Copyright disclaimer:

All these characters are mine...The set is mine...If you wanna borrow, then
please ask first...



C&C is wanted and appreciated;

gargoyle@glasscity.net

Flames will be filed in the round folder



Let me know what you think...This is something new for me...



Salud...



***



Pearls

By

Joshua Trujillo



1 - Tears



She had said that she had big news, Yujiro thought to himself,

What else could it be?



He was excited. But that seemed like a bland description. His

excitement ranged out to the stars that were shining in the late

Spring sky outside. Twinkling. His mind was in a lather and the

waiting was making him rinse and repeat. Maeko had asked him

over to her apartment, which, in and of itself, was not real unusual,

but she had said that she had some big news. And worse yet, when

he had arrived to this, not rich but certainly posh section of town,

she was just about to hop in the shower. What else could it be?!

After all these years, she was finally going to confess her love to

him, her oldest friend.



It had taken years for her to even notice him. He'd been trying

since grade school. From when she'd done up her light brown

locks in two carefully crafted pigtails on either side of her sweetly

smiling face. He'd been clumsy as a child, falling down at least

once a day, and it usually happened right in front of Maeko. But

then she would laugh and help him up and all the pains in the

world went away. Growing up only had the effect of tightening

love's grip around his heart. Through middle school and into high

school, he'd struggled to keep pace with her, if nothing else than to

just be in the same high school when that time came. She was

beautiful. She was funny. She was smart. But most of all, she

didn't seem to mind being his friend.



Here it was, the beginning of the last summer before college, the

end of their junior year in high school, and he was finally in her

apartment! He sneezed slightly. The excitement was getting to

him. Yujiro took a breath and calmed himself. He closed his brown

eyes and counted back from ten. He opened his eyes and looked at

himself in the mirror across the room.



He had never accounted himself among the pretty boys of

Fumotamaya High. He never had real influential friends and he'd

never been anyone really popular or anything, but he got by. His

black hair he'd cut close to his head, in the style of that one foreign

movie about ancient Rome. He liked that movie, but he didn't

think the translation did it justice. His square face was average and

his plain, brown eyes never had that gleam that would set him

apart. Yujiro thought his best bet would be to use his wit and

intelligence to get on as a salaryman, and who knows what kinds

of opportunities would be present at college...He just had to get

there first.



He'd come at her request. She'd called him and told him that she

had some important news that she wanted to share. He'd gone to

her apartment, but as usual came early. Yujiro had a saying; "I'd

rather be forty minutes early than two minutes late!". Therefore,

he'd become somewhat adept at setting up parties and helping out.

Yujiro jumped as he heard her begin to hum again. She hummed to

herself while she was changing and he couldn't help but hear. Her

apartment was of a nice size, but still...



"Hey, Yuji-chan," she said as she came into the room, "How do I

look?"



He tried to ignore the litany of his internal monologue and turned

to her. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, a

little blush showing in her cheeks. Yujiro couldn't say a word. The

hum that rattled in his ears deafened him. His heart beat a steady

counterpoint to the hum as the sight of her filled his existence. She

wore a tight, dark blue dress that came down to her knees. A half-

jacket of the same color with dark purple ornamental trim adorned

her as well. Setting the whole outfit off was a choker of black

velvet around her lithe neck. Yujiro could feel himself begin to

burn through the floor of her apartment. Or perhaps up through her

ceiling, he couldn't tell.



"Umm, you *could* say that I look good," Maeko said softly, "But

staring is kinda rude."



Yujiro shook himself out of his stupor and smiled a goofy smile.



"Good doesn't even BEGIN to describe it," he breathed, "Maeko-

chan, you're absolutely gorgeous!"



She smiled slightly and his heart leapt. Her brown hair fell gently

around her face to shoulder length; framing it better than any

painting in a museum...She came into the living room and sat next

to Yujiro on the small couch. He was sure that at any moment, his

heart would simply leap from his chest. Oh, but what a pleasantly

gruesome way to go!



"You know there was a reason that I asked you here."



Yujiro nodded slightly. Here it comes...



" I wanted to tell you," she said, her eyes on the floor, "That I'm in

love with someone."



