Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Though I wish I do)
Summary:
Have you ever heard of Dark Magic? What do you know about them? Natsuki is a rising star in the Fuka Police Headquarter who solves her case based on logic & facts. However, her world is turned upside down when she meets Shizuru. Shizuru lives in a world that can never be defined by logic and facts. What happens when the two meet? ShizNat Rated T for now
Shizuru smiled as her Iris glowed red.
Shiho-chan was coming.
When Shiho-chan attacked Yuuichi nii-sama, Shizuru managed to obtain some traces of Shiho-chan's Yin energy. And with it, she was able to trace the general whereabouts of Shiho-chan.
Shizuru intentionally allowed Shiho-chan to escape because she wanted to see where Shiho-chan would go.
Shizuru followed the direction into the reserves and was surprised to see Lt. Kuga standing there with a bundle of bones.
She had taken a slight peek at it earlier on. It was definitely Shiho-chan's bones. It wasn't visible to normal eyes, but Shizuru could see the thick layer of Yin energy swirling over the bones.
And Shiho-chan was coming back to take her bones.
Shizuru glanced at the officer next to her. She wondered how the officer would react when Shiho-chan appeared.
The serious face Lt Kuga was saying all she could to encourage her to leave. But she didn't know that Shizuru was the only one here that could save her.
When Shiho-chan comes back to take her bones, the first one to be killed will be Lt Kuga.
Shizuru glanced at Lt Kuga's forehead. There was a thick black aura crowding over her forehead.
A thick black aura crowding the forehead indicated that Lt Kuga could be down on her luck soon. And if the situation took a turn for the worse, her bad luck could get her killed.
What Shizuru just did was similar to fortune reading where the fortune teller tells you your future from your face or by reading the palm of your hand.
Black aura normally means that the person will be down on his/her luck. The darker and thicker the black aura, the more dangerous the situation he/she will be in.
Looks like Lt Kuga could be in a dangerous situation later on.
Shizuru glanced at the thundary cloud that was practically above their heads now.
Shiho-chan was here now.
A girlish giggle.
Natsuki jerked around. She heard the giggle again. She was sure she didn't hear wrongly. This time the laughter was clearer and louder.
Shizuru glanced at Natsuki, her eyebrows arched. Looked like this police officer heard the giggle. She didn't expect someone else beside her to hear the giggle.
There are people in life who are more sensitive and intune to ghosts and spirits and could see or sense them. These people could be borned with this ability to see ghosts and spirits. Or this ability could be developed after an accident, normally a life and death situation. And in these cases, this ability tends to be permanent.
On the other hand, there are some who may have the ability to see and sense at certain periods of their lives and this ability is temporary. For example, new born babies or young children, typically below the age of five tend to have this ability. So in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong, there is this culture of bringing a young child to visit the apartment before buying it. If the child ended up crying or refused to enter the apartment, the place could be haunted and buyers are encouraged to avoid buying it. But this ability tends to fade as the child grows older.
The next period of time when a normal person is believed to be able to see or sense it, is when the person is about to die. For example, an elderly may be about to move on due to old age, he might see his loved ones that have already passed on, waiting for him to join them.
As for Natsuki, she might just be slightly more sensitive than usual people.
Right after the giggle, there was silence except for the roaring thunder.
The thick dark clouds rolled by obscuring what was once the clear blue sky. Animals shocked by the sudden change in brightness quickly hid themselves. Flocks of birds were seen flying off in the opposite direction from which the dark clouds came from, leaving the surrounding in silence. The daylight dimmed making the whole place seem like evening rather than morning. The whole sky was dark and gloomy with the temperature dropping a few degrees.
Natsuki rubbed her arms. It was getting cold.
For unknown reasons, Natsuki felt a sense of foreboding and her instinct was telling her to run.
Natsuki checked her phone. How long has it been since Mai left? Why wasn't the forensic team here yet?
