Click, Click, Slide
Chapter VIII: Ayame's Invitation
Dislcaimer: I pledge to be more scary…….. and I pledge to eat ice cream!
A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't update is like, two months…… School started, I'm having a fit, and like, blah, end of the world for me. No, no it isn't, and heh, I love horror-ness.
Unfortunately I cannot write personal letters to everyone :sigh: anymore due to rules and all……. so I shall say this……. I LOVE YOU ALL! AND I GIVE YOU ALL CHIPS! WITH PEPSI :gives everyone chips and pepsi: bwahahahhahaha……
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Kyou gawked at the empty room. He could've have sworn seeing an enraged wild Boar and sick-in-both-ways Sohma leader, glowering at him just a moment ago, yet they were there no more. It was only him, Uo, and the rain, falling freely upon the roof.
"Wow, Kikyon, you're getting weirder by the day," she raised an eyebrow, taking her back-hand and pressing it on Kyou's forehead, "Nope, no mad-ness fever in check."
The orange-head ignored her comment and pointed at the door. His response was weak, yet fear peaked within each syllable, "A-Akito…….. you saw him just now didn't you! A-and you even asked if it was him!"
Arisa turned around and gazed at the door skeptically then turned back to the cat, "uhm……. All I recall doing was watching T.V……. Are you sure you don't want to breath in some fresh air?"
Kyou was on the verge of banging his head repeatedly on the wall once more. He didn't even remember seeing the blond watch T.V.! Last time he saw her, she was reading the poem over again!
"Okaaaay, let's go outside, you need some fresh air dear orange. You look very green at the moment and that's not the orange's normal colour," she said half amused, while dragging him up, and outside. Kyou was snapped back to reality once a raindrop had dropped over his nose and glared at the sky. Either he's gone nuts, or the sky had been covered in eternal darkness, like a tapestry of wickedness threatning to engulf earth right after the atmosphere. It was odd, it had stopped raining but the raindrops were still heard throught the distance and-……..
"Yo, Kikyon! Hey, snap out of it moron!"
A hand waved in front of his eyes as Kyou shook his head and gazed at the source of life, his friend, Arisa, "uh?" he mumbled.
"Uh? Uh! It looked like you were about to tear the umbrella in half!" she pointed to the handle of the umbrella that was connected to a polyester-fabric-roof who shielded both of them from the wetness.
"Sorry……" Kyou mumbled once again, ruffling his hair and massaging the temples that had started to ache, "It's just……. I don't know, everything's becoming so weird…….. Maybe he's giving me warnings?" he thought out-loud.
"What warnings? Geez Kyou, I sure seem to be filled in right now," they started to walk, seemingly nowhere at first.
The puddles beneath their feet splashed as even more water soaked the darkened asphalt.
The rain dropped faster and faster, hurting the bare skinned.
The slow drumming calmed, and eased minds.
But Kyou couldn't grasp the consept of emotions that were running through him. It was like a rainbow, each and every colour, just atleast ten times darker.
"No……. It's nothing……." His tone was so soft, it took Arisa atleast ten minutes to understand what he had just whispered.
She sighed of exasperation then whipped the umbrella off, now exposing them both to the rain. That did the job, it seemed to have Kyou back into the shrouded darkness of a world.
"Hey! What gives! Don't you know I hate rain!" he pulled the umbrella back over their heads, huffing out in anger, "What is it you want! This stuff's personal, not like you'd understand anyway!"
Usually, the yankee would've probably started yelling and retorting back, but nothing came, instead, concerned and piercing eyes met his. He surveyed her for a moment, usually, the sunny rays of hope always gave her a perfect shine, angelic almost. That was at the time where he'd recognize her as someone playful, rash, reckless, tempered and even protective, but this time the rain had almost shown her like someone he'd never seen before. Someone……. of composed, wise and understanding personality.
"Oh well you look at that!" A high pitched voice rang through their ears as they both jumped several paces back, staring the figure who had just spoken to them. His pure-white hair shone from under his umbrella even through the lack of light. It just seemed super-shiny anyway, "What you all doing outside in this rain? Come in! Come in!" he smiled brightly while ushering them into his store.
