(A/N): Thank you to those who are supporting the story! *bows* The cover art that now accompanies the story was made by my amazing friend. As such, this chapter is dedicated to her! If you like her art- which you should, it's stupendous- check out her instagram (nai_nai_draws). She is a really great artist and an even better person (whoo! 'shout-outs' for days). I should probably warn everyone that this chapter has some violence, so if that's not your cup of tea... *shrugs* Again, thanks for the support and enjoy the chapter.
Shigeo climbed up the stairs slowly, counting each step and steadying his breath as he went. Reaching the second floor's landing, Shigeo felt as though he had reached the summit of a high mountain. When had such a simple task as climbing the stairs become so laborious?
He walked to his bedroom. He didn't even bother turning on the light. He made his way to the closet and quickly changed out of the remaining components of his school outfit. He flopped onto the bedding on his floor, wanting nothing more than to drift into sleep. As he started to readjust his pillow and blanket, though, he felt a familiar heat crawl up his spine.
With a fearful twitch, Shigeo quickly reexamined his room. After not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he relaxed, sniffling a little.
"Are you truly that stupid, Kageyama-kun?" A voice whispered in Mob's ear.
Before Mob could even react, a hand clenched around his neck, burning his skin with a sickening sizzle. Mob tensed his shoulders, having been caught off guard. The fingers around his neck tightened, so he released a small amount of psychic power. It was enough to gently push the girl away. He struggled to stand, but he wanted to get a better look at the girl. He coughed lightly, clutching his side as he leaned against the wall.
"Oh, poor Shige-chan!" The girl snickered, donning a lop-sided grin. "Feeling a little under the weather?"
The dark haired boy did not respond, having nothing to say. Instead, he took a deep and shaky breath. Rather than come up with a retort, Shigeo took in the girl's appearance, despite the darkness of the room.
She was no taller than Mob, but was bulkier than him. Her arms and legs were tensed, like the muscles of a poised animal. Her hair was long and a soft dirty blonde. It flowed like she was immersed in water, framing her heart-shaped face, but covering her eyes. She wore a delicate lilac tank top and shorts.
"What's your name? Why are you following me?" Shigeo asked suddenly.
She was taken aback, not thinking he would ask about her. She stiffened and growled in response.
Then, Shigeo was lifted into the air by telekinesis (or some other power that didn't require physical contact). The feeling of being strangled returned. Along with it came a wave of dizziness and the growing pain of burns. Mob raised his hand, the one that was marked by the fiery curse, as though he were going to attack.
"Go ahead, Kageyama! Attack me! I want to see you in your most pitiful state," the threatening girl's grin grew into a malicious smile, "As a feral, psychotic beast with absolutely no control!"
Mob flinched. That wasn't what he wanted, and there was no way he could let that happen...
"No," He let out weakly.
Knowing that the boy was stubborn, the girl just smiled wider.
"I'll let the curse do its worse. I'll let it consume you and tear you apart. I'll watch as it forces you to submit, as it burns away your will and destroys your resolve."
She released the esper from the chokehold. He fell to the hard-wood floor with a resounding 'thud'.
The girl retreated, sinking into the wall and disappearing, letting her high-pitched laughter fill the room.
"And when you finally turn on your closest companions, then my vengeful spirit shall be sated..."
Mob lay on the floor, ignoring her dramatic exit. He was preoccupied by the curse that was torturing him. The cursed flames had spread from his hand to his neck, focusing on where the girl had touched him. The pain from her fingers' imprints on his neck were the most severe. It was like re-lighting an extinguished match: the flames quickly licked up the burnt parts.
Sputtering, Shigeo curled around himself, pulling at the neck opening of his t-shirt. It was so unbearably painful. Mob began coughing, hacking as though his lungs were filling with smoke.
The curse had made its way to his face, making his eyes water. He choked on a sob and tightened the grip on his shirt.
Through clenched teeth, he began muttering, "H-hot...R-Ritsu...Mas...ter...h-help..."
"H-help.."
Teru shot up from the lounging position he had assumed on the couch. He looked around his apartment, dazed and groggy from sleep. Assuring himself that there were no suspicious characters snooping around, he put a hand to his forehead.
"Phew, what a strange dream!" He muttered, trying to tame his short and messy hair, ruffled from his nap.
Standing and going to the kitchen for a quick sip of water, Teruki dwelled on the dream that was already slipping away from his memory.
