Chapter Text
"If you wander deep into the abandoned wards of H hospital, towards the furthest operating room in the west wing, you'll hear him.
Do I have a patient?
And if you tell him yes-
Do you want to be normal? Or do you want to be beautiful?
If you respond with 'normal' nothing will happen and you can leave alive but if you respond with 'beautiful'...
You'll hear a horrifying voice behind you:
The great genius Doctor Skin will fix you up!
And then! With a large whirling drill, he skins you alive!"
The school girl let out a giggle after recounting the ghost story.
"Well, I think it's a drill you hear? Still, doesn't that sound so scary?" She hummed and looked up at the school boy walking along beside her with a smile. "But I don't feel scared since you're here, Nagashima! Thank you for walking me home."
Did she have to mention drills? Even just the word still prickled his skin with goosebumps.
"Eh, I don't think you could be skinned with a, y'know, drill... where'd you hear something so dumb?"
Shou Nagashima shot her a quick half smile then looked back at the ominous structure they had just been talking about on the horizon beyond the tall rusted wire fence, it's silhouette blotted against the dark orange sky. It felt as if H hospital was staring back at him like it could sense his unease.
"Eri told me that ghost story because apparently a friend of her boyfriend actually went missing in there!"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah! According to her it's boarded up really tightly but he found a way into the east wing through a broken window! I bet he got nabbed by that scary doctor ghost!" the girl squealed playfully and hugged Shou's arm. "Oh, Nagashima, are you cold? You're shaking!"
Damnit, he hadn't realized how much his body was reacting to this ghost bullshit!
A ghost doctor murdering people in an abandoned hospital - in the past he would have quickly dismissed such a wild claim but after the events of last year he had to finally accept the existence of ghosts and the paranormal. He would never admit it to anyone but now that he knew there really were spirits lurking around walking in the twilight felt all the more dangerous, as did walking past abandoned buildings and desolate areas after which he would always check his body to make sure that damned Mark hadn't came back.
Back then if it hadn't been for the old man he would have surely...
"A-ah, yeah! Haha, damn I can't wait for summer to get here!" he rapidly gave her a reply when he felt her staring up at him.
"I know! Me too! There'll be so many fun things to do this year! I wonder where our class will go for our trip? Oh, I hope we go..."
The girl continued to ponder about their future school life but Shou couldn't get his mind off that ghost story. He wondered about just how true it was. Were people really going into that abandoned hospital and disappearing? If that was really the case, then wouldn't the old man want to know so he could like, take care of it or something? He did seem to have a knack for ghost hunting and it had been a good while since he had paid him a visit. Perhaps this would be a good excuse to go see him.
Wait, excuse? It's not like he needed an excuse! That just sounded weird!
"Nagashima? Are you even listening to me?" The girl pouted after noticing he wasn't reacting to anything she was saying.
"Oh, uh, yeah, listen - I just remembered I have to be somewhere. You okay to get home from here?"
He had asked the question but didn't stick around to hear the answer, instead nodding to the girl and then running off into the dusk.
"Wha- N-Nagashima! You- you jerk!" The school girl called after him but he didn't hear a word of it. Feet pounding the dirt path his trained athletic body easily carried him at a fast steady pace towards his destination.
By the time he arrived at the mysterious mansion the sun was half hidden behind the mountain range, robbing him of the comfort natural light brought - no matter where he was it felt like nothing supernatural could happen in the daytime but nighttime was an entirely different matter. With each step up the pathway Shou suddenly felt his determination start to waver. What did he hope to accomplish by coming here? Would the old man actually care about this ghost story? What if he didn't? Would he view him as a nuisance, or just an irrational kid?
Nah, c'mon, of course he wouldn't! Not only did the old man have a knack for dealing with ghosts but he also had one for getting himself into trouble, so he would totally eat this up!
Raising his fist to the large oak double doors in preparation to knock Shou found his knuckles unwilling to move, hovering a few centimetres away from the surface.
"Gahh, c'mon! Just knock already!" he groaned.
"Well if you won't, I will!"
A sudden bright voice spoke up from behind him, causing him to visually jump.
Shou spun around and locked eyes with a school girl. Her black hair was cropped to a neat bob and her large eyes gazed curiously at Shou.
