(A/N): Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention that someone on wattpad (KawaiiJutsu) had lifted sections of my story, mainly the first few chapters, and posted it on wattpad, claiming it to be their own. This is very upsetting for me, as I put a lot of work into this story for you all to read, and it is infuriating for someone to be stealing my work, especially when others believe that it is her original work. I have contacted her and asked her to take it down, and I would like to ask my readers to keep a careful eye out on wattpad, in case she uploads it again or someone else does something similar. The story is called Memories of a Broken Spirit, and is a Ghost Hunt story about an OC, in case you wanted to check it out yourself. I would like to thank myangelicladyofdarkness, who mentioned this in her review. If you had not pointed it out, I would not have realised, since I didn't have a wattpad account until today. Thank you for alerting this to me, I am very grateful.
On a lighter note, my infamous sister Wolfstadt has posted her first story on fanfiction today! It is a No. 6 fanfiction for those of you who watch it (it is an anime, if you haven't heard of it, and a very good one at that) and if you do happen to watch it, I'm sure she would appreciate it if you checked it out, and maybe left a review ;) It is called To Thine Own Self.
I'm very tired after coming back from Iceland, but it was a very good experience. I took a lot of photos :D Anyway, sorry about the delay. I have a few more things to say, but I'll leave them for the next chapter, or else this will get too long. I'll try and answer some reviews in my next author's note.
Thank you very much for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following. It is your kind comments about my story that helps make this worthwhile :)
"Have you seen him at all?"
The nurse shook her head. "No, I haven't. I thought he wasn't coming into work for a while."
"Ok. Thank you."
The visit had come up empty. Takigawa, practically staggering, walked down the hall way of the hospital. Everything seemed so detached from him. Unreal. Illusory. The chaos of doctors and nurses walking by was so distant.
He had been tricked. He had been fooled. He had made a terrible, terrible mistake. And now, John was going to suffer because of it.
What had he done? How had he allowed himself to be tricked like that? How had he even doubted John for a second? It was unforgiveable. What he had accused John of…how could he ever look him in the face again?
If they could actually find John. So far, the search had been in vain. What if Mai was right? What if the colleague had already taken John away? Already killed him?
And the last thing Takigawa had said to him…
No. He couldn't afford to think like that.
"E-excuse me."
When Takigawa carried on walking, unaware that the voice was addressing him, an arm grabbed him.
"Excuse me."
Frowning, Takigawa looked around. A teenage girl, maybe just out of school, was standing there. She was wearing a janitor's uniform.
"Are you –" Her voice lowered and she broke off. Impatiently, Takigawa let out a breath.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you looking for the patient?"
Wait. "…I'm sorry?"
"The patient from a month ago. The foreign one."
Takigawa froze. "…Do you know where he is?"
Nervously, the girl looked around. Then she pulled Takigawa from the hall way into a room that was not being used.
In there, a group of three other janitors were waiting. A taller, scowling man stood impatiently by the window. Sitting on the bed was a shorter, stockier man. And an older woman stood at the door, looking expectant.
She looked Takigawa up and down. "So…you are the one who has been searching the entire hospital for your friend?"
"Yes." For the past few hours, Takigawa had been walking around the hospital, talking to anyone and everyone who might have known John, or who might know where he was now. It was now midday, and he had come up with naught.
The stockier man stood up and walked forwards. "Your friend, the patient, was also a nurse here." He began to explain.
"Yeah, he told me."
"He was also hospitalised about a month ago, for two weeks." He paused, and looked around the room nervously.
Takigawa felt his suspicion rising. "…Yes?"
Now, the taller man spoke up. "Well, if you want to check, you can't. All the records of his hospitalisation have disappeared."
"What?" This did not sound good.
The older woman sighed. "…I remember when they brought him in. A month ago exactly. He was barely alive. He'd been bashed about in a river, from what I'd heard. Almost drowned."
"Yes." Takigawa nodded impatiently. This was all old information to him.
"Well, the doctors and the nurses…while your friend was unconscious, a person came to see them. And he gave them very specific instructions."
"…Instructions?"
"He told them," the younger girl spoke up, "that they weren't allowed to tell him certain things when he woke up. If he woke up."
Takigawa could feel the dread rising in him. "…What kind of things?"
She played with her sleeve, distractedly. "Things about his condition."
The taller man sighed, and stared out of the window again. "…He was really badly beaten up. Not just from being in the river. I overheard the nurses talking. He had been beaten over a period of time. A few weeks, maybe. And…it was quite disturbing. He had been branded on his back."
