Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Afriad of the Light ❯ Giggles ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

Ozuma slipped a dry, dark green t-shirt over his head pressing down the wrinkles that tumbled down his torso and slightly over his black jeans. He and Zeo had to change out of their wet clothes so they wouldn't ruin the floor with drops of water. Ozuma offered his friend a pair of blue jean shorts, which he took and they fit him fine and a light blue shirt that seemed a bit cut off-ish on the taller male. But he looks gorgeous, Ozuma thought.

After changing, he sat on his bed which now, thanks to his parents, has the frame underneath it. He would have to remind his self to thank them for doing the work for him. Ozuma and Zeo lay flat on their backs, legs spread straight out in front of them and the blue hair boy wrapped his arms around him, resting his cheek to Ozuma's shoulder.

"There is this better?" The blue hair boy asked. "You tell me anything that's wrong, I won't judge you."

"Zeo," he began, feeling the fear inside of him moving away with each wave of heat Zeo's breath on his chest brought. "When my family was coming here from Kita, we saw this couple on the road." He was direct and upfront about the whole thing.

"A couple?"

"Yeah... this weird looking couple-," repeats the Indian child. "A man and woman..." This felt too complicated, he didn't exactly know where to begin or end- or even what he was getting at! That this weird couple on the road was haunting him, that they some how saw him and his family staring and they stalk them now because they didn't help them? So where was the sign that said their car had broken down? Where was the car?! They looked as though they had just come from the woods, fresh out of a fight with nature and now they were looking for revenge on the common man because they were given no mercy.

Zeo watched the boy speak in his thoughts. It concerned him a bit, he wasn't used to being around friends that thought as hard as Ozuma did. He had never been with him in person, personality when you're away from someone- a paper friendship to flesh were two completely different things. "....Ozuma, you were saying about a couple?"

The native Japanese child blinked back into reality glancing at his friend. "Oh... well, it was weird because they were dirty and wet but it hadn't rained at all."

"Uh huh."

"And then there was the sign they had-..."

"What like..? They needed a jump start or something?" wondered Zeo.

"No. It was weird because it said..." God, he felt foolish saying these things out loud. But he had to get it off his chest. If he was going to lead a normal life here in Tokyo, he had to snap out of these childhood fears of darkness and ghost, and his mother always said the best way to get rid of fear is to either confront it or have a non-believer point out that there's nothing there. If you can't see it, it isn't real.

Clearing his throat he began to speak again. "Well, the sign said 'Run from dawn',"

Zeo scrunched his eyes. "Run from dawn? What does that mean?"

Ozuma shrugged. "I couldn't figure it out either, but then when my family stopped at a hotel for the night, I kept hearing this weird banging against the window." He paused a second to take a breath. "I thought it was the storm, maybe a branch was hitting the window but we weren't near any trees... Then I called you."

Zeo nods, "Yeah there was bad reception, right."

"Yes, when the phone died I went over to the window and pulled over the curtain." He swallowed hard, his nerves began to rise again, he could feel the hair on his body standing up in fear. Someone or something was listening to them... he felt it. And even though he didn't want to, he continued talking. "The sign that couple had was stuck to the window."

Zeo's eyes went wide. "You're kidding? Do you think they followed you and stuck it there? To mess with you maybe?"

"That's what I had thought too, but we were so many floors up and there was no fire escape." He shook his head in a frantic little motion. "It didn't make any sense."

"Hmm..." Zeo thought a moment. "Maybe they... were throwing it, what floor were you on?"

"I don't know, I can't remember. But the elevator ride took a while."

"And your parents didn't notice it?"

"They weren't there, they had gone to get dinner a while ago."

Ohhh, now it was starting to make sense. Thought the Japanese boy. Ozuma was alone during a storm, it was probably kinda dark and spooky in the room and he just imagined the whole thing. It didn't seem logical to have something stuck to a window when you are so high up and it didn't make sense that a couple stranded on the road would be after people because they made eye contact and wouldn't stop. "It's ok, Oz'.... You were probably just imagining things." He shrugs. "It happens to a lot of people when they're alone during a storm. Fear takes over and plays tricks on you."

"But that's not the only thing!" Ozuma protest, sitting up to look down at his still laying friend. He quickly removed Zeo's fallen hand from his groin area, scooting over a bit. "Later on after you left," he went on. "and it was dark out, my parents had to go to the store and get light bulbs. When I came back inside I heard a voice,"

"What kind of voice?"

"I'm not sure, it could have been a man or a woman it was raspy... kinda distant."

"And you think it was that couple?" Zeo threw out.

