|Bring me Nirvana

Meanwhile….

“Hey. Fudo sensei. It should be a crime getting us all hyped up then bringing us here. What the hell are we doing at an Owl cafe?” he glanced at his menu, even though he wasn’t planning on ordering.

“You’re disturbing the peace. You don’t like owls?”

He sighed and shifted his gaze to his partner who essentially translated.

“We’re simply stalling. He probably hasn’t gotten confirmation yet so we can’t even pinpoint the exact location of our targets.”

“Confirmation from who?”

“Right, you haven’t had the chance to use the board yet. Well, when you select a mission, there’s a sector where your target would likely show up. This is our sector.”

“Akihabara of all places….”

“That solves the problem of where. As for when, that’s something that’s nearly impossible to pinpoint. Luckily for us, we can actually trace the target’s corruption state. The clearer it is, the narrower the sector is.” as she was busy stroking the owl’s head, he sat there, conflicted. It was as though being here alone was a task too tall.

“Couldn’t have said it any better. Although this case is a bit different. We have to be patient with these things.” his gaze unmoved. The owls were just too precious to ignore.

“So, intel from the owls?”

“Nope. That unit works from scratch. This was a failed mission. Kotowari-chan actually tried fighting it but ultimately gave up. I picked it up straight away.”

“Hmm.”

“Zirou, If it makes you feel any better, I’m not necessarily comfortable with walking around here with how crowded it is. I feel like at least one person here would recognize me but what can I do? It’s for the sake of the mission.”

“That reminds me. There is a very important prerequisite for our mission. They should be starting right about now.”

Just in front of the renowned Cx Plaza, where the eyes of many would naturally be drawn, and the neon lights would naturally guide those eyes, the couple began the live stream.

The both of them had matching shirts that were both oversized with rainbow strips decorated around. It looked as though their legs had been swallowed with the baggy, navy blue jeans they had on. Some people preferred skin tight clothing for precision while others went with the flow as long as it matched their aesthetic. They were part of the latter group.

“Camera-check. Signal strength-check. Speakers- check. Background lighting- check. Think we’re set.”

“Live in 3…2…1.!

“Sup guys. It’s your favourite gold feet couple. Ami and…”

“Riooooooo” he slid behind her and spun her around, pulling her towards him midway, all while facing the tripod.

“Who else is super fired up for Throwdown Tuesday?”

“I sure am. We can feel your enthusiasm. I’ve been itching for a good old---”

“Slow down there, Rio. You’re so excited you forgot about the warm up?”

“Damn it, you’re right. Guys, is it just me or has Ami changed recently?”

“Huh? Really?” a finger on her lips.

“I think I know what it is. Take a guess, guys. Oh woah woah wait. I’m struggling to read all the comments.” he scrolled through his phone, his eyes skimming through various comments.

“Do I really look that different?”

“Aki.xa, thanks for the superchat. ‘Ami’s face is rather pale today. Is she okay? Is it that time of the…month??’ ”

“.…”

“Hahaha wrong. Thanks for the concern but she’s fine. We’ll get to the new routine soon but for the reveal. Well, it’s her neck tattoo!!” he gestured to his partner with an exaggerated smile.

“You see, we got matching tats for our favourite move, heartbeat.”

“Isn’t it adorable?”

“Thanks guys. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this. You’re the best.”

“An extra surprise.” she stuck out her tongue.

“I nearly died of shock at first. Great, now I have to deal with twice the headaches. Yoshi thanks for the sub and heart. Liz says ‘I have split tongue too. It hurts like hell at first but it’s so sick so it’s worth it. By the way, you look more like your spirit animal now, Ami-chan.”

“Thanks, Liz. I’m really loving it. Rio hates….. snakes though so there’s that.”

“It looks cool on you. Although, guys, as you can see, she’s struggling to speak properly cause it’s still healing. I’ll be doing the heavy lifting today. That’s that. Now, let’s show you the new move we’ve been working on.”

“Still no name for it yet.”

“How about marching swan? Think that’s a good name.” he casually walked through the handful of people that had gathered. His air of importance didn’t slip past the curious viewers all asking who the hell this man was. Of course, he was no stranger.

