A/N: I honestly don't know how this story ended up going to the direction it did... I wrote it originally with a sequel in mind (that focuses on adventure/mystery), but who knows if I ever get to it. I need to finish my Ace Attorney-mystery first, at least...
Sissel and Lynne stood in the middle of the living room of the latter one, uncertain of what to do next.
They had been running around the world the whole night, so now that it was all over Sissel felt… Empty.
Kamila had been put in bed after the tearful goodbye. Sissel couldn't see why the little girl's father couldn't have stayed, but neither detective Jowd nor inspector Cabanela would hear of it, pointing out that even though everyone present knew the detective was innocent, he was still legally a criminal.
"So, what now?"
The voice coming out of his mouth still sounded wrong to Sissel, despite using Yomiel's voice in the Ghost World the whole night. But it just felt different now, partly because he now knew it wasn't his voice. And that the body he was now inhabiting wasn't either.
"Here, catch."
Sissel's thoughts were interrupted by a pillow hitting him in the face.
"What was that all about!?"
Lynne shrugged. "I did tell you to catch it."
She threw a blanket at him. This time Sissel caught it.
The woman gestured towards the sofa: "You can sleep on the couch. Make the bed yourself, I'm just way too tired. I haven't slept in days. Unless you count dying. But I don't."
Sissel only now noticed how exhausted the woman looked. She must had been pushing herself over her limit, and was only now allowing the tiredness to catch up with her, slumping her shoulders and making it difficult to hold her eyes open. He nodded.
"Of course. You have had a busy night."
"Understatement of the century."
After watching her stagger into what he assumed was her bedroom Sissel lay on the sofa, under the blankets.
Not that he felt tired. This body didn't feel anything. He could see and hear, but considering he was able to do that when just a spirit, it wasn't surprising. But he had no sense of touch, or the sense of smell, although that might have been just because he was inhabiting a human body now. From what he understood, human sense of smell was vastly inferior to that of cats (or dogs).
He closed his eyes behind the shades. It would be best to try getting some sleep.
But all he could do was go through the events of the night in his mind.
Dying, thinking he was the ghost of a man, and so taking his form, meeting Lynne, saving Lynne (several times), joining forces with Missile and protecting Kamila and helping a convicted criminal escape execution. Finding out the truth about detective Jowd and how someone had manipulated Kamila those five years ago to commit murder.
Chasing after this 'Manipulator', after Lynne and detective Jowd who had infiltrated the submarine helped him jump there via telephone lines.
And coming face to face with his past.
The telephone had brought him to an extravagant room he had seen at the start of this night, when he had first discovered how to move through telephone lines. At first, Sissel only spotted detective Jowd, and the blue-skinned man who operated the machinery in the room.
And then the chair turned around and he saw the body of the red-suited man sitting on it.
At the sight, something stirred in his mind again. Last time he had come face-to-face with him Sissel had still held onto the belief he was the man and that whoever inhabited 'his' body now was an impostor.
But now that he accepted he had been wrong the feeling that his memory was about to emerge was much more powerful. But he wasn't there just yet… And he still felt that this man was so familiar…
And when it became apparent the blue villains were ready to betray this 'imposter', Sissel couldn't help feeling somehow betrayed as well, on the man's behalf.
So when the blue villains readied to extract the Temsik fragment from the red suited body while his soul was out, Sissel, without pausing to think, entered the Ghost World, stopping the passage of time.
But, to his dismay, he found the claw was out of his reach. And he couldn't reach any other cores in the room, either. If only he'd had sense to jump out of the phone before it was dropped down the shoot!
Deciding to look for an alternative route Sissel turned his attention to underneath the room.
There were few cores he could use.
And a ghost-flame.
Sissel wasn't sure how a ghost could have his heart jump to his throat, but nevertheless that was the distinct sensation he got.
Another ghost. Could it be?
In trepidation, he reached out to the flame, to open a communication-link.
"Hello!"
"Missile!?" He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that this wasn't the ghost of the 'other Sissel'.
"Yes, Sissel?"
"I need your reach. Can you see the claw over there? I need to get to it, to stop it from hurting him!"
"Why?"
"What!?"
"He is a bad man, isn't he? He tried harming Miss Lynne and Miss Kamila." The little dog ghost cried.
"But he didn't! We stopped him! Listen, you know what my memory is like, and I know I'm not him, but I do know we don't want the thing giving him his powers ending up in the hands of these guys! (And I don't want to end up seeing this 'Other Sissel' getting hurt either.)"
"You want to protect him."
"(I forgot he could hear my thoughts. I suppose I should be honest with him.) I'm not sure. All I can say is that I don't wish seeing him get hurt. And that seeing him harm those people… It felt like it was somehow my fault. Missile, you wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to Kamila or Lynne, would you?"
"So, he is your master."
"No! Certainly not. (Not that I remember what our relationship was, exactly, but somehow Missile calling him my 'master' really irks me. It's not like I was a dog.)"
"Okay."
"Okay what?"
Missile jumped to the claw he could reach easily.
"It's no use! I can't swap it with anything!"
"Make a path for me." Sissel instructed the dog.
"How? I can only swap things!"
"Then look for anything you can swap. Just try anything you can."
"Hm, those pictures on the walls are the same shape. I can switch them around. Done!"
"There's nothing else you can do?"
"No."
The dog sounded dejected, making Sissel feel guilty. He was trying his best, after all.
"Let's see if our situation changed at all. (Not that I can reach any of those pictures either.)"
However, the swap had achieved something. The two framed paintings were different size, so now a much heavier painting was hung on the hook previously meant for the little one.
And the hook gave under the weight, dropping the painting on the floor.
Detective Jowd jumped at the crash, but Sissel didn't have time to worry about that.
The painting, now laying on the floor, had a core.
Using it as a go-between he jumped to the claw and with all his power, used his ghost tricks.
The claw stopped just before plunging into the red-suited man's chest. But Sissel didn't know how long his powers could hold it into place. He could feel his control slipping…
"Sissel?"
The time had stopped. But this time it wasn't Sissel's doing. And this wasn't Missile's green Ghost World either.
This world of the dead was blue.
And he could see the other ghost, now possessing the telephone.
