A story about life, love, courage, and testing ultimate friendship. What happens to Beetlejuice and his friends when one of their own falls into despair and changes completely? Nothing will ever be the same. This story is an Alternate Universe set five years after Dark Shadows in the year 2008, and does not follow the intended story line. I repeat, this story does NOT follow the intended story line of the two stories (A New Beginning & Dark Shadows) included in my Beetlejuice Afterlife series, which is why it is simply titled "Mania" and not "Beetlejuice Afterlife – Mania". If I have someone ask me why I would put this as a sequel, I'll ignore them, because, right here it says: THIS STORY IS NOT A SEQUEL. This story was just bursting to be written, but I have no intention to make it part of my previous series. It just happens to use that series' events as a prelude. I hope there is no confusion.
Thank you to whomever reviewed! hugs my readers and reviewers In this chapter, we catch a glimpse of Endri and Kyle's past near when they first met. Endri's still nuts, and Kyle has to do some really deep considering. :P
Mania
Spencers13 – March 2003–March 2004
R – Drama – Angst
Chapter Six – The Challenge of A Lifetime
Weeping Woods was quiet and sereneexcept for the weeping of the willows. It was depressing, but at the same time, soothing to a middle—aged human resting in the grass near the small shore of a pond of tears. The pond had formed from the crying willows as their tears shed from their drooping leaves to drip to the forest floor and trickle down in small streams that flowed into the pond.
Who knew the Neitherworld could be so beautiful?
It was still afternoon, around three o'clock, and Kyle sat in the soft grass, picking at it absently at his side and staring into the pond. A deep sigh pushed through his lips, a sigh of utter confusion and disbelief.
I just don't believe this is happening to me. I don't believe this is happening to Endri. This is all some sort of crazy, dramatic soap opera. My best friend's bad side wants to turn me into a pet for his amusement, and his good side is fixated on being my 'bestest best friend'. He shook his head. This is too much.
The white—haired human continued to pick at the grass, throwing a couple blades to the side, then going back for some more. So, Beetle wants me to seriously consider taking care of him, huh? How'm I supposed to do that? He waited for a while, just trying to clear his thoughts and think. Iguess I'm just supposed to think logically about it. It's what I do best anyway. He chuckled to himself. Sometimes being a scientist is to my advantage, and sometimes it isn't.
Okay, so lets look at this logically. Endri has Necromania. I can deal with that. Beetle wants me to take care of him which means probably doing everything he can't do by himself anymore. He took another pause to apparently think. WellI guess I can deal with that too. Butwhat if he suddenly forgets how to do something basiclike go to the bathroom? Am I supposed to help him remember how to do that? I don't think I could deal with that.
He sighed. What am I gonna do? If I try to reject him or leave him alone or leave everything up to someone else, Beetle would be right. Endri'd probably flip out if he really cares about me that much. And I don't think I could live with myself if I was the cause of him going completely insane or hurting himself or someone else. The human released another frustrated sigh and stared skyward. Endriwhat are you doin' to me?
Shaking his head, Kyle returned his attention to the pond. Nono, I won't be the cause of him flipping out. I care about him. I care a lot. He's done so much for me–promised he would do anything for me and give anything to me just to keep me happy. Well, where's my gratitude? I'd be a dirty bastard to leave him out in the cold to deal with this shit on his own. He's my best friend, and I have to do something to help. And if that something is to cook for him, stay with him all the time to keep an eye on him, or even he swallowed, c—clean up after himwell, dammit, I will! I'm not gonna turn my back on him, not now after everything we've been through. I owe himso much. And, yes, I love him as if he was my own brother. Maybemaybe that'll be enough to make things run smoother for me, though. I just gotta remember that he's like a brotherand maybe it'll be easier to be with him all the time and take care of him.
With a sigh of resolution, Kyle felt like a weight had been lifted from his being. YesEndri, if you need me to take care of you, I'll give it a try. It's the least I can do for how amazing you've been to me over the years. You're the absolute best. He chuckled to himself. And I think I can be a little self—absorbed and say that I only want to be around and take care of the best.
At that thought, the human leaned back into the grass and stared at the warped sky. He lifted his hands before his face and concentrated, and a few minutes later, the blue butterfly formed between his palms. Kyle played with it for a while until he almost swallowed it with a huge yawn, so he put it away and leaned back into the grass again. His lashes fluttered closed like the butterfly's wings, and he fell into a comforting sleep, lulled by the haunting sounds of weeping willows and slow, trickling tears.
The sounds of strange Neitherworld birds and critters drew Kyle from his restful slumber. The eerie sounds, however, were counteracted by the gentle lapping of water on the three—foot—wide beach of the pond close by, so the haunting atmosphere was much easier to handle for a normal human.
Blinking his eyes open, the man stared at the darkening sky. Purples, blues, and pinks swirled and collided, and a few stars twinkled in the darker parts of the atmosphere. Kyle smiled. Neitherworld sunsets were always the best.
Sleepily, he looked off to the side and noticed Endri sitting nearby, cross—legged and staring at the sky. As the human watched, a gentle breeze tossed through the ghost's long, blonde hair. Endri sighed at the caressing feeling and closed his green eyes, savoring the contact of air and its sweet scent from the willows. When the breeze died down, the ghost again opened his eyes and returned them to the horizon.
Kyle yawned, not really surprised to see his friend there at all, and sat up dazedly. His friend remained silent the entire time, not even looking over at the movement. Yawning again, he propped his arms onto his knees and his chin to his arms. He stared at the sunset again, silently joining his friend in the tranquil moment. That moment lasted for almost an eternity as the Neitherworld sun dipped well below the horizon. The panoramic color show had finally ended, but not without being stowed away in two men's memories for all time.
Kyle sighed and laid back down to the grass, arms crossed behind his head for a makeshift pillow. "ManNeitherworld sunsets are really beautiful."
"Mm."
Rolling his head to the side, the human looked over at his long—time friend. Endri now had his eyes trained to the pond, watching the water ripple as new tears dripped in or flowed in from small streams trickling from further inside the forest.
"How you doin', 'Dri?"
There was a slight pause. "I'm all right."
Kyle just watched him. "Just all right?"
"I can't say I'm feeling fantastic, now can I?"
He sighed. "Guess not." His eyes still took his friend in, never averting. "Is there anything bothering you? Besides the obvious, I mean."
The ghost was quiet for a while before parting his lips to speak quietly, almost afraid to break the peaceful mood that surrounded them. "When Papa told me you had left for a while, I thought you'd only be gone an hour or so. But it was getting dark, and you still hadn't come home. Iwas worried."
"So you came looking for me?"
"Aahope I didn't disturb youif you wanted to be alone."
Kyle shrugged his shoulders as best he could for his position. "Naw. I was just sleeping anyway." He watched his friend closely. "Is that all? You were just worried about me?"
Endri looked down to the grass finally. "Mm."
The human smirked. "Come—on, now. Out with it."
"Out with what?"
"I know there's something you're not tellin' me. Let's hear it."
The ghost stared at the grass, picking at it just a little. His pause was a long one. "I" he sighed, "I'm just being paranoid."
"Well, what are you paranoid about?"
He tossed a handful of grass to the side to free up his fingers to pick more, one blade at a time. "Idon't think it's really appropriate to talk to you about it."
Kyle shrugged and rolled his head back to stare at the still darkening sky. "Well, I thought you could talk to me about anything. We're best pals, right?"
"Mm."
"But, if you really don't wanna sayI guess I'll have to live with it," the human consented, not wanting to push his friend where he didn't want to go. If he pushed too hard, he might push the ghost away from him, and that was something he couldn't afford right then.
Endri fidgeted with himself a little, casting nervous glances toward his friend. When several minutes passed that way, with nothing but silence between them, he became frustrated and ripped up an entire handful of grass. The silence was too much. He had to break it, and the only thing he could think of was answering his partner's question from before, whether he really wanted to or not.
"Kyle, II was afraid you were trying to avoid mebecause I'm acting strangely. I thought you didn't want to be around me anymore." He looked down, ashamed, but happy that there was speech between them again.
Kyle looked over in surprise. "Why would you think that? I just said we're best friends. Why would I wanna avoid you?"
The ghost shook one of his hands indicating toward his head. "Because I'mmessed up."
Tisking his tongue, the human rolled his head to look skyward again. "It's not that bad, is it? And even if it was," he looked over, eyes and voice soft, "I wouldn't try to avoid you because of it. We're partnersbest friends till the end. Forever, 'Dri. You and me. Okay?"
With a swallow, Endri nodded, a light smile forming back on his lips. "I'll try to remember that. I'll do my best to."
Kyle smiled broadly, letting his eyes drift to the side and toward the pond of tears only a few feet away. He watched as lightning bugs flew over it, tiny bolts of lightning zapping between them and the water here and there: a magnificent light show that sent its sheen out in ripples over the water.
"Now I see why you like coming here."
Endri continued to smile lightly. "This is the only place where I can think with no distractions. I feel at peace here."
"It's really beautiful."
"Aa."
Sighing, the human closed his blue eyes. "I hope you're not mad at me for comin' here. I mean, this is your spot to come to, not mine. I'm sure you kept it secret for a reason."
"No, no, it's all right. It isn't like I own this place. You're free to go wherever you want," Endri admitted with a light shrug. "Actually, I don't mind at all. I'm kind of glad we can be here together." He paused to smile lightly. "It's nice."
Kyle smiled as well, opening his eyes. "Sure is. I love spendin' time with you, 'Dri. I feel so bad that I hadn't been around for months at a time before. Peppershe had me convinced that I had to stay at home to be there for Faygo. But Faygo wasn't home half the time anyway–always off with her friends or something. And Pepper was hardly ever home either. But as soon as I'd try to leave, she'd be right there, asking where I was going–what I intended to do." He closed his eyes and bit his lip.
"II'm sorry I let her walk all over me." He paused to sniff quietly. "Sheshe was trying to keep us apart for some reason. I think she was jealous of our close relationship." His right arm slipped from beneath his head to lay over his eyes, hoping to keep Endri from seeing the forming tears. "I don't see why, though. She h—had me wrapped around her fingera—and whoever else she was fucking at the time," he half whispered, voice trembling no matter how hard he tried to keep it still.
Endri's soft voice drifted down to his ears. "You're still upset over that."
"Why shouldn't I be? The woman I married and loved and had a child with used me simply because I was a human and was apparently good in bed because of it." His lips quivered. "Ith—thought she loved me. I—I really did." A hand came to rest on his upper arm, touching gently.
"Kyle"
The human grit his teeth and fisted his other hand into the back of his hair discreetly, pulling enough to make it sting. "I—I knowI'm just a crybaby. I should suck it up 'n take it like a man." He drew a ragged breath.
Endri's hand massaged gently into his friend's upper arm. "No, that's not it at all. You're in great pain, Kyle. II want to help you in any way I can," he said, his voice that gentle hum that made Kyle believe every single word he spoke.
The human pulled his arm away from his eyes and the other from behind his hair, tossing them to the grass to either side of his head. As he stared up at his best friend, his visage slowly contorted into pained sadness, and in a whimpering voice, he rasped, "'Driwhy? Why's it gotta hurt so bad?"
The ghost could only shake his head.
Kyle puffed out a light sob, letting a tear trickle from one eye.
