Chapter Text
April 2003:
You never thought you would experience that feeling of moving out of a large bustling city to a small quaint town and yet here you are. Getting settled into your new home that was right near the forest on one side and up a hill on the other.
“Here we are, kiddo!” your father exclaimed as he directed his gaze at the new house, “Home, sweet home.” It made your stomach do a dozen flips, hearing him say that.
Your mother that was sitting in the passenger seat chimed in, “It looks cozy doesn’t it, ____?” she looked at you with hope in her eyes. A sign of new beginnings.
You snorted, “It looks like a murder took place in there.” you took your seat belt off and stretched as much as you could in the little cramped space of the car. Being curled up like a shrimp for over two hours made your back hurt and you can feel a knot was starting to form on the crook of your neck.
“___! Don’t be saying stuff like that!” your mother frowned at your lukewarm response. “You should be excited, you get to go to a new school and meet new people, make friends.”
“But I miss my old friends.”
Just before your mom was going to add a rebuttal, your dad stepped in, “You just need to give it some time dear. I’m sure you’ll come to love Fukazawa.”
You looked out your window seeing the vacant house, “I seriously doubt it.” You groaned, “It’s not like I had a choice.”
The day your dad broke the news that he was offered a job transfer as a senior software engineer at an I.T. company in a city adjacent to the town, you have always been vehemently against the idea of moving. First of all, you were content with where you were originally living, and second of all, you were going to live in an unfamiliar area and it was making your anxiety skyrocket. It was daunting, to say the least, but your parents thought otherwise.
Your mother has always been family oriented, even going as far as going into a medical career, to be a midwife specifically. After doing research and making several phone calls on her end, she too was ecstatic to learn that the local hospital needed a position to be filled. It helped further the decision to move out of the area. All the stars aligned in their favor.
You would go to your mom throwing a fit about moving to Fukazawa, hoping that with enough persuasion, she can convince your dad to not go through with it. For the past two months, you tried to appeal to all forms of ethos, pathos, and logos to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, your mother was just as stubborn as you and was not persuaded by your futile attempts to change her mind. It always ended in a heated argument, with you stomping to your room, and your dad sighing “She’ll get over it.”.
As you and your parents made their way into your new home, you looked around, taking in the surroundings. The first thing you did, was to make a mental note of all the windows, doors, and any other possible emergency exits just in case an ax murderer was to break in. The air felt crisp as it was evident in the fact that this place has been vacant for quite some time. The house was renovated a few years prior after the previous homeowner put the house up on the market but no one bought the property until now. You wondered if anything was interesting or worthwhile in the history of the house.
Upon entering the kitchen, you were impressed by how big the windows are, making the place lit up by the natural sunlight spilling in. Okay, maybe this place isn’t so bad after all, you thought as you took in the forested scenery. It was a sight to behold and you wanted to check it out once you get the chance.
You heard the sounds of your mother’s footsteps approaching as she entered the kitchen, holding a box of dishes and cups, your father following behind with another box of kitchen décor.
You watched your parents getting to work organizing the kitchen with the contents that were stored away in the boxes, despite being exhausted from a long road trip, it seems like they still had some energy left to get settled in as much as they can before the day ended. It was only noon after all.
As your dad put the last set of dishes away in the cabinet, he looked over at you and smiled. “One box down, thirty more to go.” He chuckled, “Of course, the rest of our things won’t be here until the end of the week, so we’re just going to have to sleep in sleeping bags and eat out until then. Any suggestions for lunch and dinner, ____?”
You shrugged your shoulders. You weren’t exactly hungry, you were exhausted.
As your eyes cast down, you heard your dad sigh, “____.”
“Yeah?”
“I know it’s hard for you right now. But please…just try this out. At least give it a year before you really make your mind up to moving back.”
You saw his feet come into view, as you felt his hand on your shoulder, “Look at me when I’m talking to you.” You groaned and looked up. You noticed his brow was furrowed, it was clear he felt sympathetic towards you. Moving is hard all around. “Tell you what. Why don’t you go pick your room out, start organizing your things and when you’re done, you can explore the town for a little bit?”
“Huh. I guess I can do that.” You said at first uncertain by the suggestion but then quickly warmed up to the idea as this gives you something to do.
