In the few days that follow, Shiro and Keith were back on their quest after dealing with the mask at Aurs.
No sooner than it has over the longest forest that will make everyone alive or Dead with activity.
"Keith" Shiro called out. "So how are you feeling"
"I don't know why"
"Well you have been nicer especially towards from Romelle, you obviously care for her"
Keith eyed the question, "what no"
"Sorry I thought you would get together with her"
An awkward pause fell between them. "What oh wow, is that what you bought that when you lock up together"
"I'm so sorry, I guess you viewed her as a friend, plus you're gay"
Keith pause by the realize station. "You don't have to apologize, I get it you trying to help me get along with people but not a people person"
After a long day walking, arrived at a village that looks like a seaworthy one with a Norwegian-inspired. Where villagers were scattered around the village, many of them were both human and Daemon scattered throughout the countryside as they strolled toward the fjord.
Shiro and Keith passed an aisle full of boats, some small, others huge, each of them tied up in the docks, Shiro stayed calm as he went Keith too far down the side of the fjord as could until there were no people or boats around.
This when he had to release extra energy. When whatever time might that he spent, Shiro must swing his sword, 1'000 times in order to practice the concentration forms as Coran once told him.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5," Shiro shouted as he swinging his sword, while Keith took a nap on top of the trees. "Man you seem energetic"
"6, well, of course, you got to be in Tip-Top shape, 7, what about you"
"Oh I'm doing fine, thank you"
"Come on you should be training with me"
"Oh please you can definitely hit me with that sword"
"Want to challenge that"
Keith ooze for a challenge, so much in fact that he got out his spot from the tree. Ready to challenge Shiro.
"Let's just spar. Don't hold back." Keith said. As he peeled off his jacket and chucked it away in favor of his plain black shirt underneath.
"Ok" Shiro dropped into a standard sparring stance, knees slightly bent and Sword raised fencing style.
Keith's throat bobbed, but he nodded. "Alright," he said, mirroring Shiro's stance, putting his dagger in a fencing style.
"Go."
They circled one another. Shiro waited, focus sharp. Keith broke first with a lunge and a sharp jab Shiro sidestepped easily, and he sensed it was more of a test to see if he's serious rather than a real stab. He didn't retaliate as Keith stepped past and spun back around.
"Don't hold back," Shiro repeated.
Keith took another swing, more confident this time, followed up by a swift backhand. Shiro pushed the first to the side and blocked the other with his sword, anticipating Keith's rising dagger hits-- a mistake which Shiro took full advantage of.
He rotated away from stabbing him but make sure his sword was in a proper stand. with a sharp kick, knocked Keith onto his back.
"Saw that one coming a mile away," Shiro told him, holding out his hand.
"You're quicker, but your blind spots became so obvious and your cuts should flow, not be so choppy."
"Shut up."
Keith huffed, refusing to take his hand as he hoisted himself back to his feet.
Shiro could sense the hesitation boiling off him as he readied his stance once more. Keith struck again, his feet like lightning, his stabs even faster than before. A swell of satisfaction rose within Shiro, if he was a cadet, he would have Rose up the food chains of the Garrison.
His forearms stung, a sign that Keith was truly cutting loose. He barely avoided a sharp backside to his midsection.
"Good," Shiro said, his breathing starting to become heavy as they continued their dance about the Fjord.
He deflected another stab, dashed aside from another vicious hit. He grasped Keith by the elbow and with a leg planted behind his knee, Keith went down with another thud against the hard Stone.
"Darn it all!" Keith cursed, hauling himself back to his feet while dealing with a nosebleed.
"How are you doing this? I didn't come here all the way out here so just kick my ass without even withhold a sword?"
"I don't know it's just instinct and besides I just want to make sure you're getting better."
"Yeah, right. 'Better'? Better than what?"
"You can beat me, Keith just like you beating all those other enemies"
"How?" He paced, beating his fist against his leg, his nostrils flaring. "No matter how many times being a bad guy, they always come up ways to beat me and it becomes harder for me to beat them, I mean that Twyla girl got her hooks in me"
"well there are going to be some enemies are going to be unexpected, I meant think about their opponent. Think about what you know about me."