Endri hesitated, but another whimper from his friend sent him into motion. He leaned down and scooped Kyle into his arms, holding him against his chest. He tucked the man's head into the crook of his neck and cupped the back of his white hair. A strong arm wove around the human's back, and dexterous fingers massaged into the shoulder there lightly.
Kyle cried brokenly, but quietly, fisting his hands into the ghost's white shirt and blonde hair that happened to be in the way. "Y—You'd never h—hurt mewould ya, D—'Dri?"
"Absolutely not. Not if I could help it." Endri buried his nose into the human's unruly, white fluff, wanting nothing but to give him reassurance–give him everything he ever needed.
Kyle's body trembled in the ghost's embrace, and he cried harder. He was pushed away just slightly, enough for Endri to stare into his reddened face and watch his tears flow freely. The ghost reached up to gently touch the skin of the man's cheek not yet wet with tears. Kyle opened his eyes, the blue irises shining brightly with crystalline tears along the bottom lids. A few broke free to spill down and join others that had already escaped in a deluge.
Endri seemed mesmerized. "Kyleyou're in such pain."
The human swallowed heavily and choked out a loud sob.
"II want to take it away. You're too good to waste tears on that unfaithful woman any longer. She is nothing. You are everything." He swiped away one errant tear with a finger then lifted the digit to his lips, licking away the saline bead. "Don't cry for her anymore. I hate to see you cry." The ghost wiped away more of the raining tears along the human's left cheek and licked all the wetness from his hand. He crooked his index finger and swiped along the man's chin, catching more tears that dripped there. His lips sucked the liquid from his finger again. In a roundabout way, Endri was kissing his friend's tears away.
Kyle whimpered and closed his eyes, gripping to his old partner tighter in his grief.
The ghost finished wiping the human's left cheek, then went to his right, swiping his large hand over all the tears trailing there. Again, he licked his hand of every salty drop, the taste so unlike his own tears, he found he couldn't get enough of the flavor.
The human felt his sadness abating, being more than distracted by Endri's kind actions. It was definitely not like him to act that way at all. But the odd behavior would be looked over that time. And, Kyle thought, it would have to be looked over for a long time to come.
The blonde stopped licking at his own fingers and pulled back to look surprised at his friend.
Kyle blinked at him, his face blank as one final tear dripped down.
"II'm sorry, Kyle!" Endri stuttered, trying feebly to explain away his unusual folly. "I don'tI—I don't know what came over me! Y—You were sad, and II didn't want you to be, and then I just thought that if I maybe wiped a few of your tears away or something, you'd feel better, and then I just got carried away, and–"
"'Dri."
The ghost clamped his lips shut, nibbling on the inside of the bottom one worriedly.
Kyle sniffed, smirking emptily. "It's okay, 'Dri. I know you only meant well." He looked up into his friend's swirling, green eyes. "AndI'm glad you're the one here to wipe my tears and not someone else–someone who doesn't care as much as you do," he admitted, sniffing again.
Endri's jaw worked with no voice.
"II know how strongly you feel about me, 'Dri."
Frowning suddenly, the ghost tossed his head to the side, looking away. "And how is that?"
"Youcare about memore than anyone else."
He huffed. "Of course I care for you. You're my best friend."
"Nonot just best friends. Brothers. We're like brothers, Endri."
Endri closed his eyes and swallowed, not looking back.
"Endri, I know you don't like to consider yourself close to anybody. You don't like having strong emotional ties to someone because they could hurt you."
The ghost growled in response, but said nothing. He really disliked having his psyche analyzed.
"But it's different between you and me, isn't it? You're afraid people will hate you 'cause you're a ghost, but I don't. You're afraid people will run from you and all that 'cause you're a ghost, but I haven't. In fact, if you weren't a ghost, I honestly don't know if we would ever have connected the way we did all those years ago. If you weren't a ghost when we met, we wouldn't be here today. Remember?"
Endri hung his head, letting his hair droop down over his face. He nodded once, indeed remembering. It was a long time ago, back on Earth, a few days after they had met in a small, dingy bar in central Montana.
Always wearing his dark sunglasses and an almost permanent frown on his lips, Endri stomped up the stairs in Kyle Bennington's home. He had been staying there for a few days, long enough to know his way around the large house and learn pretty much all of his new companion's quirks and habits. He was a basic human, but with more spunk, more style, more attitude, and more wit than the ghost had yet to find in anyone else he had ever met so far in his travels.
"Kyle!" he called again when he reached the top of the stairs. He had been calling the white—haired man over and over for about five minutes and never received a response. It wasn't like Kyle to not answer his calls, at least not from his behavior displayed thus far.
But, again, silence was all Endri heard.
Frowning even more so, and quickly losing his patience, the ghost stalked right up to the human's bedroom door. It was closed, but he could sense the presence of a life somewhere beyond, so he knew Kyle had to be in there. Roughly, he rapped his knuckles against the wooden door, then waited for a response.
Still, nothing answered him.
Growling lightly, Endri grabbed the doorknob and twisted, throwing the door open with a light creek. It was late afternoon and fairly dark outside–dark enough to need lights turned on inside the house in order to see clearly. But the bedroom lights were off, showing dusk through the open windows.
It was gloomy outside that evening–too gloomy.
"Kyle?" he asked the dimness, unwittingly letting some concern leak through his voice. Dammit! He shouldn't be concerned! Who cared where the lousy human was? He would probably show up downstairs later like nothing had ever happened.
Endri closed his eyes and concentrated on his emotions. You have to rememberto care is to hurtto have emotions is to feel pain. Don't let them control youyou control them. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling the awkwardness of his worry drift away, back to where he kept everything else locked up.
He paused. What was that smell? He inhaled deeply. It smelled like–another sniff–something familiar. Slowly, the ghost made his way across Kyle's bedroom toward the closed adjoining bathroom door. The scent was stronger there, and it smelled so familiar and good, it made Endri's head swim with euphoria. He stopped right next to the door and breathed in deeply, bracing his hands against the frame.
Oh, yes! He had to lick his lips to keep the drool from slipping out. As soon as his deep lavender tongue hit the air, he swore he could taste what he had been smelling: sweet, coppery ambrosia!
That was when he suddenly realized what that heavenly scent was.
Blood.
But why would he suddenly smell such a thing now? Why did it throw his mind so easily back into his past; a past he would much rather forget forever? He thought he was over such an addiction, but realized that maybe he still had a bit of a junkie in him–like a reformed smoker who just has to have one more for old times sake while surrounded by his smoking buddies.
Shaking his head to clear it, Endri frowned deeply. Why would he smell blood coming from Kyle's bathroom?
His eyes widened in realization. Oh, no! Quickly, he tried the doorknob but found it locked. "Kyle!" he shouted, raising a fist to pound on the wood. "Kyle, open up! Open this door right now!"
No one answered, and Endri began to fear the worst.
He backed a few feet away and wasted no time, running full force into the door with his shoulder. Some of the wood splintered and cracked along the frame, but not enough for the door to open. He plowed into it again, and that time, the frame gave way.
The ghost stumbled into the small room and skidded to a halt, everything bathed in darkness as the lights were off in there too. Light breathing reached his sensitive ears, and Endri couldn't help but feel relief at the sound. He reached to his side and felt along the wall for the light switch, flipping it on when he found it. The sight that met his eyes shocked him to say the least.
Kyle Bennington sat, hunched over the rim of the bath tub with his elbows supported on the edge, letting his dripping wrists dangle into the large basin. Blood was smeared along the edge near his hands, and a large puddle had formed in the tub, beading up and rolling toward and down the drain. His entire body sagged with his head dipping below his shoulders. He sat on his behind, legs bent to either side of him, knees touching the outside of the tub and bare feet pointing away from his draining body. His skin had paled to almost bleach-bone white, eerily matching the crisp white of his hair. Even his lips were drained of their usually healthy, peach color.
The scent of Kyle's blood was much stronger in the small room, and Endri had to stifle the sudden blood—rage that had been building since he first took a whiff of that alluring aroma. To him, the smell and taste of blood was a highly desired thing, but he couldn't get caught up in it now. Kyle needed his help!
Quickly, he fell to his knees next to his barely new friend and gently tilted him back from his hunched position and into his arms. "Kyle" he said quietly, praying he wasn't too late.
The human slowly blinked his eyes open, releasing crystalline tears to follow the paths of hundreds more that had already fallen. When his dull, blue eyes recognized his new friend, he weakly rolled his head away, moaning something unintelligible.
"Kyle, no," Endri half whispered gently, using one hand to pull the man's face back into view. "Why?" As he waited for a response, he reached for the human's wrists still dangling over the tub. He pulled them together, holding the slashed flesh facing each other, and gripped them both tightly. "Why?" he repeated louder, suppressing the sudden desire to lick away all the blood on the man's hands.
Kyle groaned in pain, blinking more tears free from his swollen eyelids. "II'm tired," was all he managed right then, his words only a raspy whisper.
"Don't go to sleep. You need to stay awake. Just hold on, and you'll be fine," the ghost assured, griping the man's wrists together tighter. Hopefully, he could keep him distracted enough to seal the wounds with his energy to stop further blood loss–like he could with small cuts and scrapes on himself. But would it be enough? It seemed the man had lost almost all of it down the drain already. It was amazing he was even still alive.
How long had he been up there just letting his life flow away? Had Endri known Kyle was suicidal, he would never have left him alone. This was his fault. He should have been paying more attention! If he lost Kyle now, his hope for finding all the keys to the Worm Gates that century would be lost along with him. Was he selfish for wanting the human only for his help?
"N—Nothingno—one–koff—k—k!" he choked weakly, his body jostling with each trembling cough spilling from his lips.
"What? What are you talking about?" Endri asked softly. The urge to be disgusted by his "nice" behavior toward the human was banished quickly. Maybe not this time. Maybe he would give this one a chance. After all, he had never before met such a unique creature as that one. Perhaps it was time to lay down his sword and accept defeat. Well, accept it partially, anyway.
Kyle moaned again, feeling the pain in his wrists turn to a statically charged tingle. It sent shivers up and down his spine, and he trembled, his head lolling to the side and against the ghost's strong chest.
"HHave noth—thingno one leftall gonethe last in bloodl—lineno more" he trailed off, his eyelids drooping to conceal his dulling, cerulean orbs.
"Stay awake!" Endri warned, giving his friend a jarring shake. He wasn't finished healing the man's wrists yet and needed more time. "Tell me more, Kyle."
Kyle jolted when the ghost shouted, and his eyes blinked back open, more alert, but still so groggy. "Noyou d—don' care" Again, his eyes drooped.
"Bullshit!" Endri yelled, shaking Kyle again.
The human's eyes flew back open.
"If I didn't care, I wouldn't be sitting here with you. I'd have turned and left your room before I even discovered you here. Or if I didn't care, I wouldn't have even gone through the house looking for you in the first place," he growled a little too angrily. He took a deep breath to steady himself. The strong scent of Kyle's blood was slowly driving him into a mad rage. He hadn't felt that kind of rush in a long time, but now wasn't the time to get angry or indulge in his old habits of blood—lust. Kyle needed support and help, not his blood drained into the ghost's mouth.
Dammit! Stop thinking that! he chided himself. The smell of Kyle's blood was really getting to him, but he would control it. He had to control it. It was in the past, and he had to leave it there, just like so many other things.
