It had been a few weeks since Sakura's attack, and it was now Nene's week. So far everything had gone well, despite it hurting to say goodbye. There had been a few issues here and there but it was probably common when helping spirits pass. Everyone he had helped seemed happy near the end. Though a part of him couldn't stop thinking about if there was something else.
Something he had missed. After all, it was still new to this whole spirit thing. And while Murasaki was helping, even she admitted that ghosts weren't always easy to handle.
At the end of Sakura's week, Karaat had kissed her, saying, "Payback, for the bite." The smile on her face had been beautiful and she looked like she was in bliss for the last hour or so of her time in this world. He was pretty sure he could hear her singing as well when he went to get them a drink to share before she left. He had to admit, it was kind of cute.
The week with Kotoha was a bit harder. She didn't quite understand that her father had moved on after her death for some time. It had caused quite a few arguments. And at some points he wanted to give up, or even yell at her. But at the last day, he put all his energy into their events. And, luckily, he managed to kiss her and send her off with a small blush and a smile!
Mari was, well, to put it bluntly, a miscalculation. Given she was the most childish, Karaat had accidentally started to treat her more like a younger sister than anything else. Even worse, since his mom now knew about the deadlies, she started to grow attached to them. And the one she grew attached to the most ended up being Mari. She treated her like a daughter, which, at the time, Karaat thought was good since it was a way for Mari to experience the love of a mother. It was clear Mari appreciated it. Unfortunately, when she did pass, his mother grieved as if she had lost his father again.
Ichiru's week was a long one full of trying to do cool things like smoking and fighting thugs. They had both gotten quite a few bruises and he was pretty sure if he ever smelled cigarette smoke, he might throw up. Though, Shizuku's week was the most intense. Near the end of her time she has pulled him to the side and said she needed to tell him something important. All of the deadlies were linked by one important factor. They were all killed by Chiyako's grandfather, Mikanagi Jirou. He had been a modern age mad scientist who killed all of them.
It was the middle of the night about three days into Nene's week and Karaat shifted in his bed, starting to toss and turn. He had gone to bed early, the day being a long one of roaming the town and checking out various places to eat as well as spending time with Nene. He was dreaming, well, to be more exact, he was having a nightmare.
"You should have done more for us!" Sakura exclaimed, crying. Tears were streaming down her face and not only did she look sad, she looked pissed! "You were basically trying to throw us out, just getting through the week as quick as possible. Like it was just some silly little goal and none of it mattered. Why didn't you try harder?!" She was saying the same things he had been hearing from every girl. They were surrounding him as he knelt on the ground apologizing over and over, almost like how Sakura was when she bit him. They sometimes talked over each other, or took turns. They focused on telling him how he messed up, what he could have done better. It was almost too much to bear!
Tears streamed down his face as he listened to them over and over again. He didn't know what to do! He thought he had done everything right! He asked them what they wanted to do and did his best to fulfill those things. Cursing, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I tried. I didn't know what I was doing. You have to believe me; I would do anything to help. Please, don't yell at me!" But even as he said that, the yelling got louder. And then, he could hear another voice joining, or maybe it was another Nene. Was that even possible?
"Karaat, Karaat, hey Karaat, wake up!"
Karaat suddenly sits up and pushes away whatever was near him shouting, "I did what I could! Leave me alone!" To his horror, the person was actually Nene, the one he was currently trying to help. He had pushed her so hard that she had fallen off the bed and on to the floor, where she was looking at him in shock. Before he could register what he had said, or had a chance to even think of a solution to fix it, Nene burst into tears, rushing out of the room. Damn it all, him and his big mouth! He knew he should follow her, say something to explain himself. But he just couldn't. He didn't have the energy.
Collapsing on the bed, he groaned, trying not to remember the nightmare, how the girls surrounded at him, their faces contorting with pain and sadness. He never wanted to see those looks on their faces again. He had done everything he could! And yet, he felt like it was not enough. He just wanted to hold them all close and apologize for his idiocy. Though, he had to remember, he soon would never be seeing any of them again. They would never smile at him, or laugh, or call his name. Soon, once all these weeks were over, they would be gone. And then what? Did he just go on with his life as usual? Finish his summer and just go back to that friend of his?
And even if he did, what should he say? Ever since he saw the disc, he hadn't even contacted the friend. Though, to be fair, the friend hadn't contacted him either. He knew he was probably busy with a summer job or something but still. Wouldn't it be polite to check on a friend you dared to watch a cursed disc? Or was he being dramatic now?
