Sumi lightly let down her glass as Tano slammed his glass down.
Sumi looked over, worried.
Concerned for Tano, but also worried about revealing her secret.
Tano seemed on the edge of getting drunk, he looked tired, almost sad. Sumi had never seen him look this way before, he always had a smile on his face.
Sumi sighed.
"I think I'm done for the night." Sumi said as she sat up, Tano looked up at her from his slumped position.
"H-hold on, I thought you wanted to have drinks?" Tano asked, slurring his words, talking slowly.
Sumi looked sad, looking back at Tano.
"It's hard to spend time when you're falling asleep, drunk." Sumi said as Tano stood up.
"I'm fine, I dont…" Tano said, trying to not fall over.
"The room is dizzy" Tano said, Sumi rolling her eyes.
"Come on" Sumi said, walking over to him and putting his arms around her to help him walk.
"I think you need some air." Sumi said as the two walked out onto the rooftop.
Sumi sat Tano down on the bench overlooking the skyline. Tano laid down as Sumi gazed over the skyline.
The cars making noises. Braking, Honking, Engines. The trains going by on the skyrails, carrying people, the sound of the crowded streets below, people talking, sirens blaring, all of this against a city filled with various neon colors and sprinkling rain.
Sumi looked melancholic, she enjoyed it, it made her feel less alone. But she looked at Tano, he covered his eyes with his arm as he looked pale.
Sumi felt isolated, questioning her feelings for someone she hardly knew for a few weeks.
"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself under her breath. Shaking her head as she dug her head under her arms.
Tano passed out, Sumi didn't want to just leave him there. She sat beside him as she waited for him to wake up.
The sound of rain lightly tapping the wooden floor below them.
Sumi waited. She sat, holding her legs as she laid her head on her knees.
Sumi closed her eyes, nearly passing out.
The time went by slowly. Minutes felt like hours. An hour went by as she just picked the lint from her skirt.
Eventually Tano woke up, holding his head as he sat up slowly.
"Where are we?" He asked.
Sumi closed her eyes, almost like she was annoyed.
"The roof of the bar." Sumi said as she leaned back, looking up at the sky.
"I guess I lost the game, huh?" Tano asked as he stood up, leaning against the barriers of the roof. Overlooking the city just as Sumi did.
"You don't have to tell me anything" Sumi said, sitting on the floor beneath the bench.
"A deals a deal" Tano said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a box of cigarettes, then a lighter.
Sumi looked over at him with a tired expression.
Tano tried lighting the cigarette, but the rain was too wet for the lighter to work.
Sumi stood up next to him.
"Wouldn't you know it…" Tano said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.
Sumi shook her head, smiling a bit.
"Maybe it's a sign." Sumi said.
"Yeah, what kind? That my luck is shit?" Tano smiled at her.
"That the universe wants you alive. Smoking is bad for you." Sumi said as she took the cigarette and threw it off the roof.
Tano chuckled.
Tano looked over the city as his eyes looked tired.
"It's nice to have someone care about me again" Tano said, looking over at Sumi.
Sumi looked back.
"It's been a few years, but it's still hard to really trust anyone." Tano said as Sumi's eyes widened a bit.
"Yeah, I get that feeling too…" Sumi said as Tano looked down at the street.
"I had a wife. A daughter." Tano said, Sumi looked at him.
"In the line of work I did… people come after you. They punish the wrong people." Tano explained.
"What work did you do?" Sumi asked.
Tano looked blankly at the sky.
"I was a detective. I got involved with the wrong people, and they didn't like that I was snooping around." Tano said as he looked away.
"They went after my wife, they beat her to get information. As if she'd know." Tano explained as he tried his best to hold back crying.
"They took everything from me… My wife didn't think it was safe to be around me, and she left." Tano said as he looked down, eyes closed.
Sumi was silent for a moment, unable to comprehend what he said.
"W-What happened to your daughter?" Sumi asked, Tano looked over at her.
"She wasn't born…" Tano said as Sumi stared off thinking about that. She looked back at Tano as he looked depressed.
"Tano…" Sumi said softly, trying to find words to say.
"It's alright, I'm fine now" Tano said.
He faked a smile, hoping she'd see through it.
"Yeah, I mean… yeah you're fine now!" Sumi said as she looked concerned.
