Chapter 2: Hello Boys
"Really I don't know why you don't just sell that piece of junk for scrap! It's utterly useless! And it always breaks down on you"" a very annoyed brunette fumes as she paces back and forth around our room in the local inn of the small town we are currently spending the night in.
I snort at her comment from my position on my bed. I watch her pacing around as I relax on my back, hands behind my head in a very chilled out fashion. I watch her feet barely brush the floor as she glides over it and wonder to myself if she can even feel the ground beneath her. I also begin to ponder about asking her about the transparency of her current appearance and whether that would give her the ability to walk through solid things such as walls. Because, even after all the time she has spent around me like that, I have never seen her try it. It would be interesting to see.
"Hey! I'm serious here!" she says, obviously annoyed at me as she leans over me as I stare at the now distorted view of the ceiling above us.
"I am aware of the fact Kanan." I state bluntly.
Kanan, yes the very same young woman, whom I befriended a few years ago, appeared before me shortly after leaving her in that small village, and as a ghost no less. She didn't tell me how she died. She won't tell me why she chose to follow me around. But there is one thing that she is adamant on, and that is that we need to find her twin brother.
I told her straight out that no one else can see her but me, so even if we did happen to find him, she wouldn't be able to talk to him. How do I know this? Well, when she first appeared I was sitting with Arisu at the time and called me crazy when I introduced her to a patch of thin air. I knew after that, that I was the only person who could see Kanan. It must be something to do with the fact of me being a witch I presume.
Arisu asks me about Kanan sometimes, and I answer her honestly, she knows how odd I am. She also knows I'm not just making things up or seeing things. She has always been able to tell the difference between truth and lies, but not just with me, but with everyone else she meets. Well she is weird like that I guess.
Kanan heaves a large sigh and falls back on the bed next to mine, which Arisu will be using. She glares holes into the ceiling while she relaxes; arms folded across her chest with a large pout on her face making it quite obvious to anyone can see that she is sulking.
I sigh at her stubborn nature, not that I am one to talk, after all, the bike always causes me problems, but despite this I still keep it. I heave another loud sigh as I sit up from my bed and make my way to the door. I think it is time I gave my bike the medical attention it severely needs.
"Where you going?" Kanan calls, now sitting up and looking at me frowning.
"To work on my bike." I say with a sigh as I walk out of the room, shutting the door behind me.
I hear her make a gagging noise and mumble some more about my bike. I let out a sigh of relief when I find myself still alone as I walk along the corridor. She doesn't really leave me alone most of the time, especially if I'm trying to do something important, so this is my chance to get some real fresh air. A blissful smile appears on my face. I am going to enjoy this moment to the fullest while it lasts!
I walk out into the cool fresh air through the inn's back door into the bright afternoon sunlight. I walk over to my right where my beloved bastard of a motorbike stands proud next to the faded brick wall.
It is black in colour, but people say it looks like a ninja bike for its unique style. I don't really know what they mean by it, but I don't dwell on those sorts of things. My favourite part about my bike is the small, baby blue stripes that run along each side of it which I painted on myself as soon as I bought it.
I smile happily at it and pat the seat lovingly as I bend down to check the mechanical parts inside. I get out my small screws and lock-picking kit that I always keep in my pocket and begin to sift through the metal, wires and oil like fluid to assess the damage.
I pout to myself when I'm finished my little assessment before setting to work at fixing it. The inside doesn't look to bad apart from a few loose parts here and there. Most of the engine needs a good clean to remove all the desert sand, but aside form that it is remarkably well off considering all the trouble it causes me.
In all it takes me quite a while as by the time I put my little pocket tool kit away the sky has taken a distinct shade of pink, purple and orange that mark the setting of the sun. I wipe my oily hands on my dirty trousers and giggle as I imagine how I must look to anyone who sees me. I stand up and once more pat my bike lovingly.
"There, all better." I say with another giggle due to my odd little habit of talking to my bike.
After one last once over I walk back up to my room and find Kanan still on Arisu's bed, only now she doesn't complain about my bike as soon as I walk in, but instead greets me with soft snoring. Who would have thought ghosts could sleep?
