Ghostly Happenings

A

Axinite

Guest
Original poster
It was strange for a night to be so cold, even an autumn one like tonight. Of course it wasn't too strange, after all he was standing next to a ghost. If Hajime had to guess he would say the man died from a blow from the head, course anyone would say that. The man was missing half of it. From what Hajime had gathered this man was rather polite, clearly not the sort to push people in front of moving vehicles as the rumors claimed.
Hajime looked around bitterly, sincerely hoping he hadn't come all this way for nothing. It was then that he noticed a figure approaching from underneath the bridge. Considering the only thing in that direction was the high school and a couple apartment buildings he assumed the person was going home from a late practice. He was about to turn away when he noticed something behind her.
At first he thought it might have been a fellow classmate before it walked under a light. The light didn't bounce off of it like it would a normal person. The light had no effect on the black mass, neither shadowing it or creating shadows around it. Hajime didn't like to jump to conclusions about people but something about that thing made the hairs on his arms stand up. It was only then that he remembered the girl and remembered what had happened here.
He looked around nervously, trying to figure out some discreet way to get her away from the crosswalk. He didn't want to say that she was being stalked by a malevolent entity that may or may not want to kill her due to an animal like instinct. He had tried that before and all he got was a weird look. As he tried to figure out what to say the girl came closer, perhaps a tad bit quicker than he would have liked.
 
As Sayuri started to leave the school building she stopped to change in a restroom. She had stayed late after working on a school project. It was a partner project, but just so she didn't have to do too much talking she did the project herself, and wrote up a couple note cards so her partner could present it. But now it was time to go home. What a home. The recent loss of her grandmother forced her and her family to move back home. She loved living in the US. But there was also something about Japan. She just knew something was going to happen here that would change her life forever.

She laughed at her own little theory. It was an inward laugh. But a laugh. It was legend that her family was clairvoyant. But that was just one of her grandmothers crazy ramblings. She never believed such things as that. She didn't believe anything but reality. If she couldn't touch see, smell or feel it, odds were it didn't exist. Air you could feel. Space you could see, the sweet smell of flowers you can smell. Silly things such as ghost or the supernatural world could not exist.

Finally as she headed under a bridge she saw someone ahead of her. He was shorter than her. That she could see, but she had always felt tall for her age. She started to brush him off but he gave her a double take. He was giving her such an odd look. No wait. He was looking behind her. As she drew closer he began to look around. He must have seen that she noticed him looking. She checked over her shoulder. Nothing there. With a shrug she boldly walked up to him, and brushed past him. Losing her nerve to say anything. What was she going to do? Talk to him? What a laugh. She didn't like talking to anyone. But he was rather odd.
 
Hajime just stared at her, not being sure what else to do. He would have smiled but he is afraid that would have been creepy, he would have said something to her but he wasn't sure what to say. Instead he let her walk on past him, before looking up at the towering creature in front of him. It appeared more humanoid now that it was in front of him, from a distance he hadn't been able to distinguish the arms or the neck.
Now that the specter was closer Hajime realized quite a few things. Firstly was the fact that the right side was noticeably collapsed, suggesting that the cause of death might be some sort of collision, presumably with a large and dense object. Secondly there was the look on his face, oddly calm but at the same time troubled. Hajime had seen a similar look on several of his classmates before or after tests. This struck Hajime as odd, if he was the one causing the accidents wouldn't he look angry? Perhaps upset? Hajime pondered this as he walked alongside the creature.
"Excuse me sir, would you mind telling me your name? Mine is Hajime." Hajime asked, as casually as he would if were talking to the living. The ghostly specter didn't do much to indicate he had heard beside let out a low grunt. Hajime was happy with that, the fact that spirit bothered to respond at all. He realized rather quickly that he was running time only when he was standing next to the girl from before. He looked around, looking for something he might have overlooked.
It was only then that he noticed the crossing sign, the light was red despite the streets being clear. The fact didn't surprise him, the town never put much funding towards fixing some things, he found it oddly eery. The specter stopped behind them patiently, as if it was waiting for something. Hajime glanced towards the girl, feeling the need to say something too her.
"Eh, you might want to take a step to the side. That is an unlucky spot." He whispered quietly, leaning towards her slightly to make sure she would hear him.
 
