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Chapter Text

Reigen watched the cloud of smoke curl away from his cigarette, whisking off into the cold night. The burn in his lungs was familiar, bitter. He wondered when the taste would finally become a stranger to him. If it ever would.

His father had been an avid smoker, too stubborn to listen to modern doctors or PowerPoints made by his own children. Reigen remembers being the center speaker as Emiko flipped through the slides. Still, smoke had curled around Reigen’s toys the same way it now curls into the snowy, blue night.

Speaking of Emiko, Reigen wondered what she was up to tonight. Probably still filling out adoption papers. After Hinata’s wedding, she had thrown herself back into photography. This time, however, she stayed local.

“What can I say?” Emiko had said, “I missed Japan.”

Reigen had the sneaking suspicion she’d missed her family, but he wasn’t about to call her out on it. He was surprised by her sudden interest in motherhood, though. Emiko had always been so wild, it was hard to imagine her bent over a crib or a stove. He certainly couldn’t imagine that for himself.

His home was unfit for a child; a small, second story nook of an apartment squeezed between other salary workers. It was lonely. But not tonight.

Having Serizawa over still made him nervous. Not that he’d ever admit it. Still, Reigen enjoyed the company. Besides, Serizawa’s own apartment was small; there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Yet Reigen felt like he didn’t measure up to the man in the office.

He wasn’t living in luxury, that was for sure. Owning a business hadn’t given him the riches his father had wanted from him, but then again, that was never what any of this was for. If Reigen lived to please his father, well, he’d have a very different life. Reigen’s musings were cut off by the squeaking of his door and a bundled Serizawa stepping out.

“Hey, you said you were stepping out for some fresh air,” Serizawa said.

“I am,” Reigen replied, taking another drag.

Serizawa looked at the cigarette before raising his eyes to Reigen’s solemn expression.

“I thought you quit.”

“It’s just one,” Reigen said with a shrug.

Serizawa didn’t say anything. It should make Reigen feel better; he’s won the argument. But it doesn’t. The silence felt too judgmental. Reigen ignored the urge to defend himself.

“It’s cold out,” Serizawa said, changing the subject, “why don’t you come inside?”

Reigen couldn’t find it within himself to argue. Instead, he tapped out his cigarette on the railing and followed Serizawa back into his apartment. The cheap door squeaked behind him, reminding Reigen of just how little he could afford. Serizawa eased said reminder with a warm hug around his torso. Reigen smiled and leaned into it.

The walk to Spirits and Such was bitterly cold, made slightly better by Serizawa’s presence. Winter always made Reigen like this; he couldn’t look at the bright side of things. But the routine of work kept him awake.

Today’s first client was a young, blonde woman named Hokama Ichiko. Hokama-san chewed on her lip as Serizawa prepared her tea. Her chipped nails betrayed her otherwise put together appearance of a red blouse and matching skirt and shiny black shoes. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear before talking.

“It’s my house, Reigen-sensei,” she began, her eyes wide.

She brought the lock of hair forward and wrapped her finger around it as she continued to chew on her lip.

Reigen nodded. “What about the house?”

“Well, it started with a lot of creaking around the stairs. I thought that was strange because we’ve only just moved in. My husband works in construction and he thoroughly checked the house for any sign of aging or disrepair before we moved in and he found nothing. But now…”

She took a deep breath, reached for her tea, and took a long sip.

“I hear strange things in the night,” Hokama-san continued. “Pitter pattering of little feet. I thought we might have rats, but I called an exterminator and they couldn’t find life of any kind.”

Serizawa sat down next to Reigen and leaned forward, resting his hand on his chin. “You say there’s no sign of life?”

“I mean,” she looked at her reflection in the tea and scoffed, “my husband says I have a tendency for the dramatics. We meant back when I was still performing theater, but I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. “Even talking about it now is frightening. We hear strange noises at night, and the house is so cold I can see my breath in the air.”

Reigen nodded. “So what about this made you seek out a paranormal explanation?”

“Well, I tried to put on a brave front. My girls and are scared, Reigen-sensei. I don’t want to frighten them. But it all changed when my little Airi saw a stranger outside our home.”

Hokama-san shook her head, her eyes watering. “I can’t imagine my little girl seeing something so awful.”

“What did she see, Hokama-san?”

“There was… a woman standing just past our gate, with a long, wrinkled face and scraggly hair. She had sunken red eyes and long, sharp, black nails. Her skin was loose and pale, like she’d been left to rot out in the rain.”

“You sound like you’ve seen her before.”

“Well,” she gulped. Her teacup rattled in her hand. “The truth is, my Airi isn’t the only who’s seen that awful woman. When I close my eyes,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I see her, too.”

“Oh Reigen-sensei,” she cried, “you have to help me! My girls and I don’t know what to do. And my husband doesn’t believe me. I thought this could be our fresh start, but, it feels like it’s tearing us apart.”

The woman put her face in her hands. Reigen shook his head at her forlorn figure. How could a man leave his wife in fear like this?

“Hokama-san,” Reigen said softly, “I will help you.” He raised his hand to chest, then pointed in Serizawa’s direction. “You can count on my deputy director, Serizawa-san, and I to be there for you!”

“Oh, really?” She offered a choked up smile. “Thank you, Reigen-sensei! Thank you!”

The rest of the day was fairly routine. Serizawa exorcised a haunted lamp, Reigen gave a few massages, and Tome complained about the lack of hauntings during her stay. She always missed “the big ones,” she claimed. Reigen shook his head fondly as Serizawa tried to encourage her.

“You never know, Tome-san, our next big job could come in tomorrow,” he said. “Our job this morning seems promising.”

“Don’t remind me,” she grumbled. “I wish I could have seen it. Sounds like that lady has seen a real spirit, or maybe even a monster.”

“Tome-chan, you can’t just follow us to see every monster or spirit,” Reigen nagged her. “We have important work to do.”

“Why can’t that important work involve me, huh?” She groaned and placed her head in her arms. “I want some cool stories to share, too, y’know!”

“They’re more than just stories,” Reigen huffed. “People’s lives are at stake.”

“Reigen-san,” Serizawa interrupted. “Do you still want the 4:30 exorcism for today? Or should I ask Tome to give Akido-san a call?”

“People’s lives are at stake,” Tome grumbled. “The biggest business here is a massage parlor,” she groaned. “When am I going to see something interesting?”

“You could see the back of the door on your way out.”

“Haha, Reigen-san.”

Reigen found himself standing on the porch of his apartment, watching the smoke curl away from him. He ignored the odd rain in January sprinkling around him. Another day, another cigarette. Serizawa had returned to his own apartment for tonight, smiling apologetically as he explained the mess he’d left his apartment in.

“It’s fine,” Reigen had said, waving him off. “It’s not like we need to be around each other all the time.”

He’d said it confidently then. After all, Serizawa needed time for himself. Reigen didn’t like the idea of him feeling indebted towards him. Was that how he felt? No, Reigen shook his head. He was being paranoid.

Still, he regretted his earlier comment. Or rather, he regretted Serizawa’s absence. He sighed as he took another drag. Reigen was too busy lamenting to see the woman watching from the corner.

She had long, shaggy hair. And even longer, sharp black nails. But the thing which should have scared Reigen the most were her red eyes. They were staring right at him.

Chapter Text

Reigen was restless that night. The rain against his windows should have been calming. Instead, it sounded like nails against chalkboard, or fingernails drumming. As if someone was watching him, waiting to see what he’d do next.

His fitful sleep was filled with nightmares. Clouds of smoke whirling around crying babies and ghosts. Reigen shivered just thinking about it. The worst part was how he’d ached for a cigarette when he woke up.

He’d relapsed after the wedding, and during if he was being honest. How could he not? The stress of his father attempting to ruin the wedding would have tempted anyone. It was a temptation he hadn’t yet recovered from.

Filled with guilt and frustration, he’d smoked again before leaving for work. His choked exhales mixed with smoke in the cold. Then he stubbed the cigarette out on the cheap railing.

When he arrived at the office Serizawa had already beat him there. The man was standing with his back to the door, his eyes looking for Reigen. He smiled when the man began walking down the hallway.

“Konnichiwa, Arataka,” Serizawa said.

Reigen offered a small smile. “Konnichiwa.”

Serizawa could have unlocked the door and gone in alone. After all, all locks were nothing to psychic powers. But he’d waited for Reigen to greet him at the door. It was a sweet gesture that made Reigen blush.

“I notice you have your lighter on hand,” Serizawa said after they’d closed the door.

Reigen looked down at the offending item before stuffing it into his pocket.

“Candles!” He wagged his finger. “Candles, Serizawa! They set the mood and welcome in customers! I can’t afford not to have a lighter on hand.”

Serizawa just stared at him.

It was the kind of stare that pressed for the truth. But Reigen was an expert at avoiding that, and so the stare did nothing. Before Serizawa could say anything further, Reigen rushed to his desk and pulled out the
Hokama file. He ignored the itch pulling at him for a cigarette.

“Well,” he started, “we have a second consultation with Hokama-san today. Let’s do our best!”

Serizawa nodded. “Yes!”

Typically, Reigen didn’t have follow up appointments so close together. But his heart had gone out to the terrified woman from yesterday. He couldn’t put off helping this family and sleep at night. Therefore, it had to be today!

The train ride to her home could have been uneventful. She lived a relatively short distance from Spirits and Such, but the winter weather would have made anyone scramble indoors. Anyone, that was, except Reigen Arataka. He refused to waste a single yen on transportation.

Hokama’s house was not far from Teru’s apartment. Reigen recognized the drug store and the park with the rusted slide. He wondered if Teru had ever gone there growing up. Had his parents been around long enough to take him to parks?

Reigen wondered about Teru often. What kind of food did he eat at home? What were his friends like at school? How did he manage on tests?

They were questions he found himself wondering more and more often lately. Teru had grilled him with questions when Reigen and Serizawa returned from the wedding. What was the cake flavor? Who caught the wedding bouquet? What did his cousin’s dress look like? Initially, Reigen had been overwhelmed by the attention. The trip had wiped him out after all. But he made time to answer every one of Teru’s questions.

Mob and Tome had similar questions, teenagers loved that kind of thing- romance and family drama. He’d spared them any details of his father’s meltdown, or his own for that matter. Just thinking about it was exhausting. Reigen ignored the growing urge to smoke as they turned to Hokama’s street.