I grab my bag and make my way into the on-sweat bathroom quietly so as I don't wake her. Once the door is shut and locked I quickly discard my filthy clothes into the bathroom bin before stepping into the awaiting shower. I turn it on and crank up the heat. I sigh to myself as the warm water cascades over me, and I begin the tedious process of scrubbing all the oil and sand from my hair and body.
Once all the dirt is gone from my body I run off the water and step out of the shower, wrapping a towel round me as I do so. I dry myself quickly before dressing in a clean change of clothes. I put on my favourite pair of black jeans, a blue t-shirt with light blue petals scattered round the bottom and slip on my leather jacket, slipping on my trainers as I do.
I gather up my things back into my bag and brush a leather fabric as I do so. I freeze for a moment at the touch of it, then I sit on the closed lid of the toilet seat and pull out the old journal that Kanan entrusted to me. She hasn't asked me about it, not even spoken about it since she met me as a ghost. Yet, ever since I met her it seems that the past is coming back to me. I have dreams of a sad young boy sitting alone in a space full of white and I see a younger version of myself try to speak to him. Trying everything to cheer him up, trying so hard. I feel a lump in my throat as I recall the feeling of helplessness when he would not respond. Even now, even it isn't the actual me, I still can feel it.
I open up the book to the last entry in it. Over the years it has become my favourite and I get it out to read over it every chance I get, which isn't often. I brush my fingers over the handwritten words of a small boy in love for the first time. The words always make my heart flutter when I read them, weird I know, but it is really sweet what he says. At first it was odd that this boy wrote about me, but now I find myself enjoying just keeping the words close to me. A small smile graces my lips.
I sigh after a moment and slip the journal into the bottom of my bag and stand before opening the door to see Kanan gazing out of the window smiling the brightest smile that I have ever seen on her face. If she had a tail, it would defiantly be wagging like mad right now. I dump my bag on the floor and she turns at the thump that the bag makes as it hits the floor before bounding over to me with an evident spring in her step, still beaming.
"Nicola! Nicola! It's him! He's really here!" she squeals, jumping up and down before rushing to the door. "Come on! Come on!"
She waves frantically at me to follow her before running through the closed door. Well, I guess the question of whether she can walk through walls has been answered (or doors at least). I sigh to myself at her sudden childish outburst and follow her out the door. I see her bouncing down the stairs at the end of the hallway as I shut the door and shake my head. She is really weird sometimes. She disappears out of my sight a moment later.
A happy and hyper Kanan is never a good thing. Whenever she goes like this, she has a sinister plan coming into play that always ends up getting me in some sort of trouble. This could turn out badly, for me that is...
I glair down at the spot where her head disappeared behind the step on the stairs. I pause for a moment. This will most likely end badly, who knows what she is up to this time? Should I follow her? I here the voices of the inn's fellow tenants flowing up to me from the downstairs rooms and sigh to myself as I tentively approach the top of the stairs.
I look down to the bottom of the wooden steps where I spot her form stepping through one of the many doors below. Specifically I know this door to be the one leading to the Inn's private bar. Why do I know this? Well Arisu tried to pull me inside it with her earlier to help her pick up a guy. I told her where she could shove that idea and stomped upstairs to our room.
Another sigh escapes my lips as I descend down the stairs. I have to follow Kanan inside there to make sure she doesn't have the sudden erg to turn into a poltergeist. But also because her words have perked my curiosity. She was on about a guy being here, that is what she said. I just want to know who on earth could have caused such a reaction from here. I plan to find out!
I step up to the door and grasp the handle of it. I pause, listening to the voices behind it of loud drunken men laughing, but also the all too familiar drunken ramblings of my best friend. I shake my head at the notion of how easily Arisu can pull a guy and swallow.
Men in general are a no-go zone for me, and drunken men are the worst! Not that I'm a lesbian or anything. The though of doing 'it' with a girl makes me feel sick. But after what happened to me and Arisu years ago, I just can't stand to be touched by them. Talk to them, yes, I can do that. Touch or be touched, even the slightest brush in passing is completely avoided.
