Who killed Yukiko?
Iori blinked, slightly unsure of how he'd ended up in this situation. As he groggily took in the dim, abandoned factory around him, the lingering sting of Yukiko's sudden chop to his neck brought him to full awareness. Realising his hands were bound behind his back, he shifted carefully, attempting to sit up and get a clearer sense of his surroundings.
Shifting through his memories, he tried to once again remember where he was.
A couple of hours ago, after Yuushi and the twins followed the Koenji's chief into the building, Iori managed to pull Yukiko and himself under a large tree to get some shade from the hot, Japanese sun. He watched as the spirit slowly got used to suppressing the talisman and gave him a comforting smile to his worried expression.
"I thought you were afraid of me?" Yukiko questioned as she folded her legs under her, giving him a soft smile as she settled more comfortably under the tree. The sun seemed to have given her pale face more colour.
"I guess a part of me is still afraid of you," Iori confirmed as he rubbed his neck sheepishly, "but, at the same time, it's not like you asked to be a resentful spirit. It felt right to bring you along to find your body to at least find closure. Plus, I thought you might like to see the area where you grew up."
The spirit's gaze drifted away as she seemed to recall her memories.
"I didn't grow up here," Yukiko corrected him. "My parents passed away when I was young, and I had to leave the Nagano area. My aunt took me in, but I never fit in with her family. I was never outgoing enough or pretty enough to fit her perfect family image. Things only got worse after my cousin passed away from an illness a few years ago—my aunt became unbearable. I moved out as soon as I was able, though I had to stay nearby because I was still underage."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Iori mumbled in sympathy as he reflected on how similar their situation was but his extended relatives gave up and decided it was better for him to stay at the temple.
Yukiko shook her head and they both fell back into silence, watching the various shadows moving behind the window of the big building in front of them.
"Did you have many happy memories here though?" Iori asked after a pause, hoping he wasn't opening up old wounds as he brought her back to this area.
"Oh, definitely," she replied with a small giggle. "I made a lot of friends here, and we caused havoc wherever we went. I remember one time we were supposed to be heading to cram school, but we decided to hang out at an arcade instead. We ended up in trouble when one of our friend's parents happened to be passing by—their dad spotted us and chased us all around the town centre!"
With that picture in mind, both figures under the tree laughed freely. This was surreal to the brunette as he didn't think he would get along with a spirit, instead of being afraid of them.
"Did you have a moment like that, Iori?" Yukiko asked as she finished laughing.
"Ah, no," Iori's laughter faded as he shook his head, pulling his legs closer. "I tried my best to keep my distance from people because of… my sight. When I was young, I had trouble telling the dead from the living, and people always made fun of me for talking to thin air. When I did try to tell people about it, I either got scolded or hit for making up stories or trying to scare them. I realised young that it's better to be alone."
"Oh," the spirit said, gently placing a soft hand on the brunette's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. But if it helps, I'm grateful for your gift. Without it, no one would be able to hear me, and I would have been exorcised by that creepy guy with the golden eyes."
The description made the two laugh once again, lifting the sad tension from before. They both then fell silent and watched as the clouds drifted by. It has been a while since Iori was able to just stare up into the open sky without hearing the honking of cars.
"By the way, why did-" Iori started but cut off as Yukiko suddenly stood up in front of him. He eyed her warily as he watched her seem to look for something.
"Did you hear that?" Yukiko whispered as her body tightened.
"Hear what?" The boy cautiously asked as he slowly stood up and walked closer to the spirit. "Yukiko?"
"The chanting…" Resentment began to swirl around her as she listened intently to something only she could perceive. "Someone is chanting. They're saying my name. They are telling me to fulfil the contract."
Iori gasped in realization, suddenly remembering from a book that as long as the spirit remained connected to the necromancer—especially since he supposedly knew where her body was—danger loomed. He cursed before grabbing a hold of Yukiko's hand trying to remember any calming mantra that the monks tried to teach him when he was younger.
"Yukiko, don't listen!" he cursed, regretting not having asked one of the twins or Yushi for their number to call them when shit like this happens. "Yukiko, stop listening to the chant! We're trying to help you remember. You do not need to listen to them anymore."
"Yes," she hissed in response to an unspoken question, her voice laced with malice. Iori was caught off guard as she unleashed a sudden blast of resentment energy. "Ten souls, as promised for my body. According to the contract, my peace is in exchange for their souls. I will keep my end of the deal."
Suddenly, Iori watched as Yukiko turned towards him. He tried to back away but soon darkness welcomed him.
So that's what happened? The boy groaned miserably as the pounding in his head intensified. If Yukiko brought me here, where am I? Where is she?
Based on the position of the sun, it appeared that a couple of hours had passed since he lost consciousness. The sun was inching toward the horizon, casting longer shadows as dusk approached, and the sky grew darker by the minute. It caused shadows to dance around him, making it seem that something was hiding behind pillars peeking at him.
No, wait. Those ARE eyes peeking at him behind pillars, hidden in the shadows. Cold, hungry eyes.
