Kou waited until he saw Nene walk through the front doors, then turned to address the seemingly innocent child. He clenched the small gold stick, and it grew bigger until it became his spirit staff. It has been used for generations in his family, and it's known to electorate earth bond spirits. Kou tried to keep himself calm. Now, he knows why Teru told him to go walk Nene home. His older brother must have sensed something.

"Why are you bothering her? State your business!" Kou yelled at the boy. He placed the staff in the front, he got in his fighting stance.

The streetlights started to dim, occasionally flickering as the temperature dropped. It was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard in the distance. The boy's head was facing down, still not moving from his spot earlier. Then, slowly he raised his head.
Once clear chocolate-colored eyes started to fade to blood red, and he grinned showing two rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Kou's hands started to sweat as he clung the staff closer to him.
"Okay, you got this." Kou thought. "Just bind him to that house. Call Teru. Then he can put this ghost to hell for all I care."
He took a deep breath. He is ready.

—-

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Teru is trying to get in contact with his brother but to no avail. Three missed calls.
That is unlike Kou.
Something is wrong. He never missed his calls.
He should have known his little brother was still not ready to take on solo missions. He still needs more training.
Teru's head started to hurt. He can feel a headache coming in.
Unsure where exactly Nene lives, he walks the direction she always takes after work hoping to spot an apartment building and run into them.
He rang his brother's phone call again.
It went straight to voicemail.
Dang it.
Teru sent a text to Akane to await his call after ten minutes. If Teru does not call by then, something bad has happened and to come straight away. He made sure to send his location as well.
As he walked further down the street, he knew he was going in the right direction.
The lights towards the dead end are all out.
Teru squinted his eyes, barely making out two figures in the distance. One big and one almost wolf-like. It looks like they were fighting by the sound of it.
Teru rushed to the scene.
-

Kou's sixth sense came in handy as he felt a powerful punch coming his way. He blocked the last second before it came in contact with his shoulder and then shoved it back.

"You are not as stupid as you look."
The area was in complete darkness aside from the streetlights half a mile away. Kou could not see what was clearly in front of him, but he could not help but notice that the boy sounded different than he was originally. The voice sounded raspier, less childish than before.

Kou jumped back as another punch was coming his way. He keeps on dodging and backing away the best he could, trying to see if he can take the fight closer to the lights and away from the apartment building.

"Just leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this. She knows nothing! I will not let you take her away!" Kou shouted, as he blocked another attack.

The boy just responded by giggling, almost like it was a fun game to him.
The ghost landed another hit, but this time slashed his right oblique. Kou clenched to his side in pain, as blood dripped in his arm.
Kou cannot keep doing this. He needs to activate his power, but he needs to channel it. He needs to prove to his family that he can carry on the family legacy. He needs to prove to his brother he can handle it.

Filled with determination, his body self-consciously activated the staff. Sparks of lightning brightens the darkness, and he could finally see what is in front of him.
The child turned into a four-legged creature, with the same red eyes and teeth. His whole body was covered in pitch black fur and was standing on all four of his limbs a good half foot taller than him.
The ghost's drool turned to acid as it burned through the concrete street. He growled as he lunged again at Kou.
Kou's defense strikes at the same time, colliding with the creature's massive paws. The ghost yipped in pain and fell down. Then he shakes his body while quickly getting up again. He attacks again and again; each time Kou's staff blocks the attack. Each time Kou moves or breathes, the pain in his side worsens.
But luck seems to be on his side.

It appears the ghost is not as strong as it appeared. The ghost seems to get weaker as the fight continues.
Kou might be able to actually finish the job.
As the ghost falls to the floor, Kou was about to land the final strike until he heard shouting in the background. Kou turned his ear more to the side.
At first, it was not noticeable.
Until it got louder and closer, "KOU, WATCH OUT!"

Kou startled, looked ahead of him and got jumped by the ghost.
Kou slammed to the floor, using his staff against the creature's teeth but the acid drool dropped to his clothes and skin.
Teru took out his sword, and hit the ghost, getting him off of Kou.
Kou on the floor unable to move due to the shock of seeing his brother arriving and the fact that the acid might have touched his cuts.
Teru attacked the ghost, landing good hits that injured the creature more.
"Kou go stand by the house! Place the charm and then wait for my signal!"

Kou nodded and got up. He was stiff from the impact but forced himself to get up. There is still a chance to redeem himself.
His vision blackened for a second as he looked around his surroundings. His father always told him to focus his spirit energy and to stay calm and focused. This way he can spot auras and what places have high ghost energy.
Instantly he can feel a strong presence.
It was a bit hard to see thanks to the lack of lightning. Luckily, his phone did not crack during the fight. He turned on his flashlight on his phone and there stood the old house.
It was a traditional Minka home, with a wooden base, simple rectangular shape and a thatched roof. It has no windows, but rather smaller windowless windows to let in lots of natural sunlight. It was once a beautiful home, however, due to neglect it has gaping holes in the front porch, weeds are starting to grow around it, and the paper lined windows are either torn or covered in mold.

