Chapter 1 - The Crossing Line
Toko District — Edo Kami
The city didn't sleep.
Neon signs buzzed overhead, bleeding color into damp streets. Vending machines hummed. Screens flashed ads no one really watched.
And beneath all that
something else moved.
Something wrong.
"PLEASE... just let me die already!"
The spirit stumbled backward, its form glitching, peeling apart at the edges like it couldn't hold itself together anymore.
A shot rang out.
A sharp whistle cut through the air as a bullet streaked forward, wrapped in blue flame.
It pierced straight through the spirit's core.
The body froze.
Then shattered.
Silence.
"...Man."
A boy lowered his hand.
Black hair. Glasses slightly crooked. food in his mouth like he couldn't be bothered.
"...That one was kinda dramatic."
He exhaled, then looked forward.
Not at the street.
Not at the remains.
At you.
"Hi. I'm Seinen."
...
"...Actually, no. That part doesn't matter."
He waved it off.
"Name, school, average student... yeah, skip that."
A flicker of light formed behind him.
A fox-shaped spirit appeared on his shoulder, wrapped in soft blue and pink flames.
Its eyes glowed, calm and watchful.
"I hunt spirits."
silence
"...Yeah. That part matters."
"SEINEN!"
Footsteps rushed closer.
Fast. Irritated.
A second boy skidded into view, slightly out of breath, messy hair bouncing as he stopped.
"You started without me?!"
Seinen didn't turn
"You were late."
"I was five minutes—"
Xenon stopped.
Looked around.
Looked at the empty street.
Then back at Seinen.
"...You already killed it."
"Yep."
Seinen spun the uzi before letting it float back beside him
"...You're actually the worst."
Seinen grinned.
"Oh relax. There'll be more."
He stretched his shoulder, then glanced forward again.
"Him? That's Xenon."
A small pause.
"My first partner in crime." He winked as he stared into nothingness, making a peace sign
"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?" Xenon snapped.
"...No one."
Seinen pulled out his phone.
His expression dropped.
"...Three likes?"
"...You're checking that now?" Xenon stared at him.
"I risked my life for this." Seinen pouted, slumping his body to the front
"YOU FOUGHT A LEVEL ONE."
"I FOUGHT IT stylishly."
A pause.
"...Did you at least record it?" Xenon asked.
Seinen froze.
"...Oh."
"...You didn't."
"...I didn't." Seinen sighed, clutching his head in frustration
Silence.
"...I hate you."
Seinen sighed, then shrugged.
"Whatever. We'll just find another one."
His tone shifted slightly.
Not fully serious.
But not joking either.
"There's always another one."
The air changed.
Somewhere deeper in the district
something moved.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
Watching.
Xenon felt it first.
"...Seinen."
"Yeah."
Seinen didn't smile this time.
"...You feel that too?"
A pause.
"...Yeah."
The street felt heavier.
Quieter.
Too quiet.
"...That's not normal, right?" Xenon asked.
"...Nopee" Seinen replied
A beat.
He turned his head towards a darker alleyway
Then grinned again.
"Means it's content." Seinen looked up closing his eyes, fingers pointing to the sky
"...You're unbelievable." Xenon said before following Seinen
They moved.
Through side streets.
Past flickering signs.
Past people who didn't notice a thing.
Edo Kami looked normal.
It wasn't.
A distant sound echoed.
Not quite a scream.
Not quite a voice.
Xenon slowed slightly.
"...You ever think about it?"
"About what?"
"...How none of them see this?"
Seinen didn't answer immediately.
"...Not really."
A pause.
"...As long as someone does."
His eyes flicked forward.
Sharp.
Focused.
Another flicker in the distance.
"...Let's find it."
They entered the alleyway, the dampness of the concrete on the wall, dark, hidden
Xenon looked at the towering spirit before them
"It hasn't noticed us yet.." he whispered
"Let's bolt—"
"HEY! LOOK OVER HERE GLOB!" Seinen shouted, pointing his fingers at the spirit
The spirit turned, the form more inhumane than any of the spirits they have seen
"...i fucked up—"
...
Xenon turned and grabbed Seinen before bolting towards the convenience store
"You—" He panted
"Really need to stop being so reckless."
Their movements halted
"Yeah.. maybe i should—" Seinen put his hands on his knees
"Thats all for tonight?"
"Mhm.." Xenon said, sitting back down
"Tomorrow again?"
"Yeah."
The two walked together, before stopping at an intersection
"See ya!" Xenon ran off in his direction, not looking back
"Bye too i guess!" As soon as Xenon left, Seinen's face dropped
"How does no one else see this..?"
He opened the door to his home, same as usual
Dark, and lonely
"Mom? Dad? Im home"
...
No one answered him
"Probably at work.." Seinen went upstairs into his room, before collapsing onto the bed
"one day, all my questions will be answered."
Seinen tossed his phone onto the bed,
before he threw himself onto his bed, and closed his eyes
...