Keith froze in place. "What, what you mean?"
"Let's say someone asked you how to beat me. Hypothetically. What would you say?"
Keith turns up his lip as if Shiro had spoken in pure gibberish. He shook his head. "I can't really say."
Shiro straightened from his stance. "Sure you can. You usually have something to say about everyone. I want to hear what you have to say about me."
Keith balled his fists. "No, I mean I can't. I'd tell them you are lost cause and there is no reasoning in people"
"Keith?"
He's not certain what he sees in Keith's gaze, but it comes out as a mirthless laugh. "You're perfect. There's nothing wrong."
It was Shiro's turn to reel, cocking his head. "Stop teasing. Everyone has their blind spots. And if anyone can see mine, it's you."
Keith scoffed at that, "I doubt that, considered that I'm the worst person for whatever the point of this was."
Keith blew past Shiro in a wake of warm, musty air. "Keith-, hey! Wait!" Shiro chased Keith out into the freeway and touched him on the arm.
He snatched his hand back when Keith whipped around, saying, "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't work your problems out with me without telling me what they even are. Maybe that's your blind spot."
"I'm sorry."
"What's wrong? Really wrong?"
At Keith's wide, piercing eyes, Shiro knows the reason why he came here
"Excuse me, I know you're kind of busy but we have work to do," a man said, having to witness the fight while working on his boat.
"So I'm sorry, we'll be going now"
Shiro and Keith were in the center of the village, where a playground was when a group of children and their mothers were starting out fireworks. Oblivious to the alternation, Keith stood frozen in the middle of the hold. Thinking about what he said to Shiro and what he thought of him.
While Shiro caught himself smiling as he notices Keith's scrunched up nose and annoyed frown. Keith certainly was an influence of magic. Not an altogether bad one, Shiro thought as he made his way to the shop where he got some bread and fruit, even though he had no idea what type of fruit is this. After all, this was a different world.
So thanked the clerk and handed her what he owed. He shoveled the supplies into his backpack were on top of a pair of binoculars, a small knife, and a large canteen of water and left the shop.
Keith found himself next to Shiro as he let the shop to get something to eat. Everything was silence between them as they looking over the playground, that the children were playing with their mothers.
"So great swordplay, you're getting better every day," Keith said, breaking the silence.
"Thanks, you're not by yourself I'm glad I got you to spar with me"
"No big deal I was starting to get bored and there are kids doing Fireworks! So pretty!"
"It looks like fun! Huh?" Shiro looked at the playground again and as he thought that he was imagining things, A little girl, laughing mischievously, peeps out the playground structure.
She holds out a small firecracker. It lights up and spins towards the pile of firecrackers that the kids and their mothers had put on the ground.
The entire pile crackles, startling everyone. The little girl gets on top of the structure and laughs.
"Serves them right," the girl said as she runs off.
"That girl!" Shiro said, angry as he chases the girl while Keith looks at him, "Shiro wait".
Shiro reaches the girl further up. "Hold it!" the girl stops and turns around "What did you do that for?!"
"You... You can see me?"
"Who is this girl? Where're her shoes? And a winter shawl and bunny ears...when it's not wintering here?" Shiro thought, examines her
"Of course I can see you," Shiro said, walks towards her, saying nicely "Let's go apologize. I'll go with you".
"None of your business!, I don't want to talk to you," the girl said, slaps away Shiro's outreaching hand, and backs away as a ring of flames surrounds her suddenly.
The girl looks at Shiro defiantly and vanishes. The ring of flames becomes smaller and disappears too. Shiro, shocked, falls on his knees. Keith walks up behind him.
"Shiro, what's wrong, Who were you talking to?"
"Huh?! Gone... Who was she?"
Later, the village has already reach nighttime, Shiro and Keith head to a cabin house to rest and repair for the next day, however, Shiro was unexpectedly not feeling to rest. Stood at his bedroom window, deep in thought, while the house windows still lit, showing groups of families, sitting at the table and going out of the shop almost close.
