Mizuki sat cross-legged on the floor, a stack of old photo albums spread out in front of her. She flipped through the pages, her fingers trailing over the glossy images of Ren's life with his grandfather. There were pictures of him as a chubby-cheeked baby, grinning at the camera with a toothless smile, and others of him as a toddler, holding up what appeared to be a frog with an expression of pure delight.
"Look at this one!" Mizuki giggled, holding up a photo of a younger Ren, around six or seven, wearing a Halloween costume that appeared to be a lopsided vampire cape. "This is gold. You look so serious!"
Ren glanced over and snorted. "Yeah, my grandpa made me wear that. He said it would 'build character.'"
Mizuki smiled, her gaze softening as she turned the pages slower now, lingering on the pictures of Ren and his grandfather. "He must've loved you a lot," she said gently. She flipped another page, pausing on an image of the two of them standing in front of their house, the elderly man with his arm around his grandson. A twinge of sadness tugged at her heartstrings, and she could sense the sadness in her friend. His grandfather's recent passing had been rough, especially with how quickly it happened.
"Yeah," Ren murmured, pausing in his task to glance at one of the albums. "I loved him a lot too."
He returned to the box he was packing, carefully sorting through items and choosing only what he deemed most important. A few faded books rested at the bottom, one of them a dog-eared volume of Bushido that his grandfather had read to him as a kid. A small wooden sculpture of a fox sat next to them, its long tail curved protectively around a jagged stone. There was also an old pocket watch, its chain slightly tarnished but still intact, and a carefully folded scarf that smelled faintly of cedar.
"What about the pictures?" Mizuki asked, glancing at the albums spread around her. "Aren't you going to take those too?"
Ren hesitated, glancing at the albums again. "I'll take a couple," he said finally, pulling out a photo of him and his grandfather sitting on the front porch, the older man laughing at something Ren had said. "But I can't take everything. There's not enough space, and…"
"And?" Mizuki prompted gently.
Ren sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think it's better to leave most of them here. This was his home, you know? It doesn't feel right taking everything. It's like… I'd be taking a piece of him away from here." He gestured around the room, where remnants of his grandfather's presence lingered everywhere.
The pictures of them together, his favorite tea, the stack of worn books he kept by his favorite chair. All these things were tied to his memory. And though it might be easier to pack everything up, Ren didn't want that. He would rather keep a few of his favorite things and leave the rest behind, knowing that each one held its own story.
Mizuki nodded, understanding his point of view completely. She couldn't imagine how difficult it was for him to let go like this, but she admired his bravery in doing so. It took a lot of courage to face loss head-on instead of trying to hide from it. He truly was a strong person inside and out. "I think I get what you mean," she said softly, rising from her sitting position.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, idly unlocking it. Her eyes widened when she saw the notifications—dozens of missed calls and texts from both Sakura and Kaoru. "Uh, Ren," she said, astonished. "They've been trying to call me nonstop for the past hour. I've got at least twenty missed calls from Sakura, and Tenmei-sensei isn't far behind." Ren didn't respond. He was crouched on the floor, staring down at the box he'd packed, his fingers brushing absently over the folded scarf on top.
"Ren?" Mizuki pressed, glancing at him. "They're probably worried about us. Let's wrap this up and get going before dark. Is there anything else you want to grab?" Still, he said nothing. Mizuki's brows knitted in concern. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Ren?"
He didn't move. His head remained bowed, his body unnaturally still except for his hand, which trembled violently at his side. For some reason, that simple motion filled her with fear. Her pulse quickened as a chill prickled the nape of her neck. There was something wrong here—something wasn't right. "Ren, seriously. You're starting to really freak me out. Please say something."
"You should run."
His voice sounded threatening, quiet and raspy and low. Mizuki froze, goosebumps raising on her skin. What was he saying? What was wrong? Why was he acting like this? Questions swirled inside her head, clouding her judgment. "Wh-...What?" she managed to reply finally, her throat dry and scratchy.
"If you don't, I might just rip you to shreds. Or, even better, I'll tear your insides out and leave you here in a pool of your own blood, slowly watching the life seep out of you." A pause. A long, deafening silence stretched between them. And then a cruel smile twisted the edge of the man's mouth. "Actually, I changed my mind. I'm not letting you go that easily." His hands snapped towards her face, the fingers digging in cruelly as he pinned her down onto the cold floor, knocking the air out of her lungs.
The back of her head smacked against the floor, stars exploding behind her eyes as she struggled to process what was happening. She gasped, her body struggling against the force of his grip, but he didn't budge. "Lucky me," he purred, leaning forward. "I find myself in a strong, healthy body, and what do I see? A pretty little thing like you, all to myself."
He laughed at how she writhed and struggled beneath him, at how powerless she was. A feeling of utter helplessness crept through her body. There was no way she could fight him back; he was just too strong. Slowly, deliberately, he dragged his tongue up her cheek, tasting the sweat and fear on her skin, eliciting an involuntary shudder of disgust. "Get off me!" Mizuki spat, twisting her head to the side.
