A/n: Gah, rowen-Kun, you lavish affection on this humble fan fic author!…Please don't stop. XD I kid but thank you for your comments, they are such a fuel to my writing fire. Again, you have my thanks.
-Dark-
Ghost
Chapter Six
As expected, Muraki was making new friends with a few important people. Speaking with a few old friends, who had been 'Worried sick' about him, it wasn't surprising at all that his overall charming facial expressions held the mildest hint of disgust. I guess I was the only one to see it. Though, despite this, he was acting like the man he was meant to be, a good and friendly man that no one would think was capable of murder.
Funny, no matter how hard I try, I cannot see anything other than my murderous friend even when he acts so normal and so much like the man he would have been.
I could almost feel the frown forming on my face. Damn you, Saki. Forcing a humbled expression, I made my entrance. Meeting the first people near me, shaking hands I acted like the honored host I was expected to be.
Both of us were actors. I acted the part of a humbled host in a den of flesh selling and he acted charming and generous to dishonorable men. To these men, he was just a man who came here for the view and the food, not for the services beyond these walls. A good and clean man that they should get to know and respect.
I know he must hate them. How could he not? I hated them myself. I have my share of good customers, my favorites that I am truly humbled to be around, but the rest…I hate my job because of these men. Many of these men think I am an everyday, run-of-the-mill pimp.
Stupid ingrates. I am a man of honor. If you want to be rough with my girls, I will throw you out into public with your pants at your ankles before you will ever mistreat my girls. Expose me, I dare. See where that pathway leads you.
With that in mind…Why haven't I done that to Muraki? He's killed my girls before, mind you all of them were my trouble makers, ones I bought that refused to work and/or would threatened me often with going to the police. I couldn't gain their trust. I couldn't be their master. I couldn't let them go.
Muraki had made an offer to me. 'I will kill your burdens for you, Oriya. You just have to cover it up.' Funny, he does his own dirty work, doing a deed for me as well as for himself, and I clean up after him. It was the least I could do.
There's a split within me. I created this split within by making the decisions I have.
I got rid of the threats against Kou Kaku Rou and kept it safe.
I allowed my friend to kill women, to murder.
What the hell kind of friend am I?
Why had all the misfortune in his life happen? Was he truly meant to be a murderer or was he meant to be just a simple doctor?
His acting was always very good but I could see his real self beneath it. I've always known just what he may be feeling, even when we were kids. He was always smiling that generic smile of his but I could see he was, for the most part, lonely where he was. Maybe that's why I was 'worth being friends with'.
Throughout the evening, that single sliver eye kept a close watch on me, whispering things to me whenever I caught its gaze.
Would you mind if I killed this man, Oriya?
No, you mustn't do that, Muraki
I'm bored, get me tea, Oriya.
Yes, of course, Muraki. Be patient.
You look lovely in that kimono, Oriya.
Enough of that!
You look wonderful tonight, Oriya...
Stop staring at me, you pervert!
Stop being stubborn and come sit with me, Oriya.
No, I'm busy, Muraki
I spoke with him silently each time and, each time, he always gave me a look that he understood and his expression would change slightly, giving his pleasant expression a pout. He will just have to suck it up. He is not always at the top of my list. He's not one of the VIPs that help keep my business alive.
Muraki has always hated being turned away, to not be noticed by the one he so wished to have attention from. Sure, he had his share of friends but no one was there with him to share in any pain he had, to understand the feelings he had. I understood some of his pain, I think. I had a overbearing, cold, insult king of a father, no mother and constant feeling of responsibility on my shoulders. He had an adulterous father, a step mother who was always distant to him and as older half brother who…
Never in our history have I ever known him to be okay with losing. He liked winning. It was like crack to him, or something even though he didn't do sports. That's why, even growing up, he was always so pale.
Unlike my friend, winning wasn't everything. When he used to play games, he normally won because he was just naturally smarter than me. He only wished he had skills like me though!