He recognized Keith's knock on the door, "Come on, how many times do I keep telling people" he said. Keith noticed something familiar as soon as he walked into the room. Shiro had the robe, the same one that Sokka gave him, the same one that Takashi used to wear draped around his shoulders, it brought back memories of how he had already wrapped him in his arms, keeping them secure and protected. Keith remembered the feelings of comfort and peace within himself.
"Why are you wearing that," Keith said.
Shiro continued to stare out the as if he were waiting for someone, or something before he finally turned to look at Keith "what do you mean".
"No, with you", Keith said "you're wearing that old thing and you're looking something's wrong.
It suddenly hit him, realizing what the problem could be. "This is about what happened earlier in the day, I know fireworks are dangerous but there's no reason for you to freak out about"
"No... that's not it", Shiro insisted. He paused, debating whether he should tell Keith about the girl.
"Then what is it?" Keith asked.
Shiro hesitated a moment longer, then said, " there's this...girl and was the one that set up the fireworks and from the moment I touched her"
"Yeah what is it"
"Ashes came, where she touch me..."
Keith grabbed Shiro's hands and led him to the bed to sit down, "A girl?" He asked, his eyes full of Concern "oh come the girl might be a Deamon, maybe she those things off on purpose"
Shiro knows Keith was right and that made him feel good. So much in fact that he reached out with his right hand, clasping Keith on his left shoulder.
"What are you doing," Keith said
"Giving you a hand"
Keith knew the answer without thinking about it. "Okay, you don't have to invade my personal space" Shiro smiled back at him, climbed onto the bed, and leaned back against the pillows with Stats joining them.
Suddenly, outside the window, a ball of yellow light float across the lake across them. Five other balls of light trail behind it as peaceful flute music is played in the background.
"That's..." Keith wondered as he got out of bed, into the window.
"A daemon!" Shiro said, followed him with Stats latches onto Shiro's shoulder, nervous.
"I think that's the Soul Piper"
Looking at it now, the Soul Piper was blowing a little flute, while the light balls twirl around it and fade to children laughing and playing with the eyes of the Soul Piper are almost closed.
"I heard it was born from the souls of departed parents is the. When a child dies, the Soul Piper plays with that child until the soul is able to rest in peace. As long as its eyes are closed, it's a peaceful daemon". Keith explain.
"Ok, what will happen if the eyes are open"
"You don't want to know, come on it's getting late," Keith said, going back to bed. Eyes blinked sleepily and then closed completely, it wasn't long before he fell asleep.
Shiro smiled, perhaps maybe he's right, there's nothing dangerous around here. He yawned and stretched his arms up, lt was late, and he was tired, too, with that out the way, Shiro lay down and fell asleep next to Keith.
The next morning, awaken from dreams that once filled his head. Shiro was walking through the room to a bathtub behind a washstand, which it was filled with water, Shiro slowly submerged himself up to him shoulders in the bathtub full to the brim with hot water and keenly savored the euphoric feeling.
The smell of lavender and rosemary bath oils. The fluffy towel and bathmat for when he got out of the tub, after a quick wash up. he searches his backpack for a new shirt to put on and his jacket, sets the jacket aside for the morning, slipping on the pants and shirt on first, before heading down.
Shiro glanced at Keith and Stats, but they were still asleep, as quickly as he could, Shiro close the door and moved quickly to the lobby of the cabin house, where he was welcomed by the attendance. Shiro waved at them, saying hello but Shiro wondered about the girl like it keeps nagging at him.
Trapped in thoughts had unknown to Shiro to accidentally bump into a little boy, holds a chain of paper cranes in his hands.
"Hello I'm so sorry"
"It's okay mister, I'm on my way to the hospital"
"Hospital, oh I'm supposed to go there" in the morning, he was to go there to get medical supplies, after all, they really need it. Who knows that one of them will get injured. "Do you know the way"
"Yes, I can show you if you want"
"Are you sure, will your parents approved"
"Well I don't have a dad and my mom runs this place 24/7 so yeah"
"Well okay but I don't want to stay long"
Without on the way, Shiro and the boy head their way down to the hospital. Upon arriving there, Shiro went down to the pharmacy to get the medical supplies they need while the boy visited the place that he wanted to go, a hospital room, where a boy lay unconscious on the bed, with a gas mask over him and drips injected in his arms. A woman stands near the bed.