Tano looked away, "yeah… fine…" he replied. it went silent.
"I think I should head home." Tano said as he put his hands in his pockets. Sumi stared as he walked away, knowing she messed up.
She tried speaking, but stayed quiet as he walked through the door.
The next morning, Ayumi and Daiki sat on the bench outside the building they were posted at.
The two looked tired, Ayumi leaning against Daiki as her eyes were closed.
"Man, if being Frontline is like this, then it sucks!" Daiki said as he slumped forward, Ayumi falling behind him.
"Alright, you kids are all checked out, you can go. Report to your higher-ups and you're set." The hunter guard said as he handed the two their papers.
"Hell yeah!" Daiki said in excitement.
The two ran off, heading back to the offices to report to Rina.
Sumi walked by, stopping as she saw the two across the street. "Did they really stay overnight?" Sumi asked herself.
Daiki and Ayumi ran off as Sumi continued to walk down the street. Suddenly she heard a faint panic in a nearby alley.
Sumi hid behind a garbage bin as two figures loomed over a man in a suit.
"Damn it, we didn't even get anything out of him before you killed him. How do you expect we'll find information if you kill everyone we get a lead on?" The young man said, he had a small
ponytail, his jacket covered half his face, his eyes were red and he gave off a stance like he didn't care much.
"It's not my fault these guys are boring! You know I'm all about going fast" The young lady said as she smiled and let her tongue out. She had shard teeth, almost like a shark. Her hair was green and pink, wearing a parka and continuously kneeled down.
"This isn't the same as that, you know we're gathering information, not speeding along for some climax. God, you're fucking sick, you know that?" The man said as he lightly kicked the body.
Sumi tried moving closer to see, but she accidentally kicked a glass bottle as it rolled over to the two. Sumi's heart sank, she knew her position was compromised.
The young man turned around slightly as his eyes glowed Red, a shadowy arm reached out from his back as it grabbed the bottle, throwing it back, breaking beside Sumi.
"Mori, get the body out of here while I deal with this pest." The man said
Mori rolled her eyes, slouching over "uuuugh, fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. But you owe me" she replied.
"I'm not giving you pleasure. Now do the job" the man said as she picked up the body.
"Hey!" Sumi yelled as she tried turning into her ghost form.
The man used his shadow to keep her held back.
"Not so fast. I need to give my partner some time. I can't have you and the others finding out what we're cooking." The man said
"I don't have my sword on me, and if I can't use my ghost form… I'm screwed…" Sumi thought to herself.
"You want me to do what…?" The man said to himself, Sumi looked confused.
"I don't want to, I don't kill just anyone!" The man kept saying.
He looked distracted, Sumi used this moment to break free from the shadows grasp as she ran towards him.
"Some help you are!" The man yelled as two shadowy arms reached for Sumi, she slid under as she swept her legs, trying to knock him down. He jumped over using the arms to smash into the ground, Sumi dodged it as she picked up a piece of wood.
Sumi swung as he blocked it with one of the shadows, grabbing it and breaking the wood.
Sumi tried boxing, but he kept blocking, not letting her find an opening.
"But I was just starting to have fun. I was starting to think maybe I SHOULD kill her…" the man said as Sumi looked both confused, and worried.
"I'd love to stick around, but I need to meet up with my partner. See you later, Ghost." The man said as he used the shadows to knock her back, slamming her into the metal garbage bin behind her.
Sumi tried to stay awake, her vision blurred, watching the man walk away with his hands in his pockets.
Sumi tried standing, but could hardly move. She passed out.
Sumi woke up to the feeling of saliva on her face, she shot up disgusted. She looked at the small dog sitting on her lap as it licked her hands. Sumi stared at the dog for a moment.
"Sorry lil guy… how long was I out?" Sumi asked herself out loud.
Sumi stood up as she walked out of the alley. "I wonder if Rina is still at the office." Sumi thought to herself as she slowly walked to the light tram station.
"They took the body before I could see who it was. I didn't do a good job at hiding once that bottle moved…" Sumi told Rina as she sat at her desk.
"Well, at least you got a good look at them. Can't be too hard to find people who have these same features, right?" Rina asked as she set her tea cup down.
Sumi looked at Rina with a tired look. She sipped her tea, exhaling. The steam lifting off the top of the cup, being moved by her breath.
