|Kiss of death (part 2)

The cluster of questions he had kept piling up but at the moment, they were largely unimportant.

“You're both saying the same thing. Just leave me be. All I want to do is save her.”

“Please don’t lump us together. I’m not thirsty for blood and I’m not going to suddenly become whatever he is now. I’m part of the FISF. It’s my duty to save people in need, including you.”

“Save me, huh?”

“All I need is your cooperation.”

“My life is in your hands. Please, don’t make me regret it. ”

Her face glowed red and it was highlighted with a grin.

“You definitely won’t. I’m one of the most trustworthy people around.” she declared pridefully. Unfortunately, the moment was short lived..

“bleghhh”

“…..”

After a few minutes, she was fully sorted. As she stepped closer, she couldn’t help but smile at the strange aura emitting from the caramel colored house. It was well maintained too, standing out like a sore thumb. This street was nothing spectacular, it would be safe to say it was hidden.

“When did you start living here?”

“About five years ago, I think.”

“No way. This insidious aura is due to an emotional bond?”

“Insidious?”

“I’m sure you can’t sense it, but it’s like we’re in winter. So chilly. And the closer you walk, the colder it is. I'm going to be honest with you. It is pretty scary.”

When he opened the front door, a dense aura radiated from within. It was like a shattering vase, like an invitation. Despite this, she responded to it.

“SHO!!!!!!”

A loud thundering voice echoed from the room in front of them and the darkness dissipated. As they stepped in, their pupils shrunk immediately. A room filled with white suddenly appeared in front of them and in the room there was a ‘happy second anniversary’ banner hung in the living room with glitters surrounding the man.

“Welcome home, darling. You sure took your time outside. I didn’t quite understand what was going on. Although, calling out to you would have ruined the surprise. Are you okay?”

“Huh??” she stared blankly at the couple.

More importantly, the entity in front of them was nothing but a regular woman. With hair as white as snow and a frail looking body, her beauty sparkled through out the room. She was left speechless.

“Rika..”

“Why do you look so confused?”

“…”

There she stood, rather, floated…The one who had been waiting patiently for him to return home.. The one he nearly parted with.

“The lights outside are a problem, they’re creepy. Why do you look so dirty?? What happened to you?”

“I…”

She grabbed his hands, her pale expression catching him off guard.

“Did you cry?”

“No..I just tripped..”

“Tripped? Where? It looks like you took a bath in mud.”

“ I do apologize, Miss. Your husband managed to save me from a terrible accident today.”

“Oh, don’t apologize. I’m sorry for not welcoming you properly. Wait did you just say husband?” the party popper slipped from her hands.

“Jeez, that’s flattering. Sho, what were you telling this young lady?”

“I just told her my wife was waiting for me.” he cracked a smile.

“Did you now??” she was buzzing. The only thing stopping her from jumping in his arms was the shirt he was wearing.

“Well, if he saved you then that’s that. At least no one got hurt. You scared me for a moment.”

“Miss..”

“It’s Rika.”

“Miss Rika, I'm sorry to intrude. Can I join in this party of yours? I hope I can be of help.”

“A party? It's nothing like that. Anyway,  I’ve prepared everything.”

“I see.”

“But if you really want to help me..” she extended her hand.

“How about we make something for dinner?”

“Huh? Me?”

“You see, I’m a terrible cook. It’s not something that really bothered me. But if I’m going by the title of ‘wife’ now, I will feel ashamed if my ‘husband’ is the one doing the cooking..or even worse.. getting food from the convenience store.” she winked at him.

“I totally get you. I mean, food from the convenience store is just that.. Nothing good and most of them are not really healthy.”

“They’re trash.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. But I understand. No need to worry. My Mom has been married for nearly twenty years and my cooking skills, bad as they are, put hers to shame.”

“You sounded a bit too smug when saying that.”

“Haha really? Well, if it’s about the prep work, I am really efficient so I will be able to help you there. What are you making?”

“Sukiyaki.”

“Really? Well, it’s my time to show off a little.” she pulled the victory fist pump. All the time she spent preparing this same meal for her little sister wasn't in vain.

“Sho, why don’t you go take a shower in the meantime?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just change shirts and watch TV.”

“No way. You can’t be covered in so much dirt and brush it off. You need to scrub all that smudge off you. Infact, staying like that will be disrespectful to our guest.”

“She doesn’t mind.”

“Yeah, I really don’t.”

