http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/essen05.txt </head><body><pre> I finally used up all of my Oyster jokes and finished Chapter five of Essence of Madness. If you noticed, I gave it a more suspenseful twist than I imagined... Hope this one more than makes up for the laughter I piled up on the Sakurazukamori... |P Take care, and enjoy...! "Not in the spaces we know, but between them. They walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen." -H.P. Lovecraft "The Dunwich Horror" Chapter Five I awoke from a long, dreamless sleep. My body felt sluggish with an almost drunken stupor... I don't recall drinking last night... I shook my head. No, no hangover or such. Just a state of intense tiredness. Groggy... from what...? Idiot. Of course you'd be tired. Summoning so many dead spirits and trapping them as suddenly? I'm surprised I didn't collapse then and there. Adrenalin, I guess. Or just that I didn't feel the fatigue until now. Damn, I need a cigarette. On the table lay a pack I had not opened the other night. This seems as good a time as any... I felt slight pain in my arm as I reached for the pack. And turned my palm to see a wide gash in the center. Fresh. Not more than a few hours old. How...? A chill ran through my spine as I immediately thought of Seishirou. But...? Why a cut? One cut... not even very deep, it means nothing. I could have cut myself while sleeping... but there was nothing sharp enough in the room to cut myself on. And most surely I would have felt it... [Grandson, I hope you harbor no thoughts of suicide...] Was I sleepwalking, then? Gash was clean, not jagged. Like a knife cut, precise and purposeful. I nursed my wounded hand as I walked out. Was I trying to commit suicide? "Subaru, where did you get that cut?" Julie looked at my palm with deep concern as she bandaged it. I was perfectly willing to bandage myself, yet she insisted on the duty. Almost as if she felt responsible for it, as Anna fussed around with some antiseptic and Charles seemed to chuckle lightheartedly everytime she fumbled with the cotton swabs. There was good humor surrounding Anna; Julie often told me that she was the clown of the group, often making people laugh. I would probably laugh at her jokes myself, if I only understood what she was saying. There was someone missing, though... "Julie... where did Richmond-San go?" The professor's face deepened, as though a great tragedy befell them. "Out. That was all he would say." Out? It was hard not to be suspicious of Richmond. Though I tried my best to understand him, all of his actions and attitudes made him all the more untrustworthy among the small circle of friends I had only recently made. As if he was a castout and enjoyed it. Like the mythical Ronin of ancient times, he served no master but his own will. And like the Ronin, he was somewhat abrasive to get along with. I sighed as Anna helped tighten the bandage. After this, I would desperately need some fresh air. Walking along the streets of rural Okinawa, one cannot help but think of the serenity that was normally lost in greater cities. Almost as if there were a certain kind of innocence that only a provincial area can truly capture. It saddened me to think that this such innocence of life could only meet me because of death. Lost in my thoughts, I scarcely noticed the military jeep that pulled over to my side. I stopped to see a pair of soldiers step out of the vehicle. A patrol, maybe. Not something to concern about. I paid them no attention at first, but then one of them, a large burly caucasian seized me by the arm and started screaming in my ear... I was dumbfounded; nothing of what he said made sense, and the fact that I was unable to comprehend his words only seemed to anger him even more. The square jaw barely mumbled out a poorly-accented sentence. "You understand Japanese No?" I nodded dumbly. "Hai. I speak Japanese..." The white man motioned for his partner, a black man, wearing a similar uniform, stepped over. "Sorry about that, mister... My partner here's a bit...rough." I still hadn't gotten used to foreigners speaking Nihongo. And the man's tone was less than apologetic. Military Police. Must be. Whatever it is, I must have done something stupid without my full knowledge. Probably trespassing... Whatever. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to intrude on your base." "WRONG." The black man's lips snarled at me. "What we want you to do is to stop questioning our staff. Is that clear? Drop whatever investigation your'e making." I blinked. "Staff...? I don't understand..." I felt a sharp pain as the black man jabbed his index finger into my ribs repeatedly, as if to nail home his point. "You do NOT get involved in a MILITARY affair, mister! I don't want to have to get pushy, but... I'm saying this as a friend... KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT of U.S. Military Affairs." The black man motioned for his partner, and both left quickly in the jeep. I stood rooted as I fought to keep panic from arising. Staff...? Linda, who else? She was the only person Iv'e talked to around here who has direct ties to the Okinawa Base... But what