to do…" he muttered quietly.
"You could go to sleep", was all Suguru said, in a quiet and subdued voice. Shuichi took his advice.
**
This was not cool. Shuichi had a better time when he had been playing in front of the boring audience. Now he had a description, and he had to walk up and down all of the streets of Japan (if he had to) just to find one person. He swore he was going to go insane, and it was all Suguru and K's fault. Including that Tohma guy.
Cars whizzed by, people were chattering and in his way while he looked and searched for the man he had seen. He had had a big tattoo on his arm of a whale, and orange hair. That's all Shuichi had picked up. Hopefully somebody like that was around here somewhere… And how he did not like to be out in the city during the night.
But… he had officially gotten his freedom. K had suggested that Hiro stay behind, no matter how many times he pleaded and clung onto Shuichi's legs. He finally was out in the city without a tour guide… But somehow… it left him feeling empty. Hiro was probably one of the greatest friends he would ever have… And now, when Shuichi swore he was on the brink of chopping off his finger to see if he was dreaming, Hiro wasn't there.
Sure, eventually one or the other would die… but Shuichi never wanted to think of getting old and dying before Hiro.
The crowd of people was slimming down as the hours passed by, and Shuichi could freely breath. "What are you doing, baka?" asked a voice when Shuichi stretched and sighed happily. He knew that voice, and he knew that nickname. Time to run.
Before Shuichi could even lift a foot to run, there he was. Eiri stood before him; casual looking and glared when Shuichi showed a hint of fear on his face. "What… what do you want?" Shuichi whispered, his hand grasping a small pocketknife on the side of his jacket.
"I thought you'd like a cup of coffee, that's all", he muttered, putting his hand on Shuichi's shoulder. Damn, this was hard… Eiri thought to himself. With a woman… he was sure she'd be all over him. But with a boy who he'd already scared the shit out of before… this would be difficult.
"Coffee, my ass…" Shuichi whispered, tensing up and shaking like a leaf in the fall. He wanted Eiri to attack him, to punch him or to grab him. Then he had a right to attack him second, with a pocketknife. He could call it self-defense. Yes, that was it. Eiri came forward, and Shuichi was sure he would harm him in some way. He pulled out the pocketknife, only to be quite surprised.
Eiri held him in a light embrace; didn't mean anything, but it was an embrace. Shuichi knew the difference between a hug and an embrace, and he shook harder, knowing that Eiri would not kill him now. Eiri stroked his pink hair, trying to quiet the kid's whimpers. "So how about a cup of coffee?" he whispered in Shuichi's ear.
Shuichi dropped the pocketknife and shoved Eiri away from him. "Don't think you can win my trust back from sweet nothings", he hissed out like a little rat. No… Eiri thought. He wasn't like a rat. More like an innocent little rabbit, finally noticing the wolf's jaws around its head.
And now Eiri's problem arose: He didn't think Shuichi would refuse him at any turn. "Cup of tea, then? Soda?" Shuichi shook his head violently. Eiri put his hand back on Shuichi's shoulder, but Shuichi pushed it off.
"Don't touch me", he hissed, wishing for it to rain so he could have an excuse to run away from Eiri. "I understand what you're doing… and in the end, I'll be dead. And now I think that my escorts really should have come along with me."
"Escorts?" Eiri inquired.
"You sound just like me when I first heard it too. Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. Tohma owned them out to me. You see here, I have these different dreams, and-"
"I know all about that", Eiri muttered while sighing. He really didn't want to bring Aizawa to mind right now. Somehow this kid just didn't seem like the obnoxious brat he was before. "You're like him… Shifting through emotions", he whispered, hoping Shuichi hadn't heard it.
"What?" Shuichi asked. Great, now Eiri had him in his web. Shuichi's innocence glowed on him now, with just one question. This was his chance, and he wasn't going to let it go.
"Coffee…" he muttered while looking into Shuichi's pupils. "You said that we could go out and get some coffee. That's what I remember you saying."
"I don't remember saying that…" Shuichi muttered, shaking his head violently again. Damn him…. Damn him… Oh how he hated people using him as their little poodle whom would bark at the other. "Why don't you stop using the tricks and tell me exactly what's going on…" Shuichi muttered calmly, trying to stop shaking.
"Idiot…" Eiri muttered. "Stop acting like everybody's after you. I'm offering you to a simple cup of coffee. It's a yes or no question."
