Chapter Text
Last Defense Academy was home to an elite group of ghost hunters, known as the Supernatural Defense Unit (SDU). Their job was to eliminate the enemies of humanity- namely, ghosts. Teams of four would head out to locations to determine the ghost’s identity, and once discovered, other members of the team would later come and exorcise it. Some of them, like Hiruko and Darumi, could easily handle either role. Others like Gaku preferred to only exorcise, while people like Shouma preferred to only be on detective duty. Takumi filled roles as needed, but on average he usually got stuck trying to figure out ghost types, like he was tonight.
He and his team parked in front of the house of the night: a quaint, seemingly innocent little blue house standing empty amongst a long row of other houses. The realtors had been struggling to get anyone to buy the place as anyone who entered were clearly made to feel unwelcome by an unseen inhabitant. A brave soul who had lingered too long was found dead the next morning, and it was clearly dangerous.
So, a typical night for them.
They made sure they were all in uniform, gathered up their supplies, and set out for the house. The uniforms weren't the most comfortable things in the world, all black with very unique boots, but thanks to some magical property of theirs, it prevented them from experiencing a true death at the hands of a ghost. Takumi didn't really understand how it worked, but it kept their souls safe. So even if they died while out on a job, as long as they were fully suited, they could be brought back at the academy.
Takumi adjusted his headgear idly while Nozomi summarized the mission. The ghost’s name was Addamaque, and he’d been terrorizing this house for a while now. They didn’t know much else, but there probably wasn’t a cursed object present this time.
Darumi spun a flashlight in her hands. “Man, the ghosts have been so boring recently. I hope this one is really dangerous. Do you think we'll all get brutally murdered this time?”
Takumi gave her an unimpressed look. “Darumi, please.”
She simply giggled in response and skipped inside. “Hey, ghostie! I'm right here, come and kill me!”
Well, at least her methods were pretty effective at finding the room the ghost was lingering in… Takumi sighed and followed her in, before they all split off to do their thing. Takumi preferred a thermometer and spirit box as his main instruments of choice, and he was also delegated to be the one who turned on the breaker. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed doing, but as the Team Leader, the dirty work usually got pushed onto him. And so that was how he found himself wandering around in the basement on his own. His flashlight only dimly illuminated his surroundings, and he stumbled over stray objects more than once before he found the electric box. He turned on the power, and then shivered. Checking the thermometer, he noted it was getting close to freezing. So, pretty cold, but not quite cold enough to be evidence. But it could be the ghost’s room.
He pulled out his spirit box and flipped off the room’s light switch. “Hello? Are you here? Can you say something?” He started running through his list of questions, but so far, nothing.
Shouma’s voice came through on the radio. “Um, I apologize that you have to listen to my repulsive voice, but I believe I found the ghost room upstairs. Unless I’m mistaken, which I very well could be.”
Guess not in the basement then. Takumi headed up the flight of stairs back to the main floor, but right as he turned the light back on, something odd happened. He could’ve sworn he heard a voice whisper something from his spirit box. A soft male voice saying something like… “disgusting”? He’d never heard that one before.
Takumi turned the light off again and waited to see if it would speak again, but was met with silence. Maybe the ghost was what they called The Twins, one that could appear in two separate places..? Either that, or he was hearing things. He eventually shrugged and headed upstairs to meet the others.
He ran into Shouma first. “Oh, Takumi, did you come to check if it really is the ghost room? Of course, only someone as totally inept as me could mistake hearing something on the spirit box. I'm sorry for taking up valuable space on the team with my worthless presence.”
Takumi raised his hands placatingly. “No, no, it's okay, I believe you. I just came to help.”
Only someone as totally inept as me could mistake hearing something on the spirit box.
Suddenly he didn't feel very motivated to share what he thought he'd just heard downstairs.
“Come on Shouma, let’s get to work.”
Inside the room, Nozomi was setting up some cameras while Darumi was off still trying to goad the ghost into attacking. “Oh, hey Takumi! I’m just about finished getting everything ready here.” She glanced back at the video recorder. “And I’m seeing ghost orbs! That’s two out of three.”
Takumi grinned. “Great job team! Just one more piece and we’re home free!”
A low, grating voice hissed out of his spirit box. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”
Takumi quickly turned it off. “Whoops, didn’t realize I still had it on.” Odd, it was definitely a different voice from the one he thought he’d heard earlier. As there was no need to keep the light off any longer, he reached for the switch. “Did anyone grab a crucifix yet?”
Almost immediately afterwards, the switch flicked back off.
