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Everything settled down.
Surprisingly, everything settled down. There was no one else following Reigen around, there was no one else trying to snatch the kid up, and Shige couldn’t sense anyone watching the office. Hanazawa and Emi-san were sending feelers out, trying to find out who was after the brat, and Shimazaki was keeping an eye, heh, on the brat at school and had apparently looped another kid on it. Shige was on a warpath, but there was reason to go to war, and so he was just stewing in the office and glaring at everything and everyone who weren’t his people.
Ritsu was going to tug his hair out at this point. They didn’t know who the hell was after Goldilocks, and they didn’t know why the hell they had targeted him either. Ritsu wanted to know that most of all. Why Reigen? Of course, everyone who was associated with the spiritual consultant offices knew Reigen was incredible. That was just a given at this point, the kid wormed his way into the hearts of everyone that meets him and does everything that he could to help everyone that he interacted with.
Ritsu frowns at his desk as he thought about that.
Twelve year olds weren’t usually that helpful, were they? Sure, the kid, as an empath, was someone who was helpful. He was also a brash piece of shit who needled at others and tried to wheedle ice cream mochi out of Ritsu every time they went and exorcised a spirit together and was quickly filling up the punch card so he could have his free swear. Ritsu would have to make another punch card soon.
But kids were selfish, weren’t they? They didn’t want to do things, they wanted to laze around, they hated homework, they didn’t want to do actual work.
And that was the complete opposite of Reigen.
Reigen acted as if he wasn’t useful, if he wasn’t doing something useful, then he would die. Sure he slacked off a little, he didn’t do his writing homework until he got to the offices, and he would whine about the weather that was quickly heating up. He also whined about the fact that summer was coming up and Shimazaki would be graduating to high school and wouldn’t be around anymore. He whined about his mom forgetting to make dinner and he had to make it and he whined about forgetting his favorite water bottle at home.
And that was it.
He didn’t complain about anything else.
Ritsu didn’t like this. Dimple hadn’t said anything about the school kids, and he didn’t mention anything about the teachers. Not even when Ritsu tried to bribe the damn spirit, the damn thing kept his lips sealed and refused to give any information. And whenever Ritsu tried to ask anything from Shimazaki, the kid just shrugged and went silent and didn’t speak until Reigen came back into the room. Bar from Ritsu storming Salt middle school himself and demanding answers, he was at a dead end.
And Nii-san was getting suspicious about why Ritsu was so antsy and being quiet about trying to figure this out.
And Ritsu didn’t care for the kid. Not really. Okay, maybe just a little bit, he cared just a little bit for the damn gremlin that had wormed his way into their lives at the offices and refused to leave. The kid that managed to make the once cold office feel so warm. The kid that was somehow mending his and Nii-san’s relationship.
Just the other day, Nii-san had gotten upset and Ritsu’s first reaction hadn’t been one of fear. It hadn’t been one of panic that Nii-san would explode. It hadn’t been one that made him jump in immediately to try and fix things so his brother wouldn’t get upset.
No, instead Ritsu had just gotten up and squeezed his brother’s shoulder. And Nii-san had calmed down. Just like that. The hair that had been fluttering in a nonexistent wind stilled, and Shige let out a breath that he had been holding and he leaned into Ritsu’s hand. Ritsu didn’t feel like a caretaker anymore, a person who was constantly defusing a ticking bomb that would eventually explode.
He felt like he was just a man comforting his brother, who was upset. And his brother just so happened to have very strong psychic powers. He hadn’t felt like this since he was ten years old and before that very first explosion.
A weird feeling, but it was one that he enjoyed.
And it was thanks to the kid that had practically barreled into their lives months ago and who Shige refused to let leave because they just needed someone to deal with people, but instead the kid had changed them all for the better.
And now that same kid was in danger. And they weren’t getting anywhere with it. And it was making everyone frustrated, and Ritsu could see that it was making Reigen in turn frazzled, because he was an empath and could feel their emotions when he entered the room with Shimazaki after school.
Ritsu blew out a breath, not knowing what to do.
He wanted to find whoever was targeting the kid and just get rid of them already. He wanted to dig them all out of the ground and destroy them and make sure that they’d never dare to look at Reigen again.
But he didn’t have that power. Not even Nii-san had that power currently. Not even Hanazawa.
All they could do was keep watch and try to make sure that Reigen wasn’t going to be snatched out from under their noses while he was just walking home or whatever. In that sense, Ritsu was glad that Reigen had rekindled his friendship with Shimazaki, who was quickly proving to be a close friend and a missing piece to the office. The innate psychic ability of the kid to teleport was a good addition too, especially in light of the new circumstances. And it didn’t seem to have a set radius either.
Hanazawa had asked, because for some reason he had declared himself to be Shimazaki’s teacher. Shimazaki had simply responded to that claim with a flat look, but didn’t try to teleport away from the man when he ruffled Shimazaki’s hair or slung an arm over his shoulder.
“Hmm? Radius? I just think of where I wanna be and I’m there. It’s like stepping, I told you.”
What was with the addition of Reigen that had so many new and powerful people crawling out of the woodwork?
Right now, Ritsu was walking alongside Reigen as they headed to another exorcism site. Goldilocks had practically begged to come along and get out of the office. Ritsu, while he wasn’t so sure of his own capabilities of keeping the kid safe thanks to the fact that whoever had been watching being able to send Nii-san of all people to sleep, knew the kid had just graduated to a blue belt in his shaolin kung fu classes. He knew because Nii-san hadn’t stopped talking about it, showing he was proud in his own way.
So Reigen could hold his own, he just needed to remind himself of that fact as well. Ritsu needed a reminder too, sometimes. He got in the rut that Reigen was just a kid that needed to be protected at all times, and then Reigen would go and throw an evil spirit over his shoulder or throw a punch, or maybe a kick that made the small, doctor-shaped figure in Ritsu marvel at the flexibility of kids.
“Kageyama-otouto?”
Ritsu hummed in response to the question, Reigen’s hand coming out and latching onto the back of his shirt. The idea that Reigen was touch-starved was only growing more credibility the longer he spent time around the kid. He shouldn’t be so concerned about it though. Lots of kids grew up touch-starved, but turned out into alright adults. Reigen, who was a good kid regardless, would be fine.