But there wasn't any signal on her handphone.
Just as Natsuki was contemplating the next step, she heard a sound of trumpets from a distance, sharp and thin, echoing throughout the silent forest.
The sound sent shivers down Natsuki's spine. There was something eerie about the sound but Natsuki couldn't put a finger on it.
She turned a full cycle but saw nothing suspicious.
It was strange to hear the sound of a trumpet in the forest.
Following the sound of a trumpet, mist started to roll in from a distance.
Together, the dark sky, rolling mist and the high pitched trumpet sound, the perfect scene of a horror movie. And not to forget the bundle of skeletons on the ground.
At that moment, Tsumugiya Ichinose's words echoed in her mind.
Munakata Shiho's ghost is coming.
Natsuki frowned. She needed to stop all these wild thoughts. She was a police officer and trained to be logical and analytical.
The dark sky was because of the dark clouds. The sky always gets dark when it is about to rain. And the mist could be due to geographical phenomena, nothing to do with the unnatural phenomena. As for the sound of the trumpet, there could be an irritating child out there playing the trumpet. There was no need to jump into conclusions.
Yet despite all the logic, her instinct was in high gear now. Her instinct had saved her several times but the idea of ghosts appearing was too far fetched for her to accept.
But regardless, her hand went to the belt where her gun was, ready to draw it. But for what purpose, Natsuki wasn't sure. She just knew danger was coming.
"Viola-san, you should leave right now." Natsuki was totally serious as she said that. She wasn't even politely asking her to leave but instructing her to leave immediately.
"Ara… There is something on your eyebrows." Shizuru said as she raised her hand and with a quick swipe, brushed against Natsuki's eyes.
It was too fast for Natsuki to react and she wasn't keeping guard against Viola Shizuru, so Shizuru's action caught Natsuki off guard.
"What was it?" Natsuki took a step away from Viola Shizuru and wiped her face. She felt something wet brushed against her face when Viola Shizuru touched her. But nothing came out of Natsuki's hand.
"It was just some dirt." Shizuru brushed her hands as if clearing the dust on her hand.
The trumpet was still playing all along. It wasn't any tune she was familiar with and the sound was getting louder and louder.
Suddenly Natsuki's face paled. She wasn't sure how to describe the whole situation.
Natsuki, herself, couldn't even comprehend the situation in the first place. Her police training never prepared her for this.
A mist had gathered earlier on. But slowly the thick mist parted to reveal a group of people.
And they were approaching them.
Natsuki wasn't sure if she could call them humans because they were doing things apparently humanly impossible.
They weren't walking. They weren't running either!
Rather they were leaping forward, the height and distance covered by each leap were humanly impossible. Natsuki estimated the height and distance to be at least 3 feet.
The whole group of people were wearing white and a long white strip of cloth was tied over their foreheads.
Natsuki was sure it looked like a traditional funeral service because those 'people' were carrying a coffin.
What was more eerie was the fact that those 'people' were smiling as they carried the coffin. Their faces were stiff but their lips were apparently lifted at the corners into smiles.
Natsuki counted the number of 'people'. There were a total of eight 'people'. Four were carrying the coffin, two were playing the chinese trumpet while the other two were throwing joss paper into the air.
The group was charging towards them.
On the other hand, Shizuru was watching this whole situation with interest on her face.
Shiho-chan surprised her. She had thought that Shiho was going to come after them herself but she underestimated Shiho-chan.
What they were seeing was a traditional funeral service in the Taoist or Buddhist ceremony, where the coffin was sent for burial.
In the olden days, before there were vehicles, the coffin was carried by humans to the burial ground. A group of people will be paid to handle the funeral service. Some of them would carry the coffin, while others would either be playing the trumpet or throwing the joss paper in the air. The family members of the deceased would be walking behind following the coffin.
Shiho-chan could have gotten additional help to carry this out.