"All right…" Shuichi whispered in a melodic voice. So… maybe he could have a conversation with Eiri… and he could get a few answers. Shuichi wasn't sure that he caught something… but he could swear he saw Eiri smirk just a little.
**
Hiro did not like the idea of Shuichi going out on his own at all. In fact, he hated it so much he had taken his time to go against a vow he had made with Shuichi. He walked out of the apartment, through the back window, and slipped passed K and Suguru while they looked through Shuichi's refrigerator. Then he was on the streets, pondering just where could his friend possibly be?
It wasn't until he had been out for about an hour before he started to think back on his original plans. "Stupid vampires…" he muttered. "It's all your fault that Shuichi's out there on his own… On my own, sure that would be great, but leave Shuichi alone…" He could've sworn he hadn't been talking to anyone. At least he had thought so.
"Is that so?" Hiro's hairs perked up as he slowly recalled the voice. He had heard this voice when his friend had been in trouble and he had saved him… What was worse was that the voice was right next to him, now. And the fact that the man's breath stank added on to that. "Interesting seeing you here…" Aizawa muttered. "Thought you'd be out with your little Pomeranian. Or are we lost? Yes, indeed, that look of surprise does convey a look of a little lost boy… But, to get on the subject, do you know what you forgot?"
Hiro shook his head, not trusting his movements, as he whispered, "No…"
Aizawa circled to the front of Hiro now, his grin widening. "Of course you don't know… You weren't with Shuichi when he had his little prep talk with Tohma, now were you? Unfortunately, my friend…" he muttered while putting his hands on Hiro's shoulders, "you are going to learn the lesson a little too late." Aizawa pushed Hiro to the ground, his back against a hard and uncomfortable wall. "Never call us by that name. We loathe it, and many people who call us that don't live for too long. Understand?" Hiro nodded, trying to formulate a plan that work against the monster that held him by his shoulders.
Aizawa pressed his fingers on Hiro's neck, again thinking that this was way too stereotypical. But, he couldn't settle for anything else. He had him by the shoulders, anyway. As he lunged for Hiro's neck, he did not notice the boy's fist rise. And he did not notice it when it hit him. Aizawa pulled his head away from Hiro and chuckled lightly. "You humans are all frankly the same. Wow! Look at me! I can kick and punch! Now, where was I?" he muttered, nuzzling into Hiro's neck.
The boy fought and squirmed with all the strength he had, but it just wouldn't help out. In fact, the dark circles forming around his eyes became more and more inviting by the minute… And when they grabbed his hands into unconsciousness, Hiro followed.
**
A/N: Last bit was so rushed… but I wanted to get it up. So… again I was being lazy. But oh well, sleep does come first…
Ah, don't we miss those B Movie nights when we could curl up and watch the Evil Dead series? Although Ash's boom-boom stick didn't get as much recognition as K's.
Until chapter four, then… And yes, Aizawa is Taki as Taki is Aizawa.
3: Surrealistic Pillow: White Rabbit
"Tick, tick, tick…" the clocks sang as they sat upon the bronze lined walls. One had huge slit eyes, swinging back and forth as it peered into the shadows while its prized tail swung in accordance with the eyes. Another was an old man, swinging his arm back and forth with a louder tick. And when the arm struck the hour, he would sing in a sonorous voice for all to hear that now was the time to get to work.
For some, that toll would be a glorious sound. But to a man sitting and staring at the ceiling above him, it was just a way to keep the loneliness from devouring him. He sat waiting, waiting, and waiting. Now it was five in the morning, and worry set in. He always came back at four thirty, and now he had been out for way too long… He had no way to contact him; oh what was he going to do? Then the blinds of his only window began to shake.
The man's eyes lit up and he smiled happily to see his prized affection slowly slip into the room. "Ryuu!" he said happily, helping the man from the open window. "Oh, I was so worried, I almost thought you had died, did you know that you were thirty minutes later than you usually were?"
"S'okay…" Ryuu muttered sleepily, clinging onto his own prized possession. "Kuma-chan and I saw an old friend… And we had to say hi, but we didn't feel like having enough guts to do so…" he muttered in a voice that sounded like a teenager's.
The man ruffled his hair and sat back down, watching the clocks. It had been the only thing he had originally done when Ryuu was gone, but now that he was back, now he could truly take his attention off of them.
"Do you need me for anything, Tatsuha?" Ryuu asked in a deeper voice, but still retaining the image of a fifteen-year-old kid. Tatsuha looked up into his eyes, only to regret it. There was a want to be important there, just a need to be needed. Tatsuha smiled slowly and patted Ryuu's head happily. Then he replied: "You could sing me something."