(He was hoping if he told himself this enough times, that it would turn out to be true.)
“Why are you so focused on calculation nowadays?”
Reigen’s question came out of left field and socked him in the jaw.
“What do you mean Goldilocks?” He looked down at the kid, who still wrinkled his nose at the nickname.
“You, hm.” Reigen’s hand tightened on his shirt. “Your aura. It’s been full of calculation. Like you’re thinking and calculating, and thinking more, and calculating more.” Reigen’s hand came out and started moving in a whirlpool motion as he spoke, the habit soothing in its familiarity now. “I don’t know how else to explain it. You’ve been like that since we found out I could exorcize spirits.”
That last little bit was mumbled, but Ritsu heard it nonetheless.
Did Reigen think he was thinking of ways to use Reigen’s powers? That wasn’t it at all. He was thinking about why the hell Reigen was acting like an abus– a neglected child. Like a depressed teenager. Sure, if his mother worked long hours that would solve some of Ritsu’s self-imposed problems. But it didn’t explain everything, and Ritsu, unfortunately, was a fucking perfectionist.
He didn’t leave things halfway done.
Ritsu’s arm moved without his explicit permission, slinging across the thin shoulders and pulling the kid closer to his body. Reigen tensed under the initial touch, but slowly relaxed. Another tick in the box that he was touch-starved.
“Sorry about that Buttercup.” He apologized, and he saw Reigen’s head whip up to look at him out of his peripheral vision. Ritsu kept his eyes locked on the road in front of him though. “Just thinking about all the new people that have come into our lives once you did. You were pretty much the catalyst, you know?”
Reigen laughed, his hand relaxing its grip on Ritsu’s shirt. He leaned closer to Ritsu, just for a few seconds, and then pulled away. Ritsu let him, his arm falling back to his side as they continued to walk to the site of the exorcism that was planned. They were close to it though.
“That was never my intention you know.” Reigen blew his bangs upwards with a long sigh. “I just wanted to be friends with you guys. You and Boss are the first espers I’ve known, besides Hanazawa-san on the television. But y’know. Television, could have been a fake.”
“Ah, so we set the precedent. Poor Hanazawa never stood a chance as being the strongest in your eyes.” Ritsu snickered at that thought, finding unreasonable joy in it. So sue him, the guy was after his brother, and so was that damn manager of his! If Ritsu could chose between the two, he would go with Emi-san, simply because of the long-lasting impression he had left on Nii-san when they were kids. She was the only other person that Nii-san had liked other than Takane Tsubomi-san, and it was nice to see her again and thriving in her field.
Huh.
Ritsu wondered what Takane was doing nowadays. He wondered if Nii-san still thought of Takane or not.
“There it is!” Reigen pointed and sure enough. The recital hall that they were going to cleanse was right in front of them.
They waited for the light, and crossed the street while Ritsu emailed the client that they were waiting outside to be let in. Reigen was marveling at the architecture, and Ritsu wondered if they would be seeing it in a sketch sometime soon. He had recently started branching out to landscapes and even some colored pencil drawings, not just pencil. It would be nice, especially since the recital hall was beautiful.
“Ah, Kageyama-san?”
Ritsu turned and–
Huh.
Did he think her presence into existence?
In front of him stood Takane Tsubomi-san.
“Takane-san.” Ritsu closed his phone, motioning to Reigen, who immediately fell next to Ritsu and looked at Takane. Thankfully, even though it was a Saturday, Reigen was just wearing his pink zip-up hoodie and a green tee shirt with some black jeans. Somewhat professional, but still showing his personality.
“This is a surprise.” Takane said, studying him. “Do you remember me then?”
Reigen’s head swiveled to Ritsu, his eyes flicking around his body like fast ocean waves. Probably reading his emotional aura.
“I do.” Ritsu said placidly. “I’m surprised you’re the one who requested our services.”
Considering how you treated my brother and all. He thought, with slight acid coloring his mind. His brother might have his memories clouded by childhood love, but Ritsu had no such love for Takane. He remembered the girl who had grown bored of his brother’s amazing powers and who left his brother waiting in the park, thinking that they were still playing hide and seek. Maybe that had been childhood folly, but Ritsu was never one to forgive and forget.
Never when it came to his brother anyways.
“I didn’t realize it was the same Kageyamas.” Takane said, her voice sweet and kind. Ritsu wasn’t going to fall for that. Her eyes fell to Reigen, and Ritsu had a distinct feeling to get Reigen the hell out of there. Takane was definitely someone that he would draw, and that would definitely remind Nii-san of Takane, and make him reject Emi-san, who was way better for him than Takane was.
Reigen was studying Takane, before beaming at her.
“It’s nice to meet you miss!” He said brightly, bouncing forward on his feet and bowing. “I’m Reigen Arataka, I work with this grumpy guy!”
“Oi. I write your checks.” Ritsu immediately shot back.
“So does Boss!” Reigen said cheerfully, but if Ritsu looked carefully, he could see the tone wasn’t matching the eyes. Reigen’s eyes were slightly cool, but he was hiding most of them with a wide grin that scrunched up the corners of his eyes. Clever.
Wait a damn minute.
Ritsu would have to think of the times that Reigen smiled now, and said something. How much had the damn kid been hiding?
For now, they had a job to be doing.
Takane giggled, light and kind. Reigen’s eyes were studying her now, eyes sharp and almost whirlpool-like. What was he seeing? Did Ritsu want to know what she was feeling? How fake had she been, and how different was she now?
“It’s nice to see you Kageyama-kun, and it’s nice to meet you, Reigen-kun.” Takane replied, before motioning to the door behind her. “Now, I think we’d better fix what’s happening here?”
Ah yes, their job.
“What exactly has been happening, Takane-san?” Reigen asked, walking beside her as they entered and Takane led the way through the building. “The email wasn’t really that informative, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Please, just call me Tsubomi.” Takane said, pushing her hair over her shoulder, in what Ritsu could almost recognize from Hanazawa was a move to gather her thoughts. The two were alike, weren’t they? Wearing masks and the like. “And well. Lots of ghostly sightings. People you can see through, but they won’t interact with you and when you turn the corner to chase, they won’t be there. Noises happening and odd occurrences. We’ve changed the people who fix the air conditioning three times and still there’s rattling in the vents.”
