Gene's POV:
John was prioritized, so by the time I had left the clean medical centre in the heart of the Angel District, I had to pass about 5 sets of half-angel-guards and passed a pair of hurriedly-talking councillors who wanted to chain up Lin again!
"Lin is still the village's living legend." Naru simply stated when I asked; Mai sending a small, sympathetic smile my way, before returning her focus to Yi.
Monk was silent, possibly grumpy, while Masako had her head down, following us.
Yasu and I quickly dropped back and took her hands.
"If you keep on looking down, you're going to crash into someone." I grinned, my facial expression ruining my impression of Naru, who sent an annoyed glare my way.
"I'm just worried - the air is starting to feel heavier than it otherwise should." Masako replied i a quiet voice.
"Do you know there's a full moon here in two days?" Yasu asked. "I heard somewhere that full moons usually mean when certain types of energy are at their best, so maybe it's that?"
"That's just occult stuff." Naru called. "There is no actual proof that that sort of stuff happens."
"Says the person who does Ghost Hunting for a living!" Gene and I replied with a grin as we reached the Full-Human's district again.
"Anyway, I need to go and check on a few things - no need to wait up for me!" Yasu admitted, before dropping Masako's hand with one of his fake-flirting winks and walking away.
"It's dangerous to go alone." Monk stated. "I'll-"
"No, I'll go; I've walked about here more." I interrupted, smiling at Masako before racing after Yasu, looking over my shoulder to see Masako had turned red.
Like a cute little sister...
Shaking my head, I followed Yasu into the Demon district, and despite all the trouble I got, Yasu appeared to be making no effort as everyone swept around him. It's as though he knows exactly where to stand, and he's always in my line of sight...
He suddenly shot towards me as I slipped, and I felt him catch me before I face-planted the dirt.
"Interesting way of accompanying someone." Yasu's tone was joking, and made my face heat up.
"We were just worried, OK?" I stammered, slightly afraid of the fact it looks like a bit more than mud that's underneath me.
Is that a rotten cabbage?
"You'll just continue tailing me otherwise out of curiosity, right?" Yasu mused, before shrugging. "Fine then! But don't stray off, and we can't say a word to the others - it's not the right time, yet."
I nodded, and he smiled, before leading me by the hand through the Demon district and into a pile of ruins.
xxx
They were old, and worn-down, the half-decimated staircase was covered in dust, and plants were growing up through the earth.
"They've really forgotten." Yasu sighed, before moving to a rear wall.
"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked.
Yasu touched his hand to his chest, before drawing it away to reveal a purple light in his hand.
My eyes widened as the wall he was in front of reacted, part of it swinging away to reveal a spiral staircase, lit in a purple glow.
"We must hurry." Yasu stated.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, racing after him and following him down.
Exiting into a well-lit room, my eyes widened as Yasu turned to face me.
"Welcome," he said "To the Library of Asian Time."
...
xxx
John's POV:
The door opened about three minutes after everyone had left; Lin had been returned to his cell (though thankfully not bound) about fourteen minutes ago, so now I was plucking and playing with my violin.
A Doctor entered, and I sat up straight as he began to check my vitals, before smiling.
"Apart from the few freshly-scarring wounds, your accelerated healing means you can be discharged soon..." he said, and I smiled, before he suddenly pushed me backwards, a stinky piece of folded cloth being held over my nose and mouth...
...
"Unfortunately we'll be adding to that..."
xxx
Gene's POV:
I followed Yasu to a cluster of bookstands at the heart of the room, and he gently moved one to share a stand with another before moving to a third one.
"Yi's Book." he explained, opening it, and raising an eyebrow. "Which appears to have been temporarily merged with Fu's."
What? I asked, looking over his shoulder to see a list of names.
At the bottom;
Ya Yi
and Ya Fu
I looked at Yasu.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It's a sort of link; when two books are merged, the two lives align so the pair in question forever re-meet and live together. Old couples, when joined by the string or by the certificate, would then have this temporary merge inside their book, even if some lives get merged into one book, there is always a Bookkeeper who knows about this sort of stuff, and their job is to also keep the entrance clean and the lights lit." Yasu explained. "The one in charge of this Library left his shiki here to keep house for him. But I think I'll have to find his replacement or reincarnation now..."
Handing me Yi's book, he took a book from the centre two stands. He looked in the cover of it, and whistled.
"Huidiei Cho!" Yasu smiled. "By the picture on the next page, it's the kid who helped John!"
"Really?" I asked, and Yasu hummed as he flicked through.
"To be honest, they always come in pairs, so while one is too old, then too young, the other is already at a capable age, and they are... it's Chung Zhi! Fu's friend!"
"But they're total opposites..." I commented, as Yasu took Yi's book from me and flicked through.
"See these black pages?" he asked pointing, and I nodded, looking at the fine line breaking one part of the book from the other, the following pages more grey than the warm yellow the first hundred were. "They tell of her time in purgatory, and by the sounds of it, she shouldn't be out now, especially with-..."
he paused, eyes widening as I read quickly.
"John! We've got to hurry!" I exclaimed.
Putting Yi's book back, Yasu and I ran...
Joker: NW CHAPTEER! Phew! I don't have that much time left, tho!
Mai: Why?
Joker: 6th Period! Ja Ne! *wizzes off*
Mai: *shrugs* Triple R, please...