Ex·pose
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ex·posed; ex·pos·ing
1 to subject to risk from a harmful action or condition: as a to leave (a child) uncared-for and lacking shelter from the elements
"You can't do this..." A voice whispered.
Toki's eyes flew open as she clung to the sheets and looked around best she could in the pitch black without moving her head. For a moment, she panicked. She was in some strange room that didn't look a thing like her usual bedroom. She looked up at the ceiling in shock, and was regretfully reminded by those horrible blood stained, white faces glaring down at her.
"...you can't do this."
She shut her eyes, half believing that those dreadful vampire posters were talking to her with the other half convinced another ghost was waiting for her in the dark.
Either way, she didn't want to talk back.
It took her a few minutes to realize that the voice didn't belong to the posters, or to Konpaku-sama. Slowly, she opened her eyes again and took a shaky breath in.
"Leiko-san?" Toki whispered.
"...you can't do this..." Came the reply.
Toki felt a tiny bit of relief upon realizing that Leiko was only sleep talking. Yes, that had to be it. She almost laughed for getting so freaked about the whole thing. Should she wake her up though? It didn't sound like a happy dream. Still, this room gave her the weirdest feeling...like she was constantly being watched.
She glared at the posters, something very unlike her. But after all, it was all their fault for making her stay up all night staring wide-eyed at them like they were going to spring to life and eat her or something.
Biting the bullet, Toki forced herself to get up enough to look over at her friend. She moved into sitting position, and upon realizing that nothing was going to attack her, she pushed herself up off the short cot to look in the bed swinging gently above her.
"Leiko-san...do you?"
Her words were cut short as she covered her mouth to keep from shouting. Leiko laid there, eyes wide open and bloodshot, staring blankly at the ceiling gripping the bear's neck threateningly, tangling it in her long fingers. She wanted to scream, but instead, she kept completely still and held her breath. A trance? Possession? What was she supposed to do to help?
"You can't do this..." She mumbled over and over again, "...you can't.."
"Leiko-san!" Toki exclaimed in panic, shaking her friend's shoulders roughly, "Wake up! Wake up Leiko!"
There was a jolt down her entire body, then Leiko blinked, moaned as she looked over at Toki and closed her eyes.
"What is it?" She asked groggily.
Toki was in shock. Here she had thought her only friend had become possessed, and she acted like nothing happened? She tried to keep the scowl to a minimum.
"What happened to you?" She demanded, "What were you doing?"
Leiko opened one eye to stare skeptically back at her, "Last I checked, I was sleeping...?"
"No! You can't have been sleeping because your eyes were wide open!"
"But I was sleeping..." Leiko shot back with a yawn, "I know I was. I was dreaming."
"Dreaming..." Toki repeated, mind racing, "But"
"It was a really cool dream too." Leiko continued, "Weird though. There was this guy and he was standing in black smoke or something strange like that. Anyway, he was crying or something...see, it was weird cause I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was crying, ya know? And I knew who he was somehow too. But he kept insisting that I was dead. And I wasn't. I was right there. It was just...weird."
And with that, she turned over again and buried her head in a pillow. Toki didn't move, unsettled by the whole ordeal. She just stayed completely still, watching as Leiko breathed. Up and down...up and down...up...and down...
"Nakagawa-san..." Leiko's voice muffled, "Go back to sleep. It's creeping me out to have you watch me like that."
Toki said nothing. Unconvinced.
"What if I promised I wouldn't what was it you described it as, oh yeahsleep with my eyes open. What if I promised I wouldn't do that again, would you go to sleep?"
"...I'm going to get a glass of water." Toki informed her after a long, over exasperated sigh.
"You do that."
"I'll be back in a little bit. I'll find the kitchen myself."
"Alright." Leiko mumbled, turning over again, "I'll still be here."
"Ok, so...bye..."
"Later, Nakagawa-san."
"It's Toki."
"Whatever. Just...go." Leiko mumbled, waving a hand as she buried her face deeper in her pillow.
"Alright...bye..."