Bracing myself mentally I open the door and step inside the room. It looks like most bars. The bar tender is serving drinks behind the bar that is surrounded by tall stools, most of which are occupied, and individual tables were groups of people merrily laughing away are scattered over the rest of the room.
I quietly scan the room and immediately spot Arisu sitting with 4 men and quite openly flirting with one of them. I notice Kanan next who is standing waving at me smiling that all too creepy happy smile of hers, still jumping about and pointing wildly at one of the men at the table. I blink and stand there for a moment before walking over to the table hesitantly.
"Nicola!" Arisu says as she notices my approach and rush up to greet me. "What a surprise! After what you said earlier and the fact you don't drink I can believe your here!"
"I am just checking up on you." I say as I sit down next to her, the excuse seeming to go down well with her.
"Okay everyone! This is Nicola, she is my best friend that I was talking to you about!" she introduces me to the group enthusiastically. Yup, defiantly drunk.
"Hey, names Goku! Nice to meet ya!" the shortest of the four says, smiling brightly at me.
He has long brown hair, a lighter shade than my own and glistening golden eyes. He is obviously a demon with a large golden halo that he wears around his forehead, a strong power limiter by all appearances.
"The red-headed guy is Gojyo," the boy continues with a hand gesture.
The said man is smoking and gives me a bright smile. He is the guy Arisu seems to have a thing for and judging by his body language, which is angled towards her, he is more than keen on her as well. He appears to be half demon, half human by the feel of him. Also in this land, half-breeds are identified as having both red hair and eyes. Trust Ri to go for a bit of both.
"The monk is Sanzo," Goku continues and points his thumb at the man sitting next to him.
The monk is also smoking and he early nods his blond-haired head at me, purple eyes scanning my form in a manner to judge my species and level of threat. He then lets out a puff of smoke and leans back a bit, satisfied that I am not going to attack or make a fuss. His white robe shift and the scroll on his shoulder slides backwards a bit, showing the text. Mental note: try and get close enough to read it later.
"and that's Hakkai while the dragon is Hakuryuu." The little demon finishes.
There is a chirping noise and a slight pressure appears on my shoulder followed by a slight gust of wind. I turn an am greeted by a small white dragon ho nuzzles his head on my cheek, his silken main tickling my skin. I can't help the soft smile that spreads across my face and I reach up and stroke the back of his head and neck. He's a real cutie. At my affection he chirps again, but in a higher pitch, and then proceeds to release a purring noise from deep in his chest.
I hear a deep chuckle from across the table and turn to lock eyes with the man sitting opposite me. His hear and eyes are the same as Kanan's only his hear is short and he wears a manacle over his left eye which appears not to be his own. He is the man Kanan is still swooning over.
"Seems Hakuryuu has taken a liking to you there." he says in a deep masculine voice.
I glance at Kanan and our eyes lock. A smirk spreads across her face and she gestures towards Hakkai. I feel my blood run cold and I pale considerably as the penny drops. That's her brother. That's why she is so excited. Her plan is working out, the objective being for the two of us to meet.
Shit.
"Appears so." I say and the dragon whines as I pick him up and place him on the table. "Sorry to disturb you all, but now that I know Arisu is alright I'm going to turn in."
I push my chair in and ignore the protests of Arisu who tries to get me to stay with them and have some fun. I make it to the door and open it in a hurry as I sense a fuming Kanan at my heals. I slam it behind me and race up the stairs and into my room, door slamming behind me. Not that it does me much good since she just goes through them.
"What was that about!" she shouts after storming through the door.
I fall back down on my bed groaning at the situation. I cover my eyes with the back of my hand and pretend that I can forget about everything. About the dream boy. About Kanan. About everything.
"He was right there!" she continues to rant. "Why did you run away?"
"Because he's your brother and I want nothing to do with him." I say with a sigh.
"Well what about me? I need to talk to him and so do you." She says as I sit up and glair at her.
"This has nothing to do with me." I growl.
"Bullshit." She snorts. "You're the only one I can use to tell him some very important things. So your involved whether you want to be or not."
"Stay out of my life." I snap, feeling my anger start to boil in my gut. "Find someone else."
"You're the only one who can see me damn it!" she shouts back. "There is no one else!"