"You say you're the last? In your whole family? Is that true?" he asked, trying to get the human to talk, to stay awake.
"Y—Yeahno more" Kyle responded, more tears gliding down his cheeks. But he never cared at all that he was crying in front of his houseguest. He just didn't care anymore.
"This blood" he went on, twitching his fingers to indicate his bloody hands in Endri's grip, "is all that's left. O—Once"
"You fool," the ghost hissed. "Why spill your own blood? Why wipe out the last of your family's bloodline? You should strive to continue on! You should take another female and have as many children as you can! Pass your heritage on!"
Kyle coughed weakly, his whole body trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. "Nooo" he moaned, grimacing and letting a deluge of tears pour over his cheeks from suddenly stinging eyes. "Never again! I c—can't Sh—Shewas all I had. My Takentaken from me. Both goneb—both g—gone!" he cried through sobs, his voice echoing in the hollow bathroom.
"I know your wife and daughter were killed, Kyle, and I'm sorry it happened to you. But you can't let it drag you down like this!" Endri argued. "Why are you doing this? Why now? You could have when you first found them, but you didn't. Why wait until now? What, did you want an audience? Or someone that could take the blame for your death so it wouldn't look like you did it yourself?"
"H—Heh—h—heh—heh–heh" Kyle laughed weakly, trying to roll his head back and forth along the ghost's arm as best he could. "A p—promisea fucking promise."
"A promise?"
"II tried to die thent—tried so hardbut Frankmy friendme promise himp—promise I wouldn't do it aagain. He saidgive life a try. Give at le—least a year to see." He paused to catch his breath, the corners of his vision fading and becoming blurry at last. "Todayone year. To—TodayI die."
Endri hissed through clenched teeth. Kyle seemed in such pain. Maybe it would be a mercy to let him die. Maybe he should just get up and leave, never looking back. But, for once, his conscience wouldn't let him. That human needed to live. For some reason, that human was meant to live.
"But you're giving up so much, Kyle. No, you're throwing it away! How dare you treat life like a cheap commodity! Do you know how many people commit suicide? And do you know how many of those people regret throwing their lives away? Every single one!"
Kyle frowned. "D—Don't talk to me about fuckin' dead people!" he shouted, rebounding just slightly. "My entire family: dead! My wife: dead! My baby: dead! And the mother fucker responsible?! Dead! I saw it," he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "I saw it leaving after it ripped my family apart. I screamed when I saw them. It turned to look at me. And it justgrinned."
He shivered, and Endri drew him closer with the arm wrapped around his back. His other hand still clamped firmly to Kyle's wrists, slowly sending his energy to the sliced flesh and healing it. He rejuvenated the cells and gave the human back some of his lost blood as well.
"Then it talked to me. The fuckin' thing talked! S—Spoke in some riddle. I still remember. 'Death walks. Death talks. Death comes for everyone's lives, everyone's wives. I walk. I talk. I come for everyone's lives, everyone's wives. Someday, my icy touch will find you as well, no matter where you will then dwell.'"
Kyle's body shook with a wracking cough, and his once waning strength took a nose dive. That outburst cost him a great deal.
Endri still held onto his friend, cradling him close and trying to rush with his healing. "I see," he hummed soothingly. "I see why you're so tormented."
He let his gaze drift off over the human's hair, staring at nothing in particular. He would have to tread very, very carefully around Kyle. He could never reveal his status as a ghost, for the human could very well try to tear him apart just for being like the creature that killed his family. Associated hate wasn't a pretty thing. And that was all assuming Kyle lived past that day, and with the man's attitude the way it was, no amount of healing could save his life.
"Kyle" he began, letting his voice soothe and caress, "I've known you for only a few days now, but I think I've picked up on you fairly well already. If you die today, you'll never be able to do the things you like so much. You'll never be able to drink a pot of hot coffee with cream in the morning. You'll never take another jog through the woods. You'll never wear those soft flannel shirts you love. You'll never be able to tinker with your inventions again, or your computer programs." His voice began to shake, an unexpected lump forming in his throat. Trying to save a human's life was hitting him right where it counted. If only it could have been easier to bargain with his own life.
"And what about everything else you love? The grass beneath your bare feet; a fresh breeze in your hair; the snow in the wintertime and curled up in your bed under soft, heavy blankets; and sunsets. Sunsets, Kyle! Every evening, you're out there watching the sun set! Do you want to give up something like that–something so beautiful?"
Tears were again in Kyle's eyes and on his cheeks. Endri's speech would have moved a wolverine just after someone insulted its mother, and the human was certainly no exception. He didn't want to give up those things, not really. But he had nothing more than those things to live for. And no man could continue to live simply to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Too much else would get in the way.
"Butit's toolate," he moaned around a sob.
"No, it isn't," Endri encouraged. "It's never too late. It's never too late for anything." The ghost drew Kyle into his chest and held him tightly, the first hug ever given to him. "Live. Live, Kyle. Live, and I promise you revenge. Revenge on everyone who ever wronged you. Revenge on that creature that killed your family. I promise! And I never go back on my promises!"
The conviction in his voice snapped the human into a crisp, clear reality. The tone, the strength that poured from Endri's mouth seeped into Kyle and broke him out of his delusion. No, death wasn't the answer. Revenge! Revenge was the answer! Suddenly, he no longer wished to die. He wanted to make that bastard creature pay for what it had done to him and his family. And pay, it would, he convinced himself, eyes scowling and staring at the white of Endri's shirt so close to his face.
"H—Help me," he growled, teeth clenched. "Helpme live."
Endri nodded, his chin brushing the human's hair. But before he was able to move, Kyle stopped him.
"Wai—Wait. Promisepromise me so—something first."
"What? Anything."
"Never leave. A—Always stay with me." He huffed for a breath, then sobbed unexpectedly, the tears flowing down once more. "You'reall I have now. Don't–Don't leave meever. Please"
The ghost smiled sadly and twisted his head to look down at his friend. He watched the man try to sniff and swallow his tears without much success, and his still heart went out to him: the only human to ever move him so much.
"I promise, Kyle. I will always stay by your side." He gently eased the pressure on Kyle's wrists, now fully healed. "I promise you. I will always be with you, even when you think you have no one and nothing. I will always be there for you. I promise."
"It's my turn, Endri," Kyle said softly, sniffing away the last of his tears. "It's my turn to promise you. I'll always be by your side. I'll always be here for you, even when you think you have no one and nothing. I promise you. I'll do everything in my power and put everything I can into helping you out of thisdisorder. I'll take care of you."
The ghost opened his eyes and looked back slowly, the sparkling orbs glistening in the moonlight slipping over the eastern horizon. "Youwill?"
Kyle nodded with conviction. "Or I'll die trying." He sniffed and reached one hand to wipe his eyes. "I know it isn't your fault. It just happened, right? You can't help the things that happened to you. I just wish I could've been there to stop this all before it started."
Endri hissed, looking away again. "Kuso. I never wanted to put you in such a position! It is my fault, Kyle. I was the one who pushed my feelings and emotions away to seemingly protect myself. I was the one who let them build and curdle to produce the emotionless bastard I am now. II made this happen!" He blinked, shaking out of a daze he hadn't realized he was in. He had begun rambling like a lunatic. Kyle must think him a complete nutcase. "Sssshimatta. Sorry, I–"
Kyle smirked. He felt his sadness abating the whole time his friend tried to explain away his mental instability without much success, and now it was almost gone–forgotten. "S'okay, 'Dri."
"Kyle, I don't want this to affect us. I don't want our friendship compromised because of this mental problem of mine. I realize you don't exactly like the idea of caring for me. And believe me, I'd rather not depend on someone for my care. I'd rather do it on my ownbut I have a feeling you and Papa won't let me hear the end of it unless I relent." He sighed. "I justI don't want to make you feel awkward. I know I must be." Endri hung his head sadly.
"'Dri. II admit, it is a little weird now. ButI want you to know something very important."
The ghost looked back up.
"I—I'mI'm willing, Endri."
"Willing?"
"I'm willing to try taking care of you. You're my best friend, and you deserve all the help I can give. But please" Kyle put in quickly, "pleaseI want to take it one step at a time. Thisthis is really new, and I've never done this sort of thing before, and I want to take things slowly. After all, the road to recovery is a long one. It might take longer than we both think, really."
The blonde lowered his eyes, saddened. "Kyle, if you don't want to be around me or take care of me, just tell me. I'd understand. You don't have to make yourself be my caretaker to make me feel better."
There it was! A way out! All Kyle had to do was take it, and he'd be in the clear! Endri wouldn't be so hurt if he just told him he really didn't want to take care of him right then. Butthat wasn't right. It would be like cheating–skipping out of the challenge of his life. And Kyle was never one to not take risks and be daring. And he was especially not one to break promises to his best friend.
"No, 'Dri, I'm not," he said, taking the plunge he was sure would change his life forever. "It's just that I've never been anybody's caretaker before. I am willing to take care of you, Endri. But you have to realize that it's gonna be just a little awkward for me for a while until I can get used to the idea ofyou know. But I do want to try this. For you. Because I know you'd do the same for me."
Endri swallowed, staying silent for a while. "Areare you sure? You're really willing to stick with me so much? You're really willing to be my caretaker?"
It was now or never.
Kyle nodded firmly. "Yes."
That was it. That was his last chance. There was no turning back after that.
The ghost tilted his head to the side, amazed. The wind caught his hair, then, tossing it in errant directions about his head and face. The human's eyes were locked to him, blown away by how normal he looked right then. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as he thought to bring his friend's mind back to normal.
He remembered the promises then–Endri's promise to him, and his promise to Endri. Such emotional turmoil they both had been through over the years; it was mind—bending. But it bent the ghost's mind a little too much. And now, there they were, sitting in the grass together, watching the night pass by slowly, promising again to always be there for each other.
Kyle thought back for a little while, letting himself remember many of the trying times in his life Endri had been there to see and help him through. Always, the ghost had been there, just like he promised. So, now it was Kyle's turn.
He sighed and leaned in to hug his old partner, whispering, "You've always been the best to me, 'Dri."
"How could I not be when you're so wonderful yourself?" was the reply whispered just as softly.
He chuckled and pulled back. "All right, all right. That's enough sweet, mushy shit." He stared at his friend for a time, just taking him in and scrutinizing what he saw. His thoughts drifted as his eyes took on a softer expression of remembrance. Again, he thought back over when Endri saved him from himself. The moving speech the ghost gave to motivate him to live made him frown with curiosity. "Hey" he said offhand, "how's come you knew all that stuff about me–that I liked flannel shirts and standing outside barefoot. Not to mention you knew I liked winter and being in bed with heavy blankets where it's warm. You'd only known me for four days!"
Endri smiled sweetly and blinked a few times as if he hadn't registered a question had been asked at all. Then he closed his eyes softly and chuckled. "You underestimate me. That's a habit you seem to never let go of." Green eyes drifted open and settled upon Kyle. "I'm a very observant person, my friend. Even subtle things, I see, whether they register right then or not. When I first took you home from the bar and put you to bed, I took a tour through your house to see what kind of person you were and how you lived. You can tall a lot of things about a person from their home. I noted pictures, decorations, plants, wallpaper, even the way you had your furniture arranged–things of that sort. And your personal habits were just observation of how you behaved day to day. It was nothing so special. It's not like I read your mind." He chuckled softly. "That's something I can't do."
