KEISUKE’S POINT OF VEIW (OOW)
“This is Smert’, she will be your partner from now on.”
Those were my father’s words as he handed me a small lion cub. My mother didn’t really like the idea… but my father insisted.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon for him to----”
“None sense! He’ll do a great job. You’re his mother, after all.”
****
A few days later I was just coloring on a paper with crayons as I ate while lying on the floor.
“Hi, Smert'! What’s up? Wait, what are you doing? Those are mine!!
I sat up crossed legged and picked up the box.
“oh, alright. You can have them.” I said as I fed them all to her. “Your name should be French fries instead…” I joked, but it did seem to suit her better. I turned around and wrote it on a brand new piece of paper. As I wrote she watched. “So… if the plural is french fries… then singular should be… without an “s”….
****
“Hey there, champ! What you got there?”
“Nothin’…” I kept swinging back and forth on my ankles and then looked up at my dad. “Can I change Smert'’s name?”
“No.”
“Shinobu!” scolded my mother. “It’s his pet, let him choose the name.”
“Fine. Listen champ, were going to get her license tomorrow. So why don’t we get her new name written on it?”
“Yeah!!” I screamed and held the paper tighter with joy.
“I mean… it’s not going to be as nice as Smert' or anything… but why don’t you show me what you came up with?” he said as he leaned closer to try to take the paper, which I snatched away.
“No, daddy!” I screamed and ran inside. As I ran I could hear mom and dad laughing, they used to be so happy.
***
“Alright, champ. Show the man the paper so he can write her new name on the stone.”
I handed it to my father and he took a look at what I wrote. I even remember the color I used… light purple and I decorated it with green.
“Champ… that’s… not how you spell fren---
“Yeah it is! T-That’s how I want to spell it!” I pouted.
“Alright….But this doesn’t beat Smert', just saying.”
We used to be really happy… we were a really close family… My dad smiled, and laughed and my mom kicked ass. Everything was so perfect…not that it really matters… that was two hundred years ago…
“Hey, Keisuke!” Logan called as Keisuke zipped his back and closed the door to his locker. When he got close to him Logan playfully hit him in the shoulder.
“H-hey, Logan.” He replied putting a hand over his arm. Keisuke looked at Logan and found Jona glaring at him at the back. Keisuke sighed. “What’s… u~p?”
“Why are you talking so weird?”
“I don… don’t …”
“Anyways, I was thinking that maybe we should g----“
“Sorry, Logan… I … I have to go do something that day.”
“I didn’t say what day!”
“It doesn’t matter. I'm busy that day too!”
“Keisuke, are you ok?”
“Gotta go. Bye!”
****
“ Tanaka?”
“Yes, young master?”
“Where is Jaw-long?”
“He’s not here today, sir. It’s his day off.”
“Psht, I actually needed him today.”
“Would you like me to call him?”
“No, he deserves a break. After all, when he’s here he doesn’t sleep.”
“As you wish.”
“I’m going up to my room. I’ll have dinner there, I have work.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Keisuke went up the stairs he heard thumps. He turned to the rail and took a look down. When Keisuke saw Tanaka walking to the kitchen he shook his head in confusion and walked to his room. Just as he put his hand on the door to push it he heard a voice calling.
“Keisuke!”
“L-Logan! How did you get in?”
“Through the gate. What? Is your little ninja friend on vacation?” Logan’s tone was arrogant again, but he was just angry and bothered.
“Y-yeah… he is…”
“Well then, lock the damn gate! Someone could break in, are you insane?”
“Logan you broke --- what are you doing here?”
“I came because you keep neglecting me!”
“I'm not neglecting---
“Yes, you are!”
“Really? When exactly did I?
“Today! When I was going to invite you for lunch! But you wouldn’t know it was a lunch invitation because you didn’t even let me finish! And then, when I tried to invite you to a movie, you avoided me again! What did I do? Did I make you angry in any way?!”
“No! It’s not like that, it’s just----
“Keisuke, is this about your moth---
“NO. It’s…. look, last time you cancelled on Jona and … then you… did you even invite him along when you invited me?”
“N-no, but that’s because you and he don’t get along.”
“And did you ever consider that he might feel left out, or even, ignored?”
“W-Well…”
“Look, Logan, Jona is your best friend. You can’t just leave him behind because you found an interesting new toy… Logan. Jona and you are best friends and I don’t want to intrude, alright? Things between you and him were perfect before you showed interest in me. You didn’t even realize he doesn’t hate me. He just feels abandoned and I'm the reason he feels that way.” Keisuke was as firm as he could, but his tone became sad as he continued. He put his head on the door frame, along with his hand, after turning around, and sighed. “Just go back to your own life. To the life you had before you met me. I appreciate having you as a friend, thank you for all your support. But… things were fine the way they were…. Please, just… forget we ever had anything to do with each other… you’ll be safer that way as well.”