"Oh, Ruya, thank you for coming so often." said a lovely woman who has short black hair and brown eyes.
"Mrs. Belcher, how is ping"
"Physically, he's healed. But he's still unconscious, he's been a coma for six Phoebs now".
"Here..." Ruya said as gives his cranes to Mrs. Belcher, her hands holding the cranes, showing a lot of burn scars on her hands.
"Thank you so much for worrying about Ping"
"Well of course I do, he's my friend"
"Burn scars?"
"Oh, these... I got them from the fire six Phoebs ago". Mrs. Belcher said as she notices Shiro was looking
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare"
"That's how Ping ended up in the hospital, he was in the fire too".
"Huh?!" Shiro notices someone lying on his bed as light glows from under the bed and a hand reaches out. It grabs the tube of a drip and pulls it down, shattering the drip.
"The girl at the park...!" Shiro discoveries the girl under the bed, tugging at the drip tube as she fades away.
"She disappeared!" Shiro thought as Mrs. Bolster walks towards "Again... Why must this happen?"
"Who is she anyway? I can't ignore this".
Above the hospital, the girl floats in midair with the Soul-Piper blows his flute next to her.
"Darn foiled again!"
"Are you sure you want to give up if you do you might be able to find closer" the Soul-Piper said to her.
"Oh please, you know my answer, Ping should die just like I did".
After leaving the hospital, Shiro and Ruya are walking along a road. Where Ruya asked the bizarre question.
"Mister..."
"What is it?"
"Is there such a thing as an evil spirit?"
"Huh? What do you mean, why would you ask me that"
"I thought maybe an evil spirit was after Ping, after all, he has been in a coma since the fire six Phoebs ago. At first, all my friends when to visit him at the hospital. But weird things happened on their way home, like falling down the stairs or barely missing getting hit by a car... After these things kept happening, the kids stayed away. In that fire six Phoebs ago, she died...Ping's older sister. Her name is Louise."
"What" Shiro felt his heart pounding in in shock, he was with her, "so that's why" Sooner or later, they look at a burnt boathouse on their way back.
"Is that the place?"
"Uh-huh... Whenever they tried to clean up after the fire, an accident would happen. So it's been like that for six Phoebs now".
"Save me, Mama, I'm over here"
"I'm over here, can anyone hear me"
"But no one didn't and in what even worse, Mama only saved my brother"
Listening to that, Shiro somehow got a bad feeling about this place before something tug on his jacket.
"Ahh" removing his sword from his sheath, Shiro swings it to the unexpected Target.
"I'm so sorry, my baby didn't mean to startle you," a woman said, with a baby in her hands.
"It's all right," Shiro said as he put back his sword in its sheath.
What a little understanding, the woman left with her baby child. "Man that was close," Shiro said to himself, then suddenly A pot of plant suddenly floats up and hits Shiro on the forehead and then later shattered pieces of glass begin heading towards them
"ahh," Shiro shouted as he covers Ruya with his body as everything crashed in front of them.
"I knew it! There is an evil spirit!?" Ryan said as he faints.
"Hey Ruya!" Shiro shakes Ruya and looks to the house "Huh?! Watch out!"
The girl from before stands on the parapet of the house and jumps down and lands in front of him.
"Stupid! I'm already dead."
"You're Louise, aren't you? Why do you do these things? Aren't you Ping's sister?"
"Ping, hah! I'll kill him! Mom hated me! That's why she abandoned me! She didn't even care that I died!"
"Louise...your mother, he seems so nice doesn't she."
"Be quiet! If you keep interfering, I'll kill you, too!"
Louise disappears and the plants and trees around Shiro are uprooted from the soil. Shiro shields Ruya while the plants crash onto the ground around them.
