Patching

“Naoya… Naoya, can you hear me?”

Naoya was sobbing, tears overflowing. He couldn’t even see straight. The voice came from somewhere else. Not Aki. But…

“It’s me, Bai Rong. Give a sign if you can understand me.”

He did hear her, he just couldn’t answer. When his mouth opened, all that emerged were pitiful whines. Naoya clung even harder to Aki, almost tried to bury inside him in fear.

“He’s nodding,” Aki relayed.

When Naoya continued to cry, Aki wrapped himself around him and held him close like a wailing child.

“You’re at HQ, Naoya. You’re safe here,” Aki said calmly. “Will you let Bai Rong take care of your wounds?”

Naoya nodded against Aki’s chest, and he gave the go-ahead with a nod. With clinical precision, Bai Rong unwrapped Naoya’s arms, noting with displeased noises the state of his skin. One by one, the sting of disinfectant made it clear in how many places Naoya had been bitten. He was quickly wrapped in bandages, but the wound on his upper left arm wasn’t so easy to treat.

“This needs stitches,” Bai Rong said. “How are your legs?”

By then, Naoya had calmed down enough to reply. His face was red, his cheek tearstained, when he looked up for the first time. He was in the middle of the large dome—the glass above sparkling with sunlight filtering through the water. Around them, several groups of people stood at attention. He realised with a start that his clothes were torn, bloody, and even the floor around them was red. He looked at Aki’s hands, which were just as stained. Instinctively, he drew back, but Aki held him close.

“What happened?”

Naoya looked to the side to see Ruri, who was looking very displeased at the display in front of her. He couldn’t exactly blame her.

Aki outlined the happenings on the mountain as he remembered them too, up until the point Aki had knocked him out.

“After containment, I carried Naoya back to HQ, but just when we reached this point, he suddenly convulsed and the wounds appeared on his body, with the blood dripping over the floor. I yelled for help and someone called Bai Rong upstairs. After a while, Naoya came to.”

“Mhm. Naoya?”

Just remembering the horror of the place he’d been locked into made him break out into heavy sobs and he hid himself in Aki’s arms. Ruri relented.

“Patch him up as well as you can here, then stitch the rest downstairs. I don’t want him out of the cells if you can help it. Whatever possessed him is stronger than we anticipated. You, you,” Ruri ordered and pointed at two bystanders. “Surveillance until he’d contained downstairs. The rest of you, clean this place of ghost remnants.”

There was movement all around. Naoya listened to the commotion while he shook in Aki’s arms. Aki held him steadily, stroking his hair in a calming motion. Naoya closed his eyes as Bai Rong pulled the shredded clothes and let her work on him, silent tears streaming down his face. When Aki picked him up and carried him down to the cell again, he just let it happen.

By the time he was put down on the bed in his hotel room cell, Naoya was physically and mentally exhausted. He was silently through the operation on his arm. Luckily the other bites weren’t as deep. After the painkillers hit, he finally relaxed.

“So, before you sleep, I hate to make you, but you have to tell us what happened,” Ruri said.

Naoya took a deep breath. He recounted the encounter with the ghostly faces, but when he mentioned the names the woman had said, Aki jolted.

“Alright, thank you,” Ruri said when he was done. “I know it’s not easy. Possession never is.”

“Possession?” Naoya asked, his voice still hoarse.

“Back at Nishimon Gate, you were possessed by a ghost, which we didn’t notice slip through the rift… Only it manifested primarily as a curse. To get rid of it, we need to exorcise it.”

Aki balled his hands to fists.

“I don’t think the… the ghost can return to the reincarnation cycle, much less join our ranks. Harming a human is a sin that needs payment, and Naoya is very harmed right now.”

Bai Rong nodded. “What awaits them after the exorcism is likely only hell.”

“We can’t exorcise the ghost,” he said.

Everyone looked at him, his expression at the same time hard and desperate.

“We have to,” Ruri said. “This man is dying.”

“He can… if the cursed eye can absorb enough energy, we won’t need to—”

“Aki,” Ruri cut him off. “Just tell us.”

Aki took a deep breath.

“I think the ghost possessing Naoya might be my mother. If we’re going to exorcise her now… she…”

Ruri crossed her arms. “How do you know that?”

“The names Naoya recounted. Akito and Akie. Those are my and my twin sister’s names. And… the voice. It called my female form Acchan. I am certain.”

“What does that mean?” Naoya asked.

“It means we need to talk,” Ruri said. “But you need to sleep.”

Naoya shook his head. “I don’t… what if I go back to that place?”

“You won’t,” Bai Rong said. “The walls are reinforced and I’m going to light an incense for you. You won’t even dream.”

“I don’t… I can’t go back there…” Naoya whispered desperately.

“Then stay awake, but we need to discuss this somewhere else,” Ruri concluded.

Aki stood up, but Naoya caught his wrist. “At least stay with me until I fall asleep?”

Ruri rolled her eyes. “Come see me in my office when you can.”

She left the room together with Bai Rong, who collected her bag as she sauntered behind her. Even after the door was closed, Naoya didn’t let go of Aki’s arm.

“I’m sorry. It must be annoying for you.”

Aki shook his head. He brought a hand up to brush Naoya’s sweaty hair out of his face.

“You look a fright, but you can’t shower like this. Let me help you.”

Naoya watched wordlessly as Aki went to the bathroom and emerged with some wet towels. He let himself be wiped down—the cool water like a blessing on his skin. Aki chose some sleepwear from one of the cupboards, and helped Naoya change into it, which was a bit difficult with every movement agitating the wounds. Finally Aki changed the bloodied sheets and settled Naoya back down in the bed. Just then, Bai Rong appeared with an incense burner, which she placed on the nightstand, before leaving once more. Naoya laid down in the freshly made bed and caught Aki’s eye.

“Why are you…” he said, trailing off.

“It’s not your fault you’re in this position. If anything, it might be mine.”

Naoya touched his bandaged eye. “Your mother?”

“I believe so. Me and my sister died young, and she lived the rest of her life alone. She must have many regrets to remain as a ghost.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I can understand it. I was the same.”

“I don’t understand.”

Aki took a deep breath. “Everyone at HQ is a ghost—a lost soul with a yearning for something unfulfilled in life, given the chance to make a difference to quell their desire.”

“Then you are… wait, you said you and your sister died young?”

“Yes. We are all dead, every single one of us. You are the only living person here.”