Keisuke entered his room and locked the door behind him. Logan just stood there without knowing what to do or say. He just stood there staring at the hallway until Tanaka appeared behind him.
“I think it’s best to leave the young master alone for the night. He has been stressed out.”
Logan looked to the side and sighed. Now, it was him who was feeling abandoned. As if Keisuke had had enough of him and pushed him aside once more.
+++[ three weeks later]+++
“hey, Logan.” Said Jona cheerfully as he put his tray on the table and sat down.
"hey.”
“Are you alright? You’ve been down lately. I mean, you stopped hanging out with the weirdo… and … well… you were fine two weeks ago, but now you’re so depressing.”
“He’s right.” Affirmed Kat. “I mean, you were the one who'd cheer everyone all the time. Now you’re the one who needs some ice cream and a sad movie.”
“I guess…”
Logan raised his head and looked at the door. For his good luck Keisuke walked out calmly. His tranquility annoyed Logan. He was reading that book again until Keisuke stopped walking. Logan noticed his hand shaking as Keisuke looked around and spotted Logan. After he looked at him in the eye, he shook his head and turned back to that little red book. Keisuke turned the page and let out a sigh of relieve. Logan looked at Jona for a second and when he turned back Keisuke was gone. Logan wrinkled his nose in anger and slammed his hand on the table.
“whoa!” exclaimed Jona after getting startled. “Wait, don’t tell me that you’re in a bad mood because of that dweeb.”
“It’s not that… it’s just that… he… well, he told me something really personal and then…”
“Ooh, tell me!”
“No way in hell, Jona.”
“What? Why?”
“How would you like me telling everyone the personal shit you trusted me with?”
“bro, chill. I’m just kidding.”
“Damn it.”
Logan stood up from the table furious and walked around the school with no specific location in mind. He just walked around to try to find “the little bastard” who was getting him so pissed. He saw him coming out of the nurse with a hand on his head. The school nurse was related to Logan so he took the advantage and went in to ask.
“So, frequent headaches…. Tina said they were from lack of sleep…. You’re doing this again…. fuck you, Keisuke… when are you going to learn to take care of yourself?”
Class when on. Logan tried to catch up to Keisuke for a couple of times, but he was never able to have a word with him.
The next day, when class was over, Logan waited for Keisuke at the gate. Keisuke was walking nonchalantly, putting his red book in his bag, until he spotted Logan. When their eyes met Keisuke turned around immediately and ran the other way.
“HEY!” screamed Logan. His anger was spreading everywhere. Logan ran behind Keisuke and grabbed him by the arm.
“Ouch!”
“Don’t even think about running away, we need to talk.”
“Ow, Logan, let go, it hurts!”
“I’m not going to let go!” Logan looked at Keisuke in the eyes. They were narrowed due to the sunlight. Logan stared down at him and noticed that one of his eyes was in fact red… crimson red.
“Logan, I'm serious it----ARGH!” Keisuke fell to his knees and, grabbing Logan's arm, he put his head down.
Logan realized he was really hurting him and let go. Keisuke hugged his arm, and as he made sounds of pain, he looked down and tried to shut the whispers he could hear.
“Keisu---“
“Shut up!” Keisuke screamed. It wasn’t directed to Logan, but it seemed like it.
‘Kill him.’
‘He hurt you. He should pay.’
‘Rip him apart.’
‘What are you waiting for? Make him pay for what he did.’
Those whispers were getting louder by the second. Keisuke removed his hand from his arm and put both of them on his head. He clenched them and tried to shut the voices out, but that just made them scream louder.
“Keisuke, I'm sorry! Are you alright? Please man, you’re scaring me.”
‘Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. KILL HIM. KILL HIM. KILL HIM. KILL HIM. Are you going to disobey us?! Do you want us to hurt you?! Is that what you want??’
“Stop it….. please shut up….”
‘Who ever hurts you… hurts us… we will kill you… we will hurt you. Do something to him, or we will hurt you instead. Is that what you wish for?? We will make it come true!!’
“Keisuke, please, I'm sorry. Please stand up. What’s wrong? I didn’t----
“ARGH!!!”
“Keisuke!”
‘Is this better? Do you enjoy the pain we bring you??’
Logan kneeled beside him and put his hand on his shoulder.
‘DON’T TOUCH US!’
“ARGH!!! STOP!”
“MAKE HIM GO AWAY! MAKE HIM DISSAPPEAR! STOP TOUCHING HIM, YOU’RE TOUCHING US!
“Keisuke…” Logan jerked his hand back and took two steps back. The place was empty and no one was around to help him. He didn’t know what was happening to Keisuke. He couldn’t hear the whispers, so of course he wouldn’t understand.
