http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/essen07.txt </head><body><pre> I plead guilty... |) I was listening to Eric Burdon's Acid rock version of "House of the Rising Sun" while completing this fic... maybe that's where all the Kenichi Angst came from... |P The latter part I wrote while listening to the X-Files theme, so please feel free to burn me at the stake for this... |) Hope you guys enjoy... "They bend the forest and crush the city, yet may not forest or city behold the hand that smites." H.P. Lovecraft Chapter Seven The swelling on my head has gone, but the seriousness of the matter hasn't. The US Military are still watching over Julie, myself and the others since the incident at the cliff. Damn, I can hardly go anywhere anymore without having a pair of MPs tailing me. Even when I go out to mail Obachan, they come along. I'm not sure, but I have the nagging feeling that they intercept the letters, as well. Be paranoid enough for everybody, they say... And the Military folk outside make the most paranoid bunch Iv'e ever seen. I was beginning to think that Julie may have been right about Richmond being hit in the head once too often; I started thinking he made sense. I needed a breath of fresh air. Julie was still concerned about my forehead, though not as incessantly so as Anna was. It took some convincing on my part to allay their fears. All I wanted was to stretch my legs... Besides, with all the military presence around here, there was very little else any of us were capable of doing other than passing the time. I tarried slowly along the streets of the town, glancing back occasionally over my shoulder. Yup. Still there. The Military Jeep stood out like a sore thumb in the traffic. It was obvious that they were not making any effort to remain hidden. Apparently, they felt a visible threat would deter us. Deter me. Inside, I wondered if it was working. I cursed myself as I groped my coat pocket again for a cigarette. Habit, nothing. This was a full-blown addiction. Cursing inwardly, I strode into a nearby store. The cooling white curls of smoke did little to calm my nerves as the day wore by. Nothing to do but wait. And watch. And walk. While the steely eyes of two uniformed Gaijin were boring through the back of my head. Surprising how one can walk for quite some time yet not know his own destination. I hadn't realized that I was already outside of the town. Trees and countryside greeted me as a long lost friend returned. It was a beautiful feeling I would have liked to enjoy more. Trees. A sound of striking. I stopped to listen. Sounds of wood being struck by... Sounds of labored breathing... I fought the impulse to run as I recalled the two in the jeep following me. Yet the noise was so queer and yet so familiar... Feet quickening in pace; not a walk, yet not a run. It was with a little surprise that I saw a young boy striking angrily at a tree. I wasn't so much disappointed as I was humiliated... A silent voice within my soul chided me for jumping to conclusions. The boy seemed angry; he was striking the tree with an almost unholy fury, consistently barraging it with his fists. I could hear the expletives flow freely from his breath as he struck time and again... Wait...! I took a close look. Kenichi. Linda's son. I approached him slowly and silently, as he gave the tree his full concentration and spite. I could hear his expletives grow more bitter and pained... And that his fists were already drawing blood. What could it be that angers such a young boy so...? I recalled our previous meetings. The cheerful smile... Hiding something... Hiding what...? I felt a heavy hand grab me from behind. A strong grip fixed on my collar and I saw the transgressor. The black Military man. From the look on his face, I knew he wasn't at all happy to see me either. Both hands shook me and I felt oddly like one of the rag dolls children play with... "---YOU AGAIN?!?!" The dark-skinned face was close enough for a kiss. Though that must be the last thing in this man's mind... "You know, green-eyes, your'e like a FUNGUS, turning up in places where you don't belong!!!" I don't know where I got the guts to answer. Maybe it was spite, I don't know. All I know was that it exuded a coldness of tone I had not expected. A cold of the soul. Cold like Seishirou... "If you didn't notice, sir... This is Okinawa, a part of Japan, not the United States. So I would like it =very= much if you would let go of my coat and talk to me like a normal human being..." The black man puttered a few incomprehensible words, but then let me down... Though not without visible reservations. "All right pal. Tell me why your'e here. You got ten seconds." It was with aloof dignity that I straightened my coat. "I went out for a walk and wanted to look around the countryside. Is that in itself a crime...?" The soldier folded his arms akimbo. "And what did you do to the kid...?" Kid...? Of course, Ken. Linda said he had a few friends among the military men. "I know him. I and his mother..." I and her what...? "...are acquaintances. I just found it odd that he'd be here." A gruff snort was his reply. "And you expect me to buy that story?" "RIO!!!" The black man and I turned. Ken was walking toward us. I could