Golden light pierced through the window, settling on his eyes, he grabbed his phone and opened it
6:46 am
"Oh shit—" Seinen scrambled up grabbing his phone, not even caring to take a shower
He slapped on his uniform, ran past the table grabbing a piece of bread
"Good mornin—" His moms eyes followed as her son bolted out the door
Sigh
"Gotta get there—"
"Can't be late—"
Beeeeeeep
a car came to a skidding halt in front of Seinen,
"SO-SORRY!" He continued running
"Alright— train station, much faster.."
He took fast steps down the stairs, biting the bread as he went down
"Next district central edo—"
Seinen rushed past the people blocking him
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING KID"
someone yelled behind him
"SORRY!!" He glanced behind over his shoulder
Before stuffing himself in the crowded train
the train doors hissed as they closed
...
Seinen let out a sharp exhale "...Finally—"
He pulled out his phone
"snn: yo, Xenon you at school yet?"
"Xpn: ya, u?"
"Xpn: late again?"
Seinen looked up from his phone, a pair of eyes catching him staring
He raised his eyebrows, immediately going back to texting
"snn: that guy from class is here"
"Xpn: who?"
"snn: sagami"
"Xpn: Hachiro?"
"Xpn: yeah dont mind him, he's just in the same boat as you"
"snn: right lol"
"Stop: Gyumaki"
"snn: wait reply later, gonna steal a seat"
"xpn: kk, bye"
Right as a man left his seat
Seinen bolted towards it sitting down
Sigh
"comfort at last—!" He put his hands on his lap, leaning his head on the window
He stared outside, the sun casting over the tall buildings of Edo kami
Yawn
"snn: last night lowk draineddd mee"
"xpn: class is starting in 10 minutes"
Seinen scrambled up from his relaxed posture, eyes darting towards the time
"snn: ...whats our first class again?"
"xpn: math."
His eyes glanced at the next station
—Edo central—
he exhaled "..wew— just 2 minutes away"
"snn: Omw."
"xpn: run quick, Mr. Takeshi is already here-"
The train halted, the doors hissed
...
"GET OUTTA MY WAY!" Seinen ran like there was no tommorow
...
"Weirdo." Hachiro backed away from where Seinen ran past him
"4 minutes—"
The campus came into view, Seinen ran past the guard bread still in his mouth
"Come on!"
Seinen ran up the stairway
Through the hallway
He halted his movement right in front of the door
Almost slipping, grabbing on the handle for balance
Before opening door, like nothing happened
"Am i late Mr. Takeshi?" Seinen smirked, brushed his hair up
Mr. Takeshi blinked
"No... please go take your seat"
Seinen's smirked dropped, sighing as he plopped down onto his seat
"Is there anyone still absent?"
No one answered
"Alright then... lets continue clas—"
...
"I deeply apologize for my tardiness, Mr. Takeshi"
Hachiro spoke, smiling as he apologized
"Apology accepted?" Mr. Takeshi raised his eyebrows
"Go take your seat Mr. Sagami"
"Our lesson for today is geometrical tangents!"
"Do any of you know what that is?"
"No.."
"Well, an easy way to explain it is—"
"Tanger + Radius = 90Degrees makes a triangle"
"Huh!" Seinen said
He looked down, his hands fisted in his lap
I don't get any of this..
"Now could you all please draw ANY figure representing a tangent"
Drawing? This should be easy enough
He smirked, grabbing his pen
"Hmm..?" Seinen stared closer at the paper "...maybe i should look for a reference.."
He glanced over to Hachiro, then back to his paper
Before subtly leaning over to attempt to catch a glimpse of his paper
Hachiro's hand immediately covered his paper
Seinen grumbled as he returned to his seat
"Well i did get to see a bit.." he grabbed his pen once more
"It's a circle.. and when the points connect to the center.."
"It makes a triangle!"
"When are we gonna use this?" A student muttered
Seinen perked up
"...yeah.. feels important."
Then he began sketching
"..Finally it looks—"
He looked at the wobbly lines, the asymmetry of the points
"It looks good enough!"
He held the paper high, tilting it like that would change anything
"Mr. Takeshi is this good enough?" Seinen glanced over his shoulder
"Oh that looks—"
Mr. Takeshi stopped himself
"It represents the lesson well enough—"
...
"I suppose"
Seinen looked up
"That's what matters, right?
Takeshi hesitated
"For now.. mr xhipo"
The rest of the day went by in a blur
By the time classes ended—
a stray cat crouched underneath a drainage pipe behind the school, hidden in the shadows
a hand placed a container in front of it,
"Here you go.. eat up alright?"
