Visual Kei

Kiiro shifted uncomfortably in the bathtub. I wanted to laugh, among other… things. Normally, I would be cracking jokes all over the place, but I did kind of feel bad for him. Shinji, Tsurara, Rei, and Kiiro were all crammed into the bathtub, sitting with their legs hanging over the edge of the tub like a group of preteen girls at a slumber party. Rei's head was cocked at the most awkward angle to avoid the faucet. It honestly had a zero percent chance of being comfortable in any way. Chino was standing by the bathroom mirror, glassy-eyed. His fingertips were just barely pressed against the very edge of the mirror. I was sitting on the toilet lid, my view on everyone simultaneously.

Chino stared off into the distance, past the wall. We all waited patiently. This reminded me of my first time trying a Ouija board. It was the same mix of skepticism and faith, and hope that it truly would work how it was said to. I watched the mirror intently.

The mirror then appeared to change into a plasma-like consistency, showing a computer monitor. Chino did not move at all, he didn't even seem to be breathing. Unblinking, his eyes darted across the room, looking past us all. "Authorization code: 71A829QU372," Chino said monotonously, as if repeating something, maybe a little grudgingly. As he said the code, the pass code required by the computer monitor filled with black dots that indicated a password. Suddenly, the computer monitor opened a classified file and showed a restricted video clip. Chino narrated what we couldn't hear.

"The following victims were killed without being physically touched." The mirror showed three people, their bodies preserved perfectly and lying face-up, as if they were simply blind. "All information disclosed to the public includes death by poisoning. Cause yet to be determined, although severe brain trauma was discovered, without evidence of neck or head trauma. This is unexplainable." He paused, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment as he concentrated, trying to focus on the audio. "The following victims were mutilated beyond recognition, apparently torn to pieces as if by wild animals. Their bodies were found in heavily populated urban areas with no account of wild animals with the ability to cause sufficient damage." This time, the mirror reflected the mutilated bodies of seven people, basically just piles of blood, organ pieces, and bones. I noticed that the men in the tub were glancing at me, for my reaction.

"Yummy," I said.

"There are upwards of 12 more victims whose bodies were only discovered fractionally. Most of these victims' hands or feet were the only parts discovered." The next crime scenes were shown only as a slideshow of images: a hand, a foot, an arm, and so on. "Police have put a stop to all further investigation, however mediums were brought to the crime scenes and claim that there is a dark aura emanating from the victims' bodies. These mediums either refuse to elaborate or begin to speak in an undocumented tongue. Those who have attempted to explain have ended up becoming victims as well, usually being killed in the same way as the victim that they viewed. The only survivor is a Japanese woman by the surname 'Miko'." Kiiro shifted awkwardly. "She is believed to be in the band known as Fallacy, although such claims hold no proof currently."

Chino's eyes moved like they would if he were dreaming with his eyes closed. They darted across the room restlessly. He closed his eyes and the image in the mirror dissipated slowly, in a gray mist. I blinked a few times, my eyes feeling dried out.

"Why did you show us this?" Rei asked.

"It seemed important. I have a feeling that the thing that attacked Alice was behind those murders," Chino answered in Japanese, thinking hard. "It has to be a group, that's the only way that that many humans would die in such a small amount of time."

"Where were you getting that information from?" Tsurara asked also in Japanese.

"I am not certain, but I think it is someone close to Alice. Their minds taste very similar," Chino commented nonchalantly. "Her father? No… you said he was a trucker, didn't you, Kiiro? Perhaps her mother, then?"

Kiiro translated for me.

"Two things, Chino," I said in English. "One: it's my brother, Arvin, who you are channeling this information from. Two: what do you mean 'our minds taste similar'? How can you taste someone's mind?"

"Let me see… I'll try to explain, Alice," Chino said, unsure of how to word it. He spoke in Japanese and Ivy translated. "Every family has a unique tasting mind. I'm not really sure how to describe how I taste someone's mind, but it's kind of similar to when you eat something. This taste gets in my mouth… Some minds taste delicious; usually people that I am close with or know well. People who are related directly (such as cousins, siblings, parents, aunts/uncles, etc) often have a very similar composition to their minds, which makes them have a similar flavor. Even if they don't think the same way, they seem to have the same flavor when I am inside their minds."

"That's… new."

"Why are you channeling Alice's brother's mind?" Kiiro asked. "None of us have met him, outside of Alice, obviously."