Kyle laughed. "Well good! No way I want you diggin' around in there!"
Endri joined him. "Yeswho knows what embarrassing situations I could uncover." He finished his statement with a wink.
The human glared, but couldn't keep it up, erupting into laughter once more. They both enjoyed a good chuckle for a while, glad to still be together after so many years of trials and hardships. It was pretty obvious that they'd always be together–best friends till the end of time. It was something they both looked forward to.
Blue eyes drifted skyward to take in the starry night. "Why don't we head on home?"
Endri smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll fly us there."
"Oo sounds fun!" the human said through a toothy grin.
"Heh"
Both stood, and Endri took Kyle by the shoulders, spinning him around to face in the same direction.
"What're you doin'?"
"Would you rather see my hair or the ground the entire time?"
"Good point."
The ghost wrapped strong arms around his friend's slight waist. "Hold on tight."
"You too, dammit!"
Endri smirked. "I won't drop you, don't worry."
They both lifted into the air and took off over the treetops, disappearing into the distance.
Metal clanking resounded around the barely insulated room, punctuated by heaving breaths and soft grunts. The smell of sweat and perfume mixed almost pungently in the thick air, but no one seemed to notice, only those with more "delicate" noses. Little giggles rose occasionally, slipping from the muffled sounds of conversation that were sprinkled about the establishment.
Women, of variable height and levels of beauty—but all beautiful—were the only patrons of the Neitherworld Unfitness Spa. It was the one place ran by beautiful people for beautiful people. It was the one place where the fairer Neitherworldians could come to mingle amongst each other and be pampered and preened, helping them to stay fair. It was like a getaway from all of the rough, frightening, and disgusting everyday creatures that made up a large majority of Neitherworldians, and it was also a reassurance. Everyone who went to the Spa became reassured that they weren't the only ones in the Neitherworld who didn't look like grotesque creatures. It was a relief and brought about companionship for those who were segregated most of the time.
It was the complete opposite of the Real World.A long bar stretched along one side of the establishment, providing drinks, food, and occasional good conversation with the tender who ran it. Barstools ran the length of it, all lushly padded so as not to harm one's backside from prolonged sitting. Currently, a woman sat in the center, surrounded by about three others, all of them paying undue attention to what she was saying. A few other girls were also being currently drawn in, leaving their workout equipment behind and toweling the sweat from their foreheads and upper chests as they made their way over to the bar. One lady, tall, with hair that flowed like black waterfalls past skin that was pale as ice, sat along the bar two stools away from the little gathering. She ordered a Bloody Mary, then sat and twirled in delicately around her fingers, silently eavesdropping.
"Hehe was so wonderful. I was married to him once, too, ya know," the redhead in the center of the flocking females ranted. "Then I died, and everything went to hell," she moaned, cupping her head in her hands, letting the fiery locks spill out over her fingers.
One of the girls bought her another drink of something obviously alcoholic. "Tell us about it, honey," she sympathized, touching the redhead's forearm. "The only thing that's good about being dead is the eternal beauty some of us still have. And even that sometimesjust isn't enough to make thisthis hellish world bearable."
Many nods and Mm-hmm's and Absolutely's responded.
"Here, Pepper, sweetie," another lady intoned, reaching down to pick up the newly ordered drink and handing it to the redhead. "Drink this; you'll feel better."
Pepper took it from her and downed a quarter of it in one gulp. She had obviously been drinking before the conversation had been struck up. "Thanks, Jade."
The green-haired woman nodded with a smile just as another girl reached up and massaged at Pepper's shoulders. "Could you tell us more, Pepper, dear? What was this guy like?"
"Was he handsome?"
"Was he daring?"
"Was he good in bed?"
A few of the women stared the speaker of that question down, and she shrugged with a light blush.
"He was everything," Pepper moaned, staring at the bar in front of her. "He was human."
Gasps resounded from everyone who heard that, drawing in a few more girls who literally ran from the exercising area and the undue attention of the black-haired eavesdropper two stools away.
"HUMAN?!" Jade shrieked. "That's impossible! Where did you ever get a human?!"
The other women chorused in, all asking how.
"He was my husband when I was alive. He searched and searched for a way to get revenge for my death and the death of our daughter, and he eventually found his way hereto the Neitherworld."
A few ladies mumbled amongst themselves, the phrase, "she's drunk" coming up a few times. But Pepper didn't care—that or she didn't hear—because she kept right on going.
"So when we found each other, we got back together. We were together for a long time." She rolled her eyes and leaned to the side fluidly, swooning almost over-dramatically. "He was spectacular! Just being near him and smelling him made me drool! I never wanted him so much in my life. I realized after a while thatthat when ghosts make love with humans, it's like they get high off a drugand the drug is the human. But I realized that too latebecause I was already hooked to him." She dropped her eyes to the drink in her hand and decided another gulp would taste really good. So she drank another quarter of it and clopped the glass back to the bar.
The hushed murmurs behind her started up again now that she wasn't speaking, but this time, she couldn't make out what they were saying. Not that she cared, anyway. The only thing she cared about was now long gone, and unwilling to return. Unwilling? Yes, of course Kyle would be unwilling to return to her now, after the things she said about him. She discovered he had heard everything she said to Beetlejuice about their relationship and how she felt about him.
The love was gone. Only the sex remained. And sex was not something to base a relationship off of. And when confronted by Beetlejuice about it, she had confessed that. And Kyle had heard it all. She didn't know that, of course, until he showed up at their downtown home a few days later.
He had knocked. Kyle had never knocked on that door before. And when he came in, his face was set in stone, his movements were rigid, and he barely spoke a word to her.
She had uneasily welcomed him home with a smile, hug, and kiss on the cheek, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. But Kyle was a statue in her arms, and his flesh was cold to her lips for the first time ever. She had backed away, confused, and he said just one thing to her.
"I know."
He left her standing on the welcome mat, tears in her eyes, and he didn't care. He went to their room, the room he thought they shared out of love, and pulled out his duffel bag. He hastily packed his things: clothes, small accessories, a pair or two of shoes, and one picture of his family from when everyone was still alive. He took his things from the bathroom and threw them into the duffel as well, ignoring that Pepper was now standing in the doorway, arms crossed across her chest because she didn't know what else to do with them.
Hastily, Kyle finished packing. There were some things he chose to just leave behind or things he could get Faygo to drop off at the Roadhouse for him because he couldn't carry anything else at the moment. He turned, duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a plastic bag full of more of his things in his other hand.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, and Kyle could feel his nerve diminishing. But when he remembered the words he overheard from the hallway a few days ago, he became resolute.
"I know what you think of me," he had said to his deceased wife. "And I know what you think of Endri. That, I could have forgiven easily. But after everything I heard you say from your own lips about our relationshipthat, I could never forgive. Faygo is grown and is on her own now; she doesn't need me here to 'take care of her'. You have someone else other than me. We have nothing, then, that binds us together. So, as of this momentyou are permanently dead to me."
The pushed past her and left the house, slamming the door in his wake.
And Pepper cried.
Pepper was still crying, even as she gulped more of her drink down in the present. But her tears were silent now, reflexive almost. Just something that came with the hurt and emptiness that was left behind when Kyle slammed the door.
And it was her own fault.
That is what hurt the most.
"I know you guys don't believe meand that's okaybecause I don't have him anymore. So why should I believe it either," she moaned, trying to drink more, but there was nothing of her drink left.
Jade, obviously one of her closer friends, bought her another out of pity and placed a cool hand to her forearm again. "It's okay, Pepper. I believe you."
"Well, I don't. That whole story was crap. There's no humans in the Neitherworld. You're so drunk, Pepper," someone from the back spoke up while others silently agreed.
Jade leaned closer to her, petting at her fiery hair. "Ignore them. They never had a human. They don't understand. They just hear rumors and believe them right off. But don't ask me why they don't believe you right now. But I do, kay, kiddo?"
Pepper held her head in her hand again at that point. "Thanks, Jade." She smiled faintly, glad that at least someone thought she was telling the truth.
The group of girls dispersed finally, everyone gotten their fair share of gossip and already turning it into something it wasn't. The only ones left at the bar were Jade, Pepper, and that black-haired eavesdropper who was still nursing her first drink.
"Tell me," Jade said then, "why don't you have him anymore?"
Pepper sniffled before replying, "I thought" she took a breath to steady her voice, "I thought he was, or at least wanted to be, involved with his friend."
Her friend looked at her a little strangely before a little blush spread over her cheeks and she leaned in, whispering, "You meanguy on guy?" Her delicate, green eyebrow rose in anticipation.
Pepper only nodded, feeling shameful and disgusted at the same time. She knew her former husband wasn't like that nor had any inkling of being like thatbut it was a convenient excuse, and she would use it to the fullest.
A squeal rose in Jade's throat, and she clapped her hands together before composing herself quickly. "Sorryit's just thatit's such a turn on!" She giggled and spun back and forth on her barstool while her friend just rolled her eyes.
"Well, not for me. It's disgusting and uncalled for. He should be a boyfriend, not have one. I justI couldn't stand that thought, and I hadI had to leave him." She sniffled a little for effect. It was unknown if she would ever bring herself to admit that she really left him because of the pressure from Beetlejuice about her own unfaithfulness. "And now he's even living with him! He moved right in after we broke up!"
Jade shook her head. "The nerve!"
Pepper nodded and drank some of her new drink.
"Where is he living now anyway? I should go over there and kick is lily ass!"
With a disinterested wave of her hand, she moaned out, "It doesn't matter anymore. Let them be together. I don't need him anyway."
"But he's a human, Pep! You don't need that?!"
Pepper bit her lip and shook her head. But as much as she denied it, she was still a junkie who was having withdrawal symptoms even now. She needed him so badly, it hurt. Her hands shook with the need to touch his warm flesh, and her legs were weak with the need to wrap around his strong hips just once more. Just one more time to sate that tearing need in her gut. She needed Kyle again so badly, she thought she would throw up. Noshe was going to throw up!
In a flash, Pepper was jumping up and covering her mouth, running for the nearest bathroom. Jade remained seated at the bar, shaking her head. Maybe she shouldn't have bought her that last drink.
A slight movement caught her pale green eye, and she turned to the left, noticing the door to the exit drifting to click closed. At the bar, sat a half-empty glass of Bloody Mary which the bar tender took away to dump and clean.
Japanese / pronunciation / English Translation:
kuso / coo-so / Damn!
shimatta / she-maht-tah / Damn
I dunno if I'd trust Endri flying with me when he's got the Mania! :P But Kyle needs to encourage him. That's true friendship, right there. This chapter was about the deep connections of friendship and brotherly love those two have for each other. You don't see that everyday. shakes head sadly I like to write about the things that society is losing at a faster and faster rate these days. Deep, tried and true friendship is one of them. I can vouch for that one personally. --
And dude...I made Pepper a bitch, didn't I! XD Lying to her friends about Kyle being with Endri to cover her own sorry, cheating ass? Oooo...low, Pepp...low.
Pepper: You made me do it! X(
sweatdrops Anyway... ; Tune in next time as...
Pepper: And I'd better be getting a bigger role in your next story, or I'm complaining!
raises brow To whom?