"The problem is, I doubt they'd keep the body if they murdered them." Sumi replied as she set her cup down.
"The male was talking to himself… But it was like he was addressing someone else, I don't get it…" Sumi said as she sat back in her chair, looking out the window.
Rina stood up as she walked to the bookcase beside her desk, picking up a book.
"It's not common in demons, but my parent's studied a sort of power that isn't derived from lineage." Rina said as she read through the book.
"There have been little cases reported that exhibit behavior of symbiosis. Much like many plant life or sea creatures, it's believed that there's a type of power of unknown origin that acts like such." Rina said as Sumi sipped her tea.
"While studying this power, many believed the users to be under possession of a demon or ghost…" Rina said as she looked up at Sumi, "Heh, sorry" Rina said as Sumi shrugged, Rina continued.
"However, upon further studies, it's believed that this isn't an origin of possession, but instead of another living organism, unknown in origin." Rina said as she closed the book.
Sumi stared at her with a confused expression.
"So what does this mean?" Sumi asked, "You think he's gotten powers from a fish or a plant…?" Sumi questioned.
"No… Well, maybe." Rina said as she rolled her eyes, ignoring her train of thought.
"What I'm getting at, is that him talking to himself like someone else was there could be a sign of this power. We haven't had a case like this in ages… probably a hundred years." Rina said with an excited expression on her face.
"Is this really something to get excited over? Are we forgetting the part where he used shadowy arms to attack me? I'm lucky he didn't try to kill me…" Sumi expressed.
Rina stared at Sumi with a blank stare.
"Did I not mention that part?" Sumi asked.
"No you didn't. But that also explains some things." Rina said as she opened her book back up.
"Another unsolved organism was studied, but wasn't gone into detail due to not having much to go off of." Rina said as she cleared her throat.
"Sighted shadowy figures were reported by locals of a mountain alpine village. It's said that these were just exaggerations, but upon further studies, it seems that these shadowy figures share more in common with ghosts of Earth legends than that of Nexus. While Nexus ghosts are living souls given a second chance, either on the physical or spiritual plane of existence; These figures seem to share a host." Rina read as Sumi looked puzzled.
"But if they share a host, doesn't that imply possession?" Sumi asked.
"Not exactly, listen to this." Rina replied.
"Upon asking input from these villagers, they declined to comment as it was "Bad luck". However, one later came forward and told of their experience. The woman said that she had a son who was taken over, he seemed normal, but started talking to himself and would see shadows come from his back, almost like hands." Rina read, looking over at Sumi.
"Sounds like it, but how do we link these two together? We're going purely based on little evidence. One woman's testimony and a study on symbiotic relations." Sumi said as she finished her tea, setting her cup down.
"I guess I'll have to go off of what information you give me for the time being… Wasn't Ayumi in the Yari tribe?" Rina asked as she had a confused look on her face.
Sumi shrugged. Rina shook her head as she set her book back in the bookcase.
"For now, we'll have to find out if local law can find any info on a missing person. As for you, try to get some rest." Rina said as Sumi nodded, sitting up from her desk. Rina called for Sumi, "Hey. Don't forget this again, okay?" Rina said as she tossed Sumi her sword.
"Thanks" Sumi said, catching the sword sheath.
Sumi waited on the light tram platform as it rained.
"The next train to the lights district will be arriving soon. Please watch your step as you board the train." The announcer said over the intercom.
Sumi looked around her as she felt like she was being watched. She kept her hoodie on as she kept looking around her, clenching the sheath.
The train pulled into the stop as she continued looking into the crowd. Everyone walked past her as she turned around. "The train to the lights district will be leaving shortly. Please watch your step as you enter the cabin" The announcer said.
Sumi walked onto the train and sat on the opposite end of a mother as she held her baby.
Sumi stared as the baby cooed and giggled. The mother dangling plastic keys above the baby as it cooed.
The mother looked at Sumi with a side eye for a second, noticing her staring. The mother turned her head in confusion. Sumi looked caught off guard, not noticing how long she stared.
"Oh." Sumi said as she pulled her hood down. "Sorry" Sumi said as she turned away and held onto the bar of the seat.
The mother giggled, "You want kids someday?" She asked.
