R & R
Title: R & R
Author: shyone
Genre: supernatural; drama
Pairing: Gackt/You; Chacha/Ju-ken
Rating: pg
Summary: Chacha and You rent a house for a little rest and relaxation, but sometimes rest and relaxation is not so restful.
edit: for whatever reason, lj won't let me edit tags so this is not a series, and there is no gackt/you/chachamaru pairing. stupid lj.
R & R
The band spent the week before Halloween playing so many pranks on each other, it became impossible to tell what was real, or a trick, or, on the rare occasion, a treat. And who was the main perpetrator? Well, Gackt, of course. And so band members were “fired”, a car was “stolen”, shoes were glued to the floor, a stripper was hired, an apartment was cleaned out by “vandals”, and poor You was totally surprised and devastated to be “served” with a paternity suit. All before Gackt finally treated everyone to a well deserved party and time off from practices and training.
You and Chacha took this chance to plan a little r & r trip to Okinawa, and were finally able to prevail upon Gackt to take some time for a much needed rest, too.
So Gackt’s driver loaded the suitcases into the back of the car, and they jumped in and were off for a well deserved vacation.
“Wait, we just passed the exit,” Gackt said as the car sped past the exit for the airport.
“We’re not going to the airport,” You responded.
“Well, we’re certainly not going to swim to Okinawa!”
“No, we’re not,” Chacha said. “You-chan wouldn’t let me make you swim, so we’re taking the ferry.”
“The ferry! It’ll take forever to get there!”
You turned in his seat to look back at Gackt. “Two days, Gacchan, two days. You can manage to live without work for two extra days.”
Gackt turned to look out the window again, and grumbled. “Well, I don’t see why we couldn’t fly.”
“Chacha doesn’t like to fly.”
“Paybacks,” Chacha murmured as he watched the traffic pass by on his side of the car.
“What?”
Chacha turned toward the singer. “Paybacks,” he repeated. “You knew I had just gone to the doctor and was waiting for test results. And you sent me a nurse and scared me half to death!”
“I wanted to make you feel better.” Gackt gave his guitarist a leering grin.
“SHE WAS A STRIPPER!”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”
Chacha clenched his fists, fighting back the urge to punch someone. “No, it didn’t! Ju-ken was less than pleased. ‘specially when he found out she wasn’t for him.” As Chacha mumbled that last part, his frown deepened and anger sparked in his eyes again. “You-kun, can’t we please make him swim? Please?”
“Now, now, Cha, we don’t want to give some poor, unsuspecting shark indigestion, do we?”
“Where is Ju-ken, by the way?” Gackt asked.
“He was dis-invited.”
“Oops.”
~~~~~~~
Despite his displeasure at having to “waste” two extra days on the ferry, Gackt had to admit it had been a pleasant trip, and he’d managed to get a lot of work done. The fresh sea air and the leisurely pace had given him time to unwind and let his muses take over, so that when they reached Naha he had actually convinced himself that it was the best idea he’d come up with in a long time.
~~~~~~~
The house that You and Chacha had rented stood high on a hill surrounded by lush gardens and trees. A narrow path ran down to the white sand beach and blue-green sea. It was a beautiful house, and they couldn’t believe their good luck on getting such a beautiful place on such short notice, and at such a good price.
They parked their rented car and stepped up onto the porch where they found Ju-ken lounging with his feet propped up on the railing, drink in hand, enjoying the warm, flower-scented breeze. He instantly stood up, gazing longingly at Chacha. “Um, hi, guys. How was your trip?”
Gackt frowned, forgetting just how much he’d enjoyed it when he saw that Ju-ken was already there. “Slow.”
Chacha glared at the tall bassist. “How did you get in?”
“You never took my key back.”
Chacha’s grip tightened on his suitcase as he pushed past Ju-ken and stomped up the stairs.
Ju-ken gave Gackt and You a weak smile and hurried after his angry lover. “Can I help you unpack?”
You turned a grin to Gackt. “Is that what they call it now? ‘Unpacking’?”
Gackt snorted. “Guess we can start dinner without them.”
~~~~~~~
You started to set the table while Gackt made a salad as they tried not to listen to the heated argument going on upstairs.