“Sho…She’s even forced to pretend like that’s not weird.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Look, it’s going to be fine. You don’t have to spend hours in there. Just wash up, okay?”

“Fine.”

"To start, we’re gonna need to pull up a recipe and then take a look at what we have.”

“I have a list of ingredients right here."

"Let's see. Onions, mushrooms, soy sauce, carrots. Some noodles and beef. Hmm."

“What is it?”

"Now I know why you don't cook a lot. In any case, Sukiyaki is nearly impossible to mess up."

"Unless you're me."

"That won’t happen. Could I borrow the Kitchen?"

"It's all yours."

"We could make the most bare bones meal with these ingredients and it'll still taste good. Let's see, how sharp is the knife?"

“Why do you ask?”

“I mean, I am quite efficient but then again, my fingers tell a different story. I easily cut myself.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I know. I’ll try my best though.”

"Thanks. Speaking of knives, how sharp is the one hidden in your pocket?"

….…..

"Hmm?"

"The blade, I mean." she stared as Aiko stopped scouring the refrigerator for ingredients. She reached for a small pocket stitched on the inside, in between the tights and the padding of the outer pocket.

"Oh this? It's for self defense. I hide it because showing off a weapon will only attract unwanted attention."

"Sure. I could buy that. You aren't lying." she moved closer.

"Please don't misunderstand."

"There's nothing to misunderstand. Your worries are yours alone. Who am I to pry?"

Aiko, with her back to the refrigerator froze in place as she approached her, hoping it showed even a trace of sincerity.

"However, we do have a bit of a problem. You. The knife. All covered in aura. Care to explain?"

"...."

"What's wrong? I'm not a lie detector." she whispered in her ears.

"I'm not here to harm you."

"Wrong. Not a valid answer." She gripped the edges of the refrigerator and gently embraced her.

"Speaking of aura. Let me show you what I mean."

Her body was compressed by this overwhelming power. There was no escape. Hell, she could barely breathe. Crackling sounds could be heard from the refrigerator. The pressure was enough to break bones.

"Why…. are you doing this?"

"Why wouldn't I? I have numerous reasons. I didn’t mind the fact that you could see me straight away. After all, Sho was like that when we first met.

But then you had to drag my Sho into this. That's the greatest mistake you made. He's acting weird because of you. He had no choice but to lie to me.. because of you!!!! How are you going to take responsibility for that? Huh?"

"I'm going to save you. That’s all I can do."

"HOW DARE YOU?"

She held her neck without any contact, lifting her off the ground. Her icy fingertips rang alarms in the young lady's head. With such malicious intent, what was the best move to make?

"Rika stop!!" he rushed out of the room with only his underwear intact and his body wet.

"Sho, did she take advantage of your kindness? She did, right?"

"No. I took her hand. Of my own volition. Rika, we need help."

"I don't understand."

"Do your damn job, miss Takano!!"

She appeared right beside Sho.

"Rika, we need to sit down and talk."

"Who said you could butt in?"

She tossed her to the side, her body slamming against the walls but before she made contact, it was the wooden chair that took the hit.

"I promised to help, but I never said I was going to be your punching bag. Let's talk like adults."

"Miss Takano, I was undecided a while ago but you know what, I might just kill you."

While attempting to hit her, the girl flickered round the room to no end. She didn't notice when the man walked up to her.

"Rika "

"You!!!!"

The room colors spiked up in frequency.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not."

"THEN TALK!!"

"If you want the truth, fine. There's no pretty way of putting this. I met Miss Takano about a couple of hours ago. That's when she promised to help me."

"Help with what?"

The front door opened. Much to their surprise, the figure who came in had completely compressed the walls leading to the living room. He was visibly upset and no expression could cover that.

“Oi..I know I said this was messy but this is a bit too much. I didn’t sign up for this, Mister.”

“Who are you??”

“Such a dreadful aura, yet the inside is so peaceful. That’s odd.”

“What are you doing here?” Aiko’s shaky voice was a signal, he played into it even deeper.

“You don’t know, miss?? I’m the one who kills you.” his gaze was fixated on what shouldn’t have been visible with the naked eye. Just like the pink haired lady, aura flowed from his body like water from a spring. For the first time in her life, she experienced fear. Aiko attempted pulling her phone out again but he knocked it cleanly off her hands with a swift breeze.

…

“Kills me?”

“He’s talking nonsense.”

“Darling, what is he talking about?”

“... It’s a misunderstanding.”