When the commotion stopped, Shiro looked up. A flute tune is heard. Shiro turns around to find the Soul Piper blowing his tune in front of him and said:
"Until my eyes open"
"Huh? Until my eyes...are open...?"
The Soul Piper disappears. Leaving Shiro in disarray.
"Wait what do you mean your eyes will open?"
Later on back at the hotel, Shiro was unexpectedly left with so much confusing, why is that girl attacking people including her family. What will happen if the soul Piper's eyes will open? So many questions left unanswered.
sit on the bed in his room. Keith sits in front of them, leaning on a log with his arms folded.
"So that daemon, that is the Soul Piper? And he is supposed to console the souls of the dead children. He plays its flute until the souls find peace." Shiro said to himself.
"Hey Keith, can I ask you a question"
"Yeah what is it," Keith said.
"If you weren't angry soul and if you are unable to find peace"
"Why are you getting at, are you talking about the soul piper"
"Yeah but get back to my question, what will happen to you"
"Well if you are an ability to find peace, the Soul Piper hurls you into the depths of the netherworld, but as long as the eyes are not open you're fine"
"When the Soul Piper's eyes are fully open, it's too late, I won't allow that! Louise must find peace!"
"But you're not a kid or a ghost so your chances are good, but you can't slay a ghost. One misstep and you'll regret it."
Keith was right about that, but Shiro came from a shrine family! There must be something he can do! There is no reason that girl can be ignored as she has so much sadness in her. With that, Shiro stands up and ran out of the room, determined to save Louise.
Evening in the hospital. Mrs. Belcher is sewing a dress, remembering of a Time that Louise was still alive. She was looking at a goldfish swimming in a fish tank with Mrs. Belcher is washing dishes behind her.
"Mom, I want a cotton dress with goldfish on it." She said as turns around to look at her mother. "When the summer comes, I'll go to the fairs and catch lots and lots of his goldfish friends. I want to wear my cotton dress then."
Okay, Louise but summer's a long way off.
"That's okay. Promise?"
"All right!"
Looking back. Mrs. Belcher stops sewing and sighs. "Louise, it would've been her birthday soon"
"When Mom leaves the hospital tonight, I'm going to kill her dear, little Ping".
"We shall see about that," the Soul Piper said as he appears behind her, and his eyes open a little.
"Louise's ghost is already becoming evil and unless I hurry," Shiro said
Nighttime in the hospital reception. With darkness arriving
"You're going home now?"
"Yes, I'll see you again tomorrow".
"Take care".
Outside, Shiro runs towards Mrs. Belcher hurriedly. Feeling exhausted it in the process
"Excuse me..."
"Oh, I know you, you were with Ruya, today? If I'm not mistaken"
"Yes I am, but that's not what I want to talk to you about, it's about your daughter"
"Eh, my daughter, do you know something about that day the day that she died"
"I remember it, it keeps playing on me non-stop"
She recalled the day when Louise just returned to the apartment. All furious
"Mom, you idiot, why won't you come to the Open House?!
"It couldn't be helped. Ping's temperature shot up".
"All you care about is him!"
"Louise! You washed your tone"
"I hate you and Ping!" Louise shouted, plops her bag down, and runs out
"Louise, just a minute! Louise!" Mrs. Belcher said, stops from chasing her at the door."
"We always had arguments like that. On that day, when Louise ran off, I thought, "Oh, there she goes again. But I was wrong"
Returning from her grocery shopping. Her two neighbors stop her and point in a certain direction and to her complete shock, the apartment was engulfed in flames. Mrs. Belcher rushes in and looks around, coughing from the smoke. While firemen surround the fire. Trying to put it out
"But... If I had known that Louise was inside the apartment..."
After the firemen have taken out the fire, with Mrs. Belcher and an unconscious Ping in her arms. A fireman put a blanket over her. And tells her the tragic Truth.
"Miss we found a body in the closet."
"What are you sure"
"I'm sure, A child! Poor thing!"
"If I had known, I would have gone back... If I had only known...!" Mrs. Belcher said as she starts crying.
