And it's more from echo park.
Huzzah.
Believe it or not, Hitoki does not actually OWN a copy of Echo Park. So I was thinkin'…
I wrote this part in just after she sent it to me and I've forbidden her to look at this chapter. I'm thinking of getting her a present if she finishes this for me, cuz she sort of saved the story and all… so what should I get her?
1)Echo Park
2)Comfort in Sound
3)A few singles?
I'd get her an 'A' album or a single, but she has every one imaginable. I'm rubbish at making decisions, so someone please help me out. @_@
Here are the notes that me and hitoki worked on together-
Hitoki: Noooo! He's my Hirokazu! (glomp) Could we reach some kind of…compromise?
Ah, be quiet…
I love you Quantum. You have graced the story with two reviews…let us make a shrine in your honour…
Hitoki: ^^
Hitoki: I'm kinda stuck on wether I should make it Hirota or Hirotaka…..
Hitoki: Nay way… here we go.
-
Takato POV
-
When you go out for a walk, you don't expect to see one of your friends on the pavement with his clothes draped over him like a blanket. Take three guesses to which friend it was.
"Kazu!"
I ran over to him and checked for a pulse. He was still alive, but he whimpered as soon as I touched him.
"I don't want to get hurt any more, Taka…"
"I won't let anyone hurt you," I hugged him. "C'mon, you need to get your clothes on. I'll take you back to my house for a while."
Kazu mumbled and wriggled into his shirt and pants, then gingerly got up. I supported him and led him back to the bread shop. I guided him to the bathroom and ran a bath for him.
"You need to get clean, kazu…. You've got blood and…other stuff….all over you, y'know?" I paused. "Would you let me wash you? I'd get it done quicker."
Kazu gently tilted his head. "…'Kay."
We have a little waterproof CD player in our bathroom. I only have a few CDs, but most of them were in here. There was a soundtrack to one of the Final Fantasy games there. I flicked forward to the bonus track and left it on.
"This is trance, right…?" Kazu listened carefully. "I think I've heard the tune before."
"I lent Final Fantasy eight to you once, didn't I….? And the ordinary, plain, piano version of this song gets played while the main guy and the main girl are in this airship thingy." I kept on talking to try and take his mind of things.
"Skull and Reservoir?"
"Squall and Rinoa."
Kazu looked confused, but it was working. For a moment he was diverted. "Was that the one with that really hot hyper brunette girl in it…?"
The first thing Kazu notices about the games are the women… always…
"Yes, Kazu- Selphie."
"I liked the blonde one as well… and the sorceresses." Kazu blushed slightly. He suddenly reached for a towel and scrambled out of the bath.
-
Kazu POV
-
Was there a blonde woman in FF8? There was, wasn't there…Oh thank dear Jon Lee up in heaven…
I didn't mean her. I thought one of the boys in it. The one with spiky hair who seems to be in love with that girl from the library.
…Maybe I am…
No.
I….I CAN'T be!
Fucking hell…I don't want to be gay.
….
I only ever really thought about this seriously once before, and that was when I got my first girlfriend. Laura. At the end of the day, she asked me why I'd spent more time with my friends and other guys than her. I admitted that I would rather spend time with people I've known for a long time, and….they were all boys…- and she called me gay.
I remember feeling empty that night…as if I'd been insulted.
She never SHOUTED it. She never accused me. She just looked a little upset… so I guess she didn't mean to insult me. If it was an insult….I mean…
I'm thinking too much.
"Can I have some clothes?"
"Sure."
Takato went out of the room. I towelled my hair and sat on the side of the bath with the towel covering my legs. I've always hated my legs. Too skinny. My dad always told me to get my legs in better shape.
My dad's a fucking homophobic wanker.
I waited and eventually Takato came back in with some clothes. I started getting changed into them, hiding behind the towel.
"I rang Kenta up- he really wants to see you, so he'll be over in a little bit."
I nodded mutely. Takato sighed gently and walked over. I felt his hands on my shoulders.
"You aren't Kazu."
The three words were said so plainly I flinched. He sighed again and gently lifted his hands to cup my face.
"The Kazu I knew wouldn't let big things get him down- he chose to fuss over little things instead. and it got to a point where everyone got annoyed with him. He was pretty much the biggest jerk any of us had ever met, but we all liked him anyway."
He lowered his gaze to the floor. "The Kazu I used to know loved winning. He got annoyed when anyone won over him. But… he had this sort of cute way of recovering from any damage his pride took- and that was one of the real reasons he became a Tamer in the first place."