You shivered and shook his head as fingers trailed lightly across the back of his neck. “Stop that. You know how sensitive I am there.” He turned around and found Gackt across the room, knife and carrots in hand.
“Stop what?”
“I thought you... hmm. Nothing, I guess it was just the breeze blowing my hair.”
~~~~~~~
Chacha and Ju-ken seemed to have called a truce when they came downstairs for dinner, and volunteered to clean up while You and Gackt walked down to the beach. The night was warm and the water felt good as they walked along the edge of the waves that lapped at their feet. Suddenly You stumbled and fell into the water, just missing hitting his head on a large piece of driftwood.
“You-kun! Are you all right?” Gackt held his hand out to his lover. “You’re shaking.”
You laughed nervously as he took Gackt’s hand and got to his feet. “I... it felt like someone grabbed my ankle.” He looked down and found a long rope of seaweed wrapped around his ankle.
Gackt wrapped his arm around You’s waist. “Maybe we should go back.”
When they reached the house Ju-ken and Chacha were sitting on the porch. Chacha looked up as they approached. “What happened to you?”
“I’m going in and get some dry clothes.”
Gackt sat down on the porch and leaned against a support pillar. He explained how You had fallen.
“You know, I’ve heard things in the house,” Ju-ken said. “I thought I was just being paranoid and decided it was just the wind, but now I’m not so sure.”
“C’mon, Ju-ken, we came down here to relax and leave the Halloween pranks behind. Right, Gaku?” Chacha looked pointedly at the vocalist with his most ferocious glare.
“Yes, mom,” Gackt answered meekly.
~~~~~~~
You pulled off his wet pants and shirt and pulled dry clothes out of the wardrobe. Again he felt the sensation of a light touch running from his shoulder and down his back. ”You’ve come back. I’ve missed you.”
You shivered. He thought he saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and turned quickly, only to see the sheer white curtain blowing in the breeze from the window. Shaking his head, he finished pulling on his shorts and buttoning his shirt. “I must be over tired.”
As he started back downstairs his nose began to tingle; he looked around with a frown. Incense? But the scent dissipated when he reached the first floor, so he just shrugged it off and joined the others on the porch, sitting beside Gackt. “Did you guys smell incense?”
“Incense?” Chacha sniffed the air. “No, just flowers.”
Gackt pulled You closer and wrapped his arms around him. “You’re not getting sick are you? Maybe this little vacation is coming just in time.”
You grinned at him. “I told you it was time to take some time off. I’m fine.”
~~~~~~~
The next day dawned sunny and bright.
You was going through the cabinets and refrigerator, calling out things to Chacha who sat making a list of things You felt they would need for their stay. Finally, he was done.
Gackt was at the kitchen table talking to his grandmother on the phone. “I had nothing to do with this, Gran, You and Cha rented a house up north...
“Here, she wants to talk to you.” Gackt handed his phone to You and smirked.
You didn’t say anything for several minutes. As he listened his eyes begged Gackt to intervene.
Gackt just stood up, still smirking, shook his head, and took his coffee outside.
“Yes, ma’am. Yes, we’ll be there in two days, I promise.” You smiled in relief as he ended the call.
A cold draft moved over him and a voice whispered, “Soon.”
He looked around. Chacha was adding a few things to the list; apparently he hadn’t heard or noticed anything. You poured himself some coffee and turned to join Gackt on the porch, trying to put the voice out of his head.
Chacha ripped the list from the tablet and shoved it at Ju-ken as he came into the kitchen. “Here, you and Gaku are elected to go shopping.”
Ju-ken took the paper that had been shoved into his chest and looked over it at Cha. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Just do it.” Chacha stomped out of the room.
As Gackt and Ju-ken left in the car, Chacha walked out to the porch and watched the car disappear down the street.
“Aren’t you being a little harsh, Cha?”
Chacha sighed and sat down heavily in a chair, pulling his hair back from his face and up into a ponytail with a rubber band from his wrist. “Sometimes I wonder just where this is all going, you know? I know he loves women; that was obvious when the stripper showed up. Do you think he really wants to be with me? I’m so much older than all you guys. Would he be happier with a younger woman? Maybe I should end it now, before I get in too deep.”
