MIDNIGHT ILLUSION

Keax tapped her fingers casually on the steering wheel as she drove her way to Black Heaven with Ran by her side.

Ran had raised an amused eyebrow when Keax offered to drive in one of the oh-so-many-cars they had. "No laws, no age-limit, no nothing in the hidden city situated inside the Sacred Forest." Keax had said lightly before stepping into a yellow 2-seater Porsche after some careful picking through a computer panel. Ran had on a classic black long-sleeved shirt as well as tight black pants. Keax never did care much about her clothes, and had simply threw on a white t-shirt and black jeans before suggesting they go to Black Heaven.

Arriving at the pub downtown, Keax left the keys to the valet before swiftly passing through the bouncers, stopping shortly before to introduce Ran to the staff. "Fujimiya-sama...welcome to the Sacred Forest..." they bowed respectfully.

Keax waved as the many Sacred people hooted out greetings. She swung open the door leading to the private pub just in time to witness a delirious kiss between Fujima and Jin who looked dazed beyond words.

"Oh...hmm..." Keax flashed a smile before pulling Ran into the middle of the private pub to join Tsu who was in an eating spree.

Jin pushed Fujima away as he flushed hotly. Fujima blinked lazily before giving Jin a final last grin and wandering off to a group of girls who were beckoning.

Jin stole a glance at Keax, Ran and Tsu. Tsu appeared to be telling a joke which brought a rare lit to Ran's face as his 2 audience laughed. He caught Keax's eye who gave him a small frosty smile before returning to listen to Ran who was speaking. He looked away, feeling strangely humiliated and mad.

He asked for a powerful drink at the bar, The bartender obligingly concocted a strong cocktail, LongNightIsle and handed it to Jin who finished it in a gulp before demanding more.

*

Sendoh was lost in his own blissful world as he maneuvered the Ferrari with ease and comfort. Not to mention, with Fila by his side. They had been together in silent company. And Sendoh decided to crack a conversation.

"Sacred Forest seems to be an interesting world of its own..." he commented suddenly.

He was delighted as Fila smiled brightly, "Of course...and you're the special guest of its rulers."

"Oh you, Keax and Jigs rule this place? Along with the guys...?" Sendoh probed.

"Yeah...Tsu, Jin, Yue and Ran..." Fila replied.

"You have feelings for Tsu?" Sendoh asked hollowly.

"Of course..." Fila continued speaking, but Sendoh found himself abruptly in a mechanical state, his mind in a whirl and thoughts in a frenzy.

*

"Keax-sama..." a security guard of the pub came over to the trio. "I'm afraid Jin-sama appears to be drunk."

Tsu was surprised as he looked up from his food and blinked, "Jin? Sloshed? Wow."

Keax narrowed her eyes before taking a look. As said, Jin was slumped over the bar counter, surrounded by empty glasses used especially for the cocktail, LongNightIsle.

"Jin-sama's currently a little confused and has been muttering incoherently." a bodyguard reported.

"What is he thinking?!" Keax said, furious.

*

Tsuzuki followed Keax, as she went down to look at the state Jin was in. Looking at Jin, was a like a slap for him, back to reality. The reason why he was drowning himself with all the food was the same reason why Jin was overwhelmed with LongNightIsle.

�Ne, Keax. I�ll bring Jin back. You stay here, entertain Ran and the other guest.� he slid himself under Jin�s arms, trying his best to balance the drunk Jin. �Call the limo Keax?� just as he said that Jin threw up on him. He could only sigh at the condition Jin was in.

�Forget that, I�ll fly him home� with that Tsuzuki pushed himself through the crowd and left through the back door. Keax left Jin in those trustable hands and went back to her guests.

*

�Stop there� pointing to the right. Sendoh, turned immediately but he could hardly see anything. There were no streetlights and he could only depend on Fila for directions. Listening to her instructions, he turned to the right and the bright lights of the blue Ferrari shown upon a stunning clear blue lake.

She got off the car and walk towards the lake which had a mirror image of the heavenly full moon. She took off her high heels as she walked on the sturdy jetty. She then sat on the edge with her legs dipping in the lake.

�Aren�t you going to join me?� she asked turning back to see a smiling Sendoh sitting on the car. He sort of half run and half walk, as he took of his shoes to join Fila at the end of the Jetty. He slowly sat beside her, as close as he could that he felt as if their skin was brushing. Oh.. So� soft, he though as he looked at her looking at the moon and the stars above.

