Shinma
By: Star2 Candy6
Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matsushita Yoko; I only borrow her characters to play with them.
If the readers of this story could please review and tell me what they liked and what they didn't like, that will make my writing all the better. Thank you.
Somewhere in Japan
During the day the town of Wakuria was the perfect model. The local schools won most of their competitions, either in academics or athletics. Children played in the parks, watched by smiling parents. When the firefighters held fund raisers they made the amount of money they needed, be it for burned heroes, new technology, or for those who just needed a place to stay for a while. It was in the dark of the night that the town changed its form. Cherished pets let out for a last bathroom run didn't make it, coming back in the morning to wait on the front steps of their former houses, split open from balls to ears, sitting in a pool of thick and sticky dark crimson. Birds had their feathers torn out, not enough to kill them through shock, but more than plenty to make sure they couldn't fly away when they were found by the half-starved cats that roamed the darkened streets. Even the mice and rats weren't safe, sacrificing their lives in spurts of blood so that the perpetrators could get a glimpse of one of the sharks that frequented the warm waters, the fin illuminated in the moon's silver. The town tried the usual precautions: No swimming in the ocean, keep your pets indoors, neighborhood patrols by lighted cars. Nobody knew who was doing these acts, and everybody was afraid that the people would 'graduate', deciding to perform on human beings next. While the police scanned the streets, the only place left untouched was the beach as nobody figured on people actually going there for something other than a dip. And only fools or idiots went swimming with the amount of sharks that had been spotted recently.
In a cave by a forgotten jetty, small candles flickered as a few tiny gusts of wind managed to make their way to the back, the shadows that they cast upon the walls painting a more sinister picture than the slogans of free love that were scrawled in neon spray paint. On the floor, mixing with the moss and loose dirt, was a interesting collection of salt, made out of shapes imposed over one another to form something that could never have a name. Five bodies moved around silently, lighting even more candles and scratching words by the white lines. They stopped for a second as the faint sounds of a police siren were heard, then began again as it faded and died. Behind them was a shelf, lopsided and half eaten by bugs, that was a home to several moldy books, gone the way of eternal dampness since they had been introduced to the sea air.
One of the bodies pulled out a knife, pausing for half a second before it slid the blade across its open hand, a dark line welling up and dripping onto the salt below. Another one took it and did the same, using the free flowing blood to trace over the lines, passing the blade so that all of them had cut their hands. They each stood at certain points, and between the crashing of the waves, each whispered a pre-memorized part of a name. In the confines of the salt and blood, a shadow arose from the candles, one that was not cast upon the walls. The five bodies stood still, the sudden sharp tang of urine filling the cave as a puddle appeared near a black shoe.
"Holy shit!" Another whispered, jaw agape. "I never thought that-" His voice fell silent, though the others could see that his throat was still trying to say something. They watched, shinning eyes seeing as his body shuddered, the darkness that had appeared in the cave dwindling, growing smaller and smaller, disappearing with a pop louder than the waves.
"Shinichi, are you okay?" Whispered one of the bodies, moving closer to the obviously shaking body. He reached out a hand, placing it upon the other boy's shoulder, letting out a small whimper as he noticed that the normally green eyes had been replaced by pitch black.
"What's the matter Keisuke? Going to pee your pants again?" Snickered one of the others, the eerie silence gone as the cave filled with laughter. "Man, I can't believe what a baby you are, pissing yourself over a shadow."
"Shut up Taro!" Keisuke blushed, though it was a bit hard to tell in the candle light. "Shin doesn't look too good, do you think that we should take him to the hospital?"
"Sure Keisuke, let's take him to the hospital. They'll understand why we're out so late and wearing black. They won't call the police to arrest us, suspicious that we're the ones killing all those poor, helpless little animals." Taro walked over to where Keisuke was, pushing him down hard enough that blood welled up from a scrape on his elbow.
"Hey, Shin, you in there?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of Shinichi's face. The boy's eyes kept staring outwards, as if he couldn't see.
"Do you think that the shadow possessed him?"
"Fuck you Yuki, you've been watching too many American movies lately." Taro studied the boy, then laughed, kicking Keisuke as he walked away. "He's fine, just shocked. At least he didn't pee his pants like baby Kei-chan over here."