You cocked his hip on the porch railing and smiled at the petite guitarist. “I think you’re already in too deep.”
“I could do it; I could give him up.”
“And I think he wouldn’t have come all the way here if he didn’t want to be with you.”
“I could go back to being single.”
“And I think he’s trying his best to show you just how much you mean to him, if you’d just let him.”
“I could start encouraging the fangirls.”
“And I think you should just shut up and accept his apology and have some incredible, mind-blowing make up sex and put all of us out of our misery.” You gave Cha his most endearing smile. “Ok?”
~~~~~~~
Chacha lounged back in his chair in the shade of a large beach umbrella. “I’m glad we came up north, away from the tourists and school kids on holiday.”
“Mm, it’s peaceful here,” Gackt agreed.
Just then Ju-ken came out of the water with his arm wrapped around You’s waist as You leaned on him obviously in pain and, together, they hobbled up the beach to where the other two sat.
“You-kun, what happened to you?”
Ju-ken let You drop gently onto the sand.
You grimaced in pain, but tried to smile. “Ah, it’s nothing. I just got stung by a jellyfish.”
Gackt was immediately by his side. “Let me see. Ju-ken, go see if we have some vinegar.”
Ju-ken immediately started for the path that led back to the house.
“And call the doctor, too,” Gackt called after him.
“I don’t like the look of this; it’s already really swollen. Chacha, give me some ice from the chest.”
Ju-ken came back with a bottle of vinegar. “I couldn’t call the doctor. None of the phones are working; I couldn’t get a signal.”
“Shit!” Gackt poured the vinegar over the sting, then pulled off a tentacle that was stuck in the back of You’s calf. Then he took off his shirt and ripped it into long strips. He wrapped some ice in a piece of the fabric, then tied it into place with the strips. “We’ve got to get you some help.”
Chacha looked startled. “Gaku, it’s just a jellyfish sting.”
Gackt stood up and put his hand down to You. “Can you stand?”
You took his hand and struggled to his feet, the pain almost causing him to pass out.
“Habu jellyfish are poisonous. People have died from their sting.”
Ju-ken quickly moved to You’s other side to help Gackt maneuver You back to the house.
By the time they made it up the path from the beach, Chacha was standing by the car, motor running.
~~~~~~~
Gackt pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital and jumped out of the car. He and Ju-ken raced to open the back doors of the car where You lay on the back seat with his head pillowed in Chacha’s lap, his breathing labored and harsh.
You struggled to push himself out of the car; Gackt held onto the ankle of his injured leg as he slid forward out of the car. You shivered.
Gackt looked up with a worried frown. “You-kun, your foot is already cold, you're losing circulation.”
A security guard came out of the hospital. “You can’t park here, this is only for emergency vehicles.”
Gackt spun around. “Get someone out here now! He’s been stung by a habu jellyfish.”
Two emergency technicians hurried out with a wheel chair and whisked You away.
Gackt leaned heavily against the car, his head drooping.
Chacha turned from watching You disappear. “He’ll be alright, right?”
“I think so. He didn’t immediately go into shock or stop breathing.”
Ju-ken turned around. “You mean he could be dead by now?”
Gackt pulled out his phone to call his grandmother and tell her they’d be delayed. He looked up at Ju-ken while he waited for her to answer.
“Well, a worst-case scenario, yes.”
“Man, I’m never going in the water again.”
~~~~~~~
Several hours later Chacha and Ju-ken sat on the porch. Storms clouds obscured the moon, and the trees blowing in the wind drowned out the sound of the sea.
Gackt came out and sat down. He picked up a glass of tequila from the table beside him, drank it down and immediately poured himself another.
“How’s You?”
“He’s asleep.”
“Maybe we should go home.”
“Yes, we should. There’s something in this house.”
Ju-ken shivered, thinking about the time he’d spent alone there before the others arrived. “Have you felt it?”
“I was stupid. I didn’t want to acknowledge it.”
They sat and talked for a while longer. The wind became stronger, and suddenly the skies opened up and rain poured down.
“I’m going back upstairs to You.”
As he climbed the stairs a cold draft wafted over him.