The houses surrounding Hokama-san were covered in thick, white snow. Frosted fingers of trees curled around the house like a barrier. But Hokama’s house itself was unfrozen. The white siding was drenched in brown water, despite the chill of January.

Reigen knocked on the door, while Serizawa wrapped his arms around himself. He tried to quiet his shivering. The atmosphere around the house was even colder than the already frigid temperatures.

Hokama-san opened the door with wide eyes. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here!”

Hokama wore deep circles under her brown eyes. Her dark hair was thrown into a messy ponytail and her clothes were covered by an oversized red poncho. She pushed the frame of her glasses up as she stepped aside, welcoming them inside.

“Please ignore the mess. My youngest is home sick and I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off,” she laughed.

“Quite alright,” Reigen replied.

Serizawa only nodded. He wasn’t in a place to judge anyone for unkempt spaces. Frankly, the cramped home filled with cluttered drawers and unfolded blankets made him feel at home. What did stick out was the soaked home surrounded by frost.

The door behind them hadn’t fully closed, screeching with protests as the old hinges slowly made their way to the doorframe. Serizawa felt that same chilling presence from outside and rushed to close the door. Reigen raised his eyebrows at the action. The woman stared at him openly. Reigen clapped his hands with a confident finality and cleared his throat.

“My partner doesn’t want anyone else catching a cold,” he laughed. “Right, Serizawa?”

Serizawa nodded. “Right.”

“Ma’am,” Serizawa began, “would you please show us where the haunting began?”

“Well, actually,” she stammered, “it began with that door you just closed.”

“Slammed more than closed,” Reigen huffed. “That door looks like it’s on its last leg.”

Serizawa frowned. “Sir?”

“What I mean is, it’s very old, Serizawa,” Reigen said. He turned to the woman. “Spirits love hiding within old furniture or leaky pipes, but my partner and I have seen many cases like this. If you just give us this hour I’m sure we’ll have it finished in no time.”

“That’s where the pale lady was,” a voice whispered.

Reigen and Serizawa turned around, Reigen raising his eyebrows in question. The voice came from a small child, no older than six, who stood at the opening of the front hall and living room. Her black hair was tucked behind her ears in long braids. She pointed at the window with a smile.

Serizawa frowned. “Who?”

“The pale lady,” she repeated. “I saw her the other night.”

“Airi,” Hokama said, “these nice men are here to inspect our house. Why don’t you go back to bed, dear?”

Indeed, the child looked sick. Her nose was round and red like a tomato. The blankets bunched around her shoulders grew tighter as she sneezed.

“But mama, I saw her. I really did.”

Hokama nodded. Reigen could see this was a reoccurring conversation between the two. He looked over at Serizawa who nodded. Then, Reigen looked over at the mother.

“Hokama, is it possible we could speak with your daughter?”

“I don’t see why not. But I told you, Reigen-san, my girls are scared. Airi isn’t sure what she saw.”

“Thank you,” Reigen said, ignoring her words.

He and Serizawa moved away from the door, though Serizawa’s eyes never did. Reigen took a step towards the living room, inviting himself to a cozy looking couch. Airi watched him sit down before deciding to follow his lead and sit next to him.

“Airi, is it?”

She nodded. “That’s my name.”

“You seem like a bright girl-“

“I am.”

Reigen chuckled. “You said that you saw a woman in the window, yes?”

“Uhuh. She was really white with black hair down her arms and legs. Oh, and she had long black hair and her eyes were broken.”

Reigen furrowed his brow. “What do you mean they were broken?”

“Well,” Airi bit her lip, “they didn’t look right. They were all red. But I’ve never seen somebody with red eyes before. Have you?”

“Can’t say that I have,” Reigen admitted.

He’d seen plenty of odd things the little girl didn’t need to know about, black eyes included. But never red. Serizawa shifted his weight to his right before deciding to join them on the cramped couch. Hokama watched from the side with interest.

“This woman, did she say anything to you?” Serizawa asked.

Airi shook her head. “She just stared at me. I think she’s sad.”

“Why is that?”

Airi turned her head to the side and chewed on her lip. “I think… something bad happened to her. Or someone she knew.”

Reigen nodded. “Did she show you any pictures, or try to talk to you in a different way?”

“What kinda way?”

“Well,” Reigen mused, “sometimes spirits like to draw things on the window, or show us pictures of things they don’t know how to say.”

“I don’t think so. She just wanted me to come outside. She kept pointing at me, and pointing to the door. I think she misses me.”

A thorough inspection of the house proved that it was undoubtedly old. Hokama’s husband may have inspected the place, but there was no accounting for the creaking door or the loose windows. Serizawa checked for signs of another aura or a ghost but, fortunately, found nothing.

With Airi back in bed and fast asleep, there was no one else to question about the haunting. Even Hokama seemed calm compared to yesterday. She thanked Reigen and Serizawa profusely, promising to give them a call if she had any questions or troubles. With that, Reigen and Serizawa began their walk back to the office.

Reigen could no longer ignore the urge to smoke, and he lit a cigarette on the way back. He felt Serizawa’s eyes on him as he sucked in another lungful of smoke. Reigen forced himself to ignore it. If he acknowledge Serizawa’s concerns they would only grow.

When they returned to Spirits and Such, Serizawa closed the doors with a finality. Reigen suspected he was cold, but Serizawa’s stern gaze cut off any guesses. He turned to his boyfriend with a frown.

“Reigen, you said you’d stop,” Serizawa said, not a question.

They both knew what he was talking about.

“I… I was,” Reigen shrugged, “but I couldn’t escape how good it feels.”

This wasn’t a total lie. When Reigen smoked he felt Serizawa’s eyes, true, but he also felt relieved. Sitting back after a long day and knowing he could finally let go of his fears was precious to him. For just a moment, he could focus on nothing but the swirl of smoke and the taste of bitterness.

Serizawa could never understand this vice.

Even if a part of Reigen hated himself for it, he just couldn’t stop. It felt too good. He worked and worked, and yes, he enjoyed his job but this was for him and him alone. What was so hard to understand about that? His father was a smoker, and no one bothered him for it.

“Reigen, there are a lot of health risks that come with smoking,” Serizawa said. “You’re more likely to get cancer or have a heart attack than those who don’t smoke.”

“Geez, Serizawa,” Reigen laughed, “what is this? An intervention?”

“No,” he took a step closer, “but I worry about you. So do the others. We all know you’re still smoking, even when you try and hide it.”

“Tch,” Reigen frowned, trying to think of a way to change the subject. “Are you sure you didn’t sense anything back there?”

Serizawa nodded. “The house was clean, no threatening auras, no strong emotions. I couldn’t sense anything in there.” His eyes narrowed on the lighter in Reigen’s hand. “But it never hurts to be careful.”

Airi had been in bed all day, groaning about her stomach pain. It wasn’t fair! She didn’t even get to watch TV with mamma. Mamma said she was too sick to stay up.

The only interesting thing that had happened today were those two men asking her about the white lady. At least she could tell Hana and Himawari about that. But they probably wouldn’t believe her. Her sisters thought she was making it up.

Hana said there was no such thing as ghosts. It made sense coming from Hana, her smart, serious older sister who never wanted to play with her. Himawari was easier to talk to. The 10 year old liked being a big sister; she and Airi were very close. Her rejection of the pale lady hurt more than Hana’s. Why would Airi make something like that up?

But even Hana couldn’t deny the frigid air of their house. She and mama slept in the same room now. They said it was to stay warm, but Airi knew better. They shared room for the same reason Himawari and Airi did, the pale lady was watching them.

Airi could still feel her red eyes on her. The unwavering look of despair. It made Airi’s stomach turn.

Dinner was boring, as usual. Dad was gone again. He worked long hours at a construction site, so he was always on the move but rarely home. Airi wanted to say she missed him, but she was a big girl so she stayed brave. She was going to prove herself to the rest of her family.

It was the next night when Airi saw her time to be brave. She was still home sick, bored out of her mind as her mom and sisters chatted over dinner. No one noticed as Airi slunk away from the table, distracted by something in the window.

Airi creaked the door open and stared outwards. A thin, pale figure standing under the pouring rain. Weird. Where was her mom? Airi looked down at her yellow raincoat, then back up at the woman. She stood just outside of their yard.

“Hey lady,” Airi called, “aren’t you cold?”

The woman slowly turned her head to look this way. She didn’t open her mouth to speak. Or Airi couldn’t hear her voice over the pounding of rain. She took a step closer.

“My mom has a coat you could use,” she offered, “I can run inside and get it!”

The woman blinked. Then, she turned her head from side to side. Her sunken eyes never left Airi’s face. She panted in the dark, and stared.

The grey rain clung to their house, freezing and wet; like the weather was beckoning Airi back inside. But Airi wanted to see, and so she stepped onto the front porch.

Without the window, Airi could see the pale lady more clearly. Her skin wasn’t just pale. It was a faded, wrinkled gray. Her long black hair swayed in the stormy night, nearly blending her with the darkness, except for her bright red eyes.

The decrepit, haggish woman stared at her. She slowly opened her mouth like a drawbridge, revealing yellow teeth and a long tongue. Then, the woman began licking her skin. That long, ugly tongue wrapped around her arm, mixing with her hair. Airi felt a sudden chill on her skin, despite the warmth of her raincoat, and shivered.

The woman took a step towards their house and Airi jumped out of her skin. Her breaths rattled in her chest. The warmth of her home felt so far away, like she was looking somewhere devoid of any life.

She was being silly, she told herself. Hana would have called her a baby. Airi cleared her throat, and, feigning bravery, called out again.

“Hey! You wouldn’t be so sad if you had a coat!” She called. “Just go ask your mom!”

As usual, the woman said nothing. But her haggard breathing reached all the way across the yard and right to Airi’s ears. Like the lady was standing behind her. She took another step towards the house. Airi gasped and took a step backwards. The lady didn’t take another step and the two stared at one another for what felt like hours.

Suddenly, the door was wrenched open. Airi fell through the air and screamed as her only support was ripped away. The hard wooden floor hit her head and Airi whimpered.

“Airi,” her mother called, kneeling beside her, “what are you doing outside? It’s late! You can’t just leave the table like that!”