The figure stayed
"Come out.. I won't hurt you"
she crouched down to the sewage pipe
she waited for the cat to come out
Slowly, the stray took a step
It hesitated, before taking a lunge
devouring the food
"IKUNOO!! ARE YOU GONNA EAT LUNCH OR NAH?"
a voice echoed from a distance behind her
"I'll come by, go ahead i'll just catch up." Ikuno replied
"'Now eat good alright?" She left the cat to its devices and began walking back
"Do you have a knack for feeding strays?"
a voice asked from her shoulder, not quite hers
a cat wrapped in purple, orange flames tilted its head at her
"...Why are you here?"
Kouki didn't answer immediately.
His tail flicked
"...You're always staying longer than you should." he said instead.
She stilled
...
"Ikunoo!" Saori lunged towards her
Kouki immediately disappearing the moment Saori came into the view
"You've been here forever, come on lunch is ending!"
Saori grabbed Ikuno's arm
Ikuno blinked, then smiled
"Yeah.. Sorry"
She glanced back, the cat was still there
Eating.
Safe.
You're always staying longer than you should
...
Ikuno turned herself away and walked
at the cafeteria table
"By the way—" Saori said in between bites
"Where are your parents Ikuno?, I haven't seen them in—"
She locked her eyes on Ikuno
"Forever—"
...
She straightened herself, looking directly at Saori
"Oh, they're just working overseas."
Ikuno cut her off
"Okayy—" Saori averted her eyes away from Ikuno's gaze
...
"Saori ...im gonna go up for a bit."
She stood up, leaving the table
"Alright— if you're late for next period again i wont cover for you!!" Saori yelled at the retreating figure
"Yeah, alright." Ikuno replied,
making her way up the stairs to the 5th floor
She sat beside the window, she looked around
No one else was around
"Hey, Kouki"
...
No one answered
"Alright." Ikuno lowered her face onto her knees
the sound of footsteps nearing the room
She sighed, head turning towards the door
...
—Somewhere else in the building
"You know, it's kinda nice we can—" he said turning towards Xenon, going up the stairs towards the 5th floor
"—We can eat lunch without anyone bothering us?" Xenon finished his sentence
"I mean it's only a matter of time before someone else decides to take our spot right?" He made his way towards the door, the hinge creaking
"Also do you wanna go out again, tonight?" Seinen spoke, his eyes glinted at Xenon
"Probably... to both of your questions."
They didn't bother to lower their voices
...
"So, what are ya eating?" He looked at Xenon before opening the door
"You jinxed it."
Seinen frowned "What?"
He took a step forward
And saw someone by the window
Ikuno turned slightly
"So much for alone time—" she stretched, yawning
She stood, brushing past them
"If you two are going out late again—"
"Don't." She spoke before she closed the door
...
Xenon frowned. "Why?"
Seinen's gaze sharpened slightly.
"How do you know?"
Ikuno didn't look at them.
"...You're loud, really loud."
Slam
Click
"What was that for—" Seinen stilled, before sitting down
"Nooo— idea" He turned away, sitting down beside Seinen
"Power trip, maybe?"
Seinen didn't answer
The rest of the day went by in a blur
Classroom noise
Chalk against the board, pages turning
The bell rang
Chairs scraped, conversations arose
The sound of students walking down the stairs—
"...Hey Seinen" He glanced up from his phone
"Yeah?"
"You still wanna go tonight?"
"..."
He glanced to the side, His eyes darting left to right
"Don't tell me you actually plan on listening to Ms. Great senior or whatever—" Xenon checked the time
"We'll just eat out alright?" Their eyes finally met
—Nightfall—
They walked through the bustling streets of Toko's Yokocho
The smell of food, the aroma wafting through the area, sound of sizzling chicken fat.
People crowding the stalls, the soft warm orange lights of the lamp posts casting over a warm, yet eerie scene on the path
The area packed, and dense, shoulders brushing against each other
And as night fell, the area seemed more alive than before
"Seinen-" Xenon bit the takoyaki
"Are we still gonna hunt spirits?"
"Dunno, do you wanna?" Seinen replied, eyes not making contact
"Do YOU want to?" He asked Seinen again
"Im asking if you want to— if not-"
"Yeah sure alright-" Seinen cut him off
"I just need to make sure i get everything caught on cam!" He straightened, he glanced at Xenon with a smirk
"Time?"
"8:00PM"
"Let's go then."
They slipped into the crowd, disappearing from the eyes of the people
"This time—" Xenon sighed "Don't forget to record"
"Yeah, i got that"
They rang their bells, looking toward the spirit in the cramped space
Ring.
Flame snapped across Seinen's face
A line split across Xenon's face—
Gun formed
Blades slid out
They moved.
Their footsteps squelched against the puddle in the alleyway
Seinen flicked his hand
The gun fired
Miss
"...Hold— Still!"
He tilted his hand
The bullet grazed the spirit
Click
"—Really?? now?"
The spirit turned
eyes locked on
"Come on come on—"
The mag snapped back up
Too close
Xenon slid his foot back
Then vanished.
