Bold and Brilliant

¥-Three-€

Summer of 1999
Morioh, Japan

A hazy breeze found its way through Okuyasu's baggy grey shirt and up his neck. Sighing in a relaxed and well mannered tone, he adjusted his position against the window sill. Beneath him, pieces of wood lay strewn about the floor, the room flooding with immaculate and brilliant light.
Keicho was going to kill him once he stepped foot into this room. There was one rule that strictly applied to Okuyasu's daily life. This house had to stay hidden. And by hidden, he meant he wanted Okuyasu to stay hidden. To the town of Morioh, the Nijimura brothers didn't exist. And as for this house, it would stay abandoned.
But he had his own world in the so called "empty" home. Sitting in dusty and dim darkness as the hours went by, the radio buzzing gently in the background as Morioh Cho Radio opened with its smooth gentle little jingle, the excentrique host rolled smoothly from one subject to the next, emphasizing the stories with life and radiance.
Yet, today was different. Today, Okuyasu held that hammer and clawed at the boards nailed to his bedroom window, and banishing the musty dark he lived with for years. And when that last board fell to the ground, he could finally feel something as the warm welcoming beams of light lifted his gaze to the world outside the prison he called home. Okuyasu beamed, competing with the brightness of the rays of sunshine that shone on his face. He followed the beams of light onto the rooftops of neighboring houses, the dusty gray roads, and the sprawling fields of dreamlike wonder, with flowers and trees displaying a tapestry of colors.
"I never really did get to see Morioh," Okuyasu whispered to himself, running a hand across his sweaty neck.
Someone his age should have been living their best life, going to school, talking shenanigans with their friends, crushing on cute boys or girls, getting caught up in the silly nonsense called school drama. God it felt so cartoony, yet he knew people got to experience it. He never did...and never will, thanks to Keicho. He knew why he wanted them to be shielded from the outside world, as if their existence wasn't even a passing thought. He knew that if they were discovered, they'd discover their dad. And they'd take him away forever. And in the end, he may never be able to see Keicho again. He may have kept him hidden from the world and confined him to his thoughts and ideologies...but he was family.
Running a hand through his messy unslicked back hair, he sighed, blowing up at his bangs, as they floated up and proceeded to plop back down onto his eyebrows. This day couldn't get any more boring. It was gorgeous outside, the flowers bringing out their inner expressions and flaunting brilliant scents and colors. God, his heart aches for that smell to come in closer contact with his nose.
It shouldn't matter, he'd never get to smell them anyways.
Yet he yearned to at least touch their delicate petals. To feel the grass between his toes and let the wind toss le with his floppy little bangs.
God this was all making him so fucking frustrated. He had to get ahold of himself.
"Keicho's doing this for our safety," Okuyasu repeated to himself, curling his legs up against his chest, and burying his head in his hands.
He was so tired of being cooped up in the forsaken house, left along with his father, who would claw away at that stupid chest and occasionally sob in his incomprehensible voice. Just the way it's been for forever, it seems.
As he pondered on the subject, a crash sounded in the other room, followed by a litany of bulbous cries. He must have tipped over the chest again...
"Oh for fucks sake," Okuyasu sighed, containing his irritation.
He may be a monster on the inside and out, but he was still "dad".
Okuyasu swung his legs off of the window sill and onto the floor, but not before making contact with something on the sill as well.
He felt the object shift toward the opening in the window, and tumble off. His heart dropped.
He put his radio there.
Throwing his head outside the window, he saw the radio tumble onto the ground, and into one of their overgrown bushes. The music that softly rattled from the speakers was muffled as it sank into the leafy body of the bush.
God, if this day couldn't get any worse, he didn't know what to believe in anymore.
Throwing out an aggravated sigh, and turned back into his room, leaning against the window sill.
Damn, that was one of his main sources of entertainment, and there it was, laying in the bushes. Dragging his palm across his face, Okuyasu was close to screaming.
It's not like he could go get it, he wasn't allowed out of the house-
Keicho wasn't home.
No, he'd always obey the rules.
He could just grab the radio and run back upstairs like nothing happened.
That was risky, Keicho could walk in any second, back from work. And with out curiously unstable he'd been for the past two weeks, he didn't wanna push it.
"This is a terrible idea," he muttered to himself, as he clambered down the hall toward the stairs.
