Notes:: This I offer to all RUHANA/HANARU lovers. October 31 is day where everyone is free... especially the students. It is a day meant for travelling miles away towards their respective provinces and visit the memorial parks to burn candles and give flowers or foods to the tomb of their dead loved ones. I hope for your enjoyment in reading this fiction that I wrote.
Hanamachi Sakuragi stared at the raven-haired fellow sitting beside him... at the Shohoku High School rooftop. The pair of sapphire blue eyes was as steady as a post and almost turned white with stability.
Kaede Rukawa, a freshman student in Shohoku High School... the famous Basketball player in the number 11 jersey... the target of almost all the female clan in their district... laid numbed on the rooftop floor heated by the sun's vivaciousness.
"I'm different," Kaede murmured very softly that he seemed to be speaking to himself.
Hanamichi's mouth dropped. He owned a crimson-dyed bald head and a feminine name which means a flower behind his masculine libido... yet he never felt an alien to anybody. Kaede may have western-colored eyes and a vanilla white skin... but that physical qualities do not separate him from the other people in the Kanagawa region.
All that Hanamichi wanted was to help. There's a truth about his enviousness with Kaede Rukawa's demeanor and athletic skills... but Hanamichi was still human to pay heed about the super rookie's unfriendliness and his me-myself-and-I attitude.
It was their lunch break but Hanamichi chose to accompany Kaede in the rooftop instead of enjoying an oozing delicious meal with his close friends. He cared to know the reason behind the cold mask of the fox-eyed boy.
"Different?" Hanamichi repeated the word that caused his bewilderment.
Kaede's hands were sojourned on his knees that were folded towards his chest. The redhead had never seen his sapphire blue eyes glinting from seventh heaven nor intensifying from outrage and choler. It had always been stable and neutral like it was deprived of any expression.
"I see ghosts." Kaede continued with his voice going in one straight line. "They're roaming around the campus. They're everywhere."
Hanamichi's hairs in his arms were standing up and his fingers were shivering. He never had any experience about paranormal things... but since he was a child... it had always scared him.
Chocolate brown eyes looked at his left... at his right... at his back... he was hoping not to see a single thing that could frighten him.
"Don't you dare scare the genius, you fox." Hanamichi was persuading himself that Kaede was fooling him. His act was not very convincing that he doesn't believe in dead people haunting the world they used to live at. He was hugging himself and he was shaking from head to toe.
"I'm not fooling you."
Kaede finally glanced at the redheaded boy beside him. His sapphire eyes remained as stable as it had always been.
"Is it true?" Hanamichi mumbled... his neck was contracted that his throat had no room for air to pass. His voice was too chilled to have a perfect volume.
"Yes," Kaede said. "There's a ghost sitting beside you."
In a brisk move... Hanamichi plunged towards him... hugging him so tight that it almost suffocated him. The redheaded guy's arms were wrapped around Kaede's shoulders and he was sitting on his lap.
Hanamichi shut his eyes like he would be blind if he opens it. He loathed to see the world in the light... he loathed to see anything... but feel the warm presence of the boy so close to him. When Kaede had surrounded his roubust arms around the muscled yet soft waist of the redhead with tender care... the latter felt the security to vanish all his fears.
Releasing his eyes from the cave that had imprisoned its beauty for seconds... Hanamichi suddenly noticed the smooth cheek of Kaede that was touching his. It was similar in lying in a balmy and warm pillow that soothes his entire being.
Sapphire blue eyes stared directly at the chocolate brown eyes. It seemed like anything around didn't matter... but the look on each other's captivating and promising deep orbs.
"I love you, Hana." Kaede whispered on his ear... it was very docile... calm and satisfying.
"I love you, Kaede." Hanamichi was mesmerized at the blue orbs staring at him. It was the first time he had seen a flash of light in it... and he knew it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in this world.
