Chapter Text
It wasn't fair, there were so many deaths, everywhere.
I dislike the ocean because of it, hundreds of hundreds of people. All deep in the depths, through the vast and forbidden areas. Some may be screaming, yelling for help. Others just lay there, motionless. It hurts to see so much suffering, so many in pain.
Hospitals are the worst, so many patients they failed to help, so many once again calling out to their beloveds. I shivered at the thought.
Children under 4 and animals can see ghosts. I can tell, since they always point to the burdened figures. "Mama, who is that?"
"What are you pointing to? C'mon let's go."
It was always like that.
Along the roads, in office buildings, even in the local grocery store. All dead, people that were once living now just waiting away their lives until they disappeared.
I wonder what their stories were?
Once, I saw a boy. He was my childhood best friend. Tomo, they would call him. We grew up together, I loved him.
I'm not sure whether it was platonic or romantic.
He would often tease me about several things that I liked. It stung at first, though he revealed to me that he too liked the things I did. I held a grudge for a while, but never was it negative.
On several occasions, we stayed up till late night to watch the bright sparks of light in the moonlit sky twinkle. We mostly laid sprawled out on the gentle grass on small hills, looking up to see a batch of fireflies all around us. Laughing in his embrace, arms holding onto me, clinging like he was scared to lose me. Until soft snores fill the night, our warmths onto each other. A mix of blissful wind and a sweet melody played in the distance.
"If I ever disappear, take care of Tama for me okay Kazuha?"
Huh?
One day, he disappeared. At first it was for a week, then a month turned into several, then a year turned into a few more went by. It hurt to lose him, it hurt to not see the carefree smile that brightened my day. Though I slowly started to forget him, since I was only a child after all, five to be exact.
Like I'd promised him, I took care of his cat, Tama. She refused to leave my side, always staying on top of my shoulder or head. It was nice to have a memory of him, though overtime, I thought of Tama as my own.
Until the day I saw him again. In the middle of the road, sitting crouched to himself. Sniffling filling my ears. I recognized him. It was Tomo, though he appeared to be slightly older and a bit translucent.. It was Tomo!
It had to be him, for he was the only one I've seen with that beautiful dirty blonde hair tied up in his signature messy ponytail, and the only one that wore that bright blue scarf everywhere he went.
My legs sprinted ahead, and I shouted in joy. Tomo peered up, sniffles stopped, and in return his face showed confusion before lighting up brightly. "Kazuha!" He cheered. Tomo spread out his arms, gesturing me a hug. My arms spread to receive the hug.
But I went through him. "W-what?"
I looked back, eyes wide with fear. "Tomo… am I hallucinating or are you a ghost?"
A silent pause, too quiet, the birds stopped chirping and no cars were nearby. Though after a while he slowly nodded. Tears streaming down both our faces. I sat down on my knees, and looked Tomo straight in the eyes, "Are you serious? You died?"
That wasn't fair. It couldn't be! "When? And how!?" I managed to choke out. The waterfall that was tears streaming down my face were insufferable at this point. Making my eyes gleamed puffy red along with soaking my chest and lap with oh so salty water.
Tomo took a deep breath, his tears had already stopped though mine kept going, "Four years ago, I got hit by a truck on the very road you see now. I was… way too careless. I should have looked both ways just like everyone says to do," Tomo peered at the ground, before locking his eyes onto mine and gave me a warm smile. "I was an idiot.. such reckless youth. And I was all alone for four years. Nothing is fair dear Kazuha."
My tears had run out at this point, all that were left were sniffles. Though everything stopped when I had an idea, "I'll come here everyday! So you won't be lonely! I'll come here everyday.. So wait for me, okay?"
Tomo nodded. A bright turn of his lips projecting that gentle smile once more. "Okay!"
————————
Just like that, I went to visit him everyday. I told him about my various life activities in my middle school life, letting him catch up on several things about our friends in past years. It was so nice to have him next to me. So nice to hear the sunshine filled laughter that lit up my day.
"Unfortunately, Miss Ei and her fiance died in a car crash with their son," I sighed. "She was the nicest teacher we had in 4th grade, remember?"
