Like a Demon

Two nights later, Mei, Jayne, Dex, Drew, and little Ray were standing against the barricade in a sea of people, listening to Ray squeal over the crowd about the band members like some kind of fangirl. “Hey Jay, I think your son’s gay.” Drew laughed. “Shut up, Drew! You’re the one who wants to see Die without a shirt!” she retorted, picking her son up as the lights went down and the crowd pushed closer to the stage for the opening band.

“Feeling the motherly need to protect, huh?” Dex shouted over the crowd as Jayne clutched her son closer. “So are you!” she laughed, noticing how Dex, Drew, and Mei positioned themselves to allow a cushion around the little birthday boy. “Hey, this is not a motherly need! It is my responsibility as self-proclaimed uncle!” Drew shot back as the band began to play.

“I don’t want them!” Ray whined during the break before Dir en Grey came on, trying to hand Jayne his earplugs. “I know baby, but you have to wear them. Now come here, I don’t want you getting crushed.” She sighed, picking him up and supporting him on her hip.

“You’re not wearing!” he shouted, poking one of his small fingers into her ear. “Because Mommy has to keep them out so that she can hear you, Ray-Ray. Otherwise, how will she know if her little man wants lifted up to see Die play his drums?” Drew asked.

“Die is a guitar! Not the drums!”

“Sorry! Sorry, I keep getting their names confused!” he defended as several other fans laughed.

“Is it really a good idea to have him up here for this concert? Things get pretty rough,” a woman frowned as Mei took Ray to let him sit on her shoulders and play with her pigtails.

“I know; we’ve been to concerts before. This is his first though, and it’s for his birthday.” Jayne answered.

“Why this show, if it’s his first concert? Couldn’t find a babysitter?” her boyfriend questioned.

“No, it’s because they’re his favorite band. He’s a huge fan, and knows nearly every song already. He’s only four!” Mei announced proudly as the telltale signs of the band preparing to play sounded.

“Mama it’s them! LOOK IT’S THEM!” Ray screamed as soon as the band came into view, bouncing and kicking excitedly in her arms as their first song started up and she took him from Mei. The couple that commented on having him there was watching him more than the band as he sang, screamed, and screeched along with Kyo’s vocals in near perfect Japanese.

“Told you, this is what he wanted for his birthday! We’re not bad parents!” Mei screamed over the roaring crowd as a mosh pit started around them. Instantly Dex and Drew positioned to block while Mei helped Jayne guard Ray, who was starry-eyed as he stared up at the band in wonder, watching closely through the guitar solo.

Through the entire show, Ray rocked his little heart out. There were even times where Dex, Drew, Mei, and Jayne could have sworn he screamed harder, and louder than Kyo himself.

After the show it was announced that the band was signing autographs, and of course the crowd couldn’t make it through the doors to the bus, where the band awaited, fast enough. Drew grabbed Jayne as soon as they began to rush around them to get to the band before they left. She had Ray by the jacket after he slipped out of her arms and stood in front of her. Mei grabbed Dex by the hair after he tripped, while trying with everything she had to locate the other three members of their group. By the time she found them at the door, her worst fears had been realized. Jayne had Ray’s Dir en Grey jacket, but Ray was nowhere to be found.

~

Ray thought he was following Mei, since the Japanese woman in front of him had pretty colors in her hair, and had it done up in pigtails, similar to Mei’s. She also had the same Dir en Grey shirt on, and he didn’t realize until he was outside between two great big busses that everyone else had that shirt on too.

He started calling for Jayne, and before long he was screaming for her with everything he had while being pushed through the crowd, continuing to scream for her and Mei until he hit someone’s legs. He turned around and looked up, feeling his eyes go wider than they have ever gone, even wider than they did when Toshiya looked right at him during one of the songs. Standing there, looking down at him with a mix of concern and amusement was one of his favorite guitarists in the whole world; Die.

He said something to their translator, who nodded and knelt down beside the star-struck child. “Are you okay?” he asked calmly.

“I can’t find my mama.” He answered in Japanese, surprising everyone around him.

“What does she look like?” Die asked, now kneeling down and taking the translator’s place. Ray smiled through his new tears and handed him a card from his little backpack he carried with him.

“Mama has the one-color hair.” He explained, pointing to the picture that was printed into the inside of his birthday card, showing Mei, Dex, Jayne, and Drew smiling and holding him in what looked like a music studio, with guitars and drums, and other instruments everywhere. One side of the card was written in Japanese, and the other was in English.

“And who are the others?” Karou asked as a few fans started to videotape their favorite band helping a lost little boy.

“That’s Mei. The man with yellow hair is Dex, and black is Drew. They are my family! They are missing too!”

“Calm down, we’ll find them don’t worry. I’ll make sure to get you to your mother again.” The translator smiled and went to grab his hand but he quickly backed away, once again bumping against Die. “No!” he shouted firmly, staring up at the man who wanted to take him away. “My Mama told me if I get lost, I stay in one place and don’t move. Never go alone with strangers, and stay where lots of people are at. Sorry, I can’t because Mama needs to find me.” He explained

“RAY WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?” a man’s voice boomed over the crowd, causing silence to fall over them and Ray to bounce excitedly.

“That’s Drew! He only says bad words when he is really mad or scared.” Ray explained as a frantic man pushed his way through the crowd, scanning the area until he found who he was looking for. He let out a sound of pure elation as he picked Ray up, ignoring the excited squeal for now as he pulled out his phone, which was set on speaker, since he was calling Mei and knew she wasn’t speaking English right now.

“Moshi Moshi,” Mei’s voice nearly spat as she answered.

“What?”

“She says ‘hello’.” Ray translated, making a few people around him laugh again.

“RAY!” Mei’s voice squealed before going into rapid Japanese until someone else yelled behind her.

“Where are you? Do you have him; is he there with you? Drew, answer me!” Jayne’s voice demanded.

“We’re fine, he’s actually standing outside between… Die and Karou, I think?”

“Die and Shinya, Drew.” Ray corrected. Before he could correct himself to Jayne though, Dex was heard at the back of the crowd calling for them, and Mei and Jayne were pushing their way to the front.

“RAY!” Jayne cried as the crowd moved around to let the sobbing young woman through. She didn’t care that she nearly knocked Kyo into a trashcan as she threw herself down beside the little boy; all she cared about was that her son was in her arms safely.

“Mama! I was scared! Where were you!?” he demanded as she sobbed while kissing his head over and over.

When she didn’t answer, he turned to Mei and made the same demand in Japanese.

“We’re sorry, Ray-Ray. Everyone started running, and when you were pulled out of the coat we couldn’t find you. We tried very hard, I promise you.” She sniffled, trying like hell not to let her idols see her cry, but it was useless.

“But I yelled our secret code! You didn’t hear me!”

“I know, I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me, please?” Mei begged, nearing sobs again from the relief of knowing he was safe.

“I forgive you.” He smiled, “I forgive you too, mama.” He added, hugging her around her neck as she tried to regain her composure.

“Not exactly how she planned on meeting her favorite band.” Dex commented to the translator, who was watching in as much confusion as the band was. “No, I would think not. That is her son?” he nodded. “He sure is, and is probably the biggest fan these guys have in the crowd.” Drew beamed as he started a shy conversation with Die.

By the end of their adventure, the whole band sang happy birthday to him in Japanese, signed his jacket, and Kyo gave him the greatest of all compliments in his opinion.

“You scream like a real demon. I like it.”

The whole way home he talked about how amazing of a birthday it was, and how much he loved the band even more now, and how great it was to see and meet them. However, the second the five of them reached the bed, he was asleep, and they weren’t far from it.