He smiled, seeing the light twinkle in your eyes, a newfound curiosity has been lit in your mind, “Atta girl! Just be careful, make sure you come back before night time you hear?”
You swiftly turned around, making your way back to the car to pick up your box and heading upstairs to choose your new bedroom. The good thing about how this house is set up is that there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms in total. One bathroom is upstairs and the other is in the hallway downstairs. The one downstairs only has a sink and toilet, reserved for when you have guests over or when you really need to respond to your bodily functions, while the other is occupied. It was an upgrade compared to your previous home, everything was floor level, and had one bathroom. Here it had a second story.
You chose the room that was across from the bathroom, since you tend to be a bit of a night owl, it would be perfect just so there is less disturbance when you’re walking about at night, not wanting to wake up your parents. It also helps that their room is just near the stairway down the hall, so in between you and your parents' room, there was just a vacant room. You weren’t sure if that was going to be turned into a little office space or a guest bedroom. Only time will tell.
While juggling the box you were holding, you opened the door to your new room. You grunted as you readjusted your grip on the box as you walked in. You looked around to find a place to set your belongings before deciding to place them in the corner of your room on the floor. After all, it was just an empty room as of now.
You weren’t bothered by the emptiness of the space as this allows you to scan your surroundings and start planning where all of the furniture should go and how the décor should be placed accordingly on your four walls.
The first thing you checked, was your closet. You were slightly disappointed in the fact that it wasn’t a walk in but beggars can’t be choosers. It was a decent size and if done well, you can fit in as much as your clothes as you can.
As you opened your box, the start of settling into your new room, a pang of loneliness rang through your body, as you rummaged through your belongings. Once again reminding you that you are in an unknown area, and all that is left of your old home was this box of miscellaneous things that you packed as much as you can. To help combat that isolating feeling, you decided to call your older brother, it would ease your mind just for a little bit.
You dug into the pocket of your hoodie, fishing out your cellphone. As you heard the ringing go through, you adjusted your flip phone in between your ear and shoulder, as you started pulling out different items out of the box.
After two rings, he picked up, “I had a feeling you’d call me. Feeling homesick already?”
You can feel your older sibling smiling on the other end, “You bet. How are you Aki?”
“Same old, same old.” There was a pause, someone in the background can be heard speaking to Aki, “Yumi-chan says hi by the way.” It was his long-time girlfriend that you’ve come to know as your unofficial sister-in-law.
You greeted happily as your brother then relayed the message to Yumi. “Is it too late to come back?” you laughed dryly, not attempting to hide the dejected tone in your voice.
“I’m afraid so ___. I don’t exactly have any room for you here, squirt”
“That’s ok. I figured. At least you get to stay in Yokohama.”
Aki laughed, “Oh come on! Fukazawa ain’t that bad!”
You felt that your brother was about to go on a long-winded rant about trying new experiences, but you weren’t having it, “Please, don’t lecture me.” You groaned as you crouch down to pick up a set of fairy lights, mentally cursing yourself that the wires got tangled during the trip, “I already heard enough from mom and dad.”
“Alright, alright. I won’t. You must be tired, you sound like it.”
“I am.” You pulled out a desk lamp and plugged it into a nearby outlet, adjusting the lightbulb before turning the switch on. “ I didn’t sleep well last night and the car ride there wasn’t exactly comfortable. There were so many swerves and curves, that I nearly threw up.” You then pulled out your sleeping bag and unfolded it across the floor, to smooth out the wrinkles.
You then pulled out a picture frame of you and your brother in front of an arcade, a neon sign lit brightly above your heads as you were holding onto a stuffed dinosaur plushie, eyes red and puffy from getting over a crying fit, while your brother had bunny ears behind your head, tongue sticking out, one finger pulling down his lower left eyelid at the camera. You were 7 years old, Aki being 12.
You pouted as you looked at the picture, “Aww, look what I just found, oniisan.”
Without missing a beat, your brother replied, “I can’t see, we’re on the phone.”
“I didn’t mean it literally, wise ass. Do you remember when we went to Tokyo for the first time and we went to that arcade?”
“Of course, how can I forget you screaming your head off ‘cause you wanted that damn dinosaur from the crane game.”
