Chapter 5: Ghosts

*April 16th*

Alex decided to go out to town and act like a tourist in the city for his Sunday off. He took a train to Iwatodai Station and found the bookstore "Bookworms", underneath the sign was a cartoon worm saying "Now open Sundays". He walks inside with a sense of familiarity. Deja vu ? He shakes his head to physically erase the thoughts.

Hours gone by as he was reading a book he thought he might take home with him, then he thought he saw an elderly couple with a student, but the moment passed. He felt that coma he just had the night before had maybe killed some brain cells or something. He tucked away the book somewhere he would hope to find again next time should he come here.

Alex wandered the city and found himself in Naganaki Shrine. He didn't know the correct way to pray to the shrine so he just made an offering of pocket change, wished for "Good Luck" then moved along. Again he looked to see things that were not there, a sickly man and that student again. Alex slapped himself to reality. Maybe I need to go to the dorm, Sigh but I'm not tired. He remembered about the Bartender Junpei who said he might have a job for him at Club Escapade, He could make it there just before it opens.

The sound of a guitar filled Alex's ears. Playing in the street was an old homeless white man. His shoes had big open holes in the front where you could see his socks that were made of trash bags. His clothes were filthy, and had a pungent odour that made you want to keep a good five paces away. His beard was woolly and stained around his mouth, with a mix of booze, and tobacco ash. He left some money for the man but he just threw it back at him angrily. " I don't need money, damn kid!" Alex turned and ran, not picking up the 500 something yen he handed out to the American.

~Paulownia Mall Before Night~

Alex approached the closed doors of Club Escapade, it was quiet inside so he was right on time. He grabs the door handle but it's locked. Sounds of running footsteps draw closer, it was Junpei.

"Oh hey it's you! You ready to start working tonight?" Tonight? "It's supposed to be busy and I really need someone to help me out I'm all alone here! Here just take this and get drink orders."

~Later~

The booming rhythm of the beat made Alex need to compete against the sound, having to yell just to talk to a person next to him, and every drink order had the feeling of doubt. Oolong Tea! No Ginger ale! Wait no a Shirley Temple! Gah!

Junpei looked just as stressed, constantly servicing 5 people at once, let he still managed to keep a cool head and things kept accident free the whole night. "Got a list from the people in the back wall." Junpei only replied with a quick 'yah.' Alex then noticed in booth above the bar some people he missed, but as soon as he climbed up there Gone again, It's like ghosts or something I... I need some air.

Alex went up to the bar and yelled to Junpei against the house beat that needed to take a break. Running to the washroom he let the water run and soaked his face. Someone was knocking on the bathroom door. "Hey hurry up in there only two more hours to go." Alex takes a few more minutes to stare at his reflection. Just keep it together.

~After work~

Alex managed to pull through the last two hours, Junpei slides a can of pop over to the exhausted temp. Alex picks looks at the can. "Melon Soda?"

"Last one, on the house of course." Junpei pulls out a frosty beer from the cooler.

"Didn't I hear there's not supposed to be alcohol in the club Iori-san?"

"Ah, they said I couldn't serve it, doesn't mean I can't save one for myself, haha!" The two cling their canned beverages together and Alex takes a sip of his Melon drink. "Tastes good." Thinking aloud.

"Well alright! Cuz that's your payment for tonight."

"Your kidding right?" Alex nearly choked on his drink, Junpei laughs out loud and slaps the boy on the back.

"Man you spook too easy" He hands over 10 000 yen in a wad of bills. "That was worth seeing the look on your face haha! So how about it though, think you can work on the weekends?"

"I'm a fast learner."

"Great thing to hear, already seen you at it and it makes me wish I found you years ago. Then I will see you on Friday amigo." A voice rings in Alex's head.

Thou art I, I am thou

Thou hast established a new bond

It brings thee closer to the heart

I bestoweth thee Archimedes of the Magician Arcana

Alex took in consideration the power he would gain from expanding this Social Link with Junpei.

"I gotta head back, curfew's midnight back at my place."

"Ah, back at the dorm?"

"Uh yes... How did you know." The phone rang.

"It's the Boss, Sorry. See ya later." Phew, close one Junpei.

Alex shrugged it off and walked along the bridge to the subway station. He should probably consider a better form of transportation instead of walking around and trains. Walking along he saw someone ahead standing on the side of the bridge about to jump!

He ran quickly to stop the jumper, it was the pink haired girl he saved from getting run over.

"Wait don't!" The girl turns to see the brown haired young man. As he lets closer to her she moves closer to the edge. "Woah, now. Why don't you stop for a second and think about what your doing here."

"If you come any closer then I'll jump!"

"Okay, Okay, just please stay where you are, I won't come any closer. We can just talk."

The pink haired girl looks at his face, she recognizes him also. It might have been what kept her on the bridge so far.

"What's your name."

"That's a strange question to ask."