Gackt quietly opened the door to the bedroom he shared with You. You was nowhere to be found. “YOU? YOU!” He hurried from room to room, looking for his missing lover. He looked up at the sound of a creaking floorboard and the smell of incense, and raced from the bedroom to the attic stairs.
~~~~~~~
Chacha and Ju-ken watched as a cab appeared out of the rain and stopped. The driver climbed out with an umbrella, and helped Gackt’s grandmother out of the car. She was followed by a man dressed in the robes of a Shinto priest.
“Where is my grandson?”
Chacha and Ju-ken both stood up and bowed to the old woman. “He’s upstairs with You.”
She eyed the two men. “Go. Get out of the house. Go to the car and wait.” Then she entered the house with the priest trailing behind.
Ju-ken and Chacha took shelter in the cab, and the driver backed slowly down the drive, but stopped, still in view of the house.
~~~~~~~
Gackt opened the attic door carefully. Light from the hallway spilled into the room. He saw a small altar at the end of the room with a photo of a man in a military uniform. Below the photo sat the burning nub of a fat candle and a small bowl of sand with two sticks of burning incense. A translucent figure knelt in front of the altar, praying. Then he saw the body on the floor.
You lay on a white sheet in the middle of the room. Shadows from the wind-whipped trees outside the windows danced eerily over the body whenever the room was illuminated by brilliant streaks of lightning. Rain pounded on the windows like ghosts seeking shelter from the storm.
The chanting continued, and, as Gackt watched, a gray mist began to enter the room through the windows. It swirled around You’s body, shifting and changing shape and color until it appeared as a human form hovering just above You.
It was then that Gackt realized that You looked almost exactly like the man in the photo. When he realized what was about to happen he stifled a cry and tried to move forward, but found himself frozen in place. Then he became aware of another voice chanting. He saw the priest and his grandmother move past him toward You.
The apparition by the altar turned, and burning eyes focused on the two newcomers. It was a woman, clothed in white; her white hair hung loosely down her back; her dark eyes burned with fire, and she reached out with skeletal hands. She began to scream as the priest’s prayers to banish her and the ghost of her husband filled the room.
The storm outside intensified, fueled by the rage of the spirits at being banished from their home into eternity. Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the sky like daylight. Lightning struck the roof of the house, entered the attic, striking the balls of negative energy that formed the spirits, and exploded. The energy vaporized.
The force of the strike shattered the windows. You was struck by the full force of the falling glass, and shards of glass protruded from his body. He lay in a rapidly expanding pool of blood.
~~~~~~~
Ju-ken and Chacha watched the house anxiously from the relative safety of the car. Lightning sizzled and thunder crashed about them. Then a bolt of lightning struck the roof of the house. The energy released by the collision caused the hair on their arms to stand on end.
Chacha grabbed onto Ju-ken, and buried his face in the bassist’s chest. Ju-ken’s arms wrapped around him protectively. “Are you alright, Cha?”
Chacha looked up, and in that instant they kissed, crushing their lips together fiercely. “Don’t let go, Ju-ken, don’t ever let go.”
“Never.”
When they next looked up the rain had abated, but smoke rose from the roof and flames leaped into the sky.
They leaped from the car and rushed through the storm toward the house where they found the priest helping Gackt’s grandmother down the front steps, followed by Gackt carrying You’s body.
~~~~~~~
You sat on the veranda drinking a warming cup of tea. His arms and torso were almost completely covered in bandages, as was part of his face, but at least he was finally out of the hospital.
Gackt’s grandmother sat beside him and held his hand. “That house was haunted after the war, and the family moved away. But the sons became greedy. They rebuilt and rented it out in spite of knowing that the spirits remained there. The ghosts were irritated at being disturbed and did their best to chase the renters away. Apparently, when she saw you the wife thought she could take you to give her husband a whole body so he could rest peacefully, and they could be together again in their home. The local priest knew the story, and was happy to finally be able to bring peace to the souls and the property.”
“No wonder the house was so easy to rent,” Chacha murmured.
“Yes. And you must all promise me that when you need a rest you will always come home to me.” She glared at each of the men around the table.
Gackt leaned over and kissed her cheek, then looked at the others. “You’d better all promise, or she will make those ghosts look like fairy tales.”
