AN: Mentions of volume 3, but no spoilers, just mentions of names and some background characters I've given names and personalities to.
The Pygmalion Effect
Chapter 3
--
Pure weightlessness consumed his body. He was lifted and then settled into a place that was neither here nor...There. He was there. A veil was lifted and he saw everything as clearly as light penetrated crystal water. It is a sudden burst of knowledge and timeless anticipation for the seconds and millennia stretching out before all human grasping. One only needed to touch the future to gain its secrets. All matter exists in simultaneous states of past, present, and future.
Matter cannot be destroyed or created; it simply is and always will be.
Kakei wasn't sure if all visions were experienced in this manner, but it was how he felt and what he thought each time a glimpse of the future came to him. How to deal with the repercussions of meddling with unwritten events...it was not something Kakei took lightly, for he treated each vision delicately and with the utmost concern for cause and effect, consequence, punishment, fate, prophecy, self-fulfillment...
How did Kazahaya see his visions?
Kakei exhaled. He opened his eyes. Coming out of a vision sometimes left him breathless and excited about the contents, yet sometimes a vision would make him sick. Those were the times he loved having Saiga by his side, and at this moment, he wished Saiga were here. It was another vision of Kazahaya's apparent non-existence. The blackness of the void lingered in his eyes like too much chlorine in a swimming pool and it stung his heart to even think of Kazahaya drowning in oblivion.
As the weeks passed, Kakei began to wonder if he was even meant to see Kazahaya's future.
Hitsuzen.
Summer began to fade, but its heat did not dissipate.
The employees of Green Drugstore worked as they always had, but the end of summer meant school was approaching which in turn meant people needed school supplies. The drugstore was not only convenient for everyday medical problems, but it also carried a variety of paper goods, pens, organizers, and other such necessities for the classroom. Girls came in to ask for certain types of pink paper and pastel ink pens to write love notes. Do not forget the little heart shaped stickers or the ones with bunnies or kittens. Rikuo shuddered when he stocked them.
The store was flooded with a steady stream of customers the week before most schools opened their doors. Word got around that two cute guys worked the shop, so it was no surprise that throngs of girls and the occasional pretty boy hung out more than was necessary to buy one notebook.
Rikuo had just shooed out a group of annoying fifteen year olds before Kakei ordered him into his office. On the way, Rikuo was surprised when Kakei found Kazahaya and told him to come as well, for Kakei had not given Kazahaya an extra assignment in weeks.
Going to Kakei's office doesn't automatically mean there's a mission, Rikuo thought, but Kakei surprised both boys when he offered a mission.
"OH! Thank you Kakei-san," Kazahaya burst happily. "I haven't had a mission in forever! What is it? Do we get to go somewhere?" Rikuo smirked at Kazahaya's child-like reaction to something so mundane.
Kakei laughed and echoed Rikuo's thoughts in his own mind. "Actually Kazahaya, all I want you to do is hold this piece of cloth." Kakei handed Kazahaya a piece of ordinary looking white cloth. It felt like stiff, heavily starched linen, torn on one side with a button hole on a corner. Kazahaya regarded it for a moment before he pulled himself into a trance. He had to concentrate very hard to make the thing give up its secrets.
The cloth had a story to tell, and it was not a happy one.
Kakei and Rikuo instantly noticed the change in Kazahaya. His eyes glazed and became transfixed on an invisible image and his body slackened while his hands tightened around the cloth. An angry glare suddenly pierced his visage, his eyes narrowed and his hands began to shake. It was quick and full of rage, but the vision began to melt. Kazahaya felt the veil he had penetrated close before him like a curtain. The light that had illuminated the hidden world became horribly dim so that when he began to come out of the vision, he had no point to fix his consciousness. This was often the reason he fainted after seeing something very strong and full of emotion.
It was a paralytic blindness and it came over him this time as it had many times before. Kazahaya fell back on the couch with the cloth still clutched in his hand. Kakei took it from him and waited until he began to rouse from the vision-induced sleep.
"Are you alright?" Rikuo asked when Kazahaya sat up.
"Yeah. Wow, that was strange."
"What did you see?" Kakei asked.
"There was a woman ironing a shirt for her husband. He...he was cheating on her with someone at his work and she found out. She was so angry that she cut up all his clothing, broke his things. When he came home, he found her dead."
"Hey," Rikuo interrupted, "I heard about that. He was a lawyer having an affair with his secretary. The wife had some kind of heart condition, but she didn't know it until--"
"Her heart broke," Kazahaya finished. "She died of a broken heart."
Rikuo's own heart beat a little faster.
"So is that piece of cloth one of his shirts?" Kazahaya asked completely unaware of the Rikuo's hungrily beating heart.
"Yes." Kakei played with the fabric. "This was the shirt she was ironing when her husband's lover accidentally called his home instead of his cell phone. The message she left on the machine proved that he was having an affair."
"Why didn't she answer the phone?"
"I suppose she was too busy doing her husband's laundry." Kakei smiled at the irony. "Imagine if she had answered the phone...the secretary probably would have said she dialed the wrong number and hung up. The wife may have never known."
Rikuo thought for a moment and asked, "How did you find out about the phone call?"
