Visual Kei

My feet hurt like a mofo.

I was finally home and not complaining one bit. Kiiro, Chino, Rei, and Shinji had all taken me out shopping with them. Normally, I wouldn't be whining, but Shinji was carting me around with him pretty much the whole time. Still, it wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that he must be either high on cocaine or he had ADHD because I've known squirrels with longer attention spans. First, we were going to go to the toy store to look for his Gundam models, but he saw something in a video game store that caught his eye. We went from there to a bed store because he wanted to see how comfortable they were, then he wanted to look at anime, from which, he got the idea of grabbing a fruit smoothie and a pretzel. Finally, when he remembered his Gundam models, everyone else was done shopping and ready to leave.

They were extremely tolerant of his attention problem, and we all ended up going to the toy store to look at the interesting and unique toys. We looked very weird in there, to say the least. It was like seeing a group of rednecks at a feminist convention.

Kiiro had offered to walk me to my apartment, and stayed behind while the others went on ahead. We stood there awkwardly for a time, without speaking. Eventually, he smiled a little and asked if I enjoyed myself today. I nodded. He seemed like he had more to say, but just said "good evening, Alice" and walked up the stairs.

I sat on the couch and flipped on the television, hoping to hear more of the case that Arvin was working on. The news was far from boring lately, but even so, my heart was set on that massacre. Wait a second… that came out wrong.

"Here we are with Reverend Miles Archer and Sister Mary Jane Hawthorne," the reporter announced, standing beside two robed figures. Haha Mary Jane, I thought smugly. "Father, our viewers have become aware of a specific upcoming omen, which has been confirmed by both the Christian Bible and the Mayan calendar. Could you please tell us some more about this event and what to expect in upcoming years?"

First, the Reverend spoke. "I would be happy to explain. Although many churchgoers have been exposed to this through our sermons and lessons, I fear that many of my brothers and sisters take this too lightly." Father Archer seemed calm and collected, as a bystander normally would be. He looked at the reporter as he spoke, instead of at the camera. "This 'upcoming event' that you speak of is most likely the apocalypse of 2012. The events of that day are described clearly in the Bible, so I will spare you the details. I believe it prudent that all of God's children read his stories as well as the teachings of his disciples Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John.

"These teachings were spread many, many centuries ago and are published in many different Testaments today. As you also know, Christianity is related to Judaism and sometimes compared to other monotheistic religious practices. Originally passed down through oral tradition, it is obvious that many of the stories from the Bible have a slightly different narrative, but the message is the same. We could all gain insight by taking His way and following His rules.

"We may even be able to prevent the apocalypse, if we can change our ways. The Lord sees all of our moves, hears all of our thoughts, and understands all of our feelings." So, basically, he's a big, creepy stalker? "In return for the love of our Father, should we not respect Him by obeying His tradition?

"Though I use this name with grudging respect, I must say it for the sake of explanation. Lucifer will return to claim our souls on the apocalypse if we do not change our ways. He will stop at nothing to damn our brothers and sisters, he will stop at nothing to hurt us, and he will stop at nothing to hurt the Lord. Sister Mary, here, has even preceded me. She could most likely tell you more information than I could." Reverend Archer stopped his speech and folded his hands over one another, a stiff-looking and stuffy gesture on his part. It made him look like he had something up his ass.

"Thank you, Father Archer," the reporter said, turning to Sister Mary. "Sister, is there anything else that you can tell us that Father Archer has neglected to say?"

"Nothing pressing, no," Sister Mary replied, her glassy eyes staring past the reporter. Even her voice was level. I couldn't tell if she was bored, or if something was wrong. Something about her made me uncomfortable. Since priests were known to have touched little boys… maybe she was a creepy nun lady that touched little girls. I shivered.

"Well, there you have it," the reporter said. "Not only does the Bible predict the coming end, but the Mayan calendar ends on that same day. Is this just a scary coincidence or something more? We would like you to submit your thoughts or any information you can give us on our website through e-mail. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen."

I sighed, flipping off the TV. Did I really believe all that garbage? I don't know. A part of me did, or else I wouldn't even have asked myself that question.



My brother didn't come home at all last night, which had been known to happen at times, but what with the massacre case, I was a little worried. There were many possibilities, some of which were more serious than others. There most likely of all was that he was in trouble for looking through the government files while he updated and reinforced the firewall. While another, less probable option was that he was raped by a lonely computer nerd that smelled like cheese.

