Like a Demon

As the days passed Kaoru’s relationship with Jayne and Ray grew to a very close friendship. They had always been friends, but now he was able to actually KNOW them, and their weaknesses, and that made him just that much more protective over the young mother and her son.

He had spent a lot of time playing guitar with Ray, and half of the time Jayne would join as well. Jayne had spent a lot of her time cleaning Kaoru’s house and cooking, and doing any other chores she could find to repay him for his kindness. Ray spent his time away from his guitar, playing cars, and talking on the phone to Mei, Dex, and Drew.

Now, none of the musicians were in the studio. Ray was feeling homesick, and playing cars wasn’t fixing it, so Jayne and Kaoru agreed to play hide and seek with him. But this wasn’t just any game of Hide and Seek. Thanks to Kaoru’s experience throughout his career, and Jayne’s female ability to work a make up kit, they first played an expert game of Visual Kei Dress Up. Followed by Hide and Seek in costume. Kaoru had his hair tucked into one of Jayne’s bright wigs that she had gotten in Tokyo, but had never worn, and dark makeup along with some of his old clothes that had been left in a closet. Ray’s hair was spiked and sprayed with some temporary dye to have red tips, and after much convincing he sat still long enough for Kaoru to put some eyeliner on him before helping him dress up properly. Jayne crimped the right side of her hair, and curled the other before spraying what was left of Ray’s red dye into it to give it a light fire-engine tint. After that she put on black lipstick and red eyeliner, and dug through her clothes for something appropriate for their game.

“You’re a professional at this, Jayne-chan.” Kaoru chuckled when she finally came down.

“I’ve learned from watching the best… mostly Shinya in your older videos, but don’t tell him.” She laughed while admiring his work on her son.

“Why Shinya?”

“Out of the five of you, he was the most feminine. I could pull his looks off easier! But after him, I watched Toshiya, and you, and then Kyo, and then Die.

“Good work on Ray. He looks like… he looks a LOT like Die used to!” she laughed as he began to chuckle as well.

“I noticed, once I finished his final look.”

“All right, are we playing?” she questioned.

“YEAH! You count mama!!” Ray cheered, bouncing with excitement in his dark jeans and black tank, under one of Kaoru’s red button-down shirts that looked like a trench coat on him. “Okay, I’m counting!” she giggled and sat down before closing her eyes, and counting to fifty.

“READY OR NOT! HERE I COME!” she announced, and started her search for the boys.

After a good thirty minutes or so, the doorbell rang. She felt bad answering but whoever it was, was very determined to have that door opened, and soon.

“Jayne-chan?!” Shinya gasped when she opened the door, finally.

“Shinya… hi,” she laughed, awkwardly rubbing her neck as he took in her appearance.

“What caused this?” Die questioned, raising his brow while copying the drummer’s actions. “Ray was feeling homesick, and missing everyone, and so we started getting ready to play hide and seek, and Ray found an early picture of you guys and started laughing, because Shinya was wearing a dress. He said it was different from Toshiya’s skirts, because Shinya looked like a lady. Then he pointed at Kyo and Kaoru and said that they looked like ladies too. So somehow Kaoru got us all into this game of Visual Kei dress up, and now we’re playing hide and seek.” She explained, rambling while searching for justification.

Die grinned ear to ear from the point that he heard that Ray thought Shinya looked like a woman. Though Shinya seemed less pleased with the situation.

“May we come in?” Shinya asked quietly.

“I’m sure Kaoru wouldn’t mind…” she nodded, clearly unsure, and stepped aside as they removed their shoes and stepped in.

“Where is our great leader?” Die questioned, half joking, and half honestly wondering where Kaoru had gone.

“I don’t know. It’s been half an hour… he’s really good at hiding.” She laughed, “I can’t find Ray either.”

“I will call him,” he laughed and started dialing.

When the sound of Kaoru’s phone rang from the closet down the hall, Jayne’s face went white. “I tried to look there! It was locked!” she gasped while Die’s laughter became heavier.