"Oh? The purple chick with big boobs?"
I wanted to slap him for that, but it was unfortunate I couldn't touch him. "No, Tomo. Ei is not the 'purple chick' , she is our 4th grade teacher..."
"Are you sure? I swear her hair was purple and her breasts massive." He whined. Fidgeting to himself, having a pout plastered on his face.
"Tomo… you shouldn't remember people by their tits." I grumbled, glaring at the other. He quickly realized and frantically tried to shake me, though he went right through. Tama huffed, giving a sign of disapproval.
The blonde whined once more, this time shaking his body back and forth. "That's unfair~! I don't remember names as easily as you.."
Another long sigh dragged out of me. He was right, Tomo always had a visual perspective of thinking about others, and it made him forget about simple things like names. Though other times, he would remember the smallest details and events about things he enjoyed, it was one of the things I liked about him.
"Fine, I'll give you that," I couldn't help the curve of my lips when it turned into a smile. Tomo, relieved I wasn't mad, and laid back down on the rocky surface of the pathway. Closing his eyes and letting himself relax. Soon after he fell asleep, soft snores began filling my ears. His face so gentle in his sleep, so precious. Laying down next to Tomo, I soon found myself beginning to drift off, mesmerized by the other's features.
Once I woke up, I found Tomo sitting beside my lying figure. Almost as if he'd been waiting for me to wake up. "Tomo," I called out. His head snapped to me, face lighting up.
"You're awake!" He cheered. Coming over to snuggle me but still, he went through me. He grumbled, "I wish I could touch you! It's so frustrating as a ghost." I shouldn't have jumped in front of the truck.
He mumbled the last part so quietly, even I couldn't hear it. I sighed, turning to face him. I decided to change the subject. "Hey, do you want to hear a poem?" I suggested. I quite liked the aspect of writing, having a few words greatly impact the being.
"Oh yeah sure! I remember you liked them as a kid, yeah?" Tomo reminisced. He looked up, as if trying to remember something. Though he soon shook his head in frustration, brows furrowing. He grabbed his chin to start some type of ritual to remember, and his face relaxed as he put on a grin of some sort. "Wasn't there one you made of me?"
My face flushed, "Ah.. I'm surprised you remembered.." I burned up. "It was so long ago.. I suppose I could retell it to you," and I took a deep breath, letting the words sink back into memory.
and I, an infinitesimal being,
drunk with the void of shining sun,
one as bright as you,
I felt myself a pure part of the abyss
I wheeled with the light,
my heart broke loose on the wind.
"I didn't understand most of it.. but it sounds really great!" He praised me, I valued it. "Oh oh! Could you keep saying more of your poems? I want to fall asleep to your voice!" He quickly laid down, awaiting my speech. And so, I complied. Just barely a minute in, I heard his breathing begin to slowly even out. I hummed with content.
We had many conversations like that, reciting litituture and talking about my day to day life, a bit of gossip arousing from the people who dated each other. It was fun, talking to another person. People often typically avoided me due to my status, did I seem that intimidating?
I was from a well known clan in the area, most known for raising samurai. Though I couldn't blame them, being known for defeating others with a sharp blade almost immediately was a bit off putting.. My parents expect me to become a samurai, and even though I enjoy wielding the blade I wanted to be something different.
I wanted to draw, to paint, to sculpt, anything of that nature. I wished to become… an artist. My parents and relatives immediately disapproved of my choice, disowning me and leaving me homeless. It wasn't fair, I was only 14.
"Kaedehara Kazuha! You will listen to me this instant! You will be nothing else but a samurai you hear me? You are the only son of this household! It is only right that you follow the legacy!" Mother shrieked.
"She's right, son. Every first born son is grown to be an amazing samurai, you must obey our traditions, or I'm afraid that you must be disowned. You wouldn't want that right?"
I scoffed, it was always samurai this, legacy that. I was never particularly close to my parents, though they didn't listen to their own child half the time. Why couldn't they just hear me out? Why didn't they understand that I was tired of their stupid traditions? They acted like I cared, like I wanted to be a samurai. Sure, I may have picked up the sword, but it was merely for self defense.