“How do you know him?”

“I will explain the full story. Aiko, get him out of here.”

“That’s mean. I’m quite reasonable normally but then when you want to play in the dirt, I’ll be the first one to dive in.”

“This man is clearly dangerous.”

“This is all a misunderstanding.”

“That look. You’re lying to me again, aren’t you?”

With impeccable timing, his mind finally shattered. Unsurprisingly, his thoughts began colliding with each other

“He’s really not..”

“You can’t even look me in the eyes.”

“He’s not supposed to be here. I’m…I’m sorry. Please…Believe me.”

“This can’t be real.” she slowly floated away from him.

“No. Please listen to me Rika. Both of them will leave. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Why do I deserve to die?? All I’ve ever done is love you!!!!”

He tried touching her but this time, her body was intangible.

The room, even the whole house, glowed. It was a dark neon color that traversed through the entire building. They were waves of emotions that took on a physical form. More importantly, they were about to burst.

“Take him somewhere safe.”

“YOU MADE SHO THIS WAY…. SHO WILL NEVER HURT ME…. SHO CAN DIE FOR ME…. SHO IS NOT EVIL…… SHO CAN NEVER BE EVIL….. HE LOVES ME…... HE LOVES ME HE LOVES ME…... THEN WHY!!!!”

From the single point where she floated, everything living or not, swiftly dispersed in all directions. The intensity at which they flew was faster than the eye could see. All that surging energy was oozing on to the surface and from the looks of it, every single person was in danger.

“Dumbass. I told you to take him somewhere safe.”

“My phone…”

“It’s destroyed. Fuck, you’re useless. He opened the door at the far corner and flung the both of them inside.

“I’ll handle it.”

*slam*

The worn down door was shut. They were covered from head to toe in a sphere of wind that protected them from harm. Of course, the closer they were to the source the worse it was going to get.

“I should have brought a spare. Shit!!”

Words were like bound sounds that flew towards him. They barely reached him but faded instantly as he delved into his memories from the past.

[

“Sho, huh? You’ve spent a couple of weeks here and you haven’t moved out yet. You can even see me, too.”

“I got this beauty of a house dirt cheap. Sometimes I don’t think I deserve something this huge.”

“You know why it’s cheap, right? The neighbours haven't given you the memo?”

“Look. It’ll take more than a ghost to make me move out.”

“Is that so? That’s impressive and a bit creepy.”

“What? A ghost is calling me creepy?”

“You know I can kill you, right?”

“Go ahead.”

“W-Well, you’re the first person that has come here that isn’t scared to death when they realize there’s a ghost living here. Even my older brother is afraid of me.”

“The Landlord??”

“Yeah. I can’t tell you how many times he tried to demolish this building but anyway, with things as they are you probably know what happened afterwards.”

“He’s just not bothered huh? That’s the right attitude. Why would I be scared of a ghost who can’t do her job properly??”

“Hey!!”

“Honestly, you’re unlucky that I can see you. Made your job twice as hard.”

“I know.”

“You’re too pretty to be scary. So I wonder how you managed to pull that off. Besides, there’s something even more scary. Scarier than you will ever be.”

“Hmm??”

“My future. That and small talk.”

“You make it sound like your life is bad.”

“The only two words to describe me are ‘failure’ and ‘disappointment’.”

“You think calling yourself a failure is healthy behaviour?”

“Who needs a personal reminder when you have your own family? Can I even blame them? It’s not like I became a failure because they said I’m a failure. They said I’m a failure because I became a failure. That’s all I’ve ever been.”

“My apologies, I guess?”

“You don’t have to sympathize with me.”

“ Listen, all you have to do is pay them no mind. Once you allow another person control your emotions, they can successfully control your life. No matter what you go through, it’s always possible to turn your life around.”

“Isn’t that just accepting their words?”

“Nope. It’s accepting change. If you haven’t tried, now is the time. If you have, well, you’ll just have to try harder. If you can’t pull it off, maybe I will help you with that.”

“Help me?”

“You heard me. I hope I’m not dealing with a dummy.”

“I’m definitely not!”

“Right, right. That’s not the important thing here.”

“You’re right.”

“What a pushover. We’re just getting started. Time to start from point zero.”

“Why are you helping me though?”

“What if I said I don’t know?”

“Impossible.”

“Well, maybe I just want to see you be better, so you’ll finally be able to afford a better place.”

“Is that it?”

