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Afraid of the Light	By : Resting-Madness Category: Beyblade > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 193 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't make a profit from this story. I do not own any Beyblade character mentioned or used in it.

Chapter List
- 12
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- 14
The sky was dark, maybe darker than it has ever been in any night. Ozuma was glad for the flashlight, though he didn't dare turn it on. It served as more of a... protection device. The soft grass crunched underneath his feet, twigs and things snapped along the way home, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. All the things Rei had told him still ran through his mind. How the family wanted to be normal but couldn't. How they wanted a friend for their daughter... How they eventually went insane and killed themselves. But the thing he couldn't explain was... their eyes. Why were they missing? Surely the glass from the broken lights hadn't done it, so what did?
Looking straight ahead, he frowned. He couldn't see anything! The moon had long since hid itself behind the clouds for the night and didn't seem to wanna come back out. Why is it so dark? His foot stumbled over something and he dropped to his knees. Shit! He beat the ground angrily with his free hand. I need to see where I'm going before I pass my house altogether. Turning on the indigo light of his watch, he took notice of the time. 9:48... How long have I been outside? Where am I?
Crack!
Ozuma's head whipped around. Someone is following him. But how- when!? From that simple little light from the watch? No. It couldn't be, they must have been outside already. He had to get back to his house and lock the doors. Standing, Ozuma sped off, praying that it was the right direction as his house couldn't be that far away from the lake if he could see it from his bedroom window.
"Ooff!" Ozuma backed away from whatever wooden thing it was he had hit, and he held his nose in pain. He knew it was on the verge of bleeding, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He needed to get inside. Going right Ozuma dashed to the side of the house where the kitchen door is. He tugged at it mercifully but it didn't pop open. Digging into his pocket, he pulls out the key, unlocks the door and hurries inside.
Closing it behind him, he quickly locks it, holding his back against it for good measure. Whatever was out there with him had definitely followed him back. Heavy foot steps walked past the window outside. The Balaji child stepped over to the window, keeping himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Be brave Ozuma... be brave... He licked the corner of his mouth, reaching out with his index and middle finger to slowly peek the blinds open. The person wasn't in front of the window anymore, but they were still on the porch. If he could just get a look at them...
It was definitely the woman. Her long black hair dangled down her back in a sticky, tangled mess. Her shoeless wet feet stuck to the wood. But the thing that scared Ozuma was not the woman, herself, but the sight of her looking for a way into the house!
Gasping, he ducked down, letting the blinds drop from between his fingers. Shit! The woman now stands at the window Ozuma was peeking out of. She seemed to be loitering a bit, as if she knew he were down on the floor beneath her.
Please don't break the window, please don't break the window...
After a long moment of sitting with scrunched eyes, and held breath, the sound of retreating foot steps was finally heard. The young teen relaxed, letting out a deep sigh. I have to remember that they can't touch me in the dark... I'm safe, I'm fine... Standing, he walked on shaking legs toward the stairs.
He needs to calm his nerves. A shower was always his favorite way to do that, and he was pretty sure with the woman outside and her husband- well, somewhere else in the house other than where he was going he could take that shower and be perfectly fine.
Ozuma felt blindly through the linen closet, he picked out the biggest softest towel he could grab then he picked a wash rag. Going into his bedroom Ozuma felt around for his discarded pajamas and once gathered, he pulled a new pair of boxers free from the dresser. His eyes glanced nervously at the light next to the dresser. It was still hanging half way out of the socket.
He reached over to pull it out, but froze when he saw the light blinking softly on, then off. Moving his hand away, he let out a sigh when the light flickered off and remained that way. Forget it, let it stay in there for all I care. Walking out of his bedroom, he went down the hall into the bathroom. Naturally, his hand reached for the light switch but he pulled it away when he realized what he was doing.
Placing his things on the top of the toilet, Ozuma then undressed himself leaving the sullied clothes in a heap near the bathroom door. Pressing the lock to insure that no one would get in. Walking to the shower, he turns the knobs releasing a spray of warm water out from the showerhead. Feeling a hand under the jet, he adjusts the temperature to his liking then steps inside.
He sighed, rather pleased with this time to relax. He needed this more than anything. Of course it would help if I weren't standing. Patting at the sides of the tub up to the corners, he located the drain plug and dropped it over the drain hole. He loved taking baths with shower water, to him it just felt- lighter somehow.