*

Tsuzuki literally carried Jin to his room, since holding him by the arms was extremely difficult. He ordered the maids to bring some warm water and a damn towel as he carefully laid Jin on his bed. The drink and the towel came almost instantly coz when he turned around, they were already there. He passed Jin the warm water as he sat besides him on Jin�s bed.

�What�s wrong, bud?� he asked as he took the glass back from Jin. Jin sat up and tried to say something. All that came out were soft weeps. Tsu could only hug him and patted his back, trying his best to comfort him while he himself needed some as well.

�She was obviously trying to make me jealous and Fujima having his lips exploring mine wasn�t helping at all� he finally said, breaking the hug. Tsuzuki stood up and walked towards the glass window. He pushed the curtains and looked at the bright shinning moon.

Jin too sense Tsuzuki�s uneasiness and immediately asked him. �Where is Fila?� Tsuzuki let out a heavy sigh.

�Somewhere with Sendoh, most probably.� He turned around and smiled at Jin, trying to hide his discomfort. At that moment, he too felt like bursting into tears but he had to control himself. He�s there, trying to comfort a friend. Not the other way round.

�You should be resting Jin. You had one too much of that favourite drink of yours� throwing the towel at Jin. �Sleep tight, I�ll be in my room if you need anything� he gently closed the door behind him. He sat on the floor, leaning his back on Jin�s door. He rested his head on his knees that he was hugging and cried softly while images of Fila and Sendoh filled his thoughts. He could only begin to imagine what his beloved was doing with Sendoh Akira.

*

�Its beautiful isn�t it? The moon. The loneliness. The solitude�. she said crashing the silence between them. What the hell was she talking about, how can being alone be beautiful? He could only nod in agreement to whatever she was saying, although he didn�t know what it was really about.

�I met Tsu here.� she smiled at the images that were flowing through her tiny head. Her toes were making circles in the water, causing a ripple effect. Sendoh was gloomed by that sentence and was doing the same with the water. Their ripples seem to be colliding each other, making both incomplete.

�Look at them, they are like us� she said while looking at the distorted ripples. He definitely wasn�t sure what she was talking, maybe the drink he had earlier had an after effect or something, cause she sure wasn�t making any sense.

She stood up, taking one last picture, mentally ,of the blue lake and walked towards the car. �Its getting late, lets go back. Tsu must be waiting for me back home.� as on que, he too got up, trying to wear his shoes and walk at the same time.

�This time, I�m driving� Fila gave Sendoh a devilish smile and he took on the passenger�s seat. �Wear your seatbelt ok? � she cautioned him as she put the car on reverse, backing away from the lake.

*

They arrived at the mansion in a whopping 5 mins. If her car had been a convertible, Sendoh would have been hairless by now. The speed was intense and the maneuverings was out of this world. The wheels screeched at every corner and purred on straight road. She drove like it was some sort of race against time. Thank goodness he had his seat belts on. They both got out of the car, after which Fila passed the key to the butler who was already waiting for them.

�I�ll see you tomorrow morning, for breakfast.� she gave him a peck on his lips and disappeared into the house. Sendoh stood outside, touching his lips, still rather confused. What is with that girl? And how do I get to my room?? Like the butler knew he was lost, he offered to bring Sendoh to his room. He hoped on the Wheel immediately and they too disappeared into the house.

*

Tsuzuki heard a car screech. That must be her. He got up, quickly wipe his damp eyes and walked towards his room. Hoping not to see them together. Hoping not to see her at all tonight. But his plans failed when he saw her, standing, alone at the peak of the spiral staircase. His first reaction was to just grab her and give her an all mighty hug. Forgetting the frightening images that was in his head just moments ago, he gave her a heart felt kiss like it was the first time he was seeing her after a long while of separation. Her response was just the same, like she knew what Tsu wanted.

Tsuzuki broke the kiss, with tears in his eyes. He just didn�t know what to say. Fila wiped his tears with her small fingers and just smiled at him. He couldn�t say anything, he was still overwhelmed with emotions. Somehow he knew that nothing happened between her and Sendoh and he was thankful that the stars were on his side that night.

Chapter 8