It did not surprise Kou seeing a historical home in this neighborhood considering the fact most of the residents in the island are the elderly and tend to keep to their simpler ways.
Most likely this home will be torn down soon and make room for more buildings.

Kou limped to the house, his side screaming in pain. The wound got bigger, but he figured he had no time to bandage it up. He needs to get to the house now.
He reached the front porch and waited.
Teru was trying to lure the young ghost close to the house until he shouted, "Now!"

Kou took out a charm from his pocket and slapped it in the front door. Teru and Kou both grabbed their weapons and slammed to the ground creating a powerful static. They both aimed at the ghost. The ghost howled in pain as the static generated through his body. Teru threw a charm and shoved him, sealing him to the house.
The ghost, no longer in pain, growled. He looked at the men and jumped towards them. Only to be fit by an invisible force. The ghost, confused, tried again. Again and again. As the ghost was struggling, the streetlights turned back on, almost as they were never off to begin with.

"Kou, you are bleeding!"
Teru ran to Kou as he falls to his knees. Kou looked at his hand, it was stained red. He did not notice how it was until now. Teru took off his overshirt and tied it gently around his chest. This should hold off until they can get some aid.
"I should not let you do this on your own. You are still not experienced enough for a mission like this. Maybe you need to hold off on missions with me and train more with dad." Teru said trying to sound resurging but in reality, it was a stab in Kou's chest.
Kou knows he is not well agile nor strong like his brother. He can't control his powers at will like his younger sister. Nor can he handle solo missions like any of his relatives. Kou always felt more an outsider to his family, and to hear that he failed another mission hurts him more than the wound coming from his side.

He really thought he could prove himself this time, after years of training with his dad but it was still not enough. He still cannot seal a ghost in a short amount of time.
Teru, unaware of Kou's inner demons, helped him get on his feet again. They both were about to walk away until they heard a chuckle.

It was the ghost again. But he transformed back to his original form; his red eyes and teeth stayed the same.

"You really think this will stop me?" He laughed again. "She will come with me or someone else stronger than me will bring her."

Kou, annoyed at the ghost, yelled back, "Shut up! You got defeated! Why do you even want her so badly?!"
Teru stayed silent but kept his glare steady.

The ghost smiled and turned his head to the side mockily, "I think you know why. But I wouldn't tell you. It is not just me who comes after her. Everyone knows about her."

The ghost's form started to fade away, but he continued to speak. "You can protect her all you want, but he knows about her too. And you know how he is when he does not get what he wants."

He laughed and it echoed as he vanished in thin air.
Kou started to tremble either from the pain or the unsettled feeling in his chest. Thar did not sound good. Why did the ghost want her anyways?
Kou looks towards his brother with a question in his eyes. His brother told him he felt something was wrong the moment Nene came to work in the flower shop. He never exemplified though.
"Teru?"
The older brother faced him, with a grim look in his face.
"I do not have all the answers yet, Kou. But I do know that Nene is not safe."
"But why? How do you know? Can you at least explain instead of leaving in the dark? I know I am not as good as you or dad, but I need to still try."

Teru kept his eyes on Kou and shook his head. This is a delicate situation; he is not going to let Kou get involved more than needed to. But Kou might be his best bet in keeping Nene safe.
She seems to get along better with him compared to the both of them. The brothers were both thinking about this new problem, then Teru's phone started ringing.
Oh, yeah. He forgot about Akane.
Teru answered the phone and assured him he was fine, and the situation was taken care of. Kou pulled out his phone too. Maybe he should send a text to Nene to let her know he is okay. She must have a lot of questions but what should he say?

"You should call her and tell her you are okay."
Kou startled in surprise. "What did you say?"
As he put away his phone, Teru forced himself to smile, hoping he did not regret his decision.
"You are right. How can you prove yourself, if we never really give you a chance? Your new job is to stay by her. Become close friends with her or ask her out, you can protect her better if you are her boyfriend."

Kou turned bright red. The pain is long forgotten.
"W-What I- I don- I mean she is cute but- I am not." Kou laughed nervously, lost in words. He is a bit thrown off on what his brother said.
"Wait! What do you want me to do exactly? How can I protect her if I can't even take care of a small ghost!"
Teru sighed and placed his hand in his younger brother's head. Even though he is five years older than him, Kou managed to tower him by a few inches.
"I have a new mission for you. That only you can complete it. I need you to get close to her no matter what it takes. And I want you to gather information and find out why ghosts are going after her. Any piece of information will be help and report back to me. I will do my own research on the side."

Kou had mixed feelings about what his brother proposed. On one hand, this can be a good way to redeem himself and gain some recognition from the family. He can even practice more on the side to make sure his failed attempt does not happen again. But on the other hand, it rubs him the wrong way to use an innocent woman like that. Even if does not decide to ask her out, it will feel like his intentions are bad.
As he stared at his phone, he made up his mind.
He dialed Nene's number. As it rings, he hopes he does not have to answer any questions because he will not have the answers for them.