Mana's Game

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Mana's Game

Hands gripping the hood of his scarlet '72 Chevelle and face emitting too much sweat to go unnoticed, the pierrot of Malice Mizer attempted to calm himself with long, deep breaths, but to no avail. A placid hand reached upward to wipe the sticky liquid from his brow. It'd been there the entire drive home and had started to form a crusty salt where it lay. His heart raced at a speed he knew all too well, the speed of terror. What he'd done would not go unchastened.

Dark, silken strands glided behind an even darker soul as it made it's way to a gothic cathedral style window, one side of it's face catching the moon's glow. Long lashes lay comfortably on a high cheek, resting before they were pulled upward, the sapphire orb they hid being exposed to the light of night. The aqua eye focused on a troubled figure merely two stories down and only about five feet away. A lace covered hand reached behind the figure's ear to pull a few ebony curls to rest over his shoulder, and hide the ear behind them. The face, all too serious, moved back into the shadows after barely a moment of observation.

The nervous guitarist scanned the front yard and porch with mismatched eyes, making sure the resident crossdresser wasn't waiting for him outside. Then, he made his way up the porch steps and to the front door.

A click, a few dull footsteps, and a gentle humming signified the entering of a man, a nervous man trying a little too hard to act calm. The shadows called out to him, "Where were you?" It was almost voiceless, the whisper was so quiet.

Kozi snapped around, finding himself in contact with a stair railing hidden almost completely in shadows. He saw no one. "Mana-chan?" He whispered low as to not wake the guitarist if he was merely imagining voices.

"Show a little respect, Kozi-san." The voice was more clear now, speaking as if it were in plain view and were expected to speak sternly. "You should always show your respect." A stern voice softened in the shadows. It softened, yes, but it also lowered. A light padding and a spine-tingling creak, and it was gone. Mana had walked up the stairs and into a room.

'But which one?' Kozi thought to himself, reaching for a light switch that refused to work. His knees became weak with fear as realization struck him. This was Mana's game, a game that would leave him dying ... or dead. He'd suddenly regretted ever coming home, or even stopping at every light on the way. A car accident would have him suffering less than what his friend had planned. "Mana-ch-- ... Mana-sama!" He yelled, taking the first three steps into the shadows. "Mana! Gods, please answer me! Please, Mana!" The pierrot cried, gripping the rail for dear life as he made his way up to the second floor.

Listening to the footsteps in the night, Mana smiled, truly smiled. This wouldn't be the first time he reenacted a horror movie, but this would surely be his glory. This would be the one time he made it as bloody and violent as possible, but not before he toyed with this mouse. The smile faded when he heard a small click and a whisper in the opposite direction.

"Mana?" The elder of the two stopped to try desperately to adjust his eyes to the darkness, but it was futile. The entire house, he imagined, would be shrouded in this unnatural darkness. "Please, Mana." The plea was more of a whisper now, unsure if Mana was even in the room with him. The only thing that brought him to this particular room was the smell, the essence of humanity ... the scent of blood. He remained in the doorway, searching with outstretched arms. The smell was so strong though, and he feared for a friend's life, maybe even Mana's. So, he moved into the room, trailing along the wall. CRACK! The door was slammed with such force he could hear the doorknob clang loose onto the floor. Again, he tried frantically to turn on a light, any light, but, again, it refused to work.

Silence was a horrific torture to anyone in this situation, so Mana let him have it, minutes of it, which he knew would feel like hours to his former love. His eyes, well adjusted to the darkness by now, aided him in finding the guitarist. The lolita tiptoed up to him ...

The smell became almost unbearable by that time, heavy in the air, making it hard to breathe. 'How could it get so strong in such a short time unless ...' Kozi crept backward. He knew whatever it was was coming closer. His back came in contact with the nearest wall and he screamed out, "MANA!!!"

"Kooo~zi ..." Mana sang. "Kooo~ziii~ ... Why are you so scared, Kooo~zi? Are you afraid of such a tiny person?"

Eyes still unable to see for him, Kozi couldn't tell where his psychotic love was. The voice was so close though ... so close. "Mana ... Mana, pl-- ... Gaah!!" Something was tossed into his chest, and he caught it. That was his first mistake. It was moist, steamy almost. The redhead was too distracted to realize the air conditioning was on, and it was freezing in the house ... in the room. What he was holding was warm, and letting off a putrid stink. A dead creature. He screamed, his second mistake, and threw the object across the room. His fear was obvious now. He was helpless and now, not only did he know it, but Mana knew it. "What the hell was that!? Mana! Tell me!"

A bit of faint laughter was heard. "A little something I found." Mana moved back to face Kozi. He was merely inches away, and directly in front of him.

"I know you, Mana! You don't just go out and pick up roadkill! What was it, huh!? A cat, dog, or ... a child ... You sick bastard!" He leaned forward as if he were peering through the shadows, searching for something. His nose came in contact with something soft, something almost silky. Hair. Kozi reached out, his palm pressing flat to a corset-covered abdomen. "Mana ... "

Finding himself almost unable to move due to a single touch by his former bandmate, Mana merely reached to cover Kozi's hand with his own. "It was no child, but it was a dog. Gaku-kun will miss her so."

Kozi flinched, the magic of the touch disappearing with such harsh words. Mana was playing with him, adding a fake sadness to his voice as he spoke of Gackt's mutilated daschund. He reached up, his hand stretching back, ready to srtike, but the body moved away swiftly. Kozi was alone again. His ex-friend might've been two feet away, but, in such an eerie situation, he could not feel his presence. "How could you-- ... "

"You should've known this would happen! Of all people, Kozi, Gackt!? The man who betrayed me and single-handedly destroyed my dream without even shedding a tear!"

"It meant nothing. He means nothing to me. Masa got sick. Gackt needed me to play Masa's part ... Spending so much time with him, you realize he isn't a bad person." Kozi began crying, sobbing into the darkness without hesitation. If he couldn't get Mana's mercy with his loving touch, then he would get his pity. He just wanted to come out of this alive. The redhead began reaching out, feeling the area for the lolita. After a few minutes of silence and feeling nothing, Kozi sought a different door, not the closet, but the bathroom. He started feeling along the walls, looking for the doorknob in such a large room. It took him a while, but he found it without encountering Mana. Without even as much as a quiet click, Kozi found himself in the bathroom ...

Little did he know, Mana was awaiting him, positioned with his legs crossed on the porcelain toilet. This would be Kozi's last mistake. To think his friend of so many years would think him too ignorant to realize there was a bathroom. He coughed quietly, getting the other's attention, and, before Kozi could say a word or even scream, grabbed his shirt and jerked his upper body, mainly his head, into the porcelain of the sink. He did it with so much force that a small drop of blood landed on his cheek. "I bet you landed on your jaw, Kozi. It wouldn't have hurt as bad if you were a bit shorter. Maybe you would've hit your forehead." At this point, Mana could recognize his own insanity. He was talking to a man that would be dead only moments later. The gothic beauty stood, grasping the old-style razor from the back of the toilet, and pressed it to his ex-lover's throat ... then jerked it up and to the side. In a way he'd spared Kozi of the worst torture; being awake as you bleed to death. "You should've known better. Nobody cheats on Manabu Satou ... and lives."

AN~ Review. I command ye! >o<