"Well its tough shit then isn't it! Just fudging go away!" I fume, standing up to be at eye level with her.
Just as I do I loose control for a second and the window crashes outwards, the bathroom door is blown in and the front door crashes into the hall wall. I notice barely a second later just how close it was to hitting the one person I least wanted to see. Hakkai stands there, one hand raised in a knocking motion with Hakuryuu on his shoulder. His eyes are wide in shock as he stares at me.
I feel my body shake in horror at the situation. I can't turn away from his emerald gaze that is still transfixed on my own. The shock slowly fades and he lowers his hand. He then steps into the room and stands a meter away from me with a concerned look on his handsome face.
"Are you alright?" he asks ad I swallow and nod dumbly in response. "What happened in here?"
I glance at Kanan who is smiling at him, then turns to me and shrugs. I guess she doesn't know how to react either. I turn back to Hakkai with his searching gaze. Then he takes a step forward and my mind regain control of my body and I jump, landing on the bed, eyes slightly wide.
"Easy now." He says in a soft tone. "I'm not here to hurt you. So how about we sit down and chat."
He moves and sits down on Arisu's bed and gestures at me to do the same. I nod and slowly crouch down, placing my hands on either side of myself on the bed to take my weight as I slide my legs from beneath me and sit down softly on my bed. Kanan hops over and sits next to him, brushing her shoulder with his and beaming.
"Did you do this?" he asks in a soft tone while sweeping a hand to signal the broken doors and window.
"Yes." I mumble back, feeling like a naughty child being told off.
"I thought so." He says, tapping his chin. "Then you're a chi user as well I presume."
"Chi?" I ask with a frown.
"Sorry I can't use it."
"What?" he says blinking in shock. "Than what was that just now?"
I hesitate before giving him my answer. He might think I'm crazy if I do. Should I lie? No. I'm a terrible liar anyway. I glance at Kanan who gives me a reassuring smile and nods at me to tell him. I gulp and turn my attention back to the only other living person in the room.
"That happens sometimes when I get mad. My magic spikes ad does damage to things."
"Magic?"
"Yup"
"Are you human?" he asks.
"As human as you are." I shoot back, probably harsher than I should have.
He winces at my words and his gaze travels to the floor. He reaches up and touches the three silver cuffs on his left ear that act as his power limiters. He then glances back up at me, but the smile he starts to form to jokingly brush it off drops as our eyes lock. His eyes widen as he see that I know. His gaze drops once again to the floor.
I wince at the look on his face. I have the urge to reach out and put my hand on his shoulder to give him comfort, but I push it back. That's weird. No guy has ever made me want to touch them before. But that raises another question, is he the same boy in my dreams? If so, how is it he is a demon now?
I glance at Kanan who looks like she is about to cry and sends an angry glair at me. Her hands brush over him, but not touch him. She knows that will do no good to him, but the motion is done to calm herself down more than her brother. I wince again.
"Sorry." I say and quickly look away before he can meet my eyes. "That was insensitive of me."
"It's alright." He says and I turn back to see his sad smile. "I need to accept it eventually. I'm just being stubborn."
"Still…" I draw out and his smile brightens at my honest display of regret.
"Its fine." He says with a chuckle. "Now, mind telling me what wondrous creature sits before me?"
I blink at him dumbly for a moment. He has a charming smile on his face and there is a spark of something in his eyes. I've seen other men give Arisu this look. The look I've dubbed 'purvey eyes.' Yet as I sit for once on the receiving end of it, the phrase just doesn't seem to fit. It's more charming and flirty. Innocent.
I look away from that expression. I do not deserve such pure emotions to be directed towards me.
"Witch." I mutter.
"Really?" he says. "How interesting."
I shrug and decide that the mess of the room is really bothering me. Cleaning it would give me an excuse to concentrate on something else apart from the handsome, charming and innocent man across from me.
I let my magic seep into the air around me which takes on a sweet taste to it, then mould it into form, gripping both doors, the debris, the shattered glass of the window and draw them towards me. I place everything back to the way it was before, giving a final glace around before shutting off the magic flow.