Airi looked up at her mother’s face. Her eyes were hidden between bags and brows, just like the lady outside. Airi froze in her grasp, thinking the woman had gotten into the house. But when Airi looked back up, she was gone. The yard was empty of all life.

Chapter Text

Reigen opened his eyes to an empty, dark room. They slowly adjusted to the lack of light, and he stood up on weak legs. He looked around the room, wondering what he was doing here, when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“You should stop smoking, Reigen.”

Reigen turned around, looking for the source of the voice. “Who’s there?”

“The only thing you picked up from your father was his bad habit.”

The words were said with a scowl, though he could not see the face. He recognized her leering tone. What was she doing here?

Reigen froze. “Mom?”

“Little brother, when are you going to stop making excuses?”

“How long will you keep living like this?”

“Don’t you have any self respect?”

All of the voices poked at his head, swarming him like wasps. Their beady eyes hovered nearby as they circled him. It was their mercy which let him live. Reigen broke out into a sweat.

He opened his mouth to explain, but no words came out. Reigen stared into a mirror as he shook. He watched his hands reach up to his throat. Why couldn’t he speak?

“Stay with me, Arataka. This is for you, after all.”

Who was that?

Arataka turned to the side, but there was no one behind him or in the mirror. Nothing about this was familiar, except for that familiar need growing in his gut. If he didn’t have a cigarette soon, he might die. Reigen tried to ignore it. The agony continued churning inside of him.

“You need another smoke, don’t you?”

God, he did. He didn’t want to admit it, but he did. Lying and smoking were the only things he knew how to do anymore. A cold shiver coursed through Reigen’s body as he realized the reality of the situation. He was going to die.

Flashes of Mob and Serizawa, Teru and Tome, Ritsu and Emiko, all coursed through his mind. They all stared down at him, disappointed. Reigen opened his mouth to appease them, to lie his way through one more time, but his throat was dry and the words wouldn’t come out.

Then, he began to choke. Something was forcing its way up his throat. He fell to the ground, gagging. Slowly, bloodied words fell from his mouth. They stared back at him from the floor.

Liar. Fraud. Useless. Dirty. Disgust-

Reigen woke up with a gasp.

He turned over to the side and coughed, nearly hacking up a lung as he shivered. A hand came down on his back and Reigen jumped. He still couldn’t speak, he couldn’t say no-

“Arataka!”

Serizawa watched him with bated breath. He waved his hands back and forth.

“Hey, hey it’s just me,” he said softly. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

The hand on Reigen’s skin was gone. Serizwa guiltily held it at his side. Then, just as quick as had it shown up, the guilt was gone. Instead, Katsuya watched him calmly.

“Are you alright, Arataka?”

“Yes. It’s okay, Seri-“

Reigen burst into a coughing fit. His eyes began to water as he shook from the lack of oxygen. The red burning behind his throat burnt deeper and deeper. Serizawa’s voice went in and out as Reigen’s useless lungs begged for air.

When Reigen could finally breathe again, Serizawa ran to get him some water. The momentary pain and pause had frightened Reigen. But now he simply shook his head, ignoring the pain in his throat while Serizawa was away. But ah, Reigen relaxed, there he was again. Why did he bother coming back, Reigen thought miserably, as the man returned to his side. Why did any of them ever stay?

“Are you alright?” Serizawa asked with wide, frightened eyes. “You just started shaking in the middle of the night and- and I could hear you weren’t breathing.”

“I’m fine,” Reigen said, wincing at the sound of his scraped throat.

Maybe he did need to stop smoking. Or, Reigen thought, he needed to drink more water. It was just a stupid dream, after all.

“Wh’ time issit?” Reigen managed to ask.

“Almost six,” Serizawa said regretfully.

“We gotta get up soon.”

“Hey,” Serizawa said, “do you want to talk about it?”

Arataka paused in his instincts to lie and change the subject. Serizawa was watching him with those warm brown eyes. The kind of look that asked Arataka to slow down, to trust him. He sighed fondly and gave Serizawa a hug, pressing a kiss into his neck.

“I’m okay, really.”

Reigen was not okay. He hadn’t smoked since yesterday and he was developing a headache. It felt like talons were digging into his scalp.

How was he supposed to explain to Serizawa that he couldn’t stand being alone? He needed to fill every moment with words or music; anything to avoid the silence. Anything to avoid himself.

He was reminded of the desperate days as a salesman, trying to fit in at loud parties that made him comfortable. Drinking down whatever he was given so he could talk to another person. A kind of loneliness that poisoned everything it touched. Smoking helped with that.

It did help fill a void in him, but Reigen hated how desperate smoking made him feel. That nagging need to have another always came back. These days, a cigarette didn’t have the same hit to it. As a teenager, he could have felt better from one cigarette, maybe two. Now it barely touched the same hollow spot in his chest; he was always left aching for something more.

When Airi next awoke, her stomach hurt more than ever. She could barely breathe through the white pain enveloping her insides. The only thing that came through her mouth was the bile from last night’s dinner. Airi bent over the bucket by her bed, crying as she threw up again.

“Oh, Airi,” her mother said, shaking her head. “I guess you’re not feeling any better today.”

Airi shook her head miserably.

It wasn’t fair. How come Hana and Himawari weren’t sick? She missed them. She didn’t miss school, but staying home was starting to become boring.

“Himawari, bring back something for me?” She asked her older sister as she threw on her shoes.

“Airi, I really don’t have time to talk,” she replied.

The 10 year old was always running around or running behind. Mamma said she’d forget her head if it wasn’t stuck between her shoulders. Airi watched from her bed as she scurried through the room, grabbing things from the floor.

“Himawari, we’re gonna be late.”

“I’m coming!” Himawari gave her sister a final nod. “See you later!”

Airi went back to sleep to the sound of her mother starting the car. The touch of her father’s hand in her hair. Then she was gone.

Hokama Isamu was a solemn man. He worked long hours traveling from home to his work in Shanghai. When he was home, his girls were his world. He was a lucky man to have such a doting wife and such happy, inquisitive daughters.

His wife, Ichiko, was currently driving his eldest daughters to school. Airi was sick in bed for the third day in a row. He sighed as he ran his hand through his daughter’s sweaty hair. The child stirred at the movement and he paused, worried he’d woken her. But she easily fell back asleep.

Ichiko had mentioned the girl was having nightmares, or seeing things before bed. One of the two. The dark sky outside reminded him of his own wild, youthful imagination.

At least, he supposed it was just Airi’s imagination. He hadn’t had the time to ask Ichiko as she rushed out the door. Himawari and his wife were alike in that way, both always running around, scrambling to get things together. Like mother, like daughter.
His fond thinking was interrupted by a rattle at the window.

Isamu frowned. Was his wife back already? He rose from his chair and strode across their small living room. From his place he could see the rain was coming down hard. The dark, empty sky stared back at him. Strange, it had been sunny just moments ago.

When he walked up to the window the rattling grew stronger, as if shaking the whole house. Otherwise, it was dreadfully silent. Nothing but the pattern of rain collecting on the window pane. The doorbell rang.

“Ichiko?” He asked. “Is that you?”

The doorbell rang again, but no voice answered his call. He took a deep breath and watched the air as he exhaled. He rubbed his arms through the sudden cold.

The hallway felt small as he continued towards the furiously ringing door, like the walls were closing in on him. The tall, overwhelming walls beckoned him forward. The ringing turned to harsh knocks, then to furious bangs, shaking the whole door. Isamu glared at the door and pulled it open.

“You’d better sto-!”

He opened the door to an empty porch. The pouring rain was his only company. What the hell? He looked up and down their yard.

No, wait, there was someone there. Isamu put on his glasses, squinting through the pouring rain. There was a figure at their steps. Isamu gasped. A long, hairy arm clung to their front porch. Attached to it was a hideous woman with flayed skin and red eyes. His eyes widened and he stuck out his own shaking arm.

“Ma’am, do you need some help?”

She opened her terrible mouth and tried to speak, but only teeth fell out. Isamu watched in horror as the yellow molars rotted into the ground, killing the grass around it. He felt the hair on his neck stand up as she took a step closer.

No, it couldn’t be a she. Could she?
He closed the door behind him as the haggard creature moved closer. Isamu raised his hands to his chest, palms out. He took a shaky breath.

“Now, whoever you are… I want you to leave,” he said.

The tales of his wife seeing ugly creatures and hearing horrible wailing in the night returned to him. They were just dreams, he’d assured her. Too much television before bed, but the creature in front of him was inhaling haggardly and staring at him clear as day.

She opened her mouth again and he cringed as more teeth fell out and made way for a long, hairy tongue. Bloodied teeth scattered around the porch as she took another step. Isamu stepped back, his rising and falling chest a thin veil between his daughter and this monster.

“What do you want?”

The creature opened its mouth in a horrific howl. She raised her arms to her sides, showing long black nails, and hissed. He gasped as she rushed at him.

The last thing he saw was a pair of red eyes.

Reigen and Serizawa were enjoying a relatively peaceful afternoon. The need to smoke was still present, poking at him like an inquisitive child. Never a moment’s peace. Suddenly, they received a frantic call.

“Could you repeat your name?” Serizawa asked over the phone.

“It’s Hakoma Airi,” a little girl said.

Serizawa’s eyes widened. Reigen looked over as if to say ‘what’s up?’ But Serizawa ignored him. His eyebrows narrowed as he gave simple instructions over the phone.

“Call 119 and stay where you are,” he said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

Serizawa hung up in a flash. Reigen stood up and grabbed his blazer from the back of his chair. He looked at Serizawa’s intense frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Airi. Her father won’t wake up.”

Chapter Text

Reigen and Serizawa rushed through the snow. They hadn’t even stopped to put on their jackets, and the bitter cold made sure they knew it. Serizawa, using his powers, moved himself even faster and got there first. As Reigen ran to catch up, he tried to ignore all of the horrible things associated with not waking up.

When he arrived at the house, Serizawa was standing over a body. Oh god. Reigen steeled himself for whatever stepping closer would tell him. He didn’t want to, but he must.

Reigen took a step closer, but was cut off by a little girl grabbing his pant leg. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and snot running down her nose. She clung to him tightly.

“It’s awful!” She cried. “Something’s wrong with daddy!”

“Airi-chan?” Arataka asked, recognizing the girl. “What happened? Did you call an ambulance?”