Typical poltergeist activities. Some spirits couldn’t even be original, could they? Ritsu didn’t roll his eyes, but he really wanted to, mostly because of Takane sounding so scared of what was going on. It sounded like the spirit wasn’t hurting anything, but maybe they should have brought Dimple to feast on it anyways. The spirit had instead gone with Shige to a different exorcism.
The fact that Nii-san had entrusted Reigen with him weighed so lightly in his mind and so heavily on his shoulders.
“Sounds like it’s just a low-level spirit!” Reigen skipped into the recital hall, Takane following with her shoulders hitching upwards. Ritsu came last, feeling almost bored.
“Kageyama-otouto, do you want me to find it?”
Takane turned, true surprise and shock curling around on her face at Reigen addressing him by that moniker. After all, he had met people outside of school grounds and beat them for less friendly ones. But the difference between those horrible nicknames and the one Reigen bestowed upon him was the fact that it was all in good teasing. Good fun. It was fond.
“You think it’ll go quicker if you do, Goldilocks?” Ritsu replied, and watched out of the corner of his eyes as Takane’s mouth dropped lower in shock before she remembered herself and closed it.
“It could! Maybe I can search the entire recital hall!” Reigen’s grin was bright, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the leaves on a summer’s day. “We haven’t tested how far I can search with that emotional sonar. Only that it can go three stories up.”
He was trying to show off, wasn’t he? Ritsu should let him. He cocked an eyebrow at the kid and smirked, motioning for him to go on. That same bright smile was back and beaming, before Reigen’s eyes slipped closed.
His rose gold, periwinkle, and sunset purple aura became visible, even to the non-psychic eye, and Ritsu watched as Takane stared. It wasn’t in awe, it wasn’t in fascination, Ritsu couldn’t place the emotion. Reigen was better with those anyways.
The colors started their whirlpool-like dance around the kid as he reached out and out. It washed over Ritsu, and he embraced it, curling a finger over the periwinkle strand that stayed around him. Reigen had come pretty far in the few months that he had known him, he mused as the kid searched. He was showing his aura more, letting it out longer, and didn’t talk about his headaches with the aura as much as he used to. Pride curled in his chest, just for a second or two.
“Found it.” Reigen opened his eyes.
“You did?” Takane whispered, her eyes still on the multi-colored light show that Reigen was putting off.
“Yup!” Reigen pointed to the piano on stage. “How long have you had that?”
Ah, that made sense.
“It’s been here longer than the manager of the building.” Takane muttered as Reigen’s aura quickly disappeared and they approached the piano that was on center stage. “I don’t think anyone other than myself has used that piano.”
“Have you been experiencing those strange anomalies around the place?” Ritsu asked, finally getting the frame of the situation. Reigen was closer, and that wasn’t good. He didn’t have a barrier, that wasn’t something that could be helped it seemed. No matter how everyone who was a psychic tried to teach him and show him how to create a barrier, he just couldn’t do it. It was just out of Reigen’s area of expertise with his powers.
“No.” Takane shook her head. “No, I’ve been the only one who hasn’t. But I’ve seen it happen to others.”
Reigen hopped up onto the stage and tapped on the piano.
“Hey wait!” Takane hissed, her perfect mask dropping quickly. “Don’t touch that without permiss–”
“Wakey wakey!” Reigen ignored the woman. “C’mon spirit with a crush! You need to come out and let us see you.”
The piano started to rattle, and Ritsu’s heart picked up in its pace. A flash of memory of their first exorcism raced through his head, reminding him of the time that he hadn’t been good enough to protect Reigen, and that wouldn’t happen this time. A twitch of his fingers and with a flick of Ritsu’s aura, Reigen was back at his side and behind a barrier.
“Aw c’mon.” Reigen whined. He pouted and crossed his arms, staring up at Ritsu with wide eyes.
“Either you create a barrier yourself or you stay behind mine.” Ritsu snapped, his heart calming as the psychic energy of the spirit came out of the piano, but Reigen stayed by his side. “Safety first, always. Got that Buttercup?”
Reigen rolled his eyes but took a step behind Ritsu as the spirit took full form in front of them. The spirit looked normal. Sorta. The green skin almost reminded him of Dimple, but it was a darker green, not the neon green that the cloud always was. The skin was pockmarked and the spirit even had glasses perched on its nose.
The spirit was also a girl. Well, at least it wore the clothes of a girl. Ritsu shouldn't assume, especially since they had Dimple of all things floating around the offices. Spirits did tend to fall into the gender binaries, but sometimes the didn't and even if they were evil, Ritsu should still respect what they wanted to be addressed as. At least before exorcising them.
It fixed its skirt in almost a nervous manner, smoothing it down, and pressed its glasses up on its nose, and fiddled with the long braid that came to its waist. A rather buff form, but an almost nerdy looking face. Weird in the sense that the body was strong, but the face was that of a typical teenager. Then again, Ritsu remembered the Body Improvement Club. Huh, maybe he should have Shige introduce those guys to Reigen. They would like that the kid was applying himself to discipline like shaolin kung fu.
Back to the spirit.
“Hello.” It said meekly, the voice deep for a young girl as it fiddled with the end of its braid.
“Hello!” Reigen greeted, peeking around Ritsu. He would be more upset about that if the brat wasn’t safe behind his barrier. He was safe though, so Ritsu would let it slide. “I’m Reigen Arataka! What’s your name?”
“I’m Kanon.” The spirit whispered. Female-presenting spirit then.
“Kanon-san.” Ritsu greeted, stepping forward. And if that put him in front of Reigen, that was no one else’s business. “Can I ask why you’re haunting the piano? And scaring other people in the building other than Takane-san?”
Purple flushed on the high apple cheeks of the spirit.
“They were being mean to Takane-chan!” Kanon wailed, her psychic energy sailing out and rattling the seats. “They were- they were being so mean! Talking bad about her behind her back and saying that she didn’t deserve her spot on stage just because she’s got a pretty face! Takane-chan is the best piano player in this hall! But noooo, everyone thinks that she only got it because she’s got a pretty face! They were gonna be mean and place tacks on her seat and put things in her shoes and dump drinks into her bag! I needed to do something to stop them.”
Nonexistent tears fell down the green pockmarked cheeks and disappeared as soon as they left the spirit’s skin.