"She didn't know that Louise was inside during the fire." Shiro thought.
Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass is heard. "That's Ping's room!" Mrs. Belcher as they look up to find the window of one of the rooms shattered.
"Louise" Shiro said as he runs into the hospital to find the fluorescent lamps shatters. Medical equipment also breaks and sparks fly all over the place.
Opening the door to Ping's hospital room to find Louise hovers above her Brother's bed.
"Louise, stop!" Shiro shouted just soon Mrs. Belcher arrived and gaped to see her daughter in this state. "Louise".
Walks towards her but Louise sends her flying, crashes onto a wall to the ground, and faints with the kimono in her bag falls out a little.
"Quiet!"
"Louise, think hard! Try to remember Did your mother really abandon you? She didn't know you were inside the apartment during that fire?" Shiro said to her.
"Think back," Louise said as she stops and ponders on what Shiro said. Thinking back to the time that she died, she just returned from her outburst.
"Brrr... It was cold!" warms her hand around the fire as she takes off her muffler and places it on a clothesline over the heater.
"Sis... You're not supposed to hang things above the heater when Mom is not at home".
"Oh, be quiet!" She said as she opens a closet and hides in it. "Don't you dare tell Mom that I'm hiding here. I want to make her worry!" With that said she closes the closet.
"That muffler caught fire! It's all my fault. Mom's not to blame. Even Satoru..."
"Louise" Shiro said, concerningly.
"I... I... I completely forgot that!! Now but it doesn't matter now I never wanted to die, that's why I still hate my mother" Louise shouted as the floor shatters and rumbles. Ping's bed is flipped and he is thrown out of the window.
"Ping" Shiro shouted as he rushes to the window. "Huh?! He fell! The poor boy"
"Oh, man! I can't stand to watch you!"
Shiro runs upwards to the façade of the hospital only to find Keith hangs from above the window, with his dagger stuck in the wall as support with him holds the boy in his other hand.
"Keith, you saved him"
"Well of course I saved him, what else am I supposed to do, just sit around let you do all the stuff by yourself"
Keith looks at Louise who is floating in front of them and said, "so this is the girl you mentioned, looks like you were right about her."
Shiro holds Ping and Keith jumps onto the window ledge.
"Making her realize the truth it's not going to help her find peace. It's not that simple!"
He was right, Shiro soon realizes this as The Soul-Piper appears behind Louise with his eyes fully opens.
"Look?! The eyes!"
Chains suddenly appear and tie around Louise.
"Aghh! What are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry but you left me with no choice". The Soul Piper said as he drags Louise away with the chains.
"But I want to stay here"
"Louise" Shiro shouted
After witnessing that scene "well that's that, we should probably leave this alone" Keith said as he wanted to leave the situation as soon possible as he believed it was no longer being handled.
"Let's go, Keith"
"Wait are you serious we saw what happened with the soul piper. I meant this is his situation".
"Don't you think I don't know that but I believe in the soul piper never wanted to take Louise to the netherworld, so I'm going" Shiro said as he left the hospital room.
"Jesus, why does he have to make things so difficult," Keith said as he followed Shiro.
Time was running out as the Soul Piper drag Louise to the netherworld to the bridge spanning across a river. Shiro and Keith run hurriedly along the top of the bridge. Both of them look determined and worried.
"Remember this! I don't know anything about ghosts! So you work it out on your own!"
"I know but we must help Louise find peace before she falls into the never world.
"Well according to the stories that Coran told me, the Soul piper drags his tormented victim to the place they died"
Soon Shiro and Keith head towards a building, the same building that Louise died which now glowing in a pink ominous light.
"This must be the place," Keith said as he and Shiro enter the house, only to find the Soul piper playing a hominid tune.
"So you come," The soul piper said he stop playing his tune.
Upon waking up, almost like a zombie be, Louise kneels in a dark area with her hands in chains.
"It's pitch black. Where am I?"
A slit of light appears as Louise reaches the vertical slit of light but she opens it. Flames of fire and smoke rush in. She is in the closet, confronted by the fire that killed her.