Shizuru glanced at the police officer next to her. Lt Kuga looked a bit pale but so far so good. She had more courage than some of the guys she had seen.
There were some self proclaimed macho guys breaking down, screaming in fright when they saw or experienced supernatural things.
Shizuru moved to ready herself. The presence of these ghosts just made things more interesting. She wondered what Shiho-chang had installed for her.
But suddenly, surprise flashed across Shizuru's face when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her behind.
It was Natsuki.
Shizuru wasn't expecting that.
The hand grabbing her seemed rather warm in contrast to her own skin.
"Stand behind me."
Amusement flashed across Shizuru's face. This was the first time someone asked her to hide. Normally, those people were the ones hiding behind her.
"Ara…I shall depend on Lt Kuga's protection then."
The amusement was evident in Viola Shizuru's voice that Natsuki had to glance at her.
Natsuki frowned.
"You saw that right?"
"Crystal clear." Shizuru nodded her head, amusement still evident in her eyes.
Natsuki rolled her eyes.
And this just deepened the amusement on Shizuru's face. People would be cowering in fear now, rather than rolling their eyes. This police officer is an interesting person.
"I am not joking here. I am not sure what it is. But it could be dangerous." Natsuki was dead serious as the group fast approached them.
Natsuki wasn't planning to run. For one, she had to guard the evidence. And secondly, everywhere is shrouded with mist and they won't be able to see where they were running to. They could just get themselves into more danger.
The temperature dropped even further as the group approached them.
Natsuki glanced at Viola Shizuru. She was smiling.
Natsuki sighed. She wondered if this Ojo-sama knew what was happening now.
This was a situation which she wanted to avoid. Having a civilian with her when things get dangerous can be a problem.
And there was no use getting Viola Shizuru to leave now. Viola Shizuru might be safer with her than leaving alone given the foreign situation.
Nastuki grabbed Viola Shizuru's wrist, ready to run if needed. Protecting the living would be more important than the bundle of bones now.
That was when she realised Viola Shizuru's body temperature was a little too low. Even just now when she first grabbed Viola Shizuru's hand, her fingers were cold.
Natsuki glanced at Viola Shizuru. She was just wearing a thin sports tee. She must be cold.
Even with the jacket, Natsuki felt cold and could feel the dropping temperature.
Natsuki sighed again. She didn't want her supervisor to receive complaints that an innocent civilian fell sick while on her watch.
Nowadays, the police have been receiving all kinds of complaints and most of them can be quite ridiculous.
With resignation, Natsuki took off her jacket and passed it to Viola Shizuru.
"Wear it. Your hands are cold."
Surprised flashed across Viola Shizuru's face. But split seconds later, the surprise faded and she smiled.
"Ara… thank you ne Natsuki-san."
Natsuki nodded her head. She was satisfied. At least the smile on this Ojo-sama looked more sincere and genuine now.
Natsuki was distracted and didn't realise that Viola Shizuru was calling her first name instead of Lt Kuga.
As Natsuki watched the approaching group, Viola Shizuru spoke, "Ara… I might have some difficulty pulling the zip up. It's stuck."
Automatically, Natsuki turned to help her with the jacket's zip but stopped halfway.
Natsuki's distracted look turned into scowl when she saw the position where the zipper was stuck.
Natsuki looked up and glared at the Ojo-sama.
"I am just the right size! Yours are too big!" Having said that, she forcibly pulled the zipper up, from where it was stuck, from the chest to the neck.
"Got it? Mine is just the right size!" Natsuki reiterated, her scowl deepening when she saw the widening smile on Viola Shizuru's face.
Natsuki wiped around to focus on the incoming group, her scowl still evident on her face.
Yes! The zipper was stuck at the chest level! Natsuki grinded her teeth when she thought about the incident.
She was of the right size! Natsuki reassured herself again. Viola Shizuru's ones were just too big!
Her face blackened further when she heard a soft chuckle behind her.
