Sneak Peak:
"Something definitely isn't right..." - Ritsu
"Huh!? You want me to go in there?" - Dimple
"Stop! Stop it! You're hurting him- " - Reigen
"I'm sorry Ritsu..." - Mob
Author's Note:
Okay here goes, this chapter gets a bit intense! I actually really enjoyed writing this one. And Sorry for the late update.
Paranoia; A Disaster Awaits
Ritsu was the first to finish. He placed his dirty dish in the sink, eager to leave, he didn't bother cleaning it; besides, his parents weren't home anyway.
"Don't worry about the dishes, I'll clean up after I'm done here." Reigen assured, though Ritsu wasn't worried about it, checking up on his brother was the only thing on his mind now.
Ritsu walked passed the living room heading to go back upstairs only to be distracted by a strange change in the air. He immediately stopped, something didn't feel right. There it is again, that strange presence. Who could that be?
Reigen raised a brow, "Is something wrong? You look troubled."
"Do you...feel that?" It was a weird sensation enough to make the hair on Ritsu's arms and neck stand on end. He didn't like this, not one bit. He was growing more anxious by the second just wondering about it.
Reigen paused trying his best to feel whatever it was Ritsu was talking about but of course his senses weren't as heightened as the esper's was. His answer was obvious. "No? Why?"
"I could faintly feel someone else's presence but it doesn't feel normal, feels muffled, suppressed somehow. I can't put my finger on it.I felt it earlier, moments before you arrived. I thought it was nothing but now I'm sure, someone is watching us, watching my brother."
"And you're sure it's not Mob?" Reigen knew it was a longshot to hope for the younger brother to wrong for once. He didn't like thinking about the idea of someone watching them right now. It was too unsettling, especially to be watching a bunch of young kids home alone.
"I'm positive, my brother's psychic energy is very distinct and clear. It practically blows out others in comparison. I could never mistake it," he explained, taking a half step back, turning around until he faced the direction of the front door, his eyes piercing right through it. "It's coming from outside the house, maybe further down, across the street? I can't really tell. Wait..." Ritsu gave a frustrated growl. "Damn. It's gone."
Reigen let out a sigh of relief. "Well good. Let's just hope whoever that was doesn't come back. For all we know, it's probably nothing." Part of him felt like Ritsu was just being paranoid, even if it was another Esper, that doesn't necessarily mean they would be after this house or Mob in particular. At least, that's what he wants to believe.
On the other hand, the young esper was still on high alert because something else had caught his attention now. He immediately ran up the stairs. Something definitely isn't right but before he reached the top Dimple had flew right past him. The two shared a moment of understanding in their brief encounter, no words were spoken and the spirit automatically changed his trajectory, catching up to Ritsu in the opposite direction.
"It's Shigeo, his powers- you need to hurry!" Dimple explained as shortly as possible.
Please, please be alright Brother.
A powerful aura spewed out from the room, swirling and twisting in bright colors. The air was strong and thin to breathe in. Ritsu held on the entrance of the door frame, trying his best not to be blown away from his brother's telekinesis. In the distance he could see his sibling, still asleep on the bed that was levitating above the floor. Objects such as books and Ritsu's desk materials were flying around the room along with the chair that had been seated next to the bed. Shigeo whispered sounds while he unconsciously turned in his sleep, face tightened in distress. He was crying out a few words, most of them incomplete or undecipherable.
"No...Stay away..."
A nightmare?
"Brother wake up, it's not real! Br-" Ritsu gasped mid-sentence when he noticed his bookshelf take off in the air, the desk next to it also slid then rotated its position. "Shit!" Ritsu extended his hand, pulling back the heavy furniture that nearly rammed into Shigeo. He grounded them flat on the floor again, sweat rolled down his face. That was a close call.
"Hey! What's all th-"
"Stay back Mr. Reigen! My brother, his powers are out of control!" Things are already bad as it is, the last thing he needs is for someone to get hurt, it'll only fuel his brother's emotions which can be dangerous.
"Mob..." Reigen stood frozen at the end of the hallway. It was times like this that reminded him how useless he really was. He wanted to help. For once, actually do something! "Dimple, can't you like, uhh...enter Mob's conscience somehow and disrupt his concentration or something?"