"Where is she" Shiro asking the soul piper.
"I am giving her, her Divine punishment," the soul piper said as flames surround them.
"But the girl doesn't need to be punishment, she knows the truth on how she died"
"I doubt that since you hardly knew her"
"You're right I did but she still a girl who doesn't need to face it again"
"If you were so insisted this wouldn't happen but then again it is time you faced her punishment," The soul piper said as he raps Shiro's wrists in chains.
"Soul piper, what are you doing to him" Keith shouted but soon did he hit his dagger, The soul piper and Shiro disappear. To Keith's complete shock.
Back at the hospital, Mrs. Belcher was lying on a hospital bed, suddenly wakes and gasps.
"Huh?! You're conscious!" A nurse said
"Umm… What happened?"
"Never mind… Look at Satoru! He has awake"
"Huh?! Ping!"
"Mom… Umm… Sis is inside the closet." Ping opens his eyes and says weakly
"Please hurry and get her!" Ping said.
Back in the apartment, Louise is surrounded by flames. She cowers and shields her head with her hands.
"This is how I died. I couldn't be saved…"
"Louise! Louise!
"Who is that?! Mom?!"
But instead, it was Shiro who walks into the burning apartment and said "Where are you?! Answer me!"
"Louise! Hurry! Let's get out of here!" Shiro said as he holds up his hand, in a hopeful tone
"Are you crazy?! I'm already dead! I don't have a home anymore!"
The ground behind Louise rumbles and falls away. The chains around Louise are dragged downwards, pulling her into the void below. Louise shrieks in fear.
"Louise!" Shiro as he grabs Louise's hand.
The eye of the Soul Piper appears and loom above Louise. Flame sparks fly all over the place as Shiro struggles to hold on to her.
"You're going home, Louise. You're going home and make peace with your mother. Your mother loves you so very much! Is it okay if you never see her again?"
"Let go, let go," The soul piper said as he made the chain to tugs harder at Louise.
"She's not angry at me?", after a pause, says softly. "Are you sure she's not mad at me"
"She's not and judging by her character, I can tell she's a very nice person"
Remembering her's fond memories of her mother, at a carnival, at the beach, and taking photographs of her had made her realize and the soul piper since the same.
"Mom! I want to see you one more time, so I can say I'm sorry! I wanted to make up with you!"
Upon hearing that the soul piper closes his eyes and the chains suddenly break and fall into the void.
Later, daytime in the apartment. Mrs. Belcher enters and looks at the aftermath of the fire. She stops in front of the closet the place where she couldn't save her daughter.
"Mama," Louise said, appears behind her mother.
"Louise"
"Mom, I'm sorry but I'm leaving now".
Shiro and Keith sit on a ledge, at the top of the house.
"I hope it worked"
"Man! You get into much danger! One wrong move and you'd have been dragged into the neverworld but you did it, you actually calmed a ghost"
"Thanks, it was worth the risk"
"Worth the risk indeed," the soul piper said. Appearing in front of them.
"Soul piper were you here for now," Keith said.
"I just came by and thank you"
"Thank me"
"Yes you saved that girl from falling to the depths of the netherworld and brought peace to her something that I could never do"
"Oh, Thank you"
"I should get going now, be careful samurai there are more dangerous ahead," the soul piper said, fading away.
After that, after spending a week and with Ping been released from the hospital. Shiro started packing for the journey ahead.
"Shiro"
"Louise," Shiro said, walks to the window.
"I wanted to thank you before I left," She said, floats outside the window in a goldfish dress.
"Such a pretty dress"
"Yes it is, my mom sewed it for me. Thanks for everything. Bye-bye!" Louise said, flies upwards.
"Louise, you weren't meant to be an evil spirit. You were just a little girl who loved her mother very much."
As the tune of the Soul Piper plays in the background. Louise flies upwards and joins the Soul-Piper with closed eyes. Louise turns into a light and flies around it, laughing happily. They fade away.
"Hey ready to go"
"Yeah I am"
With that on the way, Shiro and Keith repair for their next journey ahead. Prepared in darkness.