Be damn with the complaints. Natsuki thought as she planned to turn and set the record straight with Viola Shizuru once again. So what if Viola Shizuru complained about her. She was of the right size! It was people like her and Mai that were abnormal! Geez… She was surrounded by big boobs ladies.
But before she could confront Viola Shizuru again, she saw the group suddenly picking up speed, charging at them, too fast for them to react.
By right, the distance would be covered in a few minutes, but now it only took a few seconds for the group to cover.
And before Natsuki knew it, the coffin came crashing into them.
Natsuki turned and quickly grabbed hold of Viola Shizuru, shielding her with her body.
She didn't feel any pain. Instead she felt rather disoriented.
It felt like someone had hit her on the head with a beer bottle, just that there wasn't any pain.
Natsuki shook her head.
She realised she was in a tight place and it was pitch dark. She couldn't see anything.
She tried moving her hands but realised that someone was in her arms.
"Erm Viola-san, is that you?" Natsuki asked tentatively. She hoped it was her and not someone or something else.
She might just freak out if she realised she was holding a dead body in her arms.
"Ara… is there someone else whom Natsuki could be holding on to?"
Natsuki relaxed upon hearing Shizuru's voice.
"Viola-san, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Natsuki could not see anything in the dark. It was pitch dark.
But Shizuru could see quite well in the dark. It was an ability she developed when she was younger.
"I'm fine." Shizuru replied. She could feel Kuga Natsuki's breath on the face as Natsuki spoke. It tickled slightly. It was an odd sensation but not uncomfortable.
She could see Natsuki on top of her, frowning.
"I think we are in the coffin." Shizuru said as she glanced at the surroundings. "The coffin that the ghosts were carrying just now."
"What!?" Natsuki's head shot up in surprise. But winced when her head hit the lid cover. "What did you just say?"
"We are in the coffin which the ghosts were carrying just now." Shizuru repeated what she just said.
"There is no such thing as ghosts! We need to believe in science!" The frown on Natsuki's face deepened.
Shizuru smiled because Lt Kuga Natsuki looked and sounded like a discipline mistress who was reprimanding a student for speaking nonsense.
Lucky Natsuki wasn't able to see in the dark. Otherwise, she would have bristled at Shizuru's smile.
"Well… whether you believe in ghosts or not, it is not important now. Because we are definitely in the coffin. And… I think we are sinking into the water." Shizuru could see water seeping in through the gaps and because she was lying at the bottom, she was getting wet.
"Water is seeping into the coffin." Shizuru said as she grabbed Natsuki's hand and touched the wall of the coffin.
It was wet and she could feel the water flowing in.
Natsuki cursed and maneuvered so that she was facing the top.
"We need to kick the lid open." Natsuki said as she lifted her leg and kicked against the wooden lid.
There was a resounding thud sound but the lid remained unmovable.
Natsuki repeated her kicks but the lid remained stubbornly strong.
The water was no longer slowly seeping in but gushing in through the gaps, splashing onto her face.
They were deep in the water!
The ghosts were trying to drown them.
"Let me borrow your hand." Shizuru said as she grabbed Natsuki's hand.
Before Natsuki realised it, Shizuru bit down hard on Natsuki's fingers.
The pain came sharp and swift.
Natsuki was sure her fingers were bleeding. She wanted to pull her fingers back but Shizuru held firm.
Using Natsuki's blood, Shizuru drew a talisman on the lid.
"Take a deep breath!" Shizuru instructed. "I am going to force open the lid."
Natsuki wasn't sure if Shizuru was going to succeed but she instinctively followed her instruction.
"诛邪!" Shizuru said as she slammed her palm on the lid.
'诛' means 'annihilate or kill'.
'邪' means 'evil'.
'诛邪' literally means annihilate the evil.
Natsuki was pretty sure the force Shizuru exerted on the lid wasn't enough.
But to her surprise, the lid flung open and water immediately gushed in.