"Then so be it," I walked towards the door, "I'm leaving."
Mother screeched, begging me to come back, and was saying that she was wrong. Lies. She always does this, always manipulating me to stay. I was tired of this, I just wanted to go back to Tomo.
A grab on my arm put my legs to a stop. I looked behind to see father furious, hand clenching tightly on my arm.
Stop it
Don't touch me.
"Let go!" I snapped, forcefully pulling my arm away from the man's grasp. It stung, his grip leaving future bruises that were sure to last a while. "I don't want to do anything with your 'legacy'!"
"Son, you can't do this.. we're your family! You can't just leave! Besides! Where will you go?" Father yelled louder than necessary, hurting my strong sense of hearing.
"Like you ever cared in the first place! I'm leaving, that's final!" I hissed before whispering to Tama to make a motion to leave. Slamming the door behind me, and I just ran. Running till I couldn’t hear them anymore, nor seeing the dreaded house I grew in. I was done. With all of it.
When people found out I'd been disowned, they kept pestering and picking on me. Now that I no longer had the power on them, even though I had never used it against them.
"Hah! You're so weak now, mommy and daddy can't help you anymore. Isn't that right?"
My body squirmed.
I stayed with Tomo, more than often, now that I didn't have a home to go back to. He seemed to cherish the sight of my presence, always eager like a puppy waiting for me every time. "Kazuha!" He cheered.
"Yes yes, I'm back Tomo," I chuckled. Sitting down next to him.
"You scared me~! I thought you left me for good," He sniffles, forced fake tears coming down his face. Though upon a closer inspection of me, his eyes widened, "Don't tell me.. did they leave this mark on your shoulder? Oh god, Kazuha you need to get... bandages? Ointment? Stitches? Whatever, you just need to stop the bleeding!"
"Sorry, I ran into my grandmother and she scolded me for a while," I looked up into the sky. "I'm very tired right now, can we just hang?"
"No no! This can't do.. you need at least something!" He panicked.
I sighed, "I have some bandages and cloth in my bag, I'll patch myself up alright? Will that make you feel better?"
He nodded feverishly, anxiously waiting for me. I hummed, making quick work to stop bleeding. Then I laid back down, letting myself rest.
Tama curled next to me, almost as if she tried to comfort me.
We sat in silence, Tomo's presence was comforting. A sudden drowsiness washed over me, lulling me to sleep. In my half asleep state, I reached my hand over to grab the other's, but to no avail, my hand ran right through it. Tears pronged at the corners, threatening to let one slip.
He was really dead… wasn't he?
♡
A year's worth of time passed so quickly, I transferred to another school, a public one that cost me free of money. I'd also gotten a part time job that paid me a decent amount. Enough to get the art supplies I needed to pursue my career.
I studied hard, and I visited Tomo everyday, like I'd promised years ago. I was content with this lifestyle, no one to bother me nor anyone forcing ideals onto me. It made me happy.
I studied the arts partially because I wanted to draw Tomo. To remember his face, to cherish him even as a ghost. I picked it up quickly, since I'd practiced with printer paper and a pencil my teacher gave me at school.
Every week, I would paint Tomo. Every new stance, posture, and expression. I would paint him, in every way possible. Though it seemed Tomo got tired often, he put up with it for me.
"Are you done yet…" he groaned. Tired of sitting in the same position for an hour. Arms shuffling to get rid of the soreness left behind. "Kazuuhaaa," He dragged out my name. "Let me resstt!" He kept grumbling, even though he stayed still in the position, almost like he was afraid to move.
I'd just finished placing the basic shadows. Noticing my own shoulders were stiff, I let myself stretch. "Yes, you can relax now. I can finish the small details by myself."
His eyes lit up in pure joy as he sat up and stretched out his arms, letting himself gracefully fall onto the ground.
I looked at the corner filled with dozens of paintings and illustrations of Tomo. My lips curved, I could always remember him from now on.
