Haunted

Chapter 18: Wrong Person


Inside the Tokigawa mansion, the eldest daughter, Serena Tokigawa, dressed in a fitting corporate Prada outfit, stood in front of a turquoise marbled fireplace with a sixteenth century inspired golden markings.
A twenty-five feet in diameter crystal chandelier hung sixty feet above her head as she poured herself a ninety-five year old Danish wine.
“Was it successful?” Serena asked without looking behind her, sensing the presence of her companion,
“Yes, Madame.”
“Any other report, Gilfred?” she asked, sipping slowly her wine,
“Sakura left Yuki Eiri as soon as she saw the pictures, Madame. One of our spies had seen the commotion.”
“Very good. Just as expected,” Serena said and walked around on an Arabian velvet carpet that covered one hundred meters of the living room,
“Madame, your affiliates in London just called yesterday morning, inquiring about the latest research. I believe they want you to come back.” Gilfred said casually as he propped himself on a magnificent oval sofa clad in a delicate soft red fabric,
“Not yet, Gilfred. Call London and tell them I’m still busy with certain important affairs here in Japan. But tell them I’d like to hear more about their latest research.”
“Yes, Madame.”
“Are there more?”
“Apparently, yes.” Gilfred replied, crossing his leg over the other,
“And they are?”
“The Tokigawa Estate in Seattle was reported to have increased in stock. Same thing goes for the trading in Argentina and Bolivia.” Gilfred reported briefly, tapping the black leather gloves he just removed on his knee.
“How about our business ventures in Mongolia and India?”
“Progressive, Madame.”
“The Tokigawa Banks in Saudi Arabia?”
“Minor problems had occurred lately, but it was solved immediately, Madame.”
“Hand me over a full report concerning that incident later.”
“Yes, Madame.”
“And the petroleum in Iran and Pakistan?”
“Everything is stable, Madame.”
Serena paused for a while and stared above her,
“Gilfed, where are my sisters?” Serena asked, almost worryingly.
“Tokia, Madame, said that she will be back by eleven. She spoke about having a small reunion with her old friends. Bianca on the other hand, is right upstairs having a…er… a movie marathon,” he mentioned, recalling Bianca telling him to say exactly those words which left the old body guard feeling a bit embarrassed by a silly term, “and the twins… well, as the party girls of the Tokigawa family, they are having ‘the time of their lives’ at the latest bars in the city.” He ended, remembering the call he just made to the twins a few minutes ago.
Serena chuckled at the thought of Monette and Marlotte having fun and flirting around with cute boys. Serena never worried about her sisters’ flirty personality since she knew the twins know their limitations. Among her other sisters, the twins were known for their confidence and self-control. They were such young spirited individuals. Who would have ever thought that they were a part of an elite, rich family?
“I see.” Serena nodded with a smile, “call me when they get home, but make sure they come back before sunrise.”
“Of course, Madame.” Gilfred assured, finding himself smiling as well.

Gilfred Ashtar, Tokigawa family’s most trusted and oldest bodyguard, had served for thirty-five years, witnessing all the success and failures of the Tokigawa. He had been there even when most of the Tokigawa businesses around the world were still starting.
He knew very much about the great and honorable Akano Tokigawa, the father of the six sisters.
He also knew quite well, that the eldest, Serena, took after her father.

Akano Tokigawa was a man of perseverance. He was the main root of all the success of the Tokigawa businesses. From medicine to trading ventures, Akano Tokigawa was excellent in his job.
And like him, Serena Tokigawa was great as well. She was the reason why the Tokigawa businesses had spread successfully all over the world. What first started in Japan, she continued in Europe, and later on, expanding unto North and South America, and even to Asia.
There were other ventures in the remaining continents such as Australia and Africa. Serena made sure she had a firm and wealthy business in almost everywhere. She wanted this because of the money.
Where there is money, there is power.
But she also knew about the world of love.
With the two combined, one person can go many places.
A lot of people misunderstood Serena. Most of them thought of her brute and uncaring. She was tough when it comes to the business world because she knew that this place means the survival of the fittest. She was good in her fields and she made sure that she has respect. With power, comes respect. With respect, there is authority.
Gilfred understood the eldest daughter since he dedicated his whole life protecting this family. His family.
What besotted Gilfred the most was the fact that even when Akano or Serena was very busy, they always had time for their family.
Maybe it was the good foundation that Serena had that made her so successful and so powerful now. Maybe it was the love of her parents and sisters that fueled her to go beyond the boundaries and search for more.
Her hunger and passion for life and discovery was the very reason of the expansion of all the Tokigawa businesses.
This very trait might have come from her father, Gilfred thought.
Akano always told his daughters to dream big and never settle for less.
And even though he didn’t have a son, he never showed any hint of regret to his family. He never cared about the fact that all of his children were girls.
As all the other elite family would say, a father needs an heir for his riches.
A son to continue all the hard work.
A lot said that it was very unfortunate of Akano to have never been blessed with a son. Most of his business affiliates thought of it pitiful that such a great man would be defeated someday once he was retired.
Serena, as the oldest, was very well aware of that.
But even with all the gossip and dark opinions, Akano knew that setting unfair standards to achieve a successful position was wrong, and therefore disagreeable in his eyes.
For Akano, equality is important.
As a man, he knew that his sex traditionally holds the power.
But meeting Sakura Tokigawa, his beloved wife, changed that belief.
He wasn’t really the great man he was before. Yes, he was already rich and successful in so many things, but when Sakura came, everything changed.
His standards changed. His outlook in life changed. And even his personality changed.
The bubbly character Sakura had was the main reason why Akano got attracted to her.
A young passionate female artist that captured his heart and made him realize that there were other things bigger than life.
Bigger than power, bigger than money, and bigger than perfection.