Slowly, (and it seemed to Sissel, hesitantly), the other ghost reached out to Sissel.
And two ghosts wearing the same face met in the Ghost World.
For a while in the timelessness of the Ghost World they just stared at each other.
Sissel was the first to break the standstill, no longer able to hold onto that image of himself, and let his ghost image fade into the vague form of a spirit.
"Please, I need to know, who am I?"
The spirit of the red-clad man was surprised. "You don't remember who you are?"
"No. I thought I was you, Sissel."
"That explains why you were wearing my face. But I'm not Sissel. You were right about that part, at least. That's your name."
"It is?" Sissel felt relieved. The name had felt right. Somehow knowing at least that part had been the real him was a relief. But-
"(Why did I think that was his name?)"
"I used the name as an alias in my deal with these people." The other ghost answered. "You must have heard that."
"Did you… Know me?"
Sissel more felt the sadness in the other spirit than saw it in his ghost image. "You don't remember me? At all?"
He could feel the memory of what he had lost fluttering at the edge of his consciousness, like a bird taunting him. If he could only reach and catch it before it flew away again… "Maybe… A bit. I think a big part of why I accepted I was you so easily was because your form was somehow familiar."
And even now, the blue Ghost World around Sissel felt familiar. There was something comforting about it. He had the distinct impression of being held by the man when he still had been alive. That there have been safety and warmth in the man.
"(And now that I think about it, even when I was seized by the foreign Ghost World the first time, when I was caught trying to save Inspector Cabanela, I didn't exactly feel threatened. More like I was caught doing something I wasn't supposed to. I get the feeling that had happened before.)"
A small genuine smile, so different from the twisted grin he had been wearing when killing Cabanela, graced the man's lips. "Like when you kept jumping on the table? I did manage to teach you the table was off-limits, eventually."
"Or, rather, I learned to only jump on the table when you weren't looking."
"It seems you finally remembered your true identity." The man noted.
"Yes." Sissel had unconsciously taken his real from, that of the black cat.
"So, you didn't know who you were. That explains why you didn't- Do you remember how you died?"
Sissel nodded. "Not clearly. But it must have been when you made Lynne shoot you."
"Her subconscious resisted me...such incredible power! It was the first time I wasn't able to control somebody completely. The aim was off, and the first shot missed the mark. It hit you. She killed you."
"No."
"Wha- what?"
"It might have been her hand that held the gun, but she didn't mean to shoot anyone!"
"If you're not blaming her-"
Sissel shook his head, a very human gesture that looked odd on a cat. "It was an accident! No-one is to blame."
"No-one, huh?"
It seemed to Sissel there was a change in the atmosphere, like a weight had been lifted.
"Your name… (I'm not sure if I remember it.)"
"You don't have all of your memories back?"
"It's not that. But back when I was alive I didn't have much use for names. I just called you 'My Human' in my mind. (Although the name 'Yomiel' seems somehow familiar.)"
The man, Yomiel, smiled. "See, you do remember my name. Although I'm totally fine with you calling me your human." His smile disappeared. "I just want you to know, I would have saved you if it was in my power. But I can't use my powers to save someone dead."
"You can't? There are a lot of things I don't understand. Could you tell me about… What happened?"
And so, there, in the Ghost World where they had all the time in the world, the man told his story. Sissel had been with him for ten years, but for the first time he understood many things he hadn't before, if he had even thought of them.
Sissel had been so happy with his human he had failed to realize how he had been suffering. How he had resorted to murder. And made a deal with the foreign country, in exchange for his powers. How he had found Sissel dead when using his body to escape, and how it had become apparent there was another ghost around, one with the power to save people.
"I hoped it was you, after all I knew it was a possibility you had gained these kinds of powers," he told Sissel. "I am happy that you didn't disappear. You can still-"
He cut off, and shielded his thoughts from Sissel, who was reminded of their situation.
"Yomiel, we need to help Kamila and Lynne! And Detective Jowd!"
"Help them?"
"Kamila is somewhere on this submarine, and Lynne and Detective Jowd went after her." A horrible thought struck him. "They aren't-"
"They are okay." The human ghost assured him, "for now."
"(That's a relief.) So, what are we going to do?"
"We?"
And without warning he reached around the spirit of the cat. The Ghost World tightened around the startled feline. "What? What are you-"
"Sissel, for those ten painful lonely years, you were my only friend. Thank you. Goodbye."
"What do you mean goodbye!?"
"I'm sure you'll do better than me."
And with that, the claw Sissel was possessing was twisted off and thrown in the corner of the room. The ghost cat, however, was pulled out, held by his human in the way that reminded Sissel of the times he had been forced to take a bath.
And then he was pushed in the empty shell that had been the body of his human.
Bewildered, from the unfamiliar body Sissel had thought of as his for the most of the night, he watched at how the blue guard exploded in a shower of sparks, torn to pieces by a ghost, revealing the mechanical insides.
That done, the ghost jumped towards the rooms below.
"Yomiel!" Sissel called after him.
He entered the Ghost World, ready to follow.
But found he could not.
He could reach out towards other cores, but something in the body held him back.
Frustrated, he left the Ghost World, letting time flow again.
"Missile!" He called out.
"Yes?" The dog contacted him mentally.
Relieved to be able to talk without using his voice Sissel yelled with his mind. "Missile! Did you see what he did!?"
"It seems he gave his body to you. I never foresaw this…"
Sissel ignored the odd behavior of the dog. He could worry about it later.
"I can't leave this body! Go after him!"
"Yes. Although- I'm not sure how much longer I can last."
"What? Are you disappearing?"
"I'm… Tired. But leave following him to me. I won't let anything bad happen to either of my ladies! Not this time."
And with that he was gone, before Sissel could question his odd remarks.
"(I guess even a little doggy like that can get serious in a pinch.)"
He returned to the normal world, shaken and more than little bit uncertain on his new feet. Feet. He had two of them. And hands with fingers.
Sissel stared at his hand, flexing his fingers. They were all so very separate from each other. It was so odd. It wasn't like possessing an inanimate object, but not quite like from what he remembered from being alive, as he was unable to feel, or smell. Of course it wasn't actually his body…
"What happened!?"