Weaving though the dining area, I moved with a tray, toting dishes and glasses away, being humble and sincere with all that I did. I put so much energy into being the perfect host that I was beginning to notice myself becoming slower, more sluggish.
Ignoring my aching muscles and slight dizziness, I moved through the dining room with some difficulty. Occasionally, I would lay a hand on a customer to keep myself upright and always would have to play it off as me showing my humble interest in their current well being.
When I reached the doorway to the foyer, I shook my head roughly. I just need medication in me to function. Aiming for the employee bathroom, with medication in it; a hand came to rest on my shoulder.
Muraki was there moving me to face the dining room and he bowed to one of my serving girls and whispered into her ear.
What on earth was he doing?
"You...are not well again, Mibu-San?" The girl asked me and I opened my mouth to protest. Muraki cut me off.
"Mibu-San needs to get back to bed. He's still ill." Muraki spoke in his humbling tone and she blushed at him as his hand lay on her shoulder. Great, another one has a crush on Muraki. Just my freaking luck.
"Oh, well. I'll have tea brought up to your room, Mibu-San." She then bowed before walking off.
He led me away with a steel tight grip on my arm and a hand plastered to my waist. I could not protest without making a scene. Business would suffer if there was a scene.
"You... you had no right to do that!" I hissed at him as soon as we were out of earshot of anyone important.
"You did not see yourself." He commented to me as we moved, that face calm despite the heat coming from me.
"Screw you, I was doing just fine!" I said to his harshly, pulling myself away to violently, I hit the wall. I stayed leaning against the wall, dizzy and thankful for the wall. When the dizzy spell passed, I pushed myself off it and stood on my own.
Those eyes of his never left me
"Would you, for once, stop being so stubborn already and be grateful!" Muraki spoke in his own harshness that very few ever heard.
"Stop impeding on my business!" I shot at him angrily. Oh I was so angry with him! I hated it when he thought he knew best for me, that I needed him. It reminded me of Father.
"Fuck off!" I shot at him when he continued to stare me down with those stern 'I know what's best' eyes. Forcing myself forward, I was moving so fast that it surprised me that I could in my condition.
Bah, fine, let him have his fucking way! I'm not moving around and acting like an asshole but by damned if I was going back to my room!
Like my office was any better though… It was more by bedroom than my actual room was! Pushing open the door, I stared into the darkness and sighed. It smells like citrus based clearers. My girls cleaned in here, eh? Gr… I moved past the threshold and slid the door shut, now entirely consumed in the black.
Memory allowed me to move with ease and to my desk. Ah, my bills and so forth… Yes, I was unable to do these but thankfully Mother-San does these in my stead. The neat handwriting in my checkbook was hers, obsessive with keeping it in balance, and the books were kept up with in that same hand. Only thing that had my writing on it was my after image of the checks that had my signature on them.
I'm such a useless master. Truly, how I survived as long as I have shocks me. Me, who went all emotionally sick over a damn-
Enough. That's in the past. I'm back and better than ever, granted my stomach is doing summersaults but back. I clicked on the lap on the desk and began, cracking my knuckles one by one on each hand with my thumbs.
Reviewing new purchases and food bills, I found no errors. Mother-San is such a brilliant woman. But, me as the perfectionist, reviewed them still. Two hours later, I sat the check book and the record book aside and moved onto new bills and new orders and such. Before too long, I found myself staring the clock on my desk.
23:34
Damn, how did it get so late without me realizing it? I sighed. I didn't want to go back there. I moved myself to rest my arms on the desk in front of me and buried my head in my arms.
Something tugged at me but I found myself not too worried. I was getting better and I would be better by morning, no doubt. But that's not it… My business is fine, my girls are fine, bills are paid, orders were filled out. Everything should be fine. Why am I-
Oh, I get it.
I'm worried he'll leave me again. After all, I did snap at him like that. Two things will happen, One, he'll leave and won't come back for another three months or…I may get a visit from him later.
My god…I'm such a fool.