“What? A lady needs her privacy. It’s in my best interest that this place is left as is.”

“Whatever.”

“Let’s see. Think of it as my way of taking rent. You know, I can’t do anything with money. More like I don’t need it. So this would be the best way to receive it. Although it’s intangible.”

“Great so I’m paying rent and I’m the test subject of a weird ghost…”

“You looking for a fight?”

“Doesn’t sound so bad, actually.”

]

--That was actually the first time we had a real conversation. Initially, I tried to ignore her existence, despite her attempts of making me leave. Then I later accepted it.

[

“You are so close to a promotion at work. All you need to do is maintain your cool factor. Be friendly but commanding. Don’t be robotic but don’t be too friendly, okay?”

“Pffft.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I just remembered that a while back, you wanted me to leave so you could have the house to yourself.”

“Is that what’s important right now?”

“I know I know. Also, shouldn’t we be celebrating the fact that I survived nine months of this hell?”

“Yeah, that too. You’ve come a long way. Though your standards are definitely something.”

“I wish I could hit you..”

“Even if you tried, you can’t.”

“You’re so lucky.”

“I’m stuck with a loner for the rest of my days here. How is that lucky?”

“What’s up with the quirky insults today??”

“Believe it or not, I’m just excited for you.”

“Well, what’s next now???”

“Now that you finally have a social life, we need to go higher. You need a love life. You need at least three confessions by the end of the year.”

“Do I look like a high schooler to you? And what do you mean by finally having a social life?”

“Enough with the questions.”

“Pfft. What do I do after that?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“I thought you knew? Don’t tell me…”

“Okay,okay,okay. Fine. Reject them all.”

“Why the hell should I do that??”

“I don’t know. Asserting your dominance?”

“What good will that do? You can be a real idiot at times.”

“Hey!! Stop laughing.”

“It’s just…It’s fun seeing you like this. Okay, it’s settled. You confess to me so I can reject you.”

“I won’t. You will just end up accepting it.”

“Cocky, are we?”

]

-- Now that I look back at it. These were the happiest moments of my life. How could I have been so naive to doubt it? What was I looking for??

[

“Darling, could you get the cake from the bakery?”

“Of course, I ordered it online a week ago.”

“Quite the surprise, huh?”

“Yeah. I’ll get another for our anniversary. This time, I’ll ask for it to be delivered at the front door.”

“Yeah, that’ll work better. Let’s not think about any of that, today’s your birthday so let’s just focus on you.”

“I’m just a ghost.”

“So?”

“You’re a pretty weird guy, Sho-kun. But that’s why I love you.”

“I love you too, Rika. The candles. The candles.”

“Oops, forgot to put them out.”

“Happy birthday, Rika.”

“So, uhh, got any idea how we do the count?”

“It’s simple. We just start from the year you were born.”

“Wouldn’t that be a bit creepy for you?”

“I mean, it’s better than saying you’re three.”

“Who said I was going to do that?”

“Just kidding.”

“I haven’t been this happy in a very long time.”

“I’ll make you even happier from now on.”

“It’s a promise.”

]

--They were undeniably real. My life..My happiest moments….were right here. The proof..is in her eyes. I remember everything now..

“Sho!!”

She clapped her hands, snapping him out of his memories, back into the crushing reality they found themselves in.

“Snap out of it.”

“I’m sorry. I lost my cool.”

“I completely understand. But we need to do something.”

“What is he going to do with Rika?”

“It’s safe to assume the worst.”

“Then we have to save her.”

“I’m aware. That idiot just had to rile her up. Sho, if you don’t mind me asking. Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to calm her down under any circumstance?”

“I understand what you mean. I’m on it. Your powers. It seems like they have to do with teleportation?”

“Right. That doesn’t answer the question though.”

“I need you to teleport me to the middle of the both of them. I will stop Rika.”

“I understand you but..It’s too dangerous. The only reason we’re not in danger much to my displeasure is because of him. I wouldn’t willingly put you in danger.”

“You’ll have to. What Rika said is true.”

He got up and walked towards the door, pushing it aside.

“I can die for her.”

The balls of air were static, as soon as he left its presence, his skin tingled, the more he moved closer to her, the more parts of his skin peeled and bled. It was as though he was being skinned alive.

“Fine. I have only one target available.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the black haired man found himself in the room with her.

“No.” Aoi swiftly maintained the cushion of air he set him in back in the bed room. If just a single layer collapsed….

“Rika!!!!”