Sissel had forgotten the detective in the room completely. He stood his back to the wall, ready to fight if he had to, eyeing Sissel suspiciously.
"Detective Jowd! Missile went after him. I can't do anything, he left me!"
"Who are you?"
Of course, he was confused. He hadn't seen what had happened in the Ghost World.
Sissel hunched over, trying to look smaller, hoping it was making him look less threatening. "It's me, Sissel. The one who has been helping Lynne and you this whole night."
"Sissel?"
"Yomiel pushed me in this body and left. I'm stuck, I can't-"
"Where did he go?" The detective demanded to know.
"I'm, I'm not sure. I think he went to where Kamila is-"
"WHAT!?"
The detective stepped to the red-clad human body now housing Sissel and grabbed him by the lapels. "What is he going to do!?"
"Detective Jowd, I'm not sure, but I don't think he is going to hurt her!"
"What on earth makes you say THAT!? Have you forgotten what he has done?"
"No, but, I don't think he would, not now… And besides, Missile followed him."
The detective let go. "I wish you're right. And Lynne should be with her."
"So, Lynne is here as well?"
"Yes, we-"
But they were interrupted by the screen blinking to life,; showing the eye browed blue man on the giant screen.
"What's going on there?" He demanded to know. "You should have completed the extraction-process by now!"
Sissel pointed at the screen: "That was him! The guy Yomiel made the deal with!"
"Oh." The blue skin of the villain seemed to become several shades paler. "Di-did I say 'extraction'? I meant 'extra- action', you know, for, um, to get some exercise? Would you believe that?"
"No."
The screen cut off.
"It seems the deal is off." Jowd remarked.
Suddenly, the room shook, making Sissel fall on all fours. And hope he had a tail for balance.
Despite feeling far more stable on his hands and knees he pulled himself upright as the room shook again. After all, standing on two feet left his hands free, and now that he had two (opposable thumbs and all!), not using them seemed like a waste.
"What is going on!?"
The detective ignored him, trying in vain to open the door. When that failed, he ran to the console middle of the room. "We are sinking!"
"But isn't that what a submarine is supposed to do? What's with all the shaking?"
"It's got a big gaping hole in it, it seems. So it's going down, but never getting up again."
"Why?"
Jowd glared at him. "It seems they are willing to sink this ship to the bottom of the ocean to make sure you aren't coming after them."
Suddenly, there was banging on the door, and after a moment, it was opened.
Lynne, carrying Kamila on her back, staggered into the room.
"Detective Jowd-"
She stopped at the sight of the red-clad man.
"Lynne. It's okay, it's me, Sissel."
Her eyes darted to Jowd. "What?"
"That's what he says." Jowd still had the suspicious look on his eye.
"Lynne, I can prove it to you."
He tried connecting to Lynne's core, but found her out of reach. So he took a step towards her.
Startled, the woman jumped back. "What are you doing?"
Sissel stopped. "Listen, let me talk to you in the Ghost World. You'll see I'm telling the truth."
Carefully, without breaking the eye-contact, Lynne put Kamila down.
"Lynne-"
"It's okay, Detective Jowd." She gave the man a smile. "I'll be fine."
And she took a step forward.
Now close enough for his limited range, Sissel reached out to her.
"Sissel, is that you!?"
"(Of course, she hasn't seen my true form.) This is who I really am."
"A cat!?"
"Don't sound so shocked. You have been collaborating with the ghost of your dead dog this whole night, why would you be surprised I'm a cat?"
"Yes, but I knew Missile was a dog from the start!"
"Well, I didn't know I was a cat! I only got my memory back just now!"
"So, who was that Mr. Pointy, then?"
"(Mr. Pointy?) His name is Yomiel. He was my human, my friend, when I was alive. It's a long story, but he pushed me in this body and left. Last I saw him, he was making his way towards the lower parts of the ship. Towards you."
"So that was him! We were helped by someone, a ghost. I assumed it was you, just not talking, for some reason. At first, anyway." She frowned. "But he did say two things. The first was 'get to the control room.'"
"And the second?"
"'It seems this submarine will be my coffin.'"
"It sounds like he is planning to die. Or whatever it is a ghost does when he gives up on 'life.'" Detective Jowd interjected.
"Detective Jowd!" Sissel was startled.
The man laughed. "Of course I eaves-dropped. I wasn't about to trust you as easily as Lynne here. So, you're a cat?"
"Just for the record!" Lynne interrupted, "I don't have any problem with Sissel being a cat. In fact, I think he is a very cute cat! Much cuter than when he thought he was a human!"
"(I really don't know how to respond to that.)"
The detective laughed good-naturedly. "Well, if he's right about being stuck like that I guess you have to tolerate his pointy hair for at least a bit longer."
"I never said human-Sissel was intolerable ether, just that cat-Sissel is cuter. For the record, I have nothing against his looks as a human either. Although his hair is pointy."
"As important as talking about my looks and hairstyle is, shouldn't we try to think of a plan? You know, to escape this place?"
"It's not like time passes in the Ghost World." Lynne pointed out. "We can gossip about your hair all day if we like."
"Wonderful."
"Sissel is right, though. I suggest we leave the Ghost World for the moment and see what's going on." Jowd said, clearly amused.
And with that they returned to the world of the living.
"So, what now?"
But Sissel's question was answered almost immediately by the violent shaking of the room.
"What is this!?" It felt different from the last shocks. Like-
"I think we are moving!" Lynne put into words what he had been thinking.
"Daddy!"
"Lynne, take care of Kamila."
The woman pulled the girl in a tight embrace, while the detective fiddled with the mechanical parts Sissel couldn't even begin to understand. He was feeling pretty useless, actually.
"We are moving!" Jowd confirmed. "It seems we were ejected from the sub, but there might not be enough fuel."
"Where are we going!?"
"Towards the shore. I can't do anything to correct our course, so let's hope we- okay, everyone should probably be prepared for an impact-"
And with a huge crash, they hit something, and ended up in darkness.
"Lynne! Detective! Kamila! Missile!" Sissel slipped to the Ghost World, (at least he could still do that,) to check they were all alive, and tried again. "Can you hear me!?"