It had been 10 years since Tomo 'died', I was 15 now, I believe he was 16. Like any other day, I sat next to Tomo on the sidewalk as usual. Talking about daily activities and the sort, until Tomo spoke up. "Hey, do you want to see something cool? I've been practicing!" He grinned brightly. I shrugged,I had nothing to lose by not seeing it. So I agreed.
Tomo stood up, and took a deep breath. His hands now were placed in front, it looked almost as if he was trying to grab something. His face strained hard, as if he was focusing on something. "L-look at rock n-next to you!" He exclaimed. I peered over, to the area he pointed to. With a grunt from Tomo, the rock lifted into the air before falling down with a sudden thump.
"See! I'm so cool!" He snickered, being proud of himself.
My eyes widened in shock, mostly for the fact that he could do such a thing. "Wow…"
"Just a simple wow? I'm hurt," He pretended to cry, sniffling. "I really like my new ability! Heh, since now I can mess with yo—"
In a flash, several red- almost black hands grabbed onto Tomo. An ear pitching scream of panic came from him. I panicked, trying to grab at the arms that had grabbed my friend, but to avail, it was no use. For my own arms went through the shadow filled ones. "Tomo! Tomo! What's happening to you? Tomo talk to me!"
He grimaced, and looked away from me, eyes almost dull, like he was lifeless. Why? Were the hands doing something to him? Was he hiding something? After all we've been through together? I couldn't take it anymore. Not like this, I didn't want to lose him again. A violent screech of his name seemed to snap him back to reality.
He panicked, desperately trying to rid of the grasps of the unknown identity, before facing me, eyes full of regret, "I'm sorry! The h-hands are t-telling me— It's because I lied to you! It's all my fault. I'm the one who ran into the truck to get myself killed. I'm the one who wanted to die! I'm the idiot who thought no one liked me!" He sobbed. "I'm the idiot who thought killing myself was a good idea, I'm the selfish dumbass who ran away from my feelings instead of asking for help!"
I paused, racing thoughts from the suddenly new piece of information. "It wasn't your fault! It isn't selfish to run away from something that hurts you.. it's only natural!" My body was shaking at this point, overwhelmed by the amount of stress. "Just.. don't leave me again!" I reached out for his hand, desperate to cling onto.. something. But I went through him, like I always did.
"I'm sorry," Were the last words I heard from him before the hands pulled into an area of abyss. I screamed out.
That's when I found out ghosts can only 'live' up to ten years.
————————
I went on a journey to study claims, witnesses, and ancient textbooks of ghosts after that. Through my years worth of research, I found out about several things.
One, like I had guessed; a ghost can only survive 10 years after their death. Two, after that 10 years; a ghost may go to "heaven" or "hell" if their wish has been fulfilled or not.
I felt a spike of panic whenever I thought about what Tomo's wish was. Could I have saved him? Couldn't have I done something? Anything? Was it.. my fault? I grabbed my body, shivering at the thought of seeing the nightmarish arms grab another person I loved dearly. It won't happen to anyone I care about if I get any say. It just can't.
It was hard to get over him.
Furthermore, since soulmates will last until the end of time (unless the bond is forcefully broken). Meaning soulmates can exist through ghosts. I had often seen this by bridges, couples with matching soul marks together, happy in the afterlife.
That reminded me, Tomo didn't have a soul mark. Nor was I his soulmate for when I felt pain he felt nothing.
I guess we weren't meant to be together after all.
A deep, nasty purple and partially green bruise formed from the area father grasped on me. It stung to touch, just looking at it made me feel sick, weren't parents suppose to love you?
Tomo nearly cried when he saw the mark left behind. "Who did this to you? I swear I'm going to kill them!" He growled, furious. I flinched at the sound of his voice, I had never heard it like that before. Especially not in my presence.
"Tomo, you scaring me…" I shivered. I didn't want to see him like this anymore.
"Tell me. Who hurt you? Now."
I gave in, sucking in my breath. "My parents… they disowned me." I answered.