In not more than a second, a light kiss touched Hanamichi's dry but luscious lips. Hanamichi felt the lips brushing his with crave... lust... and desire. It moved with grace and tranquility until a tongue slipped inside... and the intimacy went deeper and deeper. Hanamichi could taste the hot saliva mixing with his and it was as sweet as a strawberry jam and as temptuous as red wine.
When their lips parted for the necessity of their lungs... Sakuragi inhaled the warm breath of Kaede. The fox-eyed boy floated the tip of his nose as it traced the face of the boy sitting on his lap... his eyes were closed as he felt the loving pulchritude of Hanamichi Sakuragi.
Without opening his eyelids, Kaede murmured. "Wanna spend a night at my place?"
Hanamichi was never satisfied. He wanted to touch more flesh and feel the climax of paraiso... there was no need to think... his head nodded and accepted the invitation.
Hanamichi fell on the bed and Kaede laid on top of him. The redhead put his hands around his boyfriend's neck and caressed his hunky nape.
"I'm glad you stay with me," Kaede uttered with a smile... while pinching the nose of his beloved. "You're so cute."
A tint of cherry blush crossed on Hanamichi's cheek bones and Kaede kissed it both.
"Now they wouldn't scare me anymore."
Hanamichi flinched from the statement. He began to have goosebumps once more that he felt the urge to hug his boyfriend even tighter and wrapped his legs around his waist. Kaede fell on the chest of the redhead from the weight that was counting on his balance.
Nuzzling on his boyfriend's cheek and neck... Kaede murmured, "as long as I'm here, no one can harm you, baby."
Hanamichi loved the way Kaede calls him 'baby'... it made him feel loved... feel special... and feel Kaede's attention all meant for him. He had no intentions of withdrawing himself from the raven-haired boy's comforting warmth... he felt secured in it... like he was shielded from any danger there is to come.
Kaede strectched the other boy's shirt's collar to have more access on blood-heated flesh and taste the skin of his beloved. Moans and groans exit the mouth of the redhead... he was oblivous with the sensual ministrations done to him by his boyfriend.
The buttons of Kaede's white inner polo uniform were being opened by Hanamichi as they rubbed on each other's body. When the vanilla white trunk was exposed for Hanamichi to enjoy... he slid his hands downwards... feeling the ribs... the contracting muscles and the very toned waist.
Suddenly... they both heard the doorbell rang thrice in one second. Hanamichi's unconscious mind from the nirvana he was experiencing... returned to the real world.
"Is it your parents?" Hanamichi asked with a trace of impatience and disappointment. They couldn't just ignore the person outside the house... and it meant an interception to their intimate activity.
"My parents are dead."
Kaede murmured that earned a guilty face from his redheaded boyfriend. For a while... Hanamichi was frozen... trying to absord the information he gained about Rukawa Kaede... but the person outside kept on ringing the bell like someone was chasing whoever he or she may be.
"Let's go down Kaede. Let's see who it is."
Kissing the tan cheeks of his beloved, Kaede sealed their activity for a while.
"No. Something might happen to you."
Hanamichi grinned and blushed at the concern of his boyfriend for his safety. He held his face with tender care. "Don't worry baby... I'll be all right. If you want you can accompany me."
Kaede smiled. "No need. Just remember... no matter what happens... I'll never hurt you."
It was a very memorable moment for Hanamichi. He could feel the love of his once great rival... from head to toe. "I promise." Hanamichi stood from the bed, while Kaede sat on the side. "By the way... nice body." The redhead mumbled hoarsely and touched the bare muscled chest of his boyfriend.
Hanamichi made his way downstairs with a scarlet face from the romantic maneuvering of Kaede. The doorbell kept on ringing that he started to become impatient of whoever visitor it was. He opened the door... shouting at the person outside.
"WHAT?"
He paused. The sullen and pale face of Haruko Akagi stumbled at his sight. Her cappuccino-colored hair were wet from sweat and it laid messily on her slim shoulders.