"Sissel? I'm over here, there's something on top of me."
"Lynne? Are you hurt? What about the others?"
"I'm okay." Kamila let them know. "Lynne shielded me. But I'm stuck under her."
"Where are you? I'll help." Jowd said.
"It seems some of the pictures came crashing down, I should be able to get them out." Sissel told them.
"It's just some pictures?" And with that, Lynne stood up, letting the paintings fall. "I thought it was a wall that collapsed on me or something."
"And here I thought I had the opportunity to be useful." Sissel bet he could have lifted those pictures. With his hands.
"Well, sorry I could take care of myself. But if I die again, I'll be sure to rely on you."
"Don't count on me bringing you back to life. I don't think I can do that anymore." Sissel pointed out.
"Oh." There was a pause. "Well, if I need help getting rid of any rats, I'll call you."
"And if I need help getting something from a high shelf, I'll call you, Sissy!" Kamila assured him.
"So that's where my talents lie from now on? Pest control and replacing step-ladders?"
"Well, you could do something about getting out of here." Jowd noted. "You are still able to see in the dark, aren't you?"
"That's right!" Kamila exclaimed. "Kitties can see in the dark!"
So now I'm not even a cat, but a 'kitty'?
But, with their co-operation, they managed to get the displays to work, and after ascertaining they were on the surface, to open the door.
They were greeted by a barrel of a gun. "Identify yourselves!"
"Stand down, officer, can't you see there's a child onboard?"
"Detective Jowd!" The man, apparently a police officer, saluted. "We were deployed by Inspector Cabanela. Glad to see you're fine. However-" He pointed his gun towards Sissel. "He matches the description of someone we were told was extremely dangerous."
"I already told you, officer. Stand down. I'll vouch for him."
Under the detective's gaze, the man lowered his gun. "Yes, Sir."
"That's a good man! Now, where's the Inspector?"
"In a hospital. I don't know what happened, but he had several broken bones. Although I hear he still tried running after us. But after the doctors refused to let him go he sent some guy with a pigeon on his head with us. I guess you can talk to him."
They climbed out of the wrecked escape pod and were greeted by a starry night sky.
I guess it's still dark. It seems like this night has gone on forever.
They had crashed on a beach somewhere. A group of uniformed police surrounded them, but it seemed they were content with just that, not trying to detain them.
Sissel followed Jowd, Lynne and Kamila. But why did he have a feeling something was missing?
"Missile!"
This sudden exclamation from the wanted man earned several guns pointing at him.
Lynne completely ignored them. "What are you talking about?"
"Where's Missile? Also, could you stop pointing those things at me?" True, they probably couldn't hurt the body he was in, but he wasn't too keen on finding out for sure.
Lynne was confused. "Missile was with you?"
"He was in the submarine. And he went after Yomiel, I assumed he helped you."
"Could it be he sunk with the submarine? With him?"
"No!" Kamila cried out. "Missile!"
"Yes!?"
Sissel looked around the shore, to see the source of that.
He found the ghost flame in the instrument held by the pigeon-headed man who was walking to greet them on the shore.
"There he is." Sissel pointed at it. "How did you get here?"
"You left your ghost dog with me, when you got the call and hopped through the telephone lines to wherever detective Jowd was calling from." Pigeon man explained.
"I'm so sorry!" Missile barked. "I tried following you through the 'hello', but just couldn't."
Kamila held out her hands. "Can I hold him?"
"Well…" It seemed that even the pigeon professor wasn't immune to her charm. "Just be careful. You have that thing to thank for us finding you so quickly."
"What do you mean?"
"It can be used to track the radio transmitter Inspector Cabanela planted on the Manipulator."
"It's in me?" Sissel supposed he couldn't be expected to feel it, but the idea of a little thing making some sort of noise inside his body freaked him out. He'd have to ask later how 'a transmitter' worked, exactly, and if it could be removed.
"Yes. Although…"
"It's a long story, Professor, but this guy," Lynne pointed at Sissel, noticing Pigeon man's discomfort. "Is not the guy you think he is."
Sissel supposed he would have to go through the explanation several times.
And so they had made their way to the police station and called Cabanela.
He had insisted Jowd was to return to police custody, so that everything would be done by the book.
Both he and Jowd had been hesitant in letting Sissel go, but Lynne had insisted Kamila should be getting back to her own bed and that she wouldn't part with either Missile or Sissel, and so the police car had driven Sissel, Lynne, Jowd and very tired Kamila to their apartment, and after putting his daughter to bed the detective had left with the police.
And that was the reason Sissel was now laying on Lynne's sofa, trying to make his body sleep, with no success.
A thought hit him.
My actual dead body is still where-ever Yomiel left it.
But he had no idea where that was. There had been so many things Yomiel had told him, neither had thought of it. And what would it matter? He probably couldn't travel back in time to save himself. Of course there was Missile, another ghost who had that power. A quick check on the Ghost World confirmed the other ghost was now guarding his two ladies' sleep.
And even if we could go back, could I risk it?
Him being shot at that junkyard had changed fates.
Without him dying there Yomiel would have escaped with him and he'd had never gotten his ghost tricks. And without them Lynne would have been killed, and detective Jowd would have been executed as a murderer...
Yomiel would have escaped, but the blue villains would have betrayed him and gotten his powers. As it stood, at least he was still alive. Well, as alive as a ghost could be, at any rate.
But locked in the sunken ship, at the bottom of the cold, dark ocean.
Thinking about it made Sissel feel... Sad, he supposed.
Yes, it was sadness, but he could only feel it in his mind, or spirit. There was an odd disconnect with his numb body that felt nothing.
As a cat he had never felt the need to cry, but now he found himself wishing he could. But it seemed tears were another thing this body could not do.
He curled up into a ball under the blankets and lay in the darkness, waiting for the dawn.
"Oh."
Sissel turned to the woman. She had walked to the living room in her pajamas, and seemed surprised to find the red-suited man lying on her couch, making him think for a moment that she had forgotten she was letting him stay.
"You slept in your clothes? Man, you must have been more tired than I was!"
Ah, so that was it. Sissel supposed he should have thought of that.
"I was... fine."