Takigawa shivered as he remembered this. "Yes, he was."
"But there's more. You should have seen the bruises and the cuts all over his body. Some of the cuts were deliberate. You could tell. And someone had tried to strangle him." He shifted uncomfortably.
"Then the foreign man paid the nurses and the doctors a lot of money to make the bruises and the cuts go away as fast as they could, before he woke up." The stockier man continued. "He always acted strangely, like he was afraid of being spotted. Of course, he didn't notice us listening in. No one notices the janitors."
"The only things they couldn't get to go away were the brand and the strangulation mark." The older woman finished off. "That, and the broken arm and ribs, of course." Then she looked to the younger girl. "Go on, Kisa."
Kisa shuffled. "I, um…" She played with her hair. "I was cleaning up, and um…he was screaming…they drugged him so he stopped, but…" She shuddered. "It was awful."
Takigawa absorbed this information. John's suspicions had been right – people in the hospital really had been bribed to cover up information about his hospitalisation. But who was this foreign person they talked about? It didn't sound like the colleague…
"Why are you telling me this?" Takigawa asked. "Why are you helping me?"
"It's not you. It's Nurse Brown." The stockier man looked up at the ceiling. "He was…nice to us. Not like the other people who work here."
Takigawa paused, and an idea came to him. "Listen. If you really want to help, then there's something you need to do. Go to the police. You're all witnesses. They might listen to you. They didn't listen to Nurse Brown."
"Listen to him about what?"
"How he got those injuries." He looked out of the room, towards the busy hall way.
"Is there anyone you know who might happen to have more information about this?" He asked.
The stockier man thought for a minute, then spoke up. "Yes. There's a man who lives in the same apartment block as Nurse Brown. He's called Yamazaki Naito. It might be a pain to talk to him. He's very unfriendly. On the occasions that he actually comes to the hospital for his medication, he's very offhanded."
"What's wrong with him?"
"He has brittle bones, I hear. Not the worst case there is, but if he's knocked too hard against something, his bones will snap like a match stick. He doesn't talk to people much. But he might know something. Last time he came over here for a check-up, he asked about Nurse Brown. We think he might know something."
As Takigawa raced to his car, he remembered Mai and Yasuhara mentioning over the phone that they talked to a Yamazaki-san, and that he knew some important information. Would he know where John was? Or would it be another dead end?
"Forgive me, but there's someone I'm looking for." Takigawa told the old woman, who apparently owned the building. "He's called Yamazaki Naito. I was informed he lives on the fourth floor?"
"Well, look at this. Yamazaki-san doesn't get visitors very often." She chuckled to herself. "I'll go see if he's willing to see anyone. He's very…sensitive."
She disappeared behind the door, and came back about five minutes later.
"He's agreed to see you."
Takigawa waited outside the door on floor 4, after knocking hesitantly. No one responded for a short while, leaving Takigawa to despair about what he had done and how on earth he could fix such a mistake. If he could fix such a mistake.
Finally, the door opened slightly. A snatch of a face peered through.
"…Hello?" His black eyes raked Takigawa up and down.
Takigawa coughed nervously. "Um…hello. I'm Houshou Takigawa. Are you…Yamazaki Naito?"
The man narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
Takigawa scratched his head. "I, um…was wondering if you knew something. About my co-worker." He coughed again, and corrected himself. "About my friend."
Yamazaki paused. "…John Brown? On floor three?"
"Yes." Takigawa nodded eagerly. "Yes, John Brown. Do you know where he is?"
"…Are you friends with those two young'uns who came asking around here earlier today?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, I told them all I know." He shut the door at once.
Impatiently, Takigawa knocked on the door again. "Please, I need to speak to you. Do you know anything else?"
There was silence. Takigawa knocked more frantically on the door.
"Please! I need to know everything I can!" There was no answer. He knocked louder.
"Please, I'm begging you! We need to find him. If we don't find him soon…" He stopped short, unwilling to finish the sentence.
The door creaked open again. This time, it opened fully. Yamazaki Naito stood in the door way, a scowl on his face. His square jaw was set in irritation, and he held his hands behind his back warily. His black, somewhat greasy hair had been raked back, and he was slightly hunched.
He beckoned into the room. "Come in."
