Ch2

Haruka looked through the crack in the door at her son. Oh my god what is going on with him. Clenching her chest she watched in horror as her son laughed and talked to his reflection in the mirror as if it were a real person.

Shaking her head she quickly pulled away. He needs to get out more. He should be fine enough to leave the house yet he still just coops himself up inside talking to the mirror.

Once she was in the kitchen she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed her husband's number. Her heart raced in her chest as the phone rang.

"Hello?" He husband asked on the other side. "Haruka is something wrong dear?"

"Dear I'm worried about our son," she said softly. "He is still talking to that mirror."

Her husband sighed on the other end. "Maybe he has an imaginary friend? They are common for his age, I'm sure he'll grow out of it once he gets out more."

"That's the thing dear he isn't going out," She said tersely. "All he does is play with this imaginary friend of his. I'm worried, I really am."

"I understand dear. Just maybe give it some time, it may be trauma from the accident," Her husband said. "If it makes you feel better maybe you can move that mirror away. I know it has been in our family for a while but if it bothers you we can put it away."

"I'll think about it," she said looking up at the stairs. "It is a nice mirror but I wish our son would just get better."

"Don't worry dear. Our son is still young, I'm sure this imaginary friend is just a way of coping," Her husband said calmly. "Just give it a while and I'm sure he'll get over it."

"I hope so," she sighed. "It just pains me to see him acting this way, he thinks the mirror is an actual person."

"Well try talking to him about it," her husband said. "Maybe it is just a phase, he is young after all."

"I know," she sighed.

"Just give him some time. I'll try to be home as soon as I can," her husband said.

"Thank you," she said. She knew her husband was busy with work but she could really use his help right now.

"Love you dear. Let me know if you need anything," her husband said before he hung up.

She sighed as she placed the phone on the receiver. Something isn't right with our son I know it. Shaking her head she sat down on the kitchen chair and pondered her options.

Maybe I am overthinking it. What if it is just some imaginary friend? Maybe it is some coping mechanism. Childhood friends were normal for kids her son's age yet something wasn't sitting right with her.

She went picked up a magazine on the counter and opened it. Inside was one of the many pictures her son drew. The drawing was typical of a kid her son's age, she saw her son crudely drawn next to a boy with white hair. Her son's name along with the name Toshiro were written on top.

Toshiro. That was the name of the boy her son supposedly was talking to all day. She had wondered where he could've gotten the name from but the way her son described the boy he was just as real as any of the neighborhood kids.

She sighed as she put the picture away. He probably just needs to get out more that's all. Once he is better all of this end.

Netto knew something was different about him. Something about that accident changed him and made him different. For one only he could see and talk with Toshiro, he and the white haired often talked a lot. Toshiro was fun to talk to even if he didn't understand all of the things he spoke about.

"Netto dear come on we are going to the store today," his mother said.

"Ok mom," he said as he quickly got ready.

Here it goes. Taking a deep breath he and his mom left his house. The thing was Toshiro wasn't the only thing he saw since that accident. As he stepped out of his house and got into his mother's car he saw the figure in the distance.

It was a boy around his age wearing all black, his face covered but a white bone dear mask. Who is that? Toshiro had told him that the spirits of the dead sometimes come back to Earth but this figure always seemed to be in the distance watching him, his mother, and the house.

"Netto dear put your seat belt on," his mom said snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh right," he said forcing himself to look away.

"What are you looking at?" His mother asked as he put the seat belt on.

"Oh nothing," he said as the car drove away. The masked boy turned his head to watch them as they drove off. Maybe he is a spirit too?

A part of him wanted to talk to the boy, but something about that mask made him feel uneasy. Toshiro also warned him that many spirits could be hostile and hurt him.

His mother and others couldn't see the strange ghosts and apparitions around him. There weren't many, but he could see them clearly even if others couldn't. They hid in the shadows of trees and buildings.

The trip to the store was uneventful, yet he remained tense as a few spirits were in the store following people.

"Netto is something wrong dear?" His mother asked with a worried expression on her face.

"No I'm fine," he said. I know you can't see them but we have to be careful of them.

"So dear are you going to play with any of your friends again?" His mom asked as they walked down the aisles.

"Maybe in the future yeah," he said as he walked close to her. "My friend Toshiro is also going to be busy I think, one of his friends is going to do some special training school."

He noticed his mom tense up and frown, like she always did when he talked about Toshiro. "Netto dear you should talk to your real friends," she said with tense expression on her face.

"But mom Toshiro is real," he insisted.

His mom just shook her head and sighed. "Netto dear you should be with your real friends not your imaginary ones."

He is real mom. But he held his tongue, he didn't want to get into trouble with his mom. They soon finished their shopping but the mood was tense as it always was when he mentioned Toshiro.