Lynne eyed him suspiciously. "I guess you are a cat, after all. Are you going to be, I dunno, eating from the floor and shredding my curtains too?"
Sissel shrugged. "I didn't do that when I was a live cat either, so your curtains are safe."
"But you did eat random stuff off the floor?"
"Not random stuff. But no, I'm not going to be doing that either."
"Or licking yourself? Just saying, we have a shower, you can use that."
"Are you just going through all the cat-behavior you can think of? But I'll have you know, licking is a perfectly valid way of cleaning yourself, and much preferable to a bath. Not that a human would know. Humans lack the dexterity for that."
Lynne looked offended. "Hey, you're a human now too."
"Try to make up your mind on whether I'm a cat or not. Not that I have, personally."
"Well, you need to make your mind up pretty quickly. So that I know if you're okay with pancakes for breakfast, or if I'll need to go buy cat-food. Or, I guess Missile could share some of his? Actually, since he probably won't be eating it, we have a surplus of dog-food. It would be great if you liked it."
"I'm not hungry."
"Non-sense. You died. I know firsthand that's a surefire way to work up an appetite."
I get the feeling anything would be for you.
Out loud, he said: "No, I am pretty sure I don't need to eat."
A horrified expression spread to Lynne's face. "Not eating?"
Sissel nodded. "I remember, when he took care of me for those ten years, he always bought me food, but I don't think he ever ate."
"He?"
"The owner of this body, obviously. Yomiel. I never really thought much of it, but looking back now, it seems obvious."
Lynne's eyes teared up. "Oh Sissel, I didn't even think! I was just so relieved you didn't have to disappear, and you seemed like you were alive, I never even… Poor Yomiel. I can't imagine not being able to enjoy food. I think I understand his actions now, if just a bit."
"Somehow I don't think not being able to eat was all of it. But more importantly, I completely forgot! I was supposed to disappear at dawn!"
"Well, you have a body now-"
Sissel shook his head: "But Missile!"
Lynne's eyes widened in shock "You don't think!?"
"Well, no-"
"GOOD MORNING!"
"Missile?" Lynne glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the cheerful telepathic message had come from.
"He's in here." Sissel picked up the bowl the ghost-dog was possessing at the moment.
"Are you okay!?" Lynne stared at the bowl, trying to sense the presence of her dog.
"Yes!" The dog announced happily.
"But ghosts were supposed to disappear at dawn. At least that's what Ray told me."
"I'm starting to think this 'Ray'-character wasn't all that trustworthy." Lynne pointed out.
"Probably not. I think I'd like to talk to him again. Maybe get some answers. Not that I would even know where to look for him. Last time I visited the Junkyard he had left the lamp. But I'd better pay a visit to that place at some point."
And I still haven't found out what happened with Missile last night. Could it be the one in the submarine was an impostor? Or someone like me who thought he was someone else?
"Miss Kamila woke up!" Missile informed them, somewhat unnecessarily, as the girl followed him to the living room.
"Kamila, did you sleep well?"
The girl smiled. "Yeah. I was pretty tired. Ooh, are we having pancakes for breakfast?"
Sissel ended up sitting at the table for company, and watching Lynne and Kamila eat. It seemed the latter hadn't yet picked up the eating habits of her father or 'big sister' and was using a fork and a knife to neatly cut her food into little pieces, instead of shoving it to her mouth in big chunks and washing it down with milk.
They were just debating whether Sissel should help cleaning up when he hadn't actually eaten anything, when the doorbell rang.
"I can't go to the door dressed like this! Sissel, you get it!" And with that, Lynne ran to her room.
"Is it okay, Sissy?" Kamila asked, glancing at the door, worried.
Poor thing, she must still be afraid. After what she's been through, I don't blame her.
"It's okay." I hope.
"But why don't you go help Lynne get dressed? And take this." He held out the bowl currently housing Missile.
The girl took the bowl and nodded.
Carefully, Sissel made his way to the door. Although, he supposed, it wasn't like he was in any danger of dying. And it wasn't likely an assassin would ring the doorbell anyway.
The person on the door turned out to be a familiar face.
"Ah, it's you. The detective with the cap."
"It's detective Rindge." He added, suspicious, "and how do you know me?"
Of course, I saved his life last night. But he was unconscious, so we never spoke.
Thinking it best not to mention that in case the detective wasn't aware of all this ghost-business, Sissel told him the truth. Partially anyway. "I've seen you around."
It was difficult to tell with the man wearing that hat, but Sissel could swear he shot a glare at him. "And who exactly are you? Is Lynne okay?"
"Yes, she is getting dressed."
"Wha-what kind of a relationship do you share, exactly?"
Sissel was wondering what had caused that reaction. And what was his relationship with Lynne, exactly? So he told him: "I guess we are partners."
For some reason this caused the detective turn rather red.
Luckily, Kamila arrived to save Sissel from this increasingly confusing discussion.
"Hi, Ringey! Sissy is not a suspicious person! Lynne is getting dressed. What are you doing here? Did you bring us something?"
Sissel noticed only now the box the detective was holding.
Rindge seemed uncomfortable. "It's something Lynne left in my car last night. It's not something you should see."
"Last night? At what point did that happen?"
"She called me last night, some time after I had met her in Point X. She needed a ride from park to the Justice Minister's office, and since she couldn't take this with her- Lynne, you're okay!"
The woman, now dressed in similar clothes than yesterday, sans the yellow coat, smiled. "Hi, I hope you're not here to arrest me."
"No. The whole investigation has been called off, didn't you hear? Inspector Cabanela said something about the crime being a fake and that there was no murder. Can you tell me at some point about what's going on?"
"Sure thing. But I can't promise you'll believe it."
"So, you weren't involved with the murder-investigation?" Sissel asked the man.
Rindge looked embarrassed. "I wasn't in the loop, all I know is that it was a matter of national security. I was staking a restaurant, but I do know we got an APB on a man fitting your description during the night. 'To be considered armed and dangerous, not to be approached', was the phrase, I believe. So I'm guessing there is some very interesting story there."
So, he didn't know who the 'victim' was. That explains why he wasn't shocked to see a supposedly dead man opening the door.
"So, what's in the box?"
"It's not something you should open right now." The detective lowered his voice. "With children present."