Oddly enough, a shiver went down his back. Yujiro thought it was

probably because he couldn't take many more surprises and his

body decided to do something else instead.



"I wanted to tell you because I know you could tell me more about

him," she blushed slightly again, "I know it sounds silly, but I

really know very little about him..."



What?



"Uh...Whu...?" was all Yujiro could muster.



"It's your best friend, Ooki-san."



"S-Satoshi?"



She nodded happily.



"Umm," he tried not to swallow his tongue, "I...Wh-When...?"



Maeko gasped in surprise and raised a delicate hand to her mouth.



"Oh God! Yuji-chan, this must be a shock to you! I thought he

must have told you about our date tonight!"



Yujiro nodded. His BEST FRIEND?! How the hell did THAT

happen? When did it happen? How long has this been going on!?

Who's responsible for this fiasco?! What the-



"I'm sorry, Yuji-chan," she placed a hand lightly on his, "I guess

it's my fault because I suggested that he not tell anyone...Because

of my family and his...Well, you know..."



Yujiro nodded and scratched idly at his forehead. He put his hand

behind his head and laughed out loud.



"I shouldn't worry about that if I were you," he said loudly, "His

family may be rich and powerful, but they're all dorks."



He laughed again, but sobered as she sighed. She closed her eyes

and held her hands to her heart in silent prayer. The doorbell rang

and her eyes snapped open, a happy look washing over her face.



"Ooki-san!"



She got up and ran to the door. The little speakerphone on the wall

rang once more and she punched the little talk button.



"Ooki-san?" she asked.



"Yeah, Maeko-chan, it's me," he said from the other end, "You

ready?"



"Yeah, we'll be right down," Maeko said as she punched the off

button, "Yuji-chan, I'm sorry about having to cut this short, but

I've gotta go."



He nodded numbly and stood. She picked up her purse and headed

for the door. They put on their shoes and Yujiro noticed that she

was even wearing the black hiking boots that made her part of the

'in-crowd'.



He liked them too. He thought she looked cute in them.



On the elevator ride down, she actually held onto his arm and

chattered about Satoshi and the places they were supposed to visit

on their date that night. She seemed so happy. He didn't know

whether to laugh, cry or throw up. So he decided on none of the

above. It was best for now. Yujiro didn't even think she was doing

it on purpose; it was just the way she was. It was the way she'd

always been. He supposed sickly that it'd be the way she'd always

be.



Satoshi was in the lobby of the apartment building, waiting. He got

a big grin on his face when he saw Maeko. Yujiro felt his brain go

numb. He tried not to look like how he felt, but it was kind of hard.

Maeko said something about talking things over with his best

friend, to which Satoshi patted Yujiro on the arm. He couldn't

remember what they'd said exactly. Yujiro followed them out and

waved goodbye as they drove off. He turned the other direction

and began to walk. So many things had happened in the last thirty

minutes that he wanted time to think about them. Like Maeko

breaking his heart. And Satoshi betraying him like that.



Satoshi had even called her Maeko-chan...



***



The ocean crawled on slowly that night. But then, it normally

crawled along slowly every night. It was also dark. That kind of

thing happened at night. Except in bad science fiction movies.

Sometimes in anime too, but that was usually the director's fault.

The sky was dark. Gray clouds curled nearby, threatening to rain

down a summer storm. It wasn't even summer yet. Yujiro looked

out across the ocean and wondered. His chin sat nicely on top of

his arm, which he'd perched on top of the rail that separated him

from the same ocean beyond. The waves were beginning to pick up

as well, forming little white crests that brushed gently against the

large concrete breakers that formed the coastline. A warm breeze

floated off the water and brushed lightly at his face, slightly drying

his tears. The town was quiet, except for the couple touring the

waterside for some late night snuggling. The sight of them made

Yujiro slightly ill. He'd thrown up once already, in a wastebasket a

couple blocks away. The acrid, metallic taste still floated around in

his mouth, but it was more from the bile than anything else.