As soon as they returned home he quickly went back upstairs to the guest room and sat himself in front of the large mirror. Starring at the mirror he saw the familiar white haired boy on the other side.

"Hey Toshiro!" he said with a wide smile on his face.

Toshiro looked at him his eyes looked tired. "Hey sorry I was busy."

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"I've just been having these weird dreams," Toshiro said scratching his head. "Then I wake up and everything is cold."

"I see," he said. "Could be that Shinigami stuff you were talking about?"

"Probably," Toshiro sighed. "My friend she just went to study to become a Shinigami, I think I will eventually do it as well."

"Well I don't understand much about that stuff but if you want to do it I'm sure you'll do a great job," he said. "You're very smart you'll do great things."

"Thanks," Toshiro said. "How are things with you? Are you still seeing things?"

He nodded. "Yeah I notice a bunch of weird spirits. I sometimes see a guy with a weird bone mask on too."

Toshiro's eyes widened. "What?"

The fear and urgency in Toshiro's voice caught him off guard. "Yeah I sometimes see it out of the corner of my gaze."

"Netto don't go near it," Toshiro said cautiously. "It could be a hollow."

"A hollow?" He asked.

Toshiro nodded. "They are creatures born from human souls who for whatever reason don't cross over into the Soul Society. They are corrupt spirits that devour the souls of both living and deceased humans. Be careful I you see one."

"Thank you," he said. "What causes them to stay over here?"

"Usually to sustain some goal they couldn't do in life," Toshiro said folding his arms. "They are driven by hunger though, hopefully a Shinigami can find and take care of whatever you are seeing."

"Ok. I haven't seen anyone yet though," he said.

"Well anyway just be careful," Toshiro said as he rested against the wall in his house. A worried look spread across the white haired boy's face.

Toshiro looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I really am glad we became friends, even if we are separated by distance."

"Me too," he said smiling at Toshiro. "My mom thinks I'm crazy but I know you are real."

Toshiro and him laughed. "Well I wouldn't talk about Shinigami and people like me to others," the boy paused and looked to the ground. "Just be safe."

"I will. But what if these hollows attack me? How should I defend myself?" He asked.

Toshiro avoided his gaze. "Well the best option would be to find a Shinigami and request their assistance. Other than that just train your body to be prepared for anything."

"I will," he said.

"Well you better get going. I think your mom is worried that you spend too much time with me," Toshiro said with a frown.

"Don't worry we are friends even if my mom can't see you," he said. Toshiro smiled at him and with that the two proceeded to talk and have fun like they usually did. He did notice a slight tension in Toshiro's behavior but he thought nothing of it.

That night it was stormy outside and he was having a rather peculiar nightmare. He was running from a boy whose face he could not see. Running and hiding the strange boy kept pursuing him.

"NO!" He yelled as he woke up in a cold sweat. His heart pounded in his chest as he cleaned the sweat off of his brow. The wind howled but what caught his attention was the coldness of the room.

Why is it so cold here? Carefully getting up he went to the blinds and opened them a bit. Looking out into the pouring rain he couldn't see much yet he saw the silhouette of a person across the street.

His shivered but not from the cold. Something deep down inside of him was telling him that it was that masked boy and he was looking right at him.

Could it be one of those Hollows he was talking about? He quickly ran to his bed and hit under the covers, his heart racing quickly. Forcing his eyes to remain closed he curled up in a ball and tried to remain awake yet eventually sleep overtook him.

The next morning he quickly went to talk with Toshiro but found that his friend looked worried. "Netto I have to go train," Toshiro said firmly.

"You mean to become a Shinigami?" He asked.

Toshiro looked at him and nodded, his eyes full of determination. "My reiatsu is getting too strong. I think it may have also seeped into your world."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

The white haired boy looked down. "My reiatsu or the pressure one's spirit energy gave off has been acting weird I'll to train it and get it under control."

"Oh I see," he said. "I guess I won't see you that often then?"

"Has your house been unexpectedly cold lately?" Toshiro asked.

"Now that you mention it a few times it has," he said. "What does it have to do with you?"

Toshiro sighed and avoided his gaze. "My energy must be seeping into your world through this mirror. It could hurt you if it got out of control, that is why I must train to be a Shinigami."

"Well I never got hurt," he said scratching his head. "But if you need to train I understand."

Toshiro looked at him and smiled. "I hope to see you again soon. It may be a while before I see you again."

"I hope we can meet again when you are done," he said.

Toshiro nodded. "Me too. Lets meet again in the future. I know time works differently here in the Soul Society but I hope we can meet again Hikari Netto."

A pang hit his heart, he slowly nodded and forced himself to not tear up. Toshiro seemed like a nice kid and even though only could see him he would miss him. "You too Toshiro."