"What the- w-who the hell are you?!"
"Hiya! I'm Moe Watanabe! Occult specialist and expert!" The girl grinned, then scratched her cheek bashfully. "Well, I hope to be one day."
Wait, so this chick was just some occult freak?
"Well?"
She cocked her head at him.
"...what?"
"Aren't you gonna tell me your name? It would be kinda rude not to."
Shou clicked his tongue irritably. "...Shou Nagashima, not like it matters to you."
"Nice to meet you, Shou! Are you here to see Mr Yashiki, too?"
"Ah, well, yeah... I am." He admitted, feeling somewhat awkward now that he said it to someone else. "Wait, is that why you're here? Do you know the old man?"
"Well duh! Of course I do!"
The girl called Moe Watanabe explained her connection to Kazou Yashiki: the Mark, the case with Hanahiko and the fact that he had saved her life. She offered up this information so freely, so either she sensed that Shou had encountered the same fate or she was just that dense.
"That was the first Mark case he had to deal with so honestly I feel very lucky that we all survived! I also got to experience the spirit of Hanahiko firsthand, which was exciting!" She laughed with a carefree tone.
Shou had to hold back his cry of disbelief. The hell? Lucky? How could she think of herself as 'lucky' for dealing with that shit?
"Dude, we nearly died, how can you consider that situation as something so positive?" He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ohh, so you're also a Mark victim! I thought so! Tell me, what vengeful spirit marked you? What was it like? What grudge was keeping them here? How did Mr Yashiki exorcise it?" Moe leaned towards him, her eyes practically sparkling with intrigue.
Ugh, he really didn't want to remember the events of that night right now or talk about them, especially out in the uncertain dark.
"Look, that doesn't matter! C'mon, there's no point hanging around out here."
Knock! knock! knock!
Banging loudly on the door Shou waited along with a pouting Moe for the doors to open. They had been waiting for a few minutes yet the door remained closed. Maybe he wasn't home? Although the one light in a window located on the lower floor contradicted that thought. Suddenly the old door creaked open and a calming, familiar face greeted them.
"Oh, Shou! It's been a while." Yashiki's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the high school student but gave him a warm smile before turning to the other student. "And you're here too, Moe! This is unexpected, but come on in."
"What? Uh, alright..."
"Pardon the intrusion!"
Moe happily wandered into the mansion like she lived there whereas Shou hesitated, hovering in place for a few seconds. He invited them into his own home so casually, it felt kinda weird. Like, yeah, they did know each other and it wasn't like this was their first time here, but still...
"Shou? Are you okay?" Yashiki tilted his head slightly, his shiny black hair shifting gently and falling over his glasses.
"Huh? Tch, yeah. I'm fine."
Shou shrugged quickly and crossed the threshold into the large mansion; although it had been a few months since he was last here the feelings he had first felt taking those steps into this echoing entrance hall resurfaced in his chest, although at least this time he wasn't being stalked by the shadow of death.
"Oh! Mr Mashita, you're here too!' He heard Moe say.
"Hah? What are you doing here?"
Mashita? That was...
A pair of sketchy, tired eyes belonging to an equally sketchy looking detective seated on one of the nearby couches flicked over to him after addressing Moe.
Yeah, he definitely remembered this guy.
Remembered how much he couldn't stand him.
"Another kid? Is this place suddenly a daycare?"
"Huh?! You shady-ass old man, who the hell you calling a kid?!" Shou protested almost automactically.
Mashita just smirked, which only irked Shou further.
"What's so funny, huh?"
"Nothing. I'm just amazed at how energetic kids can be."
"You-"
Moe looked between the two and let out a sigh. "Come on you two, behave! You're guests in Mr Yashiki's home!"
As if the mention of his name had summoned him Yashiki walked up to the squabbling trio.
"Sorry, I was checking the door hinges, I think they need oiled- hm? Did something happen?"
"These two were fighting!"
"S-shut the hell up!"
"Don't tell me to shut up!"
"Then don't talk shit!"
