Author's Note: Well… I like that you guys are postulating theories on what's gonna happen. However, long ago, I used an inductive method of reasoning to guess at the circumstances it would take for Kyohei and Sunako to fall in love. Because let's be honest, some people need some pretty specific circumstances. I know I need a bottle of tequila, a hypnotic bass-line, and toe socks.
So here's some more. It may be awhile before I update again. I'm taking this class, you have heard of it, it's called STATISTICS and it's killing me. And not in a friendly sledgehammer to the head kind of way. No no, my friend. It's a Lucrezia Borgia kinda way, slowly poisoning me with Extract of Math over an extremely long amount of time. How appropriate to PGE. Anyway, I will try to write, but I've got nothing in me to write with except some humors with which to wet my nib.
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And so the five Japanese tourists found themselves following Ricardo back to the small church, where Noi again waited at the top of the stairs. They trouped down into the mausoleum together, and Yuki began crying again at the bottom of the steps. As Takenaga dragged Sunako into the hallway by one ear, Ranmaru awkwardly put his hand on Yuki's shoulder comfortingly, determinedly staring at his feet.
"Ow ow ow," Sunako chanted crossly, stumbling over her feet. "I said I don't know where he is.
"Go on," Takenaga snapped, shoving her ahead. "Go find him. Where'd you leave him?"
Huffing, Sunako stomped down the hallway. It was dimly lit by the light at the end of the hall, and she had only a candle in hand. She held it up high over her head, admiring the way the flicker of the flame made the mummified bodies look alive and ravenous for human flesh.
She nearly tripped over him.
Bending down, she saw him curled up in a tiny ball in the center of the hallway, fingers digging into his shins, eyes closed tightly against the darkness.
"Kyohei?" she asked, nudging him with a toe. When he did not move, she repeated, louder, "KYOHEI." And then she kicked him roughly in the knee.
He winced and opened an eye tentatively. He said nothing, and she hunkered down next to him.
"They made me come back for you. I brought you some of my toast, would you like it?" she held out some nearly burnt toast half wrapped in a paper napkin. He stared at it. She leaned over her shoulder and hollered, "I DID IT. HE DOESN'T WANT IT."
She looked back down at him.
"Where am I?" he whispered, and began shivering.
"Uhm…" she looked thoughtful. She could tell him where he was and then watch as his mind exploded into a tiny frightened pieces. And then wait for the other three boys to murder her. Or she could lie and they could possibly go home. "The basement of the hotel."
"Can you hear them?" he whispered wildly. "They are telling me to fall down. And now fall up. They are singing into oblivion, into nothingness, into…"
"That's not how my poem went at all," she snapped at him. "If you can't even remember it right, don't say anything at all." She leaned in close to jab at his face with a finger in emphasis, but when he caught sight of her face, cried out and pulled back. "Stop that."
"It's too much," he moaned, covering his face. "No, go away."
"I can't go away, we need to leave," she said, grabbing his arm. "They're all waiting for us. And there are lunches we could be eating. Enchiladas, tamales, tacos, and churros. I don't want to miss lunch, because I hear that there is a siesta afterwards and no one ever lets me nap, so this is my big chance."
"You're too bright you idiot!" he snapped, hands still over his eyes.
Annoyed, she pulled her sunglasses off and forcibly slammed them onto his face. His hands fell down to his sides and she got up. He slowly stood and slunk behind her toward the stairwell cautiously.
When they got to the boys, Takenaga looked incredibly relieved. Yuki was still crying, but Ranmaru quickly dropped his hand and shuffled away from him. They all leapt toward Kyohei to make sure he was really and truly still alive.
He yelped and dashed back into the darkness of the tomb.
"What the hell, get back here!" Ranmaru yelled. "We came all the way down here for you!"
"I don't wanna come get you in there," Yuki wailed.
"What did you do to him?" Takenaga demanded of Sunako, who was rocking back and forth casually on her heels.
"Nuthin'," she said with a shrug. "I even gave him my sunglasses."
Ranmaru glared at her for a minute, then flashed her the sexiest smile he could manage. Which, all things considered, was pretty sexy.
Shrieking, Sunako covered her face with both arms and flew back into the shadows.
"STUPID. DUMB. CREATURE. OF THE LIGHT!" she howled, panting with the effort.
"Well, then get Kyohei back," Ranmaru retorted.
"I'm here," came Kyohei's uncharacteristically weak voice. "I'm okay. I'm right here."
Sunako, shading her eyes, blood dripping down her chin, stomped out of the shadows, grabbed Ricardo's candle, then stormed back down the mummy hallway. There was a shuffle of feet, the sound of a scuffle, Kyohei and Sunako hissing and smacking at each other, and then more footsteps.