As lovely as it was to think about that, I shoved the thought from my mind. It was another day of school, which meant that I'd have to get ready and all that. I met Tiger halfway, and we walked to school together. After we got into school, we found Kiiro. Now that I knew his secret, I wondered why the others weren't attending college here, but I knew better than to ask, especially with Kiiro's little fanboy around.

Like always, he wore his sunglasses with the reddish-brown tint.

"I hate the sun," I complained. It was almost summertime, and in a place like Colorado, it could get really hot during the day. "I can't wait until nighttime."

Kiiro began laughing, and I stared at him, trying not to get a strange look on my face. After he could regain control of himself, he sighed and said, "Me too."

The day progressed slowly, even more slowly than it usually did. I realized that I was looking forward to walking home with Kiiro. After the last bell rang, I found myself walking quickly to my locker to drop my things off and meet Tiger at his locker. We exchanged the usual conversation and he told me about a new band that I might like. Both of us entered the commons and found Kiiro waiting. Tiger left with a friend from his apartment complex and Kiiro walked me home, as he had yesterday.

"When is your father supposed to return?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I responded, surprised that he had remembered my father. Hell, I didn't even remember my father sometimes. "He won't be back for at least a week, though. I think he was sent to Rhode Island again. Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity," he replied simply.

We walked in companionable silence for a while. As we were about to cross the street, he grabbed my arm and yanked me back roughly. It hurt, but it was more of a surprise than painful. I gasped, but did not yelp. I stumbled back powerfully into his chest, one of his strong hands holding onto my bicep. I was so astonished that I barely saw the Mustang GT that raced by, going at least 20mph over the speed limit. Adrenaline pumped through my body, but I did not move. I hoped that I hadn't thrown Kiiro off balance.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly. A shiver ran down my spine, not of fear, obviously. His right hand slid softly from my bicep to my wrist.

"I'm fine," I answered. My voice seemed an octave too high. "You… saved my life."

"It was nothing," he insisted with a liquid laugh. He quickly put space between us. Whether out of respect or discomfort, I could not be certain. "We should be getting home." His deep voice was serious now; not at all playful like it had been.

When we got to the apartment complex, he waited by my door before leaving, like he had the night before. This time, he said nothing. He just nodded, and went upstairs. I stood in my open doorway, confused.

I immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower. Turning on the water, I slipped off my clothes and stepped in. The warm water was a beautiful thing against my flesh. I closed my eyes, picturing the water pounding on my back to be cleansing me of stress. I stood there, letting the water slide over me, like those beautiful women in shampoo commercials. I always told myself that they were bitches on the inside.

There was a loud noise in the living room, like something fell. I stood in the shower for a moment, flustered and unsure of what to do. I listened closer and was grateful for the year of living with my grandpa teaching me to lock the bathroom door. Someone was walking around the apartment. I stepped out of the shower as quietly as possible, opened the cabinet doors below the sink, and stuffed myself into them, in the fetal position. I felt around quietly. Frantically, my fingers gripped the rubber handle of the beer bottle opener. Luckily for me, my dad kept bottle openers all over the damn house. Don't ask why there was one in the bathroom.

Moving a box of tampons to cover the gap in the cabinet doors, I looked and listened as hard as I could, only able to see a very small slit of the bathroom. Whoever was out there was trying the bathroom door. Noticing it was locked, they simply kicked it in. Splinters of wood flew into the shower and blanketed the tile. I covered my mouth with a hand, the soft inside of my lips contorting to my teeth as I pressed hard. They walked around the bathroom, first throwing open the shower curtains. Their footsteps were light, so the person was probably short and thin. There was a noise as he (I assumed it was a man) punched the bathtub or wall. I felt the vibration of impact and tried to remain calm. He took another quick scan of the room before leaving.

Listening intently, I waited for several minutes. All I could hear was the water pounding against the grout. I was safe. I pushed open the cabinet door—

Wrong. Completely wrong.