“Guys, it seems like we have an unexpected guest. Planning on showing us a few moves?”

“Your fans wouldn’t want to see an old fart like me getting down.”

“You underestimate yourself.You never know.” his forced smile gave him away instantly.

“The chat is booming. Thanks guys. I’ll have a quick chat with our guest here. I’ll be back in a flash. Ami.”

“Sure.”

In a well lit corner, away from the camera and the gaze of strangers.

"Way to ruin my live stream, bro."

"It can wait. We need you, like now."

"Go find someone else, man. I’m dumb but I ain’t that dumb, okay?"

"Who else would be dumb enough to turn down a million yen?"

"Just to have a dance off with a random dude? You’re not fooling me with that. You know, you can offer someone else this gig, right? Walk around this plaza alone and you’ll probably spot a dancer."

"That won’t do. What can I say? They watched your live stream, not any other random person. Your moves are like no other. It feels different from what people are used to. And you know that.”

“So what are you trying to say?”
”You’re a breath of fresh air, Ryosuke. The perfect balance between modern trends and that old school street vibe. It takes not just talent but flair. It’s that flair he wants to see from you. Just one dance, nothing illegal or secretive. No NDAs or anything. Before you even start, it would be sent to your account immediately.”

"Fuck off. Jeez, I can't believe I entertained this. Tell this to whoever you work for. I'm not selling my soul to anyone or anything. Keep your million."

"Double it first. Then we can talk." she hung her arm around his.

"Ami."

"Honestly, I'm annoyed. I'd rather listen to this than continue with those chatters. Where are the mods anyway?" her tone thickened as she sighed in annoyance.

"Still hung up on that, huh?”

“Why wouldn’t I? What’s going on here. I heard a million yen and my ears perked up.” she playfully made cat ears with her hands.

“This guy is crazy. I'm not putting myself at risk. Let alone you."

"2 million yen would be enough to cover all our streams, ad revenue and all for at least a month."

"What's the point of that if we can't even use it?"

"Amiru. it's not a big deal. I just need your partner to face off against a cocky dancer past his prime."

"That's a big no. We dance together. If he's in, I'm in."

"Ami channn." he rubbed his cheeks against hers. Compared to her smooth skin, his was a bit rough. That never bothered her though.

"That's not a problem."

"That amount sure feels unreal but then again this whole thing sounds real sketchy. You do know you've already showed your face on our stream. If anything happens to us in the process, you're in big trouble."

"Once again, it's nothing sketchy. Your opponent is a ghost."

"That's way too sketchy!!!"

"Just a lonely ghost that loves to dance. To have a proper conversation, you need to be ready to get down."

"That's all?"

"Are you crazy?" he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her around like a doll.

"I'm from the FISF. We are simply trying to fulfill this ghost's wish."

"If you're truly from there, then we have our safety guaranteed?"

"Wait, this isn't even making sense.” he cut in, rubbing his temple. “If all he needs to do is dance, why don't you just get rid of him??"

"Violence last is our goal. If you died, and had the misfortune of coming back to life, would you maintain that same stance?”

“Well..”

“This world is cruel enough. We want to fulfil his wish. That is why we are going through the trouble of paying you that much just so he can be satisfied with dancing with the very best.”

"And if he's not??"

"Then we’ll pursue other means..." he turned to Zirou who made a sphere of wind in his palm.

"Ami, this is too dangerous."

"It is but it’s also an opportunity."

"How?"

"So here's what I’m thinking. We're gonna stream the entire thing, from start to finish. Are you fine with those terms?"

“Just the dance off. You can't specify any details about this target and at the same time, if anything happens, for your safety, you'll need to turn the stream off. Fine by you?"

"That's fine."

"Ami."

"We need something to get us back to the top spot. It's dangerous but we've tried everything. This could be the difference between top 10 and top 3. With this push, all we’ll need to do is maintain our position."

"I know, but..."

“You saw Ruined Tibee right?”

“That’s…”

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Are you, partner?"

*Sigh*

"Fine. We have a deal."

Later that evening, the five of them cornered the location that housed the apparition.

Aiko and Fudo both stayed on a building with a solid platform,adjacent to it. He held his sniper rifle, recaliberating the coordinates. Aiko watched in intrigue.