"I'm gonna obey Keicho, he's doing this for our safety."
He hammered this into his head as he strode toward the door, shaking with confusion.
"Go back upstairs," he shouted to himself. He forced himself to stop at the door, his open palms sliding into fists.
"It'll just be for a minute," he whispered to himself. "No harm done...I'm just going to get my radio..."
Before he could change his mind, the door swung open in front of him, and he stepped outside.
And...he stood there. He felt like he couldn't move.
What was he doing?! This was totally wack! He'd be in a hell lotta trouble if Keicho saw him now. He'd be in so much more trouble if someone else saw him out here too.
This house was supposed to be abandoned, and the Nijimura brothers had to keep it this way to maintain their own safety.
He turned his head toward the torn up gravel path that lead to the background, overgrown with weeds and long blades of grass that could go up past his ankle.
His bare feet smacked against the gravel as he darted to the back of the house, ducking against the wall surrounding their house.
He had to be quick.
Skidding to a stop at the overgrown bushes lining the side of the house, he quickly lunged to the nearest one, searching its leafy body.
It wasn't this one.
God he had to hurry and get back inside before someone saw him.
His hands clasped a rectangular object tangled in the thorny grasp of the bush.
He pulled it from the hands of the bush, relieved to see the glint of the speakers against the afternoon sun. He found the radio.
Great, now he had to run back to the house without being spotted again.
Tucking the radio under his arm, he darted back onto the gravel path and to the front again. Taking to two steps at a time, he leaped back onto the porch, stopping at the door frame.
Gently heaving for air, Okuyasu proceeded to step into the doorframe, the sunlight leaving his back, the darkness consuming him.
He froze.
The house felt even more unbearable then usual, all of a sudden.
He had to close the door, he had to go back upstairs, he had to board back up the window again, and just wait for Keicho to come back home.
...right?
The radio tumbled from his grip, and toppled onto the ground, turning onto its side, a tiny beam of sunlight catching its silver surface.
His eyes followed that strip of sunlight, until he couldn't help but turn around. And there it was again. That sweet, melancholy scent of summer, and its playful little blemishes of sunlight, decorating his face.
He took a step forward.
Just a little longer, he had to feel the sun on his face for just a little longer. Just a little longer.
To feel the grass against his feet, to watch the clouds go by, to sit in the yard, to giggle childishly, to hear the fragile yet welcoming songs of the birds above him. Just a little longer, to see his mother's face against the bright sunlight, and feel her soft gentle hands in his-
His body was shaking. He clambered down the porch steps. And he just stared. He stared at that heavy solid metal gate, blocking his view of the world in front of him.
Just one more time. Just one more time in the bright delicate light. He just needed it one more time.
One shaky step after the other, he walked toward the gate, resting his hand on the surface. It was hot from the afternoon sun. He retracted his hand back for a brief moment.
Please, just one more time.
The gate slowly swung open, its hinges creaking slowly with its heavy weight.
He couldn't stop shaking.
He had forgotten this small little road in front of him. How the surface flickered against the light, how smooth and grey it looked. He had forgotten how it felt, as his bare feet touched the hot cement.
He forgot this place completely. He forgot those thoughts and feelings when he first came here with his brother and father, nearing his pitiful fate of being trapped in that grotesque vessel.
Pounding down the side of the road, smells and sights flooded his head, darting back and forth, taking in the houses laying in rows.
Okuyasu panted, as he reached the end of the block, the roaring forking off into two directions.
He couldn't handle himself. His emotions swelled, as he gently heaved out a laugh, taking in the scenery.
He was there, he was living and breathing in this town. He felt like a ghost. And he had just been resurrected. Because Okuyasu was there, sharing the same roads as so many other people, people he didn't know.
But he was alive in Morioh, and he existed.
He didn't want to stop. He couldn't stop. He couldn't stop running, houses and buildings crossing his vision.
He was overwhelmed with smells of summer, and sights of greenery.
He stopped himself and let the sunlight consume him, his heart pounding and throbbing with excitement.
And at that moment, he felt that his life in that old blue house wasn't his. He felt like he was someone else.
Okuyasu just wanted to run. Because if this is what life felt like outside his own, he didn't ever wanna stop running. He gazed at the mountains in the distance, wishing he could run across those hills of rock, and finally see what was on the other side.