Inside the room, Takigawa froze when he saw the interior. Clocks. They were everywhere. Ranging from a large grandfather clock to small, delicate pocket watches, they were all antique and wooden. There was not a single trace of plastic. Hanging on the wall, on a table, Takigawa realised that not all of them were ticking, but a few were, including the grandfather clock.
"You look surprised." Yamazaki remarked.
"Where did you get them all?" Takigawa asked.
"I made them." Yamazaki sat down behind the table, where a small clock had been placed and opened up, showing the contents of cogs and wheels.
"You…made them? All of them?"
"Yes." He picked up a small cog from the clock, and examined it carefully in his hands.
"Even the big one over there?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't the ticking drive you –" Takigawa refrained from using the word 'insane'. "Doesn't it annoy you?"
Yamazaki looked up, irritated. "I thought you were here for a different matter."
"Ah." Takigawa faltered, and his mind was burdened with his thoughts again. "I'm sorry. Do you…know anything about where he might be?"
For a little while, Yamazaki continued to play with the cog in his hand.
"OI." He spoke up finally.
"Huh?" Takigawa asked, bemused.
"Osteogenisis Imperfecta." He explained. "Or brittle bones disease." He looked down at his hands, holding the cog. "My hands are very fragile. I don't go out much. I have medication to help strengthen my bones, but…" He sighed sadly. "If you so much as shake them too hard, like they do in Western cultures, they'll break." He looked around to his clocks. "I like making clocks. The insides are so delicate and fragile, but everything works together perfectly. They're works of art." He inserted the cog back into the clock and began to fiddle with the interior. "And the ticking. You might not understand, but I find it very comforting. Hearing things. Otherwise, this apartment would be very quiet." He looked at Takigawa. "The doctors say that I'm going to lose my hearing. Don't know when. Maybe a few years. So I like to listen to things, hear things. Before I won't be able to."
"Couldn't you just get a hearing aid?"
"It's not that simple." Yamazaki told him vaguely. He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Now." He stood up. "There's something I should give you. I've been holding onto it for a while. I wasn't sure who to give it to. Somehow, I didn't want to give it to the police. I have a bad feeling about them." He walked over to one of the clocks on the wall and took it off, opening up the back. He pulled out something small and red.
"Hold out your hand." Takigawa did as he asked, and Yamazaki placed the item in his palm. It was an SD card.
"…An SD card?"
"Yes. It was inside a camera." Yamazaki placed the clock carefully back on the wall. "At Brown-san's apartment."
Takigawa was fully attentive now. "In John's apartment?"
"When the foreign man first visited, I was nervous about it. So I went around, having a check myself."
"How did you get in? How did you even know this man was searching the apartment?" Takigawa questioned him.
"I have my ways. I'm good at opening doors. And I watched him. I was suspicious from the start, so I watched him. Brown-san's floor is beneath mine, and his window is pretty open. I have a friend in the apartment opposite this one, so I watched him from across there. The foreign man was searching through Brown-san's things, like he was searching for something. Sometimes he would take something or move something, but at the end he tried to move everything back to its original position. So after he left, I went in and I found the camera and took out the SD card. For safe keeping. The foreign man came back the next day, and searched the place again."
"Why didn't you tell John?"
"I was nervous. He was being watched. Isn't that why he moved out? I didn't want to get myself caught up too much in something dangerous. But now…"
Takigawa examined the SD card. "What's on it?"
"Have a look yourself." He went back to the table, and continued working on his clock.
"Thank you for your help."
Yamazaki just waved his hand dismissively. As Takigawa turned to leave, he spoke up again.
"Bring him back safely."
Back at his own apartment, Takigawa inserted the SD card into his laptop and took a swig of beer from the bottle. Pressing the download button, he waited for the images to appear on the screen.
Ever since he had turned John away, Takigawa had been seeing him everywhere. He would turn the corner, and for a split second Takigawa would imagine him there, following along behind him. Like some kind of echo, every time he entered a room or walked down a hallway, he expected to see John smiling gently or hear his voice. He longed for it, for anything that proved John wasn't dead.
This was so messed up. Even now, Takigawa was still trying to comprehend the results of his actions. All the things he had said to John…he had accused him of being mentally unstable. He had…hit him across the face. Letting out a breath, Takigawa took another drink from the bottle. A thought occurred to him. Although Mai had watched the scene, she hadn't mentioned anything about John…having an eating disorder some years ago. Did she even know? It was surprising that, if she did, she hadn't mentioned it. If it was like her old dreams, when Eugene had guided her to the right information, was it possible he had left out some of the information?
