You already answered the other post, but this is a new one. I know I promised to post "A Phantom's Legacy" up at Babble tonight, but I sort of got caught up in something and I didn't have time to finish the whole chapter. Only got to around five pages. Sorry about that. I need to go to school tomorrow so I'll try finishing the whole thing on Saturday. Meanwhile, here's the first part of chapter six. Consider it as a sort of teaser. ^^
Also, I just typed this down five minutes ago. sweatpours I was in a hurry so forgive the spelling errors if there are any.
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A PHANTOM’S LEGACY
Chapter Six: History
The soft rays of the sun slowly filtered into Sendoh’s room, lighting up the soft silk sheets and filling the room with a warm azure glow in the advent of daybreak.
Kogure stirred underneath the heavy linens and blinked away the shadows of sleep as he sat up with the same false hope that nothing was and had been amiss. It took a shorter time for him to reabsorb the full reality of his predicament that morning, the encouraging words given him by Koshino and Ryota just last night easily coming back to him.
“Shinsuke,” he whispered as the name surfaced in his thoughts. He HAD heard of that name before. Bringing his knees up to his chest he pursed his lips in an effort to recall when and where he had last come across that name before Koshino even brought it up.
His retrospection paid off and with a soft gasp he leapt from the covers and scrambled to the opposite room, pausing only for a moment at the doorway before running to the other end where he searched the drawers. Seconds later, he pulled out the familiar green notebook that was Fujima’s journal and leafed through several pages of writing, stopping only when he found the entry dated December 26, 1945.
Slowly, he re-read the second to the last entry Fujima had written before his unmerciful death. “He left me in our room and didn’t come back for the rest of the day. His new assistant, Shinsuke--that wonderful boy, came to me this afternoon and told me of how Shinichi almost lost his life performing one of his crazy tricks.”
Koshino’s grandfather had once worked for Maki. It was here, plain and simple, Fujima’s testimony to the existence of perhaps the one person who could help him get his lover back.
Wasting no time, he ran up to bathe and change, hesitating in front of the conservatory door before finally knocking once again.
As expected, there was no answer.
“I’m leaving for a while,” he whispered softly. “I’ll come back after a few hours. Wait for me, Hisashi.” Then swallowing thickly, he left for town.
He arrived at Koshino’s house half an hour early from the agreed time, however the young man accepted him warmly, leading him to the living room and asking if he wanted some tea.
Kogure nodded silently, remembering how the bittersweet taste warmed him the night before.
He fidgeted a lot in his seat while he waited for Koshino to return, all of a sudden remembering that he hadn’t seen any sign of Kiyota’s cat. Kogure was certain he had slept with the black thing curled up beside him, and he was also fairly sure it had still been there throughout most of the night, having caught a glimpse of black fur during one of his occasional lapses from sleep. He worried over the thought of perhaps not seeing it again. He had developed a sort of fondness for the plump feline, it having been his only companion for a while now.
Koshino’s return snapped him out of contemplation and he immediately inquired about his grandfather.
Koshino pursed his lips as he handed the steaming cup of tea to his friend. “He just woke up,” he said. “Give him a few minutes to allow it to sink in.”
Kogure blinked. “You mean you told him about me?”
“Oh no, I meant give him a few minutes to realize that he’s awake,” Koshino corrected with a bit of a laugh. “I haven’t told him about you yet, never had the opportunity, and besides, I reckon he’ll understand it best coming from you.”
“If you say so,” Kogure said, silently sipping from his cup.
Koshino moved to say something, hesitated, then finally decided on speaking. “How are things going?”
“Same as before,” Kogure answered a bit tightly. “I didn’t see him last night when he arrived. I slept at Sendoh’s room--his third lover after Fujima. I. . . . He didn’t come.”
“Were you hoping that he would?”
“Half-hoping,” Kogure readily admitted. “And half-dreading. He’s been . . . well, I ASSUME he’s been in the conservatory for two days now and he’s been unresponsive to all my efforts to rouse him. I . . . miss him.”
The other boy simply nodded and both fell silent. Koshino started after hearing a loud knock from the door. Standing up, he welcomed Ryota into the house, the boy only sparing him a curt nod before regarding Kogure steadily.
“You seem to be in one piece,” Ryota commented, sitting down on the seat Koshino had recently vacated.
A small dry smile appeared on Kogure’s lips. “Yes, I noticed. Disappointed?”
Ryota’s brows furrowed, as if assessing whether the question was meant as a joke or not but the opportunity to reply escaped him when Koshino brought both their attentions to a door leading to a separate room.
“He’s ready to receive you,” Koshino replied almost immediately.
Kogure stood up and carefully placed his tea cup back on its saucer, approaching the door warily.
“He wishes to speak with you alone,” Koshino said confidentially, ushering Kogure inside the room before closing the door and leaving the boy alone with his grandfather.
The room was small but surprisingly cozy. It reminded Kogure of a miniature study with a small stone fireplace and two grandfather chairs both facing it away from the door. Kogure made his way to the two chairs, a pair of thickly clad feet becoming visible as he moved.
“Sit down,” came a soft baritone, the tone giving Kogure the impression that the speaker was laboring for breath. A pale and wrinkled hand extended from the arm of the chair to his left, gesturing to the other empty seat.
Kogure sat down gingerly, trying his best to not look impolite as he closely scrutinized Shinsuke Koshino. His hair was a pure white and his face was just as wrinkled as his hand. His lips seemed to be permanently turned down and the thick red robe that covered him appeared too big. But for all his age and frailty, his eyes were still a bright crystal blue in color. Said eyes were now openly appraising Kogure’s person in seeming reciprocation.
“Kiminobu Kogure,” the old man said. “Hiroaki says you’re the new occupant of my old master’s manor and although that fretful grandchild of mine never cared to give any more details, I know why you’re here. The demon is loose again, is it not?”
Kogure swallowed thickly before answering. “You could say that. Although I have never exactly met this . . . demon.”
“Oh but you have,” Shinsuke immediately said, his eyes narrowing. “It resides in the body of your lover.”
Kogure closed his eyes in an unconscious reaction to the old man’s words; a final denial. He had long been given several obvious hints that led to that one sad truth but it had never once been said so forthrightly.
“You are so much like him.”
The boy opened his eyes. “Like who?”
“Fujima,” the old man answered, “but of course there is one very obvious difference. Fujima never had the opportunity to redeem his husband in his short life. Although in death . . . that is a different matter. You have heard Fujima’s voice, yes?”
Kogure nodded. “I lost his voice just two days ago.”
“Yes, yes, yes, that would be most likely, wouldn’t it?” Shinsuke said, bringing up one of his wrinkled hands to rub at his chin. “Do you wish to know the story?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“No. You’re here because you have no other choice,” the old man corrected. “The old tragedy of Maki and Fujima isn’t a very pleasant story to hear but I shall relate the incident as I remember it. Actually, I shall relate the story as Maki had lived it for it was with his final breaths that the whole tale revealed itself to me. And now I reveal it to you. We have not much time so pay attention. Various people will come into play here, including Maki’s lovers and me of course. And there was this other figure. This very . . . important figure that few people living know about. Hanamichi Sakuragi’s consort, Kaede Rukawa.”
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That's all for now. Sorry again. ^^;; Ja!
-- Nagy
The Purple Ellie
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