A sound tore past
Not a step
A line
a straight white haze carved through the alley
The water splashing in his tracks
The spirit lunged
Too late
Xenon's arm blades snapped, dragging the spirit along his path—
—And forced it off course
"RELOAD FASTER" Xenon glanced back at Seinen
Seinen didn't speak
His hand snapped up
The Uzi realigned
"Hold on!"
Xenon's foot hit.
Too hard
His body dragged forward an extra inch
Momentum slipping
"SEINEN!"
Tracked, Adjusted
"DON'T MISS"
Locked
Fired.
Its path blazed pink and blue—
a straight, burning line.
And anything in its way
was already too late.
The spirit warped it's body downward
His fingers shifted downward
And so did the bullet
Hit
...
Silence
For half of a second
Everything held
The spirit didn't explode
It broke slowly, in fragments
Fading into Nihil
Xenon's slammed hard
His shoes skid, He grabbed a pole
Before sighing
"Got em" Seinen stepped forward
"Nice shot" Xenon glanced up at Seinen
"Onto the next." They bumped their fists
And they did
One area blurred after another.
Neon lights stretching over each area
a spirit rose—
Shot
Miss
"Cover!!"
Xenon cut through it
—
They chased a spirit into an abandoned building
Xenon lunged
Seinen fired
Hit
"Wow, first try!"
"Nice! You got it on cam?"
"I think soo—"
Tap
Static.
"...This phones a piece of shit."
—
Footsteps splashed
The spirit moaned
Seinen shot three times
Xenon slid, and clashed
His fingers tilted
Three bullets curved
And followed
"Since when could you handle three—"
Xenon stepped back, letting the bullets hit
"Ah.. AHA I DID IT!" Seinen jumped
—
He raised his phone
"Alright, for sure this tim—"
Black screen
"You should get a new phone" Xenon glanced to Seinen
"Yeah.." His eyes twitched
—
Footsteps blurred past
"Why— is this one so fast!" Seinen flicked his arm firing continuously
"Xenon?? Can you reach it?"
"XEN-"
Seinen's words were cut off by a line speeding ahead
"Im having trouble—"
He blinked in front of it
Xenon slashed it
"Gotcha!"
"Thats another one dow—" he glanced back at where the spirit was, his face dropped at the sound
shifting, gurgling.
...
The spirit hadn't faded.
But then it split into two, then into four
Then into eight—
"...Seinen, what IS that?" Xenon backed away slowly, his eyes locked onto the mass developing in front of them
"...I don't know." Seinen stood, hands frozen
it contorted as it split
It shifted, faces moved away from the body
Heads sprouted, pulling away from the body
Its body stretched after them, as if it hadn't decided which head it belonged to.
"...Seinen?..." Xenon stepped back
He flicked his hands up, his fingers trembling as he stared at the figure "...Heard you.."
The uzi shakily locked on
The illuminated street now flickering wildly
Their eyes darted around them, then back to the spirit
The lights spasmed in the area, out of sync,
On each light that shone upon the spirit, it changed
Three heads to Six,
Flicker
Its body morphed in a grotesque form
Flicker
Its body twisted, not smoothly, but in pieces.
One section shifted first
The rest followed too late
jerking into place like it had been pulled there against its will.
Seinen's breath hitched, he stilled himself;his body refused to sit still
...
The spirit moved forward, body now visible as the lights shone upon its mangled body
Xenon lunged forward, pinning the spirit against his blade
His shoes skidded hard against the concrete
He glanced back
"SEINEN! NOW!"
Xenon gritted his teeth, the spirit latching onto his arm
Its mass wrapping around the blade
Bullets flew in a spray, a multitude of blue and pink flares shot forward against the arm
Two hit, the spirit staggered, its body detaching from Xenon's arm
He took a step back, quick
His chest heaved, sweat dripping from his temples
Seinen's fingers flicked, the two bullets hitting it cleanly
The spirit writhed, one of the heads bursting on its body, before being dragged back down into the mass of its flesh
"HE'S GONE NOW?? WHY?"
One head moaned, thrashing violently against its own body
"i wish i could just go back to my kitchen—!" Another one exclaimed
Their breathes hitched, their eyes widened
"...What the hell." Seinen took a step back
The spirit healed once again, its arms sloppily forcing its body to stand, the heads dropped, seemingly disconnected from the main body
...
"LET US DIE" The heads all stood at once along the mass of flesh, collectively speaking
It stretched its flesh, splitting its mangled arms into more limbs, the arms of the creature splitting as it slowly crawled towards the two boys
its arms extended, shooting out towards the two, the limbs crowded around their space
Seinen's eyes followed the mass of limbs enveloping them
"shit."
...
Something slammed against the mass of limbs
Not a bullet, nor a blade
A break in motion
Orange and purple fire flashed across the impact—clean, sharp, like the space itself had been told to stop existing there.
The limb staggered
A second strike followed immediately- no hesitance,no delay.
Another section collapsed inward
It shifted
Adapting
Quick.