Ryuu put two and two together and laughed loudly. "Of course I can! That's easy!" He hummed quietly; trying to tune his voice while his exterior appearance seemed to change from carefree and flowing energy to stiff and almost a cold posture. From humming, he opened his mouth and went from C sharp up to E sharp and back down. Finally, he was ready to sing.
"Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain. Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain. Ain't no time to pack my bag, my foots outside the door. Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball.
"Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean roar. Play for free, play for me and play a whole lot more. Singing of the good things and the sun that lights the day. Singing to the ocean, has the ocean lost its way.
"Sitting round, singing songs 'til the night turns into day. Used to sing to the mountains but the mountains washed away. Now I'm singing all my songs to a girl who won my heart. She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start."
Tatsuha clapped, but his brows had caved in and he spoke with a shaking voice. "That was nice…" But it had pertained too much to where Ryuuichi had remained before. Sure, he had liked the band and he had heard the song… But did Ryuuichi had to pick it out right when they were already close to being comfortable?
"You always say that…" Ryuuichi muttered coldly. Running a hand through his brown hair, Ryuuichi looked off into the night sky from the window, his free spot, and his base. Yet here he was stuck. Stuck… stuck until he got it back. "I'm going to take a nap", he murmured. "If you need anything, don't bother me."
With that, Ryuuichi was gone and Tatsuha could hear the door close. Had he angered him? Oh, it had been his fault once again! He swore he would never do this again, but he did it again! Oh, he had promised himself! And now he was breaking promises… Whenever he got into that mood, he always seemed to be filled with vengeance towards Tatsuha.
"Not like I blame him…" he whispered. "It was my fault, anyway… But I'll make him change his mind!" he shouted, immediately pulling out his new book. He didn't need the book, but Ryuu really did need it, and if he were to ever understand Ryuu, he'd have to read the type of books that would influence him first. Then he could give it to Ryuu.
A knock on the door brought him to his senses after minutes had passed, and Tatsuha grunted for the first time in the day. Why now? "It's open!" he shrieked, hoping the scream would travel all the way down to the first floor. The door opened, and Tatsuha could hear footsteps calmly walking up the stairs.
Everybody Tatsuha knew quite well used the window. Ryuuichi used it, and long ago, a few college students had chosen that route. It was far easier to use, as the front street was usually clouded with cars. Especially since an apartment complex was right next to his house. Yes, only people he knew really well would use the door. Well maybe with the exception of-
"Eiri!" Tatsuha squeaked, seeing his older brother with lighter hair. "What have I done now…" he squeaked and whispered at the same time.
Eiri rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair across from Tatsuha. "I'm not here to lecture you and I'm not here to hurt you…" he muttered, thinking back to the past. "I…"
"What is it?" Tatsuha asked, somehow interested. "Do you… possibly need my help?"
"I… No. I don't need your help. Just advice", Eiri rebounded in a deep voice. "Listen… Aizawa has another request from me." Tatsuha shivered like a leaf in the wind when he hear Aizawa's name. "He wants me to catch this obnoxious and annoying kid so he can kill him just so we can survive. Well, at first he wanted me to catch him. Then things kind of screwed up, and now he wants me to… Give the kid a shoulder he can cry on."
"And you want me to help you… how?" Tatsuha asked, almost on the verge of laughter. It was his funeral if he burst out into laughter, but he couldn't help but to smirk at his brother's disposition. Oh, he hated being the youngest. He could never laugh at the others without loosing a body piece.
"I… need… I really don't know how to…"
"For gods sake! You're the one who decided to write romance novels! You should know about this type of thing. I'm the one who needs help!" Tatsuha laughed out. "The only time Ryuuichi likes my company is when he's in his cute personality, and even then he just wants to sit in my lap and have a story read to him."
"It's really not that easy…" Eiri muttered, thinking back to his old books. The lovers had always been a male and a female. But… him… with a boy… "And how long have you kept that siren prisoner? They get restless after a few years."
"*That Siren* has a name, you know. I've only kept him for almost a year now. Besides, his band disappeared, so I thought it was okay to take him. And he still doesn't have this…" Tatsuha muttered, waving the lucky rabbit's foot in Eiri's face. "Therefore, he can't leave me."
"You're getting off topic", Eiri muttered, shoving the rabbit's foot out of his face.