Leiko didn't reply to this one, so Toki got onto her feet and scooped the puzzle into her hands. Normally she wouldn't have taken it off, but she had found in the past few tries that it was rather difficult to sleep with something that big around your neck. The metal was cold to the touch, and sent goose-bumps up and down her arms when she slid the chain around her neck and attached it, letting the puzzle fall flat on her chest. (A/N: That's just a long way to say, 'she put the puzzle on')
She pressed the door open gingerly and closed it just as carefully, even though Leiko was sleeping like a rock already. The tile was cold too, and felt nice on her bare feet, but the whole house had an eerie still feeling that made her uncomfortable again. She tried to ignore it and followed the few nightlight things that were lit in a few areas, casting a golden light on everything she saw.
Toki kept having flashbacks of when she had gone with Tutomu's family to the haunted house one year, seeing all the portraits aligning the hallway walls and getting the idea that they were all staring you down.
"If there was anyone near here," She whispered, touching the puzzle, "Then I would hear their footsteps on the tile."
"Seems logical to me."
Toki leapt three feet in the air before spinning around to face the shadow of a tall man. Her assumptions were confirmed as the puzzle warmed and cooled on her skin while the shadow gained more detail and became more human-like.
'So Konpaku does reside inside the puzzle, and is able to come out wherever I am...' Toki thought. Even though she knew that the fact she told Leiko was going to come up soon in the conversation, she couldn't help the comforted smile that spread across her lips at the thought of not being alone in the hallway. He crossed his arms (like he did quite often) and Toki gestured down the hall.
"Isn't it kind of...unsafe to be out in someone else's house like this?" She asked him innocently.
"There isn't a living presence around, otherwise I would have sensed them." He explained simply, "Besides, she already knows I'm here, doesn't she?"
'Ah, wasting no time I see.' Toki thought bitterly. Though she understood it best to attack what was eating at her the whole time head on, and gestured her head gently down the hallway.
"Would you walk with me?" She asked.
He didn't move, "I highly doubt that's why I was called."
"Called..." Toki said softly, "I don't remember..."
"It's subconscious. Is there something you mean to speak with me about?"
Toki began to feel nervous, his facial expressions didn't seem to change, but it was apparent to her he wasn't in a very good mood. She cleared her throat and nodded, "Well...you're right...there is something I want to talk about..."
Again, he said nothing. Dryly Toki mentally commented that he was probably used to being right...he seemed to have that sort of air about him.
"I wanted to apologize." She continued timidly, "I didn't mean to-"
"I don't need an apology. This is, after all, your responsibility, not mine." He said, looking off into another direction in the hallway, "However..."
Toki straightened, hoping to hear a bit of good news. So far the night wasn't going as well as she had hoped it to...
"However?"
Konpaku nodded, "I do believe that it was...a good thing, in it's own way, that you told her. Though I don't agree with it, and my senses are worn down, this 'Leiko' girl has a strange magical aura to her."
"Magical aura?"
"Much like you do in fact." He said with another small nod, "And you need not repeat the last word of my sentences. I'm well aware of what I said."
Toki looked to the ground and bit her lip, "Sorry."
Konpaku looked up at her, face shrouded in shadow and golden light highlighting his features and making him look completely at home in the darkness. He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes in her direction. She wasn't quite sure if he was trying to get a better look at her, or if he was trying to figure something out, but she shifted uneasily on both feet while he looked. Finally, he smiled.
"It seems," He informed her casually, "that you are more like my previous host then I had first expected."
"I am?"
"Your eyes..." He mused, "Maybe if I had a daughter, she would look like you do..."
She couldn't help smiling shyly, and opened her mouth to speak when there came a hard banging sound from downstairs that made her jump. Konpaku instantly disappeared from sight and Toki took a step back. But for some reason, she didn't get the scared feeling she had received when Leiko was talking about spending the night.
"Easy to see where my fears lie..." She mumbled sharply.
The beating stopped for a moment, but then picked up louder then ever and faster then before. If it were a burglar or a killer...wouldn't they be more careful not to wake up the entire mansion? Cautiously she took light steps down the hallway, following the sound quickly but almost silently. (if she had taken her slippers with her it might have been quieter...) And finally the sound lead her to the kitchen she had been searching for previously. And in the corner was none other than Rai.
He didn't seem to be having a good day.
Rai was sitting atop a countertop with his head and chest pressed up against a cabinet door, banging on it furiously. It seemed he had a rhythm to it though...he'd spend one minute pounding the door, then one minute yanking at it, then start pounding again. Even though his pace was slowing down immensely as he ran out of energy. Toki choked back a laugh and called to confirm, "Rai?"