"Okay, okay, let's all calm down." Yashiki soothed the school pair, placing hand on each of their shoulders. Shou grimaced and with a pout he reluctantly shrugged off the warm hand, hearing a condescending snort from behind him but he bit back his irritation. Out the corner of his eye he could tell Yashiki was looking at him with worry but his attention was quickly snatched by Moe changing the subject.
"Anyways! Mr Yashiki, are you busy right now? I'm writing a feature on spirit items for this months issue and I wanted your insight!" She beamed up at him.
"Spirit items, huh?" Yashiki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I should have information I can share with you. Mashita, you don't mind if we stay here?"
Mashita just waved his hand, disinterested in this subject and continuing to read through the files spread out in front of him.
"Yay! Thank you! Oh oh oh, can I please have something to drink, too? I practically ran here after school!"
Damn, did this chick have no shame? Coming into someone else's house with all these demands!
"Sure, I'll get you something - Mashita, would you like a refill?"
"Mm."
"Shou? Would you like something?"
"What? Ah, yeah. Sure! I'll have-"
"Milk?" Mashita mumbled loud enough for only Shou to hear.
Detective bastard!
"Coffee! With sug- no, black! Black coffee, like how I always have it."
Folding his arms triumphantly Shou shot a cocky grin in Mashita's direction as if to say 'whadda think of that!' but Mashita ignored it, instead pouring most of his focus onto the file he was flipping through.
"...You're kinda lame, huh?" Moe turned to him with a pitying smile.
Ughhhh!
"Hey, old man! I'll help ya!"
Staying here with these two would only make him angrier so Shou followed after Yashiki into the mansion's cozy kitchen.
"So, how have you been?"
Yashiki stood by the cooker, keeping an eye on the kettle he had placed on one of the rings to heat up the water but looked at Shou over his shoulder.
"Eh, been alright." Shou shrugged.
Now that they were alone Shou began to feel kinda awkward again and he didn't know why, which only made him feel the need to act more aloof as opposed to friendly.
"You joined the baseball team at school, didn't you? That's good, from what I saw you really have a talent for it."
"Ah, t-thanks..."
Should he mention H hospital now? This might be the only time he would have the old man all to himself without those other two butting in. Yeah, now would be his only chance!
"...Have you had any issues with spirits?"
Yashiki spoke before Shou had the chance to present his newfound knowledge.
"Huh? Uh, nah. I haven't had any issues."
"I see. That's good to hear. I'm glad you're able to live a normal life after that... event." The old man's eyes clouded with slight guilt but he quickly blinked it away and smiled at Shou. "If you can avoid getting involved with spirits at all then I highly recommend it. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you, don't throw it away."
His voice was gentle, not speaking to Shou like he was some stupid child getting a lecture but more like he was a young adult being given guidance by another who had suffered the same hardships. He wanted to say something back but his words were stolen by his own brand of guilt now, instead glancing up at Yashiki and noticing how much softer and gentle his pale face looked compared to the night they had first met; it only made sense that he was more relaxed now since he wasn't fighting for his life every night. The kettle whistled shrilly, alerting them that is was time for this conversation to end.
"Right, pass me those cups, please. Just black for you, Shou?"
"Y-yeah, just black. I... I ain't a kid."
------
"So anything could become a spirit item?" Moe asked after glugging water from the bottle Yashiki had given her.
"Mm, it's more likely to be an item that held some strong importance or relevance to the deceased, that way it's easier for their spirit to latch onto."
Every time Yashiki spoke Moe would eagerly scribble down his words into some cheap looking notebook with a cartoon ghost design. Shou watched them from a distance, leaning up against the wall and swirling his untouched bitter coffee. It wasn't like he was creeped out by the subject or anything, he just didn't want to hear those fanatics discussing spooky shit.
And now he was doubting his reason for coming here.
The old man had expressed how happy he was that Shou wasn't getting caught up in spirit bullshit so if he continued on and told him about that ghost story would he be disappointed? Or upset? Worried? Would he be happy if the old man was worrying about him?