Takato sat down on the floor. His eyes were shining. "You…You're quiet, shy, and non-social. You just won't come back from what happened, even though I'm SURE you can if you just try!"
His hands clenched into fists and his head bowed. "I'm sorry…but you can't be him."
I paused.
I slowly stood up.
You can if you just TRY!
Try…
"I…." I stopped. Wait. No. I didn't have to think about what I was going to say. "Fuck off."
"Huh?" Takato looked up. Tracks where his tears had been running were glistening on his face. For some reason, a small smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I am Kazu. And…. And… I'm not going to let my life be ruined because of some FUCKING PERVERTED OLD FAG!"
Takato stood up. The smile on his face grew.
"…Right?"
"Right," he agreed happily, threading his fingers through mine. The doorbell rang.
"Kenta's here." Takato looked towards the door, detached from me and raced towards the hall.
I felt proud. I know that I'm never ever going to forget those horrible things that happened… but maybe I can live with it.
Damn fucking right I can.
I picked my visor up from the bathroom shelf, yanked it on my head and followed Takato.
-
Kenta POV
-
"KAAAAAZZZUUUUUU!"
the second he appeared from out of the bathroom I raced down the hall and flung my arms around him. He looked a little bit taken aback, but he looked…happy.
"You're okay….You're okay…. Takato….you made him cheer up, right? Oh thank God…" My glasses had fallen off when I launched myself at kazu, so I picked them off the floor and fitted them on. Takato grinned.
"I'll go make something to eat and drink, okay?"
We ended up all going into the kitchen while Takato busied himself with kitchen utensils and various ingredients. In a matter of minutes he'd heated up some tinned soup, buttered some bread, poured orangeade and we were eating and drinking like a normal group of friends.
Only what happened isn't normal. For some reason, though, kazu for once didn't seem bothered about it.
"Kazu….you're okay now?"
"Well….I dunno. It was pretty horrible…" He paused, an unsure expression on his face- then he quickly regained the look he'd had before. "…But I think I'm gonna make it." *
I think we're gonna make it.
Buck Rogers.
Echo Park
Feeder
Taka, Grant, John.
I'd heard all about Jon Lee. I knew what he did. I knew what Kazu tried to do. I'm so glad he didn't commit suicide…I can't think what it would have been like to lose my best friend.
I still knew what I had promised I would do.
Janyuu had to pay.
"We're ringing emergency."
"What for?" takato looked startled.
"We're reporting Janyuu."
-
Janyuu POV
-
When I got home, Henry was waiting for me. He was barring the way into the rest of the house, a furious look on his face.
"I can't hold it in anymore, Dad," he said weakly.
"What?"
"We…We need to talk." He indicated to the living room.
I shrugged following him in. I sat down on the sofa and he edged as far away as me as he can go. This is probably going to lead to the reason behind why he's been so distant.
Henry suddenly looked at me. "You did something to Kazu, dad."
"What?!" I laughed. "That's ridiculous."
Kazu must have told. The idiot… He was in for something now. I looked as confused as I could.
Henry shook his head. "Don't try and fool me, dad. You….you raped him! Rika told me.Then Kazu admitted it himself. Why? How can I even live now knowing that my dad's a….rapist?!"
I stopped the pretence. There was no point in lying. Even if I had been telling the truth Henry never backed up if he was 100% sure that he was in the right.And he was this time.
He just looked at me like I was a cockroach. "I really hope I take after Mum." And he stood up to go.
A smile started to grow on my face. "Your mum…..you mean the woman in this house, correct?"
Henry stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around, a look of worry on his face. "What….do you mean? Of course I do…"
"Your brother and sister don't look like you, do they? They look like your mother. That's because… they were your mother's, and mine, children."
Henry took a step backwards. "…"
"However, after being with her for some time, I got bored. I went to the library and met a young police officer named Jennifer Procter. She had no friends, so slowly I befriended her… and then I used her. Immediately after that I told her I was married- and she ran off. I never saw her again, but she must have been pregnant. Nine months from then a baby was placed outside the door with a note saying "From Jenny." We took you in…and you are my real son…but my wife is not your real mother."
All the way through me talking Henry was getting paler and paler. As I finished, he shook his head hard. "No!"
"Yes."
"I…I'm…." he never finished the sentence. He dashed to his room.
