The brunette shuffled aimlessly through the forests of Japan, map clutched in a deathly grip as indigo orbs took the view in – moss-strewn trees sprouted up to the sky, it seemed, golden sunlight filtering through branches onto the ground in blotches of color. A wondrous smile adorned tanned features, a slow trot pacing to a run as he made his way past countless trees and getting himself hopelessly lost, though he didn't care. At the time, it wasn't on his mind.

Ryuzaki Raptor was on an expedition today in the forests of Japan, at least an hour drive from Domino City. These forests weren't usually a tourist attraction – on the contrary, they were hardly visited; people wanted them torn down to build houses and whatnot – but it was a Saturday and Ryuzaki's mother had suggested that he go and do something other than play Duel Monsters. It was then that he decided to take a hike to the forests, with nothing else to do, and see if he could find anything that caught his fancy – maybe a fossil of some sort, if he dug deep enough!

A boy could dream, couldn't he? It was a good change of pace from Domino City, where he currently resided. The city was a dream for those living out in the country, but when you got down to it and saw all you wanted to, it seemed like a prison. Too much to see, too little to actually do when you were only 16 without a working job or money, like Ryuzaki currently was. Walking down street after street until it got dark got rather boring after attempting it the hundredth time. So it was here in this forest that Ryuzaki could finally get away from the noise and bustle of the city.

He passed the time away treading over mossy grounds, acting like sponges against his shoes and giving him a bounce in his step. There wasn't really too much to do in the forests, either, but it was eye candy to see brilliant shades of emerald and jade as opposed to countless concrete-hued building after building.

When the novelty wore out and Ryuzaki decided he should leave while it was light out, he walked back the direction he assumed he came in.

The map did him no good in getting him out, though, and Ryuzaki wondered how he would find his way back. Being as carefree as he was, however, he easily pushed his worry aside – there were still a few more hours of sunlight left and with any luck, he'd be out of the forest in no time.

Luck, however, did not seem to be on Ryuzaki's side today.

He rounded a tree, large in its base, only to be assaulted with the smell of something unquestionably dead. His nose crinkled up at the stench, foreign to Ryuzaki, and curiosity got the best of the brunette as he tried to find its source. There were deer in this forest, right? – That had to be what the smell came from. The carcass of a deer was disgusting, he'd admit, but likely fun to look at nonetheless.

When the stench got stronger and his nausea more persistent, Ryuzaki was surprised to find that the stench was not from a deer as he had anticipated, but instead from a human being, seemingly male at a first glance. His body was splayed out at the base of a tree, dried blood staining the rocks around him where Ryuzaki assumed his head had hit a rock – his neck was also twisted at an unnatural angle, probably broken. Light teal wisps of hair covered a good portion of his features – at least, Ryuzaki thought he was a boy; if he was he was definitely small for a male, and effeminate too.

Ryuzaki froze up at the unexpected sight, eyes running over the boy's body, taking in little details of his features. His hair was cut in straight strands, framing around his face and his boyish features – yes, he was definitely a boy, Ryuzaki decided. His entire body was a rigid, pale color, lips turned blue and parted slightly; flies swarmed over his body here and there. He wore glasses adorned in a yellow frame, both lenses shattered completely, eyelids shuttered closed [Ryuzaki was certain if they were open he would have vomited.] Panic set in, along with sadness for the unidentified boy, and Ryuzaki backed up in blind fear. Slender digits frantically worked at his pocket as he reached for his phone – dear God he hoped he had service – and as he took a look at the screen his eyes were met with a signal bar working.

Relief washed over him as he dialed 110, speaking hurriedly into the phone the moment someone picked up – a man's voice met his own, to his relief, and he spilled everything almost instantly; information about finding the boy's body, where he was [approximately; there was no way to tell in these forests where exactly he was], and the man told him firmly not to touch the body or walk away from it, and to keep on the line with him until help arrived.

It took a little while, the sun beginning to go down and Ryuzaki certain he would never travel near any woods ever again, but help finally arrived – much-needed for Ryuzaki, too; a corpse wasn't much company for the living. The stranger's body was towed away by paramedics and the brunette was then offered a ride to the nearest station for questioning.

"Questioning?" Ryuzaki frowned, following an officer who had talked to him earlier. "Why?"

"Standard procedure." The elder male, Officer Keith Howard, responded. "We'll escort you home afterwards… what on earth were you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I-I came to explore the woods," the brunette responded, arm coming up to wipe the sweat from his brow. Something in the man's tone made him nervous, like he didn't believe him. "I never been here b'fore… I didn't expect t'find a body…"

Keith laughed heartily, removing his glasses from his line of vision. "Yeah, that's not exactly an every-day thing to find in a forest, huh… poor kid. Lucky you found him; from the looks of it he's been sitting there for maybe a day or three."