Pepper gets a gleam in her eyes: Endri.
Oh-KAY! Bigger role for Pepper in my next story! Check! So until next time, thanks for stopping by! Oh, and tune in next time as crazy stuff keeps a happenin'! insane giggle
Pepper: I gotta wonder...is it the characters in the story that're insane...or is it the author?
I heard that!! One scene of yours is now cut!
Pepper: Damn!
Thank you to whomever reviewed! hugs my readers and reviewers In this chapter, we catch a glimpse of Endri and Kyle's past near when they first met. Endri's still nuts, and Kyle has to do some really deep considering. :P
Spencers13 – March 2003–March 2004
R – Drama – Angst
Chapter Six – The Challenge of A Lifetime
Weeping Woods was quiet and sereneexcept for the weeping of the willows. It was depressing, but at the same time, soothing to a middle—aged human resting in the grass near the small shore of a pond of tears. The pond had formed from the crying willows as their tears shed from their drooping leaves to drip to the forest floor and trickle down in small streams that flowed into the pond.
Who knew the Neitherworld could be so beautiful?
It was still afternoon, around three o'clock, and Kyle sat in the soft grass, picking at it absently at his side and staring into the pond. A deep sigh pushed through his lips, a sigh of utter confusion and disbelief.
I just don't believe this is happening to me. I don't believe this is happening to Endri. This is all some sort of crazy, dramatic soap opera. My best friend's bad side wants to turn me into a pet for his amusement, and his good side is fixated on being my 'bestest best friend'. He shook his head. This is too much.
The white—haired human continued to pick at the grass, throwing a couple blades to the side, then going back for some more. So, Beetle wants me to seriously consider taking care of him, huh? How'm I supposed to do that? He waited for a while, just trying to clear his thoughts and think. Iguess I'm just supposed to think logically about it. It's what I do best anyway. He chuckled to himself. Sometimes being a scientist is to my advantage, and sometimes it isn't.
Okay, so lets look at this logically. Endri has Necromania. I can deal with that. Beetle wants me to take care of him which means probably doing everything he can't do by himself anymore. He took another pause to apparently think. WellI guess I can deal with that too. Butwhat if he suddenly forgets how to do something basiclike go to the bathroom? Am I supposed to help him remember how to do that? I don't think I could deal with that.
He sighed. What am I gonna do? If I try to reject him or leave him alone or leave everything up to someone else, Beetle would be right. Endri'd probably flip out if he really cares about me that much. And I don't think I could live with myself if I was the cause of him going completely insane or hurting himself or someone else. The human released another frustrated sigh and stared skyward. Endriwhat are you doin' to me?
Shaking his head, Kyle returned his attention to the pond. Nono, I won't be the cause of him flipping out. I care about him. I care a lot. He's done so much for me–promised he would do anything for me and give anything to me just to keep me happy. Well, where's my gratitude? I'd be a dirty bastard to leave him out in the cold to deal with this shit on his own. He's my best friend, and I have to do something to help. And if that something is to cook for him, stay with him all the time to keep an eye on him, or even he swallowed, c—clean up after himwell, dammit, I will! I'm not gonna turn my back on him, not now after everything we've been through. I owe himso much. And, yes, I love him as if he was my own brother. Maybemaybe that'll be enough to make things run smoother for me, though. I just gotta remember that he's like a brotherand maybe it'll be easier to be with him all the time and take care of him.
With a sigh of resolution, Kyle felt like a weight had been lifted from his being. YesEndri, if you need me to take care of you, I'll give it a try. It's the least I can do for how amazing you've been to me over the years. You're the absolute best. He chuckled to himself. And I think I can be a little self—absorbed and say that I only want to be around and take care of the best.
At that thought, the human leaned back into the grass and stared at the warped sky. He lifted his hands before his face and concentrated, and a few minutes later, the blue butterfly formed between his palms. Kyle played with it for a while until he almost swallowed it with a huge yawn, so he put it away and leaned back into the grass again. His lashes fluttered closed like the butterfly's wings, and he fell into a comforting sleep, lulled by the haunting sounds of weeping willows and slow, trickling tears.
The sounds of strange Neitherworld birds and critters drew Kyle from his restful slumber. The eerie sounds, however, were counteracted by the gentle lapping of water on the three—foot—wide beach of the pond close by, so the haunting atmosphere was much easier to handle for a normal human.
Blinking his eyes open, the man stared at the darkening sky. Purples, blues, and pinks swirled and collided, and a few stars twinkled in the darker parts of the atmosphere. Kyle smiled. Neitherworld sunsets were always the best.
Sleepily, he looked off to the side and noticed Endri sitting nearby, cross—legged and staring at the sky. As the human watched, a gentle breeze tossed through the ghost's long, blonde hair. Endri sighed at the caressing feeling and closed his green eyes, savoring the contact of air and its sweet scent from the willows. When the breeze died down, the ghost again opened his eyes and returned them to the horizon.
Kyle yawned, not really surprised to see his friend there at all, and sat up dazedly. His friend remained silent the entire time, not even looking over at the movement. Yawning again, he propped his arms onto his knees and his chin to his arms. He stared at the sunset again, silently joining his friend in the tranquil moment. That moment lasted for almost an eternity as the Neitherworld sun dipped well below the horizon. The panoramic color show had finally ended, but not without being stowed away in two men's memories for all time.
Kyle sighed and laid back down to the grass, arms crossed behind his head for a makeshift pillow. "ManNeitherworld sunsets are really beautiful."
"Mm."
Rolling his head to the side, the human looked over at his long—time friend. Endri now had his eyes trained to the pond, watching the water ripple as new tears dripped in or flowed in from small streams trickling from further inside the forest.
"How you doin', 'Dri?"
There was a slight pause. "I'm all right."
Kyle just watched him. "Just all right?"
"I can't say I'm feeling fantastic, now can I?"
He sighed. "Guess not." His eyes still took his friend in, never averting. "Is there anything bothering you? Besides the obvious, I mean."
The ghost was quiet for a while before parting his lips to speak quietly, almost afraid to break the peaceful mood that surrounded them. "When Papa told me you had left for a while, I thought you'd only be gone an hour or so. But it was getting dark, and you still hadn't come home. Iwas worried."
"So you came looking for me?"
"Aahope I didn't disturb youif you wanted to be alone."
Kyle shrugged his shoulders as best he could for his position. "Naw. I was just sleeping anyway." He watched his friend closely. "Is that all? You were just worried about me?"
Endri looked down to the grass finally. "Mm."
The human smirked. "Come—on, now. Out with it."
"Out with what?"
"I know there's something you're not tellin' me. Let's hear it."
The ghost stared at the grass, picking at it just a little. His pause was a long one. "I" he sighed, "I'm just being paranoid."
"Well, what are you paranoid about?"
He tossed a handful of grass to the side to free up his fingers to pick more, one blade at a time. "Idon't think it's really appropriate to talk to you about it."
Kyle shrugged and rolled his head back to stare at the still darkening sky. "Well, I thought you could talk to me about anything. We're best pals, right?"
"Mm."
"But, if you really don't wanna sayI guess I'll have to live with it," the human consented, not wanting to push his friend where he didn't want to go. If he pushed too hard, he might push the ghost away from him, and that was something he couldn't afford right then.
Endri fidgeted with himself a little, casting nervous glances toward his friend. When several minutes passed that way, with nothing but silence between them, he became frustrated and ripped up an entire handful of grass. The silence was too much. He had to break it, and the only thing he could think of was answering his partner's question from before, whether he really wanted to or not.
"Kyle, II was afraid you were trying to avoid mebecause I'm acting strangely. I thought you didn't want to be around me anymore." He looked down, ashamed, but happy that there was speech between them again.
Kyle looked over in surprise. "Why would you think that? I just said we're best friends. Why would I wanna avoid you?"
The ghost shook one of his hands indicating toward his head. "Because I'mmessed up."
Tisking his tongue, the human rolled his head to look skyward again. "It's not that bad, is it? And even if it was," he looked over, eyes and voice soft, "I wouldn't try to avoid you because of it. We're partnersbest friends till the end. Forever, 'Dri. You and me. Okay?"
With a swallow, Endri nodded, a light smile forming back on his lips. "I'll try to remember that. I'll do my best to."
Kyle smiled broadly, letting his eyes drift to the side and toward the pond of tears only a few feet away. He watched as lightning bugs flew over it, tiny bolts of lightning zapping between them and the water here and there: a magnificent light show that sent its sheen out in ripples over the water.
"Now I see why you like coming here."
Endri continued to smile lightly. "This is the only place where I can think with no distractions. I feel at peace here."
"It's really beautiful."
"Aa."
Sighing, the human closed his blue eyes. "I hope you're not mad at me for comin' here. I mean, this is your spot to come to, not mine. I'm sure you kept it secret for a reason."
"No, no, it's all right. It isn't like I own this place. You're free to go wherever you want," Endri admitted with a light shrug. "Actually, I don't mind at all. I'm kind of glad we can be here together." He paused to smile lightly. "It's nice."
Kyle smiled as well, opening his eyes. "Sure is. I love spendin' time with you, 'Dri. I feel so bad that I hadn't been around for months at a time before. Peppershe had me convinced that I had to stay at home to be there for Faygo. But Faygo wasn't home half the time anyway–always off with her friends or something. And Pepper was hardly ever home either. But as soon as I'd try to leave, she'd be right there, asking where I was going–what I intended to do." He closed his eyes and bit his lip.
"II'm sorry I let her walk all over me." He paused to sniff quietly. "Sheshe was trying to keep us apart for some reason. I think she was jealous of our close relationship." His right arm slipped from beneath his head to lay over his eyes, hoping to keep Endri from seeing the forming tears. "I don't see why, though. She h—had me wrapped around her fingera—and whoever else she was fucking at the time," he half whispered, voice trembling no matter how hard he tried to keep it still.
Endri's soft voice drifted down to his ears. "You're still upset over that."
"Why shouldn't I be? The woman I married and loved and had a child with used me simply because I was a human and was apparently good in bed because of it." His lips quivered. "Ith—thought she loved me. I—I really did." A hand came to rest on his upper arm, touching gently.
"Kyle"
The human grit his teeth and fisted his other hand into the back of his hair discreetly, pulling enough to make it sting. "I—I knowI'm just a crybaby. I should suck it up 'n take it like a man." He drew a ragged breath.
Endri's hand massaged gently into his friend's upper arm. "No, that's not it at all. You're in great pain, Kyle. II want to help you in any way I can," he said, his voice that gentle hum that made Kyle believe every single word he spoke.
The human pulled his arm away from his eyes and the other from behind his hair, tossing them to the grass to either side of his head. As he stared up at his best friend, his visage slowly contorted into pained sadness, and in a whimpering voice, he rasped, "'Driwhy? Why's it gotta hurt so bad?"
The ghost could only shake his head.
Kyle puffed out a light sob, letting a tear trickle from one eye.
Endri hesitated, but another whimper from his friend sent him into motion. He leaned down and scooped Kyle into his arms, holding him against his chest. He tucked the man's head into the crook of his neck and cupped the back of his white hair. A strong arm wove around the human's back, and dexterous fingers massaged into the shoulder there lightly.
Kyle cried brokenly, but quietly, fisting his hands into the ghost's white shirt and blonde hair that happened to be in the way. "Y—You'd never h—hurt mewould ya, D—'Dri?"