The laptop beeped, signalling the end of the download. Immediately, Takigawa began to scroll through the pictures. His eye was drawn to one in particular.
A young, handsome man stood, facing an ocean scene. His black hair was windswept, and he looked at the camera with mild surprise in his grey eyes.
Was this Kazuki Brooks? Takigawa scrolled through the rest of the pictures. The same man cropped up more than a number of times. Surely this was him. It had to be. He looked exactly like John had described.
Proof was staring at him in the face. Only now could Takigawa really understand just how wrong he had been. Kazuki Brooks was not a figment of John's imagination. He had been real. Takigawa took another drink from his bottle, and stood up. He needed to find John.
It was getting later and later, but Takigawa still went to every single place he could think of that John had been to, every place associated with the case.
"Forgive me, but I'm trying to find someone. Have you seen this man?" Takigawa held up a picture of John to the librarian. She peered at it.
"Oh yes, he comes here sometimes."
"Has he been here at all over the past few days?"
"No. I'm sorry."
He tried the car disposal. "I don't mean to be a bother, but have you seen this man?"
The boss, Hanajima-san, shook his head. "No, not since you came to pick up that car."
In his desperation, he tried the café that he, Mai and Yasuhara had visited so long ago. There had been no sign of John. Not even at Hamamoto's bar.
An idea occurred to Takigawa. What about Kazuki's apartment?
But the apartment was just as empty as it had always been. It was getting late now, although it was still fairly bright outside. Takigawa tried to rethink what they had done. Walking out to the balcony, he stood facing the streets below, leaning against the rail. He took a drink from his bottle. Somehow, the drop seemed a lot higher up than it had done previously.
This was all his fault, Takigawa thought hazily. John had been wrong to trust him. Takigawa was not trustworthy. He could not keep his promises. He couldn't protect anyone. He couldn't help anyone. He felt a breeze across his face, and found himself on his knees, staring blankly down at the street below. It was as if all his energy was gone. Nothing mattered anymore. Was John even still alive? If he ended up dead – if he was already dead – how would Takigawa be able to live with himself?
Somehow, John's words flickered through his head. "…Well, when you've drunk alcohol and you begin talking about…matters like we were, often you begin to feel worse than better…"
It was time to stop drinking. Moping around about his mistakes would not help find John. He had to think, think where he might have gone. John would want to find answers; discover the truth for himself, even if he had to do it alone. But his knowledge was limited because of his amnesia. Was there someone who might know more?
Takigawa walked back inside and looked around him, at the bare walls and the empty room. Of course. Kazuki Brooks. He was tied to this, somehow…and it was the spirit of Kazuki Brooks that John had seen at the abandoned house. Could he have gone there?
Takigawa rushed out of the apartment. It was late, almost 11 o'clock. The sky had begun to rain softly. Ignoring it, Takigawa started his car and got in, not even checking for sabotage. The streets were crowded and bustling, and he drove out of the city with frustration as each traffic jam delayed him further.
At long last, after what seemed like hours, Takigawa finally reached the abandoned house. It was now the early hours of the next day, and he had not reported back to Naru yet. But he didn't care. With no hesitation, he ran inside, not caring if there was an ambush waiting for him or if the house was a trap.
"John!" He called down the silent hall way. "John! Are you here?!"
The swirling of dust and gently creaking floor boards was the only thing that answered him.
"John!" He carried on shouting, walking tentatively down the hall, as a chill began to creep onto his skin. It was deathly quiet.
"Is anyone here?" Takigawa walked into the main room. What he saw made him freeze.
It was the room they had used as a base for the investigation. He could see the plastic table, upturned on the floor, half broken. Hardly breathing, he walked over to where a confrontation seemed to have occurred. Something caught his eye on the empty floor, the thin layers of dust strewn about. A smashed syringe, leaking some kind of liquid, had been abandoned on the floor.
Heart thudding painfully now, Takigawa examined his surroundings more carefully now. Crouching, he ran his finger along a small dark stain on the floor, and examined his finger. The tip was red.
Oh God. Takigawa stood up, a feeling of dread settling on him. This was blood. Not a lot, but it was blood. And that syringe…he knelt down and touched the liquid, examining it carefully. It wasn't any old drug – he could tell from the smell. It had a strong, almost medical scent. A smell he associated with hospitals. And it was smashed all over the floor…there had been a struggle. This wasn't just a recreational drug that someone had used here.