Yujiro liked looking at the ocean. It usually helped to calm him

down. When he was a kid, being able to look at the ocean was the

only bright point in one of his darkest years. When he'd lost his

sister...She'd been hit by a car. If he closed his eyes, he could still

see her lying there in the hospital bed. Tubes going in and coming

out of everywhere. Her beautiful, straight as an arrow black hair

tied up all to one side...It scared him so much to think that this was

the same woman he grew up with. The strong babysitter, the

woman that made sure he ate well and did his homework. Yujiro's

parents both worked. They made fair incomes, but his mother was

a socialite and his father was an overworked salaryman. Neither

were ever home.



More tears came to his eyes and he choked them back. Why Ami?

Why did you have to go?



Yujiro stood and wiped his eyes. The waves were crashing harder

now and the people on the streets were heading for higher ground.

A storm was rolling in. Yujiro looked into the storm. He could see

the rain as a hazy cloud that reached from sky to sea in the

distance, with splashes of lightening in there as well. Let it rain.



He'd get home sometime tonight. Most likely he'd be wet and

tired. He was tired already. He'd be wet. The storm coming in told

him that. He would have looked at his watch had he cared what

time it was. It was still early enough that even after the storm had

arrived, he'd still beat his mother home. His father would already

be in bed. He might fix something to eat, but he'd more likely just

go to bed himself.



Satoshi Ooki. His best friend. An odd kinda guy, but a guy that a

person could count on. Someone who really hadn't let the meaning

of honor slip into the past. Yujiro thought that was one of the

reasons that everyone thought he was odd. He was tall, blonde and

good looking. Got it from his American heritage, Yujiro supposed.

His mother was a blonde, leggy supermodel who caught the eye of

his wealthy and powerful father a number of years back. He

thought he'd get a trophy wife out of it, but she proved more than a

match in intelligence. Satoshi was the same way, real sharp. Quick

with a pun, but also quick with the healing words. He was going

into Psychology or Sociology or something like that in college. His

dad wanted him to be a doctor, but found out the hard way that

Satoshi couldn't stand the sight of blood.



Satoshi Ooki. His best friend. Yujiro found that he couldn't hate

him, no matter how much he tried. He wanted to hate Satoshi for

taking her away, but he just couldn't. Satoshi just did something

for which Yujiro never had the nerve. Yujiro looked down the

street and saw the pier backlit in a lightening flash. Perhaps the

ocean under the pier would be better? Yujiro headed for it as the

waves continued to increase.



***



Seigyo looked into the water. The wreath he'd thrown in

disappeared in the rolling surf below the pier. Little droplets of rain

pattered intermittently on his umbrella. He sighed against the

sudden rush of feelings that came over him. Sato-kun had always

loved the ocean, especially when storms would roll in during the

late Spring, early Summer. It would be only fitting to remember

him this way. Seigyo absently straightened his tie. It had been

almost two years since he'd lost Sato. Taken from him. Wrenched

away by something that had no conscience, no heart, no mercy.

The disease wasted his brain as well as his body until there was

nothing left of either. Seigyo watched from a distance as his love

went away. Not in whole, but in little bits. Here and there, over a

long period of time.



Sato-kun had been the strong one and had wanted Seigyo to carry

on the good fight. He knew what was waiting for him and he

hadn't wanted Seigyo to watch him die like that. Seigyo loved him

too much to leave and they'd both suffered. Near the end, even the

medicines couldn't stop the pain from wracking Sato's body and,

in a moment of lucidity and freedom from suffering, Sato had

ordered that he be let go. Seigyo never forgave him for that, but he

understood the reasoning. And he never wanted Sato to be in pain,

but why couldn't he have waited for Seigyo to find a cure?



It wasn't fair...



Seigyo turned at the clump-clump sound of feet on the wooden

pier. All of the other people that'd been here had gone when the

storm began, but here was this lonely soul, walking out to the end

of the pier. He was wearing heavy beige cotton pants with a t-shirt

bearing a logo of some kind. Another shirt over top his t-shirt

afforded him some kind of protection against the rain, but went a

long way towards isolating him fashion-wise from the rest of

civilization. Seigyo shook his head. Sato-kun never had any

fashion sense either. The young man was about Seigyo's age, with

flat, short cropped black hair and white sneakers that squeaked

softly across the wood of the old pier.



The boy looked up and nodded once at Seigyo, then turned away

from him and stared down into the waves below. Seigyo sighed.