see him cradling one arm as he bandaged it. I hadn't the foggiest idea how he got them. "Rio, stop it. Subaru's a friend of mine." The black man he called Rio snorted. "You sure, kiddo?" Ken nodded. And that cheerful smile again. "Sure. Don't worry... I'm old enough to take care of myself." The big man's eyes softened. "Okay... But I still think you shouldn't go out thwacking trees when you feel like it." Rio didn't wait for an answer, but turned to me and gave me a sharp look. A look that warned me to watch my steps from now on. He turned on his heel once more and strode away. Ken grinned slyly at me. "Don't let it get t you, Subaru-San... Rio's big but he's really a softie at heart." I absently nursed my head, recalling the rifle butt. "I bet..." Sigh. Relief. Had Rio been truly violent, I would have... The thought brought a sudden weakness to my legs. Had Ken not caught me, I would have keeled over. "Whoa... Subaru, you okay...?" I grinned. Shellshock, I guess. No way. Ken slung my arm over his shoulder and carried me a slight distance. I nodded my thanks as he put me down gently by the tree. I smirked dryly. "I didn't think I cold have the guts to stand up to him like that." Ken sat in a lotus position next to me. The boy pulled up a metal lunch case and opened it, I could see the bandages and a sandwich inside. "Give yourself some credit, Subaru... Want a ham sandwich...?" I laid back against the tree. "No, thanks anyway." I watched as he cheerfully bit into the sandwich and felt that all of this was merely for show, for my benefit, it seems. "Ken... Do you come here often...?" He nodded as he chewed lightly on his meal. "Every now and then. Training, you know..." I frowned. "Getting your hands all bloodied isn't exactly what I'd call training." An off-handed glance and a smirk. "You get used to it. Besides, no pain, no gain, right?" I wasn't sure whether he was avoiding the subject or simply trying to act tough. But I was sure that what he was telling me wasn't the whole truth. "...And what does your mother say?" Silence. Ken stood up and swallowed the remainder of his sandwich. After a few minutes of staring into the sky, he finally replied. "She dosen't know, and I don't think she'd want to know." I propped myself with the tree as I rose. A sigh as I gazed at the sky, wondering what he was looking at. "Why? I'd think your mother..." "---SHE'D NEVER UNDERSTAND!!!" Ken turned on me with hate in his eyes. The fierceness of his remark shocked me as I stepped back. Fury. Rage. The same rage in which I saw him possess in my earlier dream... Just as sudden, almost apologetic, Ken softened his mood. "Sorry... I don't know where that came from." The smile was muted now. He was still trying to keep up the act. But I was beginning to see some of his cheerful facade fall apart. I regained composure enough to reach for his left hand. The bandage did little to hide the raw flesh and blood torn apart underneath. I held the hand up to his face. "Try me, Ken. Why do you do this?" He pulled the hand away with a snap. But the anger had completely left him. "Look, Subaru-San... I'm sorry for snapping at you, but..." Look in his eyes. Inside he was crushing his own hope for understanding. "...You wouldn't understand." I folded my arms. "Does this have anything to do with your father's..." My voice trailed away as I was lost on how to continue. Ken looked at his bandage, bloodied fists. "It's more than that." I winced as he struck the tree once again. How could he strike like that and not feel pain, I wondered. He looked to me with a sharp, almost unearthly stare. "Do you know that when you imagine someone or something... as your worst enemy... You don't feel a thing...?" I closed my eyes. Who do you imagine as your enemy...? "Is that why you do this...?" Ken's eyes wandered to my feet. I could see him close them as he stood. Like a child alone. As if he was always alone. "When my father was dying... He stood by and did nothing." His teeth grit as he spoke. Ken's eyes lit up in anger. Sarcasm dripping like venom. "I guess we should be thankful he didn't kill him with his own hands, right? Damn him and all his kind." Curiosity. "Ken, what makes you think it was intentional...? From what your mother told me, your father died of cancer. You mustn't blame anyone..." I licked my lips silently. "...especially not yourself." Ken bent over to pick up his lunch case. "I'm sorry, Subaru... I have to get going..." I nodded. Kenichi isn't a little child, but neither was he a mature adult. I shouldn't be there to nursemaid him. As Linda said, he needs guidance, not a preacher. He was halfway to the road when I called once more. "Ken, if you need anything..." He turned, yet still walking away from me. "Look, I know what my mom wants you to do and it's sweet of you and all, thanks---but no thanks... I can't drag you into this." "I... Understand..." I dropped the subject entirely, contenting myself with seeing him walk away. Yet I heard his voice one last time before he disappeared from my view. "...I can't drag you into this." Drag me into what? As if I wasn't in enough hot water already... "No, Obachan... I still need a few days..." I wasn't really listening to my grandmother on the phone; although dinner had