“I- I called the number he said,” she pointed at Serizawa. “They said they’re coming. I don’t know what happened! I was asleep and I woke up to a loud noise, and daddy was on the floor outside!”

Reigen pulled his pant leg out of her reach. She stared up at him, her lip wobbling. He shook his head and knelt down to her level, giving her a nervous hug. Was it okay to hug a client’s child if they were crying?

“Reigen,” Serizawa called, “come look!”

“Don’t go,” Airi said, clinging to him.

Reigen held out his hand and she took it, hiding behind his arm the whole way. The two slowly approached Serizawa and the unconscious man. Serizawa was knelt beside his body and looked up at them with a frown.

“He has a strong presence clinging to him. Whatever he saw left a mark, literally.”

Serizawa pulled up the man’s shirt to reveal an angry redness around his wrist, as if he’d been chained. Reigen had only seen this a few times, in case of possessions. But the man was unconscious, not at all a threat. What did these markings mean? And would the spirit come back for him?

His musings were cut off by the sound of an engine. The trio looked over to see Hakoma-san stumbling out of her car. One high heel had fallen off her foot as she ran over to them.

“What happened?!”

“Ma’am, your husband appears to be unconscious,” Reigen said. “My partner and I are trying to figure out what happen-“

“Airi! Thank goodness you’re alright,” she said, kneeling down to greet her. She placed her hands on her daughter’s cheeks, looking her over for any injuries. “Did you see what happened?”

Airi shook her head. “I don’t know, mama. One minute I could feel daddy’s hand in my hair, and the next he was outside. I don’t know what happened!”

“Ma’am, an ambulance is on their way,” Reigen said, awkwardly stuck between the mother and daughter.

“What are you two doing here?” She looked back and forth between them. “I thought you said there was no proof of a haunting.”

“We couldn’t detect any evidence of a spirit,” Reigen said as the woman knelt next to her husband.

“Isamu,” she cradled his head. Her chin trembled as she closed her eyes and spoke to the other men. “Why are you here?”

“We have reason to believe your husband has been attacked by a spirit, ma’am,” Serizawa said. “He has a certain… presence attached to him. One you could not see.”

“I thought you said this house was safe.”

“Our previous inspection led us to believe you were all safe,” Serizawa said. “But the presence I feel attached to your husband is certainly undead.”

“Oh god,” she gasped. “What do you think it’s doing to him?”

“For now we have no reason to believe anything has happened to your husband beyond fainting, but the ambulance will be here shortly,” Reigen said. “Do you mind if my partner and I have a look around?”

“Not at all, please do,” she said, and held out her arms. “Airi, come here please.”

“But what if it was the pale lady?” Airi puffed out her chest. “Maybe I can help.”

“Did you see the pale lady?” Serizawa asked.

She nodded. “I saw her before bed. She was scary.”

“Well, I think it’s best you stay with your parents right now,” Reigen said. “But if we need you, we’ll call. In fact, here.”

He pulled his card out of his pocket and handed it to the little girl. Then, Reigen and Serizawa began their search. The ambulance arrived shortly, covering most of the front yard. Fortunately, Reigen and Serizawa were still able to conduct their investigation.

A thorough scoping of the grass led to three separate bloodied spots, each surrounded by yellowed teeth and dead grass. Something bad definitely happened here. Reigen looked back at Hakoma and Airi, both hugging as the medics loaded Isamu into the ambulance. They had to find a way to help these people.

Airi followed her mother through the house as they set up a room for the two men. She’d never gotten to have a sleepover before. Hana and Himawari had both had friends spend the night, but this was the first time Airi would get to introduce company to them.

Mama said it wasn’t a sleepover. That Reigen-san and Serizawa-san were here to help while daddy was at the hospital. She hoped daddy was alright, but she didn’t know what to expect when they carried him off.

Reigen-san and Serizawa-san seemed hesitant to stay. They kept looking at the door while talking to mama. Airi decided she would make sure they felt right at home. She just wasn’t sure how yet. She also wasn’t sure what had hurt her daddy. Not knowing that was scarier than anything else.

Airi was coloring at the kitchen table when mama received a phone call. The hospital told her that daddy was awake. Airi wanted to go and see daddy, and mama wanted to see him, too. Mama told the two adults to get comfortable in the house while they left.

“Now Airi,” mama said as she strapped her into the car, “your daddy might not be up to questions. We don’t know how he’s feeling. So it’s very important we listen to the doctors and nurses. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay, mommy.”

The car ride felt like forever. She tried to be a big girl and not kick the seats, but she was so bored and her tummy felt funny. What if daddy was mad at her for not protecting him? What if it really had been the pale lady?

She couldn’t stop thinking about her daddy and her sisters. Even if Hana didn’t believer her, Airi knew the pale lady was getting to her, too. Lately, her sister had risen from bed like the dead. She didn’t want to play with Airi anymore; she rarely laughed.

Himawari still wanted to play, but her eyes always wore deep bags. Airi heard her screams every night through her nightmares. Even her big sisters were afraid. And now daddy was in the hospital. What would they do without him?

When they got out of the car, mama held her hand tight. The wind battered them back and forth; mama stayed strong and held her high so Airi tried to do that, too. The hospital building towered over them. It was a tall with brown bricks and lots of light green windows.

Mama didn’t let go of her, so Airi held on just as tight to make her feel better. She didn’t want mama to be scared. The doors opened for them like a silver mouth, and she and mama walked inside. A lady in green clothes told them to take the elevator and where to find daddy. Another silver mouth opened and Airi and her mom stepped inside of it. She tried to ignore the funny feeling growing in her stomach as the elevator climbed higher and higher.

“I know you might be scared to see your daddy,” mama said, “but don’t worry, Airi. Everything will be okay.”

Airi nodded, even though she didn’t think everything would be okay. They walked down the shiny white floors to another long, gray table with nurses and doctors behind it. They all told mama where to go and smiled at Airi. She didn’t smile back.

Daddy was in room 402, according to the doctor. Airi kept her eyes peeled for those numbers. She was proud of herself for remembering them so well, and prouder when she pointed out the room to mama.

“Hi daddy,” Airi said when they entered the room.

Daddy was laying in a hospital bed with a green dress on that her mama called a hospital gown. His eyes were dull and tired, but when daddy saw her he sat up in bed and smiled at her. He also had a big, white bandage on the back of his head. Airi and mama approached the bed, and Airi stood on her tiptoes to touch the bandage.

“Airi, don’t touch that,” mama scolded.

“Sorry,” she said, looking at the ground. Then she looked back up at daddy. “Does it hurt?”

“Only a little,” he said with that same, tired smile. “The doctors say I can come back home tomorrow. Don’t worry, pumpkin.”

Back at the house, Reigen and Serizawa had begun setting up their room. Initially they had politely declined the invitation, but Hokama-san was so shaken even Reigen gave in. Plus, he’d never gotten to charge a client for staying overnight. This could be a game changer.

Thinking about money distracted him from things like smoking and when he was going to smoke next and how he could hide it from Serizawa. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Serizawa. He was just… trying to respect his time, yeah. He didn’t want to worry his boyfriend; they already had a dangerous job. Why make it worse by announcing he couldn’t wait to have a smoke?

January made the nights long and dark, casting the house in an eery shadow. It was barely noon, and the place was already in darkness. Without Airi and her parents, it was silent.

Suddenly, the silence shattered. An ear piercing shriek let out. It was almost a sob, but for the terrifying howl accompanying it. Arataka covered his ears as that deathly scream rattled in his ears. His eyes flashed to his boyfriend.

“Serizawa, can you see anything?”

Serizawa nodded. “A woman. She’s in pain.”

Arataka scoffed, to hide the fear rattling through his bones. “How anything so inhuman can be a woman is beyond me.”

“What, women can’t be scary?” Serizawa joked.

“No I’ve seen my sister,” he replied. “Okay, let’s go check it out.”

The two crept through the living room, the screams growing louder and louder. Arataka winced and placed a hand on his head as a sharp pain coursed through him. Serizawa startled and reached out to him.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine,” he groaned. “Let’s keep going. It sounds like it’s coming from outside.”

The house was being doused in rain. Reigen pulled his jacket off and held it above his head as they stepped out onto the porch.

“I’ll go first,” Serizawa said.

“Serizawa, I can handle myself,” Reigen replied, offended.

Serizawa frowned and turned to face him. “What happened to being partners? I thought we were in this together.”

“Wha- of course we are!” Reigen placed his hand on his chest before pointing at the other man. “That doesn’t mean you have to take the lead. Let me go first.”

Serizawa leveled him with a long stare before stepping aside. “Be careful.”

“Of course I will,” he said.

With that out of the way, Reigen took the lead. Rain poured down in long streaks, echoed by thunder. The rain was so heavy he couldn’t see in front of his face. Reigen wouldn’t know if something snuck up on him. He tried not to think about whatever had put Isamu in the hospital. Would he and Serizawa go there next? A harsh, guttural cry interrupted his thoughts.

“My babies!” A woman cried. “She’s taken them!”

Reigen looked around but saw no one. If this yard wasn’t haunted, it would be beautiful. The long stretch of grass was filled with barren trees and had clear signs of a garden. Another scream stopped him in his tracks. Just like in his dream, the voice circled him. Another loud cry erupted, wailing into the dark.

“My babies! Give them back to me! Give them back!”

“Serizawa, do you see anything?” Reigen whispered.

“A shadow….” Serizawa squinted at a tree in the yard.

Reigen and Serizawa made tracks in the thick snow as they walked, and Reigen wished he’d worn snow boots as he picked up his heavy feet once more. Serizawa stood close to him, his hands outstretched as if they might run into someone. Reigen gulped. They just might.

“The woman is here,” Serizawa whispered as they approached a large oak tree.

“Where?”

Serizawa paused and put a hand to his mouth. “Oh, god.”

“What is it? What do you see?”

Serizawa gulped and stared at the oak tree. Reigen squinted, trying to make sense of Serizawa’s rigid posture. His back was to the tree, and Serizawa was torn between asking him to turn around and begging him to run. The older man pointed up at a large branch.

“She’s staring right at us.”

Through Serizawa’s eyes, there was a gauntly, pale woman. The first thing he saw were her bluish black feet, covered in dirt and blood. She wore a dirty white gown. A noose was tied around her neck as she swung from the large tree. She stared at Serizawa with unblinking red eyes. Her mouth fell open as she screamed.