Well, that was him out of the way.
Now to go Kazu-hunting…
-
Takato POV
-
"I'M DIALLING AS FAST AS I CAN!"
9-9-9.
"Emergency?"
"Police."
"All lines… are engaged."
9-9-9.
"All lines….are engaged."
9-9-9
"All lines…are engaged."
9-9-9
"STOP RINGING THIS LINE ALREADY!"
Kenta pushed me aside. "Let me try."
9-9-9.
"Emergency?"
"Police!"
"PUT THE PHONE DOWN YOU MORON!" Beeeep.
"This woman's getting angrier each time," Kenta murmured, handing it back to me. "And it's getting later by the minute."
"Oh SHIT!" Kazu blinked. "I told my mum I'd be back in an hour since I went out…and that was at seven o clock!"
I looked at my watch. Just turned nine. I lifted the phone off the hook and dialled Kazu's home number.
"Kazu? Is that you? Where ARE you?!" Kazu's mum was sniffling.
"Mrs Shiota, this is Takato- I'm Kazu's friend. You see, he felt a bit sick so he stayed at my place for a while.. He said he'd like to stay overnight, is that okay?"
"He's….really there?" She sniffed again, sounding relieved. I really pity that woman, having Kazu for a kid.
"You want to speak to him?" I held out the phone to Kazu.
"…Hi mum….can I stay at Takato's….at least for a while longer? Right. 'Kay. That's good! See ya!" The phone beeped.
"Kenta, you can stay too if you want… I've got a few sleeping bags and some spare floor mats-"
"okay…but I should call my mum too- she worries abou tme a bit."
While Kenta was dialling his mum, Kazu pointed to the bathroom. "Can I just say something? In…there? Privacy, y'know."
"Um…okay." That was weird. I wlaked to the bathroom with Kazu and shut the door.
He stood in the middle of the room for a moment or two, nibbling at the skin of his lip.
"I just wanted to tell ya…um…Thanks, alright? For picking me up, encouraging me, and all that other shit, okay? You're….You're a good friend."
I smiled. The greatest feeling washed over me like a breath of air, and I held my arms out and hugged him.
-
Kazu POV
-
I've decided.
I can't go on thinking about this anymore.
I know that someone's heart will most probably get broken…. But… Honesty is the best policy, right?
I put my arms around takato too, and he murmured something.
"I know you don't care, Kazu….But I love you."
There it was.Those three words. Come on Kazu, time to admit.
"I love you, too."
Takato gasped. He looked up at me, blinked, and he looked at me some more. He let his arms drop to the floor, he backed away a little, and then I saw that little light in the pupils of his eyes.
"You really…you don't….You….You do?"
"Yup." Hey, what else could I say? "I just hope you can help me some more with the whole Janyuu-the-fucking-paedophile thing, though."
He nodded slowly, taking a step back towards me and encircling me with his arms. "Love's the antidote we need… Love's the antidote we really need."**
When you're all by yourself
Standing on the
Edge of the world
Take a look at yourself
Don't fall back in…
I grinned. "I didn't know you listened to Feeder, Taka…-D'you like them?"
I only realized how it sounded once I'd said it.
Takato smirked. "Yes I do. Jon."
"But Jon killed himself-" I started, and I knew exactly what he was going to reply.
"Didn't you almost?" Takato shook his head fondly, then draped one of his arms around my neck, pulled me down a little- and he kissed me for the second time.
Only this time, I responded.
"Guys! I called my mum- where are you?"
Takato winced. "You do know…"
"…That he liked me too?"
"Yes."
"Fuck."
"Act like nothing's happened."
"Roger."
We both walked casually out. Kenta narrowed his eyes.
"…" He blinked. "Is anything wrong?"
We both grinned on cue. "…No."
"I…" Takato scratched the back of his head. "Kazu was just thanking me for saving his neck."
I shrugged.
Kenta raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the matter. "We really should be getting to bed, you know… It's late."
Takato and I gave a mumble of agreement.
"And we'll call the police first thing in the morning," Kenta added.
An even louder mumble of agreement; particularly from me. Takato directed us to his room, we found suitable spots to put down bedding. I fell asleep even without the aid of music in the background- which just happens to be a big achievemnt for me.
……………..
……………
It felt like I'd been asleep two hours when I woke up, hearing a noise from the window. Carefully avoiding Kenta and Takato, I went to the window
A hand smothered my mouth before I could scream.
---
To be Concluded