"You HAD to stop here of all places!" Kyou spat though gritted teeth at the dumbfounded blond.
"Well how was I supposed to know we stopped here? Besides, why is that a problem?" she shrugged, a bit happy of the warm and cozy place they got invited in…….. with a lot of frilly dresses O.o……
"THIS is the problem!" Particularly aimed towards the clothing and owner of clothing store……..
"Oh, my dear Kyou-kun! What brings you here on a fine day?" The snake flicked his hair, smiling warmly at his visitors.
"Fine day? You call this a fine day?" the younger male spat back, hunching his shoulders over and looking away……. In other words, his usual mode, but as he turned away within the distance……. Where most dresses were displayed, was a shadow that loomed there…… it quickly disappeared after catching Kyou's eye.
"Hey Kikyon, what's the matter? It's like you've seen a ghost," she grinned, playfully punching the cat's shoulder.
"And what if I told you I have!"
"Now, now Kyou-kun. What has Akito-sama taught you? Oh uhm…… Well what has one of his rules related to?" Ayame eyed the displays too, raising an eyebrow at the empty-ness the teen had just pointed out to.
"What!" he snapped, sitting down brusquely on the puffy sofa, furnished with white. Soft fabric and a table decorated with matching doilies. The wooden furniture held fragile cups neatly places on the four corners of the table for tea.
"Tsk, tsk. Akito-sama said, 'If you don't defeat Yuki, then you shall be locked up inside- MmMmMmPH!"
Kyou had tackled the older man down, desperately covering his mouth until he quiet down, "Shut up!" he whispered to Ayame's ear, "She can't know!"
The white-haired man nodded despite the strength it took and the pain against the floor. As they stood up from the floor, Arisa's mouth twitched, "Yuki, fight, locked up, what?"
"Akito's just a friggin' weirdo okay!"
"Uhm….. okay……"
"About the ghosts Kyou, Akito-sama asked me to give you this……" Within a flash, Ayame took out the envelope from his red jacket gracefully and showed it to Kyou, "He said something about a curse, and how weak you are……. But I'm only giving you this when you leave!" The snake smiled, then returned to Arisa, "So…… are you and Kyou like…… you know……."
"No, and who are you again?" Uo brushd off the question easily, but not without a bit of a remorse biting down on her heart.
He paused for a second, seemingly a bit deceived from her answer but nonethless answered in his usual care-free tone, "I am none other than the stress-free Ayame Sohma!"
Random confettis were thrown around.
"I own this store for men's fantasies and this is my assistant!" he motioned his hands towards the woman who had just appeared, dressed in latest, if only too bright, fashion.
"Konnichiwa! I am Ayame's dear assistant, here to help!" her overly large glasses sparkled in the lights.
Kyou squinted and shielded his eyes awkwardly, only to get an amused smirk from his partner, Arisa.
"Please sit down! I have made tea and cookies and hot tea and cold tea and……."
This was sure going to take awhile.
.
"Oh, a curse you say? From your school? That is chasing you at the moment?"
It had seemed like hours, which were most probably hours that had passed by anyway. The orange-head nodded furiously, for the millionth time.
"Okay look, we need to GO!" he rose up from his seat while dragging along Arisa who seemed oddly quiet this whole time.
"Aww but Kyou-kun! I was going to tell you what beating Yuki applies to lying about ghosts!" Ayame rose from his seat.
"I don't need to know! And ah!" The black figure loomed once again through the stalls.
"And ah? I guess it's new fashion to say ah? We always love to say ah and……" the yankee remarked sarcastically while the orange-head just growled out in frustration.
The clouds ouside remained lanked with darkness, roaming and circling above the lands of Japan. This sure wasn't Kyou's day.
"Ah well, fine! I guess I should hand over that last parchment of the poem book you have and that I bet you haven't noticed the last torned page! Aha! I spare you from the whole reading of it!" he waved around a yellowed paper, much like the ones from that ancient head-chewer novel.
The kitty's eyes became as large as saucers as he desperately tried snatching it from the older, and MUCH taller man……. Like a kitty without success…… "Gimme! Stop it! Now!"