A few seconds later, Sunako emerged, Kyohei stumbling behind her, one arm in her viselike grip. He was scowling, glasses firmly over his eyes. Her scowl was deeper though, as she was using her free arm to hold up the candle, and she squinting heavily. She shoved the candle back into Ricardo's hand.
Pleased, Takenaga reached into his pocket and handed her his sunglasses. She snatched them away and sulkily let get of Kyohei's arm to put them on.
He backed toward the shadows, and all three boys grabbed his arms to stop him from wandering back in.
"Stooooop," Yuki whined, tugging on him. "I wanna get out of here."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ranmaru demanded.
Kyohei said nothing, just went completely rigid as they began to drag him up the stairs. Sunako and Ricardo followed them.
"It's so bright," Kyo whispered in terror. When he saw Noi, he made a small noise of displeasure and his nose began to bleed.
"How flattering," she beamed.
"No no no," he moaned, fighting to get away from the boys. Ricardo quickly shut the door to the catacombs and locked it. "I need to leave. It's too bright."
"I know, right?" Sunako exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "It's ridiculous! All this bright sunny prettiness! Why did I pick this stupid country? I hate the Mexico!"
"No!" Ricardo gasped. "Without the Mexico, we would not have las mommias!"
Sunako paused. "Hmm. Las mommias…" she mused dreamily. She and Ricardo both smiled and sighed happily in unison.
"Let me go, you morons!" Kyohei snapped, wrenching his arms out of their grips. "God dammit, I have to get out of this light before I melt." He swiped an arm across his face angrily, smearing the blood across his skin.
They all grabbed him again and carried him, kicking and screaming, back to the hotel. Sunako and Ricardo walked behind them, discussing the Mexico, las mommias, and El Dio de Las Muertos. Noi trailed behind them both, wondering why she was always left out of these things.
At the hotel, they brought Kyohei to the dining hall. His nose was bleeding so heavily Yuki had pulled off his own shirt to sop it up and press against his face. This had only exacerbated matters, however, as Kyohei's nosebleed got worse and Ranmaru's face turned a charming shade of crimson and let go of Kyohei's legs long enough to get kicked in the stomach.
"Dick," he grunted, turning away from them to grab at his stomach.
"Ass hat," Kyohei spat back. He wrenched his arms free from Takenaga and Yuki and darted beneath the table. Sunako sat in a chair, pleased with herself, and picked up the menu.
"Molé!" she declared and looked at the menu a moment longer. "And horchata."
"Get out from under there," Takenaga ordered, leaning over and looking under the table. Kyohei's knees were drawn up to his chest, and he was looking around the room nervously.
"Drop dead," he retorted.
"Would you please talk to him?" Takenaga asked Sunako after he straightened up. She sighed. "It's your fault he's gone all sociopath overnight," he pointed out.
Sunako dropped to her knees and crawled under the table.
"Hey."
"Hey," Kyohei mumbled.
"There's fried shrimp tacos on the menu," she said pointedly.
He shrugged, unimpressed. Surprised, she settled down into a sitting position and looked at him.
"You didn't eat my toast and you didn't eat all of yesterday," she said. "You eat more than all of the other brilliant creatures combined. Maybe you should have something."
"I'll eat it under here," he said into his knees.
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded crossly. "You can't eat under a table in a restaurant. You can't even do it at home!"
"What's it to you, woman?" he muttered, making an obvious attempt to not look up at her.
Since he was wearing sunglasses, Sunako lifted her own sunglasses off her face to give him a dark, dirty look. He glanced up at her, and his nose began to bleed heavily, and he let out a terrified noise.
"Stay back!" he gasped, crawling backwards, away from her. She watched him, surprised. "You radiant… thing! You… beautiful monster!"
"Where?" she gasped, looking around, behind her, hands on her sunglasses to protect herself. She frowned, confused, when she saw no one. "No, it's just me."
"Stay back," he moaned, and covered his head with his arms.
"Seriously, I want some tamales for lunch now," Sunako said, looking up at the table. "How long is this going to take?"
"You BROKE him," Yuki said accusingly, bending his face down to peer under the table.
"He's not broken!" Sunako argued. "I can fix it. Get me… some duct tape. And some cotton balls. No problem, he'll be good to go in an hour."
"He's not a kitchen sink," Takenaga said sourly, lifting the tablecloth and looking at them.
"Who would fix a sink with cotton balls?" she asked him scornfully. "It's your turn down here, I want tamales."
She began to get up, and Yuki and Takenaga both shoved her back down.
"You break it, you bought it," Takenaga told her firmly.
"That does not make any sense at all," she told him somberly.
"You eat when he eats." Ranmaru now stuck his head under the table.
Kyohei was making small horrified noises and rocking back and forth. They all looked at him. Sunako sighed.
"Fine, then we're having lunch in my room. With the curtains closed."