Trying not to think about it, he sighed softly and glanced over at his phone, at Chiyako. It was charging on the nightstand nearby, though he wasn't even sure if it needed to be charged. Or maybe it needed to be charged more given a ghost was in it. He hadn't even bothered to find out. Though, at this point, they had more important things to worry about.
His room was designed similarly to the guest room, though he had a few posters of his favorite things. He also now had a few books on ghosts that Murasaki had let him borrow. He tried to read them, but it wasn't that easy. A lot of the concepts were pretty abstract, which definitely didn't help with his attention span. He mostly had manga on his bookshelf, though there were a few books, including some of his old textbooks from the past few years. His desk had his last years set of textbooks as well as some manga and a laptop which he used mostly to play video games or browse the web. He hadn't been doing that lately this summer either. Every moment had been focusing on the girls and how to help them.
Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Chiyako, I need a moment." Thankfully, she understood and turned off. Sighing in relief, he hugged his knees. He was an idiot, a damned idiot! He couldn't do this! He felt like he was failing them. These girls didn't deserve this! They needed someone better, someone who could handle the issue! But unfortunately, he couldn't just not do it.
It's not like he could abandon them, especially in their time of need. They were in a time and area they didn't understand. While most had gotten a grasp on technology, they still needed someone to help out. And he had volunteered, knowing, at least for the most part, what was going to happen. Backing out now would only be doing the same thing the deadlies in his dream accused him of. And he couldn't, no he wouldn't do that to them!
Sighing softly, he took a few moments to let his tears slow to a stop. Once he felt as composed as he could be, he got up, feeling bad when he heard Chiyako let out a surprised gasp at being grabbed. But he needed to find Nene. He needed to explain himself! Muttering an apology, he looked at the time. It was almost one am. He needed to find her and quickly!
Getting up from the bed, he unplugged the phone before reminding himself he should put some actual clothes on! He turned on a lamp on his nightstand and minutes later found a t shirt and jeans to put on. Once one, he grabbed Chiyako, muttering another apology as she gasped. He really needed to remember to warn her when he grabbed her! He wondered what it felt like. Was it like being grabbed around the waist, or was it around the arm? Or was it in a more personal area? Blushing at the thought, he shook his head. He needed to focus and find Nene!
He looked through the house, even outside but after several minutes, he cursed under his breath. Nothing, she was nowhere to be found. She must be in town! Dreading that thought, he rushed back inside. He had to find her, and quickly. Minutes later, he was in the doorway to his house and was putting on a hoodie, about to leave. As he opened the door, he jumped as he saw Murasaki standing in the doorway. "What the hell? You scared me!" He hissed, trying to be as quiet as possible. He did not need his mom to wake up and find out one of the girls was missing. He was already going to get quite a scolding from Murasaki.
Murasaki looked up, tensing as she saw that Karaat's eyes were red. Immediately concerned, she reached up, putting her hand on his cheek. "Woah, what's going on? Why are your eyes red. You were crying, weren't you? And don't deny it, just the red eyes alone give it away!" Karaat shook his head, frowning. He wasn't going to deny it. He probably looked like a mess. But he could explain that later. Right now, he needed to find Nene, before something happened to her. "I messed up. I was having a dream, well a nightmare, and when I woke up, Nene was right there, trying to wake me up. I'm not sure if she knew that I was having a nightmare but that doesn't matter. I pushed her, lashing out at her. I even shouted at her! She ran out of the room and once I calmed down, I started looking for her but she's nowhere to be found. She might be in town! I need to go look for her! I want to apologize. And I want to make sure she's safe." He wasn't even going to question what she was doing up and around late at night. Sure, it was the summer, but they always stopped hanging out around ten each night so she could get home safe without having to worry about creepy guys.
Murasaki sighed softly, knowing that this was bad. Technically, the girls were still bound to the blu ray disc. The good news was, because of that, they couldn't leave town. Still, they had to find her as soon as possible. Especially since that didn't protect them from physical harm. Nodding, she moved to the side, muttering, "Try not to use your stand unless it's absolutely necessary. Be careful." When he nodded, she opened the door and smiled, "Go get her. I'll hold down the fort and explain things to mom in case she wakes up." Once he thanks her, she shakes her head. "Less thanking me, more finding her."
Karaat nodded, hugging her anyway. He really was grateful for her. He didn't know what he would do without her, especially this summer. It had already been a version of hell, though he did appreciate his time with the girls, or deadlies as they were called. Focusing on the task, he smiled and said, "I promise I won't use my stand unless necessary. Thanks again for everything." He then ran off, heading into town.