"Did we have to go in with a script?" she read through it again, slightly perplexed.

"Fudo san’s a pretty sick dude. When did he have the time to make such cringey lines?”

“Hey, if you’re earning that much, a few embarrassing lines shouldn’t be a problem.”

In front of the warehouse stood Ami and Rio, along with their new cameraman, Ryouta Zirou. He was their ‘safety’.

“Drop it. Are you in position, Sensei?”

"I'm all set up. I doubt he would be able to sense me from here."

"I've scanned the area. You're safe now."

"Well, here goes nothing. Let's start the live stream."

"Hey guys. Your favourite couple are back. This time, we have a once in a lifetime event just for you. I'm sure many of you are no strangers to Akihabara. Behind the various cultural expressions and social landmarks, we managed to find this abandoned warehouse. Apparently, half a decade ago, it was a hideout for a small gang. We scoured through a few things and we're sure that's the case. However, that's not why we're here today. Get your ghost goggles with some salt. We’ll be dabbling in the supernatural."

"Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.."

"Are you ready, Ami?"

"Yup. Let's go.”

She bit her lips so hard, it hurt to watch. He tensed up but gave a smile of reassurance. In the distance, they spotted a figure motionless but reclined on a chair. It was now or never.

"Hey, you. Word around town is that you’ve been messing with quite the number of people. What’s your deal?”

"Forget all that. Can you dance?"

"Maybe."

"Then get on the dance floor and prove yourself."

"pff."

"Dude, quit it.”

"Zirou, you’re ruining the live stream."

"Aiko, I’m sorry. This is harder than I thought….”

With a flick of his finger, blinding lights emerged from the vacant warehouse. He sat on his dark iron chair, tapping his feet like a belligerent child.

As the couple approached him, they perceived a slightly salty, slightly saline smell pulsing through. It's faintness reduced it's distinct potency and therefore they didn't know what exactly was emanating from the warehouse.

However, he knew this was something different, it was musky and oddly metallic in nature.

He set his gaze to the youngster and stood, kicking his chair from the center. As the scenery changed with each passing moment, the couple maintained composure. They didn't have the luxury to be overwhelmed. Rio slid his way to the dance floor with Zirou following behind with the camera. He didn’t need to do much since the camera was able to rotate 360 degrees and auto focus based on sensors.

There was not a single speaker in sight, yet one would have thought they were bang in the middle of a night club. The apparition removed his exotic shirt that barely hung on his body, leaving his upper half exposed. His leather pants did a poor job complementing his figure. This man of unknown origin looked at best, slightly malnourished.

“There’s no time to waste. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Jeez, you’re rushing me. I like to move slow, ya know.”

The apparition spun and landed on his toes with his body making the C shape. He pointed to his opponent who in turn dramatically took off his shirt, revealing his all black vest and moonwalked into the dance floor.

The man with pine green hair moved swiftly but fleetingly. He once suffered a back injury that effectively left him out of the field for months. Of course those days were far behind him but the effects lingered..

His movements were slow but carried an elegant weight to them. He walked a fine line of both that kept him in the game but that was all. Despite this, his opponent was level with him on every aspect.

However, a few minutes later, he was struggling to keep up with the apparition.

"Hang in there, Rio. Although, you seem gassed out."

"I'm not. I will switch when I'm ready."

"You're stubborn. But I guess it's to be expected. Just remember. You can't stop dancing. Before you run out of steam, switch with Ami."

"Gotcha." he wiped the sweat cleanly off his face. Frustration welled up inside him.

“Hey, ghost dude. Your body is flexible. However, your technique is awful.”

“Does one need technique to be able to dance?”

“Quite cheeky from one as sloppy as you.”

“Relax, relax. We just started moving our bodies. Let me flow with the rhythm.”

Shortly after, he switched with Ami.

“You did well, babe.”

She on the other hand, had light feet. She was skillful and never lacked when it came to stamina or adaptability. She didn’t have the energy and presence Rio had but she had grace. Her only lacking quality happened to be her technique. An obstacle she was bound to break with time.

“You’ve got moves, Sis.”

“Quit talking. L-Let the music talk.” her cheeks beamed red.