“My babies!”

Suddenly, the rope snapped. Reigen covered his ears as the woman howled and fell six feet through the air. Reigen couldn’t see the woman, but he jumped at the sound of her bones snapping. He stared in horror at the shape of a woman’s body in the snow. Reigen covered his mouth and turned to look at Serizawa.

“Is she….?”

“I don’t know.”

Serizawa stared at the crumpled, haggard woman on the ground. She’d fallen onto her back, her legs sticking out at unnatural angles. Her horrid eyes were finally closed. Her nails were ripped and ragged, dirty hands unmoving in the cold snow. Serizawa took a step closer, kneeling down beside her. Was this the end of this nightmare?

Her eyes flashed open.

Serizawa fell backwards. “Run, Reigen! Run!”

The woman leapt from the ground, laughing as she ran on broken legs. She screamed as she chased them. Reigen and Serizawa dashed across the yard.

“Don’t look back, Reigen!”

“I couldn’t see anything if I did!”

But Reigen was curious. He had to look. When he looked back, he did see her. A terrifying monster with black hair, red eyes, and a long tongue. He screamed as she drew closer and closer.

“Hurry!”

Then, Reigen tripped on an exposed root and fell to the ground. The root crept up his leg, twisting around his foot. Reigen pulled and pulled, but nothing happened. He screamed as the woman ran closer, smiling at him. She had a bloodied mouth with no teeth. Her mouth was open wide. To scream? To devour him? He couldn’t tell. She ran faster and faster, closing in on him.

Oh god. Was this it? Was this how he died?

“Arataka!”

A beam of magenta shot out at the woman. She howled and fell backwards. Reigen kept pulling and pulling at his foot, but nothing moved. If anything, the root was climbing up his body, trapping him. Reigen screamed for Serizawa all the while.

He ran back to Reigen and pulled out his business cards. They formed a bright, neon pink sword. He used it to slash through the woman’s arm. She screamed into the darkness as her arm fell to the side, but it merely slowed her down. Then it grew back. She kept coming. Serizawa couldn’t stop the ghost and free Reigen at the same time!

Reigen pulled harder and harder at his foot while Serizawa fought off the ghost. He threw beams of pink light at her, illuminating her horrifying face. She was covered in blood and wrinkles and discolored purple and pale blues.

“Come on, come on,” Reigen panicked.

Finally, his foot was freed! She must be concentrating her powers on fighting Serizawa, Reigen thought. He sprang to his feet and called out for Serizawa.

“Let’s go!”

Reigen and Serizawa ran faster and faster, Serizawa occasionally throwing a bright beam over his shoulder. Reigen felt her nails scrape his elbow but he didn’t look back. He ran and ran until he finally saw the door to the house. Quick, up the porch. Open the door. Throw yourself inside.

“Get the door!”

Serizawa slammed the door shut and locked it just as the woman began pounding against it. She screamed again and again, calling out for babies. Reigen and Serizawa pushed against the door until the cries finally died out, and they collapsed to the floor. Reigen looked over at Serizawa as his chest rose and fell, trying to fight off his exhaustion. He offered Serizawa a cheeky grin.

“Aren’t you glad we’re staying the night?”

_______

Nighttime was not welcome here. Although it felt like nighttime around here most of the time. Airi was starting to forget what sunlight felt like. She hoped it would be brighter at the house than it was at the hospital.

But when Airi and mama returned, the sky was pitch black: it was even darker than at the hospital. They had been lucky there. Airi was able to get some medicine, and they were able to have lunch with daddy.

Hana and Himawari would be home soon. Which meant Airi would get to introduce them to Reigen-san and Serizawa-san! She was excited to make them all feel at home.
But when she and mama came into the house, they seemed anything but at home.

Reigen-san, the one who smelt like smoke and had yellow hair, welcomed her and mama home with a grin. It didn’t reach his eyes. He talked a mile a minute, something about good news and a new discovery that Airi couldn’t follow. She didn’t understand. If it was good news, then why were his hands shaking?

She left the conversation to go to her and Himawari’s room. She knew what she needed to help Reigen-san and Serizawa-san. Her eyes scanned her pink bed for the right one. She hummed and tapped her chin like daddy did until, finally, she found what she was looking for.

“I have something that’ll help!” She shouted as she ran back to the living room.

Reigen-san nearly jumped. “You wanna help?”

“Airi-chan,” Serizawa began, “this is dangerous work. We wouldn’t want you to get involved with-“

“No not that, this!” She held out two stuffed animals. “Here!”

She handed one to Serizawa-san. It was a medium sized Kowakunaine plushie of a light blue fox with white whiskers. Serizawa took the toy with a smile.

“Arigato, Airi-chan.”

She grinned. “I thought it would make you feel more at home.”

Then, she handed one to Reigen-san. It was a pink plushie dinosaur with bumps along its back that ended in a tail. This dinosaur was one of Airi’s favorites because of her pink blush. The man raised his eyebrows in question.

“This is for me?”

She nodded. “I know you like pink.” She pointed at his tie.

“Oh, well, arigato, Airi-chan. I’m sure these will both make Serizawa-san feel much better.” The man put a thumb to his chest before sweeping his hand out and fanning it around the room. “I, Reigen Arataka, am the greatest psychic of the 21st century! Rest assured I will find the source of this spirit. With or without a plushie!”

Hana and Himawari came home to a full house. The two girls dropped their bags onto the floor in exhaustion before their mother reprimanded them to hang their backpacks on a hook. Afterwards, Airi excitedly introduces them, though Reigen has no idea why.

“This is Reigen! He’s the one who likes to throw salt,” Airi said proudly.

“Oi, I do other things,” he said with a frown.

Airi just giggled and smiled at him. Then she pointed at Serizawa. Serizawa raised his eyebrows.

“He’s quieter and nice.” She leaned towards her big sisters and put a hand over her mouth. “Plus I think he has superpowers.”

Hana, the eldest, scoffed. She was a little taller than Mob, with dark hair and freckles scattered across her nose. She and Himawari had the same dark, rounded eyes.

Himawari reminded Reigen of Mob back when they’d first met. She was small for her age, only an inch taller than Airi, but she stood proudly. She smiled at them with big teeth as Hana rolled her eyes.

“Superpowers? Come on, Airi,” she said. “Superpowers aren’t real.”

“They are, too! Himawari, you believe me. Don’t you?”

The 10 year old looked up and adjusted her glasses, made more noticeable by her huge eyes bags, giving the two men another look. She put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. Hana looked away, unimpressed.

“Can you show us?” Himawari asked.

“Uh, I guess so,” Serizawa shrugged. “Watch.”

Serizawa stuck out his pointer finger and the kitchen drawer opened. Airi clapped her hands as the other two stared at the drawer inquisitively. Then, Serizawa moved his finger in a circle, casting a ray of magenta on one of their spoons. The spoon rose into the air, following his finger and spinning around.

“See? See!” Airi grabbed Hana’s arm and jumped up and down. “I told you, I told you!”

“Wow,” Himawari said. “That’s amazing.”

Hana just watched in stunned silence. Satisfied, Reigen offered them a grin. He waved his open palm through the air as he spoke.

“That’s not all we can do! Serizawa and I are here to help save your house. You have my guarantee!”

“Are you gonna help with that monster?” Himawari asked.

Serizawa frowned. “You’ve seen a monster?”

She nodded. “In my dreams, and in the house, I smell smoke. Lots and lots of it.”

She walked through the kitchen as she spoke, looking into the living room full of windows. “And I see red eyes watching us from the windows.”

Hana scoffed again. “Himawari, I’ve told you, there’s no such thing as-“

Suddenly, the lights went out. Airi screamed and grabbed Hana’s jacket. Reigen and Serizawa looked around. How had it gotten inside? The lights flickered back on as Himawari laughed. She was standing next to the light switch with a mischievous grin.

“Hima that’s so not funny!” Hana shouted with a glare.

“So much for no ghosts!” Himawari laughed. “Reigen and Serizawa believe m-“

“Himawari,” their mother said, poking her head in from the living room, “that’s Reigen-san and Serizawa-san to you.”

“Airi didn’t have to!”

“Airi has to, too.”

Reigen still wasn’t sure he wanted to stay the night. Sure, he liked the cash flow, but it was a lot to spend the night with a family. While their yard was a few acres, their house was small and dark. How would they all fit?

Hakoma-san told him not to worry as she had the girls drag a mattress into their living room. He’d offered to help, but she’d I insisted they were fine. “I’m sorry we only have one mattress,” Hakoma-san said. Reigen had simply shrugged it off. He and Serizawa still kept their relationship private for the sake of business. Their conversation was interrupted when Serizawa pointed at the mattress and lifted it with his powers. Hana, Himawari, and Airi all cheered.

The girls’ father was staying at the hospital for tonight and, while Reigen was still uncertain about spending the night, he could see he and Serizawa’s presence brought the family some comfort. Hakoma-san hadn’t taken her eyes off of her girls since they got home. She looked at the clock as they all chattered about school and cursed.

“I didn’t realize how late it was! Oh,” she sighed, putting her head in her hands, “and I didn’t do any grocery shopping today. I was at the hospital all day.”

Airi frowned. “Mama, I’m hungry.”

“I know, sweetie, hold on. Mama will think of something.”

Reigen stood up from the couch in their living room. His ears perked up at the mention of food. He placed a hand on his hip and spun around to face Hakoma-san.

“What do you have here? I could cook something.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Hakoma-san said. “You two are guests here. I couldn’t ask that of you.”

Reigen grinned. “It’s no trouble. My superpowers lay in the kitchen.”

“Well,” Hakoma-san looked down at her hands, “if you insist.”

“And I do,” Reigen grinned. “Go spend some time with your girls, Hakoma-san. You deserve it.”

Hakoma-san smiled at him and nodded. Distantly, Reigen heard her ask the girls if they’d like to play a game. Three resounding cheers told him they did.

Reigen chuckled as he began looking through their fridge. Suddenly, someone was behind him. A hand on his back. Reigen whipped around.

“Oh,” he laughed, seeing Serizawa’s startled face, “it’s you.”

“It’s just me,” Serizawa smiled.

Reigen scoffed. “Not just.”