"You tricked me into getting off topic."
"Right… Well, I don't know… I don't know how to woo a boy. Does that answer your first accusation?" Eiri asked, digging his fingernails into the chair's arm.
"Very, very easy. If he's clingy, then let him cling onto you. But if he's sulky, then let him have his space. Put in a few kisses here and there, and soon you'll have the kid clinging onto your leg or else his world will tumble without you."
"You're talking as if you have experience in this field…" Eiri muttered, scratching his knuckles on the chair's arm now.
"I've tried many different types of things on Ryuuichi. Some of them work; some of them don't work. In the long run, it's really easy to get somebody to like you. The only problem is if you like them. Now, why don't you get your little rear in action and get to work?"
"Why does everybody tell me to do that…" Eiri muttered to himself.
**
"Some more cereal?" the strange man who had been sitting at the end of Shuichi's bed asked. Shuichi shook his head quietly and wondered why the man had been here in the first place. This was private property, and he could kick him out of here if he wished.
"Exactly who are you… and what are you doing in my apartment?" Shuichi asked the man.
"That's simple to answer. My name's Seguchi Tohma. I'm here for your help. Didn't I tell you it was simple?" he asked coldly. Shuichi nodded politely and cleared his throat while he tried to get a better picture of the man. He had never seen someone wear all black in quite a while, and his eyes needed adjustments for that type of person.
"I don't see why you'd need my help… I can't do anything. Really, I can't. All I can do is maybe make one man clap during a performance. But that's about it. I can't even fend off a… Well, a vam-"
"Don't say that word!" Tohma shouted, covering Shuichi's mouth with swift reflexes. "Do you want a whole entire pack on your shoulders?" Shuichi shook his head. "Then don't use that derogatory word. You do know that they have acute hearing, don't you?"
"Whatever!" Shuichi shouted, smacking Tohma's hand away from his mouth. "I don't have anything to do with them, and I don't have anything to do with you. Go away and leave me alone. That includes Hiro."
Tohma smirked with an iridescent glow. "You must know nothing about their kind. Never say the v-word. Never ever say the v-word. Besides, if you ran away to America, you would still be hunted down. Quite frankly, it's no use."
"Do-"
"Don't argue with me. Besides, I'm not here to filter information out to a baby. I'm here to strike a bargain, if you have ears to listen." Shuichi then came a little closer to Tohma, signaling him to continue. "What you have is strange, but not uncommon. The only reason why it seems uncommon is because everybody who had the same ability is now dead. Aizawa has killed off almost all of your kind to protect his people… You do know that to actually have a surviving chance in this world, you must kill five of them?"
"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked. "And what the hell are you talking about?"
"Most of your kind… either die off from them, or… accidents happen. You kill five of them, and your safety is insured. As for what you can do… You can see their memories. Mixed with yours, of course, but you see a little bit of their past. Whoever you see… if you recognize them in anyway… You kill them."
"I can't kill somebody!" Shuichi shrieked, backing into the wall his bed bordered. Kill somebody? Shindo Shuichi kill somebody? Had this man been taking drugs before he visited him?
"You won't do the killing. You'll do the searching. Right now, I have two… escorts for you and your friend." Tohma said so without showing any emotion on his face. Damn… Where he was good in that, Shuichi wasn't.
"Escorts?"
"Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. So… you've obviously had a few visions if they have been paying attention to you already. Have you seen anybody?" he asked. Now he had trapped Shuichi in a small corner, and it made Shuichi feel somewhat infinitesimal.
"I'm not sure… I couldn't tell who the first one was… But… the second one was…you. Does that mean I have to kill you?" Shuichi asked, quivering in his corner.
"Everybody sees me", Tohma said quietly, grinning widely.
"Right…" Shuichi muttered, wondering if he could squish into his corner just a little more. "Now… just what exactly are our escorts?"
Tohma magically warped the grin into a smirk. "Friends and family. Now I think I've told you enough, and I really need to get a move on. As for our bargain, if you accomplish killing five of them, then I'll get you a spot in the music business."
Shuichi remembered the words that Eiri had told him quite a while ago, promising him that he would be in the music business by now. It was eerie now to think that Eiri was… one of them. Probably laughing at him as he glued himself to a corner.
"Wait!" Shuichi called. "You still haven't-" But he was gone. Whether he had jumped out the window, or just disappeared, Shuichi would never really know. Tohma… was Tohma. That as far as Shuichi's knowledge was now.