"Huh!? You want me to go in there? Are you crazy!?" Dimple was shouting much louder than he meant to.
Reigen didn't give up. "But you were able enter Mob with no problem when we were up against Mogami."
"That's because Shigeo was an empty vessel," the spirit reminded.
"And that time against that big muscle guy from Claw?"
"First off, I'm not exactly sure how that happened and second, I'm not as durable as you think y'know. A normal person like you can't see it but psychic energy can be visible depending how strong it is. Esper's like Ritsu are mostly able to feel it but in some cases they are able to see power flow just as spirits do. And right now, Shigeo's aura is scary enough to exorcise me by contact alone. Unless I had some kind of protection, it useless."
Reigen looked at Ritsu, who was undoubtedly having a hard time. He was struggling between holding himself on the door and using his powers to stop any extra damage. Reigen couldn't stand all the stress these kids were enduring, it made him sick to his stomach. No child should have to go through this. Reigen took a deep breathe, time for some self-sacrifice, he thought to himself.
"Use me."
Reigen and Dimple were face to face to each other, one much serious in contrast to the others confused face.
"What, come again?" Dimple must of heard wrong.
"I said, use me. I will be your vessel. That way you can go near Mob with no worries."
For a moment Dimple was dumbstruck, almost impressed with how serious Reigen displayed himself. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to hear any complaints later." Dimple warned.
"Yes, yes, stop patronizing me and just do it already." Reigen knew he was making the right decision. Mob had done so much for him and although Mob might disagree, he knew there would be nothing he can offer that would repay the amount of gratitude Reigen has for him. "Just try not to break me in the process."
"I can't make any promises." the ghost snickered. Without a moment to spare, Dimple fused with Reigen's body, his signature red spots appeared on both of Reigen's cheeks as a sign of a successful possession. Dimple stretched with Reigen's body, opening and closing his fist and flexing his muscles, trying to get a feel for his new host. "Hmmm, not bad. It's a little scrawny for my taste but it'll have to do."
"Woah, oh this is weird, so weird!" Reigen could still see everything except his body felt cold and numb as if he was floating in water. It was like being weightless but heavy at the same time. "Ugh...this is making me nauseous." Reigen complained, he was speaking to Dimple through his thoughts.
"Oh-ho! You're a stubborn one. I'm impressed that you're still conscious, most black out after I take control. Try not to overwhelm yourself in there okay. You're going to need all the energy you can save." Dimple laughed.
Reigen wasn't pleased with the tone Dimple used to say that last statement.
Everything seemed to happen so fast and Ritsu was given no warning as Reigen, or more correctly, when Dimple had flashed by him. The esper was stunned, he said the first thing any person would have said in this situation, "Stop! What do you think you're doing!?"
"I'm going to try to wake up Shigeo. Just cover me Ricchan!" Dimple said in Reigen voice.
"Huh, Ricchan? Wait. Dimple!?" Eyes widened in disbelief. "You better have a good explanation for this." Eitsu did not like this. Not good, his brother would not like this, not one bit.
Dimple grinned through his host, spreading his hands, he generated his own aura of psychic energy. He used it to increase his speed just slightly so that he had enough momentum to break through the whirling atmosphere Shigeo had created in the room. A few items came his way and he did his best to dodge them, only receiving a few cuts and scratches on his face, arms and legs while Ritsu handled the bigger, less avoidable furniture to clear a path. As he got closer to Shigeo, he could feel Reigen's legs shake, everything became heavy.
"This doesn't look good Dimple! I hope my body can hold out."
"Just a little further..." Dimple took stern, wide steps, knees bent, holding his balance and using Reigen's hands to barely grip the floor ahead of them. He took one last step, arm reaching for the bed until he got ahold of it. Perfect, the rest should be easy, he thought as he climbed the levitating bed frame, finally making it to the top where Shigeo laid.
"Mob!" Reigen could hear himself call out despite being unable to speak through his own body.
"Wake up Shigeo! Hey, get a hold of yourself!" There was no reaction as expected, Dimple sucked his teeth. "I didn't want to do this kid but I guess it's the only option." Dimple placed Reigen's hand on Shigeo's head. There was no easy way to stop this; well, no painless way at least. In order to get through to the boy, he would either need to shock him somehow or disrupt his dream but to do that Dimple would have to invade his conscious.