"Asshole." Came the muttered response from below. Taro pretended like he hadn't heard, making his way over to Yuki, and going right past her.
"And what's your problem Hanako? You're being a bit too quiet."
"I didn't think that we would actually get in contact with a ghost." Said the girl in a soft voice, rubbing the toe of her sneaker on the ground. "You can't blame Keisuke and Shin for being a bit upset."
"I'm told you it would work." Sniffed Taro, putting his arm on Hanako's shoulder. "What's the matter, you guys turning chicken on me the moment that it turns a little scary? Are you guys part of my gang or babies?"
"I only joined to see if we could actually do it." Said Yuki, covertly shooting Taro the bird. "I never said anything about being part of your gang."
"Um…" began Keisuke, his eyes going wide.
"Shut up crybaby. Then what were you doing as you helped us kill those animals, eh Yuki? Just finding an outlet? Or were you trying to work up the courage to do that to your English teacher, Iwamoto-san?"
"Fuck you, you bastard!" She snapped, brown eyes filling with tears. "That asshole is going to get it, just wait and see." Her hands clenched into tight white fists at the mention of her teacher's name, the glittering tears spilling over onto her face.
"Guys…" tried Keisuke again, trying to get to his feet and falling down again. He gave up, scrambling backwards in an awkward looking crabwalk. Hanako looked over and gave a loud gasp, covering her mouth with her hands.
"If you're going to scream, swallow it." Warned Taro, making a fist that he shook at her. "We don't need the cops sniffing around here because somebody heard a girl cry."
"Um, Taro," said Yuki, taking a step back. "Instead of threatening her, you might be asking her why she's getting ready to scream." Her face went white as she began backpedaling faster, her back hitting the side of the cave with a soft sounding thud.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys!" Hissed Taro, turning to look behind him, finding himself face to face with Shinichi. "And you, get out of my way!"
The thin body of Shinichi stared ahead, the muscles in his arms straining as they lifted, snaking out to wrap around the neck of Taro.
"Shinichi!" Shouted Keisuke. "Stop it!"
Shinichi turned to look at the boy, his head giving a loud crack as it went one hundred and eighty degrees, uncannily resembling an owl. The nail beds around the fingernails tuned white as the hands began to give a hearty squeeze, Taro futility trying to pry them off of his neck. Hanako gave a loud scream as Yuki made a sprit toward the entrance of the cave, only to stop as darkness created a barrier, sealing off the only exit.
"We're trapped." She whispered as Taro turned red, crimson fading into a darker purple as the sounds emerging from Hanako's mouth wove themselves together as they echoed around the cave, becoming a sickening semblance of music.
"Shinichi!" Cried Keisuke, looking into his friend's face as Taro's legs twitched. One of the hands let go, clawing at the leader's face until rivers of blood ran down it and dark holes existed where brown eyes had been only minutes ago. The sound and smell of vomit permeated Keisuke's senses as he realized that Hanako had thrown up in the enclosed space, hugging her stomach as she rocked back and forth on her knees, her black hair half hiding her head. Yuki was watching, her face also white as Taro dropped to the ground with a loud thud, dead.
"Oh my God." Moaned Keisuke as Shinichi appeared next to Hanako, faster then human eyes could follow. He knelt beside her, almost like he was going to comfort her after the horrible, brutal murder that she had just seen. A bloody hand rested gently on her stomach, then pushed through, emerging from the other side holding entrails. She coughed up blood, the light in her eyes dying out as the boy began eating what he held, pulling more from the cavity in her body. Even though the girl was dead, still the sounds from her screams echoed around the cave, the pitch changing ever so slightly every few seconds, a never ending song of death. Now it was Yuki's turn to throw up, and as she did the head of Shinichi turned, soulless eyes locking onto the remaining girl.
"Now, I have a choice." Rumbled a deep voice, one that saturated both Yuki's and Keisuke's heads. "I need to keep one of you alive, for my own purposes, but the other one must die."
It looked at both of them, taking in Yuki's mouth opening and closing soundlessly and Keisuke's clenched fists.
"Why are you not scared of me boy? The others were smart enough to be, but most of what is in you is anger, not fear."
You're not Shinichi." Whispered Keisuke, his eyes focused onto the boy in front of him. "You're not Shinichi so get out of his body!"
