The first thing that Taro Yamada heard today was the sound of raindrops colliding on his window.
There really was nothing more he could ask for on this perfect Saturday morning. For the first time in what felt like forever, he actually felt well rested.
He's sure there are multitudes of people right now that don't get to feel the sensation he's feeling right now. All too busy with work, errands, or whatever they had to get up early to do today.
He wishes he could just stay in bed all day with his eyes closed listening to nothing else but the gentle pouring rain outside.
Of course… This is Taro Yamada that's being talked about here. Since when has anything ever gone his way?
*BZZT* The sound of this phone vibrating on his nightstand was much more than enough to snap Taro out of that peaceful state of mind.
Normally, he'd be wondering why it's going off as loud as it is, but then he remembers the girl he's in a relationship with.
She must have some way of getting into his phone without him noticing because every time he puts it on silent, he notices it going back to its default notification setting when he picks it up a few hours later.
Deciding not to pick it up, Taro just laid in bed. Staring up at the ceiling patiently waiting for a moment of silence accompanied by the falling rain.
The phone, eventually, did stop buzzing, and silence did follow right after…
But only for a few moments.
The phone rang again, and Taro could swear that it was getting louder. Although, this is more on his end and not the phone's.
Giving up, he reaches over to his nightstand and accepts the call.
"Ohayo, Ayano-chan."
On the other end of the line, Taro's girlfriend smiles.
"Taro… you didn't pick up the phone the first time I called… you were just sleeping, right?'
As usual, Taro began racking his brain. He had to choose his next words very carefully. Ayano is the kind of person who would be running across town for the sole purpose of scolding him.
That is, assuming that she isn't right outside his house like she sometimes was.
Deciding on what to say, Taro went for it.
"Oh, you didn't wake me up. I was just listening to the sound of the rain… Thinking about you."
It was then that he heard Ayano start to giggle. For a split second, he thought he could hear the sound of splashing water.
"Oh Taro… You don't know how happy you've made me hearing you say that… I've been thinking about you a lot too… Since it's raining today, I imagine us holding each other close while walking under the same umbrella!"
Taro sighs, he knows where this is going. "Well Ayano, if you really want to go on a date with me that much, who am I to say no? I got nothing to do today anyway."
This isn't a lie. Usually at this time, his little sister, Hanako, would be barging into his room suggesting that they do something together, but not today.
Right now, she, along with their parents, are out of town to visit some relatives. Taro, being the outgoing introvert that he is, offered to hold down the fort.
Someone had to.
"Yay!" Ayano's scream snapped him out of his thoughts. He could hear another splash of water. "I'll come right over as soon as I'm done with my bath!"
The word 'bath' was what stood out. Taro speaks again. "Ayano… you're completely naked right now, aren't you?"
Ayano went silent for a few moments before speaking again. This time, in a slightly more seductive tone.
"Want me to send you some photos?"
"Another time!" Taro blurted out before ending the call.
As soon as he touched the screen, however, he wanted to hit himself. Last time he hung up on her first, he had to endure an hour long rant from her the morning after. She looked like she was about to rip his head off.
They've only been seeing each other for a week and she's been acting like she's known him her entire life. She's not Osana.
But it doesn't really matter anyway. Everything is okay now. Just keep telling yourself that enough times and if you don't believe it, you haven't been doing it enough.
Deciding not to take a shower, Taro grabs his near-empty can of body spray and applies it to himself.
As the cheap scent made its way to his nose, he felt almost as calm as he was before getting that phone call.
This is Ayano Aishi. She's not going to care whether or not he showers.
It turns out Ayano may not be mad at him like he thought she was.
After putting his phone on silent, he sent her a text. He was going to come over to her house and they could take a walk through the town together.
One of the good things about having Ayano Aishi as a girlfriend: you can text her knowing she'll almost immediately text back. She told him she was looking forward to seeing him.
Seeing that it's raining slightly harder than it was before, Taro made sure to grab an umbrella.
Right before leaving his house, he double checked his pants pocket and made sure that his house key was in there. As he wanted to avoid a situation where he's locked out and has to stay the night at a friend's house.