"The client for this particular mission is the husband of the dead wife. He gave me this information to help with the given assignment." Kazahaya was enthralled with the story of this failed marriage. How tragic and modern! The phone was their undoing. The iron had kept the woman from picking up the phone and the answering machine had recorded everything. Maybe the mistresses' long manicured nails had accidentally hit the wrong button on her trendy cell. Hadn't the husband told her to keep his home number off her speed dials? She never listened. She just enjoyed the good, frivolous sex and the gifts of flowers. She liked his foreign car.
"Well, thank you for your help Kazahaya." Kakei forced a smile. "You may go."
Kazahaya opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what, but when he saw Rikuo and Kakei's eyes locked, he reluctantly left the room. He instantly turned around and pressed his ear to the shut door to hear anything that might give him a clue as to why Kakei wasn't giving him missions. He groaned when he only heard muffled words.
That's it! he thought angrily. I'm going to give Kakei a piece of my mind when he's done with Rikuo!
Fortunately for Kakei, Kazahaya went back to work and avoided the boy for the rest of the day. Rikuo also seemed to ignore Kazahaya, but they eventually met up later that night for dinner. The strange sexual tension that had permeated their behavior for the past few weeks had waned and had almost disappeared, save for Rikuo's constant flirtation.
Dinner was always pleasant, but not tonight. Rikuo could sense Kazahaya's anger as he ate.
I think he might attack me, Rikuo thought with an internal laugh.
"What are you staring at!" Kazahaya snapped. Rikuo recoiled and furrowed his brows in silent defiance of Kazahaya's temper.
"Fine, don't answer me you ass!" The little monster (as Rikuo suddenly saw him) crossed his arms and left the table in a huff. He slammed the door behind him and locked it for the night. Rikuo dreaded the next morning before it had even come. The sense that something wasn't quite right came when he was on his lunch break the next day.
"Ouch." Saiga said with a grimace. He sat behind the register and listened with rapt attention to the yelling coming from Kakei's office. Of course, the yelling was one sided— Kazahaya being the one side.
"Damn Kazahaya can bitch," Rikuo said under his breath. Saiga heard it with superhuman hearing and let out a loud laugh accented with a pound on the counter. Despite how funny Kakei and Kazahaya fighting could be, both Saiga and Rikuo knew how serious Kakei could be about anything. He didn't take condescension and he did not like his subordinates giving him lip about their work, which is what Kazahaya was doing. The yells suddenly stopped and the office door opened slowly. Kazahaya walked out with a light red tinge to his cheeks. He glanced at Saiga, who shot back a happy grin and a thumbs up and Rikuo, who was curiously peeking from behind a tall display. Kazahaya shut the door behind him, walked calmly upstairs, and reappeared a few minutes later. He left the store with a frown and cast Rikuo a look that seemed to scream "traitor."
Like I've done something wrong, Rikuo thought.
The bells rang as Green Drugstore's door swung shut.
"Well?" Saiga said loudly. Rikuo jerked his head up at the man suddenly standing next to him.
"Well, what?"
"Aren't you going to go see what's wrong with him? Maybe give Kakei a good ass beating for abusing your boyfriend!" Saiga laughed all the way to Kakei's office without letting Rikuo get a good word in. Boyfriend? How dare…whatever. It's not worth it, Rikuo thought. Besides, Kazahaya probably deserved it.
--
Kazahaya was glad the sun was setting as he walked to the nearest outdoor café. The last thing he needed was the heat making his already hot head even hotter. He ordered a cold soda fountain drink and strolled lazily to the park nearby. Here was where that damn cat spirit decided to manifest itself as his precious sister, Kei. Kazahaya sat in a swing and gently rocked himself as he sipped on his soda and thought of his horrible behavior.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! I don't deserve Kakei-san's respect, not after what I said. He's right though. Just because he gives extra assignments doesn't mean I'm entitled to all of them. I won't be surprised if he fires me when I get back.
"HEY! KUDO!"
"Eh?" Kazahaya looked up to see two boys walking towards him.
"Kudo Kazahaya!"
"Hai? Do I know you?"
The tallest boy laughed sweetly while the other one, tall and blonde, smiled and blushed.
"Maybe, hell knows we know you. We're from Suiryo. I'm Hiroshi and this quiet one is Minoru. Are you sure you're not a girl?"
"Hiroshi!"
"Sorry. You're just so pretty, Kudo. Everyone still talks about you at Suiryo, especially you in all those dresses." Minoru laughed and took the empty swing next to Kazahaya.
"You probably don't remember me, Kudo, but you talked to me once." Minoru began to swing a little. "You asked me where the students exited the main hall. Only someone new would have asked that."
"Oh?" Kazahaya put his finger to his mouth to think, a gesture that immediately excited the two boys. They leaned towards Kazahaya, their attention focused raptly on the pretty finger stuck to the moist lips. Kazahaya grinned. "Yeah, I remember now. So, why are you all the way out here? How is Nayuki and Mukofugiwara?"
"Them? I dunno. Probably in Europe somewhere. As for us, we recently graduated from Suiryo, so were having fun in the city for awhile. Actually, we were headed to a party and happened to cut through the park. Lucky we saw you, right? Wanna join us?"