Unfortunately, the warning came too late, Lynne already opening the box.
And then, looking shocked, closing it instantly.
"What's wrong?" But, unlike Sissel, Kamila had a clear view on the box, and her expression was filled with sorrow. "Missile?"
They hadn't opened the box again, and were now sitting at the table, the remnants of the breakfast still sitting on it.
The detective with the cap had left them, apologetic that he had to, and after promises of coming back later to check on them (And a suspicious glare directed at Sissel) he left.
"Sissy! You can bring people back, right? So bring Missile back!"
Sissel shook his head. "Sorry, Kamila. I tried, I really did, but I can't do that anymore. I can reach out to other cores and talk to them, but possessing them and rewinding time is out."
"I tried too, but I can't do it either." Missile added.
"I guess you can't possess your own body."
"And how would that change the fate of others?" Sissel added. After all, if Missile hadn't died for the second time, Kamila would have been left dead and he wouldn't have been able to save the Inspector in white or the Pigeon-man. Time-travel was complicated.
"But Missile!" Kamila was tearing up again, hugging the bowl closer.
"I have an idea." Lynne disappeared to her bedroom, and after a while returned. "Missile, can you possess this?" She held out a brown cat-plushie.
"Sure!"
Lynne gave the cat-doll that now held Missile to Kamila. "Something a bit nicer to hug than a bowl."
Sissel looked, amused, as the girl hugged her dog with a smile.
"So, Missile is a cat now? That is… Is the word I'm looking for 'ironic' or 'sardonic'?"
"I think the word you're looking for is 'weird'." Lynne said.
Then her expression got serious.
"I think we should…" She nudged her hair towards the box sitting on the floor. "Before, you know, the smell."
Sissel supposed there wasn't a protocol for attending your own funeral.
Not that he had been to many funerals, but he hazarded a guess this whole affair was odd.
Lynne lowered the box in the hole she had dug on the vacant lot behind the apartment complex while Kamila and the two ghosts looked on.
"So, should someone have a speech?" Lynne asked, uncertain.
"I can!" Missile said cheerfully from the plushie. "I liked barking, now I can't bark, but it's okay."
"Anyone else? I must say, it's not usually the one whose funeral it is who holds the eulogy."
Sissel shrugged. "Well, it's kinda difficult to get into the mood when the dearly departed is right here, cheerfully wagging his tail."
"Although I don't have a tail anymore. I'd like to add that to my eulogy."
"Okay."
"Sissel, should you have a eulogy for yourself?"
"This isn't my funeral, Missile. Wouldn't want to steal your spotlight. And it's not like I can beat that speech. I don't know where my body is, anyway. And I suppose this is my body, at least for now."
"Sissel was a cat, but then he died and now he is not. That was my eulogy for you." The Pomeranian informed them.
"So, how are yooou?"
Sissel wasn't sure if the Inspector's words held some hidden meaning. He looked a bit annoyed or agitated, but that might have been because he was laying on the hospital bed, held in place by some white wrappings Sissel supposed were there to heal his injuries.
"Forget about us! It's you who got hurt the most!" Lynne exclaimed brandishing the bouquet of flowers she had brought like a sword at the hospitalized man like that would get him to stay in bed and heal faster.
"Excluding Missile and Sissel, of course, who are still dead, baby." Cabanela pointed out. He turned his attention to Sissel. "So, I know some men who will be very interested in talking to you. I'm sure we can arrange something, after all, you can't live on Lynne's couch peeermanently."
"Why not?" The redhead asked.
"Lynne, we need to-"
"No." She shook her head.
"Lynne, I'm okay with it. If some people want to poke at my body, I have no problem with it."
"Well, I do!" Lynne turned to Sissel. "And are you really okay with it!? Being kept prisoner in a lab somewhere? Like those innocent people Yomiel manipulated and who were locked away?"
"The rocker and curry-lover will be released." Cabanela assured her.
"Even more reason for Sissel to remain free too, then!" She turned to Jowd, looking for support there. "How about you, Detective Jowd, you know what it's like being detained against your will even though you're innocent!"
Instead of answering, the detective turned to the man in question. "Sissel, what do you think?"
Truth be told, he hadn't really thought of it. But he had seen that secret prison, and he knew getting detained in one place was abhorrent to him.
"I want to stay with Lynne." Before the hospitalized man could argue against him, he continued. "But I will let the Pigeon-man do any tests he likes. But there is something I'd like to ask in return."
"You are free to ask, at least." Cabanela said, cautious.
"Can you lift the submarine?"
The inspector's expression hardened. "You're thinking of helping him."
Sissel was aware this wasn't helping his case any. But it was something he needed to do.
"I don't think he should be left alone in the dark sea. That is… not right. Even if he is a murderer. Detective Jowd, people thought you were a murderer who wanted to die, but even still they had hesitations about executing you, because that's just not right. And leaving him there, buried alive, or at least conscious, is nothing but a living death. Even if he wished for his own execution, doesn't mean we should just abandon him."
A stunned silence fell.
Inspector Cabanela broke into laughter. "It seems we needed to be reminded of that by a kitty."
He got serious. "I'm not certain I can promise that."
"But-"
Cabanela lifted his unbroken hand to silence Lynne. "It might not be possible to salvage the submarine, it sunk very deep. But we will try. However, even if we can lift it and find him there, what could we do? He is still a criminal, and we have no real way of detaining a ghost."
"It's okay." Sissel said. "I trust you. That you will do your best to reach him. And treat him as fairly as you would any criminal."
Cabanela grinned. "Way to put pressure on a man."
"I am sorry! And I know I shouldn't be sorry, but I am!"
Sissel stared at Lynne. He had been wondering what it was she really needed to talk to him about alone, when Kamila had left for school, her holiday break over.
"You know, saying that kind of takes away something from your apology. Not that it's even necessary. I think. What are you apologizing for, exactly?"
"If I hadn't been playing in that park that day, he would have never taken me hostage, and if I hadn't resisted his control, I wouldn't have shot you!"
"It wasn't your fault."
"Of course it wasn't! I can't be held responsible, I did nothing wrong. But why do I feel guilty about it? And because I can't say 'sorry' without feeling insincere, I only feel worse! ARGH! It's so confusing!"