“Keisuke, please!... just… tell me what’s wrong!”
“KILL HIM!”
“No! No! Stop it! It hurts!”
“Keisuke!”After Logan called him Keisuke started screaming and fell on the floor. “KEISUKE!” Logan picked him up, while he screamed, and held him closer to him. The screams got louder until they suddenly stopped. “Kei---” Logan gasped after realizing Keisuke had coughed blood and gone unconscious.
***
“Jaw-Long!”
Logan called after crossing the main gate to Keisuke’s house. He was carrying him in a piggy-back and walked up the small path leading to the main house. After reaching the door Logan kicked it.
“No, wait… That’s rude.”
Logan pushed Keisuke higher and let go of him with one hand. He knocked on the door violently and desperate as he struggled to keep Keisuke’s head above his shoulders.
“Damn, open up!” Logan bit his lower lip. “What was his name?? T-tanuki?”
Logan heard steps coming form inside.
“Tanuki! I'm outside!”
“You know what else is outside? A door bell.” The butler joked; but when he opened the door his yellow eyes widened. His face turned pale and Tanaka couldn’t help but open his mouth.
“Tanuki! Where’s the ninja man?!”
“W-What happened to the lord?”
--------
“Here, lay him down on his bed slowly.”
“Tanuki… is… is he going to be alright?”
Tanaka sighed. Logan covered Keisuke with a blanket and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.
“I’ll go call the master.”
The butler walked out of the room while Logan decided to stay next to Keisuke. He pulled a chair and sat. After a couple of hours, Keisuke groaned. Logan had put his head on the bed with his arms folded in front of him, but, when Keisuke gasped and groaned for a second time, he put his head up immediately. After contemplating for a second he put his hand on Keisuke’s arm. The moment he touched him, Keisuke groaned loudly and, sounded in severe pain. Logan yanked his hand back and gasped. He stood up, with his hand in front of his chest – the one he had touched him with-, and backed off.
“I… did this to him…”
Logan kept walking backwards until he bumped into the wall. He lowered his hand, from reflex, and focused his eyes on Keisuke’s face.
“He’s so pale… it’s like all those nights he hasn’t been sleeping accumulated on his skin….” He thought. Logan sat on the floor with his knees up to his chest and hugged them. He put his head down and stayed like that until the next morning. When morning arrived, around five in the morning Keisuke’s father barged in the room. Logan got startled and threw his head upwards to see what was going on. Keisuke’s father rushed towards his son and extended a hand to touch him gently; however, right before he could touch him, he stopped and took his hand back.
“He went out cold from the pain they caused him…” he whispered. Logan stood up as fast as he could and walked closer to them. He didn’t say anything. He just watched the man look at his son with a forlorn expression of worry and fear.
As Logan looked at the man’s face and realized that: everything he had screamed at Keisuke that day wasn’t true. He cared for his son, more than Logan could ever imagine. It showed on the way he looked at Keisuke as he groaned. Logan gasped.
“I'm sorry…”
The man did not reply. He just looked at the kid with a confused expression and shook his head.
“It… it’s because I touched him… I'm the one who hurt him….”
“No. I... I've also been putting a lot of pressure on him.” he said and then when he turned to his boy again he muttered. “It’s never been this bad….”
“What’s going to happen to him? Is he going to be alright?”
“…”
“Please! Please, tell me he’s going to wake up!”
“Listen… Drake…”
“No! I---
“Look, as hard as it is, I'm going to be completely straight forward with you. Whenever he has these attacks… the probability of him not waking up is around fifty times higher than of him opening his eyes again and being alright. You need to----
“What?” Logan sighed. “What are you….
“He’s never passed out before, not even when he was still just a kid. He was always able to endure it, somehow. Don’t get your hopes up… he might never----”
“How can you just say that…..?”
“Look, I'm not saying that he won’t ever wake up again. I'm just saying that you need to be prepared in case he doesn't.”
The man put his hand on Logan’s shoulder and walked out of the room as firm as possible. Before he crossed the door he turned his head to Logan and sighed.
“Go home. You have school.”
Logan didn't answer. Keisuke was in that state because of him and he wasn't planning to leave him all alone to suffer by himself. Logan pulled the chair he was always sitting on and sat down next to him… Watching him; he whimpered in his sleep while tightening his grip on the blankets. Keisuke moved his head to the side making Logan realize that his eyes were shut closed and had tears running down his cheeks. Logan put his elbows on the bed and rubbed his face.
“I'm so sorry, Keisuke…” he whispered. “This is all my fault… All because I don’t know when to butt out…”
The days went on but Keisuke’s state didn't change. The butler came in the room and tapped Logan on the shoulder.