“You’re right.”

She swayed her arms as though they were wings. Nearly placing him in a trance.

It’s time to get serious, he thought to himself.

“Even if my bones break, even if this is my last dance, I will make it worth it.”

These words of conviction were like fireworks that sparked deep within him. He was one with the music, his body followed its lead and in turn his rhythm was unmatched.

In this short amount of time, he realized his technique wasn’t as razor sharp as he thought but his desire to dance was as fierce as ever. Without warning, Rio stepped into the ring once more.

“Babe, let’s end this.”

“Splendid!!! It seems you’ve still got some dance left in you? Don’t you dare back away. It’s all or nothing now.”

In the head of the apparition, light became bubbles, sounds became heartbeats, every step was so crucial, he feared falling off and drowning. He was eternally intoxicated. Hence the charade he set up.

He twirled and turned, but never reached exhaustion. He was walking on clouds, but as he gleefully traversed over them, droplets of blood fell, and he was the sole denominator.

In this crucial moment, a thought shot through his mind. Taking him back. Back to the days he lived a normal, mundane yet restricted life.

{

"Downsizing?"

"Kenji!!"

"...Apologies."

His hands were unnecessarily moist as he stood in anticipation of his dismissal. His two superiors sat, their cold gazes made the room stiff and made him question his reason for entertaining this conversation to begin with.

"As we've mentioned before, it has nothing to do with you. You've served us greatly. The redundancy policy is unchanging and has helped this company navigate towards the right direction in difficult times."

"I've given my all to this company." he murmured in defeat.

"We understand and appreciate that fact. Which is why you have one of the best severance packages among other employees of your rank. Double the value."

"It will be in your best interest,too."

"So you're throwing me away, huh? Fine."

"This conversation is never easy, we all know that. But there's no other way to slice it. It's for the sake of the company."

"What about the employees?"

"...."

"We want you to consider this carefully. We wouldn't want a case where we part on shaky terms."

"Too late. I'm taking your bloody money and I'll share it with members of my team. They don't deserve to worry about the bills because of heartless scum that don't see them as people."

".....Suit yourself.”

“We appreciate your understanding.”

}

Now that I think about it after the fact, that was dumb of me. Do I regret it? Perhaps. But if my efforts helped my team, then I’ll say I’m pretty satisfied. Life has been the same. When you don’t have anything to live for, you get your days packaged in weeks. Your weeks packaged in months.Your months packaged in years. Your years packaged to form the rest of your life. It’s unbelieveable that I spent most of my life…not living… What would you have done in my shoes? I have…had family back home to care for. I had my own apartment. My own car. My own guitar. My own pet. People would be lucky to be me right? I should happy, right?

Right?

What is dancing to me? It’s a personal ritual. Something I only grew accustomed to when I hit my lowest point in life. And in that lonely spot, where self condemnation ripped my mind to shreds, I found something to live for.

“Such bliss.” he stretched his hands, searching for the heavens. At this moment. He hit nirvana.

The couple did a matching swipe, while Rio froze and pulled her towards him as she spun on her feet.

The apparition ended things with an air flare then struck a pose, effectively bringing the dance battle to a close. This was the trickiest part. What came next?

“Zirou.”

“I know.”

He was ready to fire if anything went wrong.

“This should be enough.” he thought.

“That was the most fun I’ve ever had on the dance floor. Didn’t know I had that in me.”

“Well, you weren’t half bad, bro.”

“So, what are you going to do next?”

“There’s nothing left to do. Seems like my flames are about to burn out.” he glanced at his hands that gradually faded.

“Perhaps there’s a space for me in your group?”

“Not a chance in hell.” she responded casually, pulling out her hair tie and placing her dark hair behind her shoulders.

“Haa. What can I say? No harm in trying.”

“Any regrets left?”

“None that I can think of. Seems like this is the end. Just know this, Rio and Ami. You got yourselves a new fan.”

With that, the apparition named Kenji was no more. The couple held each other in celebration while the young man in front of them sighed. He wasn’t needed after all.

Suddenly, their eyes widened. It had always been in front of them, yet they couldn’t see it.

“Cut the stream now!!”