"I knew it! I knew they were no good, how could they abandon someone like you? Their first son for god's sake!" He grabbed his hair in frustration. "ARGH! if only I was trapped in my limited area… I would have made them pay for what they did to you! I swear I'll!"
Tama used her head to rub against Tomo's leg to try to calm him down.
"Calm down, I'm here, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
You're not in pain, so you're not my soulmate, you shouldn't worry about me.
Huh? Why did I think that? Do ghosts even have soulmates?
The next day, I fell into a fever that made my body ache all over. Crying out from the pain, curling my body in an attempt to withhold the pain.
I felt bad for whoever my soulmate was, having to experience the same pain I currently felt.
"Tomo… are you there?" My voice was hoarse, weakly calling out. My body writhed against the hard, coarse texture of concrete I was laying on. The sun didn't make it feel any better, being all sweaty in my several layers of clothes in severe pain.
No answer.
"Tomo… you're scaring me.."
No answer.
"Tomo!"
No answer.
I cried, the pain being unbearable at this point. Hands clawed at the clothing, desperate to get it off to at least rid of the discomfort.
"Tomo…" My voice was disappearing at this point. Too tired to speak.
"Id..iot… To...mo.."
"Meow!"
I was forced into a sleep.
A distant voice from far away,
"Kazu?"
"Oh god"
"I'm so sorry"
"I'm sorry…"
♡
Being drenched in sweat, I woke up frantically trying to hold onto myself, but I noticed the pain from my body was suddenly gone. Tears threatened to leak. That wasn't a pleasant thing to remember.
Tama, who stood beside me was frantically meowing and shaking me with her paws. Did she notice my state of distress in sleep?
From that memory, I seem to recall having fallen tremendously ill due to the stress I had been put on by my parents. Everything seemed to happen so quickly, years going by in flashes, not seeming to remember most of the small events that happened. It was all a blur.
I am 19 now, just having finished highschool and preparing to choose my classes for an art university I was planning to go to. I kept my grades, having straight As. My job let me pay for the college fee as well as buy my own well deserving house. I was tired of being homeless.
The paperwork was finished, everything was set. I would go to school first then meet the homeowner after for me to move into the new house. Everyone should go perfectly, and as smoothly as I'd planned it.
I arrived at campus, Tama refused to leave my side as always (I let her stay on my shoulder). Looking at the severely confusing map of the place they handed to me at the front. My brain struggled to handle the complex nature of every single door, entrance room, and—
"Hey, having trouble?" A voice seemed to snap me out of my thoughts.
"Ah.. yeah. Sorry, the map is confusing," I put a hand on my forehead to ease the headache I didn't know I had.
The boy that came up to help me seemed to be a bit older than myself. He had light orange with a few white streaks in his hair, eyes a gentle teal. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt with a black crop top underneath along with the same colored grey pants to match.
"Uwahhh! Your cat is really cute! Oh! Have you planned out your classes yet? I think the first classes start in an hour or two so we have a bit of time." He explained. I shook my head no, and he led me into building after building. The place was making my head spin.
"Here we are! The office!" The boy smiled brightly, like he was fond of the place. "Heyy! Can I get Mrs Beidou to fill out this student schedule?"
"Sure, just a second," one of the women at the front replied. She looked too formal, almost as if she belonged in a work office. She wore a white suit with her long blonde—almost white hair hanging out but still styled at the top of her head. I think I could come to respect her. She made a few calls and typed some things into a computer.
Shortly, I heard rampant footsteps coming closer. As if someone were very excited.
"NEW STUDENT!" A voice of a woman yelled cheerily. Once she appeared, she took notice of me and then rushed up to give me a tight, welcoming hug.
"Eh..?"
After she finally released me from her tight grasp, she took my hand and pulled me along to a room. "Let's get you some classes kid!" She laughed.
"Have fun~!" The boy said, waving a goodbye of sorts.
Now, I sat in a chair with Miss Beidou on the other side of the desk. She was doing some things on the computer for a moment. The clinking went heavy for a second before stopping out of nowhere. Then she turned to me, with a joyful grin.