been excellent, cooked by Charles, I was far and distant. Even Obachan's phone call after dinner did little to cheer me up. "Ahh... Gomenasai, Obachan. I had something on my mind." Really. The words on the phone were unintelligible as I thought of what dark secret the military had, will all this paranoid secrecy and all. Just as mysterious as Kenichi Kaeda's outburst this afternoon. I heard Obachan's "Sayonara" at the end of the line. "Uh... Sayonara, Obasama." I put the phone back onto it's cradle. In truth I didn't pay attention to a single word my Obachan had said. Julie was at the end of her rope, as it seemed that everyone she had contacted pertaining to the Miskatonic team's death suddenly grew silent or became totally unwilling to help. Charles was cheery, but he failed to lift our spirits. Anna was able to find very little on the history of Okinawa, but it was obvious that there was no connection between Miskatonic's research and the deaths... It appears there was absolutely nothing connecting what we found on the cliff days before and the deaths of the Miskatonic University team. But if there isn't any, why the military presence? And if what wev'e found is true, why cover it up? Unless there was something else we don't see... Something not in the physical world... Unfortunately the only spirits that knew what really happened are insane. It wouldn't be too wise to attempt to contact them again. We all sat silently in the Living Room/Study for awhile, but soon I felt drowsy. It was best for us to turn in, and everyone, including Richmond, voted agreement. I lay in bed for most of the night, awake. I toyed with the idea that Ken's little secret and this bigger mystery would somehow be connected, but immediately nixed the thought. As far as I know, none of this made any sense. A group of scientists killed. Reason unknown. A mysterious man or thing running around at night. Also Unknown. Dead little animals, killed exactly like the scientists. And then there's the sudden military presence in the area. Richmond's theory is a cult of sorts. Yet Anna was unable to find any pertaining literature to that effect. And I had no knowledge of any cults in Okinawa... Especially not of any that went around killing Gaijin scientists and tearing their hearts out. Wait... Could the Military be responsible...? I shut my eyes, to travel into the world beyond. A dream. Again. I looked around, and I was in Okinawa proper. What...? In front of Linda Wang's house. The door, open. Inviting me to walk through. Oh well, a dream can't hurt you... Can it? Step across the passage. If you dare. I put my bare foot through the door. It was then I realized that I was still wearing my sleeping Gi. And I hadn't even bothered to wear shoes. There was an icy coldness as I walked in, unnaturally cold. No, not icy cold. It was more a clammy feeling... Like the dampness of a cave... It seemed to speak to me. To tell me. That nobody lives here anymore. I shut my eyes as I made my way into the Wang household's living room. Reminding myself, calming myself. It's only a dream, it's only a dream... None of what it has shown you so far has any meaning or impact. A scream. A cry. I rushed up the stairwell, shuddering. Remind yourself it's just a dream... It can't be real. It musn't be. I felt a chill as I ran up. A scream. Linda Wang's scream. I slipped just as I got to the top floor. It felt real. But it can't be. As I got up I noticed the footprints. Wet, smelly footprints. "Like dead fish..." I blurted. A stark terror seized me as I realized that they were the same prints as the ones made by the mysterious man in my night encounter. Slimy, wet. I picked myself off the floor, running towards the direction of the scream. A door. Open it. I jarred the door open. There was Linda Wang on the floor, sitting spreadeagled. In her sleeping robe... Horror of horrors... I thought of rape. But no; her clothes were immaculate. As if she suddenly dropped from a standing to a sitting position. I felt her neck. No pulse. Heart attack...? No, this can't be. It's just a dream... Another scream. Turn. Ken. I know that voice. I peered out the door in time to see Ken's limp body flying towards the stairs. There ensued a shuddering crunch as his body slammed into a wall. What in the...? I looked to a large figure. At first I thought it was the military man, Rio. No... No, this was more massive. In the half-light I could see nothing. Except... Except for the scales on it's arm. The eyes glowing like a cat in the darkness. No... Coming for me... The eyes were ripping into my very sanity... "NO!!!!" "Subaru!" I was torn from my dream by Julie. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized it was a dream. A dream, nothing more. Julie...? Her face was crestfallen. "Subaru-San..." I bolted upright in my bed. Some dread told m not to find out. "What is it... Why...?" "Subaru..." Julie was close to tears. "...Something's happened to Linda..." My blood ran cold. Images of the scaly-skinned man returned to me. "...Wha...What happened...?" "Kenny's in the hospital... Wang-San..." A pause. Yet I knew what she wanted to say. I gripped the bedcovers until my knuckles whitened. "She's dead..." </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>