Sissel wasn't sure what her problem was. "Okay…"
The only thing he could think of was to put a hand on her shoulder and hope it was comforting.
Lynne started to move, when there was a slight tinge in his hand.
"Wait!"
Startled, Lynne obliged. "What?" she asked, perplexed.
Sissel moved his hand on her shoulder. He was certain he had felt something…
Maybe he had been just mistaken?
But there it was again. When his finger touched the bare skin on her neck, he felt warmth.
Fascinated, he ran his hand on her shoulder. He couldn't feel the clothed shoulder, but her neck…
The tips of his fingers seemed to be getting some feeling to them. He could feel the softness of her skin, and the small hairs at the nape of her neck fascinated him.
"Um…"
Sissel hadn't noticed how tiny Lynne was. When they had spoken in the Ghost World he had always presented himself as smaller than her, based on his vague memories on looking at people from below.
It wasn't that the body he was now was tall, but he was somewhat taller than the woman.
"I think I'll need to go. I'm already late for work."
And with that, she broke contact and left perplexed Sissel standing middle of the living room.
Sissel had a lot of time on his hands during the night when everyone else (except Missile) slept, and he mostly spent it teaching himself to read and finding other ways to acquire skills he would be now expected to have and that could be useful. While he was perfectly content sitting on the couch all day and occasionally taking walks around the block he got the impression that it would be a good idea to find some ways to be useful.
And he thought about things.
"Morning!"
Sissel nodded to the girl. "Morning, Kamila."
"How's that going?" She pointed at her old ABC Sissel was reading.
It was Missile who answered. "It's going fine. He can read slowly now. But I'm doing better. I made up my own alphabet; B-A –ark. And then it ends."
"Missile also had trouble understanding there were more than one 'I' and 'S' in 'Missile'." Sissel himself was feeling pretty proud of his progress. He was still struggling with the lower case letters, and understanding why those existed in the first place, but as long as the text was in all capital letters, he could read it.
But the last night he had been thinking about his experience yesterday, and now had an idea he needed to test.
"Kamila, could I hold your hand?"
"Sure." She held out her hand to him.
To his disappointment, he felt nothing. He had been thinking that maybe it was the presence of the living core in Lynne that had made it possible for him to feel, well, feel.
Kamila smiled at him, shaking his hand. "Good morning, Mister Sissel."
Sissel did his best to give her a smile. It might have been because he wasn't used to being human, or maybe he had gotten used to communicating via Ghost World, but expressing emotion in this body felt stilted, like it didn't respond to his emotions properly. Or, more likely, he couldn't assume that a body eternally locked at the moment of death would be indistinguishable from a normal human.
He was just about to let go when there was some warmth on his hand.
It was so little he was almost certain it was all just his imagination.
"What's going on here?" Smiling Lynne interjected.
"Lynne, hold my hand."
Puzzled, Lynne grabbed his free hand.
Instantly, there was a surge of feeling where their fingers locked.
Lynne tilted her head, puzzled. "Sissel?"
"You can't feel it?"
"I'm… not sure what you mean."
He supposed she wouldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
"When I touch you, I can feel things." Unconsciously, he let go of Kamila to take hold of both of Lynne's hands. "I can feel a bit when I touch Kamila, but nothing like with you. I think it has something to do with the cores people who have been brought back develop."
"The ones that let us talk inside our heads?"
"Yes. But it's much stronger with you."
"Well", Lynne looked thoughtful, "I did die a few times."
"Four times, by my count."
"You didn't have to keep count."
The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile.
"Hi."
Sissel watched from his position on the sofa how Lynne sneaked across the living room in a very suspicious manner.
"What are you-"
"Hello, Sissel!" She loudly announced.
"Eh?" He watched her wave her hands. "What are you trying to-"
"Shh!" She lifted her finger on her lips. That gesture he understood, she wanted him to be quiet. But he still had no clue why she was gesturing wildly, pointing at her head.
Apparently she realized her game of charades wasn't getting her anywhere, so she resorted to whispering. "I need to talk to you. In the Ghost World."
So he reached to her core, forming the link. "What's going on?"
"I think we're being spied on!"
"By who?"
"There was a very suspicious character, right outside. Being suspicious!"
"I think you probably should be more precise. Although, I might have an idea who you mean. The woman who had the huge hat?"
"Yes! Do you know her?"
"No. But I can hazard a guess. Remember the odd girl from Chicken Kitchen?"
"Memry?"
Sissel nodded. "I saw her around yesterday, hanging out with the lady with the hat."
"Are they police?"
"Shouldn't you know?"
"It's not like I know every police officer in the country. But I guess that would make sense…"
Suddenly she seemed to notice something. "Sissel, you are-"
"What?"
"(Don't tell me he didn't do it on purpose?)"
"You know, I can hear you."
"Take a look at your ghost image."
It took a moment for Sissel to realize what she meant. He supposed he had gotten too used to the human form.
Yes, that must have been the explanation for why he had taken the form of Yomiel in the Ghost World.
He quickly switched back to his true spirit form. He had worked hard to figure out his real identity, he wasn't going to throw it away, even if his body now reflected the form he had taken first upon waking as a ghost.
"(So, he is a cat, after all?)"
"What does it matter what I am?"
"I don't mind. (Not that I understand what I'm feeling, exactly.)"
"Feeling about what?"
"(I'm not sure if I should talk to him about it.)"
"I can hear you."
"Oops." Lynne grinned. "It's not anything important, though. (Especially considering... But maybe I could talk to him about that. Although it feels so silly, and he'd think I was selfish.)"
"You know, you can tell me what's bothering you, whatever it is."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll just ignore it if it's something I can't help with or something I find trivial. (Maybe her favorite chicken marinade was discontinued or something.)"
"Hey! I have problems that aren't food-related!"
"Well, you did think it might be something I'd find silly and selfish. (Maybe she ate all the butter in the fridge straight from the box.)"
"Stop trying to guess what my issue is."
"I'm not sure if I can do that."
Lynne sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you. You know how I've been trying to stop Detective Jowd's execution for a long time, trying to find out what really happened?"