Serizawa frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know,” Reigen smiled shyly. “You’re never just anything.” He placed a hand over Serizawa’s. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” Serizawa said, smiling. “I’m really proud of you.”

“For what?”

“For not smoking.”

“Heh, right,” Reigen put a hand in his hair and turned away from him, ignoring the chord that sentence had struck within him.

“Do you want some help cooking?”

Reigen shrugged. “Why not. Here, help me look for these ingredients. I found some leftover beef and egg. And there’s still since rice here. I think we’ll just need some spices and onions.”

Serizawa and Reigen moved like a well oiled machine as they mixed and sliced. At some point, the girls put on music. Serizawa held out his hand for Reigen, who grinned and spun into him. They might get caught, Reigen thought. They were in a client’s house. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Earlier had been too close of a call, and he was happy to feel Serizawa in his arms.

When Reigen and Serizawa (mostly Reigen) had finished dinner, they called for the family. The girls rushed through the opening, while their mother calmly walked through. The two had prepared gyudon for everyone. The thinly sliced beef looked delicious over the white rice, each bowl covered with a fried egg.

It was a simple meal, but it provided a comfort the family desperately needed. Hakoma-san smiled and thanked them both as her children dug in. The crowded dinner table was filled with bumping elbows and overlapping voices and, for the first time in a long time, the house was full of laughter.

Chapter Text

“You’re not welcome here,” whispered an eery voice.

Reigen sat up in bed, eyes wide. The room was dark. The voice was young. Serizawa slept next to him, softly snoring in the otherwise silent house. Slowly, Reigen rose to his feet.

“Who said that?”

“Go back,” a little girl said. “Back to what you know. You’re not welcome here.”

Reigen opened his mouth in protest, but was interrupted by a cloud of smoke. He gasped. The smoke circled around his feet. It grew taller and taller. He couldn’t see his own hands.

He hissed as the smoke touched his skin; it left a burning sensation that made him cry out in agony. He fell to his feet. Where was Serizawa? Reigen called for him as the smoke tightened around him like a noose, and lifted him into the air.

“You’re not welcome here.”

Suddenly, Reigen couldn’t breathe. The air was stolen from his lungs and replaced by cigarettes. He coughed as more and more cigarettes were shoved into his mouth. His stomach churned.

His eyes began to water as his mouth turned to ash, teeth falling out and bottom lip splitting. A red hot pain. He was surrounded by teeth and a bloody lip.

Reigen screamed and screamed and screamed as the hand shoving cigarettes down his throat tightened around his neck. It squeezed the life out of him- dying, he realized between coughs, he was dying. He was going to die he was going to di-

“Arataka!”

He sat up in bed, gasping for air. His throat burned and his eyes watered as he choked.
Arataka put a hand to his burning throat and coughed and coughed. Serizawa watched, feeling useless, as his boyfriend’s arms shook. He laid a gentle hand on his back as Arataka continued to cough.

“-zawa,” he managed to say through his coughs.

“Don’t talk if you can’t. Save your breath.”

Arataka hacked. Serizawa stayed at his side, a gentle hand on his back as he shook. Reigen looked around the dark room. He saw no smoke; nothing indicating the house was anything but normal.

“My dreams…” he said. “This one had its hand around my throat.”

Serizawa’s eyes widened. “Around your throat?”

“I don’t think we’re welcome here,” Reigen said.

Serizawa frowned, thinking of the kind family offering them a place to stay. “What do you mean?”

“Something wants us gone,” he whispered. “In my dreams, I can’t see it but…” he looked up at Serizawa. “I think we should bring Dimple in. Maybe an actual ghost will see more. See if we can get a better idea of what this thing is.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Serizawa whispered back.

Their whispers were interrupted by the sound of a scream. Reigen and Serizawa looked at each other before scrambling to their feet. Airi-chan screamed, crying out for help as they ran.

Himawari joined the cries, calling out for her mama. The first door on the right shook. Serizawa rushed to the door, but was thrown backwards. Reigen looked up. He was frozen in mid air. He looked at Serizawa. Then he was thrown against the wall.

“Arataka!”

Reigen groaned as he pushed himself up.

“Let me try.”

The howls continued as Serizawa rammed his shoulder against the door, using his powers to add extra weight.

“We’re coming!” Reigen called as he slammed into the door. “It’s okay, we’re coming!”

The door finally gave, and Serizawa fell into the room. Reigen rushed in behind him. Airi was thrashing in her bed, head twisting as she sobbed. Himawari stared at her in horror, pointing at her sister with a shaking hand.

“R-Reigen-san,” she called. “Help her!”

He rushed towards the little girl, “Airi-chan, it’s time to wake up.”

“She’s here, Reigen-san,” Airi whispered. “She wants me! She wants us!”

“Airi-chan,” Reigen said, “wake up! You’re safe. You’re safe, I promise.”

Serizawa stood over the girl and held out his hands, his powers manifesting magenta that swirled around the girl’s head. Airi continued twisting in bed, shouting. The door slammed open once more as Hakoma-san rushed into the room.

“What’s happening?!”

Objects began to float in the room as the screams continued. Hakoma-san looked around in fear. Himawari ran to her mother and held her tight. The door slammed open a final fine as Hana ran in.

“What’s going on with Airi?!”

“I can’t wake her up,” Serizawa shouted over the roaring in the room.

The girls screams rose higher and higher and the covers began to fall from her body as, she too, rose into the air like a creature of the night. Reigen ran over and grabbed onto her feet as she rose. He clung to her nightgown and fought against the invisible force pulling on her. Serizawa widened his arms and latched his powers onto the girl.

Finally, she was let go. Reigen caught her as she fell from the air. When she fell back into his arms she opened her eyes and looked around in a panic. Her eyes landed on him, and she began to cry. Hakoma-san rushed to her daughter’s side and took her from Reigen’s arm. She sat down on the bed and held Airi as she sobbed.

“Airi honey, you were- you were floating,” she cried. “What- what happened?”

“There was a lady in my head,” Airi cried. She snuggled into her mother’s chest before looking at the room, staring at her sisters with glassy eyes. “She said she wants me…. And my family dead.”

No one said a word. Airi continued to sob as they all stood in stunned silence. Hakoma-san took a deep breath and shook her head.

“Airi honey, we’re gonna get to the bottom of this. I promise,” she said.

Her voice was strong, but Reigen could see her arms were shaking. What did this ghost have against this family, and just how far would it go to get them? Airi-chan glanced over at him and clutched her mom tightly around the neck.

“I don’t want to go back to sleep,” she whispered.

Airi had lost her upbeat spirit. She shivered and shook in her mother’s arms like the little girl she was. Reigen bit his lip, feeling useless. What could he do to help? Before he could think Reigen found himself doing what he did best, talking.

“You know Airi-chan,” he said, “I’m scared to go to sleep, too.”

“You are?”

He nodded. “But you know what? My partner makes me stronger, just like your family makes you stronger. They’re all here for you.”

Airi looked up at him, her lip trembling as she spoke. “Are you here for me?”

Reigen didn’t make like to make promises to clients. He didn’t get too close to the job. He never let himself, that was a rookie mistake. But something about this family was pulling him in heart first. He looked over at Serizawa who nodded. Reigen looked back at Airi and spoke.

“Of course I am.”

The constant tapping of the rain woke him up. Serizawa was the first to rise in the small, crowded room. Reigen was snoring next to Airi-chan, whose hand draped off the end of her bed and hovered above Reigen’s dyed hair. Reigen was clinging to the pink dinosaur Airi had given him.
Cute. Serizawa smiled before looking around the bedroom.

The room was cast in shadow. It was too early to rouse the girls, especially Hakoma-san, who looked exhausted. She was squished between Himawari’s mattress and Hana, who laid on the spare mattress. Reigen and Serizawa had given it up when the family decided to spend the night together. Serizawa groaned as he sat up from the carpet. The real horror here was their uncomfortable floor.

Speaking of horrors, Reigen was unusually still. Serizawa half expected the man to wake up screaming like Airi-chan. Those awful nightmares wouldn’t leave him alone. As if hearing him, Reigen’s breathing began to pick up.

“Arataka?”

“Go ‘way,” he groaned.

Serizawa smiled. “Are you awake?”

“No, no,” he whispered, turning away from his boyfriend.

Serizawa’s smile fell from his face. He worriedly ran a hand through his boyfriend’s hair. “Taka, you okay?”

“Don’t… don’t take ‘em,” he mumbled.

“Take who?”

“Don’t take the girls… please.”

Arataka sat up suddenly, eyes wide as he gasped for breath. The fear in his eyes was wide and red like he couldn’t stop running a race. Serizawa, growing uncomfortably familiar with this routine, put himself in Reigen’s line of sight. He began whispering reassurances as Arataka coughed. He found himself echoing Reigen’s sentiment from the night before.

“It’s okay,” Serizawa said, “you’re safe.”

“Not okay,” Reigen said between coughs. “Something is here.”

Reigen looked up at him tensely. His hands shook at his sides as he gulped. Serizawa reached out his hand and Reigen took it without question, avoiding his gaze.

“What did you see?”

“I saw… I saw the pale lady,” he whispered. “A woman in muddied clothing with red eyes, licking hairy skin. She was- s-she had Airi in her grasp.”

“Airi was there?”

Reigen nodded. “I couldn’t see the others. But there were….” He gulped, “there were so many bodies.”

Serizawa felt a chill run down his spine. Reigen’s hands tightened in his grip. Serizawa looked over his shoulder and saw one of the girls was awake; she smiled at him. She raised a dirty hand and waved. Arataka interrupted their eye contact.

“Serizawa, what are you looking at?”

He frowned and looked at Arataka. “One of the girls, of course. She’s awa-“

“Serizawa, there’s no one there.”

He looked again but Reigen was right, there was no one there.

“There’s no question about it,” Dimple said over breakfast, “this place is definitely haunted.”

“Gee, thanks,” Reigen scoffed. “Who would have guessed?”

“Apparently not you, dumbass! Since you only just contacted me.”

The group heard a gasp behind them. Reigen turned around, expecting another horrible sight. But he was grateful to only see Himawari. Until she opened her mouth.

“Mom!” She cried out, turning on her foot. “The ghost said a bad word!”

Dimple frowned. “Oi, I’m an evil spirit!”

“Ekubo, quit playing around,” Serizawa said.