“Because he’s somehow been locked in! He can’t get out!”

“Is Ray with him?”

“No, it’s only him, and his closet!”

“Does he want me to pick the lock?”

“If you can, he says he would be very thankful to you.”

Shinya was trying not to laugh as she pulled a few bobby pins from her hair and rushed to the closet before starting on the lock. Within twelve seconds, the door was open and Kaoru was climbing out.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you like that.” Shinya nodded, but before Kaoru could answer, someone else rang the doorbell.

“They’re here already? Not bad!” Die beamed before answering the door and letting Kyo in. “Toshiya will be here soon. He missed his train.” Kyo announced shortly, clearly not in one of his better moods, however his eyes lit up the second he saw Kaoru and Jayne standing side by side, decked out like true VK divas.

“Yes, I know this was not an expected sight.” He sighed.

“Unexpected?” Kyo laughed, “I thought you threw those pants away!”

Kaoru sighed and shook his head before turning to Jayne. “Have you found Ray already, while I was stuck in that closet?”

“No. I was hoping you knew where he was?”

“He helped me hide, before running off on his own.”

“You were locked in a closet, too?” Kyo smirked, fully amused.

“Not now, Kyo! Ray’s missing!” Jayne panicked, looking around frantically for her son.

“How long?” he demanded, becoming serious again, as well as the rest of the band. “Now? Nearly an hour.” Kaoru answered as they joined the search.

Another hour passed, and Toshiya had finally arrived. He tried to joke about Jayne and Kaoru’s looks, but was instantly silenced by the fact that her eyeliner wasn’t supposed to look smudged; she had been crying. After hearing that Ray had gone missing, he went into the same protective mode as the rest of his band. Ray HAD to be found.

“Would he have left the house?” Die asked finally, after two hours of searching.

“I don’t think so. Oh god, what if he did? What if Thomas… o-oh god,” she answered before breaking down in hysterics, collapsing to her knees.

“Don’t worry, Jayne-chan, we’ll find him.” Shinya assured, kneeling down beside her and resting his hand on her shoulder.

“What if Thomas has him? H-how will I get him back?”

“Any way we need to.” Kyo nodded firmly while Die went to find a beer in Kaoru’s fridge.

“They’re moved into the cabinet, Die!” Kaoru shouted down the hall, receiving the guitarist’s shouted thanks before his laughter filled the house.

“HE’S IN HERE!”

Within seconds, Jayne was at his side, and the others weren’t far behind. “DIE!” Ray squeaked happily, though clearly tired, and hugged around his neck while the rock star picked him up from his hiding place inside the cabinet, behind the case of beers. “You, young man, scared all of us!” Toshiya scorned while Die put him down.

“I did?”

“Your mother was in tears, thinking something horrible had happened to you.” Kyo explained.

“Mama, don’t cry! I’m okay, see? I fell asleep!” he gasped, hugging her legs until she picked him up, kissing everywhere she could, and hugging him as tightly as she could.

“Did I win?” he asked after things calmed down, and the band sat down in the kitchen for some well-earned ramen. “You won, by three hours!” Die laughed, messing up Ray’s hair as Toshiya gave one of his goofiest grins. “No more hide and seek tonight, though. I think we’ve had enough excitement.” Kaoru nodded.

“I want to see you four dressed up.” Jayne grinned after a while of silence.

“Dressed up, how?” Kyo demanded.

“Like Kaoru, like you all used to dress in your earlier days.” She answered. He huffed and walked away, while Shinya sighed, and Toshiya and Die started laughing.

“Jayne-chan, you’ll never see us dressed that way again. Those days are over.” Toshiya explained.

“You still wear the skirts.” She smirked.

“Yes, but that is as far as it goes, and they never wear ANYTHING like that.”

“Kaoru dressed up without an argument. Out of respect, since you ARE staying in HIS house, wouldn’t it be only right to follow him?”

“I don’t think Shinya has any of his old dresses left.”

“He can borrow Jayne-chan’s!” Die beamed, nudging the drummer.