~~~~~~~
fin
Author: shyone
Genre: supernatural; drama
Pairing: Gackt/You; Chacha/Ju-ken
Rating: pg
Summary: Chacha and You rent a house for a little rest and relaxation, but sometimes rest and relaxation is not so restful.
edit: for whatever reason, lj won't let me edit tags so this is not a series, and there is no gackt/you/chachamaru pairing. stupid lj.
R & R
The band spent the week before Halloween playing so many pranks on each other, it became impossible to tell what was real, or a trick, or, on the rare occasion, a treat. And who was the main perpetrator? Well, Gackt, of course. And so band members were “fired”, a car was “stolen”, shoes were glued to the floor, a stripper was hired, an apartment was cleaned out by “vandals”, and poor You was totally surprised and devastated to be “served” with a paternity suit. All before Gackt finally treated everyone to a well deserved party and time off from practices and training.
You and Chacha took this chance to plan a little r & r trip to Okinawa, and were finally able to prevail upon Gackt to take some time for a much needed rest, too.
So Gackt’s driver loaded the suitcases into the back of the car, and they jumped in and were off for a well deserved vacation.
“Wait, we just passed the exit,” Gackt said as the car sped past the exit for the airport.
“We’re not going to the airport,” You responded.
“Well, we’re certainly not going to swim to Okinawa!”
“No, we’re not,” Chacha said. “You-chan wouldn’t let me make you swim, so we’re taking the ferry.”
“The ferry! It’ll take forever to get there!”
You turned in his seat to look back at Gackt. “Two days, Gacchan, two days. You can manage to live without work for two extra days.”
Gackt turned to look out the window again, and grumbled. “Well, I don’t see why we couldn’t fly.”
“Chacha doesn’t like to fly.”
“Paybacks,” Chacha murmured as he watched the traffic pass by on his side of the car.
“What?”
Chacha turned toward the singer. “Paybacks,” he repeated. “You knew I had just gone to the doctor and was waiting for test results. And you sent me a nurse and scared me half to death!”
“I wanted to make you feel better.” Gackt gave his guitarist a leering grin.
“SHE WAS A STRIPPER!”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”
Chacha clenched his fists, fighting back the urge to punch someone. “No, it didn’t! Ju-ken was less than pleased. ‘specially when he found out she wasn’t for him.” As Chacha mumbled that last part, his frown deepened and anger sparked in his eyes again. “You-kun, can’t we please make him swim? Please?”
“Now, now, Cha, we don’t want to give some poor, unsuspecting shark indigestion, do we?”
“Where is Ju-ken, by the way?” Gackt asked.
“He was dis-invited.”
“Oops.”
~~~~~~~
Despite his displeasure at having to “waste” two extra days on the ferry, Gackt had to admit it had been a pleasant trip, and he’d managed to get a lot of work done. The fresh sea air and the leisurely pace had given him time to unwind and let his muses take over, so that when they reached Naha he had actually convinced himself that it was the best idea he’d come up with in a long time.
~~~~~~~
The house that You and Chacha had rented stood high on a hill surrounded by lush gardens and trees. A narrow path ran down to the white sand beach and blue-green sea. It was a beautiful house, and they couldn’t believe their good luck on getting such a beautiful place on such short notice, and at such a good price.
They parked their rented car and stepped up onto the porch where they found Ju-ken lounging with his feet propped up on the railing, drink in hand, enjoying the warm, flower-scented breeze. He instantly stood up, gazing longingly at Chacha. “Um, hi, guys. How was your trip?”
Gackt frowned, forgetting just how much he’d enjoyed it when he saw that Ju-ken was already there. “Slow.”
Chacha glared at the tall bassist. “How did you get in?”
“You never took my key back.”
Chacha’s grip tightened on his suitcase as he pushed past Ju-ken and stomped up the stairs.
Ju-ken gave Gackt and You a weak smile and hurried after his angry lover. “Can I help you unpack?”
You turned a grin to Gackt. “Is that what they call it now? ‘Unpacking’?”
Gackt snorted. “Guess we can start dinner without them.”
~~~~~~~
You started to set the table while Gackt made a salad as they tried not to listen to the heated argument going on upstairs.