The other side of his bedroom window, and his hazy dreams.
Gravel crunched underneath something, making Okuyasu twirl around.
Across the street, a boy delicately strode against the rays of sunshine, humming to himself.
He stature was that of a young man, an adolescent. Gently shaped lips, wavering blue eyes drowning in color, perfectly perched eyebrows, he just couldn't look away.
It could have been his gentle facial features...or his odd, almost bean-shaped purple hair, but Okuyasu couldn't tear his gaze away.
Holding a plastic bag in his hand, bulging with contents, he continued to gently stride on, his gaze facing forward, as if he were on a mission.
Okuyasu's legs shook beneath him, his hands becoming clammy and suddenly cold.
He looked like a movie star, with how he dressed...and damn, how he looked.
People like this existed in this town? People like him...
Those same blue eyes lingered in his mind, his cheeks becoming hot against his skin. Those eyes were something else. He couldn't explain why to himself. He was just drawn to those eyes.
His tongue pressed against his mouth, his lips quivering.
He pushed out a single sentence.
"Uh..uh good afternoon!"
He felt as if he could topple over at any second.
The boy stopped himself, and turned around, those deep sea blue eyes meeting his.
His heart pulled at his chest, as if it were to break free.
The boy just stood there, gazing at him, as if...he wasn't the outsider Okuyasu knew he was.
"Good afternoon to you too!" The boy called back to him, beaming. His smile practically blinded him, as the beams of sunlight suddenly ceased its existence. That sweet gentle sunlight was suddenly radiating from that boy...
Okuasyu couldn't blink, as if he were to suddenly disappear at any moment. The sight in front of him simply had to be preserved, yet he didn't know why.
He could move once again, as the boy turned around, and continued to calmly walk his path, away from Okuyasu.
A smile played with Okuyasu's lips, as he clutched at his chest, like his heart was about to implode.
What was this feeling all of a sudden?
Why was he practically melting down at the sight of that boy?
He was in complete shell shock.
Maybe it was because he hadn't made contact with any people for 10 years.
Yeah, that was it...
Social contact must have just put him into a shell shock.
His stomach swirled against his gut, making Okuyasu feel queasy.
That guy...was something else. He was gorgeous...
How long has he been in this town? And how long had this boy crossed this path near his home, from where Okuyasu could have gazed at him.
He had peaked through the boards on the window to watch people walk by the almost invisible home countless times.
But he never saw this boy before. It made him feel sad. Knowing that he existed in this town, only now getting to see those eyes...it just made him feel depressed.
Okuasyu shook his head, overwhelmed with emotions. Why was he suddenly head over heels for this guy? This was his first time seeing him, his first time talking to anyone besides Keicho.
Getting ahold of his senses, Okuyasu forced himself to turn around.
Man, he'd never seen a guy that pretty before-
A new emotion took over this suddenly current one.
Complete fear.
In the near distance, he had made eye contact with a pair of eyes he was never hoping to see.
"Okuyasu?!"
Shit, he was in serious trouble now. His legs frozen in place, he couldn't move, as Keicho tore down the street toward him.
He refused to make eye contact the entire time.
———————————-
"I asked you to do one thing!" Keicho bellowed, laying his palm against Okuyasu's cheeks, slapping him. Okuyasu stumbled back, as Keicho slammed the door behind them.
"Damnit, you're such an idiot."
A dull pain lingered on Okuyasu's cheek, clutching it. He couldn't breathe. His heart wouldn't stop pounding. His legs wouldn't stop shaking. He pushed him over the edge.
Angrily throwing his work apron and name tag onto the floor in front of them, he stormed up to Okuyasu and seized him by the collar of his shirt.
"Did anyone see you?!" He demanded, violently shaking his little brother.
He couldn't push any words from his throat, as Keicho's eyes bore into his, burning the inside of his eye sockets.
Then he thought of the boy.
"N-no..." he lied, grabbing onto Keicho's arms as he continued to shake Okuyasu.
"You could have been seen, what the fuck were you thinking?!"
Okuyasu tugged away from Keicho, stumbling back.
"I just...I just wanted to go outside...it was really nice out..."
Keicho said nothing, grumbling to himself.
Okuyasu, shaking from head to toe, clutched his chest, heaving for air, as if he were about to get a heart attack.
