The door closed softly behind him, and Kaii went over to where Reijiro was
leaning on the dusty wall. His face looked mostly emotionless, apart from
the odd tear that slipped down his cheek. Kaii took him in his arms again.
"There's nothing you could have done" he whispered "she was missing, and we didn't know."
"Her face..." Reijiro murmured, "She looked so scared..." Kaii said nothing; he couldn't think of the words, nothing seemed appropriate to say right now.
"Oh God, what are my parents going to say? They're gonna be so pissed, I may as well just die now, save them murdering me."
"Your parents are going to be glad you're okay" Kaii said "imagine if it was you both, that would hurt them so much more."
"That's not the point!" Reijiro cried "I always told them and Rika that I would look after her no matter what, that I would always be there when she needed me and I would never leave her! Well she needed me then, and I wasn't there!" He broke down and started to cry again. Kaii held him tighter and looked down at him.
"Rei? Look at me, Rei." Reijiro looked up at Kaii. There were only a two people who called him Rei, one had been Rika. He wiped at his eyes and sighed painfully.
"You couldn't have been there" Kaii said softly "she got lost, it's not your fault, or even hers. Rika wouldn't have blamed you for it, and she wouldn't want you to put your life on hold for the sake of her, especially after something like this happened and you need to find your friends and get out of here." Reijiro nodded and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Where are we?" he said weakly. Kaii looked around, trying to get his bearings.
"I think we're in the main hall, in the middle of the house somewhere I think" he replied, looking down the long room through the open shoji screen partitions.
"We shouldn't have left her in that temple..." Reijiro mumbled, scratching at the dust on the wall miserably.
"We had too" Kaii said "there was no where to take her." Reijiro hugged himself for warmth. The room had gone cold and his breath was showing in a little grey puff from his mouth. Kaii shivered and turned sharply around. He focused on the back of the room, or as far as he could see in the gloom anyway, and pushed his hair from his face.
"Did you hear that?" Reijiro listened to the silence.
"Hear what?" Kaii shrugged.
"Nothing, I'm hearing things now. Crazy huh?" Reijiro smiled and nodded.
"It's this place" ,he said "it kind of screws with your mind."
"Yeah, but 'm so sure I heard something, like someone walking round..."
"Kaii? Don't talk like that, you're scaring me."
"No, I know I heard something. I'm going to have a look okay?"
Reijiro reached out and grabbed Kaii's arm.
"Don't. Rika was on her own and she..." he trailed off, and wiped at his eyes again, "I don't want to loose you too!"
Kaii sighed and looked down the hall again.
"We'll both go" he said "it's probably safer, and I don't really feel like being alone in here myself. Come on."
Reijiro reluctantly stood up straight and started to lead the way slowly down the hall. They passed through the first open partition screen, and it rolled shut behind them of it's own accord. Kaii jumped when it smacked against the wood. Reijiro pulled at the screens, trying to wrench them open, but got no where. They were stuck.
"Marvelous..." he muttered under his breath. There was one door out of the hall, right down at the end of it. They started towards it, when Kaii stopped suddenly. He backed away from the closed screens, his eyes never looking away. The paper screens looked like they were shimmering, and a human figure was slowly taking form behind them. Someone, his face hidden by a demonic mask, stepped through the paper. They stopped and lifted their arm, which was percularily translucent, revealing a katana, stained with blood. The face looked right at them, and Kaii screamed before grabbing Reijiro's hand and running with him through the open screens to the end of the hall. The screens slammed shut as they passed through, but the demonic figure kept following them. The last screen was stuck shut, and rather then try and open it, the boys began to tear their way through it. Reijiro got through first and turned back to help Kaii through.
"He's coming! Rei help me!!"
"I'm trying! What are you stuck on?!" Kaii looked back and screamed again. The ghost had hold of his hood on his top and was pulling him back. Reijiro looked through and saw the ghost raise the katana above its head. The pupils of Kaii's eyes had shrunk to pinpoint dots and his skin had gone pale like milk.
"Kaii, come on!! Pull him off!!" Kaii reached back to the katana's handle in a vain attempt to stop the ghost. Reijiro closed his eyes. He heard a sound, like someone cutting the air, then a dull thud. He felt Kaii's hand go limp in his own and dared a look through the screen.
The ghost was looking at something on the floor. Reijiro followed it's gaze.
"KAII!!!!!!!!" The other boy as lying on the tatami mats, grasping at the air weakly. Blood was gushing from a deep cut in his back. He looked up at Reijiro.
"I...I love you...Rei...." he choked out. Kaii collapsed onto the mats and lay still. Reijiro stared blankly at him.
"Kaii? Kaii?! Baby come on, get up!!" Kaii didn't move. His hair was matted with blood and his top torn up the back by the katana. His blood soaked into the tatami beneath him.
"Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!" Reijiro screamed at the ghost, tears falling down his cheeks.
"How could you?! Not Kaii..." The ghost looked up directly at Reijiro through the hole in the screen. Reijiro's expression hardened.