He stopped immediately and perked his head up, revealing the large bags under his eyes and red spot on his forehead where he had been lying on it. He blinked a few times to make sure before exclaiming, "Naka-san!" He cleared his throat, "Is there anything I can do for you, Miss?"
"What are you doing, Rai?"
He was confused at first, but followed the line of vision and remembered the cabinet he was sitting next to. He groaned loudly in frustration and began yanking at it again as if stopping for a moment had let everything settle back into place and he had to start all over again. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here."
Toki took a few steps to stand by him on his perch on the countertop, "Why?"
"For a cup of tea, of course. Everyone knows it calms people down and helps them sleep."
She chuckled, "Of course. So why aren't you drinking tea right about now, Rai?"
"Because," He grunted, pulling hard at the knob, "The stupid tea cabinet won't OPEN!"
Toki held back a giggle and reached for the knob. Rai let it go to allow her fair try, and felt his mouth fall open as she effortlessly slid it open. She blushed, coughed, and said softly, "It...slides..."
Rai took in a long, deep breath while examining the open cabinet before shaking his head and saying, "My own stupidity never ceases to amaze me..."
"I don't mean to rub your nose in it..." Toki murmured, "But shouldn't you know how to open it? Seeing as you live here and not me...?"
Rai chuckled, "I'm not a cook, Nakagawa-san, this isn't my turf. I'm a-"
"Minion of doom?" Toki offered.
Rai blushed for only a second before grinning and saying, "Actually, its proclaimed more like: Rai, the minion of DOOOOOM! Emphases on doom."
He winked, and Toki laughed as she watched him pull out two coffee mugs and fill the teapot. She didn't ask for tea, but she didn't object either. The feeling of warm, wet air was too tempting to pass up on a cold night, and he gave her quite a generous amount before settling down into the other chair next to the Kitchen Island where Toki was also sitting. She breathed it in greedily as she cradled the cup in her hands, and though it was late, her and Rai suddenly forgot all tiredness they might have had long enough to stay and talk.
"What's that?" Rai asked at one point, gazing at the puzzle, "I meant to ask you the first time but I forgot. Is it the new style for you kids or something? Everything changes so quickly nowadays."
Toki wasn't sure if she should use the comment to her advantage or not, but found herself shaking her head. She couldn't lie well, after all, what was the use trying?
"It's...a puzzle."
Not a lie. In fact, it was the complete truth, and just vague enough that she might be able to get away with it.
"A puzzle?"
No such luck.
Or maybe...
"Huh, cool."
There was some good fortune ahead of her.
Toki nodded to him and sipped her tea in momentary quiet. Rai stretched and leaned back in his chair saying, "I think Leiko had something like that at one point in time."
It was like someone had punched her in the stomach. Toki choked on her tea and hissed through her struggling throat, "She...She did?"
He nodded, "Yeah, don't know what happened to it though. It was her dad that had it at first, I think the little imp girl stole it from him. But I don't know what happened to it..."
Toki didn't say anything after that, and Rai returned his attention to his tea. Suddenly the leisurely paced conversation she was sharing was far too slow, and she wanted nothing more for him to finish, say a quick good night, and allow her to return to Leiko's bedroom. She needed to speak with her, immediately. Her eyes rested on the last three drops of tea in her own cup and she rolled them around impatiently as Rai took his own sweet time, staring up at the ceiling.
"So how's school going, Nakagawa-san?"
Oh god, more conversation. Toki opened her mouth, intending to answer his question, before her eyes widened at the thought that suddenly dawned on her. School! It was perfect!
"Oh no," Toki murmured staring at the clock above the oven in fake horror, "School! I completely forgot...its so late, I don't want to sleep through my first class..."
"Go ahead then, Nakagawa-san, I'm sorry for keeping you up so late." Rai said with a gentle smile, "Though your company was greatly appreciated."
Toki nodded politely and bowed a little, more of a habit then an intention, "It was no trouble at all, I assure you."
There was a moment of quiet between the two, before Rai shot his nose into the air and waved his hand dismissively snapping playfully, "Now get out of my sight before I have to take forceful action."