Natsuki quickly grabbed Shizuru's hand and swam out of the coffin while the coffin sank down to the bottom river floor.
They quickly kicked their feet and swam towards the surface.
Within a few seconds, they broke the surface of the water, gasping for breath.
But before they could celebrate, they felt a strong grip on their ankle, trying to pull them down.
They struggled to stay afloat but the grip was too strong and they were immediately dragged downwards.
Just before Natsuki was pulled down, she quickly took another deep breath.
She saw one of the ghosts grabbing onto her ankle as she sank into the water. The hand grabbing her ankle was cold and stiff.
Yet the grip on her ankle was strong, pulling her down deeper and deeper into the river bottom.
Natsuki narrowed her eyes and tried kicking the assailant in the head. The water resistance slowed the attack and the kicks proved futile as the assailant easily blocked Natsuki's attack.
Amidst the furry of kicks, Natsuki managed to land a few solid kicks on the assailant's head. She could even hear the bones breaking as the head bent into an unnatural angle.
The hand on the ankle loosen slightly.
Just when Natsuki thought she succeeded in freeing herself, she saw the assailant readjust his head using his free hand.
Natsuki's eyes widened in horror and disbelief.
The assailant stretched his neck left and right before finally grinning at Natsuki.
She could even hear the creaking sound of bones!
Natsuki was completely shocked and stunned by what she saw and instinctively took a deep breath without realising that she was still in water.
What she saw shocked her so much that she accidentally took a couple mouthfuls of water.
The smile on the assailant's face widened as it held tight onto her leg and pulled her deeper into the river.
Natsuki could feel her chest burning as her lungs struggled to take in air. She was taking in water instead of air and the water was filling up her lungs! Her struggle only drained the oxygen in her body faster.
Over at the other side, Shizuru was facing the same thing. The only difference was that she wasn't struggling.
Shizuru glanced at the four ghosts circling around her, grinning at her. They knew they were winning because they did not need to breathe underwater unlike humans. They only needed to hold them back and prevent the humans from breaking the surface.
Shizuru reached out her hand and took out four coins from her pocket. With a flick of her wrist, Shizuru arranged the coins into a fan shape and threw them at the ghosts circling around her.
The coins were not the usual coins people used for transactions. These were copper coins treated and soaked in holy water meant to hurt the ghosts.
The moment the coins left her hand, it morphed into red arrows and went straight towards the ghosts circling around her.
The smile on the ghosts turned into horror and then pain when the coins hit them. They writhed in pain before finally disappearing.
Shizuru glanced over at Natsuki. The situation over there didn't look too good when she saw Natsuko sinking.
Shizuru quickly swam towards her.
Natsuki was sinking faster than she thought.
Immediately, Shizuru took out another four coins and threw them at the remaining ghosts. The coins seemed to defy the resistance in the water as they shot towards the ghost at rapid speed.
Without a miss, all the coins hit the designated ghosts as they let out a sharp screech before disappearing.
Shizuru quickly swam towards Natsuki, grabbed her around the chest and pulled her out of the water.
Natsuki was coughing badly when she finally surfaced from the water. She drank a few mouthfuls of water on her way up.
It felt so good to be able to breathe again. Natsuki thought as she coughed out the water.
Natsuki thought she was going to die just now. She was sure she was going to drown when she was dragged down to the river floor.
She turned over and collapsed onto the river bank. She was going to stay like this for the moment. She didn't care if the ground was dirty or if her clothes were ruined. She ran out of energy to move. The struggle just now practically drained all her energy. Her chest was still huffing and puffing and her hands and legs felt weak. She wasn't even sure they were still attached to her body.
Natsuki glanced over and saw Shizuru sitting next to her. Shizuru was faring far better than her. Though she looked far from an Ojo-sama now. Her hair was plastered on her head.
But Natsuki was sure, she herself looked far worse than Shizuru.