Ryuzaki followed along, happy for the ride home – Keith opened the door for him, making small talk as they drove back to Domino City. The car-ride was pretty quiet, neither male having much to talk about aside from the obvious – though that wasn't a pleasant conversation starter. Keith questioned him as to where he lived, asking for directions occasionally as they got closer to downtown, aside from that not saying much of anything.

As they drove within the city limits, however, the officer spoke up again. "So how'd you find the boy?"

"Huh?" Ryuzaki's head snapped towards the source of the sound, being shaken from his train of thought. "W-who, the body? Umm, I jus' smelled somethin' off, thought it was a deer… curiosity, I guess…"

"Deer don't inhabit that forest." Keith frowned, taking a sharp left that slammed Ryuzaki gently against the window. His eyes flickered to the widened eyes of the brunette and he grinned. "Careful, lightweight, don't wanna flick you outta the car."

"… Do you know who he is?"

A quick shake of the older man's head was confirmation. "No idea. He's probably from a few cities over… what an odd place to die at, that forest… I hope no one planned this for the little guy."

"You… you think someone…?"

"It's hard to say." Keith bit down on the temple of his glasses subconsciously, eyebrows knitting in deep concentration. "I mean, his death looked innocent enough… we'll learn more down at the station."

"Am I in trouble?"

Keith risked a small glance down at the younger male, seriousness fading as he gave a small smile, watching the worried expression Ryuzaki was wearing. A low chuckle escaped his lips. "Naw, so long as you didn't do anything to that boy. They're just gonna want your side of the story, yanno – how ya found him and all. You'll be done before you know it."

A few hours and questions later and Keith was escorting Ryuzaki home – they had ruled the blue-haired boy's death accidental [apparently it was caused by his skull crushing into the rocks below; his neck was also broken], and Ryuzaki was cleared as a suspect of any kind, just a boy who happened to stumble upon something rather gruesome.

Ryuzaki arrived home at around midnight to a very worried mother, who at the sight of the cop car was immediately on Ryuzaki's case, asking what he had done wrong [Keith assured her that he wasn't in trouble, only getting a ride home from the woods]. Keith left with a wave and a goodbye, and Ryuzaki's mother helped him inside.

"You're never going outside of the city limits again." She bluffed in relief, sighing as she waltzed into the kitchen. "I was so worried, Ryuzaki, you reckless boy. What am I going to do with you…? I suppose that boy's lucky that you found him… oh, his poor parents, what they must be going through…"

Ryuzaki rolled his eyes lightly, letting his mother ramble on while he raided the fridge – with the adventure he had been on today he had hardly eaten a thing.

"I'm goin' ta bed." He announced, hardly stifling a yawn as he carried his meal up to his room.

"That's probably for the best." She smiled, running her fingers through his lavender fringe as he removed his beanie. "Get some sleep, 'kay? Maybe tomorrow I'll treat'cha out for ice cream, if work's not keepin' me up too late."

"That sounds great." Ryuzaki purred, leaning into her touch. "Love ya, Okan. Goodnight."

Ryuzaki entered his room, popping a single takoyaki into his mouth and chewing on it – they weren't nearly as good cold, but food was food to a hungry boy. He shook his head lightly, trying to get his hair to fluff out as he sat on the edge of his bed, a second takoyaki already replacing the first. Another yawn failed in being stifled, reminding him just how tiring today was and how late at night it was getting to be.

"Today was intense…" He murmured to himself, placing his remaining takoyaki on his dresser as he began to undress for the night. He lifted his shirt over his head, tossing it carelessly on the bed. "I wonder jus' who that kid was…"

"Tch, well you wouldn't happen to be the only one, now would you?"

Ryuzaki froze instantly, half-way through unbuttoning his jeans. Fear overtook him for the second time that day and his head snapped around, brunette locks whipping at his cheek, indigo eyes locking with sharp, vibrant blue orbs staring back at him.

The little boy he found in the forest was standing – or, more-so floating; his feet weren't even touching the ground – in Ryuzaki's room.

Ryuzaki shrieked out in surprise, a much higher-pitched whine than he'd like to admit, reeling back in a form of defense against the semi-transparent figure. "W-who on earth –?"

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you." The ghost scoffed, adjusting his lenses as he eyed the room of the other boy. "Your room is an absolute pigsty."