"It is embarrassing to admit, but I was hoping I could learn more about Alice and her family this way," Chino confessed, his face flushing a bit. "I want Alice to be comfortable around us, especially now that she knows of our… abilities. She may be around us quite often from now on, and perhaps her family will be too."

Kiiro shifted again, pushing his sunglasses higher up on his nose. Tsurara was looking at his gloved hand. Rei and Shinji shot each other a quick glance before both of them stared at Chino openly. Everyone was still and quiet for an awkward moment.

"Geez, I have a new stalker," I said. We all laughed, though Chino just looked even more embarrassed. "My brother has been secretly looking into this case and providing me with the details. I never suspected that this would be linked to what had happened to me last night," I admitted. "Now that I actually see the evidence, it is quite probable. That guy was… inhuman."

We sat in silence again, and I wondered if I should say something.

"I think we should compare the damage done to the victims and the assault on Alice," Rei suggested. "Although we should definitely keep in mind that this attempt was not meant to end in fatality, like the other victims. Alice, if you can continue to find out information through your brother that would be great. Could you get the names of the victims? This would help us greatly."

"I'll try."

"Alright, I'll begin," Rei announced. "Chino, could you withdraw at least one image of the first three victims?" Chino nodded and pressed his fingertips against the mirror again. He looked like he was saluting Hitler, his arm held awkwardly diagonal, a little too tilted to be parallel to the floor. His eyes glazed over, as they had before. Gradually, the mirror darkened, and then a ripple spread across its surface, the image of the first three victims flooding the mirror. Rei wiggled viciously, trying to get out of the bathtub, and was helped by Kiiro and Shinji. He stood opposite Chino, and gestured to the places he was speaking of.

"Obviously, like Chino had said, these victims were not assaulted in any noticeably physical way, although their autopsy report claimed that they had brain trauma. The only way that this could occur is through overstimulation of the frontal and temporal lobes: possibly mental probing, similar to Chino's abilities," Rei explained. "I believe that these first three murders were committed by someone other than the later, gorier ones. This is why we are assuming that there is a group behind these deaths.

"Even if you look very closely," Rei continued, Chino magnifying the image tenfold, "you will not see any immediate damage. There are no bruises along the victims' necks, suggesting suffocation. There are no marks suggesting blunt force trauma to the head, which is the only way that brain trauma would be possible, unless there are bruises around the neck, suggesting violent shaking of the head and neck. Even so, such vigorous shaking would be noticed by autopsy experts. Either fractures or bruising of the neck would be visible, if not brain bruising."

"So, you're suggesting that a mental invasion took place here?" Shinji concluded. "It is certainly possible, but it is rare for people to even be able to enter another person's mind, much less kill them through it, so it would definitely be inhuman. Even Chino couldn't do that…"

"Obviously, whoever we're dealing with is more powerful than we're used to," Tsurara admitted tonelessly as always. "We should practice more for this once we have the time. It'll be fun when we finally get to him."

Kiiro tensed up, noticeably stiffening within the tub. "You treat this as if it were a game," he managed, in a rumbling murmur.

"Do I?" Tsurara challenged, brushing some of his bangs from his face.

"Don't start this again," Kiiro threatened, his hands tightening into fists. "I'd rather not fight with a long-time friend, but I've no qualms with using those means to make him see reason."

"What makes you think you would be victorious in a fight?"

Other than the two men, the room was painfully silent.

"You spout death wishes." Kiiro rose from the tub, Tsurara following suit. Both men were cool and expressionless, save for their stance, which was clearly predatory.

"Bring it, leech," Tsurara dared, his slanted, piercing eyes narrowing.

Kiiro, who was turned away from me, let out a feral growl. "You shall regret that."

"Stop it!" Shinji shouted at them both, forcefully separating them with his thin hands, like he would children. "We need to work together instead of against each other. Tsurara, what is your problem? You are acting different than usual and we are worried about you. Kiiro, please, calm down. We all know that Tsurara is not usually like this."

"That was a lot," Rei said flatly. He looked around at everyone's faces and adjusted the black studded leather collar that was strapped around his neck, the ringing of the chains the only sound in the room, momentarily.

Tsurara and Kiiro both turned to Shinji. Tsurara scoffed and returned to his spot in the tub. Kiiro said nothing and did the same.