Although, now that he thinks about it, if Ayano found out that he'd been staying over at a friend's house and not taking the opportunity to stay the night with her, she'd most likely break down in front of him.
Well then, it's a good thing he has his key on him. So there's no need to worry about anything.
Raising the umbrella over his head, Taro began walking. Making sure to take his time getting to Ayano's house.
After taking a second to look in the direction of the house of his childhood friend, Osana Najimi, he couldn't help but smile to himself.
Things are looking up. He feels happy and no amount of rainfall is going to change that. A lot has happened over the first ten weeks of school and now everyday life is becoming more peaceful than anything else. He wouldn't have it any other way.
He only gets to be young once. Might as well take a good look around. He's going to be wishing these days hadn't gone by so fast.
As he continues walking, he hums along to a gentle song that popped up in his head.
He had heard of this song for the first time back when he was a child who was curious enough to watch Spider-Man 2.
"Raindrops keep falling on my head.
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed.
Nothing seems to fit, those,
Raindrops keep falling on my head; they keep falling…"
He stops humming. How does the rest of the song go? It's been so long since he's last heard it.
Taking a moment to look around, he could see at least half a dozen other people walking around holding umbrellas. In the distance just out of sight, he could hear a dog barking.
"Raindrops keep falling on my head.
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red.
Crying's not for me, cause,
I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining.
Because I'm free… Nothing's worrying me…
Ah, that's how it goes."
Literally the moment he finishes that thought, a voice speaks out in his head which he's certain is not his own.
"Taro… Taro… Everything is about to change…"
Taro stops in his tracks. He knows he's not crazy, but people who aren't crazy usually don't hear voices.
Is he gonna have to be admitted to a psych ward? What the hell is everybody going to think?
He looks over to his left and sees a figure wearing a middle school uniform along with a red maneki-neko style mask staring at him from right across the street.
If Ayano was here, this would be over in a millisecond.
The voice in Taro's head speaks again.
"Everything is about to change."
It's at this time, a speeding truck makes its way between the two of them. These are not new to Taro. On occasion, he'd be joking about one day getting whisked away into a magical world just because he'd been killed by 'truck-kun.'
As the truck sped off, possibly on its way to kill somebody, the figure vanished. Making Taro wonder if the person was even real to begin with.
What started off as a small headache he was feeling now grew to almost a torturous level of pain in only a few moments. "AAUGH!" Taro drops his umbrella and falls to the ground clutching both sides of his head.
Rain is pelting down on him, but he didn't care about getting wet. He had never felt pain like this before in his life. It's almost as if his head is lit on fire.
He'd have continued to be in pain if it wasn't for him thinking about Ayano. Thinking about her seemed to ease his suffering.
"Hey buddy! You okay!?" "Take it easy, man. Just take it easy."
Three guys who look like they're in their early twenties walk up to him. Concerned for his well being.
That concern was only replaced by fear when they looked at his face.
Within an instant, they took off running. Not even bothering to say anything else.
Seeing a nearby parked car, Taro decides to check his face out on the side mirror. What he saw looking back at him was shocking. He couldn't blame the guys earlier for running.
He'd run too if he saw somebody with half their face covered in a red transparent cat mask.
A mask that looked just like… "Oh my god."
"Brace yourself, Taro Yamada! It's coming!" "Huh?"
He then sees the guys from before. Now they're running in the opposite direction.
What were they running from? A giant, moving cloud that Taro could only describe as a mist. Reference to Stephen King.
This mist, however, shows itself to be every bit as dangerous as its fictional counterpart. When the mist caught up to the screaming guys, he wasn't hearing their screams any longer. It was like they vanished into thin air.
Their clothes were left behind though. Now that Taro thinks about it, he could see clothes scattered everywhere he looked.
And whatever is happening, he isn't being affected by it.
This fact does absolutely nothing to calm the harsh realization his thought organized for him.
Everybody's vanishing. This includes everybody he's gone to Akademi with.
He felt himself getting weak in the knees before sitting down on the curb.
How did it all come to this? Everything was just fine an hour ago. It was like God himself decided to kill everybody and he's making him watch.
"I assure you. Everything happening here… isn't the work of God."
Taro looks up to see the figure again looking down on him. Now it's in some kind of ghostly form. The Occult Club would have a field day if they saw it.