Toki grinned, and was off. She only walked until she was sure she was out of sight and earshot before she took off in a brisk run, dark hallway walls speeding past her in a blur as she tried desperately to remember where Leiko's room was in the mess of identical white doors. Her mind was hung up on one thing, and one thing only. Even though it was only a passing comment from Rai, something inside her screamed that he was right, and that for some reason, Leiko had an item like hers. Then, without warning, Toki stopped. And found that somehow, she had ended up in front of Leiko's room, hand on the doorknob, ready to pounce.
However, the pounce resembled something more of a kitten then a tiger...
Opening the door gingerly, Toki had to remind herself she was trying to wake Leiko up not allow her to sleep. Frustrated with herself, she decided to take another approach and started to flip the light switch on and off repeatedly.
Nothing. Except maybe a groan and an exceptionally loud snore.
"Leiko-san!" Toki said forcefully, "Wake up! I need to speak with you!"
Taking the more cliché road, Toki gripped the edges of her comforter and ripped the covers off of a sleeping Leiko. This proved more difficult then they made it out to be on TV, seeing as how Leiko didn't seem to approve of her covers being stolen, however Toki won in the end, and Leiko was up in an instant.
"Giveit backto me." Leiko growled, sitting upright with strange red lines creeping around her pale skin from the creases in the pillowcase, "Now."
Toki flinched, but rolled the covers up and sat on top of them, "Not until you tell me something."
Leiko looked deadly now, eyes narrowing in a most maniacal way as she leaned in closer to Toki's own face, "What?"
Toki bit her lip, and then thrust the puzzle out from its resting place into the moonlight so Leiko could examine it closer, "Rai-san said...he said you had something like this. I want to see it."
Leiko squinted, still half asleep and blinking stupidly as she tried to remember. She ran a hand through her short mane of frizzy dark hair and sighed deeply muttering, "I don't know what he was talking about"
"He said your dad had it first, and you stole it from him. I need to see it, Leiko-san, now. It's more important then you could imagine."
Leiko's eyes opened a little more, staring seriously at Toki, neither of them backing down on the urgent gaze that she didn't quite understand. Then, Leiko chuckled, shook her head, and rolled her eyes.
"I remember now...Daddy brought something like that back on a business trip and I wanted it, so I stole it from his office and hid it somewhere he would never look." Another dry chuckle, "Funny, I put it somewhere I would never forget, but I can't remember now...why is this so important anyway? What's so?"
Too late, Toki was already searching. Her eyes scanned the room frantically for anything that seemed to stick out. Somewhere she might hide something, but know it was out of the ordinary enough to never forget it. And that's when her eyes struck the loveable resident on Leiko's bed.
That teddy bear...
Toki seized the bear off her bed and began turning it over, squeezing it, doing anything she could think of. As soon as her fingers touched it she felt that familiar feeling of imbalance, the bear HAD to be it. Konpaku remained silent in her mind's corridor, but she could also sense he was paying close attention to her every move. Toki pressed her hand into the stuffed tummy, firmly, and hit something. Something round and hard lay in it's belly, and Toki felt her entire body tense up.
It was there. She had found it. There were more items out there then just hers. She didn't know why she felt it was so important to retrieve it, but...
"I need scissors." Toki demanded, thrusting her empty hand out palm up.
Leiko looked positively scandalized, "Are you insane! I've had that since I was like, four! No way I'm cutting him up! No way!"
Toki turned fiery eyes on her, patience wearing thin as her hand kept suspended in air, "Leiko-san, understand me when I tell you that right now isn't a good time to get all possessive over a children's toy. Now this is the last time I'll ask nicely, scissors. Now." And as an afterthought, "Please."
Leiko drew in an equally testy breath and made a less-then-flattering mocking face as her lips spoke soundless words of ridicule. But she turned her back and after a few seconds of rummaging, found the scissors and handed them over with minor muttering. Toki in turn, wasted no time in getting right down to business. She showed no mercy in jamming the scissors smack dab in the middle of the bear's face, and cutting down from there. Leiko winced, but said nothing, and after only five minutes
"I think this is it." Toki said quietly, "I think...I found it."
Sakura and Amarante had found each other inside the school's main hallway after both after school activities were finished. Sakura had cheerleading to keep up with, and Amarante had to attend multiple committee meetings, but somehow, they both finished approximately the same time...approximately...
