Disclaimer: Do you really think that I would share them with fan girls if I owned Malice Mizer?
Gackt: *resting in bed*
Mana: Maybe we shouldn’t have glomped him.
Puff: Perhaps, but we should go one at a time, the next time we decide to do that.
Mana: Agreed!!!
Gackt: *groaning* Noooo….
Chapter Five
Mana stared down at the sopping pair of children, taken aback by their sudden and unexpected appearance. Gackt walked over, standing behind the delicate guitarist as he watched their guests. The girls batted thick eyelashes over their sky colored orbs, eyes stuck on the adults.
“Dolly!!!” The smaller of the two girls yelped as she ran forward and wound her small arms around Mana’s knees, “I found you!” Naturally, Mana backed up to try and loosen the child’s grip on his legs, but ended up falling against Gackt in the process. As the trio proceeded to unknot themselves from each other, a task severely hindered by the fact the little girl wasn’t very keen on the idea, the older girl let herself in and shut the door.
“Eliza, let go,” she snapped, twisting her fingers around her companion’s upper arm and sharply jerking her backwards. Eliza’s clear blue eyes welled up with salty liquid, tiny fists shooting to her face to rub the tears away.
“But, I found my dolly,” Eliza cried, dropping to the floor, “Caitlyn, I want my dolly.” The older girl followed her quickly onto the hardwood floor, the water from their clothes forming a large puddle. She wrapped her arms around her sister, gently rocking the whimpering girl back and forth.
“Gackt, what should we do?” Mana questioned in Japanese, caringly watching the pair of girls, “We can’t just let them sit there in wet clothes. They’ll get sick.” The vocalist pondered for a moment, looking around the general area before he spoke.
“Mana, you’re thin. The older girl could probably wear one of your dresses without it being too loose, though the length might be a little too much. The smaller one could wear a shirt with a sash or something,” Gackt suggested casually, smiling slightly when the guitarist’s eyes lit up, “We could put their clothes in that dryer, for when someone comes for them.”
“Caitlyn, is that your name?” Mana questioned sweetly, switching back to English as he tapped the older girl on the shoulder, “And she’s Eliza?” The blonde child looked up, nodding vaguely. She seemed stunned, her eyes wide as she observed their hosts in great detail.
“My name is Mana, and he’s Gackt,” Mana explained in the same tone, kneeling carefully beside the puddle of clear rainwater, “Can you tell us your parents’ names? They’re probably very worried about you.” He placed one of his slender hands on Caitlyn’s shoulder, but it was rudely shrugged off.
“Miriam is much too busy to notice that we’re missing,” Caitlyn snarled, spitting the name like a curse, “Our father is dead.” She turned her head away from Mana’s innocent gaze, only to notice that Gackt had moved around to the other side.
“What’s your last name, so we can call your mother and tell her where you are?” Gackt inquired nicely, looking down on the little girls.
“I won’t tell you. You can’t make me, either,” Caitlyn said nattily, holding her head proudly, “But I will tell you that you’ve seen Miriam. You saw her when Eliza saw Mana, in the store. I brought Eliza over here, because I saw you when you arrived and you’re the only ones in town that could have possibly fit the description that she gave me. Miriam didn’t notice that we had left, and she won’t notice that we’re gone.”
“Could you take your shoes off?” Mana asked, startling the other two who were actually paying attention to the conversation, “I don’t want you getting dirt on the white carpet, when I take you upstairs and lend you some dry clothes. I’ll go get a couple of towels.”
“Is she for real?” Caitlyn questioned incredulously, undoing the straps on her sandals and carefully setting them to the side on the door. She pulled her sister’s shoes off, just as gently.
“Mana can be quite surprising sometimes,” Gackt commented, watching as the focus of conversation came back down the hallway with a pair of fluffy midnight black towels clutched under one arm. The lovely guitarist handed one of the towels to Caitlyn, wrapping the other around Eliza. He picked the little girl up, offering his other hand to her older sister.
“Let’s go see if we can find you something dry to wear,” Mana said cheerily, beaming when Caitlyn begrudgingly took his hand. He hurriedly dragged her down the shadowed hallway and up the candle lit stairwell. Gackt, fully realizing he was stuck with the job of cleaning up the puddle, grumpily wandered into the kitchen to procure paper towels.