You laughed, “Yeah, well I have the picture mom took of us from that time.”
“Haha really? That’s great. That dinosaur is still mine, you know. I won it fair and square.”
“Ok, well you still gave it to me after the fact, so it’s mine now.” After a slight panic in not having found the said stuffed animal, you remembered it was tucked away in between your other blankets, inside the sleeping bag, “Here he is!” you waved the dinosaur triumphantly in the air.
“Hey ___. I have to go soon. I need to get ready for work.”
You sighed, “Already?”
Aki hummed in response, “But hey. You still got that bracelet?”
You looked at your wrist, staring at the homemade evil eye bracelet Aki made for you before you headed out. The bracelet shines a vibrant hue of blue to signify the wearer, it still has its protective energy and it's working its intended purpose, “Yes, I do.”
“Good. It’ll keep you safe for now, from any bad vibes.”
You furrowed your brows, you weren’t exactly sure why he was so insistent on making this bracelet for you. You just know there had to be a good reason for it.
You and your brother have always been attuned to what most people call, ‘The Sixth Sense’, your parents never really paid attention to stuff like that because it was all just mumbo jumbo to them or just kids having an overactive imagination. What do they know about the unexplained? As you and your brother got older, the more tangled up your parents got with their work lives, thus leaving Aki to raise you.
Upon discovering this rare gift you and Aki have, and with lots of free time, Aki was not only teaching you how to tap into the energy but also teaching things such as tarot reading, seances, and various spells. Everything he was teaching you, he was simultaneously learning from it as well.
“___. I’m serious.” He said sternly. He rarely talks like that, as he’s always been known to goof off ninety percent of the time. Hearing him like that made you stop what you were doing, as you held your phone firmly.
“I’m not there to protect you and if anything, and I mean anything goes wrong, you know how to reach out to me right?”
“Yeah Aki, duh.”
“Without worrying our folks?”
“Of course. Is there something I should be aware of?”
There was a pause of hesitation, “No…it’s just, I don’t want you fucking around with shit, you’re not supposed to be doing. I trust your intuition.”
You heard his girlfriend call out to him in the background, “Remember to surround yourself in a white light, practice your protection spells and-”
You and Aki said the following in unison “-and never stray far from the link.”
“Yes. Oniisan I know, thank you. Talk to you soon” and with that, you ended the call.
You pulled out the last remaining items from the cardboard box. A tarot deck that was showing some wear and tear from the constant use, your leather-bound handwritten spellbook, a small velvet pouch full of crystals, and a medium size wooden box with tree carvings on it, inside holding various dried flowers and herbs. You carefully set these sacred items down on the floor near your window, so when the moonlight shines in your room, it shines directly on the crystals, so they’re always charged up with energy.
You looked out your window and noticed there was a tree completely blocking your view from the small town, you didn’t mind. Once winter comes rolling around, the leaves fall off, you can get the full view then. You decided it was now time to head out, as you more or less settled into your room. You had a mental note of the rough layout you have for your little sanctuary.
You opened the wooden box and took out an amethyst pendulum, you wrapped it around your right hand, having the crystal hanging in between your middle and index fingers when you extend your hand out. You really wanted to explore the forest and see what the universe has to offer, a great way to get divine information through pendulum dowsing.
As you made your way downstairs, your mother stopped you, “Oh! ____. Don’t forget your house key, dear. I don’t want you to be locked out.” She grabbed your free hand and placed the key on your palm, she smiled sweetly as she curled your fingers closed around the key. She planted a kiss on your forehead, “Be safe. Don’t wander out too far.”
You quickly reassured your mother as you head out, putting your key away in your jean pocket, and patting it to make sure it’s secure.
You practically ran on your way to the woods, it was quite sunny and there was plenty of time to go exploring before it gets dark and you wanted to take advantage of every single minute of it.
You inhaled deeply taking in the fresh air and the piney scent from the trees, the sounds of the leaves rustling, and the gentle spring breeze flowing through your hair, you can sense the forest was buzzing with all sorts of life. You reached your right hand out in front of you, letting the pendulum hang. “Let’s see what we can find here…” you muttered to yourself. The idea of a possible encounter further fueled your curiosity.