Sayuri almost looked back when she heard a noise from behind her, almost as if someone spoke or even grunted, but she brushed if off, continuing on her way. She just wanted to go home. There was no reason for her to be out here this late. It was when it was dark when her brother had originally died. But her brother had died from sickness, not from a horrible accident or anything. Some people spread rumors about the fact that her brother was poisoned but she never believed such things. Instead she just didn't think about him very much. It made her sad to.

She wondered weather that guy was following her. She dared not a look over her shoulder to find out. Instead she kept her eyes forward. Her stomach grumbled in hunger. Another reason to get home. As she came to a stop, she realized her suspicions were true. He had arrived beside her. She barely chanced a glance with her peripheral vision to look at him then kept her eyes forward. She was not trying to start a conversation. Now however she didn't have a choice. As he spoke to her. She looked down as he gestured to the spot she now stood. She looked back up at him with a really look. "Luck is fake." She shrugged and turned. She decided it was time to get away from him. He was starting to creep him out. The whole time she had been around her, he had been looking past her, as if something were beside her or behind her, but there was nothing there.
 
Hajime couldn't say he was surprised by her reaction but he could easily say he was disappointed. Now Hajime wasn't the sort to want someone to get run over but something about this girl made him particular anxious. He had seen her around school although he couldn't say he gave her much more than half a thought. He did notice how she isolated herself from everyone else, probably due to anxiety from being the new kid. As he tried to remember what classes they shared out of the corner of his eyes he noticed movement. The quiet man had turned his head so his single good eye could look down the road, from which a car was approaching.
Normally this action would have been one Hajime would disregard, after all the car was making quite a ruckus as it sped down the road, however the simply sadistic smile the man made Hajime couldn't. He began to giggle, an unsettling little laugh full of mischievous. With one hand he reached out and touched the sign post, which changed color after a few moments. It was only as the shadowy man behind him began to growl in annoyance that Hajime understood what happened here.
As the growling grew louder Hajime scrambled to think of a way to save the girl from potentially life threatening injuries. As quick as he could he grabbed one of her shoulders and pulled her towards him, perhaps bringing her a bit closer than she would have wished yet he got the desired result. The anger the larger ghost had evaporated almost immediately once his way was clear, he glanced towards Hajime and mumbled a short apology before quickly hurrying on his way. Hajime would have watched him leave if he didn't have to keep his eyes on Half-head, who was all but seething with anger.
"You, how dare you! You ruined my game! You let him walk away! Who is supposed to play my game now?!" The ghost screeched, murderous intent clear in his eyes. If Hajime hadn't been used to the look he might have panicked.
"You lost your game fair and square. You should be going now, you are dead and people are waiting for you." Hajime said as calmly as he could manage. He quickly glanced down towards the girl before looking back towards the ghost.
 
She tried not to think of him as she walked away. This guy was kind of weird. She just wanted to get home away from him. She stopped however when he spoke. She turned wondering if he was speaking to her. But when she looked he wasn't. She listened to him as he spoke and he was saying nothing to her. She looked around, seeing no one around she arched a brow to him and walked in his direction. She could not believe she was doing this but she wanted to find out what he wanted. She had seen him in a few classes at school but she had never spoken to him. Now she was going to? After she found out he was a weirdo? With a shake of her head she took a deep breath to call out to him, but before she could he looked directly at her and she stopped. Then his attention turned to whatever he was talking to.