“You, were protecting me?” Takane asked, finally speaking up since Reigen went and touched the piano.
Kanon nodded, floating down to the floor of the stage.
“Your playing. It’s so full of life.” The spirit whispered. “The reason I stick around this hall is because music was my life. And you play like music is your life too. People being mean simply because they can’t understand that you have talent beyond your beauty. I couldn’t stand that happening.”
Ritsu watched as complicated emotions flashed across Takane’s face. He looked down at Reigen, who was watching the two, his eyes flicking back and forth like the foam on a sea wave.
“You can’t keep doing that, Kanon-san.” Reigen finally spoke up, stepping forward. Ritsu’s hand curled, ready to flick his aura out and get rid of the spirit should she attack the kid. “I know you’re just trying to protect Takane-san, but she’s upset because of the actions too. People interact with people, and because they’re upset, it makes Takane-san upset. So you can’t keep doing that to others.”
“But they’ll hurt her.” Kanon said, her aura starting to dance out of her like musical notes. “If I don’t intervene, they’ll hurt her.”
“If you don’t intervene, how will Takane-san learn to fight on her own?” Reigen shot back. That quieted the spirit, her eyes going thoughtful as her green pockmarked hand came up and cupped her chin. Reigen then turned to Takane, who was watching everything happen.
“Takane-san, what do you want to happen? Do you want Kanon-san to keep helping?”
“If that’s what is best–” Takane started, but Reigen shook his head.
“Maybe I should explain how I found Kanon-san.” Reigen’s smile was full of teeth. “I’m an empath esper, Takane-san. I see emotions and know them.”
Takane froze. She stared at Reigen, shock clear on her face for a split second, before a sigh escaped her.
“I wouldn’t mind Kanon-san staying around.” She said, looking up at the teenaged spirit. “Having a friend who listens to my music and doesn’t focus on my face, that’s nice. But I do need to take care of people on my own. But maybe, you could warn me of when my coworkers are trying to do something? That way we work as a team, not alone.”
“I can do that!” Kanon clapped her hands together, bouncing up and down until she was floating in the air. “I can definitely do that! I listen to everything in this recital hall. But especially your music. It’s so lovely. And it’ll be so lovely to have someone to talk music to again. It’s been so lonely.”
A smile, a real smile, stole its way across Takane’s face. It was a good look on her.
“It will be nice to have a friend again.” She muttered.
“Well, that’s settled then.” Ritsu sighed, his barrier falling. “Reigen, we should get going. Nii-san will be worried if we don’t get back in time for him to feed you lunch.”
Reigen made a face and fell back to Ritsu’s side, reaching up and grabbing Ritsu’s shirt again.
“He’s so overprotective.” The kid groaned as they started walking.
“With good reason. You’re too skinny.” Ritsu poked at the kid’s ribs, making him squeak and pull away. He could have said that they were afraid of what was out there, who was out there, watching and trying to kidnap Reigen. But the kid was in a good mood, and those were hard to come by nowadays with the stress, so Ritsu didn’t want to take it away.
“I’m not skinny! I’m a perfectly normal weight for my age!” Reigen fumed, before poking Ritsu back. “Kageyama-otouto is just weird. He should become Kageyama-sensei already and go poke at sick people.”
Ritsu shook his head, feeling fondness curl into his heart like a cat curling up in a ray of sunshine falling through a window. He didn’t try to hide it, simply focusing on the road forward and back to the offices.
~~~~~~~~~~
Emi didn’t mean to see it.
She had come to the Kageyama brother offices because Teru-kun, the damn idiot, refused to come in today to talk about his schedule, and because he wanted to chat up Kageyama-kun. Teru-kun and Emi had never really liked the same person before, they had never had to compete before, but Teru-kun was really trying to pull ahead and trying to influence Kageyama-kun into liking him.
Obviously, he hadn’t realized that the way into Kageyama-kun’s heart was through his family. Which meant the younger Kageyama and Reigen-kun.
Although she was still so shocked that she had met Kageyama-kun again after all these years.
When Teru-kun had waltzed into the studio that day, his hair chopped short and bruises on his body, Emi had nearly had a heart attack there and then. Instead, she had grabbed the dumb idiot by his shoulders and pushed him into a chair and pulled out her phone, trying to find a wig that would cover the haircut and schedule makeup to hide the bruises from the cameras eyes.
And still Teru-kun wore that goofy grin as he talked and chatted about the psychic that had basically pummeled him into the ground and cut his hair in a fight on accident. He spoke of incredible power and sheer strength, the defensiveness and the black hair that shone like a raven’s wing in the dying light of a sunset.
Emi knew, that in the vast city that they lived in, psychics could be anywhere. They could be anyone. It couldn’t be the same young boy who had saved her story all those years ago when her so-called friends had ripped it up. The same young boy who she had asked out on a dare and had given away a part of her heart to when she was so young, because even though he didn’t ask her on another date, he stole a piece of her heart that day.
After all, as an author, Emi put her heart and her soul into her work. And Kageyama Shigeo had pieced it back together after it was ripped apart. How could she not give a piece of that same heart he had mended to him that twilight?
That psychic that Teru-kun had fought simply couldn’t be that same young boy that had stolen a piece of Emi’s heart all those years ago. Too many psychics lived in Seasoning City for it to be Kageyama Shigeo. Too many people could have that tremendous, incredible power.
And yet–
She couldn’t help but ask the name.
“Kageyama! Kageyama Shigeo! He has a little brother that he works with, didn’t catch his name though, and a kid who works there too. Little brat is named Reigen, pretty sure.” Teru-kun’s voice was so fond talking about the kid that was working with Kageyama-kun. And he sounded so incredibly sweet on Kageyama-kun when he talked about him earlier too. Did Teru-kun like Kageyama-kun? It would make sense, the boy, now man, was no doubt an incredible person.
Emi had to see for herself.
So she went to the offices. Walking in, Kageyama-kun had recognized her almost immediately, shooting to his feet and there was the slightest grin on his face. That was as good as a beaming smile with his facial expressions. The younger Kageyama raised his eyebrows at her appearance, but when she explained just who she worked with, the younger man groaned.
They had all shared a laugh of varying degrees as she shared stories of working with Teru-kun, and Kageyama-kun had gotten so excited when he realized that she had written most of the stories that had gotten prizes with Teru-kun’s acting. She shouldn’t feel such butterflies in her stomach at that, the tingling of happiness that she recognized as the man with such incredible power acknowledging her work, but she did.