"Where is she..." Sakura grumbled once more, checking her watch.
No, the space time continuum hadn't changed since she last checked, so that meant it was still 6:07. Sakura sighed and leaned against the wall, eyes constantly searching back and forth in case Amarante came from either direction. She was about to give up and leave, assuming that she had to go home and couldn't contact her in time to inform her she couldn't make it, but then she head quick footsteps coming in her direction.
"Saku-rin!" Amarante said loudly, still quite a few paces away, "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't intend for the dance committee to go so late!"
Sakura smiled and shrugged, "No problem."
Amarante stopped when she got close enough and took a minute to recompose herself. She lined up her books, caught her breath, straightened her skirt and smiled perfectly. Amarante was the sort of person who didn't look quite complete without a smile. She wasn't particularly beautiful, having a narrow face, long nose, and high forehead, but when she smiled it was like all her flaws completely disappeared, and she became the most breathtaking person in the world. She was thin, her hair was long, thick, dark and typically done up in some sort of ribbon, and her eyes were a strange shade of gray that made them look almost white blue.
Sakura, on the other hand, was willowy and muscular, part of the benefits she received from cheerleading. She had a sort of classic beauty to her at first glance, but anyone who knew her could tell you she could look purely evil in an instant. Her eyes were dark and depthless, most likely spawning from all the fantasy reading she did. Holding up a finger, Sakura grinned mischievously and pulled a book from her tiny plaid backpack.
"I finally got it." She announced, "Phantom. The only new copy left in Domino."
Amarante tried hard to get equally excited about the book, but frankly, she wasn't a reader. (A fact that would shock anyone who knew, knowing how studious she is.) And definitely not one for fiction, if anything. She just smiled and nodded mannerly saying, "You finally bought it?"
Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head violently, "Are you kidding? The thing costs more than I earn in half a year! I can't afford that! And no way I can get my mom to pay for it, you know how she is about this kind of stuff." She patted the book affectionately, "Nope, I drove four hours to the only library in Japan that has it, and I only have four days to finish it before I have to drive it back."
"Fun." Amarante retorted, starting to walk off down the hallway, with Sakura following.
"It'll be worth it." She said, "Trust me. You've got to read Phantom of the Opera too, Ammy-chan, it's a great book. I know its some big fad now, but sooner or later people will get bored of it, and I won't be considered a 'follower' anymore. And neither will you, if you read now."
She waved the book in front of Amarante's nose like it was supposed to be tempting, but the smell of stale pages just succeeded in turning her off even more. She waved it away and wrinkled her nose.
"I think I'll pass, too many things to do to read it."
"Oh, right." Sakura replied, "Why are you taking all of those classes anyway? Your grades alone should be enough to get you into a good college...and I don't know how you get it all done with that acting job of yours. I'd be dead in three days with your workload. Shouldn't you take a break for a while?"
Amarante shook her head quickly, "Too risky, I need all I can. We really need money right now."
"But I don't get it...Isn't your grandfather working too?"
"...yeah...So where are we going exactly?"
Sakura blinked, only now realizing they were standing outside the school and in front of the road. Taking a quick look around, Sakura pointed to the left. They walked in almost complete silence the whole way though frankly, neither really understood why it was so awkward. Sure, there'd be some passing comments about the weather or weird cars the passed, but no conversation. Amarante didn't mind it though. She'd much rather walk in silence then talk about what she knew Sakura was thinking about...
Sooner or later they reached Toki Nakagawa's house and Sakura knocked on the door.
No answer. Amarante shed a skeptical side-glance at her friend, and Sakura's brow's furrowed. She tried again, knocking impatiently on the door but still no one came to answer it.
"That's strange..." Sakura thought aloud, "She should be home by now...and I'm sure this is the place."
Amarante muttered something incoherent and started to walk away, stopped immediately as Sakura grabbed her arm and reeled her back.
"You give up too easily. Maybe she just didn't hear us...which window do you think is her bedroom?"
Amarante's eyes widened and she snorted lightly, "Saku-rin, please tell me you aren't serious."
"I bet it's that one over there."
"Saku-rin..."
"Sure is dark...maybe she's sleeping or something. Hand me a rock so I don't scare her by knocking on the window. I had that happen once to me and it wasn't fun"
"Saku-rin, no, we are not throwing rocks at her window. I'll just come over tomorrow...or something."
