A/N: Truly sorry for the long update. I really didn't mean for this to be a parody of 'Ghost', I only meant to borrow a few elements from it.

Blame writer's block.

Disclaimer: I'm not Japanese. I don't even know how to draw a profile image.

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"Are you sure this is okay?"

"Why are you asking?"

"She might freak out. After all, you just died."

"…"

"Sorry, I didn't mean that."

"It's fine."

"Rei?"

"Hm?"

"This is really awkward."

"Why is that?"

"People will think I'm talking to thin air."

There's nothing awkward, I thought as I looked at Yuuya. And then I realized no one could see me, and he does look ridiculous talking to no one. I couldn't resist a smirk.

"I heard that."

"You want to still look awkward?"

"Nah, but I think this will work." He fished an earphone from his pocket and popped it into his ear, "People will think I'm talking to someone on the phone."

I shrugged, "Rude, but it could work."

"You've done worse."

We were then walking out of his house into the city. It was fun bantering with Yuuya again, to finally talk with someone who does know me and won't freak out just because…I was dead. It really felt like I was alive again, which brought me sharply down to earth, or six feet below the surface. The fact that I'm transparent and that I can go through anything reminded me that I would be anything but alive.

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"Idiots who come here are usually the people who didn't know they died," the ragged man said as he picked up a piece of paper, balled it up, and hit the softdrink cans near the sleeping bum, "So they wander around doing their usual stuff and wonder why the hell people don't notice them."

I bent down and tried to pick up a piece of paper myself but my hand went through.

"No use doing that, boy," he said without turning around, "Ain't no way a cold, dead prick like you could do something like this."

I stared at his back, trying to impose my will on him even though I couldn't see me.

"Ain't gonna work either. A bunch a' people done that and they're still wanderin this friggin city."

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This is it. I would finally be able to talk to her. It wouldn't be the ideal circumstances, but at least I would be able to hear her reply. It wouldn't be like the time back then in the ice cream parlor, where she saw me for only a few seconds. It wouldn't be like the night when she was spooked out and ordered me out of the room, even if she couldn't see me at all. It wouldn't be like the time when she tried to kill herself, where all I could do was dive and knock the pitcher off. This time, it would be a real conversation. I want to tell her…while I still have time, what I should have said a long time ago, what I should have said that night, the night I kissed her.

"Yuuya."

"What?"

"Do you even know where she is?"

"Maybe."

He was headed for the police station, and I followed him. The girlish shrieks and mad laughter that came from the station reminded me that Ran loved to hang-out here, despite Yamato's protests. We entered only to see a riot of people, and it took us a few minutes to digest the scene. Ran's sister, Sayo, and the boy she was with were doing a weird scene with exaggerated dramatics. Tatsuki and his kid brother were posing up to Ran, who hit them both as Miyu giggled over an exasperated Yamato.

But no Aya.

Tatsuki was the first to notice us, "Yuuya!" He exclaimed as he bear hugged Yuuya.

No, Tatsuki noticed Yuuya, not us.

"Hey, get off me!" Yuuya said as he pushed off a grinning Tatsuki. He looked around, "Where's Aya?"

"She said she was going to catch up on her studies." Miyu explained

"Really, Aya should go out some more," Ran pouted, "Why even think of studying in the summer, right Rei?"

I blinked at her, and at the silence it produced,

"Oh, right," Ran laughed nervously, "I kind of keep forgetting. Yuuya was always with him…so I thought he was still here."

The tension eased inexplicably. I stared at Ran; well the brat actually missed me. Well, well.

"Don't worry about Aya," Miyu said to Yuuya, "She seems a lot happier these days, thank god."

Should I be happy that she's happier now? I was gone for about a month now, and she's done mourning? Is that how she feels about me? Is that how she cares about me? Is that how much she loves me?

Yuuya left the station, "You haven't said a word."

"…"

"Rei?"

"…"

"Are you still here?"

"Yuuya."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He was silent for a while, and then, "Do you still want to go?"

She's happier these days. Of course I want to go. I want to know what brought her up from her suicidal depression. What made her mind to drift off from mourning about me? Of course I want to go. What made her so goddamn happy?

"Hey, Rei? Since you can communicate now and all, how about you tell us about your killer? Yamato and I are at a dead-end, and we could really use your help."

"As what? A star witness?"

His voice registered bewilderment, "Rei?"

I took a deep breath, "Plenty of time to do that later. Let's look for her now."

Yuuya looked at his watch, "But the school is closed by now. I'll try her house." He got his phone and rang Aya's house. I got impatient. After 5 minutes he said, "No one there."

"Why don't you try her cellphone?"

"And what would I say? Hello Aya, maybe you won't believe this but Rei is beside me right now and he says he wants to talk to you?"

"You can come up with something better than that."

"Hmm, let's see. Where would a girl go to be happy?" Yuuya thought aloud, and then knocked the bottom part of his right fist with his open left palm, "I got it! Shopping at the mall!"

"Yuuya."

"What?"

"We're talking about Aya, not Ran."

"So? A girl is a girl. Come on."

So we went to the mall. It was summer, so a lot of people were in there. The crowds reminded me of the girls that hounded me every time I turned at a corner, the photographers that tried to capture every moment of my life, and the reporters trying to probe my every non-existent dark secrets and kinks. For once, I was grateful that I couldn't be seen anymore.

"So Yuuya, where do you think in this throng of people where Aya would be?"

"Now would probably be a good time to try her phone, don't you think?"

I smirked at him as he called Aya.

"Aya? It's me, Yuuya. Can we talk? I mean, right now?" Pause, "Um, it's really important. Where are you?" Another pause, "You're at the mall?" Yuuya smiled smugly, "Where?"

Then his expression changed to puzzlement, "Why not? But—uh, yeah, bye."

"What happened?"

"She said she was too busy right now."

"Maybe she didn't want to see you."

"You know, for someone dead, you're still a sarcastic bastard."

"Whatever."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was hiding something from us."

When Yuuya said that, I felt a sense of dread.

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We found Aya inside the mall.

She was sitting just outside a café, enjoying a cup and laughing with someone. I found her because I was surprised to hear her rich laughter; not the timid, conserved laughter she usually has, but the kind that comes from genuine happiness.

This isn't going to be good.

I knew Aya wasn't with Ran and Miyu; not that she didn't have any other friends, but I never saw her hang out with someone else.

Except for one.

I finally saw who she was with, a brown-haired young man. Katase. He was eating her up with his eyes, and Aya was laughing delightfully.

Oh, this is never good.

The temperature around me suddenly increased. I looked around unnecessarily, "Rei?" No reply, "Hey, Rei?"

I looked back at the spectacle in front of me, and then looked around, as if I could still see him.

But he was gone.

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A/N: Reviews, pretty please?