“Wha- she started it!”

Hakoma-san looked at them in bewilderment. She already understood the notion of spirits, but she wouldn’t stop staring at the new one in her house. Only one of many, if her girls were right.

She and the girls had gotten together for a breakfast of eggs and rice which the businessmen had thanked her for profusely. Everyone had stumbled into the kitchen from a poor night’s rest, but at least they were together. Hakoma tried to remember that as she watched a green spirit talk to the two men like it was a regular Saturday. Maybe for them it was.

Reigen’s dreams had seemed like a nuisance, disrupting his sleep and constantly reminding him of the need to smoke. But this time they’d been helpful. In his dream, Reigen described a large, dark, wet room. Serizawa had questioned if the dreams and this haunting were relayed when Hakoma-san told them of their basement.

The kids didn’t go down there, and no one else used it. The basement covered the entire house and would, one day, make a great first floor. For now, it sat in ruin with boxes and boxes covered in sharpie and a leak that refused to quit. The plan was to start searching there.

The house was on the smaller side, but considering the basement and the large front yard they had a lot of ground to cover. Reigen intended to cover it all within the hour. Frankly it was embarrassing how long it was taking them to solve this case, not that he’d ever admit it .

Serizawa decided to take the front yard since that was where they’d seen the ghost in the first place. Reigen and Dimple would focus on the basement. Meanwhile, the girls and Hakoma-san would get some fresh air and visit their father in the hospital.

“Dimple, let’s stick together,” Reigen said.

Dimple raised his eyebrows. “You can’t handle it on your own?”

“You know two heads are better than one,” Reigen argued. “Besides, I don’t want Serizawa to have to bother with you.”

“Sounds like you’ve missed me,” Dimple said, grinning.

“Hear what you want. Couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Dimple scoffed as Serizawa rolled his eyes at their banter. With that, they split into two. Reigen took the lead towards the basement with a flashlight in hand.

He opened the creaky door to reveal pitch black. Reigen stared into the emptiness. He tried to ignore the cold dread creeping up his spine.

“…. You think anyone’s died down there?”

“Shut up, Dimple.”

Airi had finally gotten over her cold, feeling well enough to have breakfast with everyone that morning. Despite the warm food in her belly, she still felt a chill settling in her chest. Whether it was the cold returning or the pale lady, she wasn’t sure.

Her nightmare had brought another level of fear to the whole situation. She’d seen Himawari’s glasses stained with blood, and a lady with red eyes and bloodied teeth. Just thinking about it made her heart beat faster. But today they were going to see daddy and bring him home. That had to help.

Picking up daddy was a lot easier than Airi had thought. For some reason, she’d worried they’d wouldn’t let daddy go. But the papers mama and daddy signed were quick and easy. Hana had jumped into his arms when they left the hospital. Even she had been rattled by last night. Airi thought Hana was just as happy to have daddy back, but she didn’t say it.

They all piled into their car, laughing and asking and daddy questions about his time at the hospital. Airi wanted to know if he got ice cream for desert. That would be so yummy!

Airi was so excited to see her daddy, she didn’t even think about the pale lady. Little did she know the pale lady was thinking about her. She had plans for all of them.

Reigen and Dimple went through the wet, dark basement together. The stone walls were covered in uneven markings, making faces in the wall. They glared at the two as they stumbled through the unorganized basement.

There were piles and piles of old, dusty furniture. Stacked shelves and folding chairs covered nearly every inch of the floor. A broken bed lay in the corner, covered in spider webs. Reigen shivered at the thought of just how many bugs lived down here.

“Yeesh, someone needs to clean up in here,” Dimple said.

“I wonder why they didn’t have Serizawa and I sleep down here,” Reigen mused.

“Have you seen the place? You wanna spend the night down here?”

Reigen shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

“That’s just sad.” Dimple shook his head. “I can’t even think of a joke to make that’s how sad that is.”

Reigen didn’t have anything to say to defend himself. He’d spend several nights on couches before, some stranded outside. ADD MORE He didn’t a leg to stand on. The two continued in silence.

“Where are they?!” someone screeched into the darkness.

Reigen shone his flashlight around the room. Who was that? Every corner was filled with furniture, but no people. They were completely alone.

Suddenly, a swirl of smoke entered the room. Just like in his dreams. Reigen’s breathing picked up. He called out for Ekubo, who floated closer to him.

“Calm down, fraud,” Dimple scoffed. “This isn’t your first gig.”

Reigen pointed at the smoke with a shaky hand, “No, but it’s the first time my dreams are coming back to haunt me in the real world.”

“Please, it’s just a little-“

“WHERE. ARE. THEY?!”

A loud howl pierced the walls, making them shake. The screams continued into the darkness. Reigen raised his hands to his ears, dropping the flashlight. They were cast into total darkness.

“Shit,” Reigen hissed, scrambling for the flashlight.

He reached down, towards the dark, dirty floor, and felt something wet. Then, something scurried across his hand. Reigen gaged and held his clean hand to his mouth. When he finally grabbed the flashlight he stood up with a nervous grin, not feeling he’d earned the right to celebrate.

“Dimple?”

Where was that piece of snot? Reigen called his name again but received no answer. He began to sweat as the darkness crept in on him. He crouched down once more, desperately grasping at nothing as he looked for the flashlight.

“If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny,” Reigen said nervously.

He felt a soft wetness against his arms and hissed, fearing the smoke he could not see. In his dreams, they had burned him. Reigen scoffed at his thinking. In his dreams, yeah right.

“Hey,” a voice whispered. “You wanna see my teeth?”

Reigen jumped in the air, shrieking. He fell sideways, landing against a large block of woods, and felt his hand grasp at piano keys that banged loudly. His eyes widened.

“I most certainly do not,” he said.

A pile of teeth dropped to the ground; they fell around his feet to form a circle. He pushed backwards, trying to escape, but only knocked himself against the piano. The teeth crept closer and closer, crawling up his feet. He gasped and pulled his foot back, but they scrambled faster up his other dress shoe.

He pulled salt out of his jacket and began throwing it at his feet but, as usual, it did nothing. They bit into the leather of his shoes.

“Get off of me!”

The teeth kept digging into his shoes, making him his hiss. He began to feel them crawl up the rear of his body, biting at it his skin as he cried out. What the hell was going on?!

But just as they came, the teeth suddenly disappeared. Reigen let out a sigh of relief. His relief was cut short as he heard a door creak open from the end of the hallway. What nightmare awaited him?

“She means well, really,” a little girl said.

Reigen frowned. “Airi-chan?”

“She wants to help us,” the voice continued. “She wants to help you.”

He squinted down the hall and saw a little girl. She wore a muddy white dress and dirty water dripped from her hair. Drip, drip, drip. She walked closer and closer to Reigen. Drip, drip, drip. He looked the little girl up and down. Her eyes were empty of pupils, and she stared at him with an eery smile.

“Where are the girls?”

The little girl titled her head to the side. Her brow furrowed with confusion. “She wants to help them, Reigen-san. She wants to help you.”

“N-no thanks, I don’t need any help.”

The girl took a step closer, her bones crunching as she walked on broken feet that twisted and creaked. She looked him up and down with a wide grin. Her teeth were gray and muddy water pooled between them as she spoke.

“But you do, Reigen-san,” she continued, not unkindly. “We’ve seen your dreams. We’ve watched you live alone. So alone. The smoking only fills so much time. You have so much time to fill, so you’re not stuck with nothing. That empty, agonizing boredom filled only with your self-hatred. Serizawa can’t understand it. No one can. Not like we can, Reigen-san.”

“L-leave me alone,” he managed.

The little girl smiled with bloodied teeth. “Oh but Reigen-san,” she said. “You are alone. And no one is going to find you.”

The room was cast into darkness as Reigen screamed.

Serizawa scanned the yard as he crept closer to the trees. The dreary front yard was in a pouring rain, casting everything in clouds and shadow. The noose still hung from the oak tree, lightning flashing behind it.

He found the spirit was far more active in poor weather, and hoped to see her. He still had no idea where that little girl from earlier had come from. Where was she now? And what early demise led her to lead such a bleak afterlife? Serizawa stared at the swinging noose and wondered how many it had hung.

He walked under the noose, hoping it would tempt the spirit to come out. Or a spirit. The more Serizawa learned about this house the more questions he had. He had no idea how many spirits there were. Suddenly, he heard the creak of rope above him. He looked up and saw a woman was swinging from the noose. She was smiling at him.

Serizawa gasped and took a step back. The woman staring at him had a face full of scars; lines and gashes were scattered across her pale skin. She smiled at Serizawa with rotten teeth and burnt lips.

“You’re not the same spirit,” Serizawa said, reaching into his pocket for his business cards.

The spirit laughed and began falling to the ground, but Serizawa caught her with his aura. She looked at the magenta light around her and screamed. She struggled against his powers, twisting and turning as she grimaced.

“Who are you?”

“I’m merely a messenger,” she cackled.

“A messenger from who?” Serizawa took a step closer. “About what?”

“We all have the same fate,” the spirit hissed.

“That’s not what I asked, spirit.” Still, she was talking to him. He didn’t have the luxury of turning her away. “What fate? What are you taking about?”

She cackled deep in her throat, lowering her head to cover her face in dark hair. She laughed harder and licked her dirty arms, long tongue creeping around them. Serizawa tightened his aura around her.

“Answer me!”

“The fate we all meet…. Death,” she cackled.

“Not for them,” Serizawa said angrily. “They have many years left. They-“

“They will die when she comes for them. They always do.” She chuckled, licking her lips. “First goes the youngest, the weakest. Then the girl with the glasses; and when that bitch of a mother thinks she has any chance at saving her eldest - well, she’ll be stolen, too.”

“She? Who’s she? I thought you were after this family. That you were behind this. Answer me, spirit!”

She coughed between laughs, her hair hiding everything but her rotting mouth. “I am but one of many. Many she has slain and stolen from.” Her lips turned towards and she spit on the ground. “That bitch took my children, my family! I’m merely passing on the favor.”

“How? Who’s suffering because of you?”

“The one who suffers most is the one who cares the least,” she said, spitting at his feet. “We’re already collecting them. Those who don’t care for anyone else. Those who lose their children to selfishness.”

“Selfishness?” Serizawa shook his head. “You’re destroying their lives, scaring their children. What have they ever done to you?”