The warm water ran over his body, through his hair, the young boy ran his fingers into his tangling mass of red and gray hair, melting it to his head in front of his face. Shaking the strands of hair from his eyes, he blinked one open and looked down. Tapping a foot, he felt for the height of the tub water before sitting himself down.
It was now waist high, soon he could turn off the shower and just relax.
"Why Ozuma, I hope there's room in there for me." He said in a rather Rei-like tone of voice, laughing to himself afterward. Yeah, he admitted it. He kinda has a crush on the boy- nothing major or anything but still, it was fun to pretend. "Forget about Zeo, you've got me now." He continued to imitate Rei as he's leaning forward to turn the shower water to off, then lay himself back on the tub and closed his eyes.
Thinking about it now, the darkness isn't as scary as I had thought it was... it's almost kind of... cozy. He smiles.
It was nice not to be afraid of something that once horrified him, now he could see why people went to shrinks and things. The room fell oddly silent. Not even the water seemed to want to make noise. Ozuma became nervous. Raising his hand, he slapped it down hard into the water just to make some sort of sound in the room. With a splash, the water flung up into his face and he shook the wetness from his eyes.
I wonder when Mom is coming home? He thought absently.
Bang!
He shot up to a sitting position. A brief thought of calling for his mother ran through his mind until he heard the bang again. Listening in harder, he recognized the sound to be a door slamming. It slammed over and over, repeatedly, until finally it just stopped.
The Balaji child blinked once, twice... as if to clear his eyes to see a bit better in the darkness. He could make out everything in the bathroom: The toilet, his clothes, the sink and mirror. It was amazing how well his eyes adjusted to being in the darkness.
This must have been what the Iwakawa's had gone through, first acceptance... then madness.
Bang! Bang! Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang!
Ozuma leapt to the other side of the bath tub, popping the side of his head against the knobs. He winced in brief pain but shook it off. Whoever was out there- the man or the woman, they wanted in. Badly. It sounded as if someone were shooting cannon balls at the door. How did they find him? There was no light on?
...Just remember, they can't touch you if they can't see you. But he prayed to god that that door didn't find its way open.
When the banging finally stopped, the knob was the next thing to be tampered with. It jiggled and shook with a low rattling sound as someone furiously tried to get in.
Give up already! He mentally shouts. You can't get in here, so go away!
He waited until the jiggling stopped and it sounded as though the person had gone, before he stepped out of the tub, toweled off then dressed. If you don't see it, it isn't there. He even whispered in his thoughts, like the person outside of the door would hear him if he spoke too loudly, even in thought.
Taking in a breath of air, he turned the lock over. Closing his eyes to gather his courage, he opens them as well as the door then steps out into the hallway. Nothing ahead of him, looking right he slammed his back into the door frame, jumping from fright.
His mask was standing beside him in mid-air, eye level to him! Never mind who or what it was, he dashed into his parents' room slamming the door behind him, locking it. Calm down! He ordered his panting. Calm down, you're safe now. But he didn't think so. Walking over to the bed, he climbed in under the sheet and blanket, closing his eyes.
I'm safe... I'm safe... He mentally chants.
Popping his head out of the blanket, he looked around in the darkness with his eyes. The coast looks clear. But how would he know in the dark, he could quickly flip on the lamp to check but, what if someone were in there with him? Then what? Turn it off and be uncomfortable knowing that, technically he was not alone? No, he couldn't.
So I'll just wait till mom comes home. Hopefully, she'll leave the lights off because she thinks it might wake me up. Even he didn't believe that, as strange as he's been acting and she still thinks he's afraid of the dark! I'll be fine, just as long as I don't fall asle-
A flash of light through the window caught his attention. Going over to the window, he looked out of it seeing three lights approach the house from the woods. Who is that?
"Zeo, I'm telling you, we're waisting our time." He heard Tyson saying.
Shoot! It was Zeo and his friends! Turn off your flashlights, you idiots! They like the light! He blinked hard when he saw them run the lights over the house, squinting when one of the beams sailed past the window, glaring in his eyes.
Behind him, just as the beam showed in the window, a dirty gray figure stood a foot away from the boy. Mouth agape, he sucked in a breath as if trying to speak but his voice was tight and dry. The sound of a cut off breath of air was made, but it went unheard. Ozuma's focus was on his friends down below.
"I don't see why we came here." Tyson was complaining. "He's not home, we already checked before."
