A sleepover

I took a deep breath and walked forward.

You’re overthinking it. It’s only for my safety, there’s no other reason. You’re just going to sleep, wake up, and then go home. Why am I even so nervous? She’s not dangerous.
Well, she actually is, but she won’t harm me or anything!

I tried to look as calm as possible on the outside, but inside, I was a mess, and didn’t even fully understand why.

“Hey,” I greeted Rui who greeted me back with a smile.

“Hi.”

I tried to smile back, but I must have weirded her out because her face froze, and she avoided my eyes.

Oh no, did I make a weird face? Why is she acting like that?

“...I brought your clothes.”

“Oh, yeah, Thank you. Come inside.”

We followed the same path as before, when she had carried me above her head, and reached her room. The room was almost the same as before, plain, with the only difference being that the bed was made.

She’s a good host, making the bed for the guest. But this all still feels so awkward.

I sat on the bed, unsure how to proceed.

I normally wouldn’t sleep with my clothes on, but there was no way I’d sleep in just my underwear in someone else’s house. Changing into my pajamas also seemed wrong for some reason.

Before I could decide, Rui spoke up.

“It’s not that late, right? Can I do some experiments before you go to sleep?”

“Sure. I’m not sleepy yet anyway. So, what do I need to do?”

“Just sit on the bed and don’t move. I’ll try to look at the ghost remains inside you and see if I can somehow remove them.”

“I see... Huh?”

Rui pulled a chair in front of me and sat down, staring straight into my eyes.

“Um, w-what are you doing?”

“I need to look you in the eyes in order to better see your soul.”

“M-my soul?”

“Yes. Dead spirits possess a person’s soul. Now stop talking and look at me.”

“Y-yes.”

I had been subtly avoiding her gaze, but after that order, I obeyed, and I met her gaze.
At first, it just felt really awkward, but then my body suddenly started burning up.
It didn’t hurt at first and was more like if I were in a sauna, but as we continued, I started feeling feverish, dizzy, and my entire body was sweating.
I wanted to close my eyes and stop, but Rui told me to endure.

“Just try to hold on for a little longer. I almost got it.”

So I did. I tried as hard as I could to endure, but at some point, it got impossible, and I passed out.

*

When I came to my senses, I witnessed a scene I definitely wasn't expecting.

Rui was leaning over me, her forehead pressed against mine. Her eyes were closed, so she didn’t notice when I opened mine.

W-wh-what is it?! What is she doing? Am I dreaming? Yes, that must be it. I’m still not awake yet.

I told myself this was just a dream and closed my eyes again, waiting to wake up.
But nothing happened. Soon, Rui lifted her forehead from mine and placed her hand there instead. She then made a “Hmm” sound and spoke.

“Are you awake?”

I opened my eyes, and saw Rui still leaning over me, with her hand on my forehead.

“Is this not a dream?”

“Why would you be dreaming?"

“No reason... How long was I out?”

“Only five minutes.”

“Oh. What even happened? Did you manage to get the ghost out?”

“Unfortunately, no. Even though it’s quite weak now, it still resisted strongly.”

“I see... That reminds me, when you knocked me out earlier today, and I had that dream about the burning forest, why were you asleep as well?"

“The ghost unexpectedly resisted and protected your body, making some of the impact from my blow be re-directed at me.”

“So that’s why.”

She took off her hand and I thought of another question.

“By the way, the way you reacted to that dream I told you about, is there anything important about it?”

“Ah...”

She suddenly looked sad, so I tried to change the subject.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I mean, you can if you want, but... Anyway, do you need to do another experiment before I go to sleep? It’s almost 11 at night, after all.”

“I do have another experiment, but I think it’s better we do that in the morning.”

“Why?”

“Because it involves me knocking you out again.”

“Oh...”

“Yeah... So, it would be more ideal if you have already rested by then.”

“That makes sense...”

“...”

“...So, should I go to sleep now?”

“Yes. And if you show any signs of getting controlled by the dead spirit again, I’ll wake you up right away.”

“Thanks. Oh, and I didn’t really bring any sleeping clothes, so is it okay if I just sleep like this? And where is the bathroom? I want to brush my teeth at least.”

I had basic blue jeans and a white t-shirt on, with a brown sweater over it that I was planning to take off.

“That’s fine. Just take your shoes off. And the bathroom is across the hall. I’ll take you there.”

“Thanks.”

I guess it’s an old building when the rooms here don’t even have their private bathroom. I wouldn’t really guess it when looking at the outside.

Rui showed me to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth. I then went back, took my sweater and shoes off, and got into the bed.

It smells like laundry detergent a little. She must have washed the sheets recently. Is it because I was coming over? If so, she really is a good host.

I covered myself with the blanket and laid on my side. I faced the wall, since I was too embarrassed to face Rui, closed my eyes, and tried to fall asleep.

*

Yep, I can’t do it. It’s impossible. I just cannot for the life of me fall asleep. Based on my internal clock, I’d guess an hour has passed. I’m not even looking at my phone or being disturbed by any loud noises, yet I’m still wide awake.

I gave up, turned onto my back to face the ceiling, and asked Rui a question.

“Hey, Rui? Can I ask a question?”

“Why aren’t you sleeping? It’s already midnight.”

Huh, I guess my internal clock was correct.

“I don’t know. I’m just not at all sleepy for some reason.”

“...What’s the question?”

“What happens to a ghost when the person they're possessing dies?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, I don’t know how ghosts even come to exist, or if they’re actually evil like in most movies, but it feels a little sad for some reason. From the little I know, it seems like it’s the ghost’s fault, but I still can’t but feel a little sorry for them.”

“Mmm... Would you like the short answer or the long answer?”

“I guess the long one.”

“Possession isn’t really anyone’s fault. From what I’ve observed, it sometimes happens when a human and a dead spirit overlap, one in the living world and the other in the spirit world. But what determines who gets possessed, that I don’t know. But I do know that spirits don’t choose to possess someone, it just happens. A dead human’s spirits are similar to animals. They mostly act on instinct, and once they possess a human, their instinct is to take control of the body, as all souls, dead or alive do. It’s different every time, but usually, the person’s body starts going numb while the dead spirit slowly devours their soul. One day, they just lose control entirely. The dead spirit takes over for a while, but since it’s not in its original body, it eventually loses control. The longer it stays in the living world, the more unstable it becomes. It starts going berserk, harming every living thing it can find. As for your actual question, once the possessed body dies, the dead spirit dies with it, since they’re closely connected. The dead spirit’s remains are then transformed into energy and return to the spirit world, where it is reshaped into something new.”

The whole time Rui was speaking, she sounded dejected. I also had a lot more questions after that explanation.