"You should feel honored. You'll be the first to die by my hand in centuries. A shame, really. Someone so pretty deserves a better end." His hands moved to her throat with terrifying speed, his fingers wrapping around her neck like iron clamps. Mizuki's eyes widened in panic as her air supply was cut off, her hands instinctively clawing at his wrists. "I bet you'd like to know who I am, right?" The man cocked his head to the side, staring down at her with his blood-red eyes, smiling coldly. "How about I give you a hint?"
Closer, closer... until their lips were nearly touching. "I'm the one who's going to make you beg for mercy before the end." His fingers squeezed tighter as a triumphant smile stretched across his face. Then, suddenly, he froze. His grip loosened ever so slightly, enough for Mizuki to gasp in a ragged breath. His head turned toward the doorway, eyes narrowed. "Well, well," he said, straightening up as he let Mizuki fall to the floor in a coughing heap. "Looks like we have an audience."
When Mizuki's eyes refocused, she followed his gaze to the two figures silhouetted against the sunset. Kaoru and Testuya stood side-by-side, ready to intervene. "Ren!" Testuya called out, stepping forward. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"That's not Ren," Kaoru corrected. He stepped between Testuya and the creature wearing Ren's body, holding out his arm to hold him back. "Take care of Mizuki." He didn't take his eyes off the corrupted young man in front of him, who smirked maliciously as if daring them to make a move. Testuya looked between them for a moment, hesitating, but eventually turned to check on his wounded friend.
The spirit laughed, tilting Ren's head back in mockery. "A Tenmei man," it hissed, flashing its teeth at him, "finally decided to show his face. Just what I wanted." Its crimson eyes flicked over the taller male's frame, noting every detail as it took slow, deliberate steps toward him. "But why are you so scared? It's just a kid," it purred, trying to taunt him. "Or are you here for that little whore over there?"
Kaoru's hands twitched, aching to reach out and strike the bastard right between the eyes. "Did I hit a nerve?" it teased, enjoying his discomfort. Kaoru lunged forward, throwing a punch aimed directly at the spirit's jaw. It dodged expertly and countered with a blow aimed straight into his gut, knocking the breath out of him. "Oh man! This is too good! Is that all you can muster? Not a surprise, really!"
Another hit connected, forcing him back a few steps as the wraith grinned sadistically. Kaoru grit his teeth, throwing a few more quick jabs, only for the spirit to deflect his attacks and land counter hits instead. "Hah! You can do better than that!" he roared.
"If you're such an expert," Kaoru shot back, regaining some composure, "you should recognize who you're fighting."
"You've got a death wish, don't you? You son of a—"
Kaoru didn't let them finish. His hand surged forward, landing a blow squarely on Ren's chest. His body hit the ground with a loud thud, now completely still and unconscious. "What a mess," he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared down at the boy's prone form. Kaoru heard a quiet groan come from Mizuki, and when he turned his attention towards the two, he could see Testuya tending to her carefully. His lips tightened as he saw that the wounds on her neck were starting to bleed.
Calmly, he walked over and crouched down beside her. "How bad does it hurt?" he asked, carefully placing his fingertips near the deep dents left by Ren. Mizuki winced at the contact, instinctively pulling away. "Sorry." He didn't like seeing her so fragile and shaken. There were already deep bruises forming along her delicate skin; it reminded him how delicate humans truly were.
"Is Ren okay?" Mizuki asked. Even though he had attacked her, she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. She didn't blame him for what had happened. The real Ren was not responsible—a dangerous evil spirit had possessed his body—and she couldn't blame him for not being able to fight back. "You didn't..." Her words faltered as she glanced down at the lifeless body of the teenager sprawled on the floor. Kaoru followed her gaze. "...you know."
"He's fine," Kaoru replied. "I just rendered him unconscious. That will give us enough time to get him back to the Kansei Enclave, if we're lucky."
"And if we're not lucky?" Testuya asked, clearly still shaken by what he had witnessed.
Kaoru didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned back to Mizuki, his expression softening as she winced again at his touch. "Think you can stand?" he murmured. The young woman nodded slowly, using the wall for support as she got to her feet. He steadied her as her head spun, feeling slightly dizzy.
"Thank you," Mizuki muttered, pressing her forehead to her arm to compose herself. "I'll be okay." She touched her throat gingerly and exhaled, blinking a few times. After a long moment, she cleared her throat and straightened up. "I would heal myself, but I don't know how effective my ability would be after being choked like that," she sighed, looking at Ren again. "It happened out of nowhere. We were packing boxes and talking, and then...he just attacked me. And he wouldn't stop. If you hadn't shown up when you did, well, who knows what would've happened."
"Testuya, grab Ren," Kaoru told the dark-haired boy. His priorities, for now, lied with protecting the girl in front of him. Testuya nodded, kneeling to hoist Ren's limp body onto his shoulder. The younger guardian grimaced at the weight but didn't complain as he adjusted his position. In silence, they all trudged to the waiting car that sat outside.