A huge paw of a hand grabbed my ankle and pulled me out of the bathroom cabinet. I struggled, my hands frantically searching for something to hold onto. The bottle opener fell from my hand and slid to a stop in the far corner of the cabinet. Tugging a little harder on my ankle, he managed to drag me from the cabinet, the splinters of wood digging into my flesh as the box of tampons gracelessly fell to the floor. My hands reached for something—anything. I grasped the box of tampons and threw it as hard as I could at his face. It bounced off the side of his head ineffectively. I had a few moments to see my attacker before I was hit across the face so hard that my vision was speckled with all sorts of colors.

He was impossibly tall, at least seven feet tall with huge, trunk like arms and legs. Unlike one would expect, he had talons. They could not be called nails; they were long, wide, thick, and sharp. They were talons. His face was almost a perfect square, his jaw sharp and flat, boxy. He had piercing, beady eyes. I didn't get to see much else thanks to the pimp slap he gave me.

I was too disoriented to move. I tried to scream, but it just sounded pathetic. I wondered what this beast of a man planned to do, now that he had me where he obviously wanted me. There was a metallic taste in my mouth—my blood. I spit it at him, but it didn't have the same rebellious "bad ass" effect that I was going for. It just looked gross. I pawed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers off my ankle. Swiftly, in one fluid motion, he grabbed my hand and twisted it, breaking my wrist. I screamed/yelled like one of those girls from a horror movie that was actually worth a damn.

He dragged me out to the living room and bound my hands and legs, which obviously hurt like a bitch because my wrist was broken. There were still wood splinters in my back and my legs. I was drooling blood. "What do you want from me?" I demanded my tongue thick with blood. "I don't have anything to give you, if you can't tell!" I looked around groggily, my vision still fuzzy from that jarring hit against my face.

He said nothing. I heard him walk off to the kitchen and come back in a few moments. He grabbed my arm, stuffed a washcloth in my mouth, and ran a knife over some random part of my arm. It was obviously not meant to kill me, but it hurt. I screamed into the cloth, but it muffled most of the noise. What a dumb ass, he was slicing the crap out of me instead of raiding the place.

I struggled in the restraints, but I stopped quickly. He had used rope to bind me. And not rope for pussies, either. I began to cry, frustrated and disappointed in myself.

"Cease," he commanded. I tried my best to comply, but when I couldn't stifle all the noise, he sliced horizontally along some random part of my thigh. It wasn't deep, though. I felt the warmth of my blood running too quickly down my thigh and between my legs, onto my other thigh. I bit down on the cloth, struggling not to make noise. All I could taste was blood.

Suddenly there was a crashing sound and the floor shook with stress as something fell. I listened as hard as I could, but much of it was drowned out by the thumping of blood in my ears. There was much more crashing and a sound that I can't even begin to describe. It was sort of like the sound of a zipper. I saw one of my assailant's arms, detached from his body, be thrown across the room. Then I heard more crashing and the sound of glass breaking. Shards of the sliding glass door flew everywhere, the carpet looking like a stained glass masterpiece, of one color: crimson.

I heard that strange sound a few more times, sometimes multiple sounds at the same time. I felt more than heard the footsteps of three people. All of them were delicate and quiet. I felt faint; I was losing too much blood.

Gentle arms lifted me up and pulled the cloth from my mouth. "Alice, can you hear me?" It was a familiar voice, but it was so far away… I was too tired to place it now. "She's lost too much blood. Get him out of here. Now. Get over here, Tsurara." My vision was all blurry. Softly, someone caressed my left temple with a gloved hand. Or was it the right one? I guess I needed to go back to kindergarten. Do that thing with my fingers, to see which side makes an "L" for "left".

"Alice, you're going to be okay. If you can hear me, we're going to take care of you," the voice continued. There was a pressure against my thigh, like those blood pressure cuffs. My calf began to tingle. I giggled. Then, the same pressure on my bicep. "I think she will come around in a few hours. Can you get her a towel?" I pretty much forgot that I was naked. "And, can you grab her legs? Yes, like that. Be gentle."

I felt strong, placid hands on the backs of my thighs. I was being either held or lifted. I neither wanted to nor could fight back.

"Where did he go?" a different voice asked.

"I don't know," the first answered. I felt like I was flying, but I knew that someone was holding on to me. I was so tired, I decided to sleep. I began to count sheep. "Even though he has a lot of self control, I don't think…"

The voice trailed off as I lost consciousness.