"Should I ask you why you want to kill yourself then?"

"No you shouldn't, why don't you just turn around and find another way to get home."

"Well maybe if you told me why we can talk you out of this. I have a friend, who was feeling the same things you might be thinking about right now."

"Neither you or anyone knows what happened."

"What happened then? You have to tell me if want to know the truth." She bites her lip and nods, tears roll down her cheeks.

"They still won't say that it was a murder, now the media's trying to tell us that he wanted to kill himself" The story she was telling seemed awfully familiar.

"Killing yourself isn't going to help"

"SHUT UP!" Her left shoe slips off her foot and falls into the water down below. Alex begins to remove his shoes and his jacket. "What are you doing?"

"If your gonna jump down there then I'll just have to jump down and rescue you." He swings over the arm of the bridge and stands on the ledge next to the girl.

"You'll kill yourself!"

"I know, what about your family? Think how it might affect them when they hear about what you did? Your friends at school? Even a total stranger who saved your life before?" She begins to hug the arm of the bridge more feeling regret about what she was doing, this gave Alex the opportunity to move closer to her on the ledge.

"Take my arm." He draws his arm closer to her.

"I'm Scared!"

"Just trust me it'll be okay." She then slowly grabs Alex's arm and is pulled closer, carefully they work together to get back safely on the walkway. Alex sighs in relief, his heart pounding through his chest. He looks to see if the girl was alright and then receives a slap across the cheek.

"The hell?"

"That was for standing on the ledge." Alex admitted to himself that it was a stupid idea that could have gotten himself killed with just a breeze, but frankly he was more concerned of her.

"Are you gonna be okay, I mean your not gonna do that again are you?"

"N-no."

"I still haven't heard your name." Maybe your number too, no don't push it boy. "I'm Alex Wade, from Gekkougan High"

"Fukushima Sakura. Sekkojo Academy"

"Did you say Fukushima?" He heard of that name before.

"My brother was murdered, but the police won't confirm that it was a homicide, or even how he died. I will find the man who's responsible for this, I swear it." Tears drip from her face, Alex wished he could offer her a tissue or a handkerchief.

"Would you like me to walk you home."

"My house is a bit far, you really don't have to, and I think I need to be alone for a while."

Alex had felt the feeling as the bond between him and the girl was being made manifest, but it faded away as she left. Neither of them would forget each other.

~Dormitory~

Alex made it back to the dorm before curfew. He saw on the Doorstep Mori trying to pull up his luggage. Alex lends his assistance.

"What is this made out of lead?" He says while trying to drag up a guitar case up the step.

"I gotta protect my favourite girl."

"The guitar... is a she?"

"You know how they say 'It's not the musician who picks the instrument'? Seeing Kotomi was like love at first sight." Okay... Mori opens the heavy case with a special key he pulled from his necklace to reveal his favourite guitar. It was the neon like blue colour he'd seen from the velvet room, flower pedals were outlined on the side.

"Hey Aniki why is your face all red?" Alex feels the cheek that girl Sakura slapped. He dazed out a moment thinking about her.

"It's nothing... You got everything inside?"

"Well the heavy stuff, still needs to go up the stairs though. Get some Z's dude, its cool."

Alex shrugged and went to his room to turn in. After putting on some pyjamas he laid on top of his bed sheets awake. He was tired but could not sleep, his thoughts always going back to that girl. Why? Why kill yourself? He closed his eyes.

It was darkness. The shadowy oblivion of the void. He could not feel his body, he was nothing.

"Why did you come back?" A voice broke out from the void.

Alex tried to speak to the voice but could not, it was as though he had left his body, and was now a drift in the empty black nihil.

"It's too late, It will all become this soon. I tried, tried to stop the darkness... but there were too many, too many voices. I don't want to bring you into this."

How do you know me? What are you saying? A light came from the darkness around Alex. He could feel his body again, and then the energy of the disembodied voice drew closer and slowly formed. It was the blue haired boy, Arisato Minato. He had seen visions of him in the day like ghosts. He looked weak, and shivering.

"I cannot hold like this for long. You cannot turn back now, Only a wild card can...break the seal. These cultists are trying to bring this void to our world. I still... have power from... my bonds... take it." The blue haired ghost spares the last of his power in this dream form to grant his power.

Thou art I, I am thou

Thou hast established a new bond

It brings thee closer to the heart

I bestoweth thee Samedi of the Death Arcana.

The dream around them begins to collapse. Dark turns to light, and the void becomes the dawn of a new day.

Author's note: I tried to make a Chapter without Mori in it, really. Guess who's my biased favourite character? :P

I just quickly made up Sakura's school name, I could have used the awful Japanese translator again to come up with some kind of message or something in its name, but whatever.

Also I'm noticing how I haven't been consistent with the names sometimes. I'll say them in the family name first order, but I've made the mistake where I do it Surname first instead like Junpei Iori, or Yusei Fukushima.