"Thanks…" Natsuki said in between breaths. "I am not sure what you did just now… But… you… you saved my life... just now… thanks."
"Ara… What is Natsuki-san going to do to thank me for saving your life?" Shizuru looked over and smiled. "I do have some high expectations, you know."
Natsuki was too tired to roll her eyes but she would if she could. This was the first time she had seen someone asking for repayment after a kind act.
The dark clouds were still hovering above the reserves but the rain wasn't falling yet.
Suddenly remembering the bundle and her duty, Natsuki quickly got up.
"I need to find the bundle. It cannot be left alone." Natsuki offered her hand to pull Shizuru up.
Shizuru glanced at Natsuki's hand. She was pretty sure the bones would be gone, taken by Shiho-chan.
But the question would be whether Shiho-chan was waiting for them.
If Shiho-chan was smart enough she would have taken her bones and escaped.
But it didn't matter. They were going to find out soon.
Shizuru took Natsuki's hand and tugged herself up.
"Your hand is cold." Natsuki commented the moment she touched Shizuru's hand.
"Are you alright?" Natsuki asked as she took a quick glance at Shizuru to ensure she was alright.
"I'm fine. My body temperature tends to be low compared to others."
Shizuru held on to Natsuki's hand as Natsuki hurried back to where the bundle was.
While Natsuki had many questions she wanted to ask Shizuru, it wasn't the time to ask her yet. Her focus was on the evidence for now. She needed to ensure that Munakata Shiho's remains were safe.
The river wasn't too far off from where the bundle was left buried. So they managed to make it back rather quickly.
When they were closer, Natsuki managed to see the cloth used to bundle the remains.
She heaved a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what to write in the report if the bundle ended up missing while on her watch.
It would be impossible to explain that she was dragged off to the river by some unknown assailants whom Shizuru said were ghosts. Captain Kaiji wasn't going to believe it.
Nearing the bundle, Natsuki released Shizuru's hand and jogged towards the remains.
For a brief moment, Shizuru stared at her empty hand. It felt kind of cold now.
Then suddenly, a smile returned to Shizuru's face, the kind of artificial smile that if Natsuki saw, she would hate.
Oblivious to what happened behind her, Natsuki went to check the bundle.
She flipped open the bundle and much to her horror, there was nothing there!
Natsuki's face paled.
The bones were missing!
The bones were gone and what's left was only the cloth.
She quickly picked up the cloth, hoping to find the bones beneath the cloth.
But to her dismay, the bones weren't there.
Natsuki cursed.
Though Shizuru couldn't see anything from the distance, but from Natsuki's reaction, Shizuru could guess that Shiho-chan's remains were gone.
She would be surprised if they were not.
The earlier group was meant to be a distraction so that Shiho-chan could collect her remains.
Shizuru glanced at the surroundings.
The dark clouds were still hovering over them and the surroundings were too quiet.
Shiho-chan may have taken her remains but she hadn't left.
Natsuki sighed and stood up from her crouch position. They needed to trace who had stolen the remains while she was away.
She took out her handphone to call Mai and check the whereabouts of the forensic team but realised that her phone wasn't working at all. There was no signal and the screen was frozen.
It had been a while and by right, the team would have arrived. They were taking longer than usual.
"Viola-san, can I borrow your handphone? I think my phone is not working after soaking in the river." Natsuki showed Shizuru her handphone.
Shizuru held out her phone and showed Natsuki as well.
"So are mine." Shizuru glanced at her phone. Shiho-chan might have intervened to cut off all communication with the outside. Ghosts could do that if they were strong enough.
Natsuki combed through her hair in frustration. She glanced at the nearby area, hoping against hope that she could find the bundle nearby.
Perhaps a small animal could have dragged the bundle to a bush. Natsuki thought as she moved to search the bushes.
"Here, use this."