Miss Beidou and I talked about what classes and things I needed to keep in mind for the semester. I understood most things that she told me about, what professors would do and the sorts. I enjoyed my time with her, she was uplifting and for the most part very positive. I enjoyed being with cheerful people.
She finished preparing my classes and I headed out. The boy stood outside, had he been waiting for me? He chirped, once he saw me. Rushing over, he pulled out his phone to quickly check something. "So- what classes do you have?" He eagerly awaited me, as I pulled out the paper Miss Beidou printed out for me.
He quickly scanned the paper before grinning. "You have the same history and art class as me!" Grabbing my hands, and putting them together. "Let's be friends, yeah?" His eyes shined brightly with excitement.
"Oh sure,"
"I'm Gorou, you?"
"Kazuha."
After we went to our classes, he introduced me to a few of his friends. A girl called Kokomi, her long flowing pink to blue hair seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Another girl, called Ayaka. She was graceful in nature, her attire cleaned up unlike the two boys next to her, who she called Thoma and Ayato.
Ayato was her brother, also somewhat graceful but his attire a big ruffled up. Thoma was a bit rowdy and loud, but cheerful nonetheless, the two seemed quite intimate.
Gorou introduced me to a few more people, but in different departments, though it seemed he was still friends with them. One was called Yoimiya, she was an actor and singer. She was really bright and fun to be around. There was also two people the stuck together that were called Xiao and Venti, they were often found cuddling and kissing. It would be nice to have a relationship like that.
There were also another two people that were in the music department, Xingqiu and Chongyun. Many people have heard that they were childhood friends, always together in every moment.
The teachers were fairly nice and forgiving me for being late since I was new. My favorites were Mr Zhongli, Mr Albedo, and Mrs Ganyu. They were all nice and polite, and very well mannered compared to some others. Zhongli, my history teacher had some rumors rising on him about an supposed affair with the music director, Ajax. Mr Albedo, my art teacher was seen together multiple times with the teacher for rising actors and actresses, Mr Kaeya. And my teacher that lead writing related classes, Mrs Ganyu was married to Lady Keqing. Mrs Keqing was a noble woman, that occasionally came to class to vist her wife.
It was nice hanging around such fun people, the day quickly came to a close before I knew it. And I soon had to go back to the house I bought just days before.
♡
I arrived at the house I bought just a week ago, though I didn’t have time to check the interior. That probably wasn’t a good idea on my part. The previous homeowner stood outside, like they had been waiting for quite a bit. Even though I told them to meet me at this exact time. They saw me and their face lit up, almost eager to get rid of the house. They hastily explained a few things regarding the property, and surprisingly they told me the furniture inside was still left from the very first person who owned this house. It seemed a bit suspicious to me that out of the several people that came to live here never took out the stuff, why wouldn’t you take something that is offered to you freely?
“What? You’re living in that house!? There’s been rumors of it being haunted! I would move out immediately if i were you..” Gorou visibly grabbed his body, and shivered. “Just be careful, ‘kay buddy?”
I nodded to his reaction, it wouldn’t be bad to have a roommate.
Oh, I remember now. That’s probably why.
The person left in a rush, I sighed. I tried to mentally prepare myself before opening the door, since everyone had told me it would be bad.
I opened the door, and walked. I closed the door behind me.
Inside, was a boy sleeping on the couch. I was mesmerized by him, his graceful face relaxed. His long eyelashes seemed to flutter when I came closer, coming to sit beside him. His figure was slender, but yet almost plush on his hips, arms, and legs. So beautiful, yet so delicate. Strings of deep violet ran across his face, falling down a bit to the sides of his ears. Skin supple and smooth, and an enticing shade of pale. Hands resting almost perfectly on his stomach. The outfit he wore also complimented every part of him, a grey-black crop top along with some shorts to match. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I wanted to embrace him. I raised a hand to caress his cheek, but to no avail my hand went through him. My chest tightened.
Ah.. so he was the one that made everyone afraid. If only they could see his true form, what an angel they'd see, a shame really.