“She doesn’t wear dresses, Die.” Shinya frowned.

“So you know what she has in her bags? I knew something was happening between you two.” Toshiya smirked before walking away. Die patted his shoulder and followed the bassist, leaving Kaoru, Jayne, and Shinya in the kitchen, since Ray had gone to play with his cars again.

“It’s only because you’re such an easy target, Shinya. And they’re jealous.” She nodded firmly.

“I don’t understand,” he frowned as Kaoru turned his full attention to her explanation, curious to where she was going.

“You never fight back. You’re so quiet, and always in the background, that if anyone is going to be teased, it’s you. You’re like a shy child sometimes, hiding behind anything he can to avoid being the center of attention, even if you’re in love with the person or people you are trying to avoid.” She smiled.

“And their jealousy?” Kaoru questioned.

“Because as hard as they try, they aren’t as nice, or kind, or attractive as their drummer. Some girls like guys who chase them in a club… but a lot of them like someone who will LISTEN and COMFORT them, before asking them to come back to the hotel for a night.” She shrugged and walked away, not even noticing the blush on Shinya, or Kaoru’s smirk.

“She called you attractive.” He cooed, pinching the drummer’s cheek before his hand was swatted away.

“She was only giving an example.” He reminded, sighing as Die pushed her into Kyo’s lap before Kyo wrapped his arms around her middle and buried his face in her neck, making her blush like an embarrassed school girl.

“If you don’t tell her soon, it’ll be too late, Shinya.”

“Is it that obvious, Kaoru? Can EVERYONE see how I feel?” he asked, seeming smaller than even Ray as he asked his question.

“No. SHE can’t see it. She’s afraid to see anything like it. You’ve seen what he did to her, she has every right to be afraid.” He sighed, and went to join his band in the front room, with Shinya following shortly after.

“Kyo, would you STOP!” Jayne shrieked, laughing so hard she thought she would die as he continued to tease her. Tickling her sides, keeping her so that she couldn’t escape, biting her neck and shoulder, anything he could to annoy her. Toshiya and Die refused to help; since she deserved every bit of punishment she was receiving, for messing up his hair and calling him cute again.

“Not until you admit that I AM taller than you, and I am NOT CUTE!”

“N-No! Fuck off!”

Kyo smirked and started choking her. Once her face started to change colour Kaoru and Die pulled him off of her while Shinya and Toshiya went to make sure she was all right. All four of them were confused when she started laughing through her desperate coughs and gasps for air.

“Don’t kill him… Kaoru… it’s, it’s not what you think!”

“What the hell is it then?!” Die demanded angrily.

“Revenge! We strangle each other a lot… but he likes it.” She laughed as her breathing returned to normal.

“Normally, she gives in and I let go. I don’t know why she wanted me to kill her this time.” Kyo added.

“Because you didn’t tap last time I choked you! You turned blue, and then your eyes kind of rolled back and went cloudy, and I had to let go before YOU died! Don’t even TRY to say it’s because you’re stronger than I am, because YOU cried when you came back around!”

“I wasn’t crying, woman, I was gagging!”

“You had tears rolling down your eyes, and punched me in the stomach because I made you cry.” She teased.

He was getting angrier and angrier with her, and as soon as Kaoru and Die let their grip slip, he was on top of her again and they were fighting. Kaoru wasn’t sure what to do with them as their fight rolled off the couch and onto the ground, before she yelped and he smirked triumphantly down at her.

“You BIT ME!” she laughed, still lying with him on top of her, keeping their faces inches apart. “Don’t try to hide that you liked it. Your shirt is very thin, Jayne-chan.” He smirked.

“Kaoru’s floors are cold!” she defended as Toshiya and Die started laughing at her, “Actually, Kaoru, your whole house is cold today… did you turn off the heat?”