She had noticed the sketches and walked over to them, tracing them with her eyes. Drawing and writing were two different mediums, but Emi could still know the emotions that were behind art, because people always infused emotions into their medium in some way or another. And these sketches were filled with such love it nearly made Emi tear up just looking at them. The gentle strokes of the pencil against paper, the erasure marks to ensure that the integrity of the paper and the sketch was maintained. The love and care in these two sketches told Emi everything that she needed to know about this artist.
That they were a kind, good person. They were someone who was filled with such love and they loved so deeply and cared so much. And they loved the two brothers behind her deeply, and would do so much for them.
“Ah, those are Reigen-kun’s.” Kageyama-kun had said, audible pride in his voice. The kid that Teru-kun had mentioned with such fondness? “He’s such a good artist, isn’t he?” Emi could only agree.
And then the kid walked through the door, watching her with wide eyes before grinning like a bright ray of sunlight caught in a prism. Ah, so that was it then. Reigen-kun was someone who inspired people to do better.
And Kageyama-kun loved the boy deeply, she could see that so much. Especially when he pulled out the medium for the boy, that he had bought for kid. It wasn’t a cheap option either, those pencils and that sketchbook were good quality. But Kageyama-kun did a good job of hiding that fact by putting it in a cheaper plastic bag.
Now, Emi couldn’t dare to stay away. With Reigen-kun drawing her such a nice picture and now she was competing with Teru-kun for Kageyama-kun’s affections, although she did think she was winning in that regard, and the office was so lovely. It was a warm, happy place. A place with laughter and sunshine and friends.
And then something had changed. Teru-kun had barged into her apartment one day, eyes wild and she could feel his aura in the air, wild and electric. She could feel it because they had been around each other for so long. In another life, maybe they could have been together. It might have been nice, but since they were manager and television star, that would never happen. She waited, making him his favorite vanilla cinnamon tea and sweetened it with honey. She massaged at his shoulders, pushing at the knots there until he slowly unwound and his tea was gone.
He told her then, that Reigen-kun was in danger. Someone had been watching the offices, had been watching the kid in particular.
Emi wasn’t someone who particularly burned bright. She was a woman who knew that slow and steady was the way to do things. Whether it was to eat a large meal or to write a story that would wow Teru-kun, a slow burning flame that was constant would win over a flashing flame that would burn bright for a moment and then disappear.
Emi didn’t burn particularly bright. Usually.
Hearing that the ray of sunshine in the offices was in danger?
Her slow burning, passionate flame flared and burst with power, and she could only clench at Teru-kun’s shoulders, thinking about all the dangers in the world. About who in this world could be after Reigen-kun. Thinking about all the times that Reigen-kun walked home alone.
“Who are we contacting first?” Her voice was low, and it hurt with the pain of not burning the people who were after the kid right away. The pain was soothed by Teru-kun’s relieved grin.
They had been searching, digging into the underworld connections that they had built, that had reached out to Teru-kun years ago. The connections that they didn’t really reciprocate or didn’t really build. But now that were coming in handy.
But they couldn’t find anything.
Emi burned and Teru-kun crackled.
She had enough after a months of this happening, so she dragged Teru-kun to the Kageyama brothers offices, and let them both unwind in the presence of the ray of sunlight and the man that they both liked.
Which brought her to today. She hadn’t meant to seen what she saw.
Reigen-kun had just left his sketchbook open when Kageyama-kun called him over, and Emi had gotten up to get a drink of water. The water cooler was by the kid’s desk, and she had just glanced over in sheer curiosity. It had been in mere curiosity.
But she saw it. She didn’t mean to. But she saw it.
The sketchbook was open to a drawing of a man, and Emi, who knew emotions and could read them through every medium, knew the emotions behind this drawing.
Fear. Fear and hatred. Maybe even a little sorrow.
She turned to look at Reigen-kun.
Reigen-kun was looking at her with wide eyes. A blank face, but wide eyes. Kageyama-kun was looking at the two of them, a slight furrow in his brows as his eyes flicked between the two of them. Almost like a dragon trying to protect his hoard. Cute, but Emi wouldn’t hurt Reigen-kun, never on purpose.
“Reigen-kun, would you like to go for a walk?” She asked softly.
Reigen-kun watched her, eyes wild like a sea in a storm, but gave a mighty sigh and nodded, walking towards her. She reached out and grabbed the sketchbook, and he froze at that, and smiled at him, before turning to Teru-kun.
“Let’s go, vagabond.”
“Who are you calling a vagabond!?” Teru-kun spluttered, before getting to his feet and waltzing over. “Kageyama-kun, we’ll return him in one piece, I promise.”
“Return Arataka-kun in time for dinner.” Kageyama-kun sighed, going back to his laptop. There was a flush on Reigen-kun’s cheeks when he heard that, and Emi thought it was adorable. It was good that the two were bonding more, in her humble opinion.
“Will do!”
As they walked down the stairs, Emi passed the sketchbook to Reigen-kun, who clutched it tight to his chest and watched her with dark eyes. No, not her. He was watching around her. Must be her emotions or something he was watching then.
“Where are we going?” He asked, his fingers tight on the sides of the sketchbook. His voice was calm though, and wasn’t betraying anything else.
“Just around the corner.” Emi said, leading the way. She did place a hand on Reigen-kun’s shoulder though, and guided him towards where she wanted to go. Teru-kun, catching onto what was going on, grinned brightly and moved to walk beside Reigen-kun’s other side.
“It’s nothing to be concerned about then? Not kidnapping me for television or something? Or like for ransom or something like that?” Reigen-kun was rambling, but his shoulders were slack, and not hiked up around his shoulders. At least Emi had that going for her.
“If I was kidnapping you for television, I would have to sign a waiver.” Teru-kun slung an arm around Reigen-kun’s shoulders. “And I don’t think Kageyama-kun would appreciate you too showing up on television too much. Also your mom. Your mom is a scary woman Reigen-kun.”
“When did you have the time to meet her!?” Reigen-kun protested, flapping his hands around with the sketchbook in his hand. Emi shook her head and sighed happily, her hand on Reigen-kun’s shoulder and Teru-kun’s arm touching her hand as well. With Teru-kun’s hair, Emi’s red-brown hair, and Reigen-kun’s red-blond hair probably made everyone they passed think that they were a family or something like that.