You shivered and shook his head as fingers trailed lightly across the back of his neck. “Stop that. You know how sensitive I am there.” He turned around and found Gackt across the room, knife and carrots in hand.
“Stop what?”
“I thought you... hmm. Nothing, I guess it was just the breeze blowing my hair.”
~~~~~~~
Chacha and Ju-ken seemed to have called a truce when they came downstairs for dinner, and volunteered to clean up while You and Gackt walked down to the beach. The night was warm and the water felt good as they walked along the edge of the waves that lapped at their feet. Suddenly You stumbled and fell into the water, just missing hitting his head on a large piece of driftwood.
“You-kun! Are you all right?” Gackt held his hand out to his lover. “You’re shaking.”
You laughed nervously as he took Gackt’s hand and got to his feet. “I... it felt like someone grabbed my ankle.” He looked down and found a long rope of seaweed wrapped around his ankle.
Gackt wrapped his arm around You’s waist. “Maybe we should go back.”
When they reached the house Ju-ken and Chacha were sitting on the porch. Chacha looked up as they approached. “What happened to you?”
“I’m going in and get some dry clothes.”
Gackt sat down on the porch and leaned against a support pillar. He explained how You had fallen.
“You know, I’ve heard things in the house,” Ju-ken said. “I thought I was just being paranoid and decided it was just the wind, but now I’m not so sure.”
“C’mon, Ju-ken, we came down here to relax and leave the Halloween pranks behind. Right, Gaku?” Chacha looked pointedly at the vocalist with his most ferocious glare.
“Yes, mom,” Gackt answered meekly.
~~~~~~~
You pulled off his wet pants and shirt and pulled dry clothes out of the wardrobe. Again he felt the sensation of a light touch running from his shoulder and down his back. ”You’ve come back. I’ve missed you.”
You shivered. He thought he saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and turned quickly, only to see the sheer white curtain blowing in the breeze from the window. Shaking his head, he finished pulling on his shorts and buttoning his shirt. “I must be over tired.”
As he started back downstairs his nose began to tingle; he looked around with a frown. Incense? But the scent dissipated when he reached the first floor, so he just shrugged it off and joined the others on the porch, sitting beside Gackt. “Did you guys smell incense?”
“Incense?” Chacha sniffed the air. “No, just flowers.”
Gackt pulled You closer and wrapped his arms around him. “You’re not getting sick are you? Maybe this little vacation is coming just in time.”
You grinned at him. “I told you it was time to take some time off. I’m fine.”
~~~~~~~
The next day dawned sunny and bright.
You was going through the cabinets and refrigerator, calling out things to Chacha who sat making a list of things You felt they would need for their stay. Finally, he was done.
Gackt was at the kitchen table talking to his grandmother on the phone. “I had nothing to do with this, Gran, You and Cha rented a house up north...
“Here, she wants to talk to you.” Gackt handed his phone to You and smirked.
You didn’t say anything for several minutes. As he listened his eyes begged Gackt to intervene.
Gackt just stood up, still smirking, shook his head, and took his coffee outside.
“Yes, ma’am. Yes, we’ll be there in two days, I promise.” You smiled in relief as he ended the call.
A cold draft moved over him and a voice whispered, “Soon.”
He looked around. Chacha was adding a few things to the list; apparently he hadn’t heard or noticed anything. You poured himself some coffee and turned to join Gackt on the porch, trying to put the voice out of his head.
Chacha ripped the list from the tablet and shoved it at Ju-ken as he came into the kitchen. “Here, you and Gaku are elected to go shopping.”
Ju-ken took the paper that had been shoved into his chest and looked over it at Cha. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Just do it.” Chacha stomped out of the room.
As Gackt and Ju-ken left in the car, Chacha walked out to the porch and watched the car disappear down the street.
“Aren’t you being a little harsh, Cha?”
Chacha sighed and sat down heavily in a chair, pulling his hair back from his face and up into a ponytail with a rubber band from his wrist. “Sometimes I wonder just where this is all going, you know? I know he loves women; that was obvious when the stripper showed up. Do you think he really wants to be with me? I’m so much older than all you guys. Would he be happier with a younger woman? Maybe I should end it now, before I get in too deep.”