Ikuno clicked her tongue under her breath
"It won't hold.."
One of the arms extended towards her
"YOU SKANKY BITCH" One of the heads screamed
Ikuno stood, she didn't block it
She stepped to the side, dodging
The arm changed direction, turning back in towards her
CRACK
Ikuno slashed against the limb with the heel of her foot
"You're' more disgusting than i am"
The limb fell, it twitched as it landed on the ground
Squelch
Her face tightened, she stepped back
"...Tch—"
She looked at the thicket of pale grasping hands sprouting from the back of the spirits body, twitching like the legs of a dying insect
Seinen flicked his arm up—
She grabbed his collar before holstering him on her back
Ikuno turned grabbing Xenon "DONT FALL"
She shouted, before bolting towards the alley
Carrying the two, she bolted
The limbs stretched after them, like the distance didn't matter anymore
"WHAT IS GOING ON" Seinen shrieked as limbs came after them one by one, endlessly splitting and shifting
"PUT ME DOWN—" Xenon shifted "I CAN RUN BY MYSELF!"
Ikuno turned the corner of the dark concrete alley, her feet skidding against the wet slabs
A limb stretched in front of them, halting their momentum forward
Ikuno bent backwards evading the arm, she staggered at the abrupt stop
another arm came up behind them, from above
another to the side
...
Seinen shot the arm descending from above, it buckled to the side
"GOT IT!"
Xenon extended his arm cutting the stop in front of them
"MOVE! MOVE!"
Ikuno propelled herself forward, narrowly avoiding the limb from the side
She dropped the two boys as she Leapt onto the sidewalk of the street, she glanced back
The arms contorted backwards, retreating, fading in the distance
Ikuno caught her breath, body heaving
Before closing her eyes and sitting up
...
"...Wh-what was that—" Xenon glanced at Ikuno
"—Ms senior..?"
He straightened himself at recognition of the person who saved them
Ikuno's gaze didn't follow wherever they were looking.
"A dangerous spirit."
"How— did they even exis-" Seinen stammered, body shaking
She paused, not hesitation, pressure
"...I don't know."
She finally met their gaze
"Have you escorted the spirits yet?"
. . .
"Escorted what now?" Seinen blinked
Ikuno stood up, making her way towards the train station
"Where are you going...?" Xenon straightened
She didn't look back
"Finishing the job."
They hesitated, long enough to feel the air shifting
Xenon stepped forward
"Don't just stand there" Xenon glanced back at Seinen whispering
They followed her into the station
It was quiet, with the occasional noise of a phone
There wasn't a-lot of people, the sound of fluorescent buzzing lights over their heads
The train halted in-front of them, the doors hissing open, people flooded out
Ikuno stepped in, the two sheepishly following her
"Um—?" Seinen looked around "What are we doing?"
She sat down, closed her eyes
...
Ikuno cracked one eye open before speaking
"Close your eyes." Before shutting them again
"A-alright..." They sat beside one another.
The chatter, the sound of the closing doors whizzing.
Slowly blurred in the background.
...
The world felt flipped, momentum going forward
But gravity anchored them backward
It was as if their bodies were being dragged along in every direction
Seinen blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The second blink didn't match the first.
His vision came back slightly off-center, like his eyes had disagreed on where "forward" was supposed to be. The platform lights stretched longer than they should have, thin streaks of pale white dragging across his sight before snapping back into place.
A dull pressure started behind his eyes.
Not pain exactly.
More like his skull had been asked to hold a thought too large for it.
Xenon muttered something under his breath, but the words didn't arrive cleanly. They reached Seinen in pieces—sound first, meaning second-..like the air itself was translating late.
Seinen tried to focus on Ikuno ahead.
But she looked... duplicated for a fraction of a second.
Not two of her?
a slight misalignment, like reality had printed her twice and couldn't decide which version to keep.
His stomach tightened.
The floor under his feet felt level, but his body refused to agree. Balance drifted half a step behind movement, like he was walking slightly out of sync with himself.
He lifted his head, hearing the sound of the intercom
a smooth female voice echoed through the train.
"Welcome to Line 1."
It wasn't Toko
Line 1
There, passing souls lingered, physical form intact
But clearly have already gone.
"Where are we" one exclaimed
"Why can't i leave-" another complained
"Mom? Dad? are you there" a teenage girl said
The train doors hissed open a ghastly sound as the trio looked upon the ghosts in Line 1
"H-hi" Xenon said as his eyes darted through the amount of spirits, he seemed to not be expecting a crowd "Wel-welcome to the afterlife i guess?"
"Knock it off.." Ikuno said her eyes darting from the spirits to xenon, "They dont know they're dead""
One ghost asked "...Why are we here?"