The boy let out a chuckle, one that crawled along Keisuke's spine and sent goose bumps prickling on his skin.
"While I'm indeed not your Shinichi, I can not relinquish this body until one of you dies."
"Why?" Asked Yuki, her voice shaking and vomit running down her chin to drip onto her clothes. "Why are you killing us, when you should be thanking us for calling you."
"Little beings, you only nudged open a door that was shut long ago. Given a few more years, I would have come into this world on my own. I owe you no thanks." One arm suddenly shot out from his body to grab Keisuke by the throat, the other mirroring the move to catch Yuki.
"Both of you have the anger I need to feed on, the sadness to fuel it." He glanced at the two of them, then threw Keisuke into the cave wall, the sharp crack of his neck breaking a contrast to the thud of his head as it struck the floor.
"I have looked inside this being's mind and seen that you have always been there for him. In honor of his memories, and in acknowledgement of the anger that shone in your eyes, I have given you a quick and painless death." His eyes snapped to Yuki as the girl let in a sharp intake of breath.
"You, on the other hand, shall shelter my being and provide me with nourishment." Shinichi's hand let go, releasing Yuki's neck as his eyes turned back to their normal brown. As the body fell first to it's knees, then to it's side, Yuki began to laugh.
At the Ministry of Death, somewhere in Meifu
Tatsumi stopped at the lab door, several sheets of papers clutched in his hands. They had been written on in first black ink, then systematically run through with a thick red pen, the result being that it looked like someone had died on the paper. Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he knocked preciously three times on the wood in front of him. As soon as the last sound died away, the door blew outward, knocking the secretary into the hard wall behind him.
Not again!
"Watari-san!" he shouted, dropping the papers and scrambling to his knees, coughing as red clouds of smoke poured from the room. A small section cleared to allow a tiny owl to emerge, her wings making a clear path in the smoke.
Why isn't 003 inside with Watari-san? She normally stays with him, even when he blows up the lab.
"Watari-san!" he cried out again, stepping into the clouds as the owl landed on the floor, preening her wings and looking pissed. Inside the lab it was very hot, sweat immediately beginning to form along Tatsumi's brow and neck. A tickle developed at the back of this throat, and he brought out his handkerchief to cover his mouth, not wishing to take in any more of whatever chemicals were in the air.
Why isn't he answering me? Is he injured? Thought Tatsumi, one hand waving out in front of him to find where the desk was. If I can just find his study area, I should remember the layout of the room. I'll check his potion counter first, to see if he's there. His fingertips brushed a piece of wood that was a waist height, and without hesitation he turned right, following the edge until he left it behind. Tatsumi heard the sound of the ventilation shaft kicking in, a vibrating that gave him a small sense of relief.
Where are you, you infuriating scientist? I came here to talk about your expense reports, not to make my way to find your body in the midst of obnoxious smoke.
"Watar-" Tatsumi began to cough, his throat feeling as though somebody set fire to it and was now placing dry ice along the lining. He dropped to his knees, hunched over as he hacked his lungs to bits. The fit only lasted a minute or two, but felt like forever.
I've got to get to Watari-san! If this is how I'm feeling from the outside in,, I don't want to know what it's doing to him. We may heal fast, but it hurts just as much. These were the desperate thoughts that were crossing through his mind, driving the man to continue forward on his hands and knees. It was when his head bumped into an open cabinet that his right hand felt something beneath it. Something that felt like a body. Warm. Soft. Tatsumi gripped it, pulling himself towards what he had found. Fanning frantically at the red air, he was able to see Watari-san's head on the floor, his glasses missing and his eyes closed.
Misson accomplished. One annoying, blonde haired, golden eyed, mad scientist found.
He gripped the man's arms, then called upon the power of his shadows.
wrap around the door's out frame, then pull us out, carefully, missing any obstructions he instructed them, wrapping his employee tight. The shadows obeyed, propelling them into the hallway, away from the hellacious ruby smoke. 003 was still there, preening her feathers as her master and Tatsumi came to a halt, inches from hitting the wall. She began to hoot anxiously as Tatsumi checked Watari's vital signs. After their first death as humans, Shinagami's had a couple of tricks to them to ward off a second demise, though it could, and occasionally, did happen.