When I woke up, I looked around a little. My whole body was sore. Where was I? It was difficult to tell. The room was very clean and orderly other than a vanity covered with makeup and hair styling equipment. There were posters of all kinds, everything from heavy music to pop to indie… seriously, everything. A stereo softly played Death Cab for Cutie songs. There were words on the walls, in black paint. Sex. Love. Darkness. And Japanese kanji, too. I was lying on a very plush bed, with pillows surrounding me. There was a glass of water on a nightstand near the bed, along with some gauze. I took a sip of the water, and stretched. Wrong move. My muscles cramped up and I curled into the fetal position until the cramping passed. I stood, slowly and carefully.

The door was cracked a little, with a little bit of light pouring in. I heard voices, so I stopped and listened to what was being said.

"How do you feel?" a voice asked.

Worried that they had somehow noticed me, I froze, and didn't say anything.

"Tired. It takes more energy for broken bones and ripped muscles than for surface wounds," a voice explained.

"It's been two days. We were just lucky we could get blood back in her," said a voice that I recognized as Shinji's. There was a gentle thump as a glass was being set down onto the kitchen table. "Even with your help, she is very lucky to be alive."

"That is good," another voice said, which, judging by the mild grasp of English, was probably Rei's. "I am happy that we were back in time to save."

"Also, me," agreed a third, which was very obviously Chino's. "It was worrying. Kiiro, you need more care. It could have been violent if you did not leave. You should know your limits better than we. Do you plan on telling her?"

"No, she doesn't need to know," Kiiro answered grudgingly, after a long pause. "It isn't important right now."

There was another awkward pause.

"I am uneasy with the fact that they have learned of her existence so quickly. Isn't that quite suspect?" Chino asked the group. "Strangely, it happened shortly after we began associating with her. Do you think it possible that they had been keeping eye on us and found her that way? If that is the case, I feel responsible…"

"I do, too," Shinji agreed glumly.

"I wonder about that thing. It was not human," Rei said, changing the subject. "I think it could be one of the Lost. What about you think?"

Shinji, Chino, and Kiiro agreed and a voice that I didn't recognize. Two glasses were set down.

"It's too early to rule out the Shinigami Aku, though," Shinji commented. The Demons of the Death God…? After letting his statement settle among the group, he pressed on. "I am certain that even Alice has had some exposure to that possibility. I hope it is only one of the Lost." He paused. "Did you notice that birthmark on her left foot?"

Shinji meant the brown eye-shaped birthmark on my foot. It was rare, even the doctors said they had never seen such a strangely-shaped birthmark. What did that have to do with anything, though? Unless… Shinji has a foot fetish.

"Let's assume the worst: that it is Aku," Kiiro said. "If that is the case, then we will need the help of others. We cannot hope to fight against them, just the five of us, especially when Alice needs what little safety we can provide currently. She is only human, and cannot hope to stand up against Aku yet. If that birthmark is indeed what you think it is, it is only a matter of time before her potential is realized. Until then, we have to protect her with our lives."

There was a thick silence, and I wasn't sure if the others were agreeing or disagreeing.

"I will not throw my life away for a human that I hardly know," came an unfamiliar voice. This voice was musical, but the tone was harsh. "Chosen or not."

"Tsurara, please be reasonable," Shinji half begged, half scolded. "At this point, she may be our only chance of survival. In case you weren't aware, the end for humans is also the end for us. We were all human before we had it taken from us, and perhaps I only speak for myself, but I would like to protect the humanity of others. I would never wish this curse upon anyone, not even someone who acted to me as an enemy."

"I'm sorry, Tsurara, but I agree with Shinji. This needs to be done, not just for us, but also for the well-being of every other living being on this Earth," Chino agreed in Japanese. "Place yourself in Alice's position. Wouldn't you hope that someone would do the same for you? I believe that we were given this power to help others, and even if we were given this for no reason, we should make the best of it. If people knew what we are, do you really think that they would think twice about killing us? Humans have long memories of our races, even if we are different than our ancestors."

"So, you suggest that I protect Alice simply to save my own skin?"

"She needs us, no matter our motive," Rei insisted.

Everyone agreed to that.

"How exactly do you plan to do any of this? It's good to talk about it and all, but we haven't discussed the means," Kiiro said. "I think it may be best to search for others locally, however, most of our connections are through Japan. Perhaps I could make a few phone calls?"

There was a pause in the conversation as someone turned on the kitchen sink. The water ran for about two minutes, and then shut off. Whoever it was sat back down.