As you kept walking, you noticed that the pendulum wasn’t exactly being responsive as you thought it would be. You were walking for about half an hour before feeling impatient, “Come on. There’s gotta be something in these parts.” You huffed in frustration. You stood still as you looked at your pendulum, you held it at eye level to see that maybe, it wasn’t getting a reading because you weren’t standing still. After a couple of minutes of looking at the gemstone and no response, you decided that it wasn’t meant to be and you can always try again another day.
Just as you were about to head back, you felt a movement from the chain swinging to the left ever so slightly.
“Huh…?” you blinked a couple of times, thinking you were seeing things but to your surprise, it was swinging to the left indeed! Just barely but enough to pique your interest. You moved your hand in the direction it was pointing, and sure enough, the pendulum was starting to react more livel to it. Moving in a slow counterclockwise fashion.
Using your pendulum as a guide, you kept walking, at the end of this energy, something is waiting to be found. You kept your eyes peeled as you eagerly looked around, nothing out of the ordinary was sticking out to you, until you noticed one of the tree barks, had multiple nails stuck to it. It looked like someone had a nail gun and just randomly shot this tree.
Another strange thing you noticed is that the forest was eerily quiet. No sounds of birds chirping despite there being still daylight, you also noticed you stopped seeing chipmunks running about. Truth be told, it made you a little uncomfortable, the only sounds being made, was the sound of leaves crunching underneath your feet. Even the forest breeze almost sounded like a hushed whisper.
You quietly prayed for whatever benevolent deity that watches over you for their protection, as your pendulum was starting to swing more erratic, you were also starting to pick up someone else’s energy nearby…and it wasn’t a good one.
You heard the sound of leaves crunching to the right of you, your eyes widened as the pendulum changed direction so suddenly, now it was swinging clockwise. This was a terrible idea. The first day in Fukazawa and already, you’re in trouble. You looked over to where the device was pointing, you quickly scanned the area but didn’t see anything.
You heard the noisy footsteps once again, this time it was getting closer to you, two feet away from behind. Giggling can be heard. You immediately turned around to the source of the sound, you were terrified at the fact that there was nothing there.
“Stop it! This isn’t funny!” you called out, your voice came out shaky. You can feel the pendulum swinging forcefully as you heard the sound of tree branches being shaken, whatever it was, this thing was right next to you.
Your eyes widened as you saw a doll pinned to the tree, one directly in its chest. You felt the sound of something small zipped past your ear. It was a nail that flew past you, hitting the doll spot on its forehead.
Within proximity, you heard a whisper in your ear.
“Boo.”
You let out a bloodcurdling scream, causing birds to fly and scatter in various directions, adrenaline pumping through your veins tenfold. You haphazardly turned around, arms flailing to see who scared you so bad. You were temporarily blinded by a flash of bright light and the sound of a camera shutter going off.
“That sounded beautiful. Strong vocal cords I see.” The unfamiliar voice said.
You finally found the source of the horror, as you saw a very pale thin boy hanging off a tree branch upside down to your eye level, holding a polaroid camera in his hands. His grin was wide, nails sticking out like fangs.
You felt your face heat up with embarrassment, you furiously shoved your hands into your hoodie pockets, balling them into tight fists, “Th-that wasn’t f-f-f-funny” you stammered, still coming down from the fright.
The boy took the polaroid out of the camera and shook it a few times before examining the image he giggled, “Well, it was f-f-f-funny to me.” He mocked, furthering your irritation. He unwrapped his legs off the branch as he landed on a handstand before lowering his legs to the ground. As he stood upright, you manage to get a good look at the boy in question, he looked to be around your age, you noticed his height was towering over you. He had neck-length black hair, sleepy-like eyes, and his cheekbones defined. You felt almost entranced by his appearance.
He chewed noisily on the nails as he switched them from one side of his mouth to the other, while looking at the picture for a couple of moments longer, he then fixed his gaze onto you, his eyes blatantly doing an up and down on your figure, “You’re quite cute. You’re not from around here, are you?”
You felt your face is still red for a different reason. You weren’t used to being complimented by someone that’s not related to you, “Um..” was all you could muster.
He raised an eyebrow at you, “Did I scare you that bad, you lost the ability to speak darling?” that sounded condescending.