And that was no other than love.

Sakura was the one who said to him that love was the main reason why everything existed. So if he accompanied his work with love, then everything will turn out beyond expectations.
Because of Sakura, Akano was inspired to do more. He knew that with her, he could do anything.
With love, anything was possible.

With Sakura and Akano Tokigawa as Serena’s models, she grew up to be a beautiful successful entrepreneur herself. Because of her mother’s passion for life, she chose to become a doctor, learning how to help others. And because of her father’s love for discoveries, she also became a scientist.
A combination that is ultimately powerful.
Something most people envy and admire from her.

And she made sure she was known for her own success. Even though her father started the works, she made it better and richer. She found ways to learn. Experience taught her a lot.
With the aid of her parents, she was educated superbly.
She studied in America, entering Harvard and taking up a dual major in medicine and business. She also minored in foreign languages, which explains her vast knowledge and comprehension about several tongues. After that, she continued studying, taking up her master’s degree in medicine, specializing in the human anatomy, and later on becoming the first in the bar exams.
But even Serena was a rich kid, she wanted to become independent.
She worked part-time in so many shops.
There was this flower shop near Harvard, which was a walking distance from her dormitory. Then next, a bakery, and even worked as waitress in Pizza Hut.

How she balanced her life, that, Gilfred couldn’t decipher.

But on holidays, she made sure to come back home. But sometimes, she had to stay abroad to review and work.
Serena wanted to prove to the same people who thought of her as a pity since she wasn’t a suitable heir that she could become the best.
Not being a man doesn’t mean you’re pitiful.
And with the kind of world today, a woman can really succeed.

She didn’t want to have an allowance when she was studying at America. She worked hard for her pocket money and the only expenses that her father paid was her tuition fee.
Akano and Sakura were very proud of Serena. She was a woman with great intelligence, pride and bravery. She knows her roots and she knows where she’s going.
A father couldn’t be any prouder.

With determination and an undying support from her family, she eventually succeeded.

Serena glanced at her watched and remembered she was to have a meeting with a CEO Japanese client in about an hour,
“Gilfred, I need to go now. I want you to submit full reports pertaining to the Tokigawa businesses in South America and in Asia. For the research facilities in Europe, call Gregory Leavesbergh and ask him about all the ongoing projects. Have a briefing pertaining to the collaboration of the Fielding Metals.”
“Yes, Madame.”
“And Gilfred—”
“Yes?”
“About Alex Newman, is he making a move already?”
“He is, Madame.”
“Good. Tell him that if he fails, his head is mine.”
“Why certainly, Madame.”
“I’m glad we have everything clear.” Serena said and raked her fingers through her shiny ebony hair. With her Hermes stilettos clicking on the white marbled floor, she left the magnificent living room of the Tokigawa mansion.
But before she could disappear from Gilfred’s sight, she firmly added,
“One last thing, I want you to arrange a meeting for me with Seige Mushimoto.”
“And may I ask what this meeting is all about?” Gilfred said, fully intrigued,
“His marriage with Sakura.”
“Ah… excellent, Madame. I’ll see to it right away.” Gilfred replied, almost gleefully.