"Cause your dead-" Seinen said bluntly his eyes on his hand not even on the spirits before he was elbowed by ikuno
the spirits looked at each other, eyes wide, some beginning to cry, some starting to fall apart at the realization of their own reality
The three weren't used to dealing with this, ikuno had only usually dealt with only one or two, not an entire swarm
"My kids! Where are my kids?" A spirit said, the spirits body moved through the crowd
"I want my mommy!" an obviously younger spirit said, it was too late now, it passed on at such a young age
"No- no i cant be dead- who'll take care of my mom, she has cancer please..!" Another spirit begged on the front of the tracks, infront of ikuno, her hands clasped together as she wept, she knelt on the floor
"Take me back.. please.. she'll die without me"
Ikuno knelt down and put her hand on the spirits shoulder
A heartbeat passed
"What's your moms name?" Ikuno said with a warmth on her face that radiated an calmness over the spirit
"Tamaki Kobayashi" the spirits replied looking up from her form "please.." the spirit begged once looking up at Ikuno
"Let me go back to my mom"
Ikuno spoke softly as she replied to the spirit
"you cant, im sorry but.. lets make a deal alright?
ill find your mom, ill take care of her, but.. give me your name." her voice eased the spirit
"Suzuki, Suzuki Kobayashi" Between each part of her name she spoke she sobbed, it really was it, she could no longer return to the world of the awoken
Ikuno patted her back "..okay thats good, a pretty name you have suzuki, can i have one last favor?"
"Ikuno? You alright?" Seinen broke through ber
Ikuno felt the need to comfort everyone, but the reason she was able to comfort suzuki so well, was because she too
she had once
she had been the one to be relied on
-February 24th 2092 5:32pm-
it was the heat of summer, ikuno was running errands to support her family, even sometimes skipping cheerleading practice for it
"That should be it" she checked off a list of deliveries, wiping the sweat from her temple as she exhaled a smile
"Isoniazid, Rifampin?" The clerk raised her eyebrows wary of ikuno's list
"Yep! All of that!" She handed the prescription along with the large sum of money
"How did you.." the clerk said counting the currency
over 2,400 dollars in cash, for 6 months of medication
"Miss, arent you a little too young to be- doing all of this"
"Oh no its fine, im used to it" ikuno watched closely, her eyes darting from the clerk to the medicine in her hands
Only one thought schoed in her head
"What if they ask for a parent or legal guardians number for the dosage, to verify the prescription"
"Here you go" the clerk handed the bag, a passing understanding in their movements, his eyes locked onto ikuno's tired hopeful eyes
a soft gleeful thanks was all ikuno could give to the clerk before going off to the hospital
She was walking through the streets uphill towards
(Krock-Hospital)
smiling, gleaming with joy "i did it" was all she said over and over untul she entered the hospital and approached the desk
"Room 6767 Yori Kokoro" Ikuno said standing neatly infront of the desk, her composed demeanor contrasting her outward appearance, slightly sweaty
"Im assuming you are ikuno kokoro? The older sister of the patient?" The desk lady said not even looking up while typing 6767
"Alright, you can go" the desk pointed her hand at the elevator, before moving onto the next person in line
"Heyy!" She peeked through the door gleefully, as her younger sisters eyes lit up at seeing ikuno again, she couldnt move properly
"Nee-chan! You're here again!" Yori perked up as she looked at her sister, no longer alone in these grey and white walls of her room that carried no sense of joy or light
"What are you smiling about again nee-chan!" yori's cheeks puffed while her lips pressed into a line
"Your meds are paid!!" Ikuno said gleefully, her eyes closing and breaking into a genuine smile after grueling months of work "I got you a burger too, wanna eat come on come on!"
"Alright alright!" Yori said as she took it on her hands and ate "is mom and dad at work again?"
...a passing noise of the air conditioner echoed in ikuno's head
"Yeah.. they always are" ikuno said stroking her sisters hair, her tone shifted to a gleeful lighter one attempting to distract her sisters curiosity
"Anyways, do you want to watch Grand Cosmicon princesses again? I have it downloded on my phone"
"Really!! Alright" she settled next to ikuno on the hospital bed as they watched the series
the dripping of rain on the window, then the whirring of a buzzing light
Present day - Line one, Spirit line
"Please, let me go back.. my mom wont have anyone left with her.. i dont want her to.. die alone.. i dont want her to die at all.. she needs me there.. please.."
