[-][L-N+][P-1x1] Light My Way to the Afterlife (closed now)

[BrokenScreamBox]

Sakurai nodded to show that he understood. "So, in other words, you want to keep our meeting a secret," he said, a bit unsure. Keeping secrets was something that he was very good at, but he wasn't sure if Keichi really wanted that. For someone who was alone for quite a while, wouldn't he want to be able to talk to a lot of people?

Then again, there was that treasure hunter thing Keichi had mentioned. If word got out that the candelabra was actually harmless, there would be people looking for antiques to take and sell. In a way, his new friend actually had a point.  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

Keichi nodded. He expected that sooner or later the secret would get out, personally, he'd rather it was later. Never would be good but he'd learned long ago that never well never happened. The ghost wouldn't blame the boy if the secret did slip out sometime in the future, he remembered his mother had eventually gotten most of the secrets he'd kept while still living from him. Not that she had any power to get anything like a secret from him now. That was assumimg that anyone in his family was still alive.

His eyes took on a far away look as he remembered what little remained to him of his family life. He suddenly felt very lost and alone. Why hadn't anyone come after he'd died? He remembered the first time he'd tried to talk to one of the household staff, not understanding that he'd died. The confusion when the whole staff had quit a few weeks after his continued attempts to speak with them.

Not understanding why the fled from him and unable to leave, he'd tried to kill himself. When his fingers passed through a knife left out through several tries to grasp it, he'd realized that he was already dead. He'd tried to disbelieve, convincing himself that he was dreaming. Eventually, he'd gone from that illusion to rage. But then as was true in most cases now, he was unable to affect anything but the candelabra that was ever present. He shook his head and looked at Sakurai. "No I'd rather it was only known by you and perhaps those you trusted enough not to speak about this place."

((sorry for any typos, getting attacked by a kitten))  

[BrokenScreamBox]

"I guess it'll only be known by me, then," Sakurai said, not knowing anyone he could trust to share the secret with. "If you don't want other people to know about you, then I'll make sure nobody knows." No matter what it takes, Sakurai wanted the ghost to be happy, or at least satisfied. That was part of what he deserved after being such a good host.  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

Keichi smiled, he as warming to Sakurai. He didn't truly want to be alone but had reservations about it being discovered that he still haunted this place. Sure it was fine to scare off robbers and treasure hunters, but he didn't really think he could stand up to exorcists. "For the moment, this being our little secret would be a good thing."  

[BrokenScreamBox]

"Well, since there's nothing else to say, I'll be going to bed now," Sakurai said, noticing how late it was. "Good night." With that, he turned and left the area and walked to the guest room. It was time to go to sleep and he was already tired. He shouldn't keep himself awake any longer.

But then there were strange thoughts that entered his mind. What would it be like to bring someone back to life? Keichi probably missed being alive, so maybe everything would be better if he could be brought back to life. But how would Sakurai be able to help him?  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

Keichi watched Sakurai leave. He supposed it was rather late for those that were living. Once his guest had left the room, he drifted toward his own room. There were some things he needed to think about. He drifted down the long hallway, forgetting in his reflective mood to walk.

Once he'd arrived , he sat on the edge of the bed. It was curious to him that for the first time in longer than he cared to remember that he felt something besides loneliness. The candelabra drifted to rest on a bedside table. For reasons he didn't fully understand he wanted to make Sakurai happy.
 

[BrokenScreamBox]

Now lying on the bed of the guest room, Sakurai closed his eyes to drift to sleep. The sound of rain seemed to turn into a lullaby of sorts, and it seemed to help him fall into sleep. Unfortunately, the thunder and lightning seemed to keep him awake, and no matter how many times he tried to turn that into part of the lullaby, the random timing ruined it.

As much as Sakurai would like to go to sleep, it seemed that he couldn't. In that case, he might as well think of a way to bring Keichi back to life. Maybe he could consult a medium or someone with that kind of power, but what if bringing a ghost back is impossible?  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

Keichi lay back on his bed watching the flashes of lightning around the dark curtains that covered his windows. He wasn't tired, he doubted that he could get tired anymore. But still, it was comfortable to think like this. The ghost sighed, somehow if he was still alive this would all seem simpler. Or maybe it was because he was only a ghost that this was happening to him.

The spirit of the young boy stared into the darkness between flashes of lightning, as if the answers to his thoughts would come to him. He didn't notice that the sheets seemed to take the impression of his body. No one had come into this room, since he'd died. Almost as if they expected any haunting to happen only in this room. It was more or less true, his posessions he could touch and move. He knew all the books in his bookcase from memory cover to cover. Keichi shook his head, turning his attention back to the present.

There was the bare beginnings of something between him and Sakurai. He wished there was some way he could tell the young man, but what could a ghos have to offer someone who still breathed. Keichi gnawed on his lower lip, there wasn't anything really. Apart from the candelabra, the most he could even manipulate outside his room was the piano. Maybe he could compose something, given time. Assuming that his new found friend didn't get bored of having a ghost as a friend and found others that were still living. He rolled over onto his side, staring at a dusty picture frame.