Staggering, Takigawa thought wildly. Had John been here? Had John been…taken away? He put his head in his hands. No. It couldn't be. There were any number of things this could be. It wasn't necessarily the scene of an abduction. But no matter how he tried to justify it, Takigawa could not banish the feeling that his fears were right. And a slow, cold terror set upon his chest.
Please not this. Anything but this.
"Who is this?"
Takigawa whirled around. Someone was standing there. A young woman, with brown hair and dressed in blue clothes. She was talking to another person, a man wearing a lab coat, which was tarnished with soot and blood. The man looked familiar. Where had Takigawa seen him before? There was something strange about them. Suddenly, the room seemed a lot colder than before. And the edges of their figures seemed to be almost…translucent.
"It's the monk. The one he was talking about." The man told her.
"Why is he here? Last time I knew, he thought Brown-san had schizophrenia."
These were spirits. Takigawa staggered backwards and stumbled, falling to the floor.
"No…" He whispered. "No…I can't…I'm not meant to see you…I can't see spirits anymore…" His mind reeled at the fact their appearance had been notified by his brain. This was not right. Takigawa could not see spirits. So why…
The man glanced at him. "Oh. He can see us."
"Who are you?" Takigawa demanded. "Why can I see you?"
The man walked a little closer to him, eyeing him warily and with mistrust.
"Why didn't you believe John?" He asked, his voice dangerously low. "Why did you betray his trust like that? Don't you realise how much you've hurt him?"
Takigawa swallowed. "Who are you?" He asked again.
"My name is Kazuki Brooks."
It clicked – pictures of this man had been on the SD card.
Takigawa took in a long breath. "Why-why can I see you? I'm not meant to see spirits. I haven't been able to see them in a while."
"You're scared. You've felt true fear." Kazuki realised. "Why is that? Why are you even here?"
"No, you don't understand. I can't see spirits."
The spirit of Kazuki tilted his head. "Well, the human brain has a remarkable ability to adapt to certain circumstances, particularly during fight-or-flight scenarios, or when the body has become accustomed to a way of living. You have felt a great deal of fear. Now, your body is adapting to try and cope with it." He spoke in a monotone that was somewhat lacking in emotion and yet curious at the same time.
Takigawa tried to stand up, but shock had robbed him of his mobility. The spirit of Kazuki continued.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm – I'm looking for John."
Kazuki looked away. "Well, you missed him. He left."
"Is he…ok? Is he alive?"
"He left here alive. Pursued, but alive. He ran to the woods, being chased. Whether he managed to get away…" The spirit of Kazuki trailed off. "Why are you here? I thought you didn't believe him."
"Things have changed." Takigawa told him fiercely. "I need to find him, before colleague-san gets to him."
The spirit of Kazuki frowned. "How do I know you're telling the truth? You could be lying for all I know."
"I'm not lying!" Takigawa shouted. At this noise, a loud whispering began to resound from behind the walls, making Takigawa stop. He remained silent until the whispering died down.
"…Don't shout." The spirit of Kazuki said gently. "It upsets us."
Takigawa nodded, and inhaled deeply. "Look. I need to find John. If we don't find him, colleague-san will kill him. I don't know what your connection to the Mattaku Psychiatric Ward is," at the name, the spirit of Kazuki flinched, "but I know that you wouldn't want John to end up dead. Please help me find him. Do you know where he might be?"
The spirit of Kazuki looked away, towards the woman, a troubled expression on his face. She nodded, almost imperceptibly.
"…I told him," the spirit of Kazuki began slowly, "…I told him to return to the river where he was found, and retrace his steps to the ward."
Takigawa felt his heart light up. "Back at the river? That's where he is?"
"I can't guarantee it. But that's where I told him to go."
Takigawa nodded, trying to comprehend this. Would he really find John at the river? Would he find him, unharmed and well?
Suddenly finding a new burst of energy within him, Takigawa scrambled to his feet.
"Where at the river was he found? Where can I find him?" He demanded.
"I don't know. Try and talk to the people that found him there."
Takigawa dashed out of the room, almost tripping over himself uncharacteristically in his haste.
"Wait." The voice of Kazuki's spirit made him halt.
"…You better bring him back safely. You better not betray him again." The spirit of Kazuki stared at him with a cold, hard glare. "He's had enough betrayal to last a long time. Don't mess up this time."
Mutely, Takigawa nodded. Without another word, he bolted from the abandoned house, caring neither to contact anyone else nor even wait for daylight to begin his search.