"Absolutely not. Not if I could help it." Endri buried his nose into the human's unruly, white fluff, wanting nothing but to give him reassurance–give him everything he ever needed.
Kyle's body trembled in the ghost's embrace, and he cried harder. He was pushed away just slightly, enough for Endri to stare into his reddened face and watch his tears flow freely. The ghost reached up to gently touch the skin of the man's cheek not yet wet with tears. Kyle opened his eyes, the blue irises shining brightly with crystalline tears along the bottom lids. A few broke free to spill down and join others that had already escaped in a deluge.
Endri seemed mesmerized. "Kyleyou're in such pain."
The human swallowed heavily and choked out a loud sob.
"II want to take it away. You're too good to waste tears on that unfaithful woman any longer. She is nothing. You are everything." He swiped away one errant tear with a finger then lifted the digit to his lips, licking away the saline bead. "Don't cry for her anymore. I hate to see you cry." The ghost wiped away more of the raining tears along the human's left cheek and licked all the wetness from his hand. He crooked his index finger and swiped along the man's chin, catching more tears that dripped there. His lips sucked the liquid from his finger again. In a roundabout way, Endri was kissing his friend's tears away.
Kyle whimpered and closed his eyes, gripping to his old partner tighter in his grief.
The ghost finished wiping the human's left cheek, then went to his right, swiping his large hand over all the tears trailing there. Again, he licked his hand of every salty drop, the taste so unlike his own tears, he found he couldn't get enough of the flavor.
The human felt his sadness abating, being more than distracted by Endri's kind actions. It was definitely not like him to act that way at all. But the odd behavior would be looked over that time. And, Kyle thought, it would have to be looked over for a long time to come.
The blonde stopped licking at his own fingers and pulled back to look surprised at his friend.
Kyle blinked at him, his face blank as one final tear dripped down.
"II'm sorry, Kyle!" Endri stuttered, trying feebly to explain away his unusual folly. "I don'tI—I don't know what came over me! Y—You were sad, and II didn't want you to be, and then I just thought that if I maybe wiped a few of your tears away or something, you'd feel better, and then I just got carried away, and–"
"'Dri."
The ghost clamped his lips shut, nibbling on the inside of the bottom one worriedly.
Kyle sniffed, smirking emptily. "It's okay, 'Dri. I know you only meant well." He looked up into his friend's swirling, green eyes. "AndI'm glad you're the one here to wipe my tears and not someone else–someone who doesn't care as much as you do," he admitted, sniffing again.
Endri's jaw worked with no voice.
"II know how strongly you feel about me, 'Dri."
Frowning suddenly, the ghost tossed his head to the side, looking away. "And how is that?"
"Youcare about memore than anyone else."
He huffed. "Of course I care for you. You're my best friend."
"Nonot just best friends. Brothers. We're like brothers, Endri."
Endri closed his eyes and swallowed, not looking back.
"Endri, I know you don't like to consider yourself close to anybody. You don't like having strong emotional ties to someone because they could hurt you."
The ghost growled in response, but said nothing. He really disliked having his psyche analyzed.
"But it's different between you and me, isn't it? You're afraid people will hate you 'cause you're a ghost, but I don't. You're afraid people will run from you and all that 'cause you're a ghost, but I haven't. In fact, if you weren't a ghost, I honestly don't know if we would ever have connected the way we did all those years ago. If you weren't a ghost when we met, we wouldn't be here today. Remember?"
Endri hung his head, letting his hair droop down over his face. He nodded once, indeed remembering. It was a long time ago, back on Earth, a few days after they had met in a small, dingy bar in central Montana.
Always wearing his dark sunglasses and an almost permanent frown on his lips, Endri stomped up the stairs in Kyle Bennington's home. He had been staying there for a few days, long enough to know his way around the large house and learn pretty much all of his new companion's quirks and habits. He was a basic human, but with more spunk, more style, more attitude, and more wit than the ghost had yet to find in anyone else he had ever met so far in his travels.
"Kyle!" he called again when he reached the top of the stairs. He had been calling the white—haired man over and over for about five minutes and never received a response. It wasn't like Kyle to not answer his calls, at least not from his behavior displayed thus far.
But, again, silence was all Endri heard.
Frowning even more so, and quickly losing his patience, the ghost stalked right up to the human's bedroom door. It was closed, but he could sense the presence of a life somewhere beyond, so he knew Kyle had to be in there. Roughly, he rapped his knuckles against the wooden door, then waited for a response.
Still, nothing answered him.
Growling lightly, Endri grabbed the doorknob and twisted, throwing the door open with a light creek. It was late afternoon and fairly dark outside–dark enough to need lights turned on inside the house in order to see clearly. But the bedroom lights were off, showing dusk through the open windows.
It was gloomy outside that evening–too gloomy.
"Kyle?" he asked the dimness, unwittingly letting some concern leak through his voice. Dammit! He shouldn't be concerned! Who cared where the lousy human was? He would probably show up downstairs later like nothing had ever happened.
Endri closed his eyes and concentrated on his emotions. You have to rememberto care is to hurtto have emotions is to feel pain. Don't let them control youyou control them. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling the awkwardness of his worry drift away, back to where he kept everything else locked up.
He paused. What was that smell? He inhaled deeply. It smelled like–another sniff–something familiar. Slowly, the ghost made his way across Kyle's bedroom toward the closed adjoining bathroom door. The scent was stronger there, and it smelled so familiar and good, it made Endri's head swim with euphoria. He stopped right next to the door and breathed in deeply, bracing his hands against the frame.
Oh, yes! He had to lick his lips to keep the drool from slipping out. As soon as his deep lavender tongue hit the air, he swore he could taste what he had been smelling: sweet, coppery ambrosia!
That was when he suddenly realized what that heavenly scent was.
Blood.
But why would he suddenly smell such a thing now? Why did it throw his mind so easily back into his past; a past he would much rather forget forever? He thought he was over such an addiction, but realized that maybe he still had a bit of a junkie in him–like a reformed smoker who just has to have one more for old times sake while surrounded by his smoking buddies.
Shaking his head to clear it, Endri frowned deeply. Why would he smell blood coming from Kyle's bathroom?
His eyes widened in realization. Oh, no! Quickly, he tried the doorknob but found it locked. "Kyle!" he shouted, raising a fist to pound on the wood. "Kyle, open up! Open this door right now!"
No one answered, and Endri began to fear the worst.
He backed a few feet away and wasted no time, running full force into the door with his shoulder. Some of the wood splintered and cracked along the frame, but not enough for the door to open. He plowed into it again, and that time, the frame gave way.
The ghost stumbled into the small room and skidded to a halt, everything bathed in darkness as the lights were off in there too. Light breathing reached his sensitive ears, and Endri couldn't help but feel relief at the sound. He reached to his side and felt along the wall for the light switch, flipping it on when he found it. The sight that met his eyes shocked him to say the least.
Kyle Bennington sat, hunched over the rim of the bath tub with his elbows supported on the edge, letting his dripping wrists dangle into the large basin. Blood was smeared along the edge near his hands, and a large puddle had formed in the tub, beading up and rolling toward and down the drain. His entire body sagged with his head dipping below his shoulders. He sat on his behind, legs bent to either side of him, knees touching the outside of the tub and bare feet pointing away from his draining body. His skin had paled to almost bleach-bone white, eerily matching the crisp white of his hair. Even his lips were drained of their usually healthy, peach color.
The scent of Kyle's blood was much stronger in the small room, and Endri had to stifle the sudden blood—rage that had been building since he first took a whiff of that alluring aroma. To him, the smell and taste of blood was a highly desired thing, but he couldn't get caught up in it now. Kyle needed his help!
Quickly, he fell to his knees next to his barely new friend and gently tilted him back from his hunched position and into his arms. "Kyle" he said quietly, praying he wasn't too late.
The human slowly blinked his eyes open, releasing crystalline tears to follow the paths of hundreds more that had already fallen. When his dull, blue eyes recognized his new friend, he weakly rolled his head away, moaning something unintelligible.
"Kyle, no," Endri half whispered gently, using one hand to pull the man's face back into view. "Why?" As he waited for a response, he reached for the human's wrists still dangling over the tub. He pulled them together, holding the slashed flesh facing each other, and gripped them both tightly. "Why?" he repeated louder, suppressing the sudden desire to lick away all the blood on the man's hands.
Kyle groaned in pain, blinking more tears free from his swollen eyelids. "II'm tired," was all he managed right then, his words only a raspy whisper.
"Don't go to sleep. You need to stay awake. Just hold on, and you'll be fine," the ghost assured, griping the man's wrists together tighter. Hopefully, he could keep him distracted enough to seal the wounds with his energy to stop further blood loss–like he could with small cuts and scrapes on himself. But would it be enough? It seemed the man had lost almost all of it down the drain already. It was amazing he was even still alive.
How long had he been up there just letting his life flow away? Had Endri known Kyle was suicidal, he would never have left him alone. This was his fault. He should have been paying more attention! If he lost Kyle now, his hope for finding all the keys to the Worm Gates that century would be lost along with him. Was he selfish for wanting the human only for his help?
"N—Nothingno—one–koff—k—k!" he choked weakly, his body jostling with each trembling cough spilling from his lips.
"What? What are you talking about?" Endri asked softly. The urge to be disgusted by his "nice" behavior toward the human was banished quickly. Maybe not this time. Maybe he would give this one a chance. After all, he had never before met such a unique creature as that one. Perhaps it was time to lay down his sword and accept defeat. Well, accept it partially, anyway.
Kyle moaned again, feeling the pain in his wrists turn to a statically charged tingle. It sent shivers up and down his spine, and he trembled, his head lolling to the side and against the ghost's strong chest.
"HHave noth—thingno one leftall gonethe last in bloodl—lineno more" he trailed off, his eyelids drooping to conceal his dulling, cerulean orbs.
"Stay awake!" Endri warned, giving his friend a jarring shake. He wasn't finished healing the man's wrists yet and needed more time. "Tell me more, Kyle."
Kyle jolted when the ghost shouted, and his eyes blinked back open, more alert, but still so groggy. "Noyou d—don' care" Again, his eyes drooped.
"Bullshit!" Endri yelled, shaking Kyle again.
The human's eyes flew back open.
"If I didn't care, I wouldn't be sitting here with you. I'd have turned and left your room before I even discovered you here. Or if I didn't care, I wouldn't have even gone through the house looking for you in the first place," he growled a little too angrily. He took a deep breath to steady himself. The strong scent of Kyle's blood was slowly driving him into a mad rage. He hadn't felt that kind of rush in a long time, but now wasn't the time to get angry or indulge in his old habits of blood—lust. Kyle needed support and help, not his blood drained into the ghost's mouth.
Dammit! Stop thinking that! he chided himself. The smell of Kyle's blood was really getting to him, but he would control it. He had to control it. It was in the past, and he had to leave it there, just like so many other things.
"You say you're the last? In your whole family? Is that true?" he asked, trying to get the human to talk, to stay awake.
"Y—Yeahno more" Kyle responded, more tears gliding down his cheeks. But he never cared at all that he was crying in front of his houseguest. He just didn't care anymore.