Ozuma was boggled. Why wasn't Zeo really paying him any mind. Didn't he understand that he was freaked out about the whole thing? Staring at his friend, he sighed. "I don't know... I don't know... I didn't think about that at the time and now that you mention it, it worries me even more."

"I'm sorry," Zeo sat up, hugging his arms around his friend. "Don't let me frighten you, okay? This... isn't real- this couple is all in your mind."

"My parents saw them too!"

"Maybe they did, but there's a chance that your mind put its own spin on them and they were just normal people being weird." Zeo touched his friends shoulder. "Sometimes when you watch a monster movie, the monster is in your house... that's what all people think when they're scared... But it isn't real."

Forget it, I don't know why I even tried. The Indian boy thought warily. Zeo doesn’t understand and no one probably will... but in a way isn't this what I wanted to hear? Him telling me that it's not real- all in my head? Then something dawned on him. "My dream! I had a dream about them, we were back on the road and-..."

"Sssshh, Ozuma, you're getting worked up about this." Zeo said in a hushed tone. "And proving my point tha-..."

"Back there in the woods, I saw them again!" He pointed at the window.

The window! Hopping off the bed, he scurried over to the window and jerked the blinds up hard until they clapped against the top of the window frame. Jerking the window up, Ozuma looked with his eyes this way and that searching for the couple. Leaning forward a bit more he continued to scan for them, they had to be in range he was sure if anything he could get a clear view of all the lake. But he saw nothing.

"....But they were there." He felt defeated, humiliated and beyond embarrassed to look at Zeo now. He probably thought he was some kind of nut.

Zeo watched his friend with a frown. He didn't want to make his friend sad or cause him to believe that he didn't believe him but the idea was way to far out to be real. This all sounded like stuff that happened in movies and things, not real life. "Ozuma..." He walked over to the shaken boy, wrapping him up in a hug. Ozuma hugged back. "All of this is really just in your head, you've gotta stop letting fear run your life."

Ozuma sighed in what sounded like agitation. "I know."

Great, this was a mood spoiler. Maybe he could get Ozuma to cheer up with a game or something. Maybe some tv? "How 'bout we-..."

Ozuma cut him off. "Zeo... why did you really kiss me at the lake?" He looked the boy in the eyes. "Was it because you're one of those-... fast people, or because you wanted to humiliate me more because somewhere Tyson and Max were watching?"

"Ozuma I..."

"Well, come on! Tell me!" He was mad now, and he could feel his anger rising with every word. He hated being treated like a side show freak when it came to his fears and now Zeo planned to mess with his heart and his head. He didn't think so.

"No... I only said that I was curios because I didn't think you'd believe me when I said that I have feelings for you."

The Indian child cocked his head a brow raising. "Really? And... you're not just messing with me?"

Zeo shook his head, tears appearing at the corner of his eyes. He was hurt, Ozuma could tell. "No... I thought that... maybe..." His last words trailed off in a whisper as he seemed ready to cry.

Ozuma blinked at the boy, he was confused by his feelings, although, he could relate because he shared feelings for his pen pal as well. But hearing it from someone else he guessed it just didn't seem true. "Zeo... I'm sorry... I just snapped at you because you weren't sympathetic to me before." Pulling his teary friend to him, he smiled at him reassuringly. "Only thing is, you're moving too fast for me... you wanna start these things slowly- at least with clothes on."

Zeo laughed at that. A blush showing on his face.

"Slowly, with a kiss of passion... not heat." He leaned forward ready to press his lips to his friend when he heard his mothers voice. Well, it sounded kind of odd but it was a woman so who else could it be. Backing away, Ozuma walked to his door and looked down the hall. "....Mom?!" He listened closely to the silence. Nothing.

That's funny, I thought I had heard someone. Thought the naitive Japanese boy.

"I heard it too." Zeo joined Ozuma at the door, speaking as though his friends thoughts had been said out loud. The two boys listened to the silence of the house. "Mrs. Balaji!" He called downstairs. Looking back at Ozuma he shrugs a hand.

"It must have been someone else."

Zeo frowned. "Yeah but who? We're the only ones in the house."

I hope so... Hey wait a sec'... "If you and I heard someone and we both no that no one is there, doesn't that mean that I was telling the truth?"

"I don't know what to believe," Zeo admitted. "But I tell you this, I'm gonna...."

The two grunted. Zeo smacked directly into Ozuma pinning him against the door frame. Someone had pushed him.

"Zeo what are you...?" He paused his words. Low laughter came from somewhere in the house. Like someone had a secret and wanted to be chased to get it out of them- like a taunt.