Another soul to wash away his sins in the surf. The young people

of this age seemed to be filled with people who had more angst

than sense. Seigyo was one of them. He snickered silently to

himself and turned back out to the sea. He hoped that, wherever

Sato-kun was, he would notice the wreath and take a little bit of

solace in it. He'd breathe better too. Seigyo had made the wreath

with plenty of eucalyptus...



***



The other guy standing on the pier, Yujiro didn't know. Thin,

dressed in a rather expensive looking suit. Just looking out into the

sea. Sounded like a good idea. He had an effeminate face, but

Yujiro didn't hold that against him. He'd be considered one of the

beautiful people back at Fumotamaya. Yujiro leaned against the

railing and looked down into the surf.



It was oddly comforting knowing that he wasn't the only lost soul

in the night. This other guy, whoever he was, seemed to be there

for a reason. Yujiro sighed and watched as the waves crashed into

the huge supports of the pier below. He could feel the pounding up

through the large pillars and the rhythm of the thing was soothing.

The cold rain that pattered against his skull wasn't soothing

though, and Yujiro thought he could do without it.



Yujiro's thoughts strayed back to his sister. She had been so

helpless in those last days and he was stuck doing nothing. Yujiro

grew frustrated at the memory. He couldn't do anything. All he

could do was stand there and watch her die. He felt so helpless, but

also because his parents were so useless as well. Neither of them

showed much grief at all when she died. His father never cried and

went back to work a couple days later. His mother spent the days

home drunk, and then went out partying after father went to work.

And life was back to normal, not three whole days after his sister

had died.



What was the use of it? What was the use if you couldn't get the

most from life? What was the use if some asshole decided to hit

you with a car and end your life? If you had people who

remembered you and celebrated your life and mourned your death,

that would be one thing, but what about Ami? Didn't she deserve

more than that? Didn't she deserve to have her life celebrated?

Giving up her more than successful college career to come home

and help raise Yujiro...He laid his forehead upon the cool wetness

of the rail and cried.



His sister. He missed her. Without her...



***



Seigyo heard the boy begin to cry behind him. He was obviously in

pain, but Seigyo didn't want to interrupt in what was certainly

none of his damned business. Seigyo coughed to himself and

straightened his tie again. The crying stopped and he breathed a

sigh of relief. It bothered him when he couldn't do anything about

it. Sato-kun always said that he'd be better served going into the

mental health professions than chemistry, but that wasn't what he

loved. And the mental health fields wouldn't have saved Sato.

Seigyo didn't turn around, but he heard the young man shuffling

around, his sneakers squeaking out of rhythm. He wasn't walking

back down the pier towards the shore...Seigyo REALLY hoped

that the boy wasn't dumb enough to try to mug him, that would

really disappoint him. Nothing came and it was once again quiet

behind him. Seigyo sighed and turned around.



The boy was perched on the other side of the rail, looking straight

down into the roiling waters below. He was going to jump!



***



Yujiro let go.



There was a brief moment of freefall, followed by a thud against

his legs and body as he entered the water. The cold of the water

sliced against his body and seared the breath from him. Yujiro

didn't really care. He let himself float gently under the rolling

waves above to the cold darkness below. He wondered as all the

noises from above died out and were replaced by ones from below.

He could hear everything and the wonder of it was replaced by a

cold headache that began to crawl through his skull. The cold

pounded deeper and deeper, until he could feel it through his eyes.

Yujiro cried out, but the pain bore deeper.



Yujiro opened his eyes. The pain was gone. There was darkness all

around and it felt like he was floating. Still in the water, he

supposed. He watched as a vague bottom rushed up at him and he

felt himself settle into the mud up to his knees. The silt flying

about him made him cough, but it too settled into the endless flow

of the waters around him. The numbness that afflicted him above

seemed to be going away, he felt almost happy that he wasn't sad

anymore. He knew that he'd see his sister soon enough. He knew

that Maeko would probably grieve, and that gave him some

comfort, but he really didn't care because she had chosen another

over him anyway, so Yujiro knew she wouldn't be too sad.



It was oddly light on the sea floor. Almost like light from a lantern.

Yujiro looked around and scrambled out of the mud. The light

seemed to be coming from a ridge nearby, probably up the coast a

little, but the distance was deceptive, being underwater and all.