Suzuki said with all her grief counting down, she sobbed, she looked at ikuno with those tears ridden eyes
"Please" the word echoed in her head, a nostalgic painful
Return to the past
"Please, just hold on a little longer"
she muttered to herself as voice cracked, she begged, the only thing that she had left, her only family that she had been left with
her parents couldn't even care for atleast fly back to edo kami to atleast see yori before she passed
ikuno said as she ran through the crowd of people outside the hospital, she swept through the people,
Only hearing the faint alarm of her sisters room
Her hearing dimmed, deafening
Ikuno looked at the spirit infront of her,
Her heart was toiled with such familliar pain
the sorrow of having to let go of something you desperately loved
her chest tightened further
she had found herself on that very day where her light had died
She ran through, seeing the red blaring alarm next to room 6767 pushing past the doctors crowding the door
The soft hum of the airconditioner
the hissing of the ventilator at line 1 mimicking the sounds of that day
"I can't go.. i can't leave my mom alone" the spirit said, her voice is now completely broken, her will is shattered
Beep
Beep
The sounds of the alarms at the train, making a sound
Beep
Beep
Flatline
"Time of death, 8:42pm March 7th 2092"
Ikuno cried as she sat outside the door, hugging her sisters favorite plushie, she wept silently, her arms crossing the back of the plushie, her hand on the soft fabric, she could not look up
The way her chest ached was unbearable
she had worked so hard, stayed up countless nights to keep her sister by her side
ikuno stood up
body still, but moving
Her eyes blank, hollow
"Cause of death a massive Hemoptysis" a doctor checked off a list looking pitiful as she handed the documents for ikuno's sister's death
"im sorry for your loss" the doctor said, before leaving giving ikuno one last pat on her shoulder before leaving
Something inside ikuno clicked, she could go to the spirit line before it was too late, atleast see her sister one last time
It was raining, the droplets painting the road, the dark blue neon signs cast over the heavy rain,
ikuno took quick steps, the water splashing around her pants
almost as if the light was painting her path towards a goodbye that will never come again
Present day - Crossing Line 1
March 4th 2094
"...hey, miss suzuki, stand up" ikuno said she bent down slowly helping suzuki up from her collapsing cries
"Your mom will be much sadder if she finds out that you didn't pass in peace alright?" She said with a voice that understood what it was too well
Its almost like she was looking at her past self reflection in a mirror
the sorrow
the grief
the inabillity to move on
(Past-Ikuno)
-march 7th 2092 8:52pm-
it didnt matter to her if she got sick that night, she needed to say goodbye
her breath hitched
Once twice
Panting heavily
Running
Ikuno slipped, her body falling onto the deep pool that was filling edo kami
Her jacket was stained, her body was tired, she shivered as she stepped down the steps fast
She boarded the train, not caring about her own disheveled appearance
"Come on, work, please.." she closed her eyes, hoping that the spirit line would take her there, the border in between life and death
a beat of silence, before a ghastly hiss opened
she was at a train station, two trains, she had only been here twice, once by accident, now on purpose
A grueling headache before she could see properly, there it is again a station seperating two trains
one supposedly for the passing, another for the living
The ones who guided them
the train whirred behind her
The train whirred behind her
-present day march 4th 2094-
"Miss suzuki, its time to go" ikuno stood infront of these train's just as she did when she escorted her sister into the afterlife
"But- but!" Suzuki said with an urgency in her tone, she wasnt ready yet, but its almost as if the line waits for no one
Ikuno held suzuki's shoulders "...ill visit your mom, ill help take care of her, just so you dont worry"
Suzuki looked less panicked the way her eyes stilled and slightly softened "do you promise miss grim reaper?"
"I promise" ikuno laced her pinky around the spirits own pinky
then the spirit slowly wiped her eyes, nodded and slowly walked over to the gate on the train
her steps shown, heavy, almost unable to move,
unable to move on
then she took faster steps, forward
The sound of fast shoes clicking against the floor
-march 7th 2092 9:26pm-
Yori wrapped her arms around ikuno's waist, it was all she could reach
"Nee-chan.. where are we?"
yori's voice shattered through the wet dampness of the rain that could be heard all the way from the spirit line
Ikuno's breath hitched, she knew she would see her sister here after she had departed
"Nee-chan? Whats wrong why are you crying? Please dont cry" Yori's voice shattered said with concern
she looked up at her sisters face with slow dripping tears across her hollow eyes, and a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes
"nee-chan isnt crying, she's just shocked thats all!" her body froze as she was hugged tighter by yori,
her body then slowly softened as she slowly knelt to yori's height, one arm coming over her sisters back slowly
"Ehhhh? Shocked about what" Yori's pulled away with the same expression that Ikuno recognized when she was confused
"...this place" ikuno laughed between her sobs
"It just feels.. so weird to be here"
it was obvious she was trying to mask what was really happening, to tell her own sister the fact that she's dead
She knew what would happen
a beat of silence
The ringing of the invokers bell on a train as it hissed open
ikuno let go after sniffling into her sisters shoulder one more time
"your gonna go on an adventure-.. far away from here"
she sobbed, shaking as she tried to stay strong for her sister
to let yori know that she would still be fine without her
"And your gonna become a princess! Just like in cosmicon" she laughed at the end a bitter laugh as she wept her tears away
"So.. come on ill walk you to that train over there you see?"