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Shindou Shuichi laid across the satiny covers of his bed, staring endlessly at the ceiling above him, as if trying to find the answers there. His arms, open wide, as well as his red swollen eyes, Shuichi appeared to be beyond depressed.
His tears continuously drifted down his cheeks without his eyes blinking for a long time.
He could hear his mobile phone ringing and vibrating inside his bag, but he didn’t bother to move. He couldn’t care less if it was Hiro, or K or…or him…
After the long hours, it finally stopped ringing, and Shuichi wasn’t still moving.

Maybe…I’m not really good at bed…or maybe…I don’t look good enough…was I really that irritating to him? Was I such a nuisance to him? Maybe I’m not meeting his expectations…
No, maybe I’m just not good enough for him…
Or maybe no one is good enough for him…

But then, what’s Tohma Seguchi doing in the scene?

If I’m not good enough for Yuki, then certainly Tohma is…
Probably where I do wrong, he does right.
My mistakes, he doesn’t have.

Yeah…maybe that’s it…I’m too…unbearable…reckless…unworthy…not…enough.

Shuichi closed his eyes and clasped both hands near his heart.

“When am I gonna be good enough for you?” he asked, as if Yuki was right there beside him.

“You already are.”

Shuichi’s eyes narrowed open and bolted in an upright sitting position,
“Yu—”
Shuichi stopped dead in his words when he saw Seige Mushimoto standing at the bottom of his bed holding a plastic bag on his hand.
“S-Seige?”
“Expecting someone else?” Seige asked moving towards him beside the bed.
Shuichi didn’t know what to reply. He was caught guilty, and it was impossible to hide and lie now.
“How did you get in?” Shuichi asked, shifting the topic cleverly,
“The door was open, Shuichi. You forgot to lock it.”
Shuichi was silent. He looked down on his covers and turned away.
“Were you waiting for someone?” he asked, with a peculiar smile on his face.
Strange though, because his face seemed to be shadowed.
“I…I…I’m…I was…no…I—”
“Don’t worry, I get you…” Seige cut him off and smiled weakly.
He sat his hip next to Shuichi’s body and took two cans of beer from the plastic bag he was carrying.
“Wanna get drunk?”