"A party?" Hiroshi and Minoru nodded. "I don't know..." Minoru hopped off the swing and took Kazahaya's hand and pulled him up as well. "Come on, Kudo...Kazahaya. If you're not busy, that is."
"No, I'm not." Kazahaya frowned slightly and looked back in the direction of Green Drugstore. Well, he thought, Kakei did say to take the rest of the day off, and it's not like I have to ask anyone's permission. It's just a party. I've never been to a party before.
"Kazahaya?" Minoru tugged at Kazahaya's arm to pull his mind from what manifested as a vacant expression on his face. Hiroshi looked in the direction of Kazahaya's stare and wondered what could possibly be beyond the thick green foliage of the park.
"Oh, sorry. Sure, I can come," Kazahaya said finally.
"Great, Kudo. It'll be fun, we promise. Our friend has a pool too, so we can swim to get out of this horrible heat. Don't you just hate summer, Kudo?"
"Swim...but...I don't have anything to swim in."
"I'm sure we can find something."
"But...I can't swim."
Hiroshi laughed and hooked his arm in Kazahaya's. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You can use me and Minoru as floats." Kazahaya blushed at both the comment and the close contact of Hiroshi and Minoru, who suddenly decided to match his friend's embrace. Kazahaya found himself between two pretty boys, hooked at the elbows, and completely unable to make himself stop and turn back to the safety of the drugstore. As his feet wandered from the store, so did his mind. Hiroshi and Minoru were charismatic and pulled Kazahaya into conversations he imagined. Both bantered about boys they had kissed and in Hiroshi's case, how his various lovers differed in bed. When asked about his own love life, Kazahaya admitted he was a virgin and not really gay. He actually didn't know what he liked. Too much time with Kei. Loneliness. Never going to school or interacting with anyone…it was enough for one to develop independent ideas about love and life. Kazahaya could love whomever he pleased, boy or girl, and it wouldn't make any difference.
Hiroshi and Minoru loved Kazahaya's logic.
Even more, Hiroshi loved Kazahaya's virginity.
It was all they talked about at the party. Minoru hung on every word Kazahaya spoke; few they were, but spoken with innocent grace. The host of the party lent Kazahaya a pair of swim shorts and they boys hit the pool. There were simply too many boys to count, and as Kazahaya made his way through the large crowds converging around, and in, the pool, heads turned and gossip spread about the mysterious boy with the milky white skin, flawless body, gorgeous honey brown hair that richened in the dying sun, and beautiful lips of an angel.
Melodramatic descriptions, yes. True, yes.
Poetry cannot describe him, one said theatrically.
Hiroshi introduced Kazahaya to most of the boys, and as the party started proper, it was time for the host to introduce his best friend: the keg. Kazahaya recoiled from the beer, but Hiroshi said something that reminded him of Rikuo.
"Come on, Kudo. Don't be a baby." Hiroshi said it with a smile and without malice. Honestly he was joking with Kazahaya, but the words stung nevertheless. It was something Rikuo would say to hurt his pride or to remind him how naïve he really was. With stern conviction, Kazahaya took the offered drink and swallowed it bodily. The taste was foul but he held it down. After three drinks, Kazahaya knew he was done and flat out refused anymore. Hiroshi jostled Kazahaya like a toy…or maybe that was just his drunk brain being knocked around inside his skull. He felt sick as Hiroshi led him behind the host's large house. Kazahaya hadn't noticed how big the building was until he was in its dark shadow.
Oh, there are shadows everywhere. It's…night. How long have I been here?
Kazahaya felt gentle hands on his waist and lips on his neck. He moaned when lips came to his own and sucked gently at the tender mouth.
"A boy could really fall for you, Kaza."
Kaza?
Rikuo?
Kazahaya's eyes flew open to see Hiroshi nearly on his knees, his fingers hooked under Kazahaya's shorts to pull them down.
"Hiroshi, stop." Kazahaya tried to pull away but Hiroshi was lucid and hopped back up to cover the protest with another kiss. His hand dug between Kazahaya's legs and squeezed the object of his desire making Kazahaya cry out softly.
"Come on, Kaza. Let's have some fun. I promise I'll be sweet to you."
Kazahaya felt like throwing up. His eyes darted around to see the party and the hopeful safety of the mass of people. Kazahaya used what little strength he had in his state and pushed Hiroshi away and made towards the pool. He saw Minoru at the edge of the pool through blurry vision. Behind him was Hiroshi, his body next to his, pushing him forward with fear. Kazahaya felt safe in the crowd even with Hiroshi so close. Each step was more confident, yet unstable. The alcohol mixed with the sounds of boys laughing and splashing water, the feel of Hiroshi, his stolen kisses.
My stolen kisses.
Kazahaya was almost by Minoru's side when the first tears fell to the water slick concrete.
He barely felt his feet go out from under him, the skull cracking smack, the rush of lukewarm water around his body and inside his lungs as his body gasped to take in one last breath of air.
Screams were muffled by water in his ears.
Arms pulled at him.
Blood painted their hands.
tbc.