Zeo listened for a second before taking off down the hall in the direction of the laughter. Ozuma watched curiously, he wasn't sure if he should follow Zeo or hide. No, he couldn't let something bad happen to Zeo, he had feelings for him friendly or otherwise and he wouldn't let his chance at true friendship and possibly love be severed by two insane people from the road.

"Zeo wait!" He followed after the boy, faster than he would have liked to run because the hall seemed to enclose him in darkness and he didn't want to be alone like that, he would freeze up almost instantly.

The two boys tromped down the stairs in a hurry, their pace slowed a moment so they could skid around a corner unharmed. The laughter had ceased to exist after they had come downstairs; Ozuma would have said so, if he weren't so horrified at the thought of someone having come that far into his house. Where were his parents?

"I see you!" Zeo called out. He sped out the front door and into the yard tackling a hysterical Tyson.

"Tyson!" called Ozuma. He looked around for Max he had to be somewhere around if Tyson were here. But he didn't see the boy. He must be the one upstairs. Boy when he got his hands on him, he would pulverize him for scaring him and shoving Zeo. Disappearing back into the house he heard his friends begin to speak before their voices were nothing but blank silence.

"Tyson, you should be ashamed of yourself," Zeo lectured, twisting his friends arm behind his back. "You scared Ozuma half to death... he's already freaked out because he thinks his house is haunted." He blurts out.

Tyson laughed, wiggling to get free. "Ozuma thinks his house is haunted? Too rich," he grunts. "Come on Z' let me up!"

"No. Not until you and Max apologize to Ozuma and me."

"Max? Max isn't here, he's with his grandmother," He wiggled around in the blue hair boys grip again. "She came over for a surprise visit."

"Oh... well than why'd you shove me?"

"I didn't shove you, I just got here." He laughed again, making a teasing face to his friend from over his shoulder. "I planned to come over here and do a cage rattling, but I see the two of you are already shaken up."

"You just got here?" repeats Zeo, the wheels in his head churned. "So you weren't upstairs just a minute ago? And tell me the truth Ty'."

"No I swear, now will you let me up? My mom'll kill me if I come home dirty one more time."

Zeo loosened his hold from his friend and stood up. If Tyson wasn't upstairs than who? Looking at the house he then glanced in each other direction. "Where's Ozuma?"

Upstairs the boy walked the halls with an air of confidence. He knew Max was somewhere up there and he was just waiting to be caught and boy would the punishment be painful.

'Heeheeheheeheheeheheehehe.....'

Ozuma spun around. The laugh came from his parents room. The same laugh- a womans. Woman's! Ozuma suddenly lost his nerve. He knew Max couldn't imitate a female sound that well and if he could that was maybe something he needed to work out in therapy. His breathing picked up, his senses jumping around the perimeter to survey any odd sights or sounds that would occur next. "Ma.." He tried but his voice whispered the start and died out completely.

I'm alone, thought the boy. I'm alone in the dark with the couple... they're in my house! The only way down the stairs was past his parents room where the laughter had sounded. He wasn't brave enough in the dark hall... he couldn't do it. He is stuck. Ozuma's whole nervous system shut down as he trembled to the floor. Teeth chattering, he weighed the option of calling for Zeo and having the couple emerge from the bedroom and get him.

Ozuma remembered that he had a flash light in his bedroom, it was just a short crawl away behind him, if he could just get to it....

No sooner had Ozuma began to scoot back did he come into contact with something soft. Not completely soft either there was something behind the softness- bone! He couldn't react fast enough to stand and the hands began to push him- shove him toward the end of the hall right to the stairway! Ozuma was going to be shoved down the stairs and there was nothing he could do about it.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" He yelled. He saw his fate coming near, he had to save himself. Kicking a leg out to the next door he passed, he jerked to a stop, his leg hooked inside. Whoever was pushing him had gone by with a slight breeze against the small boys cheek. Ozuma didn't waste anytime backing into the room and closing the door. Locking it.

It was dark, but he was safe. He felt the floor beneath his hands and knew that he was in the bathroom. "Zeoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He called at the top of his lungs. "Help me!!!!" He felt his tears. "Please..." He sniffled.

Faint at first there was a sound. Like crying, not real crying but mock crying. Hiccupped, dragged out crying. It was coming from his left, where the toilet sat. Heart pounding in his ears like thunder, Ozuma inched his hand up toward the light switch above his head. If I can't see it... it's not there. In the dark... my mind plays tricks on me, but when the lights are on... His hand bumped the knob, his fingers numbly unlocked it.

Just as his hand reached the little flick the door opened. "Ozuma?" Zeo called.

The Balaji child could not have run faster as he fled the bathroom. The light had cut on just as Zeo opened the door, the door that blocked the toilet when opened but Ozuma saw... he saw.... A woman.....