"Y-you… you're that boy from the forest…" Ryuzaki frowned, relaxing as he figured the ghost wouldn't [or couldn't, he doubted a ghost could physically harm a human] hurt him. "You're older than I thought you would be…"

"Not too much younger than you are, I'd bet." Thin shoulders shrugged close to the teal-haired boy. No longer looking absolutely like death, Ryuzaki could examine him better; he was probably an inch or two shorter than Ryuzaki was, though floating over the still-living's bed, it was kind of hard to tell. His eyes, when not narrowed in distaste, were wide with curiosity, orbs a brilliant electric blue even in their transparency. He was wearing a gray cardigan, a little red bow-tie adorning it, arms crossed defensively over his chest.

"You can stop looking at me like I'm on display." He hissed – his voice was distinctly male, though just as equally effeminate as the rest of him. "You're acting like you've seen a ghost."

"You are a ghost." Ryuzaki countered, risking a step closer to the other. "Who… who are you…?"

Another shrug. "I have no clue. All I really remember is that you found my body in those woods… I followed you home."

"Why?" Thin lips quirked into a frown. "You'd 'av' done better following your body…"

"There's no way to connect to my body again; I'm stuck like this." The ghost retorted, voice cracking with a wistful sigh. "I followed you because I want to go to the afterlife, and as the boy who found my body it's your job to take me there."

"Pfft, says who?" Ryuzaki countered, still looking over the boy – his hair was in a ridiculous bowl-cut, much cleaner when compared to the earlier look he sported. His glasses weren't broken anymore, the lenses wide circles that took up a ridiculous portion of the space above his nose. "I didn't sign up to babysit you to the afterlife."

"Tch." The teal-haired ghost frowned, turning his gaze away from Ryuzaki's face. "I'm not going to beg – I'll continue haunting you anyways, until you oblige and help me, so it's best to just get formalities out of the way…"

"Listen, ghost, I don't want trouble…"

"Good, neither do I."

"Then you'll leave?"

"No way. I'm planning on getting out of here as soon as I can, believe me, I don't like being around messes like this disgrace you call a room for too long… but I don't think I can do it alone. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you for this task."

Ryuzaki had drowned out the ghost's conversation at this point, opting instead to see what else he could learn about the boy just from sheer observation. Every so often the ghost would adjust his lenses from the side, sliding them further back to where he was sure the glass would brush against his eyelashes should he close his eyes. His nose would scrunch up as he talked, cheeks puffing out as if sniffling. He was definitely unconventional in his habits and traits – was he even aware of his constant glasses adjusting…?

" – What's your name?"

The boy paused mid-sentence, turning back to Ryuzaki with an unimpressed expression written across his features. Half-lidded eyes addressed Ryuzaki, electric blue orbs screaming "judging you" just in the way they glanced at him. "I believe I've mentioned before that I have no clue who I am, and that includes my name. And what might yours be?"

"Ryuzaki."

"Ryuzaki. It's a pleasure."

The sarcastic snicker had left his voice at this point, judging gaze fading into simple pondering. "You know… now that I think over it… I really don't remember anything about my previous life… where I came from, potential family, nothing…"

"Really?" Ryuzaki went to join him on the bed, frowning at the thought of not remembering anything about oneself. "Well, I dunno what 'xactly to tell ya… how would we even get you to the afterlife…? What does it take a ghost to get there? All I ever read about was like vengeance an' wantin' someone dead, but… you don' seem t'be mad at anybody…"

"No, I don't think I came back because I was mad at anybody…" The boy shook his head, hair following suit and bouncing against his cheeks. "From the looks of it my death was accidental… fell from that tree that officer was talking about."

Square shoulders shrugged as Ryuzaki cut in with a yawn. "I guess I wouldn't know, I didn't really take a good look at'cha when I found ya…"

"You sound tired."

"I am." Ryuzaki nodded. "It's been a long day. As much as I'd love t'stay up an' talk to ya, I think it'd be best if we called it a night…"

"W-wait." The ghost shook his head. "You still haven't given me an answer as to if you'll help me out or not! Y-you can't sleep until you give me an answer!"

"Well you're not really giving me much'uv a chance t'say no, are you?"

"Yes, I suppose not…"

"Then there's your answer. Now please, let me sleep… we can talk in the mornin'. I don' care where you go… jus' let me sleep."

"Hmm." A nod from the ghost signified finality, and as Ryuzaki got up to flip the light switch off, he turned to find the ghost gone from sight.

A relieved sigh emitted from Ryuzaki as he brushed his bangs back, climbing into bed. He groaned as his head hit the pillow, sighing unintelligibly to no one in particular.

"Who ever'd have thought I'd be followed by a ghost…?"