Natsuki glanced up from the floor to see Shizuru holding a rubber hair band in her hand. "Your rubber hair band seemed to have fallen off just now. You can use mine first."
Natsuki didn't even realise that!
It must have fallen off while she was in the water.
Natsuki thanked Shizuru as she took the rubber band and quickly tied her hair and resumed the search.
Suddenly thunder roared and the clouds couldn't hold the droplets anymore. Raindrops thick and heavy dropped from the sky, making sure that the two of them remained wet.
Natsuki jumped slightly at the sudden thunder roared. It was very loud, as if the thunder was directly above her head.
It took Natsuki a while to realise that the reserve was too quiet, which may explain why the thunder was so loud in this quiet forest.
This silence coupled with the dim surroundings were quite disconcerting.
"Don't you find that the reserve was a bit too quiet?"
Natsuki was sure she could hear birds chirping when she entered the reserves earlier on. Natsuki glanced at the trees for signs of animals.
Well, even if it was raining, there should still be animals hiding in the trees right? Natsuki thought.
But just as she was glancing around, Natsuki saw something red flitting past, from the corner of her eyes. She wasn't sure what it was. But it was red and too big to be a bird.
Natsuki squinted her eyes and searched the surroundings again. But she caught no sight of the red flash again.
Natsuki wasn't the only one who saw something red flitted past from a tree before disappearing. Shizuru saw it too. Unlike Natsuki, she knew what it was.
"It is indeed quiet." Shizuru smiled, her eyes glowing slightly as she stared past Natsuki. The prey was here. "Ne Natsuki, what would you do if Shiho-chan appeared?"
"Munakata Shiho? Her remains? Well, it would definitely be good if we can find her remains."
"Ara… Your wish may just come true." The dangerous smile on Shizuru's face widened. "Look behind you, Natsuki-san."
"Hmm… what?" Thinking that she might have missed something, Natsuki turned around.
The moment she turned around, Natsuki froze on the spot. Her face paled as she blinked her eyes several times to make sure what she was seeing was true.
Despite her attempts to clear her eyes, Munakata Shiho was still standing in front of her, dressed in red.
There was no mistake. Natsuki was sure it was Munakata Shiho. She had seen Munakata Shiho's pictures on many different occasions, from different angles. Unless, Munakata Shiho had a twin sister, which she didn't, then this 'person' in front of her was definitely Munakata Shiho!
Natsuki glanced at the 'person' in front of her again, from the top of the head to the tip of the toe and paused there.
Munakata wasn't exactly standing on the floor but rather floating with just her toes touching the floor.
Ghost!
That was the word that appeared in Natsuki's mind.
"Anno… Viola-san..." Natsuki took a step back with her eyes still fixed on Munakata.
Shizuru stood there staring at Shiho-chan, totally unfazed by her sudden appearance.
Shiho-chan was staring at them with an evil grin on her face, her loose hair floating in disarray around her face.
It was clear that Shiho-chan's intention was to kill them. Otherwise she would have run off after collecting her remains.
Shizuru slowly inched her hand towards her back.
But just as she was about to reach her back, Natsuki turned, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a run.
"Run!" Natsuki shouted as she pulled Shizuru and ran towards a path.
Just as they took flight, thunder roared and more rain descended on them, obscuring much of their visions.
Natsuki wasn't sure where she was going amidst the heavy roar of the thunder and rain. But she knew she had to get away.
Her instinct told her to run!
To be continued...
Omake 1:
The eight ghosts gathered around a table for their dinner but none had an appetite.
None of them were moving their chopsticks.
One after another sighed.
Ghost #1: This was the most embarrassing job I have ever taken.
Ghost #2 nodded in agreement. Not sure if it was possible for a ghost, but the pale face seemed to get ruddier from anger.
Ghost #2: I was hoping they would scream and run when they saw us. But nope, the two girls were lovey dovey all the way! Tell me, how was it even possible!
Ghost #2 slammed his fist on the table, making the joss sticks in front of him jump.