A groan came from those pretty pink lips, stirring the boy awake. His eyes fluttered before rubbing them. Pretty lavender eyes glanced upon me, almost as if analyzing. Though soon realizing the situation, he jumped back, face flushed.
"Who are you?" He asked in shock. Though I ignored him, grabbing the book in my pocket. It would be interesting to see how things would turn out.
"Another one huh…" he mumbled to himself, almost disappointed. "Fine, so be it." He flew away into the wall.
I hummed, going to go do my daily activities.
And just like that, a week went by with the boy trying to get me to leave. Whether it be trying to flicker the lights rapidly, to lifting objects in my peripheral vision to spook me. He seemed to be stronger than my friend was. Though I had to fight the urge to laugh at his antics seeing the other grin deviously but soon turned into a frown.
"Ugh! Why won't he just leave‽" The other shouted. Though my heart dropped when I started hearing sniffles. "Just… leave.. idiot!" The boy started sobbing.
Even though the sound of it made me want to stop ignoring to comfort him. But somehow, when his pretty voice was crying… I wanted to hear more of it. More of him, more of that enhancing sound.
Heartache settled in, I tried to ignore the feeling. I decided to go take a shower to clear my mind.
With my hands twisting the knob, hot water began to pour on my hair. It felt nice to be cleaned in something other than the gym showers. I let the water run on my body, flowing down to my feet. I took a breath of the steam that came from the water, the mist refreshing my lungs. My finger pushed on the dispenser, a minty liquid of shampoo squirmed out. I ran the shampoo through my hair, the soap foaming up through strands.
After I was done thoroughly messaging it through my hair, I moved so the water would run through each lock. Foams of soap plopping down to the ground amongst the pouring of the shower water. Once I had rinsed it all out, I let an extra bit of water soak my hair, just to make sure there was none left. Soon I walked out of the shower, grabbing the towel I had placed nearby later.
I noticed the ghost was in the bathtub, and the water was running, over filling the tub. I looked to the mirror, there was a heart drawn on the steamed up glass. Did he do it? That was cute.
I could feel a lingering gaze on my back, or rather my whole figure. His stares felt quite welcoming, oolging at every body part. I grinned to myself, did he like my body that badly? Maybe I could tease the guy, it was starting to get boring to ignore him day and night.
"Gazing at my body are we?"
"Y-you can see me?" The boy stuttered, almost frightened by the fact.
I nodded, my heart squeezed at how pretty his voice sounded. I could listen to it all day. "Yeah, with you staring at me with every chance you took it was hard to notice you," I teased.
"So you were just ignoring me?" He asked in disbelief. "You saw everything I did… oh god.."
"Mhm," I responded, letting the sound of the other's voice sink in. I couldn't get enough of it.
"W-wait! You're naked- ah fuck fuck— put some clothes on you dunce!" He panicked, throwing another towel on me. The other's face heated up, ears and cheeks turning a warm pink. "And bastard! Don't even think about getting rid of any of this furniture, got it?" He growled, a threatening voice slipping.
"I didn't have any furniture to begin with."
"Oh."
"Yep."
He groaned, letting out his frustrations on his hair, ruffling it around. "Fine! Stay here if you'd like, just… don't talk to me.."
". . ."
". . .y'know what.. ignore what I said. Talk to me everyday, keep me company everyday, you are forbidden to leave me for more than 5 hours… just don't leave me alone. I'm tired of being alone, so just stay with me.." He mumbled the last part, so gently, as if on the verge of tears.
With a face like that, I couldn't ever leave him alone. I wanted to be near him, for whatever reason I couldn't tell. "Okay angel, I won't break our promise,"
The other flushed at the nickname I used, pausing for a moment to let it sink in. "You.. fucking idiot!"
I hummed in response, "My name is Kaedehara Kazuha, please to meet you dear…?" I let him continue.
"You can call me… Kunikuzushi or Scaramouche, I don't really mind either one," The boy said, crossing his legs in the air; moving up and down almost hesitantly.
"So, Kuni and Scara then?" I teased. It seemed to work since he flushed at the shortened versions of his names. He pouted before disappearing into the ground.
I didn't see him for a week after that.