"Gah, I know she's in there..." Sakura muttered, eyes narrowed as she tried to see in through the dark window from that far away; "Fine. Tomorrow. At school. I'll find her."
"Alright, Saku-rin, alright."
"And you're going to meet her."
"I expected as much."
"…so…we're leaving now then?"
"It seems so."
Sakura took one last defeated look at the house before they walked away, uttering a quick comment about if 'breaking and entering was a punishable crime if you knew the person...' and earning both a pleading and threatening glance from her friend.
Toki and Leiko hadn't moved for at least fifteen minutes. They both sat some distance away from each other, small golden object waiting wordlessly in between the two. Neither of them had touched it since Toki fished it out of the stuffing and dropped it on the ground, lost in shock and amazement. Leiko refused to make any sort of reaction except one of deep concentration, and Toki refused to speak until Leiko offered up her opinion on the situation. Finally, Leiko broke from her train of thought and reached out to touch the object.
"Careful!" Toki gasped abruptly, making Leiko jerk back on instinct like it was a hot stovetop, "...you don't...know what it is."
Leiko seemed annoyed by that response and started to reach again, "I think I know what I'm doing, Nakagawa-san,"
"Toki."
"Toki-san. After all, I've been sleeping with this thing under my head for years and look," She waved a hand in front of her face theatrically, "Skin's still the same color it always was, no warts or anything."
Toki wanted to say something in reply to that, but she couldn't. If she hadn't already felt like it was useless, and that maybe she was being over dramatic, she might have tarried on. In truth, there was nothing that was ever going to stray the hand of Leiko at that moment, Konpaku told her later on. It had come time for destiny to take control. And it wasn't so forgiving.
Gingerly, Leiko poked the tiny golden item, trying to stop her hands from shaking too obviously, and her forehead creased into deep lines. It didn't feel magic...not that she knew from experience what magic was supposed to feel like, but she had always pictured it to zap, or tingle, or warm or something equally awe inspiring. Instead, it felt like it looked. It felt like gold, cold from the night air and sitting in the dark, both round and flat, with old carvings in its surface.
Unimpressed, Leiko picked the entire thing up and plopped it into her hand with no hesitation now. She studied it closely, strangely fascinated. It was the sort of thing she saw about a million times in text books, magazines, television shows, and the kind of thing one would assume to be bored of pretty quickly. But there was something about holding it that gave her the goosebumps. Was that magic? No, she would assume not.
"Its harmless, Toki-san, I don't know what you were getting all worked up over," Leiko said with a laugh, "Yours may be special, but this one is obviously just an imitation."
Though, she had hoped...
"Oh..." Toki said softly, almost disappointed, "Are you sure? Nothing seems strange?"
Leiko shook her head and shrugged, "Nothing. Just kind of creepy that the stupid eye on the top keeps staring at me..."
Toki leaned in for a better look, "Maybe it is...maybe it is just a replica or something...sure does look real though, doesn't it?"
Leiko grinned and nodded quickly, "It's got this hole in the back, I think its for string or a rope or something. Maybe I'll wear it as a necklace to school tomorrow. Ha, my originality never ceases."
Toki smiled half heartedly as the two both settled back into bed, stuck between something of relief and disappointment as Leiko tucked the 'wannabe-item' away safely. She made a mental note to ask Konpaku the next day whether or not there really was more then one item or if she was just jumping to conclusions, and if there were really other items...
Where exactly were they all?
Retaw- Ok, so that's the end of this chapter. I like the way this one turned out much better than the previous, though it seems like even less got accomplished. Gah...so far to go, so little time. I got a bunch of reviews last time Thankies everyone! You don't know how much it brightens my day to see a few kind words in your inbox. Heh, yes, the cast is going to be getting quite large. I'm still kind of introducing everything;; mainplot is coming soon!
Oh yes, and in case some of you noticed, there were a few gramatical errors that I felt like fixing...so I uploaded this chapter over again. Sorry to my readers! I'll update a brand new chapter soon I swear! Thank you. ; And thank you for your reviews! They mean the world to me! I'm forced to spin around in my computer chair very fastevery time I earn one.
And constructive critisism is appriciated as well.