“It’s the same as it has been, Jayne-chan.” He answered, trying very hard not to laugh as she sat away from them all, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Here,” Shinya nodded, handing her the sweater he had been wearing. “Thank you.” She blushed before quickly wrapping up in it as he sat beside her. “You all see this? THIS is how NICE people act. Kaoru isn’t laughing at me, and Shinya is HELPING me!” she announced to the laughing rock stars.
“Kaoru is trying NOT to laugh,” Die defended.

“And Shinya is ALWAYS nice to you!” Toshiya added.

“Shinya is a wonderfully nice person, that’s why.” She smirked as he sat beside her, but the conversation ended there to keep themselves from arguing, and to let Dir en Grey get down to business of rehearsing their new song.

After another few hours, the guys went down to practice, taking Ray with them. Jayne turned down Shinya’s offer of drumming lessons, and offered to cook dinner for them, since Michio texted her one of his mother’s best recipes.

“So things are good there?” Mei asked as she chatted with her and Michio on speaker, giving herself a little company while she worked in the kitchen.

“Yeah, Ray locked Kaoru in a closet, we’re still wearing our VK makeup from Ray getting Kaoru to play dress up with us, and Kaoru is still wearing that wig that changes colour depending on the lighting.” She laughed, attempting to make the Kitsune Udon that had been texted to her.

“I’ve never heard of this one… you mother doesn’t make it very often, does she?” she asked after burning herself on the pot.

“It’s not one of her favorites, no. Mostly because very few people order it.” Michio answered.

“It’s really good though!” Mei added while laughing.

“I’m not topping it with the egg, though. Ray won’t eat anything raw.” She nodded before spilling some oil on the burner and screaming as it went up in flames.

“What happened? Jayne! Jayne are you okay?!” Mei demanded with Michio making the same demands in the background.

Seconds later Die came up for a drink and shouted in surprise when he saw Jayne trying to put the fire out. Since the door was open when he shouted, everyone else came to investigate why he was screaming and why the house smelled like smoke.

“Get Ray out of here!” she coughed as Toshiya picked him up and she and Die finally got the fire out.

“What happened?” Kyo and Kaoru demanded together.

“I was trying to make this dinner for you, and I spilled some cooking oil on the stove. It lit fire, and caught the curtain. I’m very sorry, I promise I will pay to have it all fixed, and the damages repaired. Please forgive me.” She begged, bowing as a few tears slipped from her eyes.

“Jayne-chan,” Kaoru sighed, pulling her back to standing upright, “This is a mistake that could have been made by anyone. And also, I’ve never liked those curtains, I’ve been meaning to replace them.” He smiled.

“But the smoke,”

“The smoke can be wiped off, there isn’t any real damage.” He explained, taking a rag and wiping a clean space on the wall.

While Kaoru comforted Jayne, Die decided to try one of the very few pieces of food that wasn’t burned, and cringed before Shinya hit him. “Is it that bad?” she sighed sadly as Kaoru tried a piece and forced a smile. “It’s only burned, that’s all.” He managed, making her sigh heavily while Kyo and Shinya took the last two edible pieces.

“It’s horrible!” Kyo coughed, spitting it back into his hand while Shinya respectfully ate the sad attempt at cooking.

“You knew that BEFORE you ate it!” she retorted, pouting while staring at the charred pot, and wall, and stove, and curtains. “We could go out for dinner, or order in?” Shinya suggested as Toshiya and Ray came back in. Of course Ray instantly attached himself to Jayne’s legs and wouldn’t let go until she picked him up.

“He was very worried about you. He thought the entire house was going to burn down, and you, Kyo, Shinya, Die, and Kaoru would burn to death.” Toshiya explained while Ray hugged the life out of his Mama.

“It was only a little fire. We’re okay, Ray.” She sighed while rocking him.

“But the smoke was everywhere and you and Die were yelling, and then Toshiya took me and we ran out of the house into the back yard and we could see the fire in the window and I couldn’t see you anymore!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She laughed, noticing that Die had given Toshiya some of her meal to try. Like Kyo, he couldn’t swallow it.

“What was it SUPPOSED to be?” he questioned.

“Kitsune Udon.” She sighed as her phone began playing “Child Prey” again.