"Mmm, well, fine," the piece of paper flapped in the air and occasionally flew up once again after Kyou desperately flapped in the air causing much havoc.
"You're hopeless……." Arisa snatched the paper from mid-air and read out loud, "A sin upon sin,
you are but trapped inside a pit of darkness,
Cold washes up until it becomes freezed frost,
Yet unable to wake up,
I give you the answer feline,
You are merely trapped in a dream,
To become nightmare,
Show her,
Tell her,
Believe in her,
After your true form has been revealed……
Well was that ever informative……… A nightmare? True form?" Arisa seemed to be helplessly scratching at the bottom of her brain for an answer.
"True form! Ah! I mean…… This piece of crap is nothing! Let's go find mr Ugly and kick his arse!" he acted as though he knew nothing about it.
"Wow, such spirit, there must be something you know about this Orangey……"
In fact he understood everything. So many details and so much about them that it hurt to know. Ayame continued on about something else, handing them both a card to his shop as he waved goodbye along with his assistant. That white-haired man, he was sure hyper and nice in some way noted Arisa.
Out they were in the rain once again, walking slowly on the sidewalk in hopes of solving that curse any day now. The cars swished passed them one at a time, occasionally splashing Kyou who walked on the side where the streets remained but it didn't seem to bother him.
"You know……" Uo broke the silence as a smile spread across her face, "That bracelet, those clothes, those pants, I've always seen you wear the exact same. It does fit your style best and although that, what made you choose those particular colour of beads for you bracelet?"
That topic seemed to have frozen his insides again as his stmach lurched to the triples, "What? What's so special about my bracelet?"
Arisa shrugged and went on, "I guess I see you everywhere with it. Just a question, don't freak out," she smiled at his panic-struck face.
"………………"
Maybe he did need to show her his true form to end it all. But, why was that the solution? If this old man with poetry obsession was right, then it was worth a try. Yet he couldn't bring himself to picture Arisa hurt by his own hands.
They arrived back home silently, aware of Tohru's arrival from her cheery voice that rang from the kitchen.
"Kyou-kun! Uo-chan! We have a visitor!"
Both wondering who it could be, they both rushed to the kitchen where Tohru remained smiling and motioning her hand towards a tall male.
"Akito-sama wants to see you and your girlfriend at the Sohma house-hold tomorrow at eight in the morning," the man suddenly announced, catching tohru off guard as she squeaked slightly. He had a handsome face, an a slim body, yet seemed a bit unhealthy and pale, "My name is Kureno. Nice to see you once again Kyou," he forced a smile that sent chills in the Orange-head's spine.
"Oh, finally, we get to see this Akito of yours Kikyon. Wonder what he wants," she smiled back at Kureno who seemed oddly weird at the moment.
"I-I have to go back…… Cya, thanks Tohru," Tohru nodded at the departing man who left without any further hesitations.
"Hum, how about I help you cook dinner Tohru?" Arisa turned around and started to take pots from the shelves. The little riceball smiled happily and agreed as they both went to work peacefully.
Kyou's stress level seemed to go up and down today, but right now, it was at the too-high-I'm-gonna-blow level where it threatened to make him faint……. Or in his case, blow. He sighed and tried to relax, maybe if he stared outside at the rain it would calm him down.
The windowpanes slightly buckled at each impact of a raindrop as it shielded the ones inside. Kyou sat down beside it and gazed lazily outside. The street was empty and cold, bared no signs of life whatsoever. He must've dozed off because there was this contant ringing sound in his ear instead of Arisa and tohru's voices constantly bickering.
Bzzz…
Bzzz…
His eyelids slightly drooped.
Bzzz…
Click….. it echoed
Bzzz…
Click…..
As soon as the cat realized what he heard in between the buzzing, a bloody hand shot out and slammed against the window, sending Kyou back a couple of paces. He stared at it in horror as it slidled back down……. Everything became calm again, even the two girls haven't noticed anything.
That's when Kyou looked at his reflection on the glass window……
"No……"
Slide……. Click…….. click……
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A/N: I HAVE FINALLY UPDATED! Yaaaayaa! Now review and make Lenne-Lenne happy. I know, it's like, getting less scarier, but like, what do you expect? Approaching to the end ya know?