He scrunched his nose, while they covered their faces. The nauseating smell created its own urgency. Bodies upon bodies, laid there like livestock. No sign of life dwelled in that warehouse.

“Let’s get out of here first.” He swirled a barrier around them as they walked out of the warehouse.

Aiko and Fudo joined them and inspected the warehouse. Of course, he made her wait behind.

“Just as I thought. He couldn’t have been just a dancer with his rank.”

“So these are all his victims. How did he bring this many people in one place?”

“I doubt this many people randomly wandered here. My guess is teleportation. What do you think, Zirou?”

“That’s the most reasonable conclusion. But even then, this is..so vile.”

“Fill me in guys.”

“You don’t want to know, Aiko.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Let’s just say.. the entire warehouse is packed with bodies. I can’t imagine the motive. Probably because there isn’t any.”

“Yo. Shouldn’t we, like, call the police?” Rio cut in, his hands visibly shaken.

“I’ll call the owl’s response team. Don’t worry, this will be taken care of.”

“Sure hope so.”

“Anyway, thanks for your help. I hope the compensation is adequate.”

“We can’t be too greedy. Now, we just need to process all this.”

“I get that. I understand no NDAs were signed but you need to be careful with your retelling of the events. I know Sunday storytime needs to be lively but don’t talk about what you saw to anyone.”

“So, you really did watch us.”

“Of course.”

“We promise to talk about the stream and nothing else.”

“Good. Take care of yourselves.”

“You too.”

As they left, the smiles faded. Aiko was still too shaken to speak normally while Fudo was dreading the consequences of such a discovery.

“One of the weirdest cases I’ve had in my career for sure. At least now I understand why your sis was unable to complete this. Forget about moves, she is as stiff as a log of wood.”

“Haha, come to think of it. I’ve never seen her dance before.”

“Let’s return for now. The mission is over.”

“Think we could go for another?”

“Nope. You could just use that time training, or getting to know a thing or two about deescalation.”

“I wouldn’t argue. After all, it’s just for this week.”

“Right, you two should head to HQ. I’ll wait till they get here. Afterwards, I’ve got to head home before it’s late.”

“The thing about your son?”

“Yup, his mother should be scolding him right about now. I’ve gotta save the poor dude.”

“Your wife sounds scary.”

“Every wife is scary. It’s something you realize after marriage. No one will tell you so I figured I’ll be the one to break the news.”

“Jeez, we’ll be off.”

“Sure. Try not to go overboard.”

“Gotcha. Are you still overthinking? He said he’s got this. Let’s go.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Fudo stared at the scene once more, mouthing off the words ‘I’m sorry it took this long’.

Back in the center, they walked in silence. Destination unknown.

“You know, I’m actually starving. Sometimes you get so busy living that you forget to eat.”

“How can you eat after seeing that?”

“Unlike you, I can stomach a lot. You didn’t get to see..rather you were not allowed to, and you’re still whiny? Fine, I’ll get something to eat myself.”

“I’m sorry. I’m still thinking about it. If people were randomly teleported there, that means none of them had a choice in the matter. They simply had their lives stripped on another person’s whims.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I guess I understand. I honestly would love to get the hell out of here as soon as possible but if you’re up for it, maybe we can explore the place a bit.”

“Thanks but no. I’m not feeling up for it.”

“Fair enough. Well, in that case, we’ll meet at HQ.”

“Sure.” she waved awkwardly and walked away.

“Now that that’s settled. What to eat? I’m craving waffles with chocolate syrup and cream. Let’s look up a few--” before he could finish, a familiar figure jumped in his arms, disregarding her weight. She took a few seconds to take in his warmth. Afterwards, she looked up at him, her sky blue eyes glowing with ecstasy.

“Found …..you.”

Aiko walked past the crowd converging from every corner. She never used her powers in public, unless absolutely necessary. In this case, she looked for quiet spots but it was an impossible task. It wasn’t long but it was not difficult to notice either. With each turn she made, he followed. She tried to shake him off but to no avail.

“A stalker? Now??” she ran past the crowd, her watch beeping.

Meanwhile, back at the warehouse, his phone vibrated endlessly. He gave it a look and sighed.

“An apparition in Akihabara station? Are they still there?”