"Brace yourself."
Reigen couldn't tell who Dimple was referring to but within that second a shock wave pass through him, he felt as though his very soul was being drained of life, colors saturated and everything around him gradually became blurry. Within the same moment Reigen could hear Shigeo fidgeting, making irritated sounds. He looked down, his student twisted and turned, shaking his head frantically, fighting an invisible force which Riegen knew all too well was Dimple's doing.
"Stop! Stop it! You're hurting him Dimple!" Reigen pleaded, trying his best not to regret that he had offered his body to the spirit. If something bad were to happen to Mob, he would be fully responsible.
"You don't understand, I'm trying to help him. I haven't even broken through his mental barrier."
"No! This isn't the way. I can't- I can't allow this! You're making him suffer more, stop! Sto...st..." Reigen felt himself slipping away, similar to fighting heavy eyelids from lack of sleep, he fought the dizziness. "W-what...is this..?"
"I told you to settle down in there. It seems like my power is sapping your spiritual stamina. Especially with the amount I'm using now, it's not surprising. If you're not careful, there's a good chance you might pass out soon."
"No..not now. I need to make sure Mob is safe...Damn it." This was definitely not what Reigen had planned.
In the distance they could hear Ritsu yelling, threats laced with anger and desperation. Dimple ignored him, though Reigen was panicking. He knew this wasn't going to be a fun confrontation later with Mob's younger brother.
Despite all the criticism, Dimple was doing his best to get through to Shigeo but the boy's power was tremendous. He knew this wasn't going to be easy but hell, this seemed impossible. Dimple added more pressure, hoping his barrier would give in but it only seemed to get stronger; almost as if the boy was consuming the energy and converting it as his own. He felt sweat roll down Reigen's face and Dimple cursed under his breathe. He was running out of power, at this rate this, none of this would even matter. Their efforts would have been all in vain.
"This, this isn't enough. I can't do it."
Reigen wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried. Dimple had given up and sadly Reigen wasn't going to be much help either, no plans, no words of encouragement, nothing. He was using every ounce of his concentration just to stay awake but he was very close to blacking out. Things couldn't get any worse than this.
But it did.
Without warning Dimple's energy shattered and evaporated, and Shigeo's power ricocheted, sending a blinding light, bouncing back everything in a split second. Dimple had been knocked out of his host, while Reigen was blown in the process and unlike Dimple, whose intangible body harmlessly past through the solid wall behind them, Reigen's back collided hard against its flat surface. He groaned softly, body slid and dropped from the wall. He held his head, realizing he was back in control of his body.
"Couldn't have picked a better time, right?" He chuckled painfully at the irony. It could honestly be considered a miracle that he was even able to move, but the pain felt so much better than that hollow empty form he was earlier.
Ritsu was also caught off guard, his barrier appearing a moment too late as he was also thrown to the wall behind him. Thankfully he had lessened the momentum with his powers at the last minute.
Ritsu picked himself up. In the room he could see Reigen, trying his best to stand, his stance unsteady and wobbling. This was bad, very bad, Riegen didn't look so good. What was he thinking? Why didn't the man just listen to him? He had everything under control, his brother's situation was under control. He didn't need his help. Now look where that got him, where that had got all of them.
His next attention went to his brother, his form suspended in the air, no longer in a laying position, he was upright, arms holding each other, knees bent to his chest, feet folded on top of eachother. Psychic energy spun around him inside his barrier.
Shigeo was awake.
His brother floated there, still and silent. He stared at Ritsu with the most horrific expression that made the younger brother's heart sink. Shigeo was scared, so horribly traumatized.
Ritsu felt sick to his stomach. Sick at the fact he couldn't hide his own fear from his brother, that he was actually terrified of Shigeo. He could lie, tell himself that he was only scared for Shigeo's well-being but he knew, Ritsu knew his brother's powers still frightened him. Frightened them both.
Shigeo forced his gaze away from Ritsu, slowly looking down at where Reigen was. Then, at the rest of his surroundings. It must of took only a moment before he understood what had happened because that was the only probable cause for the tears that followed. His emotions covered the room like a blanket, so strong it vibrated through everyone in the house.