“Would you like to take a shower and jump in some clean clothes, sire?”
“No. Thank you”
“Would you like me to rephrase that?”
Logan turned to Tanaka with an eyebrow up wondering what he meant. However, he didn’t reply. He just waited for him to rephrase it on his own.
“You stink.”
“Wha?”
“Bad body odor is bad for my master. Now, if you please come with me, I’ll put on the water and bring you some fresh clothes.”
***
Logan came into the room, where Keisuke had been sleeping, after he had taken a shower. Before he opened the door, Tanaka stood behind him and sniffed.
“Yes, much better.”
He said, and then walked away.
“How rude.” Pouted Logan before opening the door.
When he walked in he found that his chair was occupied by the “ninja man”. He had a forlorn expression, which surprised Logan because he never though he could make a face like that. Jaw-long suddenly looked up and saw Logan. He stood up and walked towards him. His sad expression turned into a furious one as he grasped Logan by the shirt and pulled him closer to him.
“What did you do?!”
“N-nothing!”
Jaw-long narrowed his eyes and pulled him closer to his lord. He bent him down and pushed Logan’s head towards the bed.
“Look at what you did to him. DOES THIS LOOK LIKE NOTHING TO YOU?!” he exclaimed as he pulled him back. By the time Logan could make sense of the situation, Jaw-Long was already lifting him up in the air with one hand and was about to put the other on his face. The moment Jaw-Long screamed at Logan, Tanaka opened the door.
“Jaw-long. I would appreciate if you could put the violence aside. Please put the boy down.”
“Tsk.” He exclaimed. Jaw-Long let go of Logan, who fell on his butt, and thumped out of the room.
“Are you alright, young master Drake?”
“Y-yeah…”
Logan stood up and rubbed his butt. He pulled the chair again and sat down next to him. The boy took out his phone from his bag and realized his mom had called him a thousand times. He shook his head knowing that he should call her since it had been three days since he last contacted her or anyone. He nervously dialed the number and explained everything to his nervous mother. She had started crying when the boy spoke that it made him feel really guilty and frustrated. Somehow the mother understood, but she didn’t want him to stay there for long. Logan told her that as soon as he woke up he would go back home, and asked her to pass by Keisuke’s work place to tell the owner he would be absent for a couple of days until he got better. Logan silent his phone and sat down again. Keisuke started groaning again and after a few hours his father came in the room again. “Drake, what are you doing here?”He asked, surprised to see him.
“I just don’t want to leave him alone…” the father s?.ighed. He got closer to Logan and bent down so their eyes would meet.
“Can I trust you with a secret, Drake?”
“Yes,sir.”
Lord Shinobu shook his head and walked closer to his son. He signaled Logan to come closer with his hand and, after Logan stood next to him, he took a deep breath.
“Remove his bandages, Drake.”
“B-but… I hurt him when I touched him.”
“Don’t touch his arms… just his hand.”
Logan undid the bandages form his right arm while his father did the left. When they finished the man removed Keisuke’s shirt to put on a clean one on him. Logan gasped at the sight of Keisuke’s topless body. He seemed to have some kind of tattoos all over his arms and on the right side of his stomach all the way up to his shoulders.
“What are they?” asked Logan directing to the father.
“Markings.” He answered. “don’t touch them with your bare hands, they could kill you.”
“What?”
“Just let them have fresh air.”
The man left the room. Logan just stood there confused without knowing what to do. He bent forward to look at Keisuke’s ‘markings’ from up close. They seemed to be patterned holes on his skin and the “ink” appeared to be a liquid running through the pattern. Logan went back and dropped his body on the chair. No way was he going to leave him alone after this.
A month and a half had passed and Logan would come and go from school to Keisuke’s house since his mother wasn't accepting the fact that he was missing school to keep his friend company. Tanaka promised to stay beside him until Logan got back so he would feel more at ease. One Friday night Keisuke groaned again, but this time it was different. Logan pushed himself closer to Keisuke’s face. He was making weird expressions so he separated his face from his. He stared at Keisuke for some seconds until he realized what was really happening. Keisuke’s skin was cold and he was still pretty pale. Logan started breathing hard and swallowed until his suspicions were confirmed.
Keisuke opened his eyes again.
“Keisuke!” he exclaimed in relief and happiness to see Keisuke stare back at him once again.
Logan couldn't help but hug him around his neck for a whole minute. He separated his body from Keisuke’s.
“Rest, I’m going to go get your dad, ok?” he said hastily and turned to the door. He was just about to run out of the room when he felt his clothes being pulled back. “Keisuke, you need to rest.”
“I... I can’t, Logan….”
“What do you mean? Why not?”
“They won’t let me… they won’t shut up… they’re screaming….”
“Who?!”
“In… my head… they’re in my head, Logan…”