Oh no. If he remembered correctly, there was only one ghost type that could do that-
“Guys, it’s a Mare, be careful!”
A disembodied voice shrieked at them from around the room. “Aghhhhhh! You're all going down!” A Mare, one of the more dangerous and highly aggressive ghost types. And, of course, no one had grabbed a crucifix. Seconds later, Addamaque appeared before them in the middle of the room.
“Run!”
Adrenaline coursed through Takumi’s veins as he ran. He hadn’t had time to look around upstairs yet so he had no idea where any hiding places might be. Praying he wasn’t being chased, he sprinted downstairs and ran into the first bedroom he saw. He closed the door behind him, and then huddled quietly in a corner, shivering. He drew his knees closer to his chest. He could clearly see his breath. Why did it have to be so cold tonight?
A noise from opposite the room made him look up, and his breath caught in his throat. Illuminated by the moon was the pale figure of a ghost leaning back against the desk. It looked like a boy, and he seemed to be around the same age as him. And he was staring right back at him.
Takumi let out an undignified shriek and scrambled for the door.
The ghost called out to him. “No, please, wait!”
The door refused to budge, and either because Addamaque was still hunting or because of this ghost’s doing, his comms weren’t working either. Slowly, Takumi turned to face him, keeping his back pressed flush against the door.
The pale boy had his hands raised placatingly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
Takumi stared at him. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Finally, Takumi sighed. “Alright then, talk.” Upon hearing that, the ghost seemed to relax immediately, and he smiled hesitantly at Takumi. Odd. He’d never seen a ghost smile in a non-creepy way.
“Thank you. I’ll keep it brief- I need your help. I… I want to move on, but I can’t. Not while I still have unfulfilled desires. And, unfortunately, I don’t think I can do it on my own. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
The boy was looking at him so… earnestly. Takumi had only ever dealt with vengeful ghosts before, but those were more the exception than the rule. It wasn’t unheard of to find ones that were stuck for one reason or another. This could be his chance to learn about peaceful ways of resolving paranormal conflict. “...What would you have me do?”
The ghost looked away shyly. “Ah, well… It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but… I want to be your friend. I’ve never had friends before.”
Takumi balked at him. That was probably one of the last things he’d ever expected to hear. Okay, it’s not like he was well-versed in ghost regrets, but still. “You want to be… friends?”
“Yes!” The pale boy eagerly stepped closer, and with Takumi up against the door, there was nowhere to run. “I was very sick as a child, so I spent most of my life in a hospital. It's not an environment that's very conducive to making friends, and I have a health condition that made it hard to be around other people. But I figure that maybe, since I'm not alive anymore, my condition won't affect me anymore? Maybe this is my one chance to actually feel what it's like to have a friend, even if only for a little bit. But it’s not something I can do on my own.”
Takumi hesitated. He knew he shouldn't listen. He should find a way out of this room, tell his friends about what happened, and get rid of both of the ghosts here tonight. They were here to exorcise the wicked ghosts after all, that was their mission.
And yet...
Takumi couldn't sense any malice coming from the boy. He sounded so genuine in his plea, and when Takumi looked into his eyes, all he could see was a desperate hopefulness and longing.
"I don't expect you to help me for free either! I can be helpful! I can help you find out information about the ghosts you're hunting. So… please?”
Takumi sighed heavily. "Fine. If it's not too difficult, I'll see if I can help you."
The ghostly boy beamed at him and held out his hand. "Thank you so much! You're such a nice person. My name is Eito, by the way."
Takumi reached out and tried to grasp the proffered hand, but his own went right through. A cool chill ran through him at the touch, his hairs standing on end. "I'm Takumi."
Eito laughed brightly. "I look forward to getting to know you, Takumi!”
A voice called out over his walkie talkie. Seems it was working again. "Oh, I better go check on them.” He reached for the doorknob, then paused. “How will I find you again?”
Eito brought a hand to his chin in thought. “I can’t be here once the place has been cleansed. I’m not actually tied to this place, so I could theoretically leave, but I have no way of knowing where I’ll end up once I leave.”
Takumi considered him. “In that case, how about I come back tomorrow night? It usually takes a few days for my other teammates to prepare the cleansing ritual, so we have some time before then.”
The ghost smiled again. “That sounds perfect. I’ll be waiting near the back door then, that’ll probably be easiest.”
Takumi nodded. “Yeah, okay, sounds good.” He awkwardly stepped to the side so he could open the door. He glanced at Eito, nodding again, then hurried out.