Sumi blushed a bit. "I-i thought of it… But I don't think that's really in the cards for me…" Sumi said as she looked down, continuing to blush.
"They can be a wonderful thing." The mother smiled, Sumi looked sort of melancholic.
"Yeah, My sister in-law had a baby a few years back…" Sumi said as she looked at the mother.
"I bet it's adorable" The mother replied. Sumi, embarrassed, just giggled a bit.
Suddenly the train came to a screeching halt, Throwing some of the passengers down.
"Attention. Please remain calm, proper authorities will assess the situation" The program said over the intercom, repeating.
Sumi drowned it out as she looked around the cabin, the doors leading to the next one opened up as a flood of people ran through, screaming.
"What is that?" The mother asked, "I don't know, stay here." Sumi said as she sat up, trying to get past the crowd of people.
Sumi stopped as she saw a familiar figure, she grabbed her sheath as she looked on.
"Ah haha! There you are! We have some unfinished business. Can't have any witnesses living after what you saw!" The young woman said as she smiled with her sharp teeth.
"What were you doing in that alley?" Sumi asked as she clenched the sheath.
"Nu-huh. Can't tell you, if i spill any beans, Ren won't let me have fun with him." The woman replied, as Sumi smirked.
"Ren, huh?" Sumi said as the young woman got angry.
"Dammit! I'm such a big mouth!!" She pouted "Ugh, doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon anyways!" She added, Sumi scoffed "I wish…" She said quietly to herself as she got in a fighting stance.
"Ohhh play time! I love to have fun, especially if it's rough!" the woman said as she took her jacket off. Her arm was all cut up with long scars. "What the fu-" Sumi said to herself as she looked horrified.
"Was I that bad…?" Sumi thought to herself, "Come on, beautiful, let's have fun!" The woman said as red blades formed out of her arms.
"This chick is crazy!" Sumi said as she unsheathed her sword.
The woman rushed past Sumi, she looked confused as she kneeled down behind her.
"What the-" Sumi said as she got knocked back into the door.
The red blades liquified into a scythe as the woman walked to Sumi.
"Why do I get stuck with the crazies…" Sumi asked herself, the woman swung the scythe into the ground where Sumi laid, Sumi rolled out of the way in time.
"I like the foreplay, but I think I'm done. I'd like to take your life now." the woman said as she swung the scythe into the seats, tearing them apart. Sumi flipped on her back, lifting her legs above the swing, Jumping up and kicking the girl in the face.
"You're being a real turn off…" Sumi said as she held the sword in front of her in a ready stance.
"It's a shame that I have to kill you, I think we'd have some real fun if we met under different circumstances." The woman said, "I don't think so. I already have my eyes on someone else." Sumi replied as she ran towards the woman.
Sumi swung her sword as the woman blocked it with her scythe. The scythe turned into tendrils as it grabbed her sword. Sumi looked scared as she stared at the woman.
"God, I'm having so much fun!" The woman moaned as Sumi kicked her back, her sword flying back into the door behind her.
"When I said I like it rough, I didn't mean above the belt!" The woman said in an angry tone, the tendrils reaching for her with a sharp blade at the end. Sumi jumped on top and stood on the tendrils, her feet were slipping as they slowly liquified.
Sumi pulled the sword out of the door as she ran along the tendrils, slicing them off the woman's arms.
The tendrils hit the floor and splashed in a thick liquid state.
"Is this…" Sumi thought to herself as the woman kicked her through the door, sliding on her back into the other passengers.
"So you figured out what it was huh?" The woman asked in an angry voice, raising her hand towards Sumi. "Arm for an arm…" the woman said as her sliced arm was dripping with blood, her hand missing.
Nothing happened to Sumi as she flinched a bit, looking back up at the girl.
"Ohhh I get it now…" The woman smiled as she licked her teeth.
"If I can't take your blood…" She said, raising her hand at another passenger.
"I'll take his…" She said as she smiled with an insane smile.
The man yelled in agony as blood rushed to his eyes, his body bubbled, exploding into a gory mess.
All the passengers yelled in fear as they all scrambled for the doors. The blood from the man's body flew into the woman's scars as her hand reanimated itself.
"I didn't realize I was dealing with a Ghost…" The woman said, Sumi looked over at the mother from earlier as she looked back at Sumi in horror.