“Just in passing.” Teru-kun grinned.
Reigen-kun sighed, and they turned into the alleyway that Emi was leading them to.
Normally, Emi didn’t hang around sites like this. The place wasn’t a frequent haunt of hers, and she didn’t want the smell of cigarette smoke hanging on her clothes. Teru-kun might, but he smoked when he was stressed, and he hadn’t been since he had met everyone at the offices. He had smoked little bit in her apartment when he stayed over for the night, but that was fine.
Emi liked the smell of cigarette smoke when he smoked it at least.
Thankfully, at this point in time, there weren’t any other smokers in the alleyway.
They stepped into the alleyway, the three of them, and stopped about halfway down it.
“Alright.” Emi turned to look at Reigen-kun, and crouched slight so she was on his level and he could see her eyes. “Any sketches you don’t want, rip them out of that sketchbook, and put them on the ground.”
Reigen-kun tilted his head, frowning slightly and flicking his eyes around her.
“Why?”
“Because I saw that sketch.” She gentled her voice. She knew what that sketch meant. If Reigen-kun wanted to get rid of it, she would help him get rid of it. If he wanted to keep it in some way, Teru-kun was here to help with that, able to do what Kageyama-kun was capable of. “I’m an artist too, just with a different medium. I write stories.”
She hesitated, watching as realization coat the kid’s eyes. She would take the plunge then. He needed it.
“Sketches like that one, they’re just like the stories I write when I need to get rid of my fear of my aunt. Of my cousins. Of the kids I used to go to school with.” A slight flinch from Reigen-kun, but she filed it away for later. “So I write those stories, and then I get rid of them. If you still want the sketches after destroying them, well that’s what Teru-kun is here for.” She gave the kid a lopsided smile. “He’s just here to make sure you get the sketches back if you want them.”
“Hey!” Teru-kun whined. “I’m here for emotional support too.”
Emi flapped her hand at him, and straightened up and let Reigen-kun chose what he wanted to do.
The choice was evident, as Reigen-kun immediately started flipping through pages and tearing out sketches. She glimpsed the pages, all full of emotions like the ones that she had first seen. Most of that same man that looked like Reigen-kun in some way, but some of them were kids his own age. Curiosity pinched under her ribs, but she silenced it and helped Reigen-kun shuffled the sketches into a pile on the floor of the alleyway.
“Now what?” He whispered, staring at the sketches. A face looked up at him, the terrible face contorted to glare at the viewer with hatred and cruelty.
“Teru-kun?” She turned to ask, and Teru-kun pulled out his lighter. He handed it to the kid, a boyish grin on his face.
“Light ‘em up Tiger.”
Reigen-kun stared at the lighter in his hands, before flipping the top open. He looked carefully at the mechanism of the lighter, and with a flick, one try, twice–
A flame roared to life in his hands.
He stared at the flame in his hands, before he visibly shook himself out of the trance that fire almost always seemed to such someone into, and he stepped forward. He crouched, tilting the lighter closer to the paper that he had drawn on when he was in pain or scared or cried. The flame, seeming to know that there was something to feed on beyond the fluids in the lighter, leaped from the lighter and to the paper.
With a slight roar that only fire or water could have, the flame spread from the corner of the top page to the other pages. Destroying the pain that Reigen-kun had drawn out.
Reigen-kun closed the lighter, still gripping it tight in his hands as he stared at the pages on the concrete floor of the alleyway, and Teru-kun held a water bottle in his hand should it get out of hand, but it didn’t seem like it would. Just a small fire to release emotions from the wounds in Reigen-kun’s heart.
“It was my dad.” Reigen-kun said, watching the fire. “Everyone from back then, they always said that I looked like him. Practically a spitting image.”
Emi contemplated it. Comparing the image she had seen to the kid she knew, the kid that she had her arm wrapped around as they watched the fire in front of them destroy sketches that held pain. She shook her head at the end of her line of thought.
“Nah.” She drawled, thumbing soothing circles into Reigen-kun’s shoulder. “You look too much like your mom to look anything like him.”
Reigen-kun’s tenseness finally was gone. Almost like a puppet cut from strings, he leaned heavily into Emi’s side, watching the fire dwindle into nothingness and ash. He let out a large sigh, rolling his head back to stare at the smoke that ascended into the sky with foggy eyes.
“Do you want the sketches back?” Teru-kun asked, hand glowing yellow in an offer.
Reigen-kun shook his head.
“No.”
A smile broke across his face, like a sunrise over an ocean.
“No, I don’t need something like that clogging up my sketchbook when I have so many amazing people to draw.”
They left that alleyway with smiles on their faces, and a pile of ash left at their backs.
~~~~~~~~~~
Arataka sighed as he closed the door behind him, and Dimple phased through it with a peeved expression on his face. No matter how much Arataka wished that he could just shut the spirit out, he couldn’t the damn thing was on order’s from the Boss, and Boss, for some reason, loved Arataka with familial strawberry-pink-love and wanted him safe, when it would just be easier to hand Arataka over and everyone would be okay.
“Taka-kun!”
He blinked, looking up. Mom was home?
He perked up, shoving his shoes off and his slippers on and raced into the kitchen, putting his bag on his chair.
“Mom! You’re home early.” He said, somewhat dumbfounded at the image of his mom in the kitchen and making dinner. “I thought you would be working later today.”
He thought that Mom worked later always nowadays. It was just something that happened nowadays, because it was their life now. Mom worked, Arataka stayed home or he was at the offices. He had hoped that with him working, then maybe he could take some stress off of her. And he did! Thanks to Kageyama-otouto, the money he earned gave him more than enough money to get food or to buy dinner once in a while. Mom didn’t have to cook every night, and neither did he. She could take a break.
But that didn’t lift the heather-exhaustion that often clouded her placid pink sunset and gold aura. No matter how much he wished it would, he couldn’t help her as much as he wanted to, so he did his best to keep his problems from her. She didn’t need to know what happened at school, she already had to deal with everything at work. He only had to talk about the stupid things, like Shimazaki-senpai accidentally teleporting to the roof, or Serizawa-senpai making things float when he got anxious.