A few weeks ago, after the Sakura incident, she had explained the ghostly arm to Karaat. He had a stand, which, in its simplest terms were a physical manifestation of a person's life energy. The arm had been part of his stand, which meant he was a stand user, just like she was. And just like her father was. Her own stand was Space Oddity which was humanoid in appearance. The head resembled one of an astronaut with a helmet on, though below the head, there was a climbing harness which had up and down arrows all over the body which would light up when it was needed. Karaat had only revealed one part of the stand, the arm so far, but she had a feeling more would be revealed over time.
He hadn't known what to make of the revelation when he told her, and in a way, he still didn't. She had done her best to explain it, but he felt like he had been dreaming. If he hadn't already been living with the deadlies, he probably would have laughed in her face. But it was real, just as the deadlies were. She had done her best to help him summon it, though so far it was only an arm or two. Still, she did say it would help him if he ever got into trouble.
About an hour later, Karaat was frustrated and tired. He was looking all over but he couldn't find her! Just where could she be? He was about to go to another direction when he heard some laughing near the park. He swore he had checked the park about twenty minutes ago, but honestly, at this point, he wasn't so sure. And that's when he saw them. There were two boys, well men actually, surrounding someone he recognized instantly. It was Nene! And she was definitely uncomfortable. The two boys were clearly trying to hit on her and he felt instantly jealous. He wasn't sure why he felt jealous instead of concerned, well it was actually both. But he wasn't going to think about that right now. He knew he shouldn't make a scene so he did his best to calm down before carefully approaching. As he got closer, he could hear what they were saying.
"I said no, I'm not interested." Nene said calmly, though she didn't feel calm at all. All she had been doing was swinging at the park wanting to clear her mind. That's when these guys had approached and started talking to her. They were clearly drunk and their plans were ones that made her shiver in fear. Having had enough, she moved to stand up. But as she was standing up, one of the guys grabbed her. She winced, trying to pull away, looking annoyed. Damn it, what was with these guys?
"Aww come on, don't be like that! It'll be fun for all of us, I promise you." The man said, his friend chuckling. He leaned in, smirking as he whispered, "We'll take good care of you, I promise." It was clear what they were up to as they looked at each other. They were keeping close, making sure that she couldn't pull away and if she did, she wouldn't be able to move too far with being grabbed. As the other man moved to grab her, he heard someone shouting and he rolled his eyes turning to see who it was.
Karaat had had enough and instantly started rushing to them. "Hey! Leave my girlfriend alone!" Both stand arms were now summoned and as he rushed towards them, the man that had been laughing rushed over and grabbed him, pulling him away from the one that had his hand around Nene's arm. He struggled, cussing as he saw how scared Nene was. She was trying to be brave but he could see tears forming, especially when the man started to squeeze her arm, tightening his grip on it.
"Oh, this your girl?" The man said, grabbing Karaat and twisting his arm, smirking when he cursed in pain. "Too bad, little boy. She's ours now! Now, don't worry, we're going to take real good care of her. We're going to have our way with her and she won't even think about you once we're done with her! Not like a little bitch like you could satisfy her anyway! You see, we're real men, unlike your scrawny pathetic ass!"
Nene frowned as Karaat cursed in pain. She tried to move towards Karaat when she felt a hand on her waist. Cringing at the touch, she glanced over as she was quickly pulled against the man, her arms being held in place. She gasped and cringed as he licked her cheek. He reeked of booze and sweat! Everything about him was disgusting, nothing like Karaat! Struggling, she turned to Karaat, noticing how he was struggling with the other man as well as what he was saying. They had to get out of here! The wet spot where she was lick made her shudder and she struggled but the man was too strong.
"Let her go, damn it! She doesn't want you fucking creeps! Nene, it's okay. I'll save you; I promise." He cussed as he was tugged roughly, hating how weak he felt. He had to keep her safe! He wouldn't let this happen!
The man holding her chuckled, "Oh yeah and you're doing a great job of it." He smirked and leaned in, licking her neck. She was a good find! Maybe he would be nice to his partner and let him go first, especially since he was the one who noticed her on the swings. It had been kind of creepy, he had to admit, but she was cute enough. When she shuddered at the lick on her neck, he smirked triumphantly and said, "There, you see that little bitch boy! Pro tip, that shudder means she's having fun already. I'm sure a little bitch like you wouldn't know anything about that! She sure tastes really good. In fact, I might just lick her all over while I'm having my way with her. That way she knows that you'll never be able to call her truly yours. That is, if we let her go!" The man laughed, keeping his grip firm on Nene's arms. As Nene whimpered, he smirked. "Oh, don't worry, we'll take good care of you, Nene, was it?"