"He'll be okay 003." Answered the secretary to the owl's question. "His healing factor has already kicked in, and it looks like he should be awake in a few minutes." He studied the man laid out before him, bruises beginning to appear on his face, cuts clotting. Watari-san's lab coat, normally a pristine white, was red in some places, pink everywhere else. Small sparkles caught the light and twinkled in his hair, broken glass from whatever beaker he had been experimenting in, and the orange scarf that held those blonde locks back was gone, along with his round glasses. 003 flapped over to nibble on Watari-san's nose, her claws scratching at his pale pink lips.
"Why is it, Watari-san," asked Tatsumi, smiling at his co-worker, "that every time I come over here to talk about the expense reports that you always manage to change the subject?"
"It's a gift." Came the forced response as Watari blinked, opening his eyes. "Somehow-cough- we've bonded on a-cough-deep level and I know when-cough-you're coming t visit me. That's when I-cough-blow up the lab-cough-on purpose. "
"So now we're going to sit in the hallway to discuss your recent…failures. Among other things."
Watari smiled briefly, 003 sitting in the palm of his hand, alternating between nibbling on his fingers and hooting softly. Tatsumi looked back into the wrecked laboratory, trying to catch a glimpse of how much he should add to the expense reports after his particular explosion.
"Well, since I can not currently update your account, we're going to have to talk about the other things." He grumbled, making a mental note to have the accounts added up tomorrow.
"But I didn't put anything in the coffee." Protested Watari, sliding his body so that he could brace his back on the wall behind him. 003 hopped after his fingers, giving the ring finger some loving attention with her sharp beak. "Err…this time." He felt obliged to add, feeling Tatsumi's glare more than really seeing the rimmed sapphire orbs staring at him.
"We'll also discuss the pink hair incident later. We've been sent on a new mission, and I was coming down here to give you the briefing."
"We?" Watari blurted out, his golden eyes widening in shock. "You're my partner?" He winced as a cold silence fell in the corrider. If it was possible, a skating rink would have formed between the two men, complete with a cutely dressed snowman off to the side.
"Is there a problem with that, Watari-san?"
"Nope, none at all." Whispered the scientist. Images of broken down hotels, cold water showers and moldy food ran through his mind. Why can't I ever be paired with Tsuzuki?! His inner self wailed. At least then all the extra food expenses would be blamed on his sweet tooth.
"At any rate," continued Tatsumi, thankfully unaware of what his partner was thinking of. "The town is in your district and so far it's like nothing we've seen before."
"What do you mean?" asked Watari. He tried to stand up but his wobbly legs sent him back to the cold stone tile. Tatsumi ignored that and handed him several papers thick with names, deaths and dates, keeping a few sheets for himself. As Watari took them, 003 flew away from his side, winging it back into the now cleared lab and toward her water dish. The scientist watched her out of the corner of his eye and made a small wish that the mist had not settled in the water.
"There were four teens killed in a cave near a beach, and then after that another teen, friends with those who had died, killed her English teacher, committing suicide directly afterwards."
"Why her English teacher? Why not someone closer to her, easier access to?"
Tatsumi let out a delicate cough, his fingers tugging at the second paper in Watari's hands.
"It turns out that the teacher was a nearby neighbor, thus explains the close access.. He had also been sexually abusing her as long as her mother had been sending her to him for lessons, which were started when she was ten. Iwamoto-san was found in his home with his penis bitten off and hanging in his mouth, strung from his neck and hanging from the ceiling."
"Ouch." Winced Watari. I still think that's a horrible way to go, but I don't doubt that he deserved it, molesting a defenseless child.
"There's been nothing else yet, but these papers are full of background information on the town and the kids. We will go down there tomorrow, around lunch. I want us to be prepared, but I don't want anything else happening before we get there."
Tatsumi rose from the tile, facing the direction of his office.
"And don't worry Watari. If I can't find the time tomorrow morning to total up your current expenses, then I'll have someone else do it. Possibly one of the Gushoshin. That way you'll be informed of how much you owe me this month." He smiled at the scientist's slack jawed expression and made his way back to his small office, a shadow he left on the floor relaying the sight of Watari sticking his tongue out at Tatsumi's retreating back before he got to his feet and re-entered the lab.
And, besides the reviews, if someone could tell me how to make indentations for my stories, I would be grateful. Thanks!