Maybe he just wanted to come here and see him again? That girl didn't seem to have any trouble dropping by at random so why did he feel so awkward about being here? Clicking his tongue Shou felt irritated at his own thoughts, he sounded like some jealous chick. Casting his eyes sidewards he looked over at Mashita who was still seated where he had been when Shou first got here, sorting and flicking through a couple of thin files. Then why the hell was this guy here? Did he also just show up when he pleased? Quietly he inched closer to the detective and peered over his shoulder to see what was so fascinating about all that paper. Written on the data sheet in his hand were just a bunch of names and time stamps which didn't mean shit but suddenly something caught his eye. The location that all this data came from - H hospital?!
"Guh!"
Mashita was now glaring at him over his shoulder, quickly tucking the paper away. But Shou didn't back down.
"Hey, that place - H hospital - are you investigating it?" He whispered so he wouldn't attract Yashiki's attention yet.
"... That's none of your business." The reply was cold.
"It is! Cuz that's what I came to talk to the old man about!"
Oh? In Mashita's eyes there was a brief flash of surprise. Had he actually gotten the jump this smug bastard? Shou grinned, enjoying this slight shift in superiority.
"Yeah, guess you haven't heard but there's a pretty big urban legend goin' around about that place and I happen to have some info on it. I thought maybe the old man would wanna hear about it- h-hey!"
At Shou's yelp Yashiki and Moe looked over at the pair.
"Shou? Mashita? What's wrong?" Yashiki asked with concern and was about to stand up when Mashita waved his free hand calmly while dragging Shou by the scuff of his school uniform.
"Little Shou here just told me he really needs a ride home because he's too scared to walk in the dark-"
"T-the fuck! You ass-"
"So, we'll be off. Later."
Before anyone could speak Mashita hastily scooped up his files, easily dragging the struggling and swearing Shou across the checker tiles and out into the crisp night.
As soon as the heavy oak door had slammed shut Shou felt the grip on his scruff loosen and he was pushed forward, stumbling inelegantly.
"The fuck's your damn problem, bastard!" He snapped his head around and growled at Mashita, who crossed his arms and looked down at him with an icy stare so intense it would have made a child cry.
"Well!?"
"Don't mention anything about that hospital to Yashiki, got it? Not a word. Now go home, kid."
That was all he said before walking past him towards his car.
What? That's it?
"Oi! I ain't done with you!"
"Well, I'm done with you."
And he was gone, his car driving off down the long road connecting the mansion to the outside world and leaving a livid Shou in his wake to watch as the taillights melted into the darkness.
That smug, self-righteous asshole!
What was his goddamn problem?
Acting all high and mighty, telling him what to do, like he would actually listen!
Huffing and cursing Shou stomped back to the mansion doors and clasped the handle, ready to storm back in there and do exactly the opposite of what Mashita had said but his body paused itself. Self doubt murmured in his chest at how interested the old man would be in his ghost story, would he even care at all? No, knowing the old man it would probably be the case he would care too much.
Wait - is that what Mashita was worried about? So that's why he told him not to say anything! It made sense!
But this new thought only made Shou feel worse. Still grasping the door handle he pressed his forehead against the cold wood and closed his eyes. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he could be sending Yashiki into danger but it had clearly been the instant scenario in Mashita's mind. Somehow yet again he was causing more trouble than he was worth. The memory loss he had suffered made him nearly dead weight during the Shimi-O incident and he didn't even want to think about that time he barged into that sleazy love hotel just to find the old man but nearly involuntarily killed him; and now he was burdened with the knowledge that Yashiki didn't want him getting wrapped up in anymore paranormal business.
"...tch! Damnit! Now I'm even more pissed off!"
He spat and cursed.
Yet his anger and overbearing pride was forming a new thought in the back of his head - a downright stupid and irresponsible thought, but the payoff would be worth it!
Hopefully.
Maybe.
He could already feel the goosebumps popping up all over his arms but goddamn it he wasn't going to let that Mashita bastard show him up!
Retracting his quaking hand from the door handle Shou took a deep breath, inhaling the night air. What he was planning to do was totally stupid but he was hotheaded and prideful, he couldn't back down now. He would need to run home to grab his bike and his bat, as well as a flashlight.
Yeah, he could do this!
The sun now ducked behind the mountain range, hiding the amped up school boy from its view and plunging the world into a cool darkness. Setting his jaw taut Shou straightened his shoulders, swallowed his fears and sprinted off. The night was newborn and ripe with danger yet he was not to discover this until it was too late.