Ghost #3: Exactly! What's with holding hands and pulling the girl's hand playfully? They were supposed to run!
Ghost #4: Yeah! And did you see how the red eyed girl smiled so sweetly at the blue-haired girl? Hello! Couldn't they see us rushing at them? Shouldn't humans be scared when they see ghosts?
Ghost #5 shook his head and took a deep puff of the cigarettes. He was the oldest ghost among the rest.
Ghost #5: The world has changed. Nowadays youngsters have no logic. They don't know that they are supposed to run when they see ghosts. This is such a sad state of life now.
Ghost #6: Exactly! I think their parents never taught them to be scared of ghosts! The blue-haired girl even stared lovingly into the other girl's eyes and helped her zip up the jacket! This is an insult to us!
Ghost #7 shook his head: They never spare a thought for our ego! Nowadays the youngsters have no respect for us! They stepped on our pride and bruised our ego! Gone are the days where humans would soothe our ego.
Ghost #8: Tell me about it. The red-eyed girl even threw coins at us! It was so insulting! We are not beggars mind you! We are professionals who are skilled at scaring humans!
As they were whining about the situation, their handphones vibrated.
Ghost #6: oh we have more business?
Everyone unlocked their handphones and their faces got even paler. Was that even possible? For a ghost to be even paler?
They received a notification from facebook informing them of a new message posted on their facebook business page.
And when they opened up their main page, they saw a business review by a client called Munakata Shiho.
She wrote: A terrible disappointment. Promises broken and not delivered. A total waste of my money. I would not recommend their service to anyone. If possible, I would want to put a zero star review rather than a one star review.
And attached to the review was a video recording of the eight of them running away from the two humans.
Omake 2:
Captain Kaiji opened up his email. He hated it but he had to do it.
Every Monday, the HR side would forward to him complaints by the public regarding his officers.
He opened up the first letter.
It read "I would like to complain about this blue-haired officer. She was too fast and she caught my son stealing! Didn't officers know how to give a second chance to the thief?"
Captain Kaiji rolled his eyes and clicked the delete button.
Then he opened up the second email.
It read "This Lt Kuga was too beautiful! She is a distraction to my husband! Whenever she comes to the cafeteria, my husband gets too distracted to serve the customers! Can you get her to go somewhere for lunch?"
Captain Kaiji felt a headache coming.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and delete the email.
He opened the third email. His breath caught!
Kuga Natsuki AGAIN!
It read "This email is from a concerned citizen. I notice that Lt Kuga's bust size is smaller than Lt Tokiha. Could you tell her to drink more milk? Or ask her to go for a bust massage?"
Captain Kaji roared and flipped his table.
Omake 3:
Shizuru saw something red flitted past.
One minute later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Two minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Three minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Four minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Five minutes later …
Six minutes later …
Seven minutes later …
Eight minutes later …
Nine minutes later …
Ten minutes later …
Eleven minutes later, Munakata Shiho appeared in front of Shizuru and threw a red shoe at Shizuru.
Shizuru easily sidestepped the flying object.
Shiho roared, "How long are you making me flit through the trees? Do you know who freaking tiring it is to move from tree to tree?!"
"Ara… I thought you enjoyed swinging from tree to tree like a tarzan. Kanina Shiho-chan." Shizuru sighed and apologised.
Still scrowling, Shiho said, "Stay focus Viola-san! You are supposed to call me out when you see me flitting past IMMEDIATELY."
The movie director called everyone to position and reshoot the scene again.
Shizuru saw something red flitted past but her attention was caught by Natsuki.
Natsuki looked so gorgeous when she was serious. Shizuru thought.
One minute later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Two minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Three minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Four minutes later, the same red clothing flitted past.
Five minutes later …
Shizuru was still staring at Natsuki.
Munakata Shiho threw her shoe on the floor.
" &$#%¥ Director I quit!"