For now, it was probably for the best to keep this to himself. He can already hear Hiruko’s lecture about the danger and that ghosts were their enemy, plain and simple. He didn’t want someone to come in and exorcise Eito before he had a chance to know more about the situation. It was risky, but it felt like the right thing to do.
The next night, Takumi came back as promised. It seemed like things got kinda fuzzy for ghosts if they tried to leave the confines of a house, so they sat together on opposite sides of the open backdoor. Takumi outside for safety from the Mare (just in case), and Eito on the other side of the doorway.
Takumi cleared his throat. "So... What did you want me to do, exactly? I assume just agreeing to be your friend isn't going to cut it, is there anything more specifically that you feel is... unfulfilled?"
"How about we start with getting to know each other? What kind of friends are we if I only really know your name, right?”
Takumi idly scratched his cheek. “I guess that makes sense.”
Eito leaned forward eagerly. “What are your hobbies? What's your zodiac sign? What kind of food do you dislike? Do you like manga? What about movies? Are you seeing anyone right now? Do you play games?”
Alarmed at the barrage of questions, Takumi put his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, slow down! You need to give me time to answer before you ask a new question!”
Eito looked sheepish. “Ah, right… Sorry, I wasn't a very social person even back when I was alive. Since I spent a lot of time in a hospital, I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to making friends. And when you're dead, your social life dies too. It's not like these guys,” Eito gestured vaguely back at the house, “are great company either. So please, if I do or say anything strange, please let me know. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm sure it's already pretty uncomfortable spending time with a ghost to begin with…”
Takumi thought about it. “Actually? It's not as bad as I thought. I mean, usually the ghosts I meet are trying to kill me, and that's not great. But you're surprisingly easygoing, so I wouldn't say I'm having a bad time right now. If I were to complain about anything, it's that you make the place freezing cold.” He shivered and rubbed his arms.
Eito laughed. “I'm sorry, there's not much I can do about that. Maybe you need to bring a blanket next time?”
“Or three…” Takumi looked pensive. “I get the feeling that if I made a hot drink, it might freeze solid.” It was strange how easy it was to banter with him. Even with the chill, the ghost's warm smile helped cut through it.
“Okay, I don’t think it’s that cold, but we could test that out too. I'm admittedly rather curious to know more about what I can affect as a ghost. There's only so much I can figure out on my own, and if I run into a human, they usually assume I'm going to try to kill them. I can't blame them for it, but it makes things difficult.”
Takumi nodded along. “That makes sense. I thought the same, after all.” He bit his lip. “I'm… I'm not really sure how to say this, but you're… surprisingly eloquent for a ghost.”
The other boy laughed. “I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. Yeah, most of the others do just kind of groan and wail.” He furrowed his brow. “I'm not entirely sure myself, but I think it has something to do with what kind of a ghost I ended up as. Not every ghost can speak, but you can hear some of them through the spirit box, right? They're still holding onto a lot of strong, angry emotions, and that hatred allows them to communicate with you. I may not be driven by hatred, but I feel really strongly about wanting to talk, so maybe that's why I've held onto my ability to and why you can hear me even without the box to facilitate it?” He shrugged. “It's mostly just conjecture, though.”
“Huh… Well, makes sense to me, and I can't think of a different explanation.”
They sat together in companionable silence for a while. It was peaceful. For a moment, Takumi could forget that he was sitting here with a ghost.
Eventually, Eito broke the silence. “As much as I'm enjoying sitting here with you, I'm starting to feel quite… tired, I guess is a good equivalent. It's hard to stay manifested for long periods of time.”
“Oh! I see. I guess that explains why the ghosts I run into don't make themselves visible very often.” Takumi looked at the time. “And now that you mention it, I really do need to get back. I don't want anyone to realize I snuck out.” He looked questioningly at the other. “How will we-”
“I'm confident we'll run into each other again soon enough. I tend to end up drifting to places where other ghosts are, so if I find ones that are causing trouble, you guys are bound to show up eventually.” He fiddled with a piece of his hair and smiled shyly at him. “I'll be looking forward to it.”
Takumi found he could confidently agree. “I'll try to not keep you waiting too long.” With that, they waved goodbye, and he walked back around to the front of the house.
Surprisingly, Takumi found he really was looking forward to seeing Eito again. Sure, he had his friends at the SDU, but this was different somehow. Eito was easy to talk to, and he felt strangely drawn to him. He really wanted to do everything he could to help him move peacefully into the afterlife, but he'd also miss him when he did. They'd just have to make the most of what time they did have to spend together.
But this was no time to get sentimental. He needed to get at least a little bit of sleep before the next day's work started. With that, he pushed Eito from his mind as best as he could and hurried back to the Academy.