"Maybe he went out for a minute?" Max tried to cover for the mixed boy.
"Tch. Yeah right, Chicken Little out at night?" He waved a hand. "No chance. And besides, once we get him to the party he's just gonna start in again on how the skyyyy is faaalling." He stressed, putting a false sound of fear in his voice.
"Why are all the lights on?" Zeo wondered out loud.
"Duh, hello? How long have we known this kid." Tyson walked up the porch stairs with the others. "Didn't we just have this discussion? Ozuma is afraidy cat."
"The front door is open?" Zeo ignored Tyson, and walked inside the house. "Ozuma?" He called.
What could they possibly want? Looking at the clock, he noted the time. 10:15. Ozuma tugged the window open, looking out of it as far as he could lean. "Hey!" He calls. "Hey! Turn off your flashlights!"
The three boys looked around for where the voice was coming from. Aiming their flash lights upward when they heard him again.
"Turn off the light!" The mixed boy shouted again, only with an angrier tone.
"But Ozuma?" Max began, lowering his flashlight though keeping his eyes up at the window. "We came to get you for the sleep over?" Max's voice was sweet, as though he were trying to really convince him to come hang out with them.
The Balaji boy sighed in anger. He gripped the window frame in his hand. Walking to the door opening it, he glances down the hall then up it. No one was there. Stepping into the dark hallway, Ozuma wandered down the stairs, turning off the kitchen light once at the bottom then the lights in the living room.
"Who turned the lights on?" The boy asked angrily.
The three shared glances at each other. Zeo spoke up. "We thought you did... And you left the front door open."
"...No, I didn't... Now you heard me before- I want you to leave."
"Ozuma, you're being ridiculous, I want you to come to my sleep over." Max pleaded. "You're a good friend and I-..."
"I don't wanna go to your stupid party." Ozuma said quietly. His hand reached for the light switch in the main hall, turning it off as well.
"Dude, what gives?" Asked Tyson, "I can't see anything."
"It has to be dark so they can't see us," says Ozuma. His hand practically batted at his shoulder when he felt something touch it, but like before it was nothing, just a droplet of water from his wet hair. "You can thank me later." He walked past the three boys.
"Thank you? For what? Losing it?" Tyson followed Ozuma.
"The couple is only attracted to the light," Ozuma went on explaining, much to his own distress. He didn't want to tell them anything but the words wouldn't stop coming out of his mouth. "If they see it, they'll come to it."
Tyson laughed, shaking his head. "You see?! What'd I tell ya? He's nuts!"
Ozuma didn't care what Tyson thought, he just wanted them out. "I'll come to your sleep over next time, I have something to take care of. Now please leave."
"With pleasure." Tyson walked to the front door, openining it, he stepped outside. "Have fun playing haunted house, Ozuma. Let's go guys." He was already out of the porch.
Max lingered in the house a little bit. He really wanted Ozuma there, especially if he was afraid to be in his own house. "Ozuma please, come with us... You don't have to be here alone..." He hesitates before speaking again. "It's making you crazy."
"I'm not crazy," Ozuma replied calmly. A little too calmly. "I'm gonna be all right, and I'd be better if I didn't have anyone to worry about."
Max frowned at this.
"Please, go... and keep your flash lights off!"
"But Ozuma-.."
Zeo grabbed the blond's hand. "Come on, Maxi. He's made his choice." He said in a tone that sounded as though it had deeper meaning than what Zeo should have been speaking of. He meant Rei and Kai.
"That's right. Go."
Max let himself be guided out of the house. The trio walk away from the house, silently. Ozuma could only guess that that was because they didn't want him to hear what they were going to say about him. But he didn't care. He was tired and had had enough for the day. Now he just had to wait for his mother to get home, and everything will be fine.
Hmph, crazy... they wish.
Walking back through the dark hall into the living room then kitchen, Ozuma paused at the stairs. A light shown from somewhere at the top of the stairs. It was bright, but not bright enough to be the one from the hall. It could be coming from his bedroom. The loose night light flickering on again, he had to get that thing out of there. Looking back up the stairs again, he was relieved to see that it had blinked off again.
That's all it was. Take out the night light and your problems are solved. Heading upstairs, though with caution, Ozuma walked into his bedroom and yanked the light from the wall. Lying on his bed, he closed his eyes letting sleep take over his body.
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Afraid of the Light