"Amazing." Hakkai gasps.
I turn and see him gazing round the room. A spark of awe and interest is in his hypnotic emerald orbs again. He is beaming a smile similar to the one Kanan used when she saw him, only on his face is doesn't look sinister in the slightest. Once more I feel insignificant and like filth before his purity.
"Not really…" mutter and suddenly find his attention back on me.
"Well that explains why you're so careful." He says with a soft smile.
"How so?" I frown
"Well to keep everything in control you need to be constantly calm. Interacting with people may cause you to slip and then something like this," he gestures to the room with his hand "could happen."
"Yeah. Well one day I might be able to."
"Practice makes perfect." He says with a chuckle. "But could I ask something else?"
"Go ahead." I say, already knowing his question.
"What upset you?"
I hum to myself as I glance at the starlit sky outside my window. Should I tell him? Well it was because your dead sister was creeping me out. Nope, can't say that, it would be a disaster. But as I glance at the enthusiastically nodding Kanan I feel as if should at least know of her. Hopefully he will just think I'm mad and leave.
"Kanan was being an ass again."
I watch his face pale and the temperature drops. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. What can he say? I just called his dead sister an ass in front of him. But damn it he seems to believe what I'm telling him. I may as well press on.
"I was not" Kanan protests. "I was being helpful."
"And how did you figure that one out? Hum?" I shoot back at her and notice the shock on Hakkai's face at my behaviour.
"I showed you where he was." she retorts.
"And that helps me how?"
"So you could meet him and become friends, then tell him some important things for me."
"So basically it only helps you not me." I say deadpanning at her.
"Hey! I'm introducing you to my handsome brother! Not only that but don't you want to know why the two of you used to dream share?"
"I am curious, but that was ages ago and it stopped. Why dwell on the past?"
"Because it makes you what you are in the present!" she snaps. "Stop being so stubborn. If not I going to totally go all poltergeist on your ass."
"Bite me bitch." I challenge with a smirk and a raise of the eyebrow. This should be interesting.
She stands with a huff and walks over to the book Arisu left on the table by the side of her bred that the now slightly confused and curious Hakkai sits. She goes to pick it up, but her fingers just go through it. She growls and continues to try, but in vain.
I chuckle and she turns round to my smug expression with a frustrated one. She huffs and stomps back to her spot on the bed seated next to her brother. Then crosses her arms and pouts like a child that couldn't get its way.
"She's really here then?" I hear Hakkai ask.
I turn to his hopeful, but slightly shocked face and m smirk drops. I nod in response and watch as the information sinks in. he has to have something wrong with him to believe that a total stranger can see, hear and argue with his dead sister.
"Where?" he asks deturmaned.
"Right next to you with a big pout on her face." I retort, earning a glare from said ghost.
"I can't see her." He states looking through Kanan whose pout has faded. "Is seeing the dead a witch thing?" he asks turning back to me.
"I presume so." I shrug. "But she's the first dead stalker I've ever had."
"Stalker?" he repeats, blinking.
"Yup. She never leaves me alone and always follows me around."
"Oh. Why is that?"
"To tell you something apparently." I say glancing look at Kanan who sighs.
"No time like the present." She mumbles. "Tell him about the diary."
"Why?" I say, eyes wide as panic spikes through me.
"He needs to know that I read it. But you don't have to show I him"
"Alight." I sigh. What a mess this has turned out to be. I turn back to Hakkai. " She says tht she read your diary before she died."
He pales. "I thought I had lost it, but it was her all along." I nod.
"I never meant to hurt him." Kanan says. "Ask him about the girl he drew."
"She wants to know about the girl you drew." I repeat my stomach flipping.
"At first I thought it was my conscious telling me to be happy." He says looking at his hands in his lap with a small smile, a nostalgic look on his face. "But it kept happening and eventually she would tell me about how it always made her upset to fall asleep and see me so sad. Eventually I accepted that she could be real, an angel from another world who was there to help me. Time passed ad things got better." His smile widens. "That's when I started the diary, so I would never forget her. I was happy spending time with her. But the last dream.." his smile drops as he pauses to collect his thoughts. "She was crying. It was the shortest dream. I found her like that and then she said she was sorry. That's where it ended. For a year after I would pray that when sleep came I would find her again. But life moves on and I came to accept that she was gone."