"What are you doing here, Sakuragi?"
Hanamichi stared at the moving lips of the girl in front of him. It used to look like a cherry fruit... so luscious and so tame... but now it seemed like it was dug in an ice avalanche for a year. It was shaking... and almost purple in color.
"Haruko... are you all right?"
The girl pulled the redhead away from the house and she spoke with a vibrating tone.
"Get out of here. Spare your life. Rukawa is not human." Hanamichi felt Haruko's fingers digging on his skin. She looked serious... very serious that no one can insert a single joke in the conversation. "He's dead, Sakuragi. He's dead a long time ago."
Hanamichi's world stopped revolving. He's dead, Sakuragi. He's dead a long time ago. It's everything that mattered on his mind. He's in love with Kaede Rukawa... he's in love with a dead man.
The redhead held the girl's arms closer to him... quaking her a little. "Tell me you're joking. It's not true." He was tough enough not to believe... but Haruko's pale face and swelling eyes... convinced him that the girl wasn't telling a joke.
A tear fell on the tan face of Hanamichi... like a petal of a red rose falling on the ground.
"Sakuragi... there's no time for this. There's no time for you to explain why you're here. We need to get out of here. We have to leave!" The soft voice of Haruko spoke.
"Hanamichi!"
The redhead and Haruko glanced behind at the open doorway... towards the stairs inside the house. Kaede was standing there and looking at their direction rigidly.
"Stay away from her, Hana." Kaede was getting nearer to them and Hanamichi could feel Haruko's hands lowering its temperature on his arms. "Do you love me?"
"Don't listen to him." Haruko whispered... pleading while trying to pull the redhead farther from the approaching six-footer raven-haired man.
Hanamichi's entire body was numbed. He couldn't speak... he couldn't walk and he couldn't think. He couldn't accept the fact he just discovered. When Kaede was only a meter far from them... Hanamichi finally had the urge to run for his life and Haruko's.
The two sprinted towards a parked black car. They had no idea to whom it belonged... but what was important... the keys were left hanging in the insertion... near the wheel.
Hanamichi's adrenaline reigned in the moment. Even without knowledge in driving, he was able to maneuver the automobile in a life and death situation.
Kaede was following them that provoked Hanamichi to speed up the engine. The streets were very dark... lamp posts were broken and only the crescent moon illuminated the evening.
It was only then that he realized how stupid he was to believe in Kaede. As the car drove along the streets in full speed, Hanamichi noticed that there was no single house located at the place. He reached Kaede's house without being aware that there was no other houses around... nor dogs and cats roaming. It was a dead village.
Hanamichi gripped the wheel while his knuckles turned white with fright. Suddenly, he felt the engine slowing down to a stop. The gasoline was empty and they hauled in front of a huge mango tree.
"Oh no." Hanamichi panted... his heart throbbed very quickly... then he glanced beside him at the passenger's seat.
There he saw a very white-skinned face of a lady with round silver eyes... staring straight at him. The lady grinned and scarlet blood dripped on her lips like a river of death. With the very white skin... Hanamichi could see green veins travelling around the face like hungry snakes.
"Haruko!"
Hanamichi screamed. He attempted to open the car door but it was locked. He didn't know how... but no matter how hard he pushed... it didn't open.
Raging laughter echoed inside the car's interior and Hanamichi didn't want to gaze at the lady beside him... instead, he kept on pushing the door with all the might he has.
"It's my 70th death anniversary... don't you want to greet me?"
Hanamichi shut his eyes. If this was a nightmare... he wished to wake up soon. The idea had no time to pop from his mind. He needed to take action at once... suddenly, Hanamichi rolled the car window down and slid himself out of the car.
"Hanamichi!"
His sight was blurred but he knew the figure coming near him from the voice calling his name. It was Kaede Rukawa's voice... his boyfriend... his beloved.