"This blood" he went on, twitching his fingers to indicate his bloody hands in Endri's grip, "is all that's left. O—Once"
"You fool," the ghost hissed. "Why spill your own blood? Why wipe out the last of your family's bloodline? You should strive to continue on! You should take another female and have as many children as you can! Pass your heritage on!"
Kyle coughed weakly, his whole body trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. "Nooo" he moaned, grimacing and letting a deluge of tears pour over his cheeks from suddenly stinging eyes. "Never again! I c—can't Sh—Shewas all I had. My Takentaken from me. Both goneb—both g—gone!" he cried through sobs, his voice echoing in the hollow bathroom.
"I know your wife and daughter were killed, Kyle, and I'm sorry it happened to you. But you can't let it drag you down like this!" Endri argued. "Why are you doing this? Why now? You could have when you first found them, but you didn't. Why wait until now? What, did you want an audience? Or someone that could take the blame for your death so it wouldn't look like you did it yourself?"
"H—Heh—h—heh—heh–heh" Kyle laughed weakly, trying to roll his head back and forth along the ghost's arm as best he could. "A p—promisea fucking promise."
"A promise?"
"II tried to die thent—tried so hardbut Frankmy friendme promise himp—promise I wouldn't do it aagain. He saidgive life a try. Give at le—least a year to see." He paused to catch his breath, the corners of his vision fading and becoming blurry at last. "Todayone year. To—TodayI die."
Endri hissed through clenched teeth. Kyle seemed in such pain. Maybe it would be a mercy to let him die. Maybe he should just get up and leave, never looking back. But, for once, his conscience wouldn't let him. That human needed to live. For some reason, that human was meant to live.
"But you're giving up so much, Kyle. No, you're throwing it away! How dare you treat life like a cheap commodity! Do you know how many people commit suicide? And do you know how many of those people regret throwing their lives away? Every single one!"
Kyle frowned. "D—Don't talk to me about fuckin' dead people!" he shouted, rebounding just slightly. "My entire family: dead! My wife: dead! My baby: dead! And the mother fucker responsible?! Dead! I saw it," he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "I saw it leaving after it ripped my family apart. I screamed when I saw them. It turned to look at me. And it justgrinned."
He shivered, and Endri drew him closer with the arm wrapped around his back. His other hand still clamped firmly to Kyle's wrists, slowly sending his energy to the sliced flesh and healing it. He rejuvenated the cells and gave the human back some of his lost blood as well.
"Then it talked to me. The fuckin' thing talked! S—Spoke in some riddle. I still remember. 'Death walks. Death talks. Death comes for everyone's lives, everyone's wives. I walk. I talk. I come for everyone's lives, everyone's wives. Someday, my icy touch will find you as well, no matter where you will then dwell.'"
Kyle's body shook with a wracking cough, and his once waning strength took a nose dive. That outburst cost him a great deal.
Endri still held onto his friend, cradling him close and trying to rush with his healing. "I see," he hummed soothingly. "I see why you're so tormented."
He let his gaze drift off over the human's hair, staring at nothing in particular. He would have to tread very, very carefully around Kyle. He could never reveal his status as a ghost, for the human could very well try to tear him apart just for being like the creature that killed his family. Associated hate wasn't a pretty thing. And that was all assuming Kyle lived past that day, and with the man's attitude the way it was, no amount of healing could save his life.
"Kyle" he began, letting his voice soothe and caress, "I've known you for only a few days now, but I think I've picked up on you fairly well already. If you die today, you'll never be able to do the things you like so much. You'll never be able to drink a pot of hot coffee with cream in the morning. You'll never take another jog through the woods. You'll never wear those soft flannel shirts you love. You'll never be able to tinker with your inventions again, or your computer programs." His voice began to shake, an unexpected lump forming in his throat. Trying to save a human's life was hitting him right where it counted. If only it could have been easier to bargain with his own life.
"And what about everything else you love? The grass beneath your bare feet; a fresh breeze in your hair; the snow in the wintertime and curled up in your bed under soft, heavy blankets; and sunsets. Sunsets, Kyle! Every evening, you're out there watching the sun set! Do you want to give up something like that–something so beautiful?"
Tears were again in Kyle's eyes and on his cheeks. Endri's speech would have moved a wolverine just after someone insulted its mother, and the human was certainly no exception. He didn't want to give up those things, not really. But he had nothing more than those things to live for. And no man could continue to live simply to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Too much else would get in the way.
"Butit's toolate," he moaned around a sob.
"No, it isn't," Endri encouraged. "It's never too late. It's never too late for anything." The ghost drew Kyle into his chest and held him tightly, the first hug ever given to him. "Live. Live, Kyle. Live, and I promise you revenge. Revenge on everyone who ever wronged you. Revenge on that creature that killed your family. I promise! And I never go back on my promises!"
The conviction in his voice snapped the human into a crisp, clear reality. The tone, the strength that poured from Endri's mouth seeped into Kyle and broke him out of his delusion. No, death wasn't the answer. Revenge! Revenge was the answer! Suddenly, he no longer wished to die. He wanted to make that bastard creature pay for what it had done to him and his family. And pay, it would, he convinced himself, eyes scowling and staring at the white of Endri's shirt so close to his face.
"H—Help me," he growled, teeth clenched. "Helpme live."
Endri nodded, his chin brushing the human's hair. But before he was able to move, Kyle stopped him.
"Wai—Wait. Promisepromise me so—something first."
"What? Anything."
"Never leave. A—Always stay with me." He huffed for a breath, then sobbed unexpectedly, the tears flowing down once more. "You'reall I have now. Don't–Don't leave meever. Please"
The ghost smiled sadly and twisted his head to look down at his friend. He watched the man try to sniff and swallow his tears without much success, and his still heart went out to him: the only human to ever move him so much.
"I promise, Kyle. I will always stay by your side." He gently eased the pressure on Kyle's wrists, now fully healed. "I promise you. I will always be with you, even when you think you have no one and nothing. I will always be there for you. I promise."
"It's my turn, Endri," Kyle said softly, sniffing away the last of his tears. "It's my turn to promise you. I'll always be by your side. I'll always be here for you, even when you think you have no one and nothing. I promise you. I'll do everything in my power and put everything I can into helping you out of thisdisorder. I'll take care of you."
The ghost opened his eyes and looked back slowly, the sparkling orbs glistening in the moonlight slipping over the eastern horizon. "Youwill?"
Kyle nodded with conviction. "Or I'll die trying." He sniffed and reached one hand to wipe his eyes. "I know it isn't your fault. It just happened, right? You can't help the things that happened to you. I just wish I could've been there to stop this all before it started."
Endri hissed, looking away again. "Kuso. I never wanted to put you in such a position! It is my fault, Kyle. I was the one who pushed my feelings and emotions away to seemingly protect myself. I was the one who let them build and curdle to produce the emotionless bastard I am now. II made this happen!" He blinked, shaking out of a daze he hadn't realized he was in. He had begun rambling like a lunatic. Kyle must think him a complete nutcase. "Sssshimatta. Sorry, I–"
Kyle smirked. He felt his sadness abating the whole time his friend tried to explain away his mental instability without much success, and now it was almost gone–forgotten. "S'okay, 'Dri."
"Kyle, I don't want this to affect us. I don't want our friendship compromised because of this mental problem of mine. I realize you don't exactly like the idea of caring for me. And believe me, I'd rather not depend on someone for my care. I'd rather do it on my ownbut I have a feeling you and Papa won't let me hear the end of it unless I relent." He sighed. "I justI don't want to make you feel awkward. I know I must be." Endri hung his head sadly.
"'Dri. II admit, it is a little weird now. ButI want you to know something very important."
The ghost looked back up.
"I—I'mI'm willing, Endri."
"Willing?"
"I'm willing to try taking care of you. You're my best friend, and you deserve all the help I can give. But please" Kyle put in quickly, "pleaseI want to take it one step at a time. Thisthis is really new, and I've never done this sort of thing before, and I want to take things slowly. After all, the road to recovery is a long one. It might take longer than we both think, really."
The blonde lowered his eyes, saddened. "Kyle, if you don't want to be around me or take care of me, just tell me. I'd understand. You don't have to make yourself be my caretaker to make me feel better."
There it was! A way out! All Kyle had to do was take it, and he'd be in the clear! Endri wouldn't be so hurt if he just told him he really didn't want to take care of him right then. Butthat wasn't right. It would be like cheating–skipping out of the challenge of his life. And Kyle was never one to not take risks and be daring. And he was especially not one to break promises to his best friend.
"No, 'Dri, I'm not," he said, taking the plunge he was sure would change his life forever. "It's just that I've never been anybody's caretaker before. I am willing to take care of you, Endri. But you have to realize that it's gonna be just a little awkward for me for a while until I can get used to the idea ofyou know. But I do want to try this. For you. Because I know you'd do the same for me."
Endri swallowed, staying silent for a while. "Areare you sure? You're really willing to stick with me so much? You're really willing to be my caretaker?"
It was now or never.
Kyle nodded firmly. "Yes."
That was it. That was his last chance. There was no turning back after that.
The ghost tilted his head to the side, amazed. The wind caught his hair, then, tossing it in errant directions about his head and face. The human's eyes were locked to him, blown away by how normal he looked right then. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as he thought to bring his friend's mind back to normal.
He remembered the promises then–Endri's promise to him, and his promise to Endri. Such emotional turmoil they both had been through over the years; it was mind—bending. But it bent the ghost's mind a little too much. And now, there they were, sitting in the grass together, watching the night pass by slowly, promising again to always be there for each other.
Kyle thought back for a little while, letting himself remember many of the trying times in his life Endri had been there to see and help him through. Always, the ghost had been there, just like he promised. So, now it was Kyle's turn.
He sighed and leaned in to hug his old partner, whispering, "You've always been the best to me, 'Dri."
"How could I not be when you're so wonderful yourself?" was the reply whispered just as softly.
He chuckled and pulled back. "All right, all right. That's enough sweet, mushy shit." He stared at his friend for a time, just taking him in and scrutinizing what he saw. His thoughts drifted as his eyes took on a softer expression of remembrance. Again, he thought back over when Endri saved him from himself. The moving speech the ghost gave to motivate him to live made him frown with curiosity. "Hey" he said offhand, "how's come you knew all that stuff about me–that I liked flannel shirts and standing outside barefoot. Not to mention you knew I liked winter and being in bed with heavy blankets where it's warm. You'd only known me for four days!"
Endri smiled sweetly and blinked a few times as if he hadn't registered a question had been asked at all. Then he closed his eyes softly and chuckled. "You underestimate me. That's a habit you seem to never let go of." Green eyes drifted open and settled upon Kyle. "I'm a very observant person, my friend. Even subtle things, I see, whether they register right then or not. When I first took you home from the bar and put you to bed, I took a tour through your house to see what kind of person you were and how you lived. You can tall a lot of things about a person from their home. I noted pictures, decorations, plants, wallpaper, even the way you had your furniture arranged–things of that sort. And your personal habits were just observation of how you behaved day to day. It was nothing so special. It's not like I read your mind." He chuckled softly. "That's something I can't do."
Kyle laughed. "Well good! No way I want you diggin' around in there!"
Endri joined him. "Yeswho knows what embarrassing situations I could uncover." He finished his statement with a wink.