Karaat was pissed! Seeing how Nene was shaking, he growled and moved suddenly. All of a sudden, he found strength where he didn't have it before. Like a damn breaking, his bravery and strength surged and for once in a few minutes, he felt like he could do this! And that's when he saw them, the by now familiar ghostly arms. He had summoned his stand! Or at least part of it. His stand's fists punched the gut of the man that had just been restraining him and within a few blows, the man had fallen to the ground, groaning in pain while clutching his stomach. Stepping over him, he scowled, his stand's fists clenching as well as he was trying to keep his temper under control. He wasn't going to let them hurt Nene! He knew Murasaki might scold him later for using his stand, especially one someone who couldn't see it but he didn't care at this point!
"What the hell? How did a nerd like you fucking do that? What the fuck are you? Ahh, little bitch!" The man cussed as Nene had stomped on his foot to get away. Before she could get far, he managed to grab her and turn her around before punching her hard. What he didn't realize was that he now had Karaat seeing red. Suddenly, a blow hit him hard. Confused, he cussed. "What the... What the fuck?" All he saw was the guy get closer before a barrage of strong blows pummeled his body. He couldn't stand a chance! Seconds later, the final blow hit and he was sent flying into trash cans a few meters away.
While he couldn't see his assailant, Nene could. A man stood behind Karaat, or at least a man like figure. The figure was in a black suit with a fez on his head but no mouth. And like before, cuff links in the shape of saxophones and now dark red shoes. When he had punched the man, all Nene could hear was a noise that sounded like a saxophone. Karaat was a stand user and this was his stand. Nene was a deadly so she could see the stand, though the two men could not, which explained the man's confusion. Well, that, and he was drunk, which probably only added to the confusion. She watched as the stand pummeled the man without remorse. After a few moments, the stand had finished the attack and once he sent the man flying, he returned back to his master, Karaat, leaving both men that attacked her groaning and barely conscious. They would most likely survive, but they would have quite a few broken ribs to remind them of their actions and the consequences of them. Hopefully that taught them a lesson, thought Nene doubted it.
After a moment, Karaat seemed to come to his senses and immediately rushed to Nene, crying and hugging. She could hear him apologizing for lashing out and asking if she was okay. At first, she thought he meant about the attack that just happened a moment ago, but then she remembered about when she was trying to wake him. He was apologizing for that! Smiling to herself, she hugged him tight, taking in his scent and how comforted she felt in his arms. Soon, she was crying as well. She couldn't believe what had happened in the last few minutes! Sniffling after a few minutes, she blushed, looking up at him. "You, you called me your girlfriend and you rushed to defend me. I really don't know what to say right now. I never expected this! And please don't apologize for what was said in the house. I'm sorry for running off."
"Don't apologize. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." He held her close, trying not to think about what would have happened to her if he hadn't gotten there in time. Or, even worse, what would have happened if he hadn't been able to summon his stand and had to fight those bastards on his own. Shuddering at the thought, he rubbed her back, focusing on calming down. "It's okay, you're safe now. That's all that matters, okay?" When she nodded, he smiled and held her close.
It took them a few minutes to calm down. Karaat was relieved she was alright, but his mind and body were also reeling at what could have happened if he hadn't gotten there in time, something he would probably think about more than he should. And, the fact that he even called her his girlfriend! Though that was probably the better train of thought, even if it was probably delusional as all hell. As they finally calmed down, or as calm as they could be, he decided to risk it. He leaned down and kissed her, blushing as she kissed him back. As much as he wanted to keep thinking about what happened, he wanted to avoid focusing on the pain that was attached to the incident. So, after a moment, he blushed and muttered, "We should probably head back. Murasaki is waiting for us."
Nene smiled and kissed back, and after a moment, she looked up at him and reached up, stroking his cheek. "Sounds good. And thank you for coming to save me. You were really brave." As he blushed, she smirked and nudged him. "Hey, I mean it!"
"And now I'm embarrassed." He laughed softly and picked her up. After a moment of smiling at each other, they started to head back. They left the two men where they were, not wanting to deal with what happened that night anymore. Most likely, either someone would find them or they would come to and hopefully get seen at the nearby hospital. If not, he really didn't care, though he knew some would say that he should. Right now, he was just glad Nene was safe.
As they walked back in silence, Karaat was relieved to see Nene smiling at him. He never wanted to forget that smile.