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Seige and Shuichi spent the rest of the night on the rooftop of Shuichi’s apartment. They both drank like hell while they watched the magnificent stars twinkling above them.
“Can you see that?” Seige asked, pointing out to the sky.
“See what?” Shuichi asked, gulping down the rest of his beer and getting another from his side,
“Orion’s belt. See?” Seige asked, pointing upwards.
Shuichi looked at Seige and had the urge to laugh if it weren’t for his brokenhearted state.
Seige was pointing at an undecided direction. His arm wasn’t still and he drank his beer while he had his arm raised up,
“Seige, you’re drunk.” Shuichi plainly stated.
“And so are you.” He replied, feeling the whole world twirling around him.
“But you’re…drunker…” Shuichi shot back, running out of sensible words since his head wasn’t functioning quite well which was obviously caused by the alcohol.
“Drunker…ha…that’s a funny good choice to describe me…” he brokenly said.
Shuichi just chuckled and stared at his can of beer.
Seige caught Shuichi looking spaced out. He immediately, but slowly, like a drunk man, shifted his position and faced Shuichi.
“…how do you describe me anyway?” Seige started and opened another can of beer for himself.
Shuichi looked at Seige who was waiting for his answer while he gulped down a huge amount of his beer,
“You’re…sweet…”
“Really?” Seige asked, looking down on the roof tiles, “if I am sweet, why aren’t you nibbling me?”
“Excuse me?”
“I said if I’m sweet, why aren’t you nibbling me?”
Shuichi blinked his eyes a few times and inserted his pinkie finger inside his ear to clean away anything that has been blocking the sounds.
“N-Nibbling you?”
“Yyyeeep.”
“W-Why would I…nibble you?”
“Cause you said I’m sweet?”
“Oh… I didn’t…mean it literally.”
Seige laughed hard when Shuichi said that,
“No, stupid! If I’m sweet, then you’ll have to nibble me! That’s what ants do when they find something sweet.” Seige replied almost trivially like a kid, only, instead of holding a lollipop, he’s holding a can of beer.
“But…I’m not…an ant, Seige…” Shuichi shot back, his eyesight blurring.
“Oh… for…a moment there… I thought you had antennas…”
“What?”
“Antennas!”
Shuich paused a bit and tried to reflect about this absurd conversation.
Ants? Antennas?
“Why…would I have antennas?”
“No wait,” Seige said, rubbing his eyes, “they’re horns.”
“Horns?”
“Yyyeeep.”
“I don’t have horns, Seige.”
“Yes you do…sharp ones—like a devil’s.”
“Seige, you’re not making any sense—”
“You’re so cruel…”
Shuichi stopped short when he heard Seige mumble that statement softly but sternly.
“I thought…you liked me…” Seige started, “but you’re still in love with your ex-boyfriend…”
Shuichi was silent. Speechless.
“Ha…what a fool I was to believe…you had a sick dying cousin over Switzerland!” he shouted, “…your friends must be laughing like hell behind…my back…” he continued, his voice cracking a bit, “and I assume…so are you…”
Shuichi’s eyes began to water. He looked away and felt embarrassed with his situation.
“Tell me, Shuichi. How was your sick dying cousin?”
“What?”
“Your sick dying cousin—Mizuki—isn’t that her name?” he asked sarcastically and threw away the can of beer that made a loud smack when it hit the ground.
Shuichi flinched at the frightening display of Seige Mushimoto’s anger.
“Seige…I…I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t tell me that!” Seige cut him off, pointing an accusing finger at him, “Don’t tell me that crap…because we both know damn well that you meant the lie you told me…and I…like a fool…believed you…” he cried brokenly.
Shuichi bit his lips and felt the hot tears drop he so badly tried to control from falling down,
“When I first saw you… I felt… like… you were ‘the one’…” he began, “and somehow…I thought… you felt the same thing…”
Shuichi looked at Seige now, seeing the masculinity fade away as he unleashed his own unshed tears,
“Do you still remember that afternoon, Shuichi? When you were jogging along the park and I was…looking out… at the sunset?” he asked.
Shuichi tried to open his mouth to reply, but he found himself wordless.
Instead, he simply nodded.
“You know… I never really forgot about you after that day… I regretted it fully when I didn’t ask for your number … but then… opportunity came… when I saw you again… and I just…had to have you…” he emphasized.
Shuichi began to whimper, but Seige continued.
“When you told me about Yuki,” he said, taking a deep breath, “I knew you still loved him… I could see it in your eyes… when you looked far away… you looked as if you were searching for him… and I knew…” he said, pausing, brushing away his own tears, “I knew…even though it hurt… that it was only him in your eyes…no one else…not even me!” He exclaimed.
Shuichi gazed at Seige and tried to reach out.
Seige curled up and hid his face between his knees. Shuichi moved closer and embraced him,
“Why not me, Shuichi? Why him? Why does it always have to be him?” he asked, feeling so confused.
Shuichi just continued hugging him, not letting go.
“Hush now…” Shuichi whispered and tried to rock Seige back and forth,
“Can you still…remember…when I asked…you out…on a date…and said…I had…a surprise…for you?”
Shuichi looked at Seige and remembered what they talked about.
Shuichi nodded and smiled faintly,
“I was… going to treat you to a…nice dinner first… I had…the park…emptied… secluded… for just the two of us…I thought…it was rather…romantic…since that was where…we first met…” he said without taking off his head in between his knees. And as he told his story, Shuichi began to whimper and sob all the more, “…I set up the table myself…I had…rose petals…everywhere… the road…was paved…with pink…and red…petals…” he paused, starting to sob himself. Shuichi held him tighter and buried his face at the back of his head,
“…I …hired…violinists…three of them…and… the four of us waited… we waited…and waited…” Seige could feel Shuichi’s body racking with spontaneous sobs, “…and waited… and then… after the long hours…you weren’t still there…I dismissed the violinists… but…I still waited for you…
“I… didn’t want… to loose hope,” he continued, “…I lit up the candles…on our dinner table… and…I still…waited…I watched…the wax…melt down… until…I finally blew it off…” he said.
Shuichi moved away when Seige brought his head up.
What Shuichi saw broke his already-broken-heart into tinier pieces.
Seige Mushimoto, a strong possessive powerful man, crying, looking completely defeated and enormously lonely, stared at him longingly,
“I waited, Shuichi… I even watched the sunrise…”
The confession hit Shuichi in the heart and made him cry much more.

He waited…that long…for me?

Seige laid his head on top of Shuichi’s shoulder and continued crying.

Two lonely brokenhearted people, embracing each other like lost children sat under the blanket of stars.

“Oh Seige…” Shuichi moaned, “why didn’t I love you instead?” he asked and cried along with him.

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Inside his clouded office, Yuki Eiri smoked non-stop ever since Shuichi left him.
Again.
For the second time.
For Good.