Kicking the apron aside on the floor Keicho stormed up to Okuyasu.
Okuyasu pushed out a terrified gasp, just as Keicho pushed him out of the way. He watched his brother clamber up the stairs, and disappear.
Knees buckling, Okuyasu gave into his weight and toppled onto the floor.
He shouldn't have done that. He should have just stepped back into the house when he had that chance.
He shouldn't have pushed. Even if it meant he met the gaze of that boy...
But he knew now he couldn't bring himself to do that again. Seeing Keicho like that scared him. He was the only person he had. To see him distraught and angry with him just hurt too much.
Keicho clambered back the stairs, cradling a narrow object hidden underneath a dirty old beige blanket.
"You've gotten ballsy," Keicho proceeded to growl, stopped at the last step, facing Okuyasu.
"I-I won't do it again...I know it was stupid...I know it put us at risk."
"I'm so tired of looking after you all the damn time Okuyasu," Keicho mumbled. "You're not a kid anymore, you should know better."
Okuyasu watched as Keicho threw the blanket away from his grip, revealing an odd sight.
It was a bow and arrow, the head of the arrow shaped into an odd spade of some sort.
"Knowing you're willing to go against me so easily, will make this little experiment easier for me."
Okuyasu's heart began to throb, his palms secreting, becoming clammy and wet.
"W-what are you talking about, Keicho?" Okuyasu stuttered, scooting a hair back, his eyes glued to the bow and arrow.
"Through much needed research, I obtained this through a number of sources, I don't know how this suddenly came into ownership...but I know it belonged to some hag...Enyaba was her name, I believe."
He continued to cradle the bow and arrow, stepping closer to Okuyasu.
"This arrow can give the person shot with it inhuman and glorious powers, god like powers!"
His voice rose. "T-they're called stands Okuyasu, they give you unimaginable power! And you know, I was thinking, this could work on dad."
Keicho became to laugh, his whole body shaking.
"We could finally kill him, Okuyasu, we can be free again!"
He couldn't comprehend any of those words.
"Keicho...Keicho what are you talking about?"
Tears stung at the back of Okuyasu's eyes. He had finally lost his mind.
"I wasn't gonna do this to you at first Okuyasu," Keicho confessed, his finger tracing the surface of the arrow's head. "But I think I have enough courage now to give it a try, since I'm not pleased with you right now. I have you cornered here now, after all."
Keicho strode toward his trembling brother and grinned. "I just have to bring out the stand in you. It's always been there Okuyasu. You've always had it, ever since you were little."
Okuyasu put the pieces together, and lost his breath.
"Keicho please don-"
"I've seen the power you have, when you made those ants disappear out of thin air, when we were little."
He couldn't piece together a sentence. He could only stare at him.
"Once I bring out that power, we can finally kill dad!"
Loading the arrow into the bow, Keicho arched it back and aimed it right at Okuyasu.
His heart dropped. He couldn't move. Why couldn't he fucking move?!
"Keicho...Keicho what are you doing?!" Okuyasu demanded, scooting back, until he was back to back with the wall.
"Just relax," Keicho growled, slowly releasing the grip on the string.
No, no he couldn't be doing what Okuyasu thought he was doing.
"Keicho please!-"
He never finished that semtence, as the arrow ripped through the air, and found a home in Okuyasu's neck.
Blood splurged from the newly opened wound, trickling down onto his chest, staining his shirt.
Okuyasu choked, touching the wound, feeling the arrow piercing through his skin.
Blood splurged from his mouth, and Okuyasu fell forward, his vision going black before he could hit the floor.
Everything was gone.
________________
Author's note:
Hey germs, I know this update was long awaited, but I spent this Sunday evening putting it together.
I'm hoping to push out the next chapter soon, as I'm feeling better both physically and mentally.
So please stay tuned, things boutta get real real
And about this whole COVID-19 quarantine, I hope all of you are doing healthy and alright. This whole thing is pretty bloody scary, I know, but mortality rate right now is still low, and if we continue to practice social distancing, this virus will reach its peak, and things will work out from there. So stay healthy and wash those hands please! Sing the first verse of "Roundabout" from JoJo instead of the happy birthday song, and you'll wash your hands for the same amount of time. Just wash them for at least 20 seconds.
Stay safe out there ❤️
Jameson