"We don't have time," Chino insisted. "I think it may be best to book a last-minute flight to Tokyo and meet up with some of the others that we know. Perhaps by taking Alice out of the country, we may buy some time before our next encounter. We can only hope." There was a pause. "The other option is to make some calls and hope for the best. I'm guessing that whether Lost or Aku, those two were scouts. Whoever they were working for will soon know where Alice and her family lives, and possibly about our involvement."

"You make a good point, but you are missing two things," Rei pointed out. "You are assuming that the man has no associates in Japan and that there are no others to watch us. For all we know, there could be a group of them observing us at this very moment. Are you willing to risk taking Alice away from her family and friends, just to come back and have them kidnapped or worse? I don't think that is the best thing to do, either."

"We obviously couldn't take them with us, too," Shinji agreed.

"Perhaps we should split into two groups," Kiiro suggested. There was a bit of protesting, but he spoke over it, only lowering his voice when they stopped. "I know, it's not a good idea, either. If we do split up, we can have the group here monitor Alice and her family while the other group flies out to Japan and meets up with our associates. I think that is the best thing to do given the circumstances. Either way, we are at a disadvantage."

There was a varying level of agreement among the men.

"What if we just wait and see what happens next?" Tsurara asked nonchalantly. "We are no better off without knowing what we're up against here."

"You suggest we do nothing," Kiiro said flatly.

"I suggest nothing of the sort," Tsurara countered calmly. "I am simply reminding you that rushing out for reinforcement may be unnecessary. I am against acting without knowing what we're facing, however, if I am outvoted, I will follow everyone else's better judgment."

I shifted on my feet. This was too much to take in at once. I breathed lightly, trying my best not to make any noise.

"Alice, why don't you join us, instead of standing there," Kiiro called. I jumped, but opened the door sheepishly. "Don't worry, we aren't mad at you." Everyone smiled a little, but was obviously strained. Everyone except Tsurara. He looked at me levelly for a moment before looking away. He probably blamed me for the predicament that everyone now faced. I didn't want to think that it was my fault, but I could hardly blame him.

"How are you feeling?" Shinji asked with his cute smile on his face, resting his chin on his hands. On his thumb, there was a bulky silver ring with a pentagram symbol on it. I hadn't noticed it before. He looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes. The only thing that would have made his face cuter would be dimples, not that he needed to be any cuter. He was already more adorable than most puppies and all babies. Everyone else, including Tsurara, stared at me, waiting for my response.

"Like I got hit by a truck," I answered honestly. "I think part of it has to do with overexerting my muscles. I'm not really used to a workout." Minus Tsurara, everyone laughed in unison. "May I ask whose shirt I'm wearing?" I asked, realizing that all I was wearing was a really big T-shirt and some boxers. I probably looked pregnant.

"The T-shirt is mine," Chino admitted with a grin. "Sorry for it being big, but I thought you would like to be comfortable."

"The boxers are mine!" Rei laughed, as did everyone else.

"Thank you. May I ask what happened?"

"You were attacked in your apartment at this time, exactly two days ago. We aren't sure who it was or why they targeted you, but it is a very long story. We will have more time to explain later. All I can tell you right now is that we took care of your attacker, but we are certain that others will come for you." Shinji hurried on, after my facial expression changed. "Don't worry, we will protect you. We heard you scream and came for you." Kiiro shifted uncomfortably, and wouldn't look at me. I couldn't say that for certain because his sunglasses blocked his irises, as always, but I assumed. "We got there just in time to save you. We didn't take you to a hospital and insisted that you recover here, under our supervision. It would not have been safe for you at the hospital." I wasn't sure if that part about the hospital were true or not, but I decided to trust him.

"I understand what happened to me, but I don't exactly understand what is going on," I admitted. "I can wait until you are ready to tell me, but from what you said, this may be too important for me not to know, especially what with making plans and discussing taking me to Japan." Shinji grimaced.

"Like Shinji said, now is neither the time nor the place to speak. There is little time in which we have to act, so please excuse us. If you can work with us for now, I promise to explain everything when we can. Can you do this for us?" Kiiro asked. "This is hardly fair to you, I know, but I need you to trust in us." His tone was calm, but I could hear a hint of desperation in his voice.

I grinned. "In Shinji I trust."