Yujiro snickered. It was probably more deceptive, him being dead

and all...



The silt and mud clung to him as he scrambled to a rocky

outcropping and pulled himself up to the top. The glow on the

other side was coming from a rock that stuck partway out of the

mud. He pulled himself over to the rock and poked at it with his

finger, but pulled his finger back quickly when the rock snapped at

him.



"What the..." Yujiro startled himself.



He didn't know he could talk underwater.



"That's 'cause you're dead, stupid."



Yujiro looked around. There wasn't anyone around and he felt

stupid for looking.



"You got that right!"



Again the voice.



"I'm down here," the voice said, "The oyster you tried to pick up."



Yujiro looked down at the glowing rock again. It sure enough

looked something like an oyster.



"Why are you glowing?" he asked.



"Why do you ask stupid questions?" it retorted, "You're dead!

What do you care?"



"Since I'm dead, that means I have plenty of time for you to tell

me why you're talking and glowing and where the Hell my sister

is," Yujiro said as he bent to the oyster's level.



"You take an attitude like that?" the oyster snuffed, "No wonder

you don't have a girlfriend!"



Yujiro wondered at how he should take that. He then let it go. Why

hold a grudge when you're dead?



"That's the spirit! Or, rather, YOU'RE the spirit..." the oyster said.



Yujiro sighed.



"Okay, could you please, Mr. Nice Oyster, tell me what's going

on, exactly?"



"Much better," it said, "Now, first off, my name is Rama and-"



"Does Arthur C. Clarke know?"



"Don't interrupt me, sonny," Rama said, "Now, it's been

determined that you're not supposed to kick the bucket just yet."



Yujiro said nothing.



"You're supposed to thank me at this point," Rama said.



"And why exactly would I want to thank you for keeping me away

from my sister?"



"Because," Rama said wearily, "If you were to can it now, you

wouldn't SEE your sister. You see, you took your own life, which

by most standards is a no-no. That means that, until retribution is

made, you're gonna be stuck here."



"Stuck? On the ocean floor?"



"Not necessarily HERE, but certainly on the Earth."



"Retribution made? To who?" Yujiro asked.



"To whom, you mean..." Rama corrected.



Yujiro sighed and rubbed his neck. He began to feel weary. Tired

and weary and the only thing he wanted to do was lie down and

take a nap.



"That's because your soul is catching up to the condition of your

body," Rama explained, "Which also means you have very little

time to make up your mind. Now listen, you have exactly two

choices."



Yujiro breathed out and nodded.



"Good boy," Rama said, "First choice is to remain like you are and

hope that a miracle of faith brings you tons of retribution for your

soul...But I wouldn't be too hopeful in your case."



Yujiro laughed slightly and lay down on the silt next to Rama. His

muscles were so weary...



"Your second option is to take what I can give you, and that's three

pearls. The pearls are wishes that you can make to clean your soul

of all the icky stuff you've built up on it," Rama said softly, "Hell,

there's even a chance you won't even have to die..."



"That's it?" Yujiro muttered through a soporific mind, "I have

to...choose..."



"If you don't hurry and choose, then you won't HAVE a choice,"

Rama said.



"Then..." Yujiro faded out for a moment.



Rama waited in the silence. He sighed and watched as the little

bubbles floated toward the surface far above. He hated having to

do it his way. He slipped the three pearls into Yujiro's curled hand.



"Yujiro Kumitsu," Rama whispered, "You should really make your

first wish now..."



The fog that covered Yujiro's mind lifted slightly and he heard

what Rama said. He could somehow feel the pearls as he closed his

hand. Had he wanted the pearls? He didn't remember. His mind. It

was hard to think. Hard to breathe all of a sudden. All he wanted to

do was sleep. No dreams, no grief, just sleep. But he had the

pearls, so he must have chosen. A wish...What wish? Damn, he

was stupid...



"I..." Yujiro said quietly, "I wish..."



***



Joshua "Gargoyle" Trujillo

"Stone Cold Protector of the Righteous"

"Owner of The Anime Bar & Grille - Mm, mm good!"



Come visit The Anime Bar & Grille!

Now with two locations!

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/1509

and

http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/museum/1275