Write date: 06-20; 07-09
Hello, and welcome to a new chapter!
Should put a warning, because there are a few horror scenes, but I think it depends on how you look at them, personally there's a column I'll cringe out of after a few months, because it's a subject I myself am quite not comfortable writing about... (other than that, just a build up before the next one.)
Inspiration for the chapter: Diary of Dreams - stimulation
(This song just played on repeat while I was writing.)
-X-X-X-
As he tore his eyes to make a parting, his vision cleared bit by bit. The man noticed, that he was laying sideways. This time the uncut and rough grass was Ritsu's bedding.
The silverette drew up into a sitting position soon, only to take note of his childhood summer house, that stood just a few feet away. He could spot the rippling pond, hidding timidly after the senile wooden building with other smaller houses in the distance from either sides. One of them must have been the steam bath. Ritsu frowned as if trying to remember. Then turned his head slowly to the other side, where the one-floored building stood, the only one made out of cement from the three in the perimeter. So that was the storage... And lastly his eyes scarcely made out a metal fence, hidden by the clouding fog, that stretched meters away. The little road, filled with dust, pebbles and sand followed, accompanied by an everlasting forest.
The man's pupils jumped from one side to another, taking in the view, he had forgotten long ago, drinking the sight of it greedily and all at once as if it was a limited food source, that could be stolen at any given instant. He narrowed his eyes soon, when his nostalgic and drowsy expression changed into a serious look. One thing was missing to make a perfect replica of those times...Yes, the sound...
There were no birds, like there used to, no resonating wind, scratching at the tree branches and most importantly not a single soul. Not a whisper to be heared, that would please his ears... Just empty silence...
A broken replica... Ritsu fixed his conclusion of the observation, growing a bit annoyed by that discovery.
Still, the bitterness didn't stop the man from entering the house... When he creaked the front door open, expecting to indulge in memories. But instead he stood frozen and lost of thoughts, simply tilting an eyebrow.
The guest room was covered in iron chains. They were tossed on the ground, circling on the kitchen table and binding the chairs, every cardboard and even the handle of the parted door, leading to the hallway.
Ritsu emitted a disatisfied sigh, taking in the sight. Nevertheless he began walking - wrong word - pushing himself forward inside. At first the man simply avoided the piles of the heavy rusted material, tiptoing in the free spaces... Although that trick ended just a few steps in.
Ritsu cursed behind his breath, when the chains began dragging along his feet, like snakes or roots planting themselves nearer. They quickly looped around his shoes and below his knees in unbelievable knots. That made him nearly trip more times he'd like to admit to other people...
Atleast thirty minutes passed, when the silver-haired man paused, exhaling. He finally reached the awaited door, hauling a ton of followers after himself. Those rusted chains were making fun of him indeed.
The corridor was clear of any obsticles to Ritsu's surprise just a little dust covered the dark brown floorboards . Now that was pleasant.
He tugged at the entwined metal rings for a few times, wishing to get rid of the unneeded heaviness. But to his misfortune the more he tempered with the steel, the more it tangled and eventually began to crush his one leg, the one he attempted to free. A lonely groan was his reward.
Awhile after Ritsu took sight of the candle placed in a little steel plate, that was stuck to the wall, just above his head. There were more guiding his path.
So when the pain eased a little bit, the silverette started his journey again, or more to say, rolling the chain train. That must've been the first journey for the millions of rings travelling this far.
The headmaster of Seven Voices paused again suddenly... Not because he was tired, that feeling hadn't reached him yet. Finally it was a noise, shattering the silence. Though it was a sound, he'd like to forget... Scrapping against a wall, tapping and scratching desperately...
It came from the nearest bedroom, he guessed. He won't go there, the man thought. That sound already brought back nasty memories and an eerie feeling. He didn't wanted to see anymore. This was far too much already, Ritsu notted, while tensing his lips. At that moment the sound increased and he abruptly shut his ears. The man painfully limped back to the guest room, while leaning his side to the wall, dragging himself back.
The fear took control over his rational mind suddenly, as cold sweat ran down his cheeks... Ritsu didn't want to be home anymore. Though it seemed that was not his decision to make... The chains, piled upon him, crawling and swarming like insects in an attempt to distract him. Higher and higher they climbed, eventually binding his wrists together, while searching for a route to his throat.
He stumbled out of the corridor after a few dreadful minutes, panting soundlessly in the process. His legs shivered as well. To his surprise the weight lessened, when he entered the guest room. The metal rings began falling from his tired form. Still the annoying clatter continued to scratch at his ears.
'You're almost there...' The silverette encouraged himself, running out of the house. At the same time he felt a surge of relief wash over him. Though something yanked him back, making him pause, when Ritsu was already a few meters away from the house. He slowly gave a petrified glimpse backwards, noticing a chain trailing from him to the accursed building.
'From where?..." The headmaster was confused at first, but eventually saw the same ring penetrating his chest. 'No! Get away from me...'
He panicked, trying to force the chain out of himself, while grey figures loomed on the ground next to him... Ritsu just strengthened his pull, in desperation.
The corpses peeked at his struggles laying in the long grass, which made them decay much faster than they maybe would have wished... Thin, bony bodies, with white skin and hollow eyes.
"No, get away from me! Get away from me!" Ritsu shook his head stammering and luckily he pulled the chain out of his body with one strong pull.
The only problem was, that it dragged something along with it's departure.