"I think we need a short break," Rei commented. "We can continue around an hour from now. Kiiro, do you want to go with me to pick up food? Oh, Shinji has the money though… oh well, we can all go. Write down what you want to eat. Alright, we will return."

Rei, Kiiro, and Shinji walked out the door, leaving me with the two people that I was most uncomfortable with: Chino, whom I could not seem to connect with, and Tsurara who would rather not get involved. Struggling to keep it casual, I sat down in the kitchen, resting my head on my forearms. Chino began to do something in the living room. Probably cleaning.

"Would you care to go for a walk?" a voice asked quietly from behind me. I turned around. Tsurara was standing behind me a ways. "I mean, are you well enough to walk today?"

I said nothing for a moment, trying to see if he was serious. It was difficult to tell. His eyes were as expressionless as always. "Sure," I answered, wanting to kick myself because my voice broke at the end. He smiled a little, trying to comfort me in some way, I think.

Tsurara ran his fingers through his layered blonde hair and led me out the door, taking care to stay beside me instead of in front of or behind me. We walked north along the sidewalk, the purplish-blue mountains on the horizon, in all directions. He pulled out a pack of clove cigarettes, opened the box, and withdrew a slender black cancer stick. He didn't light it, just held it in his left hand.

We walked in silence for a couple of minutes, which gave me time to take in as much as I could about Tsurara. He was built like the rest of them: short and scrawny. His overall androgynous appearance was reminiscent of Rei. Unlike Rei, however, he had thin and lanky limbs that were more like a preteen boy than a man or woman. His hair was puffed up around his head like a lion's mane, with the casual, yet popular "Asian mullet" with bangs. Most of his hair was layered and the majority fell somewhere around his jaw line. Two straight locks of hair fell over his shoulders and cascaded down his chest, stopping at his bellybutton. It made him look thinner, which he didn't need. His jaw was strong and smooth, his chin broad and masculine, but not overly so. He could pass for a woman if viewed at the correct angle. Oddly enough, he had almond-shaped cerulean eyes, accented by heavy eyeliner. He had three lip piercings: snakebites and one in the middle. Without the piercings, he had a regal and commanding aura, not that he demanded much of the other band members.

"I apologize for my harsh words directed toward you yesterday. I am certain that you dislike me," Tsurara said softly, almost gently, but also painfully. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he had turned away as he said this, not wanting me to see his expression. He pretended to simply be looking across the street. "I haven't been quite myself lately; since the move here, actually. I am not unused to America, but because of the way I lived, to suddenly be thrust into a world even a little unfamiliar is very frightening to me." Shakily, his hand went to his back pocket and he pulled out a lighter with some kind of Japanese guro cartoon, using it to light his cigarette.

"I hope this doesn't bother you," he said, indicating his cigarette, which was now between his feminine lips. I felt as if there was a double meaning buried within his words, but I couldn't quite understand it. It was like standing in a museum, looking at a work of art. I was so engrossed in the details, that I couldn't see the main picture. "Most of us smoke, you know," he continued, taking the aromatic cigarette from his lips. It smelled delicious, even though I didn't smoke. The truth was, my dad used to smoke so I was used to it. I used to smoke, too, but I quit before I was 15. "It is an outlet for our stress, and doesn't affect most of us like it would you." I wondered if he meant to be condescending, but I decided to think not.

"You are afraid," he stated simply. It was true, but what did he mean, specifically? Afraid of him, them, the future, myself, or fat guys that smell like cheese? He could have meant anything.

"Yes," I murmured, barely audibly. The smoke from his cigarette was tantalizing.

"I was scared too, at first."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first developed these capabilities," he replied hazily. The cigarette was deteriorating quickly, but he still seemed reluctant to bring it to his lips again. He flicked it away with his index finger. "It was painful, like growing pains. Sometimes, I would have terrible migraines or body aches and other times it was worse than that. There were days when I would cough up or cry blood, although I was not truly crying," he was quick to add. "It caused most of our kind to commit suicide before their abilities finished maturing, but I was lucky. I was already friends with Chino and Shinji at that time, and they were with me to help as I developed.

"It was the worst pain I had ever experienced, to this day. I wonder if it was worth it sometimes," he said idly, as if to himself. Then he glanced at me, and for a moment, our eyes locked. We both looked away quickly, but he continued. "You can't imagine it, Alice, not as you currently are. If you really are who we believe you are, then that pain that I endured was nothing compared to what you will face." He had turned to gaze at me for a moment. In that brief moment, I saw what seemed to be compassion, before he turned away again.