"I think it's finally time to finish." The woman said as she reached Sumi's face with her hands.
Sumi closed her eyes as she felt a rush of wind updraft in front of her face.
She opened to see Rina faced away from her, holding her sword from behind.
The woman's hands were clean cut as they fell to the floor.
"I just got them back, damnit!!" she said as Rina turned her head to look at her.
"As a representative of the law. You are hereby, under arrest under order of the Ichibuko protective law." Rina said as the authorities opened the emergency doors, letting the passengers out.
The authorities rushed in, taking the woman and putting electric binders on her severed arms.
"These will make sure you don't use your powers" Rina said as she smirked at the girl.
"I've played with better cuffs…" She replied as they took her outside.
Sumi laid on her back, horrified by what transpired.
"You okay?" Rina asked as she held her hand out to Sumi.
"I… I think so…" Sumi said as she grabbed Rina's arm, lifting herself up.
Some time went by as they assessed the situation, Sumi had a warm blanket over her shoulders as she drank hot tea.
"So… Blood manipulation… That's new…" Sumi said as she stared at her cup horrified.
"That's one accomplice. If we can get her to talk about the body, we might also get info on her partner." Rina replied as Sumi looked at the authorities cleaning up the blood in the train car.
"We still haven't figured out his identity. Luckily he was the only one harmed… Everyone else was fine." Rina told Sumi as she looked down at her cup.
"Now all they have to heal from is emotional trauma…" Sumi said as she exhaled. The steam from her cup blowing away, Rina looked at Sumi, shocked.
"Sumi, I-" Rina started saying as the mother walked over.
"Excuse me… Mrs…?" she said as Sumi set her cup down, "Sumi. Just Sumi." Sumi replied.
"I just wanted to say thank you… Had you not been on that train, I don't know if my little boy would have lived to see 2 years old." the mother said as she held her baby closer to her face.
"It's just part of the job." Sumi replied.
"Thank you." The mother replied as she walked away.
"Look at that, hero!" Rina said smiling, hitting Sumi with her elbow.
Sumi watched the woman walk away as the baby opened and closed its hand at Sumi, almost like it was waving.
"Alright, I gotta fill out some paperwork. Sit tight and I'll walk you home." Rina said as she walked towards the cabin of the train.
Sumi sat there holding her tea, she felt that feeling of being watched again.
The woman looked towards Sumi, smiling.
Sumi looked up and noticed, looking confused.
She felt a touch on her shoulder from behind, followed by a sharp pain.
"What is-" Sumi said through the pain, dropping her drink on the floor as she fell.
The authorities rushed over to the woman as they shot at them, Ren using his shadow powers to block the shots.
Sumi looked up as he grabbed the woman, Ren looked back at Sumi with glowing red eyes as he gave her a two-fingered salute.
"Later, Demon." Ren said as he and the woman vanished into a tornado of shadow.
"Get a medic!" Rina shouted as she kneeled down, "Sumi! Stay with us!" Rina said as Sumi grunted in pain, she began to see flashes in her head.
"Rina… He did something… He infected me with something" Sumi said as she coughed up blood.
"Where?" Rina asked, "It's… everywhere. It's in my chest… my heart!" Sumi said through the pain.
"Oh God…" Rina said, "Hurry up with that medic!" Rina yelled out as Sumi turned pale, passing out.
"Sumi!" Rina yelled.
The medic rushed over, as they lifted her on a gurney.
Sumi opened her eyes, waking up in a dark room. The floor was filled with water up to her ankles.
Nothing could be seen as far as she could see.
"Where…" Sumi thought to herself, "Are you?" A raspy voice replied.
Sumi looked scared. "Don't worry roomy. This is your new home." The voice said.
Shadowy arms reached out from behind her, putting their hands around her neck.
"No!" Sumi yelled as they pulled her down.
"We're in control now!" the voice yelled, "No!!" Sumi struggled as she reached up to the sky, "Let me go!" Sumi yelled in desperation.
"Wake up!" The voice said as Sumi shot up, sitting up in a bed.
Sumi hyperventilated for a moment as she calmed down. Hearing birds chirping outside. The sun shined through the window as she stared down at her hands.
The door to the room opened as she looked over, "Sumi. Are you okay?" Rina asked as Sumi opened her mouth, But nothing came out. She cried as she thought about her dream.