And with Tohma out of the way, he could actually go check on Hiro. Shuichi jumped out of his bed and raced down the stairs. Oh dear, he had to still be here. Hiro would never leave him, even for a second, so he had to be here…
"Phew…" Shuichi muttered, seeing Hiro sit on the couch that Shuichi desperately wanted to get rid of. Sitting on the left of Hiro was a teen with a face filled with ennui. On the other side was a tall man with blond hair, cradling a rifle. "Hiro, you'll never believe what I just had to go through. There was this man, and his name was To…"
The teen's eyes leered over to Shuichi, waiting for him to speak the name so he could probably tear him to itty-bitty pieces. As far as Shuichi was concerned, he was planning on living for quite a long time, so he decided not to say the man's name.
"You'll never believe what I was stuck with…" Hiro muttered calmly, looking to his sides. The man who was cradling his rifle now pointed it at any object he thought was perfect for a target and grinned malevolently. "This over here…" Hiro muttered, pointing at the teen, "is Suguru. And that", he pointed to the man with the rifle, "is K. Who did you get to meet?"
Shuichi looked at Suguru, hoping he wouldn't bite off his hand if he dared to speak the name. "Seguchi Tohma… Kind of a weird man." Suguru almost seemed to emotionally jump up and scream, but thought better of it.
"This is my boom-boom stick", K muttered, grinning (1).
Shuichi tried to hold in all of the screams he was about to let out. What were these people doing in his apartment? Why did he have to ensure the death of five people? Why did he have to talk to a complete weirdo who had flashy eyes? Why did he have to run in with two other weirdoes? "What am I supposed to do…" he muttered quietly.
"You could go to sleep", was all Suguru said, in a quiet and subdued voice. Shuichi took his advice.
**
This was not cool. Shuichi had a better time when he had been playing in front of the boring audience. Now he had a description, and he had to walk up and down all of the streets of Japan (if he had to) just to find one person. He swore he was going to go insane, and it was all Suguru and K's fault. Including that Tohma guy.
Cars whizzed by, people were chattering and in his way while he looked and searched for the man he had seen. He had had a big tattoo on his arm of a whale, and orange hair. That's all Shuichi had picked up. Hopefully somebody like that was around here somewhere… And how he did not like to be out in the city during the night.
But… he had officially gotten his freedom. K had suggested that Hiro stay behind, no matter how many times he pleaded and clung onto Shuichi's legs. He finally was out in the city without a tour guide… But somehow… it left him feeling empty. Hiro was probably one of the greatest friends he would ever have… And now, when Shuichi swore he was on the brink of chopping off his finger to see if he was dreaming, Hiro wasn't there.
Sure, eventually one or the other would die… but Shuichi never wanted to think of getting old and dying before Hiro.
The crowd of people was slimming down as the hours passed by, and Shuichi could freely breath. "What are you doing, baka?" asked a voice when Shuichi stretched and sighed happily. He knew that voice, and he knew that nickname. Time to run.
Before Shuichi could even lift a foot to run, there he was. Eiri stood before him; casual looking and glared when Shuichi showed a hint of fear on his face. "What… what do you want?" Shuichi whispered, his hand grasping a small pocketknife on the side of his jacket.
"I thought you'd like a cup of coffee, that's all", he muttered, putting his hand on Shuichi's shoulder. Damn, this was hard… Eiri thought to himself. With a woman… he was sure she'd be all over him. But with a boy who he'd already scared the shit out of before… this would be difficult.
"Coffee, my ass…" Shuichi whispered, tensing up and shaking like a leaf in the fall. He wanted Eiri to attack him, to punch him or to grab him. Then he had a right to attack him second, with a pocketknife. He could call it self-defense. Yes, that was it. Eiri came forward, and Shuichi was sure he would harm him in some way. He pulled out the pocketknife, only to be quite surprised.
Eiri held him in a light embrace; didn't mean anything, but it was an embrace. Shuichi knew the difference between a hug and an embrace, and he shook harder, knowing that Eiri would not kill him now. Eiri stroked his pink hair, trying to quiet the kid's whimpers. "So how about a cup of coffee?" he whispered in Shuichi's ear.
Shuichi dropped the pocketknife and shoved Eiri away from him. "Don't think you can win my trust back from sweet nothings", he hissed out like a little rat. No… Eiri thought. He wasn't like a rat. More like an innocent little rabbit, finally noticing the wolf's jaws around its head.