Not about how everyone in his year treated him. How everyone in his school treated him, besides his two senpai.
Mom turned to give him a smile, leaving the sauce on the stove to simmer and placed the spatula on the spoon rest by the stove.
“I received a raise.”
“That’s nice.” Arataka said, suspicious. His mom wouldn’t just be here because of a raise, as amazing as that news was.
“And a promotion.”
He froze, staring at the yellow-sunshiney-happiness and pearl-soft-hope in her aura.
It was such a simple saying. Something a thousand people around the world probably heard a million times in a year. It was such a small thing.
He felt fuchsia-thankfulness and green-sea-wonder rising in his aura that was beneath his skin, rising with the tears in his eyes. Arataka took the scant few steps forward and threw his arms around his mom in a hug. Bright, happy laughter escaped him as he squeezed her and she squeezed him.
“MOM!! That’s amazing! That means you don’t have to spend so much time at the office, right?” He had heard her talk about this promotion for ages, working her way up the ladder so she could finally spend more time with Arataka and not have as much heather-exhaustion that lined her aura and shoulders when she came home. He had taken to giving her massages during the worser days because of the stress she carried.
She pulled away from the hug, cupping his chin and smiling down at him.
“Less hours, more pay.” She confirmed, and the tears started to drip down his face, and with a quick swipe of her thumbs, they were gone. “It’ll be fine Taka-kun. Everything will be just fine.”
Kami-sama, how long had it been since he simply had gotten a hug from his mom? He was practically melting into her hold right now. He couldn’t wait until she was spending time at home and he could tell her all the stories from the offices. All the stories about Kageyama-otouto being prickly like a cactus but yet being still so kind. The stories of Fukami-san teaching him how to write more effectively and him accidentally writing a horror story for the assignment. The stories of Teru-san challenging Boss to fights and being beaten each time. The stories about Shimazaki-senpai trying to shake Teru-san and failing miserably at it.
They had so much to catch up on, despite living in the same apartment. They were like strangers who were related some days, instead of being mother and son, but now–! Now they could bond together again!
“I can tell you so much about my friends!” He laughed, pushing past her to stir at the sauce. “I can tell you so many stories about Shimazaki-senpai and Serizawa-senpai! Mom, they’re so funny, I can’t wait to tell you what happened at lunch today.”
Mom slot into the space next to him, getting the curry bowls down from their place in the cabinet. Her placid sunset pink and gold aura had some peacock-contentedness weaving into it with each second they spent together. She gathered the utensils for the chicken curry, it smelled so good. He could cook, but Mom just made the best food. He always forgot the honey to temper the spices whenever he made it, despite liking honey in his tea.
“Oh really? What did they do? And you mentioned a Shimazaki-kun a few months ago, didn’t you? Is that the same young man?” She asked, and something deep in Arataka’s chest unwound. He was afraid she wouldn’t show interest in his life anymore, but this was good. This was good, she still loved him and would let him ramble.
Dimple’s neon-green-blue aura infiltrated his eyes, and Arataka sent him some raised eyebrows. The spirit just shrugged, floating around the two of them. Right, he was watching over the both of them, not just Arataka.
“Yeah, that’s him!” Arataka confirmed with his Mom. “He’s blind Mom, but he’s an esper and is aware of everything around him because of that. It’s so cool. And Serizawa-senpai is an esper too! Ever since I met Mob-boss, I’ve been meeting so many espers! I didn’t know there were this many in Seasoning City.”
Mom paused in his peripheral vision.
“Mob-boss?” She asked.
“Ah.” He hadn’t explained that silly nickname to her. “Kageyama-san! His kanji looks like mob, don’t you think so? And and! He’s the boss you know?”
Thankfully, Mom knew his sense of humor, having given it to him herself. So she chuckled and ruffled his hair as she passed him by with the bowls and chopsticks and curry spoons. Arataka practically melted into the freely given affection, a sigh of happiness escaping him. It had been so long since he had been hugged or he and Mom just existed in the same room without her being exhausted. Now they could be a family again.
Ah.
He looked down at the curry sauce, pouring it over the chicken and vegetables as he thought about how to bring it up.
“Taka-kun?” Luckily, his mom knew him. She knew when he was thinking deeply about something. Also luckily, she didn’t know when he was hiding something. He wouldn’t know where to begin explaining what was going on at school to her or where to start lying to her about it. “What is it?”
He used the rubber spatula to scrape the rest of the sauce and mix it into the chicken and vegetables while he thought about how to phrase this.
“You know how I see things? Emotions?”
“Kid, you better tell her about your stalker.” Dimple cut in, but Arataka ignored him. He wasn’t going to take advice from a floating fart cloud. It was fine, whoever was after him was probably bored and was leaving him alone now.
“Yes, I know about your empathy.” Mom set the bowls and utensils down. “Has something happened to it?”
“No, not really.” Sure he was seeing auras he knew and interacted with the most through walls and could push emotions to people through the floor now and reach them that way. He could make spirits move on with forced acceptance, even though he didn’t like it. “It’s just, ah, how to say it.”
He stared down at the food and the rice cooker dinged on the countertop.
“Uhm. You know how each emotion has its own color? And we made that key when I was trying to explain things when I was really little?”
“You’re still my little boy.” Mom soothed a hand over his head, petting his spiky bangs down. They weren’t as bad as Kageyama-otouto’s at least. “But yes, I remember the color key. What about it?”
“Do you remember the color for familial love?” He mumbled, grabbing the ladle.
“Hmm, it was a pink color, wasn’t it? You always drew me with two pinks around me and gold.” Mom took the pot to the kitchen table and set it on the little stand there.
“Yeah. Strawberry pink.” Arataka let out a long sigh. “I uh. I, well,” why was this so embarrassing? It wasn’t his own feelings that he was talking about, so why did he feel so raw and exposed like this? “I saw it. That strawberry pink. In Kageyama-san’s aura.”
Mom paused.
Ohkamihebrokeherdidn’the?
“I can, I can spend less time at the offices!” He said quickly, both his hands moving a mile a second as Dimple started cackling in the corner of the kitchen ceiling like some weird spider-fart-cloud fusion. “I can spend less time with him, with all of them, and, and then maybe the feelings will fade and–”
Mom caught his hands with her own.