“These are all yours?” Caitlyn asked in amazement, watching as Mana slid the mirrored doors back in turn. The guitarist nodded quickly, moving onto the next set of clothes. He sifted through the rows of dresses, pushing outfits aside as he searched. After about five minutes, he pulled out a simple black dress. Or, more appropriately said, it was simple for his taste. It was typical Gothic Lolita with a full skirt that would have reached to just above his knees, puffed short sleeves, a high collar, and handmade white lace sewn on the hem and the bottom of the sleeves. Mana opened the last door on the room-length closet and pulled out a white silk shirt with a rounded lace collar and three inches of lace on the bottoms of the long sleeves. He went over to a carved cherry wood armoire that contained headpieces, gloves, and ribbons, plucking a thin piece of black velvet with embroidered silver crosses.
“Can you help your sister get changed?” Mana questioned, carefully folding the clothes and handing them to Caitlyn.
“Yes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do up the zipper on the back of my dress,” Caitlyn said artlessly, gesturing at the offending article of clothing.
“I thought so. Just do as much as you can, and I’ll help with what’s left,” Mana instructed pleasantly, pushing the girls towards the master bathroom, “You can get dressed in there; come back out when you’re finished.” Caitlyn nodded, catching her sister’s hand and pulling her through the doorway, which was promptly shut.
“You’re pretty good with kids,” Gackt said nonchalantly, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed. Mana whirled around in sheer surprise, his long hair flaring out slightly. The doll’s sapphire eyes were livid with shock and an emotion that was bordering on the edge of fear.
“Gackt, I didn’t know that you were there,” Mana said softly after a full minute had passed, one of his lace-covered hands resting lightly at his throat. Gackt smiled as he stood silently, walking over to stand in front of the still shaken Mana.
“I knew that you didn’t know I was there. I was going to alert you somehow, but this way seemed like it would be the most fun,” Gackt joked, patting the top of Mana’s head, “But you really are good with kids.”
“Call it maternal instinct,” Mana responded, smoothing down the front of his black dress. He straightened his curls, pushing down the few strands the vocalist had managed to muss.
“Mana, you’re a guy,” Gackt teased in Japanese, his voice low as he spoke into Mana’s ear.
“I know, but I still have maternal instincts,” Mana retorted sharply, rapidly moving away from Gackt and towards the table with the nearest mirror. He glanced into the glass, meticulously arranging the strands that simply wouldn’t return to their spot. When he turned around, Gackt was certain the conversation was completely closed.
“Mana, I’m finished with what I can do,” Caitlyn said cautiously from the doorway, holding the back of her dress shut with one had while the other grasped Eliza’s wrist. Both of the girls were watching Gackt, their eyes momentarily shifting over to Mana.
“Alright, I’ll help you in a second. But first I have to remove Gackt,” Mana chirped, walking over to the thin man and pushing him out into the hallway, “Sorry, Gackt; girls only.” The door was shut tightly before the vocalist could utter a single sound. The guitarist hurried over to where his guests stood waiting, their outfits only half completed. The zipper was done up on Caitlyn’s dress, and she sat down to watch her sister’s odd ‘dress’ be pulled into order. Mana arranged the bottom of the shirt so that it hung just above the four-year-old’s ankles, securing the folds with the velvet ribbon tied in a large bow on her back.
“These sleeves are much too long, aren’t they?” Mana questioned unnecessarily, snatching another pair of ribbons from the armoire. They matched the one he had already used on Eliza’s dress, but they were thinner and shorter. He gathered the material from the sleeves, pushing it up until the bottom of the lace trim was at the tips of the child’s fingers. The black velvet was tied at the elbow in a small bow.
“Are we done?” Caitlyn asked, admiring the dress that brushed against the tops of her feet.
“No, I still have to do your hair,” Mana said quickly, dragging the girls into the bathroom and depositing them on the marble counter top, “The rain really messed it up.” Curling irons were heated, hair was brushed out and re-wetted, and accessories were retrieved.
“Gackt,” Mana called as he led the sisters down the stairs, “I’m finished and I want you to see how cute our guests look.” They crept through the dim hall and into the living room where Gackt sat waiting. The vocalist casually looked up, his eyes widening almost instantaneously. Caitlyn’s blond hair was curled into perfect ringlets that just brushed her shoulders and the back of her neck. Eliza’s hair was caught into high pigtails and lightly curled, though they weren’t as tight as her older sister’s. Add Mana to the picture and it looked like a trio of porcelain dolls in a shop window.
“Mana, your dress does fit her,” Gackt said after his composure was regained, “It’s a little loose, but it fits.” The guitarist smiled slightly, pushing the girls gently towards one of the couches.
“I’ll go get something for you two to snack on,” Mana stated happily, “Maybe Gackt will let you play video games.” Gackt rolled his cerulean eyes, standing up to open the entertainment center’s doors and pull out the gaming system. He handed a controller to each of the girls, placing the disk with the least amount of violence and bloodshed into the slot.
