The first time he went to that old cemetery, it was a funeral. Shinichi didn't know that well the man who died, so he just stood in the back, only being there to pay respect. He wasn't mourning, but rather examining the faces of the people who gathered there. Near the gravestone stood the close relatives, genuine sadness showing on them. But as he watched the people farther and farther from those, there was more curiosity and less grief.
Not that he was surprised, there were many like him, not even knowing the deceased, but some people really just went there to gossip. They seemed to believe that the wind would blow away their almost-whispers as they asked about wealth of the passed away man, criticizing the way others dressed while not mentioning their own clothes.
Human nature, Shinichi thought to himself. He wasn't angry, instead he felt himself going numb. He could speak up, he could stop them, but... there was no point in it, really. It wasn't some big murder case, when he had to do something so the culprit couldn't escape. No, this thing that unfolded in front of his eyes, wrapped in the form of a funeral, was the exhibition of the malice and lack of respect in people's souls.
"Disgusting, isn't it?" someone asked behind Shinichi. He merely nodded, not thinking too much about it. But when he turned around, he saw no one, just a lonely, old gravestone almost fully covered with ivy. Maybe the person went somewhere else? But no one was moving, except for the wife of the deceased who put her flowers on the grave. White roses. They were all beautiful, almost shining in the midst of that rainy day – except for one bud that looked sick and had brown spots on it.
"What a shame for this beautiful bouquet..." someone, no, the person from before said, but this time, he was somewhere else. Far from Shinichi, but he still could hear him. And that's when he saw him, a lonely figure bending down to those white roses and softly caressing that single bud. A moment later it was just as pretty as the rest of the flowers. Then the figure stood up and walked through the crowd with unnatural ease, as if people were no obstacle for him. Shinichi quickly found out why, when the man's shoulder simply passed through a particularly buff guy's arm. A ghost.
Shinichi never really believed in supernatural things, including ghosts, but it was all too clear as the man walked toward him, feet never really touching the ground, limbs passing through more people. He didn't see his face, it was hidden by a hat and a monocle, but he caught a glimpse of the ghost's smile, which was kind save for the touch of insanity it had. It was still enough to make Shinichi feel uneasy. Then again, most people didn't meet creepy white caped spirits like he did, so it wasn't such a surprise.
He was waiting for something. A word, a gesture, anything really, but the ghost was seemingly content with coming closer and closer... Until he was right in front of him. He hesitated for a moment there, but in the end he just walked through Shinichi, right into the tall obelisk behind him.
He felt a shiver run up his spine, but at the same time, he also felt warmth, rushing to his face, slowly shutting him down – his thoughts, his senses... His knees gave out under him and he almost collapsed – someone caught his arm in the last minute.
"Shinichi? Are you okay?" He casted a dazed glance to his side – Professor Agasa stood there with a worried expression.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine..." he croaked, staring at the obelisk.