You cocked his hip on the porch railing and smiled at the petite guitarist. “I think you’re already in too deep.”
“I could do it; I could give him up.”
“And I think he wouldn’t have come all the way here if he didn’t want to be with you.”
“I could go back to being single.”
“And I think he’s trying his best to show you just how much you mean to him, if you’d just let him.”
“I could start encouraging the fangirls.”
“And I think you should just shut up and accept his apology and have some incredible, mind-blowing make up sex and put all of us out of our misery.” You gave Cha his most endearing smile. “Ok?”
~~~~~~~
Chacha lounged back in his chair in the shade of a large beach umbrella. “I’m glad we came up north, away from the tourists and school kids on holiday.”
“Mm, it’s peaceful here,” Gackt agreed.
Just then Ju-ken came out of the water with his arm wrapped around You’s waist as You leaned on him obviously in pain and, together, they hobbled up the beach to where the other two sat.
“You-kun, what happened to you?”
Ju-ken let You drop gently onto the sand.
You grimaced in pain, but tried to smile. “Ah, it’s nothing. I just got stung by a jellyfish.”
Gackt was immediately by his side. “Let me see. Ju-ken, go see if we have some vinegar.”
Ju-ken immediately started for the path that led back to the house.
“And call the doctor, too,” Gackt called after him.
“I don’t like the look of this; it’s already really swollen. Chacha, give me some ice from the chest.”
Ju-ken came back with a bottle of vinegar. “I couldn’t call the doctor. None of the phones are working; I couldn’t get a signal.”
“Shit!” Gackt poured the vinegar over the sting, then pulled off a tentacle that was stuck in the back of You’s calf. Then he took off his shirt and ripped it into long strips. He wrapped some ice in a piece of the fabric, then tied it into place with the strips. “We’ve got to get you some help.”
Chacha looked startled. “Gaku, it’s just a jellyfish sting.”
Gackt stood up and put his hand down to You. “Can you stand?”
You took his hand and struggled to his feet, the pain almost causing him to pass out.
“Habu jellyfish are poisonous. People have died from their sting.”
Ju-ken quickly moved to You’s other side to help Gackt maneuver You back to the house.
By the time they made it up the path from the beach, Chacha was standing by the car, motor running.
~~~~~~~
Gackt pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital and jumped out of the car. He and Ju-ken raced to open the back doors of the car where You lay on the back seat with his head pillowed in Chacha’s lap, his breathing labored and harsh.
You struggled to push himself out of the car; Gackt held onto the ankle of his injured leg as he slid forward out of the car. You shivered.
Gackt looked up with a worried frown. “You-kun, your foot is already cold, you're losing circulation.”
A security guard came out of the hospital. “You can’t park here, this is only for emergency vehicles.”
Gackt spun around. “Get someone out here now! He’s been stung by a habu jellyfish.”
Two emergency technicians hurried out with a wheel chair and whisked You away.
Gackt leaned heavily against the car, his head drooping.
Chacha turned from watching You disappear. “He’ll be alright, right?”
“I think so. He didn’t immediately go into shock or stop breathing.”
Ju-ken turned around. “You mean he could be dead by now?”
Gackt pulled out his phone to call his grandmother and tell her they’d be delayed. He looked up at Ju-ken while he waited for her to answer.
“Well, a worst-case scenario, yes.”
“Man, I’m never going in the water again.”
~~~~~~~
Several hours later Chacha and Ju-ken sat on the porch. Storms clouds obscured the moon, and the trees blowing in the wind drowned out the sound of the sea.
Gackt came out and sat down. He picked up a glass of tequila from the table beside him, drank it down and immediately poured himself another.
“How’s You?”
“He’s asleep.”
“Maybe we should go home.”
“Yes, we should. There’s something in this house.”
Ju-ken shivered, thinking about the time he’d spent alone there before the others arrived. “Have you felt it?”
“I was stupid. I didn’t want to acknowledge it.”
They sat and talked for a while longer. The wind became stronger, and suddenly the skies opened up and rain poured down.
“I’m going back upstairs to You.”
As he climbed the stairs a cold draft wafted over him.