"Yeah" he growled,
"Come and get me you bastard."
"There's nothing you could have done" he whispered "she was missing, and we didn't know."
"Her face..." Reijiro murmured, "She looked so scared..." Kaii said nothing; he couldn't think of the words, nothing seemed appropriate to say right now.
"Oh God, what are my parents going to say? They're gonna be so pissed, I may as well just die now, save them murdering me."
"Your parents are going to be glad you're okay" Kaii said "imagine if it was you both, that would hurt them so much more."
"That's not the point!" Reijiro cried "I always told them and Rika that I would look after her no matter what, that I would always be there when she needed me and I would never leave her! Well she needed me then, and I wasn't there!" He broke down and started to cry again. Kaii held him tighter and looked down at him.
"Rei? Look at me, Rei." Reijiro looked up at Kaii. There were only a two people who called him Rei, one had been Rika. He wiped at his eyes and sighed painfully.
"You couldn't have been there" Kaii said softly "she got lost, it's not your fault, or even hers. Rika wouldn't have blamed you for it, and she wouldn't want you to put your life on hold for the sake of her, especially after something like this happened and you need to find your friends and get out of here." Reijiro nodded and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Where are we?" he said weakly. Kaii looked around, trying to get his bearings.
"I think we're in the main hall, in the middle of the house somewhere I think" he replied, looking down the long room through the open shoji screen partitions.
"We shouldn't have left her in that temple..." Reijiro mumbled, scratching at the dust on the wall miserably.
"We had too" Kaii said "there was no where to take her." Reijiro hugged himself for warmth. The room had gone cold and his breath was showing in a little grey puff from his mouth. Kaii shivered and turned sharply around. He focused on the back of the room, or as far as he could see in the gloom anyway, and pushed his hair from his face.
"Did you hear that?" Reijiro listened to the silence.
"Hear what?" Kaii shrugged.
"Nothing, I'm hearing things now. Crazy huh?" Reijiro smiled and nodded.
"It's this place" ,he said "it kind of screws with your mind."
"Yeah, but 'm so sure I heard something, like someone walking round..."
"Kaii? Don't talk like that, you're scaring me."
"No, I know I heard something. I'm going to have a look okay?"
Reijiro reached out and grabbed Kaii's arm.
"Don't. Rika was on her own and she..." he trailed off, and wiped at his eyes again, "I don't want to loose you too!"
Kaii sighed and looked down the hall again.
"We'll both go" he said "it's probably safer, and I don't really feel like being alone in here myself. Come on."
Reijiro reluctantly stood up straight and started to lead the way slowly down the hall. They passed through the first open partition screen, and it rolled shut behind them of it's own accord. Kaii jumped when it smacked against the wood. Reijiro pulled at the screens, trying to wrench them open, but got no where. They were stuck.
"Marvelous..." he muttered under his breath. There was one door out of the hall, right down at the end of it. They started towards it, when Kaii stopped suddenly. He backed away from the closed screens, his eyes never looking away. The paper screens looked like they were shimmering, and a human figure was slowly taking form behind them. Someone, his face hidden by a demonic mask, stepped through the paper. They stopped and lifted their arm, which was percularily translucent, revealing a katana, stained with blood. The face looked right at them, and Kaii screamed before grabbing Reijiro's hand and running with him through the open screens to the end of the hall. The screens slammed shut as they passed through, but the demonic figure kept following them. The last screen was stuck shut, and rather then try and open it, the boys began to tear their way through it. Reijiro got through first and turned back to help Kaii through.
"He's coming! Rei help me!!"
"I'm trying! What are you stuck on?!" Kaii looked back and screamed again. The ghost had hold of his hood on his top and was pulling him back. Reijiro looked through and saw the ghost raise the katana above its head. The pupils of Kaii's eyes had shrunk to pinpoint dots and his skin had gone pale like milk.
"Kaii, come on!! Pull him off!!" Kaii reached back to the katana's handle in a vain attempt to stop the ghost. Reijiro closed his eyes. He heard a sound, like someone cutting the air, then a dull thud. He felt Kaii's hand go limp in his own and dared a look through the screen.
The ghost was looking at something on the floor. Reijiro followed it's gaze.
"KAII!!!!!!!!" The other boy as lying on the tatami mats, grasping at the air weakly. Blood was gushing from a deep cut in his back. He looked up at Reijiro.
"I...I love you...Rei...." he choked out. Kaii collapsed onto the mats and lay still. Reijiro stared blankly at him.
"Kaii? Kaii?! Baby come on, get up!!" Kaii didn't move. His hair was matted with blood and his top torn up the back by the katana. His blood soaked into the tatami beneath him.
"Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!" Reijiro screamed at the ghost, tears falling down his cheeks.
"How could you?! Not Kaii..." The ghost looked up directly at Reijiro through the hole in the screen. Reijiro's expression hardened.
"Yeah" he growled,
"Come and get me you bastard."