"Ask him if he really loved her?" Kanan asks with a stone face.
"Kanan asks I you really loved her?" I say and swallow, my mouth going dry.
"Yes." He says and that little smile is back. "And I think a part of me always will."
I feel my ace heating up and turn away from him, angling my head slightly downwards so that my brown bangs cover my reddening cheeks. I peak at Kanan to see her fuming to herself. Our eyes meet and the look she gives me drains the entire colour from my cheeks. I feel, at this moment in time, the most despised person to exist.
"What about Kana?" my mouth asks without my permission.
"She was my sister." He says lifting his head to look at me. "Of course I loved her, just not in that was she did me."
My eyes widen. "You know?!" I ask in a higher pitch and he nods.
Kanan abruptly stands her hair over her face and she storms off through the bathroom door, then I hear sobs coming from behind it. I shake my head, I will never get used o her mood swings and tantrums. I look back at Hakkai who is frowning at me.
"You should leave." I say as I open the door for him with my magic.
"Alright." He says with a sad look and walks over to the door. "I will see you tomorrow then."
I nod and he smiles. He waves and then shut the door behind him as he steps into the corridor. I sigh and allow my head to fall into my hands. Today has been so messed up. I feel my body wanting to shut down to recover from the magical and emotional strain I have put it under. But I can't just yet, there is still Kanan to deal with.
I pull myself out of the slump and stand. I make my way on shaky legs t the bathroom door knocking on the slid wood softly. The sniffles and sobs from the other side stop and I hear her hiccup a few times as she composes herself. I give her a moment before softly opening the door to find her sitting on the toilet rubbing her eyes. I step into the room and close the door just as softly behind me.
"I'm sure he just didn't want to hurt your feelings." I say softly.
She turns to look at me from her position sitting atop the toilet seat, her legs drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, lines of tears streak down her face. Who would have thought it, ghost tears.
"Bullshit." She responded. "But he does still care for you."
"No he doesn't." I snap and roll my eyes. "That he still wants to love the younger me. A lot has happened since then."
"Well it's amazing he didn't recognise you." She says and a sinister smirk crosses her lips. "But regardless, he still seems to be attracted to you."
Really, I wish she would quit being bipolar or once.
"No way." I disregard.
"That's denial." She says with a giggle. "This can work to. Eventually when I get enough energy." She finishes in a mumble.
I give her a weary glare. She is defiantly plotting something, and it will most defiantly involve me somehow. Absorb energy? What's that all about? Although, even I don't know what she does while I'm asleep and she has told me before that since she died se doesn't need any sleep.
"Is not." I say pretending I didn't hear that last part. "And anyway, we are leaving tomorrow and will most likely never meet again."
"But, what if you guys are going to the same place?" she suggests giggling. "You know what they say, the more the merrier. Now, I'm going back downstairs to see what he's up to. So later."
She waves and then ran out of the room before I could offer a protest. I sigh and walk back out into the bedroom. I fall back on my bed with a frown on my face. Things don't seem to be looking good for me. And what's with Hakkai? Surely if the girl you love appeared before you again you would recognise her. I haven't changed all that much over the years apart from my height and shape. My face is still the same. Strange.
Then there is Kanan. It seems she might be planning to use me to get to him in some way. I'm still not certain about the details, but her getting stronger as I presume she is, defiantly spells trouble for me. Could she be planning to resurrect herself to get Hakkai for herself.
Speaking of her, what she said earlier is starting to make sense. No guy is that nice to a total stranger, especially a oddball such as myself. Unless… No. Impossible. But then again….
"What if he did know it was me?" I blurted out in shock.
Holy fudge! Now I can see the family resemblance between the two of them. Manipulative sods!
Finally updated guys! :D
Thanks for the reviews, those of you who did. You would have had to wait for it longer if not for the shove by Lisa who reminded me that people actually read my stuff!
I am eternally greatful *bows*
Well hope you enjoyed it!
Review please so I know people are reading it!
Peace out! X3