Gackt quietly opened the door to the bedroom he shared with You. You was nowhere to be found. “YOU? YOU!” He hurried from room to room, looking for his missing lover. He looked up at the sound of a creaking floorboard and the smell of incense, and raced from the bedroom to the attic stairs.
~~~~~~~
Chacha and Ju-ken watched as a cab appeared out of the rain and stopped. The driver climbed out with an umbrella, and helped Gackt’s grandmother out of the car. She was followed by a man dressed in the robes of a Shinto priest.
“Where is my grandson?”
Chacha and Ju-ken both stood up and bowed to the old woman. “He’s upstairs with You.”
She eyed the two men. “Go. Get out of the house. Go to the car and wait.” Then she entered the house with the priest trailing behind.
Ju-ken and Chacha took shelter in the cab, and the driver backed slowly down the drive, but stopped, still in view of the house.
~~~~~~~
Gackt opened the attic door carefully. Light from the hallway spilled into the room. He saw a small altar at the end of the room with a photo of a man in a military uniform. Below the photo sat the burning nub of a fat candle and a small bowl of sand with two sticks of burning incense. A translucent figure knelt in front of the altar, praying. Then he saw the body on the floor.
You lay on a white sheet in the middle of the room. Shadows from the wind-whipped trees outside the windows danced eerily over the body whenever the room was illuminated by brilliant streaks of lightning. Rain pounded on the windows like ghosts seeking shelter from the storm.
The chanting continued, and, as Gackt watched, a gray mist began to enter the room through the windows. It swirled around You’s body, shifting and changing shape and color until it appeared as a human form hovering just above You.
It was then that Gackt realized that You looked almost exactly like the man in the photo. When he realized what was about to happen he stifled a cry and tried to move forward, but found himself frozen in place. Then he became aware of another voice chanting. He saw the priest and his grandmother move past him toward You.
The apparition by the altar turned, and burning eyes focused on the two newcomers. It was a woman, clothed in white; her white hair hung loosely down her back; her dark eyes burned with fire, and she reached out with skeletal hands. She began to scream as the priest’s prayers to banish her and the ghost of her husband filled the room.
The storm outside intensified, fueled by the rage of the spirits at being banished from their home into eternity. Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the sky like daylight. Lightning struck the roof of the house, entered the attic, striking the balls of negative energy that formed the spirits, and exploded. The energy vaporized.
The force of the strike shattered the windows. You was struck by the full force of the falling glass, and shards of glass protruded from his body. He lay in a rapidly expanding pool of blood.
~~~~~~~
Ju-ken and Chacha watched the house anxiously from the relative safety of the car. Lightning sizzled and thunder crashed about them. Then a bolt of lightning struck the roof of the house. The energy released by the collision caused the hair on their arms to stand on end.
Chacha grabbed onto Ju-ken, and buried his face in the bassist’s chest. Ju-ken’s arms wrapped around him protectively. “Are you alright, Cha?”
Chacha looked up, and in that instant they kissed, crushing their lips together fiercely. “Don’t let go, Ju-ken, don’t ever let go.”
“Never.”
When they next looked up the rain had abated, but smoke rose from the roof and flames leaped into the sky.
They leaped from the car and rushed through the storm toward the house where they found the priest helping Gackt’s grandmother down the front steps, followed by Gackt carrying You’s body.
~~~~~~~
You sat on the veranda drinking a warming cup of tea. His arms and torso were almost completely covered in bandages, as was part of his face, but at least he was finally out of the hospital.
Gackt’s grandmother sat beside him and held his hand. “That house was haunted after the war, and the family moved away. But the sons became greedy. They rebuilt and rented it out in spite of knowing that the spirits remained there. The ghosts were irritated at being disturbed and did their best to chase the renters away. Apparently, when she saw you the wife thought she could take you to give her husband a whole body so he could rest peacefully, and they could be together again in their home. The local priest knew the story, and was happy to finally be able to bring peace to the souls and the property.”
“No wonder the house was so easy to rent,” Chacha murmured.
“Yes. And you must all promise me that when you need a rest you will always come home to me.” She glared at each of the men around the table.
Gackt leaned over and kissed her cheek, then looked at the others. “You’d better all promise, or she will make those ghosts look like fairy tales.”
~~~~~~~
fin