The human glared, but couldn't keep it up, erupting into laughter once more. They both enjoyed a good chuckle for a while, glad to still be together after so many years of trials and hardships. It was pretty obvious that they'd always be together–best friends till the end of time. It was something they both looked forward to.
Blue eyes drifted skyward to take in the starry night. "Why don't we head on home?"
Endri smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll fly us there."
"Oo sounds fun!" the human said through a toothy grin.
"Heh"
Both stood, and Endri took Kyle by the shoulders, spinning him around to face in the same direction.
"What're you doin'?"
"Would you rather see my hair or the ground the entire time?"
"Good point."
The ghost wrapped strong arms around his friend's slight waist. "Hold on tight."
"You too, dammit!"
Endri smirked. "I won't drop you, don't worry."
They both lifted into the air and took off over the treetops, disappearing into the distance.
Metal clanking resounded around the barely insulated room, punctuated by heaving breaths and soft grunts. The smell of sweat and perfume mixed almost pungently in the thick air, but no one seemed to notice, only those with more "delicate" noses. Little giggles rose occasionally, slipping from the muffled sounds of conversation that were sprinkled about the establishment.
Women, of variable height and levels of beauty—but all beautiful—were the only patrons of the Neitherworld Unfitness Spa. It was the one place ran by beautiful people for beautiful people. It was the one place where the fairer Neitherworldians could come to mingle amongst each other and be pampered and preened, helping them to stay fair. It was like a getaway from all of the rough, frightening, and disgusting everyday creatures that made up a large majority of Neitherworldians, and it was also a reassurance. Everyone who went to the Spa became reassured that they weren't the only ones in the Neitherworld who didn't look like grotesque creatures. It was a relief and brought about companionship for those who were segregated most of the time.
It was the complete opposite of the Real World.A long bar stretched along one side of the establishment, providing drinks, food, and occasional good conversation with the tender who ran it. Barstools ran the length of it, all lushly padded so as not to harm one's backside from prolonged sitting. Currently, a woman sat in the center, surrounded by about three others, all of them paying undue attention to what she was saying. A few other girls were also being currently drawn in, leaving their workout equipment behind and toweling the sweat from their foreheads and upper chests as they made their way over to the bar. One lady, tall, with hair that flowed like black waterfalls past skin that was pale as ice, sat along the bar two stools away from the little gathering. She ordered a Bloody Mary, then sat and twirled in delicately around her fingers, silently eavesdropping.
"Hehe was so wonderful. I was married to him once, too, ya know," the redhead in the center of the flocking females ranted. "Then I died, and everything went to hell," she moaned, cupping her head in her hands, letting the fiery locks spill out over her fingers.
One of the girls bought her another drink of something obviously alcoholic. "Tell us about it, honey," she sympathized, touching the redhead's forearm. "The only thing that's good about being dead is the eternal beauty some of us still have. And even that sometimesjust isn't enough to make thisthis hellish world bearable."
Many nods and Mm-hmm's and Absolutely's responded.
"Here, Pepper, sweetie," another lady intoned, reaching down to pick up the newly ordered drink and handing it to the redhead. "Drink this; you'll feel better."
Pepper took it from her and downed a quarter of it in one gulp. She had obviously been drinking before the conversation had been struck up. "Thanks, Jade."
The green-haired woman nodded with a smile just as another girl reached up and massaged at Pepper's shoulders. "Could you tell us more, Pepper, dear? What was this guy like?"
"Was he handsome?"
"Was he daring?"
"Was he good in bed?"
A few of the women stared the speaker of that question down, and she shrugged with a light blush.
"He was everything," Pepper moaned, staring at the bar in front of her. "He was human."
Gasps resounded from everyone who heard that, drawing in a few more girls who literally ran from the exercising area and the undue attention of the black-haired eavesdropper two stools away.
"HUMAN?!" Jade shrieked. "That's impossible! Where did you ever get a human?!"
The other women chorused in, all asking how.
"He was my husband when I was alive. He searched and searched for a way to get revenge for my death and the death of our daughter, and he eventually found his way hereto the Neitherworld."
A few ladies mumbled amongst themselves, the phrase, "she's drunk" coming up a few times. But Pepper didn't care—that or she didn't hear—because she kept right on going.
"So when we found each other, we got back together. We were together for a long time." She rolled her eyes and leaned to the side fluidly, swooning almost over-dramatically. "He was spectacular! Just being near him and smelling him made me drool! I never wanted him so much in my life. I realized after a while thatthat when ghosts make love with humans, it's like they get high off a drugand the drug is the human. But I realized that too latebecause I was already hooked to him." She dropped her eyes to the drink in her hand and decided another gulp would taste really good. So she drank another quarter of it and clopped the glass back to the bar.
The hushed murmurs behind her started up again now that she wasn't speaking, but this time, she couldn't make out what they were saying. Not that she cared, anyway. The only thing she cared about was now long gone, and unwilling to return. Unwilling? Yes, of course Kyle would be unwilling to return to her now, after the things she said about him. She discovered he had heard everything she said to Beetlejuice about their relationship and how she felt about him.
The love was gone. Only the sex remained. And sex was not something to base a relationship off of. And when confronted by Beetlejuice about it, she had confessed that. And Kyle had heard it all. She didn't know that, of course, until he showed up at their downtown home a few days later.
He had knocked. Kyle had never knocked on that door before. And when he came in, his face was set in stone, his movements were rigid, and he barely spoke a word to her.
She had uneasily welcomed him home with a smile, hug, and kiss on the cheek, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. But Kyle was a statue in her arms, and his flesh was cold to her lips for the first time ever. She had backed away, confused, and he said just one thing to her.
"I know."
He left her standing on the welcome mat, tears in her eyes, and he didn't care. He went to their room, the room he thought they shared out of love, and pulled out his duffel bag. He hastily packed his things: clothes, small accessories, a pair or two of shoes, and one picture of his family from when everyone was still alive. He took his things from the bathroom and threw them into the duffel as well, ignoring that Pepper was now standing in the doorway, arms crossed across her chest because she didn't know what else to do with them.
Hastily, Kyle finished packing. There were some things he chose to just leave behind or things he could get Faygo to drop off at the Roadhouse for him because he couldn't carry anything else at the moment. He turned, duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a plastic bag full of more of his things in his other hand.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, and Kyle could feel his nerve diminishing. But when he remembered the words he overheard from the hallway a few days ago, he became resolute.
"I know what you think of me," he had said to his deceased wife. "And I know what you think of Endri. That, I could have forgiven easily. But after everything I heard you say from your own lips about our relationshipthat, I could never forgive. Faygo is grown and is on her own now; she doesn't need me here to 'take care of her'. You have someone else other than me. We have nothing, then, that binds us together. So, as of this momentyou are permanently dead to me."
The pushed past her and left the house, slamming the door in his wake.
And Pepper cried.
Pepper was still crying, even as she gulped more of her drink down in the present. But her tears were silent now, reflexive almost. Just something that came with the hurt and emptiness that was left behind when Kyle slammed the door.
And it was her own fault.
That is what hurt the most.
"I know you guys don't believe meand that's okaybecause I don't have him anymore. So why should I believe it either," she moaned, trying to drink more, but there was nothing of her drink left.
Jade, obviously one of her closer friends, bought her another out of pity and placed a cool hand to her forearm again. "It's okay, Pepper. I believe you."
"Well, I don't. That whole story was crap. There's no humans in the Neitherworld. You're so drunk, Pepper," someone from the back spoke up while others silently agreed.
Jade leaned closer to her, petting at her fiery hair. "Ignore them. They never had a human. They don't understand. They just hear rumors and believe them right off. But don't ask me why they don't believe you right now. But I do, kay, kiddo?"
Pepper held her head in her hand again at that point. "Thanks, Jade." She smiled faintly, glad that at least someone thought she was telling the truth.
The group of girls dispersed finally, everyone gotten their fair share of gossip and already turning it into something it wasn't. The only ones left at the bar were Jade, Pepper, and that black-haired eavesdropper who was still nursing her first drink.
"Tell me," Jade said then, "why don't you have him anymore?"
Pepper sniffled before replying, "I thought" she took a breath to steady her voice, "I thought he was, or at least wanted to be, involved with his friend."
Her friend looked at her a little strangely before a little blush spread over her cheeks and she leaned in, whispering, "You meanguy on guy?" Her delicate, green eyebrow rose in anticipation.
Pepper only nodded, feeling shameful and disgusted at the same time. She knew her former husband wasn't like that nor had any inkling of being like thatbut it was a convenient excuse, and she would use it to the fullest.
A squeal rose in Jade's throat, and she clapped her hands together before composing herself quickly. "Sorryit's just thatit's such a turn on!" She giggled and spun back and forth on her barstool while her friend just rolled her eyes.
"Well, not for me. It's disgusting and uncalled for. He should be a boyfriend, not have one. I justI couldn't stand that thought, and I hadI had to leave him." She sniffled a little for effect. It was unknown if she would ever bring herself to admit that she really left him because of the pressure from Beetlejuice about her own unfaithfulness. "And now he's even living with him! He moved right in after we broke up!"
Jade shook her head. "The nerve!"
Pepper nodded and drank some of her new drink.
"Where is he living now anyway? I should go over there and kick is lily ass!"
With a disinterested wave of her hand, she moaned out, "It doesn't matter anymore. Let them be together. I don't need him anyway."
"But he's a human, Pep! You don't need that?!"
Pepper bit her lip and shook her head. But as much as she denied it, she was still a junkie who was having withdrawal symptoms even now. She needed him so badly, it hurt. Her hands shook with the need to touch his warm flesh, and her legs were weak with the need to wrap around his strong hips just once more. Just one more time to sate that tearing need in her gut. She needed Kyle again so badly, she thought she would throw up. Noshe was going to throw up!
In a flash, Pepper was jumping up and covering her mouth, running for the nearest bathroom. Jade remained seated at the bar, shaking her head. Maybe she shouldn't have bought her that last drink.
A slight movement caught her pale green eye, and she turned to the left, noticing the door to the exit drifting to click closed. At the bar, sat a half-empty glass of Bloody Mary which the bar tender took away to dump and clean.
Japanese / pronunciation / English Translation:
kuso / coo-so / Damn!
shimatta / she-maht-tah / Damn
I dunno if I'd trust Endri flying with me when he's got the Mania! :P But Kyle needs to encourage him. That's true friendship, right there. This chapter was about the deep connections of friendship and brotherly love those two have for each other. You don't see that everyday. shakes head sadly I like to write about the things that society is losing at a faster and faster rate these days. Deep, tried and true friendship is one of them. I can vouch for that one personally. --
And dude...I made Pepper a bitch, didn't I! XD Lying to her friends about Kyle being with Endri to cover her own sorry, cheating ass? Oooo...low, Pepp...low.
Pepper: You made me do it! X(
sweatdrops Anyway... ; Tune in next time as...
Pepper: And I'd better be getting a bigger role in your next story, or I'm complaining!
raises brow To whom?
Pepper gets a gleam in her eyes: Endri.
Oh-KAY! Bigger role for Pepper in my next story! Check! So until next time, thanks for stopping by! Oh, and tune in next time as crazy stuff keeps a happenin'! insane giggle
Pepper: I gotta wonder...is it the characters in the story that're insane...or is it the author?
I heard that!! One scene of yours is now cut!
Pepper: Damn!