The frame held a picture of a few friends from his own school, now long gone. Busy with their own live and grandchildren, assuming they still lived they would be in their seventies. Too old to remember the lonely ghost of their school friends. Sorrow quickly turned into self pitying anger. The door to his room slammed shut loudly enough to echo down the halls over the crash of thunder. The ghost didn't even flinch, not even when a book flew out of the bookcase and flung itself against the wall. The candelabra burst into angry red flames as the tantrum continued.  

[BrokenScreamBox]

Sakurai suddenly sat up when he heard the loud echo. What in the world had happened? Keichi wasn't hurt in any way, right? Hurriedly leaving the room, he practically sprinted to the source of the loud noise. He was scared that something happened to his ghost friend and that if he didn't go to investigate that he would regret it... badly. The mistake might even haunt him just as Keichi haunted this mansion.

There was an angry glowing seen from under the doors, and it seemed that someone in the room was throwing things around. The sounds of things hitting the wall had already said too much, and it didn't calm Sakurai down. Not opening the door, afraid that something might come flying at him, he knocked on it in hopes of stopping whatever was going on inside that room.

"Keichi, are you in there?" Sakurai called, still knocking on the door. "Is everything okay?" He really doubted that anything was okay. If anything, Keichi was probably in a terrible predicament. It didn't seem like there was anybody trying to hurt him, but that didn't mean anything was peaceful either. Maybe Keichi was just having a fit of some sort. Perhaps those years of loneliness had caught up to him and the sudden appearance of someone he could talk to was just too much. At least, that was what Sakurai hoped the case was.  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

At first Keichi didn't seem to notice that someone was pounding on his door. But oddly enough, he did hear Sakurai's voice. The angry flames of the candelabra flickered violently, then went out as if they'd been snuffed. The objects that had been flinging themselves around the room dropped.

He sat up, uncertain wether he should answer the door or not. Nothing in his room had been destroyed, it never was but the voice had snapped him out of the rage he'd worked himself into. He floated over to the door, not bothering to call or light the candelabra. The door to his room opened silently and he simply stood there half tangible in the darkness. There really wasn't anything he could say. He felt a bit ashamed at being caught in one of his fits but nothing he could think of to say would put even a slightly positive spin on things.  

[BrokenScreamBox]

Sakurai was relieved that Keichi didn't seem to have been in trouble. Sure, he didn't hear anything so far from the ghost, but at least he was all right. In that case, what happened in that room? Nothing seemed to be out of order and no living person had run out, so what could have been the problem?

Shrugging the questions away for a later time, Sakurai just smiled. "You scared me for a moment. I thought for sure that something had happened to you," he said, emphasizing his relief a little. "I probably would have stayed in the guest room if I didn't hear something wrong. I'm just glad you're okay." He didn't pay much attention to Keichi's current silence. If he didn't want to talk about what was going on inside, he most definitely didn't have to. The important thing was that he wasn't in any big trouble, if he was in trouble at all.  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

"You. . . were scared. . for me?" Keichi couldn't quite hide the surprise in his voice. Was it possible that Sakurai actually was concerned about him. He was silent a moment longer as he thought about this. He didn't know how to react really. There was a slight annoyance that he'd been disturbed but greatly overshadowing that was a certain reckless joy that someone cared for his well being.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." He added lamely, silently cursing himself for not being able to think of anything more witty to say. "Sometimes. . . I just. . get tired of everything." There, part of it was out at least. Granted it was a lame excuse for making noise when he knew he had someone sleeping under his roof. But there really wasn't any other reason for his behavior that he thought Sakurai would understand.  

[BrokenScreamBox]

"I wasn't able to sleep, so you didn't wake me up at all," Sakurai replied, but then his smile turned sad. "Do you hate being a ghost? Is that what the commotion was about?" He was sure that he sounded like a concerned relative or something, which was strange since he had been dreadfully afraid of Keichi a few hours ago. Well, there's never a time too late to change, especially one that takes place in a few minutes.

He didn't doubt that Keichi missed being alive. Since everyone in the town was afraid of him, who wouldn't hate being a ghost? It was a very lonely occupation that very few people could accept, according to what Sakurai noticed so far. If only there was a way for him to end that loneliness for good, then Keichi wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore. If possible, he can return to the realm of the living, or otherwise pass on.  

[Shuichi Mhakaraca]

"Sometimes. Sometimes I hate it more than I can bear." He reached out a hand to touch Sakurai, with a sad laugh. "Always so close to touching something but never able to touch it." Keichi's hand passed harmlessly through Sakurai's arm. "I don't understand how anyone can be afraid of this. I'm just a sad memory of someone." The ghost pulled his hand back and took a few steps back. "I'd give all the secrets of this place to anyone that could help me." He laughed again, a bitter sad sound. "I can't pass on but I can't be alive either. Fate laughs at me."  

[BrokenScreamBox]

"Is there anything I can do?" Sakurai asked, his heart now feeling a little heavy. "If there is, then I'll do it. You shouldn't suffer like this. No one deserves to." It wasn't right that Keichi should stay trapped in the house where so many could be afraid of him before even meeting him. It turns out that all the avoiding was actually hurting what they wanted to avoid, who in this case was Keichi.

Wasn't there a way to help a ghost? Was there a reason why Keichi was still here? No one should be trapped, unable to move on. It was a fate worse than death itself, isn't it? It must have been agonizing for Keichi to live this way, there was no doubt about it. The commotion that Keichi apparently caused only proved that.