He knew the risks, yet he didn’t do anything about it. He didn’t do anything about it because whatever happened between him and Tohma was all a mistake.
The strange thing about that night was when Tohma came into his condo looking all wet and tired with the excuse of his business affair in Chicago cancelled.
It was so unlike of Tohma to be shortened in cash, and it was impossible that he would forget to bring along his ATM card.
And he never heard of such an absurd thing of being locked away at night by his own sister, Tohma’s wife.

What startled Yuki more was the fact that Tohma agreed that whatever they had before was really a mistake, and yet, when Tohma came into his condominium, he spoke like the past wasn’t a mistake. He even made it sound like Yuki pushed him away.
The Tohma Yuki knew wouldn’t have said that.
Because Tohma was always true to his words with Yuki. And Yuki knew that for Tohma, their ‘past’ was absolutely guaranteed as a complete mistake.
And Yuki believed the same way. So there was no reason to come back to it.
So whatever happened that night at Yuki’s condo was just a joke.
Actually, whatever happened from the past, their relationship, was a complete confusion caused by unsure feelings.
A misunderstanding—just like what Yuki shouted when he kicked Tohma out of his place that cursed night.

The other questions were who took the pictures and why did who do it?
And later on, showed it to Shuichi.
It looks like it was all planned out, Yuki thought.
Why would this person do that?
To simply sabotage his relationship with Shindou Shuichi?
Why? What’s his reason? Whoever he is, he has a motive…
Who could’ve done it?

“Why?!” Yuki yelled in rage as he pounded his hard fist on his desk.

But that doesn’t matter now.
Because right now, Shuichi was gone from him.
Forever.

And it’s all his fault.

“How can I get you back now?” Yuki cried softly to himself, covering his face with his hands while his elbows settled on his table.


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Shuichi fell asleep with Seige in his bed. Both men decided to stay beside each other when they felt extremely tired and sleepy. They only retired when they could already see the sun setting up,
“Seige…look…” Shuichi said, pointing at sun while he leaned at Seige’s massive chest, “it’s beautiful.” He continued.
Seige shook his head, and Shuichi noticed it.
“No. You’re beautiful.” He replied and rustled the boy’s pink mane.
Shuichi smiled gently at him and turned back his gaze towards the bright yellow sun.
In all honesty, it really reminded him of Yuki’s golden eyes and hair.
But he felt empty now.
But he didn’t feel so lonely either.
Because Seige was there.
“You think…” Shuichi started, “two defeated lovers…can have a chance…with each other?”
Seige looked at the handsome young boy in his arms.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
“Depends.” he replied.
Shuichi didn’t look away. Instead, he watched Seige’s face intently.
“Will you give me a chance, Seige?”
Seige didn’t answer Shuchi back. He shifted his gaze towards the sun and sighed deeply.
“I’m happy we can finally watch the sun together again…but this time, we’re watching a sunrise, not a sunset.” He even had the guts to jest right at this moment, “You know,” Seige continued, “at least, as I watch the sunrise right now, I’m not alone anymore—like the last time.” He chuckled after that, but it abruptly faded away because Shuichi wasn’t it the mood to joke around.
(Although Shuichi still felt guilty)
Shuichi didn’t look at where Seige was gazing at. He was serious about his question.
“Seige,” Shuichi asked again, turning his body in front of Seige and putting both hands on Seige’s broad shoulders, “please give me a chance.” He pleaded.
Seige looked at him and gazed at those violet orbs that once captivated him.

And still did.

“What if it fails?” he asked.
“Us?”
Seige nodded.
“Then…”
“Then what?” Seige asked, holding Shuichi closer, his left hand raked in Shuichi’s hair and the other holding Shuichi’s hand,
“We’ll give us another shot.” Shuichi suggested.
Seige shook his head and closed his eyes.
“That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not. It can happen. It happens to other people.” Shuichi defended,
“But most of those couples will feel awkward.”
“Not us.”
“Not us?” Seige asked teasingly but he shook his head again.
“Got a better back-up plan?” Shuichi teased.
Seige looked at him and smiled broadly,
“Always.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Seige took a deep breath and slowly put his forehead on Shuichi’s.
“If it fails…then I’ll rewind time…go to this day…and start all over again.”
Shuichi looked at him, his mouth opening to protest, but the only ting that came out was a hearty laughter,
“That’s your back-up plan?”
“Yep.”
“And you say my back-up plan is impossible.” Shuichi blurted.
Seige chuckled and kissed him swift and hard on the lips.
“I knew there was a reason why I love you!” Seige exclaimed and embraced Shuichi tighter.

A bird flapped its wings across the lovely atmosphere and landed on a windowsill where it saw two male humans kissing each other in an odd, savage way.

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