"That voice...It almost sounded like Kageyama?"
He shrugged off his worry, chugged his drink and went back to the couch to catch up on some beauty sleep. Sitting there, though, he couldn't quite forget the way the voice sounded in his dream. It was so strained, so helpless. If it had been Kageyama's voice, what events could cause him to sound so weak?
The more the blonde contemplated the dream's meaning, the more agitated he got.
"Ah, fine!" He hopped from the sofa and stormed off to get dressed, "I need to get a breath of fresh air..."
"This cannot be happening." Ritsu said, his voice quivering with fear. He quickly crossed the short distance between him and his brother.
"Shige, talk to me! Are you alright?!" He went to shake his brother, like all of the emergency procedures taught you to do. Shigeo, however, twisted away from his brother's grasp.
"R-Ritsu..." Mob's face was contorted with pain as he struggled to speak, "D-don't touch m-me...curse...might h-hurt you..."
Before the younger brother could react, Shigeo's eyes flew open, suddenly releasing a surge of energy. Mob let out a whimper.
"Nii-san!" Ritsu shouted. He was thrown backwards and collided with the wall, having been propelled by the blunt force of Mob's power. He was struck by a sense of dread, greater than the worry he held for his brother.
Similar to the events that had happened at the Spirits and Such Consultation office, Shigeo began levitating objects in his room. Thankfully, there was a minimal amount of furniture and miscellaneous supplies. The situation was much worse than the aforementioned incident, however, as Mob was experiencing greater suffering.
He began coughing from somewhere deep inside of his chest; the pain caused him to curl around himself more, drawing his knees to his chin. Clutching his side, he felt the curse penetrate deeper than his skin, targeting his blood-cells, muscles, and eventually even his organs.
Not being able to withstand the excruciating agony of his burning insides, Shigeo finally let out a scream. With his vocalization, the contents of his room shook and trembled.
Ritsu, still huddling by the wall, sat with a pained expression, feeling 100% useless. I'm such a hopeless case; I can't even help my own hurt brother. I'm so awful...
The objects of the room continued to shake, spiraling in random directions and causing a ruckus. Ritsu didn't even flinch when Mob's stapler smacked into the wall, right next to his ear.
"Shigeo, you have to calm down!" Dimple's voice suddenly rose over the commotion.
Surprisingly, the spirit's exclamation cut right through both Shigeo and Ritsu's thoughts. Mob took in a slow and strained breath, his body relaxing, and the floating objects fell to the ground. The marks of his misfortune receded, allowing Shigeo to stop suffering.
As Shigeo lost consciousness, Ritsu gained his composure and rushed to his brother's side. Frightened, he shook his brother, turning Mob onto his back.
"Nii-san?" The words were nearly lost in his throat. When no response came, the younger of the two began panicking. Shaking Shigeo more vigorously, he whispered, "Y-you're not d-dead, right?"
Dimple, feeling the slightest twinge of pity for both boys, flew to Ritsu's shoulder.
"Look at his cheeks, he's flushed," Dimple muttered, "and you can see that his chest is rising and falling, though his breathing is a little off.
Ritsu, realizing that his precious sibling was still alive, allowed some tears to fill his eyes. He let them fall in streams without shame, not even considering to wipe them away. He hiccupped and held his brother's body closer.
"But, Ritsu," Dimple went on, "He's even worse than before. I bet he has a fever."
In response, Ritsu felt Shigeo's forehead. It did seem kind of warm..
"Maybe you should call your parents; get an adult," the specter suggested.
"They don't carry cell-phones," Ritsu replied, pausing to think. There are many options, he supposed. He could suck up his pride and ask Reigen for help, but that would be a last resort for sure. If he had to, he could take care of Shigeo by himself. Dimple had been alarmingly helpful, perhaps he would help Ritsu nurse Shigeo back to health... No, that was a bad plan. Maybe, he should just-
Ritsu's musings were interrupted by the gentle tinkling of the doorbell. Placing his brother gently on the messy bedding, Ritsu stood and went to answer the door. He was expecting to see his parents when he threw the door open without asking who was there. He didn't meet the familiar faces of his mother or father, though.
"Oh!" Ritsu blinked the shock off of his face, returning it to the usual neutrality, "Uh, hello. What can I help you with?"
The response came quickly, accompanied by a charming smile.
"Good evening, Brother-kun. Is Kageyama at home?"
