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Transparency

Chapter Three

Moon Kitty

January 23, 2006

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"Aah!" Shinichi yelled in alarm, falling backwards off the chair and onto the dusty floor.

The girl giggled and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "You sure scare easily."

He stared at her from the floor. She was quite pretty and wore an unidentifiable school uniform. Chocolate hair hung down her back, stopping just past a rounded waist. Large, sparkling indigo eyes stood out from a smooth, pale face. Her long legs peeked out from a short pleated skirt, ample breasts pushing against the thin material of a white button-up shirt.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," she replied cockily. "People don't usually barge into other people's houses uninvited. I had to tell everyone else that, too."

He looked utterly confused as he rose to his feet, dusting off the back of his pants. "I didn't barge in here. This house is abandoned."

"That's funny. Last time I checked, I still lived here."

He stared at her in stunned silence for a moment before shaking his head. "That's impossible. That would mean that you're a gho-"

"I prefer the term 'spirit'," she explained, walking to stand next to him. She bent down, picked up the book, dusted it off, and threw it back on the love seat. "I also really wish people wouldn't go through my things."

"So the rumors are true," he whispered, still staring in amazement at her. "What happened? Was your family killed? What's your name? How old were you? What year was it?"

She put up a hand to halt him and raised an eyebrow. "Slow down. Do I really have to answer your questions?"

Shinichi's face fell and she sighed. "All right, all right. I'll tell you. Meet me downstairs in the living room," she stated as she disappeared from sight.

He stared at the spot she had formerly occupied before rubbing his eyes and leaving the hidden room, closing the door behind him. Traversing the wooden staircase, he found the girl sitting against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees. Once she caught sight of him, she motioned for him to sit next to her. Once he had, she began, a dull look in her eyes, face emotionless.

"I was sixteen-years-old when my family and I were murdered fifty years ago. My name is Mouri Ran, and I was a champion at karate. One day, I was coming home to pick up my supplies for practice." She stood, crossing her arms and began pacing. "I found my mother and father stabbed to death in the study."

That was that bad feeling I had when I was standing in the doorway, Shinichi thought. "But... how were you killed?"

She glanced down at her feet, suddenly disappearing, and he jumped off the ground as he heard commotion coming from upstairs. I don't think I'll ever get used to that, Shinichi complained mentally as he climbed the stairs. Seeing her sitting on the love seat, he sat next to her and smiled comfortingly as she stared at him listlessly.

He was completely taken off-guard when she laughed and grabbed her diary, fingering the pages gently. She crossed her legs and flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiling at him. "You want to know how I died? I was raped and then stabbed to death," she stated nonchalantly.

He rose to his feet, yelling, "You say that like you're reporting the weather!"

She cocked an eyebrow and stared at him, a grin pulling at her lips. "After fifty years to think about it, you kinda get used to the idea."

Shinichi stared at her, horrified, and Ran giggled, turning the page. "I should have live people over more often. It's fun."

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Authoress Notes

Well, I finally got off of my lazy butt and wrote it! Oh, my God! I know, I know... it's a miracle! Actually, the only reason I'm writing this right now is because my AOL's down. (O.O) So I don't know if I should be thanking AOL or yelling at them to put it back up so I can talk to my friends. Well, enjoy this chapter! Review, please!