And now Eiri's problem arose: He didn't think Shuichi would refuse him at any turn. "Cup of tea, then? Soda?" Shuichi shook his head violently. Eiri put his hand back on Shuichi's shoulder, but Shuichi pushed it off.
"Don't touch me", he hissed, wishing for it to rain so he could have an excuse to run away from Eiri. "I understand what you're doing… and in the end, I'll be dead. And now I think that my escorts really should have come along with me."
"Escorts?" Eiri inquired.
"You sound just like me when I first heard it too. Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. Tohma owned them out to me. You see here, I have these different dreams, and-"
"I know all about that", Eiri muttered while sighing. He really didn't want to bring Aizawa to mind right now. Somehow this kid just didn't seem like the obnoxious brat he was before. "You're like him… Shifting through emotions", he whispered, hoping Shuichi hadn't heard it.
"What?" Shuichi asked. Great, now Eiri had him in his web. Shuichi's innocence glowed on him now, with just one question. This was his chance, and he wasn't going to let it go.
"Coffee…" he muttered while looking into Shuichi's pupils. "You said that we could go out and get some coffee. That's what I remember you saying."
"I don't remember saying that…" Shuichi muttered, shaking his head violently again. Damn him…. Damn him… Oh how he hated people using him as their little poodle whom would bark at the other. "Why don't you stop using the tricks and tell me exactly what's going on…" Shuichi muttered calmly, trying to stop shaking.
"Idiot…" Eiri muttered. "Stop acting like everybody's after you. I'm offering you to a simple cup of coffee. It's a yes or no question."
"All right…" Shuichi whispered in a melodic voice. So… maybe he could have a conversation with Eiri… and he could get a few answers. Shuichi wasn't sure that he caught something… but he could swear he saw Eiri smirk just a little.
**
Hiro did not like the idea of Shuichi going out on his own at all. In fact, he hated it so much he had taken his time to go against a vow he had made with Shuichi. He walked out of the apartment, through the back window, and slipped passed K and Suguru while they looked through Shuichi's refrigerator. Then he was on the streets, pondering just where could his friend possibly be?
It wasn't until he had been out for about an hour before he started to think back on his original plans. "Stupid vampires…" he muttered. "It's all your fault that Shuichi's out there on his own… On my own, sure that would be great, but leave Shuichi alone…" He could've sworn he hadn't been talking to anyone. At least he had thought so.
"Is that so?" Hiro's hairs perked up as he slowly recalled the voice. He had heard this voice when his friend had been in trouble and he had saved him… What was worse was that the voice was right next to him, now. And the fact that the man's breath stank added on to that. "Interesting seeing you here…" Aizawa muttered. "Thought you'd be out with your little Pomeranian. Or are we lost? Yes, indeed, that look of surprise does convey a look of a little lost boy… But, to get on the subject, do you know what you forgot?"
Hiro shook his head, not trusting his movements, as he whispered, "No…"
Aizawa circled to the front of Hiro now, his grin widening. "Of course you don't know… You weren't with Shuichi when he had his little prep talk with Tohma, now were you? Unfortunately, my friend…" he muttered while putting his hands on Hiro's shoulders, "you are going to learn the lesson a little too late." Aizawa pushed Hiro to the ground, his back against a hard and uncomfortable wall. "Never call us by that name. We loathe it, and many people who call us that don't live for too long. Understand?" Hiro nodded, trying to formulate a plan that work against the monster that held him by his shoulders.
Aizawa pressed his fingers on Hiro's neck, again thinking that this was way too stereotypical. But, he couldn't settle for anything else. He had him by the shoulders, anyway. As he lunged for Hiro's neck, he did not notice the boy's fist rise. And he did not notice it when it hit him. Aizawa pulled his head away from Hiro and chuckled lightly. "You humans are all frankly the same. Wow! Look at me! I can kick and punch! Now, where was I?" he muttered, nuzzling into Hiro's neck.
The boy fought and squirmed with all the strength he had, but it just wouldn't help out. In fact, the dark circles forming around his eyes became more and more inviting by the minute… And when they grabbed his hands into unconsciousness, Hiro followed.
**
A/N: Last bit was so rushed… but I wanted to get it up. So… again I was being lazy. But oh well, sleep does come first…
Ah, don't we miss those B Movie nights when we could curl up and watch the Evil Dead series? Although Ash's boom-boom stick didn't get as much recognition as K's.
Until chapter four, then… And yes, Aizawa is Taki as Taki is Aizawa.