You sucked in your teeth, “Uh, yeah actually. You scared the living daylights out of me.” You replied, crossing your arms.
The boy smirked, “Ah! So, she speaks after all. Good.”
You noticed that he was still holding onto that picture of you, it was within reaching distance, “Can I have that please?” you asked as you held out your hand.
He looked at your hand as if you just spit on it, he moved back slightly, still clutching onto the polaroid picture, “Hmm. I don’t know. Can you?” saying the last two words with emphasis as if to tell you that’s not how you ask for things back.
Annoyed, you tried reaching for it but because of the teen’s height, he just simply held it high in the air, giggling at your frustration. Waving it back in forth.
“Give it back! Now.” You growled as you stood on your tip toes, you went from, scared, to flustered, to now annoyed in a matter of minutes.
As he lowered the picture to your eye level, “I will if you tell me who you are?” you tried grabbing it but he moved it away just in time, with his free hand, he held his index finger up “Uh-uh!”.
You let out a heavy sigh, as you realized that he wasn’t going to give you back the damn picture until you tell him what he wants, so the quicker you can get this done, the faster you can get rid of the photo. “My name is ____. I just moved here from Yokohama. I was just trying to familiarize myself with the area. And you are?”
The teen bared a toothy grin once again, eagerly waiting for you to ask him who he is, “It is I the great Souichi! It is such a pleasure to meet another fellow magic user other than myself.” He then bowed his head, bringing his hand still holding onto that photo to his chest, before standing up again.
‘He’s a real piece of work.’ You thought to yourself. You don’t know if that was a good or bad thing. You almost forgot that he picked up on the fact that you too have a skill for the paranormal despite literally meeting Souichi within ten to twenty minutes of conversing.
“Wait…what gave you the impression that I practice magic?”
Souichi hummed playfully, “Oh. I don’t know.” Sarcasm evident in his tone, “Certainly has nothing to do with that pendulum you’re using, or how we can both sense each other’s presence within the area.” He ran his free hand through his hair, before locking eyes, “Could it be, that potential rivalry is upon us?” voice low and tantalizing.
You gulped, phew was it getting hot or maybe you’re just overdressed for the weather, yeah that’s probably it. “Well.” You cleared your throat, “You don’t gotta worry about competition. Because I don’t practice magic.” You looked at the voodoo doll behind you still nailed into the tree before looking back at Souichi, “…Specifically black magic.”
Souichi rolled his eyes, “What a tease.” He groaned.
You reached your hand out to him, once more demanding to have the picture back, “Now, I gave you what you want. Give me that photo.”
Souichi giggled, “No. I don’t think I will.” He shoved the polaroid into his black turtleneck sweater, “I think, I’ll keep it as a token of us meeting for the first time.” He turned around making his way out of the forest, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must head back home.”
You started speed walking right behind him, “Hey don’t be creepy! I just met you. Don’t you think it’s weird for you to take a picture of a stranger?” you nearly bumped into him as he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
You were taken aback as he turned around to face you, you forgot for a split second that he was significantly taller than you. He held his head up as he cast his eyes down on you, “No my dear. That would imply I would never see you again after this encounter.”
He then lowered his head to your level, his hand gently touching your chin, his fingertips felt ice cold. In any other circumstance, you would have slapped a stranger’s hand away for being so straightforward. However, this was different, you felt entranced, as any form of logic flew out the window, the moment he got close to your bubble. The smell of iron fills your senses.
He moved the nails to the other side of his mouth as he spoke slowly enough for you to process what he was saying, “I just have a feeling, we’ll be seeing each other a lot more often soon.” Your breath hitched in your throat, as he leaned in closer, whispering, “Oh, and just as a precaution. A pretty thing like you shouldn’t stay out in the forest after dark.”
Souichi lets go of your chin, as you slowly sunken down to your knees, in a daze by what just transpired. You heard him chuckle mischievously as he started walking back home. No boy has ever given you attention like that before, it almost feels like a dream.
“I need to wake up.” You muttered after a few minutes of staring at the ground, you pinched your forearm as hard as you can but to your surprise, you weren’t in fact dreaming. This was reality.
You thought to yourself, moving to Fukazawa wasn’t so bad after all.