Instead of bothering him she simply moved over and leaned against the wall watching him, waiting for him to finish. She wanted to find out what he wanted, and she wouldn't be able to sit comfortably at home unless she found out. So she waited. All the time thinking he was crazy. Thinking she was crazy for messing around with this crazy person.
 
Hajime liked to believe himself a patient person yet this particular ghost was tiring it at a remarkable pace. It wouldn't stop screaming and crying, throwing a temper tantrum as if it were a child rather than a grown man. Of course it was obvious it's maturity, and possibly it's morality, had been on a decline since he had passed away this was simply ridiculous. He reached down into his pocket, pulling out the silvery pocket knife which he flipped open in an all to common motion. The metal glowed, emitting a silvery haze of light in the process. He looked at the girl with a sideways glance, wondering what she was seeing. He couldn't recall a time when he had someone see this blade, or at least had seen it uncapped. This thought only crossed his mind for a moment before it returned to the task at hand.
Stepping forward he swiftly jams the knife into the center of the ghost's being. Although he had done this several times before he couldn't stop the twinge of guilt he felt as he watched the ghost burn away. Perhaps burn was the wrong word, perhaps collapse would be better. The ghost folded in upon the knife, letting out a shocked scream as it did so, causing the light of the knife to momentarily glow bright enough to light up the street. The process lasted little more than a few seconds but the dagger burnt harshly to remind him of what he just did. He quickly shoved it back in his pocket, turning nervously towards the girl. Considering she had heard the ghost, even if it was slightly, chances are she had seen some of that light. He hoped she wouldn't ask any hard questions.
 
Should she run? Walk away and pretend she didn't just see what she saw? Instead she stood there in shock. Unsure of what she just saw. Her mouth was agape. She didn't know if she could trust her own eyes and ears. Did she fall asleep in the library? Of course not. But what just happened left her lost for words. Her eyes on the blade in his hand. Did it really glow? She couldn't say for sure what happened. She couldn't say anything. Her mouth was open. Yet no words clawed into her throat. She stepped to the side, her eyes on him. She had never believed in anything such as that, yet here it happened. Whatever it was that just happened.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. Trying to form the words. Yet only one question formed in her mouth. She had to ask..."What just happened?"
 
Hajime wasn't quite sure what to say to that question, despite many people having asked him that before. He had a large variety of excuses at his disposal, one of his personal favorites being the inspiring drama student, yet for some reason he didn't want to use them.Perhaps it was because she hadn't run away in fear yet. Was she shocked, obviously yes yet at the same time she seemed somewhat awe struck at the same time. Of course Hajime had never been the best at reading people's emotions.
"He, doubt you'd believe it if I said I was a drama student huh? Nah this eh knife is made out of some pretty special material. An, er, friend loaned it to me so I could help him out. I just severed a stationary spirit from this, eh what word would you like me to use? Street? World? Plane of existence?" Hajime momentarily pondered this, touching his finger to his chin thoughtfully.
"Anyway that was what that little light show a little bit ago was about, quite an er flashy fella eh? Usually I don't have to use it, kinda like that big fella who was behind you. He just needed to cross the street and he could find his way on by himself, this Half-head fella was a bit more stubborn. Yeah, probably been here for a while if I had to guess. Eh, you okay? Got a little pale in the face." Hajime said nervously, rubbing the back of his anxiously. He never had been good at explaining things like this yet this girl seemed to be digesting it rather well, most had run off at this point.
 
She turned her head from side to side, before her eyes landed back on him. "Come with me." With that, she turned ducked into an alley. Then up a fire escape in the building. Once she was on the roof, away from possible eves droppers she waited for him and helped him up. "So you are like a ghost hunter?" She asked right away. "My grandmother used to tell me stories of ghosts but I never believed her. I want to know more about them. I want you to show me. I want to help you." She had her own reasons. She couldn't believe she was being so forward with him. But her grandmother believed her brother had not moved on. She had to know. To learn. She had to try. She also wanted to try to help her grandmother. If the woman was still around. She had came home from school one day and found her dead. Old age had taken her, but knew that her grandmother still had lessons to teach her. Even if she couldn't physically teach her, she could still learn from them.