“Unknown number,” she sighed, looking fearfully at the phone before answering, keeping the phone on speaker.

“Jayne-chan! You had my son worried about you, something about sudden screaming while trying to cook dinner for the band?” Mr. Tochikura questioned before explaining that Michio’s phone died, and their home phone had been broken. Hers was left with Dex and Drew, so they went to Tochikura’s to ask him to call back and check on her.

“I was trying to make your wife’s recipe for Kitsune Udon,”

“And?”

“And I lit Kaoru’s kitchen on fire.”

Silence.

“What did you do? It is a very simple recipe! I know you’re a better cook than that! What kind of housewife will you make if you can’t cook simple Japanese meals?” Mrs. Tochikura demanded after her husband gave her the phone.

“Housewife?” Kyo smirked quietly.

“Mrs. Tochikura, you ARE on the speaker phone, everyone can hear you. Just to be sure you know that our conversation isn’t private.” She sighed.

“That doesn’t matter. You caught fire to his kitchen! What would have happened if I gave you a DIFFICULT recipe? For such a capable young woman, you lack so many skills to attract a man. Of course you have the beauty, and ability to raise his children, but you have no qualities of a good WIFE.”

“I’m not looking to be a wife, Mrs. Tochikura.”

“What would you do if a man came to you, asking you to become his? If you loved him, and he couldn’t keep you because you are not an acceptable wife?”

“Then I leave him, take my son, and continue the live I have been living for the last four years.” She sighed after taking the phone off of speaker and leaving to hide in the guest room.

“As the motherly figure to your band, it is my job Jayne to tell you these things. I know you have feelings for some of the men you are traveling with. If you want to keep one, you will HAVE to become a wife as well. And mother to THEIR children.”

“They aren’t interested. Besides, we can’t do that. We’re on tour together professionally. That’s the end of it. Please can we talk about something else?”

“Yes, Mei and Michio would like to speak with you again. Goodnight Jayne. And Good luck.” She smiled before the phone was passed to her son and his girlfriend.

“So Jayne, is it Kyo or Shinya? Or Die? Kaoru? No… not Kaoru, I know how you feel about him already. Toshiya!!! It’s Toshiya isn’t it?” Mei gushed after grabbing the phone.

“NO!”

“WHO IS IT? I order you to tell me, or I’ll call the members of Dir en Grey and have them kiss you! Better spill the beans.”

“It isn’t Toshiya! Or Die!”

“Kaoru?”

“NO!!”

“Shinya?”

Silence.

“Shinya. So not Kyo?”

Silence.

“BOTH!! I knew it!! Oh Jayne, you’re in trouble.”

“I know. Ray loves them so much, too. I don’t know what to do Mei… Shinya is always just so,”

“Nice to you? Since the day we all met? I know. He was checking you out that night too!”

“But Kyo is the opposite!”

“I know. He turns you on by slapping you around, but when you really need him, he was right there for you.”

“I know.”

“Shit, I have to go. Dex and Drew are here. Call you later! Play spin the bottle, okay?”

“WHY?!”

“So Kyo and Shinya can kiss you? Duh. Find out if you like it or not.”

“Goodbye Mei!”

“Bye!!”

Jayne laughed while hanging her phone up, and rejoined the others in the front room. Shinya had gone to relax in the bath, since his trip had been a bit stressful, and he was tired, and Ray had fallen asleep on Die before being moved to Kaoru’s bed to sleep.

“Why are you smiling?” Toshiya questioned as she sat down between Kaoru and Die.

“Mei wants us to play spin the bottle.”

“Spin the bottle?”

“Yeah, where you spin a bottle, and whoever it points at, you have to kiss.” She explained while trying not to laugh.

“Let’s play!” Die cheered, draining his beer and spinning the bottle on the floor, frowning deeply when it pointed at Kyo. Jayne started laughing so hard she snorted when he tried to kiss the angry singer, and was pushed into the floor.

“I want to spin!” Toshiya announce, and spun to see it stop on Kaoru. “No.” he announced before kicking it to face Die.