“.…”

“If you can hear me. I want you to know. The reason I ever thought about killing myself was because I didn’t want to choose. I didn’t want the responsibility of making a crucial choice that will change our lives. I wanted to save you but deep down, even for a split second, I thought about it.

For the first time I doubted my own memories. I entrusted a stranger with the burden of our lives despite knowing the risks. Because I was weak, I failed you.”

“.…..”

“Even if I tried to kill myself so I could become a lingering spirit, I knew it was never going to work. Listening to it now sounds absurd but at that point, the logic held some weight. I don’t know what the future looks like. But with things being the way they are, it’s just muddied water."

Aoi sighed as the couple were having a heart to heart even in the midst of what he would have labelled 'perfect timing' . Finally, her lips moved.

“That’s……. nonsense.

Kill yourself??

I thought you no longer had those thoughts??

I thought you were happy being with me?

Did you lie to me when you said that?

I don’t understand!!! I don’t understand!!! I don’t understand!!!”

As she sobbed, the room darkened or rather, lost its color.

Aiko also walked out, giving no thought to her safety. Urging him to protect her too. 

"I'm certain. You, lady, have a few screws loose."

She turned to the perpetrator and whispered.

“Once this is over, you’re dead.”

“Ooh, scary.”

“More importantly, what do we do? Is this a viable plan?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Aiko? Our lives are in danger. The ‘plan’ just put the guy in more danger.”

“Whose fault was that to begin with?”

“No idea.”

“Her emotions are somehow connected to this house. It’s best to stay put.”

“Spoken like a true weakling.”

“Any other ideas??”

“You probably know what I want to say.”

“If it’s what I think it is, then we wait.”

“Rika. I don’t want to live anymore. Not like this. When I said I love you, it wasn’t a lie. I still love you. But..”

“But???”

As her words fell silent, the colors in the room spiked up in disarray. The room became dimmer in a blend of different colors as she rejected his words. Rejected the truth. Rejected reality.

“Am I the cause of it?”

“You did nothing wrong.”

“So what?? You don’t want me again??”

“No, that’s not the case at a--”

“You idiot!! I never asked you to die for me!!! Never!! Not even once!! Why would you throw your life away?? I’m already dead, Sho!! Are you crazy?”

“I know that already, damn it!!!”

“.…..”

“I’ve heard enough humiliating words like that and it completely infuriates me. You are a human. That’s the way I see you. You might call me crazy but I always thought about it.

You were supposed to be a ghost without any purpose. You didn’t even have the freedom to leave this cage. But that changed when you met me.”

He inhaled slowly while grabbing her shoulders.

“Usually, for a lingering spirit, you must have had one or two regrets tying you down. Maybe you didn’t leave because you wanted to stay with me till my last breath. I appreciated that resolve and I tried my best to be someone worthy of it.

You really changed my life. I was a failure at life. I was nothing. Without a job…Relying on my parents for money. No friends. Not a single non relative would have remembered me if I jumped off a bridge in the past. I spent the last five years being a man worthy of that. I got a job that I could tolerate. Friends that I could smile and laugh with. My parents became proud of their failure son. I was no longer a failure, because of you."

He paused momentarily. He cleared his throat but this lump was something he couldn't get rid of easily.

"You believed in a failure like me. As much as I shrugged off the thought, the reality that none of this was normal hit me everyday. The reality that I was in love with a ghost and all the limits that came with it. I wanted to do this forever but a part of me knew that was not possible.

At times, I wished I could touch your cheeks as you fell asleep, go on random dates in public or have a dozen trips together because I know you rarely travelled while alive. Have our own kids and watch them grow up, and grow with them too.

As much as I loved our rather abnormal relationship, I still wished for something more normal sometimes. That wish grew stronger and stronger until the thought stuck to me. It was always sickening. The thought of doubt surfacing around the one that gave my life meaning.”

“.…..”

“I’ll never make that mistake again. I swear it. And I’ll never decide our future without you. No matter what it is. I know nothing about the afterlife but if there truly is somewhere like that, I’ll love to be there with you.”

“.…Why go that far??”

“Is that even a question?? Your life is mine and my life is yours.”

“Idiot..”

Her quivery hands stiffened and the colors on the walls settled, just like a wild storm. Her tears still flowed as she hugged the man on the verge of tears. This was all the guilt that sunk deep in his heart for so long, yet he brushed it off with a convincing smile.

Aoi lowered his arms. The storm was finally over.