"Who do you think I am? Superwoman?" I asked jokingly.

Tsurara smiled. "You could say that."

"What exactly do you think I am?" I managed, pausing near the entrance of the complex.

"There's a lot to it," he replied after a time. "Too much to explain here."

"I'm glad you asked me to walk with you," I said, a bit awkwardly. "Thank you."

"Me too," he agreed. He seemed relieved. "It needed to be done. If I'm going to protect you, I think that I'll need to make this as comfortable as possible for both of us. The only way that's going to happen is if I lower my defenses," he admitted, somewhat distastefully. He wasn't trying to be rude, but it was obvious that he was being more blatant than he cared to be.

"I don't expect you to trust me, or even to like me," I said, "but we need to try, I think."

He nodded, following me up the stairs. When we returned, Chino gave us both a long look. He must have thought that we duked it out or something, but after looking at our expressions, it seemed like he thought more along the lines of a make-out session. I rolled my eyes.

I stood in the kitchen, as I always seemed to do, and Tsurara disappeared somewhere down the hallway. I considered following him for a moment, but decided to drop it for now. Chino followed me into the kitchen, a couple of martini glasses in his hands. He grinned guiltily and took them to the sink. Are all these men a bunch of alcoholics? When I looked into the refrigerator, I noticed at least half the stock of that bar that Todd owned. I remembered Shinji saying that they had a weekly upkeep, too. Every Sunday, they would go to a grocery store and look for alcohol. I opened the refrigerator again.

At the bottom, there was half a bottle of UV Blue and a 24 pack of Red Bull energy drinks. On the door, there was Jagermeister and three unopened bottles of Peach Rum. At the top, there were two cases of Erina's favorite beer and a bottle of Mojito. That was merely the refrigerator. On the countertop, there was Captain Morgan and Jack Daniels, not to mention a bottle of red wine and some soju, imported straight from Korea.

"Are you secretly running your own liquor store? You could make a killing off that soju if you sold it to the right person, you know," I said to Chino, picking up the bottle of Korean wine. He laughed, the faucet water splashing dirty water from an overflowing bowl soaking his shirt. I set down the bottle and pushed him playfully aside. "This is a job for a woman," I said, rolling my eyes. Laughing, he wrung out the bottom of his shirt.

"You don't need to wash the dishes. I could have done. It promised we aren't sexist!"

I laughed and threw some more water at him.

"Just go put on some new clothes, Sexist," I replied playfully. "Before the guys come back with food." He retreated to his room, giggling like a schoolgirl the whole way. I shook my head and finished up washing the dishes.



This should be the best night of my life, but it's pretty frickin awkward, I thought as redness invaded my cheeks. I was lying next to Shinji in bed. There was a vote earlier to see who would sleep next to me that night. The guys insisted that I have someone in my room just in case the perpetrator was to return, plus, they liked to see my reaction. Shinji was chosen simply because he was the only plausible one to volunteer. I was just glad that I didn't have to sleep next to Chino or Tsurara… or Rei. Kiiro told me once that Rei clings to people in his sleep. I shivered at that thought and was grateful that Shinji stayed on his side of the bed.

I was still tired and sore from the other night, but my mind was restless. Shinji shifted a little, the blankets rustling softly. I turned onto my right side, trying to get comfortable. For some reason, I had healed inhumanly quickly and for that I was grateful. The only physical problem now was my muscle soreness. Speaking of that, my arm hurt.

"Please try to sleep," Shinji whispered after I shifted again. "We will be going out as soon as everyone is awake tomorrow."

"I'm trying," I whispered back. "The harder I try to sleep, the more it evades me." I closed my eyes, but my heart was beating quickly and it was a little too quiet for my comfort. It was simple to close my eyes, but a whole other ballgame to fall asleep. We must have lay there for an hour already.

Shinji's bed was plush, but not overly so. The blankets were made of a material sort of similar to fur, but I knew Shinji well enough to know that he would never buy a real fur blanket. It was soft and a little comforting against my skin. It was a bit too warm, though.

As I lay there, I couldn't help but wish somewhere in the back of my mind that I was laying next to Kiiro. I tried to keep that thought at bay.