Iori's blood froze as he realized he was surrounded by shadowy creatures that are usually found in myths or legends. The Japanese usually call them by their generic names, yo-kai. However, Iori is no very aware of their individual names.
They peered at him, their eyes glinting in the dim light, and a series of hisses escaped from them as he instinctively backed away, trying to distance himself from them. They don't seem to have a form, seeming more liquid than solid. Changing between shapes found in nightmares. While he is very aware of ghosts, these are the first time he has encountered them.
"Do you like my pets?" A voice called out to him as a figure in a trench coat entered the room, with Yukiko following close behind. "I hope they didn't try to do anything to you. They have been told not to touch nor harm you."
Iori remained silent but glared at the man as slowly got closer to where he was at. His fist clenched behind him as the unknown male got closer to him.
"Not much of a talker," The man sighed before he lashed out and struck at Iori, causing the boy to cry in pain. "You answer when I ask you something boy! Honestly, children these days just don't show respect anymore."
Iori spat out the blood from his cut lip but still refused to speak as he glared up at the man. The man ignored the glare and started to pace around him.
"How did you manage to calm darling Yukiko's resentment?" The man's shoes clicked sharply on the cement floor as he circled the younger man, now sprawled on the ground after the blow. "Given how many men she has killed, it should have been difficult to get her to settle down. Even those dogs from the special unit would have no choice but to exorcise her. And yet… you, little boy, somehow made her talk. I would have been able to stay hidden a lot longer if you had stayed QUIET!"
The man gave Iori's stomach another kick. A spittle of blood trickled out of the boy's mouth.
"Let Yukiko go!" Iori gasped out in pain, ignoring the questions, "You bastard, how dare you make her kill in your name."
The man smirked in response as he wrapped an arm around Yukiko's waist. Until now, she had remained unresponsive, acting like a marionette on a string, following him wherever he led her.
"I didn't make her do anything," he said with a manic giggle, spinning them both in a twisted waltz. "She agreed to this. In return, I promised to find her body so she could finally find peace. I was rather displeased when she forgot her end of the deal, but a little reminder brought her back in line."
Iori gritted his teeth but before he could even comment the crazy man continued, "Well, it wasn't too hard to find the body when I was the one who murdered her that night." He giggled as he continued to hum and spin Yukiko towards him.
It was like all the air was vacuumed out of Iori as he processed what was being said. His mind echoed those words back to him in disbelief.
"Wh-What?" the choked question was thrown into the air.
"Yup," the man elongated the last letter, turning to face the boy, a diabolical smile twisting his features into something more demented. While his face looked like a normal Japanese middle-aged man, there was something about his eyes that unsettled Iori. While they look normal to a passing person, the younger man just feels that something dark lurks in this person's soul.
"I didn't want to do it at first, no matter how much the lady paid me," the killer continued, walking a few steps to tower over Iori's form, "But, master promised me that if I complete this ritual I will be one of his knights. I couldn't pass up the chance! So, I did it. It was all for the greater good of the society."
Knights? The younger man kept a note to himself to tell Yushi later on. Master? So there's someone else behind him?
"Who," Iori coughed out as he got back to a sitting position, wincing at the sore feeling of his stomach, "Who paid you to kill her?"
"Her Aunt."
The man's cackles echoed off the walls, sending ripples of chaos through the shadowy figures surrounding Iori. They seemed to feed off his maniacal energy; with every wild gesture, the shadows grew more active, swirling and shifting as if dancing to the rhythm of his madness. Ioti felt fear as it seemed like the shadows were closing in on him as the sun slowly set.
Yushi, Iori cried out internally as he pulled his legs closer to himself, save me.
"Her aunt hired me to ambush her in the alleyway near the apartment where Yukiko used to live," the madman said, his hand slowly stroking Yukiko's head as if he were patting an unruly child. "She heard about me from the dark web and wanted to know if she could help me bring her darling daughter back. However, I told her I would need a body for her daughter's spirit, and it has to be someone close in age or someone…compatible."
Iori turned sick at the thought of how Yukiko's blood relative was willing to sacrifice her. His eyes welled up in tears of anger and frustration staring at the now-vacant Yukiko who was swaying listlessly in her killer's arm.
"But, what a shame," He sighed mournfully, "before I could even complete the ritual, her aunt decided she couldn't take the guilt and took her own life. What should I do now?"
The brunette watched in horror as tears of blood streamed down Yukiko's empty eye sockets, staining her pale face with vivid crimson streaks. He gripped the rope on his wrists and watched as her body quivered in shock once she realised that the person who took care of her was the same person who stole her entire life away from her. The knowledge of betrayal seemed to have caused the resentment energy surrounding her to build up. The madman seemed to like her reaction and licked his lips in joy.
"You disgust me!" Iori growled as he sneered at the deranged man.
"Thank you!" came the maniacal reply. "The name is Takeo; forgive my manners for not introducing myself sooner but I needed to take out my anger. Now, Mr. Nakajima, you truly fascinate me. Or should I say, your strong spiritual power is what interests me…and my master. So, can you tell me…why is there a strong spell protecting your soul, little one?"