U.S. Military Affairs? I was investigating the deaths of an American research team, not Military in nature at all... Unless... I quashed the thought from my mind. No, why would Julie and her group lie to me? It served no purpose. In fact, if this were such a hush-hush military secret, why invite a non-American like me to investigate? It didn't make sense. Unless whatever the U.S. Military didn't want me to know was the secret behind all those deaths... Only then did it dawn on me how close I was to being mauled by a pair of American military brutes. The next hour found me walking aimlessly down the town streets. I was still shaken over the previous encounter with the U.S. Military Policemen, and debated whether or not to talk with Linda on this matter. True, the threat presented by the two military men were vague, but to risk it... Yet, Linda knew nothing of importance.... Why make me stay away? "Sumeragi-San!" I turned to see Kenichi Kaeda running up to me. I smiled as he approached. Ken was a very typical young teenager, energetic and emotional. A normal boy, raised in a more or less normal fashion. Unlike me. Ken was panting hard, though he had not at all workedup a sweat. His left eyebrow was raised, almost as if it were a query in itself. "I'm glad I caught up with you... Are you free for dinner tonight?" It was the most ridiculous question I had ever heard. "Uhhh... I think I can make arrangements... why for?" Ken grinned from ear to ear. "Well, my mom seems to like talking to you..." "Oh, I see." The truth is, I didn't. Ken's smile softened, and for a moment I remembered the way Hokuto used to smile. Almost without a care in the world, yet... There was something else about the smile, however... Something hidden, as it was with Hokuto... What was it? "Mom's expecting you at Seven-Thirty. Is that okay with you, Sumeragi-San?" I grinned back. "Yes, yes it is... and please call me Subaru; I'm not that much older than you are, you know..." Ken popped a thumbs-up. "Wilco. I'll let her know." The smile again. What was it about that smile that reminded me of my Oneechan? Ken sped off, happy-go-lucky as always... Wait... That was it. Hokuto always kept a cheerful facade, though deep inside she was every bit as sensitive as I was. That was the same feeling I felt in Kenichi's smile. As if he was keeping a secret of sorts and didn't want anyone to know. See the clown, see the big painted smile... You don't see the heartbreak behind it. As I walked back to Julie's house, I found Kenichi Kaeda to be as much a mystery as the Military threats and the murders were... Anna pouted as I walked out that evening. It didn't take a translator for me to tell she was quite jealous of the attention I was giving Linda Wang. Julie wished me luck, and hoped I would be able to get more info this time around. I felt it was best not to let the team know of my encounter earlier. Things didn't have to complicate any further than they were already, and I was pretty certain that Linda Wang knew nothing more than what she had already told me. Besides, as far as I was concerned, this was a strictly social visit. The night air was crisp and invigorating. Comforting and laughing at the pace I took as I strolled casually toward Linda Wang's house. I could almost picture the humor on Hokuto's face. <Subaru-Kun on a date? Will Sei-Chan be jealous or not?> A pained smile formed on my lips as I remembered. Had I known whatSeishirou was from the very beginning, would I have allowed him to be such a part of my life? The night wind lulled my fears. Telling me to relax... Wishing me peace... Let it go, if just for the moment... "Subaru!" I found myself smiling at Linda Wang as I walked up the porch. Smiling as I used to smile with my sister. I never had the chance to play the role of the elder sibling. Yet the good cheer that emanated from the Wang household was mainly because of the rapport I seemed to share with Ken. Linda was exceptionally cheerful, as she said Ken had few friends. I could not help but wonder, and as Ken excused himself to get some sleep, I found my opportunity. I felt a bit uneasy as Linda and I sat in the Living room, alone. "Ken seems to be a very sociable boy. Why dosen't he have friends?" Linda sighed. "Well, he has a few friends among the American Marines on-base... but somehow he dosen't seem to be very close among people his age..." "Why not?" She looked at me gently and answered my question with her own. "Would you believe me if I told you that your'e the first person Iv'e met since his father died that he's been this nice to?" I felt flustered. "Oh... I didn't notice..." "No worries, Subaru-San. My boy...well, he's different. Not like the other boys in the school he goes to. Partly because I'm a single parent now, and partly because he's half-chinese." Linda looked to the ceiling as she went on. "Ken... is just Ken... He keeps such a cheerful, good-natured front, but a mother knows... There's been something eating inside of him since his father died, and he never tells me." She looed to me, her eyes elequently conveying her meaning. "May I ask a favor of you, Sumeragi-Sama? If it's not too much..." My eyebrows