Too bothered in his own mind, he looks down again.
"Kore wa subete tada no yumedesu. (This is all just a dream.)
Kore wa honmonode wa arimasen. (This isn't real none of it.)"
The spirit crouches down in front of him. He extends his hand out and touches his arm.
"Watashi to yoba reru megami ga, anata no kono machi ga kono sekai igai no dareka ni osowa rete iru koto o watashi ni meijiru yo ni kanojo ni inotta.
(A goddess called. I prayed for her to command me. This town of yours is being attacked by someone not of this world.)"
Understanding the spirit's words. Taro picks his head up.
"You speak Nihongo." Nihongo = Japanese.
The spirit looks in another direction. "They're coming! Hide!"
This confuses Taro. Who's coming? Surely not all the people who just vanished.
That was when he saw them in the distance. Transparent. Walking. Sort of like a cross-section of everyday Japan.
Only dead.
Among the multitude of unintelligible voices he hears, one voice stands out.
"Through me… The way towards a new world…
Through me… a new era unreachable to any god… or goddess…
Now… Gather forth, vagrant souls… A most noble end awaits you!"
"I gotta get out of here! I gotta get out of here! I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" Taro began running in the opposite direction.
"Well, you can't leave the town." The spirit spoke in his mind.
"There's no way in or out as long as that… mist is there! All communications have also been cut!"
"So… What? I die?" Taro yells back.
"That's not what I'm saying." Said the spirit. "Like I said before. I was sent to help you. You can't bring anybody back… but you can avenge them."
Taro was about to argue back when suddenly, three black clouds appeared right in front of him. Tall, pale spirits with no eyes, only a smile, wearing business suits and holding black umbrellas began to move closer to a frightened Taro.
He couldn't help but think of the horror icon, Slenderman. Because that's what these creatures look like.
His right hand then began moving on its own. The spirit must be doing something to it as it starts glowing a light green.
"You gotta fight them! First, focus energy in your fingertips, then let it out in a burst!" "O…Okay!"
All it took was one shot, and one attacking spirit vanished into nothing.
"Whoa!" "Good. Now finish off the other two!"
The other two attacking spirits rushed towards Taro with their arms outstretched. He ended up having to back off a few steps, but he managed to hold them off until they went down just like the first one.
Taking a second to catch his breath, Taro speaks again.
"What the hell were those things?"
"I like to call them… Rain Walkers." Said the spirit. "Spirits born from those pushed to the point of exhaustion by their jobs."
Taro sighs. "Of course. Why wouldn't they be?"
The two stay silent for a little while longer before the spirit speaks again.
"You know, it's great when somebody knows what they want to do in life. Because it no longer feels like work… or they know their work makes a difference in the world."
Taro says nothing as he walks over to a nearby bicycle.
"Gomen nasai." He whispers to its owner as he picks it up by the handlebars.
"Ah, a bike." Said the spirit. "Can't remember the last time I was on one of those."
As Taro sat down on the wet seat, he heard the spirit again. "Any idea where you want to go?"
Taro nods. "A friend's house."
As the rain continues to pour on Taro as he starts riding the bike, he can only think of all his dead friends.
But as soon as he thought about Ayano, he could feel a lump form in his throat.
He may be crazy to think this; but he has a strong feeling that she may be alive wandering somewhere in Buraza.
Ghostwire: Buraza
That's it! That's the first chapter! Thank you so much for reading, everybody! Thank you!
Star of Akademi still remains my most popular story, so it only made sense that I make a sequel. Regardless of how many views it will get.
I never thought I'd be writing this even one month ago. Then I saw a gaming news article praising Ghostwire: Tokyo for its accurate depictions of Japanese culture. (While at the same time bashing Ghost of Tsushima. Stupid.) That got me thinking. I was also wanting to play the actual game, but it was a PS5 exclusive. Next year, it'll be coming out on Xbox consoles, but not the PS4. I'll probably get a PS5 in 2023, but not to play this game.
Criterias were met and this first chapter was the result. It's going to take me a while to pump out another chapter though. I'm looking at around two to four weeks, if that.
I also have other projects. So let's see which story takes priority.