"Don't get near me." Hanamichi sobbed. If this will be his last night... then let it be. He was too tired to fight for his life. The pain of discovering the truth about the person he trusted his heart with... was too much to bear inside.
Suddenly... he felt a warm cavern surrounding his entirety. Kaede had wrapped his arms tightly at the the crying redhead.
"Good evening, Kaede."
The lady appeared on top of the car... floating in translucent white at the middle of the dark night.
Kaede glared at the lady who caused his death ten years ago. "You can't harm Hanamichi. You have to pass on me."
"What Kaede? You'll try to kill me like you did before?"
Without withdrawing his hug to the frightened redhead... Kaede faced the evil spirit haunting the region of Kanagawa every decade. She needs a young and fresh soul to survive... to be able to live across time and revenge for her own death in 1933.
"No." Kaede's sapphire blue eyes bloomed at the night with bravery. He was the last victim of the lady in 1993 and he wouldn't let it happen again... especially to the boy he had loved. He smirked, "it's a minute before 12... before the 1st day of November... without a fresh soul to suck... you're doomed!"
The futile silver orbs intensified its gaze at the two figures slumped on the soily ground. Suddenly... it appeared just an inch beside Hanamichi.
"You can't do anything about this." The lady grinned and aimed to suck the pale lips of Hanamichi.
But Kaede intercepted his own self and the lady sucked on his neck instead.
Screams of divine punishment vibrated in the lonely dark midnight. "I.NEED.FRESH.SOUL.OF.A.LIVING.HUMAN!!!"
As the morning of November 1st entered the region... the lady vanished in the wilderness and left nothing but terrifying memories for Hanamichi... or perhaps a history to take the walls of fictions.
The evil spirit wasn't able to feed at its 7th decade... it will no longer have the power to return in the world of human beings.
After some seconds of peacefulness... Kaede shrugged Hanamichi's back gently. "Open your eyes now Hana. It's over."
Hanamichi heard everything. The words of comfort from the loving voice of the boy he loves so much... gave the security he needed. He looked around... there was nothing but the handsome appearance of sapphire blue eyes like the ocean abound and red luscious lips of Kaede Rukawa.
"Kaede..." He caressed the soft and docile cheek of his boyfriend. "Thank you."
A captivating gentle smile flashed at the vanilla white face of Kaede. "I love you Hana."
Hanamichi felt the inner meaning of those words from the warm touch of his boyfriend to his skin. Kaede was leaving him.
"Don't you ever say goodbye, Kaede."
They tightened their hug on each other. Hanamichi had never felt such tranquility... and he never wanted to leave those arms. It was his home... a place better than anything he ever had in his lifetime.
"I won't leave you, Hana. Remember... whenever you're alone and scared... I'll always be there." Kaede smiled once more. "As long as I'm here, no one can harm you, baby."
"I love you Kaede."
"I love you Hana."
A light and warm kiss touched Hanamichi's lips. It was as docile as before... as promising as tomorrow and as endless as eternity.
Kaede Rukawa vanished in his tender touch in a snap of the moment... but the soul will forever be alive in the heart of Hanamichi Sakuragi.
Hanamichi stared at the gray tombstone surrounded by white magnolia flowers. In the tombstone it was carved:
Hanamchi smiled... he missed him so much. If only time never had its barriers against two lovers... if only he was born in 1978 and met Kaede before 1993, the story moved in a different direction. If only... evil spirits stop haunting the wolrd they used to live at and take revenge on innocent lives.
After a one last look at the tomb... he left the place. Suddenly... as he walked across the green grass of the memorial park... he had stepped on something hard.
He looked down and shoved the soil and grasses hiding the hard thing he had stoop at.
There he saw a picture frame and the glass cover was broken. It was a black and white picture of the Haruko he knew in Shohoku High School.
The girl was wearing a kimono with her hair tied behind her head by a wooden chopstick. As Hanamichi stared deeper... he noticed a mischievous smirk forming at the face of the girl.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!