Mana cheerily sliced apples, oranges, peaches, and pomegranates onto a large serving platter. Whole grapes and cherries soon joined the rank of snack. He filled four glasses of water and, after arranging them on the plate as well, breezily hurried off to the living room.
“Did you get enough?” Gackt asked sarcastically, though his little smile offset the effect of his tone, “There are only two children; not a daycare.” He nimbly plucked a fat grape off of the platter and popped into his mouth, shrugging when Mana glared slightly. The doll shook his head, promptly shoving a fourth of an orange into Gackt’s mouth.
“Are you girls having fun?” Mana questioned sweetly over Gackt’s choking sounds. The blond sisters nodded faintly, their light blue eyes fixated on the large television screen that their characters pranced across.
“You could have killed me, Mana,” Gackt stated irritably, rubbing his throat, “Or at least damaged my vocal chords.”
“Well, you seem to be doing fine. And you can talk,” Mana said nonchalantly, patting Gackt’s shoulder caringly, “You know that I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you; on purpose, at least.” A light knocking on the front door was heard, both of the musicians glancing towards the hallway. Mana stood up first, straightening his skirt as he walked out of the room.
“Mana, there’s a pair of little girls missing and we were wondering if you happened to see anything,” Melissa explained worriedly, “We know that you were probably very busy getting settled in, but it couldn’t help to ask.”
“Would these girls happen to be blond with blue eyes, the older one is around six and the younger is around four?” Mana asked innocently, toying with his long ringlets.
“Yes; you’ve seen them?” Melissa inquired eagerly, stepping closer to her new neighbor.
“They’re in the living room playing video games and eating fruit,” Mana stated blankly, gesturing for the woman to enter the house.
“What? Why didn’t you call anyone?” Melissa snapped after a moment, her brown eyes flaring with vague anger before she turned to hurry off, “I’m going to get their mother; I’ll be right back.” She hurried back, clutching the wrist of a flustered young woman.
“My babies, you have my babies!” Miriam cried, throwing her arms around Mana, “I’m so sorry for how I acted earlier. You took care of my babies. Where are they?”
“In the living room with Gackt,” Mana said quickly, pulling his overjoyed guest down the mutedly lit hallway. A high-pitched squeak of happiness escaped her throat as she flung her arms around her missing children.
“Miriam, you found us,” Caitlyn said brightly, patting her mother’s back lightly before squirming her way out of the woman’s grasp, “Do you like my dress? Mana let me wear one of hers, because my clothes were wet. Eliza too, though hers is a shirt.”
“How long have they been here?” Miriam questioned as she stood up, her youngest daughter held protectively in her arms.
“Since just after the storm started,” Gackt supplied, “They weren’t much trouble, if that’s why you wanted to know.”
“That’s odd,” Miriam began, brushing her shoulder-length hair back, “Caitlyn is usually a little demon, except to her sister. I’m surprised she even let you touch her hair, Mana. She won’t let me come near her with a brush.”
“Caitlyn was a perfect angel for me, sitting quietly while I curled her hair,” Mana said proudly, patting the top of the child’s head.
“Well, thank you for watching them. I apologize for any inconvenience,” Miriam said, her tone containing hints of hurt.
“As I said before, they were well-behaved. We could watch them anytime you want,” Mana offered helpfully before a light bulb clicked on inside his head, “Oh, I should go get their clothes for you.” He hurried off, his curls bouncing against his back. The doll came back with a cloth bag, the drawstring tied into a neat bow.
“Their clothes were still wet, so I thought it would be better if I just put them in a bag for you,” Mana explained, handing the soft red sack over to the woman.
“But what about your clothes; they look really expensive,” Miriam protested weakly, her free hand gesturing at her well-clothed daughters. She was flushed a pale pink, her eyes shadowed and downcast.
“Those old things? You can just get them back whenever. I’m not worried,” Mana stated composedly, waving the nervous woman off with a lacy hand. He smiled gently, his painted lips upturning briefly.
“I should get my children home. Once again, I have to thank you for taking care of them,” Miriam said hastily, snatching Caitlyn’s wrist and pulling the girl out of the room and out of the house. The sound of the front door shutting coincided perfectly with the exchange of confused looks between the musicians.
“I change my vote, Mana. You are very, very good with children,” Gackt said in slight amazement, watching the guitarist with delighted eyes.
“It’s maternal instincts, Gackt, that’s all,” Mana stated smugly, tapping the end of the vocalist’s nose with a slender finger before walking out of the room.