He couldn’t look at her, so he looked at the floor.
“Arataka.” She whispered. “What do my emotions say?”
Not looking at her, he flicked his eyes outward, and then completely boggled at the silver-white-joy of all things. Turning his head to look at her, he saw tears lining her bottom lash line.
“My dear son.” She muttered, letting go of one of his hands, and cupping his chin. “You have, been without a good male figure. For a long time.”
She was trying to say it delicately. So Arataka would say it bluntly.
“You mean my deadbeat father is a piece of horsecrap and shouldn’t be allowed to procreate anymore.” He was just saying what she said when that damn deadbeat called her sometimes. Just with slightly nicer words than what she had yelled at that damn deadbeat.
“Yes, that.” She sighed. “But, to know that you have such wonderful people in your life now? And one loves you like family? It eases this old woman’s poor heart.”
“Mom! You’re barely thirty!” He screeched in her defense. Absolutely scandalized that she dared to slander her good looks and wonderful beauty. In front of him no less!
“Be that as it may.” She reached up and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad. I’m so happy.”
Arataka’s eyes dropped, feeling his cheeks flush. He could definitely see that.
“Now, why don’t we eat before our food gets cold? And you can tell me all about the emotions you’ve seen and the friends you’ve made this year.” His mother asked warmly as he was ushered to the kitchen table.
He perked up, eager to talk about his friends at school and his friends at work. He wanted to tell her about Emi-san too, who was really so amazing.
Over dinner later, the two of them were relaxing in the living room, wanting to leave the dishes for tomorrow morning, when Mom didn’t have to go to work and Arataka could sleep in a little because tomorrow was the weekend again. Maybe he should tell Mom about the recital hall spirit from last week. That was a fun one, and it was nice to meet a spirit that he didn’t have to exorcize, and could simply let exist.
The television was just background noise as Arataka played with his mom’s hair, focusing on making a French braid. He had wanted to do it to Mob-boss’s hair one time when the man was asleep at his desk, but he didn’t know how exactly to do it. Now though, he could get his practice in and make sure that he did the braid on Boss.
“You sure about not telling her kid?” Dimple floated around in his periphery. “Ain’t kids like you supposed to lean on adults for shit like this? Aren’t you supposed to tell your mom when you’re in trouble? Someone stalking you certainly sounds like trouble to me. And you know if you don’t tell her, then she’ll just find out a different way. Maybe through Shigeo, but also she could find out when you’re kidnapped and she’s filling out a police report.”
Dimple’s needling was getting on his nerves and he gripped his mother’s orange hair tighter than he should.
“Shut up.” He hissed through his teeth.
Mom went quiet, and tilted her head just slightly. Just to catch his eye with hers and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Sorry Mom. Not you.” He was quick to apologize. “There’s a spirit in the room. He’s not dangerous, but simply annoying.” Arataka was quick to glare at Dimple, who went slightly pale at Arataka glaring at him. He still didn’t know why Dimple got so afraid of him sometimes.
“Ah, I see. Could your boss exorcize him if he’s annoying you that much?” Mom offered a solution, and she was so kind. Arataka loved his mom so much.
“No, he actually works with Boss and Kageyama-otouto too.” Arataka sighed as he attempted to pick up where he had left off in the braid. “He’s just watching over us in the night.”
Mom was facing forward, but he knew shouldn’t have said that, because he could sense her blinking at him.
“Why is the spirit watching over us in the night Taka-kun?”
Ah crap. How to spin this so the stalking wasn’t mentioned? Dimple looked so smug in his little corner that the talk with his mom had taken this direction.
A flash of yellow on screen.
Teru-san. He was making showy motions as he said something, something that Arataka couldn’t understand with the volume level being what it was, but the color was a lifeline. Arataka had his excuse. His lie.
“Hanazawa Teruki-san hangs around the offices.” He said in a quiet tone, now just fiddling with her hair. “And well, sometimes he’s liked by people. Sometimes he’s not.”
“Are you in danger?” Mom asked. Because that was her priority, and Arataka knew it was. And he had prepared himself, and really, he had set himself up for a win here. She couldn’t see his face.
“Kid don’t you fucking dare lie to her–”
“Yeah, we’re fine.” The lie slipped out from his lips like poisoned honey. So sweet and it was so easy to say. “It’s just Boss being overprotective. Probably because of the whole. . . . .”
He was careful to trail off, to fidget, to fiddle with her hair more. To act embarrassed.
Mom swallowed the poisoned honey oh so easily. She laughed lightly at his embarrassment, reaching back and patting his hand. Probably to console him about the fact that his Boss loved him like family and he didn’t know what to do about that. She settled against him, pushing weight against his shins so he had something to focus on, other than the lie that he had just spoon-fed her.
“He’s a nice man, that Kageyama Shigeo.” Mom said, honesty coating her tongue.
“He really is!” That wasn’t a lie.
“He’s a good man.” That also wasn’t a lie.
“He’s so overprotective sometimes though.” Not a lie either.
“But I think everything will be fine soon.”
That was the lie.
Every time Arataka had some form of happiness, the universe would have him pay it back in double. Arataka was waiting for the other shoe to drop after his mom revealed that he would be spending more time with her. Nothing would be fine for a while, since he would be having so many nice moments with her.
But that was fine.
Arataka was good at smiling and lying.
He was good at playing the fall guy.
He was good at being the punchline.
Just this once, He pleaded, not sure who to, but he pleaded. Just this once. Let my life be balanced on the scale.
He wasn’t sure why he was praying.
No one above would listen to an esper with weak powers anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~
Keiji was bored.
When he had been on assignment watching Reigen Arataka, he was doing something. Even if it was just watching for signs of awakening in the kid, it was something.
Now though, he was just trying to grow stronger in Claw’s headquarters.
But there was no reason for him to try and grow stronger. No reason at all.
The only person that could beat Keiji was the Boss, and the Boss didn’t want to beat Keiji bloody every day. So Keiji was bored.
Whatever. He had to have patience. This was a waiting game.
Soon their contact would move in, and they would swoop Reigen Arataka up.
A psychic that was awakened in Claw’s labs and that was brainwashed by them, and who was also on par with that psychic that was guarding him like a fierce hound?
That was a psychic that Boss wanted.
So Claw would get Reigen Arataka for Boss.
It was as simple as that.