Fear, guilt, sadness, loneliness, disappointment, regret. All of his thoughts and emotions, Ritsu felt them crystal clear, like the salty liquid that fell from his eyes. Ritsu raised one hand to his face, feeling the warm moist streams flowing its way down to his chin. Reigen was also wiping his eyes, confused mostly, he wasn't sure what was happening by this point.
Ritsu bit his lip. This is the exactly what he was trying to prevent. He was trying to protect his brother from getting hurt again and of course he failed at the one thing that mattered the most. He needed to fix this somehow, for his brother's sake.
"Brother..." Ritsu called out softly. Looking up he could see him behind his stormy barrier, frozen, shocked with his hands spread out on his face. "Brother, it's okay...we're okay."
Shigeo didn't move.
"You can stop now. You need to stop, before..." Ritsu swallowed nervously.
His barrier spread wider. Reigen was limping his way out of the room, joining Ritsu at the doorway. Ritsu didn't even spare him a look, his eyes locked on Shigeo.
"Please..." Ritsu cried, unsure if it was him or because of Shigeo's emotions. Regardless, seeing his brother locking himself away hurt him more than anyone could understand. He spent years being there for Shigeo, encouraging his brother to open up to him, not to shut himself entirely. "Brother, just c-calm down."
Waves of psychic energy lashed out, just barely hitting them, though Ritsu didn't budge from the sudden whip, he was completely fearless. "Brother...?" he took two steps closer.
"S-stay away!" Shigeo waved his hand abruptly, causing Ritsu to flinched, halting his movements. Shigeo dropped his arm, visibly trembling, he let out another breath, "Please..."
"Brother, let me help you!" Ritsu took another bold step, stumbling forward from the cracks on the floor.
"N-no, don't! I can't..." Shigeo raised his head up finally making eye contact. His eyes swollen from crying, staring at Ritsu, desperately pleading, warning him to stay away. "My powers, it's too strong..." He choked, hand clenching his chest. He spoke in light whispers, air nearly escaping his mouth as he tried his best to speak. "I can't stop it. I can't. It won't. It wouldn't let me. I don't want to hurt you. It said it'd hurt you Ritsu. It said… you can't stop it either."
"No..." It was just as Ritsu feared, the damage had already been done. Nothing can stop his brother now.
"I'm sorry Ritsu..."
"No, no no no no, don't do this! Don't leave me! I can fix this! We can fix this together!" Without a second thought Ritsu dashed forward, then another light emitted from Shigeo, blinding Ritsu and stopping him in his tracks. Everything around them became beyond recognition.
Reigen was yelling, something about needing to leave but the Ritsu didn't respond, he couldn't hear anything at the moment, he just let everything pass by him, defeated, empty, as he blankly stared at the blinding white light that was once his brother. Reigen grabbed the motionless boy around the waist. Ritsu snapped out of his trance, automatically he struggled against Reigen's hold, not wanting to leave his brother behind.
"WAIT, NO! Stupid what are you doing!? My Brother! He's still in there. I need to help him! He needs our help!" Ritsu screamed hysterically.
Reigen didn't let go.
"We can't leave him, he's going to hurt himself! Stop- are you even listening!?" Ritsu desperately thrashed and kicked his legs around trying to get free, wanting to run back to his older brother but Reigen had a tight grip on him as he ran down the stairs carrying him on his side. Dimple followed, they all scurried out the house leaving Shigeo upstairs in the bedroom. Alone.
Tears fell down Ritsu's face, his arms extended to the house as he was brought further, and further away from it. Away from Shigeo. "I'm sorry brother..." he called out almost in a whisper, the words barely audible from his sore throat.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Author's Note:
Let me know if I might need to add any new tags, I'm not sure, maybe too soon. I know for sure the next chapter might need some warnings, maybe...idk.
This chapter and chapter 6 could have gone one before the other without changing the chronological order of the events in the story, which is why I took long submitting this chapter because I was still pondering which to put first. In the end I kept my original plan and made this one the next scene just in case it got confusing. I think I made the right choice. Chapter 6 is still being revised though.
Anyway, not sure if this is going how you all expect it to. Tell me your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. : )
Also, I did another drawing for this chapter. Check it out:
www. clori-eden . deviantart /art/ Unstable-Loose-Ends-Fear-663421850