"I know this is a bit odd. But I don't talk to people much, I don't know really how to deal with them. And well, after years of not living here, this has become my second language. American English is my first. I don't feel comfortable talking..." She looked away, embarrassed to admit that she had lost some things while she was living in the US. But she need answers. He had them. "I'm Sayuri."
 
Hajime was a bit shocked, now it was he who stood gaping at her. He had told bunches of people over the year but never had anything like this happen. Instead of turning away from him she was asking him to follow her. He did so surprisingly obediently, considering the fact he had only just met her and the strange route she was taking him on. He had gotten over his initial shock at her reaction yet then it all came back when she opened her mouth again.
He just stood there, undoubtedly looking like a fool while he did so. He felt like she would break out laughing at any moment, mocking him for his gullibility. Yet she didn't, she just looked at him with a sincere and serious look in her eyes. Was she being serious? The possibility of that only shocked him more. What was he supposed to say to her? The dangers he was faced with daily, could he really risk her life as well? Was he even allowed to risk her life? Wouldn't the responsible thing, the correct thing, be to tell her to go home and keep those tales of grander in her head?
"Eh, work with me huh? Gotta warn yah, some of those spirits out there are kinda sour grapes. Especially if we see any of em changed Yokai bunch. You gotta have a lot ah courage when dealing with em. Then there are the stubborn fellas, trying to figure out what the pinning arrow for them is is like finding a pin on the forest floor. I mean, if yah don't mind going on wild goose chases and risking yah life, I guess yah could tag along with me. I am just trying to say it aint gonna be butterflies and rainbows, gonna be blood, sweat, and frustration. Yah probably shouldn't come along . . . but if you want to I wouldn't mind." Hajime rambled, speaking rather quickly without giving it enough thought. He hoped that somewhere in there he had said something that would discourage her.
 
She only watched him for a moment after he finished speaking. Then she reached up, pulled her ponytail out letting her hair fall down over her shoulders, showing its incredible length before finally gathering it back up and putting it up in a bun so it was out of her way. She had little understanding as to what exactly she was going to do but she wanted to be prepared. Her bag sat on the roof beside her. Inside of it her uniform and other school things. Those seemed of little importance now. As she stood up here with him. Her eyes steady. "I've never really been one for butterflies."

She let out a soft chuckle and put her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. She was quite unsure what to say. So she said the only thing she could. "I guess hey you isn't exactly the best way to get my attention if you need it, so I should tell you my name is Sayuri." She smiled, though inside she was shaking. She didn't talk to people often. This was the longest conversation she had held since her arrival back. She didn't like to talk here. She had lost herself in the American culture. Now she stood here, with an actual ghost hunter. She herself on the brink of becoming one. Yet this morning she believed in no such thing...
 
Hajime could have argued his point more, he could have just told her there was no way he would let her accompany her. That would have been the gentlemanly thing to do, no matter how distraught she got if he was putting her safety ahead of her wishes he would have been able to forgive himself. Yet that wasn't what he did, he laughed and nervously rubbed the back of his head. Grinning an oddly broad grin.
"You gotcha self a whole lot of confidence, don't you Sayuri? Bet you got a far bit of courage to go along with all that, those things go hand in hand a lot of the time." Hajime said, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say.
" I, eh, don't think you should be cleaning my shoes just yet. My job aint all that pretty or spectacular like you seem to think it is. I mean, most of it is listening in on what people are saying. Hell, most of the time I am just spending a night in a creepy building without anything happening. I mean, you could come along if you really like but it really isn't all that thrilling. Eh, next time something comes up I will call you alright? Actually heard some interesting rumors going around bout some demons, if you want we could check it out tomorrow after school. I mean, if yah don't have some other plans."
 
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