lifted. "What favor, Wang-San..?" Linda sighed once more, as if she were taking a great weight off of her shoulders. "Can you promise me to take care of my boy if anything happens to me ...?" Oh dear... That IS a hard promise to make. Indeed, Ken is a good boy, but... "Wang-San, don't joke like that... I believe nothing wrong will happen to you or your son... besides..." Besides, what? I was stuck in midsentence, unable to continue. What do I say? "You were saying, Sumeragi-San...?" I felt like my clothes suddenly turned to iron shackles. "Nothing... I... well, I felt that you shouldn't be so morbid about things like that... It's not becoming of you..." Linda nodded. "I guess. Maybe Your'e right, Gomen for my foolishness..." She looked straight ahead, as if fixated on something. "It's just that Kenichi... is afraid to be close to anyone nowadays. Including me. I just felt that he was opening up to you... almost as if he could relate to you somehow..." I felt like laughing. How could a happy-go-lucky fifteen-year old relate to what I went through? It was absurd. But then again... I was fifteen once, too. I just wasn't as good at hiding my true feelings. The walk home was quiet and uneventful. I wished that it was always this peaceful. Small place, little trouble. I blinked as I realized I had my hand in my jacket, reaching for a pack of cigarettes I had finished off earlier. Damn, this is really turning into a full-blown addiction. No sense in whining for one; at this time of night, vendors would have already packed up for the day. No better chance finding any on this lonely road home. Movement. I flicked my head to see a shape in the trees. No sound, just a body moving quickly through the small underbrush along the road. A bum, perhaps? Suspicion did not let me believe so. I crouched low while diving into the brush myself, trying to avoid making a noise that would reveal my presence. My feet gingerly trod the soft grass beneath. And the figure moved quickly and silently. I smiled to myself, thinking that this was all too much like a Samurai movie. Yes, one where the lead character... Samurai, of course... Would follow a Ninja to his secret headquarters and find the entire coven of Ninja waiting. An all-too ridiculous plot for an equally ridiculous movie. Samurai. Peh. I could no more be a samurai than Obachan could be a Catholic. No way. And yet the similarity struck me. Wasn't Seishirou, in his own devious way, like a Ninja, preying on the innocent? And wasn't I like Samurai, hunting him down to the ends of the earth? Fool. Keep your mind on the target, not your self-pity. Seishirou is not the problem now. Focus. Smell something...? Like the stench of rotting fish. This far from the bay? Impossible. Like the scent of fish decaying after a week of exposure to the sun. A disgusting, oily smell you'd normally expect in a market. The figure stopped, and I ducked my head instinctively. That was when I noticed the footprints. Wet, smelly footprints. "Like dead fish..." I blurted. The figure suddenly went back to its quick and yet somehow casual gait, seemingly oblivious to me. I thanked the stars I was wearing my darker clothes this night. Stupid, but it came in handy. I picked up after the figure, and that was when I noticed that it glistened under the dark semi-light of the moon and stars. A jacket? But it didn't rain tonight. Forget that. Your answer will come when you find where it's going. My back was crying out mercy after what seemed to me like hours of trackin. It couldn't be helped; If I stood erect, the man would definitely see me and either run off or shoot me. Assuming he had a weapon. Damn, I'm not supposed to be doing this much footwork. Well, there's nobody left to do the legwork for you, Sumeragi. I glanced at my watch. Eleven-thirty. Julie would be worried sick by now. Not to mention that it was tenpting to just give up this chase and get some much-needed shut-eye. I'd been following the guy nearly an hour already, and he seems like going nowhere. I ought to just give up. But curiosity held strong. What WOULD drive a man to walk for almost an hour, maybe more, through wild brush and... Uh-oh... He's heading for open farmland. And making good time, too. I never saw a person run that fast, and yet so silently... Take a chance, or you'll lose him! I dove in after him, trying to mask my silhouette with the shadows of the night clouds. It seems to work... for now... The figure ran still... I wonder if he saw me? Run. My feet just powered forward. Why am I doing this? This is out of my league... Run. I heard the man murmuring... deeply, as if garbled. The figure turned a corner and leaped. I ran after it. YIKES!!! I skidded to a halt just in time. The crazy fool jumped off a cliff...Nothing but ocean out there... Had it not been for the glitter of the waves in the moonlight, I would most certainly taken an unscheduled dip. The man must have been insane to leap off like that... Insane... Crazy as a loon. Suddenly I recalled the garbled words the man spoke just before it leaped off into the waters of the night. Assuming it was a man... "Tekeli-li..." </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>