“That’s not fair! You should have kicked it the other way!” he pouted, refusing to kiss his friend as Jayne spun. Die and Toshiya watched hopefully as the bottle spun twelve times before stopping.

“So it lands on no one? That isn’t fair! Spin again!” Die ordered, once again watching hopefully as the bottle spun.

“Why?” Toshiya pouted when it pointed to Kyo.

“Because he won’t try to choke me with his tongue.” She giggled, blushing when she almost reached Kyo’s lips with her own, and backing away.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered, making everyone except Kaoru laugh.

“Then play a different game. I don’t feel like kissing any men tonight anyway. The odds are against me.” Kyo nodded, causing them to sit in silence until someone got a better idea.

“Die, truth or dare?” Jayne grinned.

“I’ve played this game before. Dare.” He smirked.

“I dare you to hit redial on your phone and tell that person you love them before hanging up.”

He sighed heavily and hit the button before Kaoru’s phone started ringing. “I love you.” He sighed and hung up quickly.

“I love you too, Die.” He chuckled as Toshiya and Kyo started laughing quite hard.

“Yes, laugh now, it’s my turn! Kyo truth or dare!”

“Truth.”

“Are you in love with her?” he demanded, raising his brow when Kyo didn’t answer.

“No.” he nodded finally, “I can confidently say I am not in love with her.”

“Damn. Well now it’s your turn.” He shrugged and waited for him to think of something, and pick a target.

“Jayne, truth or dare?”

“Truth! I don’t trust your dares.”

“Why do you always cry when you are on stage?”

“You noticed?” she asked quietly. He nodded and waited for her answer silently as she looked at the floor.

“When I’m on stage, and can scream until my throat and chest hurt, I’m able to let everything go. When I sing the songs written to Thomas, about everything he’s done and how much pain he’s caused, I can’t help it. I’m also very afraid when I’m up there; it’s a lot of stress for me to be in front of so many people. And then with them all looking at me, watching every move I make, every note I hit, every cord I play. I can’t help it. Some songs… I just have to let myself feel it all, when I refuse to feel it anywhere else.”

“That only means you’re a REAL musician! You FEEL your music, instead of that pointless shit with no emotional connection to the band, because they don’t make their own music.” Toshiya shrugged, making her smile.

“Toshiya, truth or dare?”

“Dare?”

“You should have chosen truth,” she laughed, making him cringe as she grabbed her makeup kit from the floor beside the couch, “I dare you to dress up.” She smirked happily.

“Damn you.”

“I know. You hate me.” She giggled as he took the mirror and went to work on his look. “Forgive me, it’s been a while.” He frowned, struggling as everyone around him laughed.

“Not that bad, honestly. Not your best work, though, but it doesn’t look THAT bad.” Die nodded honestly while Kyo chuckled and insulted his makeup job.

As the night continued the band one by one chose to go to bed until only Jayne and Kyo were left. Jayne helped Kaoru move Ray from his bed to the guest room, so that he could get some sleep.

“About what I said before,” Kyo announced when she let him know that she was going to bed, catching her by the arm before she could get to her room.

“What did you say?”

“About not being in love with you. That is true, but that doesn’t mean I feel nothing for you.” He sighed, confusing her entirely. With a heavy sigh, knowing that she wasn’t understanding, he pulled her against him and kissed her with meaning, instead of the intent to vex her.

Both of them jumped when Shinya walked out of the bathroom beside them, looking almost hurt but hiding it well. “You were still in there?” Kyo asked eventually.

“I fell asleep. I’m going to the hotel now, so I can sleep a while before we continue rehearsing.” He nodded.

“I thought you were staying with us here?”

“It’s all right… I’m not sure I trust sleeping in the same house as Die right now. On the way here he seemed to enjoy playing tricks on me. I can’t defend myself in my sleep.” He explained with a smile and left the house.

“Goodnight, Kyo.” She blushed and left him standing alone in the hallway before calling Mei and falling asleep during their conversation.