But his eyes were already blank to see his own bloody bones ripped out of his chest.
X X X
- A week before the incident-
Minami Ritsu still saw that dream in the back of his eyes... He woke up, albeit the horrid memory haunted him as if the silver-haired man was dreaming. The mind continued to ponder on the images, replying the scenes his brain couldn't comprehend... The man had to do something to get rid of those recollections.
In so Ritsu drew up into a sitting position. But soon regretted that action. A sharp pain evoke from his shoulder, causing a twitch from his only healthy eye. He quickly reached for his forehead, inspecting the bandages, that covered his left pupil. The wound hadn't opened up, he was grateful for that atleast.
He ran his slim fingers through his left arm then. The gentle touch found the swollen needle pricks on the inner elbow, as he circled around them. Some of the prickings went in a straight line, indicating, that he punctured the vein, while the others missed terribly. The silverette wasn't a doctor so it often took some time for him to find the unfortunate vein below his skin. Ritsu pinched the swollen skin a little, releasing a sigh. Soon his pupils became oddly glued to the drawer, where he kept the syringes.
'I could take another shot.'
"Not sleeping?" A faint voice uttered beside him. Ritsu turned his head to the side, where his student lay, clinging to his bedding. "Sensei?"
"Ah... I woke you up, didn't I?" The silver-haired man smiled, leaving the previous thoughts aside. In the meantime Soubi whirled around to face the teacher.
"Do you always awake this early?" The blonde blocked out a yawn, then pointed to the nightstand on Ritsu's side, where a clock sat."What time is it anyway?"
"Three in the morning... Punctual as always."
"You mean this isn't the first time?" He restated, trying to ignore his Sensei's attempt at sarcasm.
What was up with him lately? His teacher seemed different from how Soubi remembered. Ritsu looked dazed now, lost in memories and despairful, when it came to the subject of his worsening condition. Was it because of those wounds pilling upon him? Who's hurting him like this? But most importantly, why doesn't Sensei ask for help? Soubi had tried to break his shell, by asking what's wrong, until he had gotten a hideous yell as a reward for his help. Ritsu said he didn't needed any aid.
The former student still felt disgust crawl up his spine, everytime he saw the bandage hidding his teacher's gouged out eye. Good thing it was night. So that sight didn't torture his vision.
"Ah... I always wake up like this... Then barely close my eyes until the morning." Ritsu nodded, beginning to search for his medication in the drawer. He gave Soubi a glimpse." But you're a deep sleeper usually."
"Do you know what's causing it?" Soubi skipped his teacher's last statement, but his concern still grew. Ritsu shrugged on the other hand, popping a few pills into his mouth and taking a glass from the nightstand.
"Nightmares..."
"Nightmares? Of what?"
"The past for the most part. Mother's death... Something similar." The silver-haired man strained his answer, haulting at his words. He didn't even glanced at Soubi, instead the silverette gave the attention to sourt out the tablets and packed syringes in his drawer.
"Don't you want to talk to someone about it?" Soubi spoke again, shifting a little bit closer to his teacher.
"You're tired, sleepless. How long do you plan to keep this up?" The blonde snapped finally, seeing Ritsu brush aside his gaze. Soubi reached for his arm, but the other didn't even mind.
"The wounds, your bad resting habits. Don't you know you're signing your death warrant? Do you really want this kind of state to continue?"
"Do you really want to waste your night with me? Go to sleep, Soubi-kun, enjoy it while you can." Ritsu eventually tilted his head to face his student, cutting the younger off.
But the blonde only pulled the silverette's hand closer to himself, so Soubi could reach Ritsu's shoulder quicker. Then he pushed his teacher into a laying position. The silver-haired man's face grimaced for an instant.
"Injured shoulder? Sorry..." Soubi murmured, laying sideways to look at him, then grasped Ritsu's hand, tangling his fingers with his." What do you say we try one more time? Goodnight, Sensei."
Ritsu looked at his student, who closed his eyes, still clenching the teacher's hand.
Back in the day, Ritsu would've loved this kind of intimacy... Now, he couldn't care less. Everything seemed blank. His life - absurd. The future - unknown and unwelcoming... While the past was still haunting and bringing more questions and guilt.
All of those made up problems nearly caused Ritsu to forget Soubi... Forget the one person who miraculously still hadn't left his side. Ritsu's parents, Sanae they all left, sooner or later. Then Hisho betrayed his trust all of a sudden with that recording of his... Just when did Hisho began playing the detective?
Nevertheless Soubi was still here... And will remain, as Ritsu guessed. He had nowhere else to go. Yes, Soubi will stay with him. Just like the enormous guilt, that struck Ritsu, every time he remembered Soubi's ears, that were now vacant from his soft blond head. The guilt of their disapearance will haunt the headmaster years to come; until his grave, decay, maybe even after...
Ritsu exhaled then, clenching the blonde's hand harder. If Soubi came back to him, perhaps that was a sign. Perchance Ritsu could make it up for the mistakes, that he'd been blind to?
Enough about that... The man scolded himself, then agitated for an instant, in order to get closer to Soubi's face. As expected a warm gush of air touched Ritsu's face. He smiled to himself, faintly seeing his student's form. He had to get some sleep, hopefully without nightmares this time.
Although Ritsu hadn't fell to the awaited slumber for awhile... And more memories surged through his brain.
The man reminisced... When he was running home. When he opened the front door...