"But now you know."
"Yes. And I feel, I don't know, empty. Like, I can't really believe it really happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy things turned out like they did, but I don't know what to do now."
"I know what you mean."
"You do?"
"I know it was just for one night, but I was focused on finding out the truth about myself. And then I did. I was fully prepared to disappear at dawn, but, well, that didn't happen, and now I find myself in a situation that's… Unexpected."
Lynne nodded. "I have been living with Kamila for two years now too. But now that's her father is coming home, I'm not sure what will happen."
"I hadn't thought of that at all."
"This apartment belongs to Detective Jowd. I'm sure he won't just throw me out, but I don't know… I guess he'll be sharing Kamila's bedroom for a while, we can put a futon on the floor, but I don't think that's a good permanent solution."
"It seems there are a lot of things I haven't thought about. What about me? (I guess Inspector Cabanela could always find a place for me.)"
"What? No."
"You do realize why we are under surveillance now, right?"
Reluctantly, Lynne nodded. "Your body and powers…"
"Especially the shard in my chest. There are people out there who will want it. Now that I think about it, there's no guarantee those assassins won't show up again, putting you and Kamila at risk."
"That's- (I didn't think of it.) But locking you up means they win!"
"They?"
Lynne gestured vaguely. "The criminal element. The law should protect the innocent and punish the bad guys."
"It sounds simple when you say it, but-"
"It might not be simple, but I MAKE it simple! I'm a detective, after all, I'll protect you!"
"(It's not really me I'm worried about.) Anyway, didn't you say this apartment belongs to Detective Jowd? So won't the law say we have to move out or something?"
"No. We can stay. It's just that… I lived on my own before I moved here. I could get an apartment of my own again, and you could hang out on my sofa. It's not like you need a place to sleep, or money for food."
"I would like that."
"You would? (Huh, that's a relief.)"
"A relief?"
"(I better leave the Ghost World, I think there are things I don't want him hearing.)"
And with that she was gone.
"Lynne! What did you do that for?" Sissel asked, following her to the world of the living.
"Sissel, there are some things a woman will want to keep to herself. At least until she figures out what those things are, exactly."
Sissel groaned. "That sounds so unnecessarily complicated! You already told me your doubts, and I'm happy you did. You are just the kind of person who does what she wants honestly, that's why I like you. Just be honest with me, okay?"
Lynne took a step towards him, standing nose-to-nose with him.
What she said next surprised him. "Take off your sunglasses."
"What?"
"Just humor me, okay? I want to see your eyes."
He obliged, fumbling a bit due to his lack of sense of touch, curious what she was going to do.
"Golden, huh? I've never seen eye-color quite like that."
"Is it normal?"
"It's very pretty."
For a moment he thought she was reaching for his eyes, but her hands landed on his cheeks, holding his face.
Unconsciously, Sissel reached down, mesmerized by her touch.
But it was Lynne who closed the distance between them, letting their lips touch.
Sissel was stunned.
Stunned at the feeling on his lips.
Stunned at the breath he drew, and the actual feeling of breathing.
Her hands moved to stroke his neck. That felt nice.
Sissel got the feeling he should find something for his hands to do and wrapped then around her waist, holding her closer.
But that felt unsatisfying, not being able to feel anything.
His hands moved, trying to find a place, and slipped under her shirt to find bare back.
Startled, Lynne jumped back, breaking the contact.
"I'm- I don't know." Sissel tried to collect his thoughts. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
She shook her head, looking every bit as flustered as he felt. "It's not that, you didn't hurt me. It was just sudden, that's all." Her expression turned worried. "But did I hurt you?"
"N-no." Not exactly. His head had been swimming with all the emotions and sensations he didn't know what to do with, but now that she had broken contact, it all started fading away rapidly, leaving the emptiness.
And fear.
"Please, don't leave me!"
She almost tackled him, wrapping her arms around him.
"I won't! Are you okay? You're shaking."
And he was.
He didn't understand what was happening, his body feeling out of control, making him draw quick, shaky breaths.
It felt painful, but somehow simultaneously relieving.
Was he dying? His eyesight was blurring.
It wasn't before Lynne wiped his cheek with her thumb, bringing feeling to his face that he realized they were tears.
And there, middle of the kitchen, being held by Lynne, he cried for the first time in his life.
Neither of them noticed the ghost watching them from the Ghost World.
Before he could get caught by Missile or Sissel, the spirit jumped through the apartment, and back to the crow he had been possessing to get there, relieved the bird had stayed.
He checked on the other spirit he had brought with him, and found him still in the bird, and still weak. Yomiel supposed he was unconscious.
"(I never expected that to happen.)" He thought, thinking back to the sight he had witnessed.
"Is it really any of your business at this point?"
So, he had been aware of his surroundings, after all. Part of Yomiel had wished the old dog-ghost would have disappeared. He had regretted several times bringing 'Ray' with him when escaping the submarine by possessing deep-sea-creatures and debris.
Then again, without him Yomiel might still be at the bottom of the ocean. He had been fully prepared to make it his coffin, but the presence of the other ghost had made him rethink it.
"My business? Don't get me wrong, I meant what I said. That is his body now, it's the least I can do, the closest I can do to bringing him back to life. And I'm happy he could do what I could not. Reach out to humanity. Make it more than just a shell."
"But?"
"But what?" The ghost dog was starting to annoy him again. "All I'm saying is that they will still continue to suffer from what I did. Those people I made the deal with will come after them. The government of this country will come after them. As long as that Temsik-fragment is in his chest they won't be left alone."
"It sounds to me like they could use a guardian angel."
Yomiel nodded. "But it seems they'll have to settle for some guardian ghosts."
All he got from the dog was a feeling of assurance.
It seemed like he was 'resting' again. Well, Yomiel could survive without him in his mind constantly. He was still puzzled by the ghost of an old dog. If he even was a dog. He had at first presented himself as a lamp, after all, and hadn't been forthcoming with information. Well, he'd find out the truth about 'Ray' eventually.
Yomiel let the bird fly away, content with just steering it in the right direction if he needed to.
He would be back.
But he had the feeling they would be all right. After all, he had faith in Sissel's ability to be a better human he had ever been.