Her eyes drifted past yori's shoulder, and onto the opened doors of the train
"woahh thats cool! Im gonna go on an adventure? And become a princess? Just like in cosmicon?" She beamed with excitement, her hands gesturing wildly at her imaginative crown
"Yeah... just like that!" Ikuno smiled as her eyes stung from the tightness in her chest that she was experiencing
"Come on.. ill-" she almost broke into a full on sob
yori's eyes widened as she tilted her head
"Ill walk you to that land of adventure" Ikuno straightened, her tone suddenly brave, she had to be brave for her sister, she had to stay composed
and continued to walk towards the train door holding her sisters hand
Before yori boarded
She turned and hugged ikuno
...
"I dont wanna go without you nee-chan!"
Yori broke into a crying fit, she didnt wanna be alone again, after all the times she had spent alone in the hospital
all she had was her sister, and now she had to go alone
Yori's voice made ikuno completely break as she hugged her sister one last time
"You.. you need to get on there, nee-chan will meet you there alright"
"No.. your coming with me!" Yori protested weakly her form fighting against ikuno's weight hugging her body
"...Aha.. fine" ikuno's voice shook "..ill take a diffrent train, and ill-" she sobbed, before inhaling a breath "ill pick you up there okay?"
A crude lie,
Yori pulled away and looked at her sister
"Promise?" She held out her pinky
Ikuno returned the promise
"I promise"
a step, faster steps, before halting infront of the train doors
-present day-
"Miss grim reaper, tell my mom ill be waiting for her okay?" Suzuki said as she boarded the train without looking back
ikuno's eyes widened
she entered the train
only her feet to the world to see her shoes
-March 7th 2092 10:06pm"
"Ill be waiting for you on the other station! Alright nee-chan"
Ikuno smiled as the trained hissed and whirred as she sobbed violently
(Inside train pov)
yori waved at the window before everything came to a blur
the train whipped past, bringing Ikuno back to the present
-present day march 4th 2094-
"Okay miss suzuki, ill make sure to pass on the message"
Ikuno nodded softly as the trained hissed and left
"...That—" Xenon said lightly holding his chest
"thats our job.. to expel two things, cant let go and cant move on" ikuno's hair drifted to the side following the trains wind
Seinen looked away and down, feeling the grief and turmoil more than xenon,
it seemed unnatural of the prankster that they knew at school
then one by one
the spirits entrusted their wishes to the invokers
"Take care of my cat okay, he's a stray near the toko convenience store" one passed as they entered the train
Xenon nodded, eyes tracing each figure as they boarded
Mothers, kids, Teenagers, Fathers
Countless other people, all had their own stories
they all exhaled, a wave of sonder overtook their earlier grief
there were thousands of myriads everyday, it was kind of a reality check for seinen and xenon
"oh, by the way- could you take the box i had at Gyu-no-maki's basement, give it to my friend kurokawa please?" Another ghost said
They guided each spirit, talking to each one individually
"My cat needs food, he'll be alone"
"Could you tell my dad that the cactus needs to be watered once a week? Not everyday"
Each spirit had a story
as the last one boarded the train, they all stood their
faced towards the train
Seinen let out a sharp exhale "...this, makes me feel quite nice actually" he looked at his hands lightly smiling
"right.. it's- weird knowing that- every person has something they cling onto.." Xenon said rubbing his head
it was true, everyone, everybeing had something sort of physical attachment, or mental attachment to something
but that doesnt still anyone from letting go and moving on
"Yeah.." ikuno clenched her fists, her eyes closing shut as she exhaled "alright.. its late you two should go back to your homes"
"Yes boss!" seinen and xenon nodded their hands going into a salute
they stepped onto the train for the living, and crossed back into the real world
"This was kinda fun huh" seinen said, sipping his boba tea
"Being an actual team, and.. helping the spirits move on" his eyes drifted to the stars in the sky,
he was proud that he had something to be known for, or
Respected for
Ikuno sighed smiling lightly at her juniors observation "Yeah.. it is"
"Tommorow again?" Xenon said nudging seinen and ikuno from the middle of the two
"yeah sure why not" the two said collectively, agreeing that whatever this was, it was something they enjoyed doing
They slowly approached the intersection between their homes
"Alright i gotta go now guys! See yall tommorow" xenon dashed, waving a hand as he dove into a sprint
"You too" ikuno then looked at Seinen
"i guess im going now too, take care okay?"
"Mhm! I will!" Seinen nodded enthusiastically before they went their seperate paths
He was walking through their district when he saw one of his classmates being chased by a spirit
"Hmm..? No biggie if he cant see it its nothing-"
The usually calm classmate turned and saw the thing chasing him, something about him was familliar, the way he walked his hair
Seinen rang his bell and called on kori,
immediately flaring into invoker mode,
He ran towards the spirit, hand signaling for the guns to aim
before a ghastly echo of a bullet chamber echoed through the neighbourhood before a whistling bullet locked onto the spirit
"WAIT, ARE YOU-"
Seinen's eyes widened at the identity of the classmates who's face he couldnt see earlier
(Chapter 1 End)