“Liar!” She screeched. Her hair was pushed back by the wind and he could see her white eyes were tearing up. “She stole them from me. She stole them. I never deserved what she did to me.” She grit her teeth. “She’ll pay, they’ll all pay.”

“Pay for what? What did she steal?”

“She stole my babies, that wretched brat! That evil bitch stole my babies right from under me! And now I walk this earth cursing anyone who dares defy me in her place!”

“This woman you speak of, what does she look like?”

“Let me down you insolent human,” the spirit growled. “I have better things to do than waste my time talking to the likes of you.”

“Not before you tell me who she is. What does she look like? Who is she?”

“The youngest girl calls her the pale lady,” she hissed. “I call her a demon, an Ameonna. She controls all the spirits here. She’ll come for us all in the end. But first she’ll kill all of you. In fact,” the spirit smiled and looked at the house behind him, “she’s already started.”

Chapter Text

The woman hung from her noose, laughing. She hadn’t stopped since Serizawa’s last question. She’d looked at the house with an evil grin. “She’s already started.”

Serizawa’s eyes widened. “Arataka.”

He turned to race towards the house, but he couldn’t move fast enough. The woman revealed a bloodied smile as he turned around. Serizawa took another step back, gasping. What had she done to Reigen? Suddenly, his hold on the woman broke. She jumped down.

“How did you-“

“You’re not strong when you’re afraid,” she hissed. “Maybe you need to see true fear.”

Serizawa felt his chest tighten. “What do you-“

Then everything went black.

Airi and her family poured into the house with joy. She smiled as her siblings came in behind her, Hana and Himawari looking up at their dad with wide grins. The sun was even out! It peeked through the curtains at the happy family.

The only thing missing were the two businessmen and the ghost from this morning. Airi had never talked to a ghost before today, except for the pale lady, but Ekubo seemed okay. He was a little grumpy, though. Reigen-san and Ekubo had been arguing when she left. But when she entered the house now, she heard nothing.

“Where did everyone go?” Himawari asked as she looked around.

“They’re probably off doing some weird research or something. They have to justify their creepy job somehow,” Hana said with a scoff.

“You don’t think they’re really exorcists?” Airi asked, turning to face her older sister.

“Of course not.”

“Then what about the powers Serizawa-san used to wrap around Airi last night?” Himawari asked.

“They did what? Aw, and I missed it!” Airi whined.

“You were having a nightmare,” Hana said. “Besides, just cause one handsome guy throws around some light doesn’t mean ghosts are real.”

“Handsome?” Himawari grinned. “I’m telling.”

Hana’s brow furrowed as she shoved her. “Don’t!”

“Hana, don’t shove your sister,” their father said. “I’m sure Reigen-san and Serizawa-san are around here somewhere.”

“Maybe we should look for them,” Airi said.

Mama put a hand to her chin, pausing in thought. “I’ll give them both a call, and if neither of them answer then we’ll look while it’s light outside.”

Serizawa woke up to a dark, dusty room filled with furniture. He was stuck between two broken chairs, each one lying on his arms. The laughing woman had disappeared, but he heard the sound of someone scavenging through the room.

“Must find more…” the voice said, “must find more…”

That voice… Serizawa sat up in the wreckage. His brow furrowed as he looked at a man crawling around the floor, searching desperately for something. Oh no…

“Reigen?”

But whatever turned around couldn’t have been Reigen. Sure, he had the same brown eyes but they were too pale. Not at all the dark shade they normally were. These eyes were unsteady and darted around the room like a cornered animal. His teeth weren’t slightly crooked from a poor family, but straight and bloody. He sounded exactly like Reigen as he scrambled on the dirty ground with shaking hands.

“I need more,” Reigen said.

“Reigen?”

“He can’t hear you,” a woman said.

Serizawa looked around. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

No one appeared. Serizawa looked around for the spirit he’d been talking to earlier, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, his eyes landed on this Reigen.

“Oh, Arataka,” he sighed. “Please answer me.”

Arataka looked up with those too pale eyes. Now they were turning a light gray, nearly drained of all color. His mouth was stained red as he spoke.

“This is what you do, isn’t it?” Reigen asked, suddenly looking at him.

Serizawa trembled. “Wha-what?”

“It’s your fault I’m like this, you know,” he hissed. “If you were stronger, then you could help me.”

Reigen chuckled as he lit a cigarette. He stared at the flame before lowering it to his wrist. Serizawa stumbled to his feet.

“Stop! You’ll get burned!”

Arataka didn’t even turn around. The lighter hissed as it pressed into his flesh, turning his pale skin ashen. Serizawa cried out as the burning continued. He looked down and saw the same burn marks etching into his own skin.

“Arataka, stop! Please!”

“Why should I?” He asked, his back turned to Serizawa. “You never did. You sat back and let the world fall apart as you did nothing. Whether it was video games or pleasing the president,” he chuckled, “you never stood up for anything.”

The words pierced Serizawa’s heart. He put a hand to his chest as his mouth fell open and his greatest insecurities were used against him by the man he loved. He struggled to defend himself.

“That- that was a long time ago. I’m different now,” Serizawa said.

“You can’t ever really change, Serizawa.” He turned to face him, grinning with bloody teeth. “And neither can I. And it’s all your fault.”

“Tha-that’s not true,” Serizawa stuttered. “I can get you to stop. I can get you to hold off and stop overindulging. I can make you different.”

Reigen laughed in his throat. “You’re as useless now as you were then. You’ve always been useless, Serizawa. Your powers only bring destruction. I’m going to die, this house is going to kill me and everyone in it, and there’s nothing you can do about it because you’re weak.”

Serizawa imagined the three girls. Hana-kun, who smiled at him over breakfast; Himawari-kun who tried to make him laugh; Airi-Chan who believed so deeply in Serizawa and Reigen. What would he do if he couldn’t protect them? Worse, what would their parents do? Hakoma-san and Isamu-san trusted him, and he was failing them.

Images of Himawari-kun’s blood stained glasses clattering to the floor filled his mind. Airi-Chan being swept into the night by the spirits. Hana-kun crying out as her family disappeared. All the while Arataka laughed.

‘This isn’t Arataka. This isn’t. It can’t be,’ Serizawa thought as he closed his eyes. He put his hands over his ears as Reigen repeated that terrible laugh. Arataka lit his lighter again, and Serizawa raised his hands to stop him with his powers.

Suddenly, the chairs behind him sprang to life. The wood wrapped around Serizawa’s arm as he struggled to break out. But when he commanded them, his powers did nothing. He couldn’t break out! Reigen just laughed and put another cigarette out on his skin.

“Stop it! Just stop!” Serizawa cried.

He screamed as his arms burned with the lighter. Serizawa was powerless to save Arataka, powerless to save this family. His powers weren’t enough; he wasn’t enough.

But what did Reigen always say? His powers didn’t make him special, nor did they make him lesser. This… impostor couldn’t possibly be the real Arataka. The spirits were making a mockery of those he loved. How dare they!

Serizawa’s anger grew as he fought against his binds. His arms ached as he pulled and pulled, screaming to be let out. He had to save Arataka- had to save this family!

Serizawa woke up gasping for air. His lungs burned as he choked. He blinked awake and saw he was in the same muddy front yard. In front of him, stood the woman from earlier. She stared at him in shock.

“How did you escape?! That spell should have put you under for a week!”

Serizawa’s heart raced in his chest. He’d never been placed under such a powerful spell. His hands shook at his side as he glared at the spirit. How dare she make him see those things, those lies?

He snapped the bonds on his hands, yelling as he unleashed his powers on her. The spirit gasped and jumped, barely missing the magenta waves sent her way. Her second attempt wasn’t as lucky. Serizawa caught her in his aura. His eyes narrowed as he brought the hag closer to his face.

“Where is Arataka?!”

Down in the basement, Reigen was struggling to survive. He felt cold, dirty water rising around his ankles. All the while he wondered if Airi-chan was safe. The only light in the room came from a grinning little girl, with ghostly white eyes.

Unlike the other ghosts they’d met, she wore shorts and a t-shirt. Though it was still covered in mold and dirt. She held out a lighter.

“There’s still time for one last smoke, Reigen-san,” she said. “That’s all anyone will remember you for anyway. The stench of cigarettes clinging to your jacket.”

Reigen looked at the little girl. What horrors had she endured to become this? Was Airi and her family a breath away from the same fate? He shivered at the thought. The spirit’s grin widened. Her rooting teeth were punched through with holes.

Reigen shook his head sadly. “What happened to you?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” she said cruelly. “You should be more worried about what will happen when mother finds you. She always wins.”

Reigen’s eyes widened as the water grew higher. He watched the dirt and god knows what else climb higher and higher up his legs. Something slithered past his knee. Soon he’d be dead. Reigen shook his head. Focus on the case!

“Wh-who is your mother?”

“You call her the pale lady,” the little girl said. “She’s an Ame onna.”

Reigen nodded. “A yōkai.”

He’d heard horror stories of Ame onnas. Ugly, vengeful monsters that grabbed children in the night. They were minor deities of the rain gods. God, everything made so much more sense now! How could he not have seen this coming?

He paused in his shame to remember a crucial detail- Ame onna’s kidnapped children! Oh god. Which of the girls were next? All of them? The horrors churned in his mind and stomach as he imagined each of those poor girls being taken into the night.

Perhaps he could get through to this little girl in front of him. After all, she had been human once. An Ame onna was nothing but a monster, but her victims were just that, right? He had to try.

“What do you want with this family, anyways?”

“I want what mother wants,” she growled, “to see you all dead.”

Reigen gulped. “I don’t think that’s true. You’ve been avoiding the house until now. The one place we all gather. Why?”

“What are you talking about?” She sneered.

“Well, it seems to me the Amme onna isn’t strong enough to enter the house, or the other spirits don’t want to. Something is protecting us. Maybe it’s you.”

“That’s enough!” The little girl cried.

Her pale face turned green and gaunt, a ghoulish visage. The water rose past Reigen’s knee, soaking his suit even further. He scoffed at his priorities as death knocked on his door.

The chains wrapped around his feet pulled taut as he fought against them. The little girl watched him with interest. Were she mortal, Reigen would have worried about her drowning. The water rose past her chest.

She noticed his concern and smiled back at him. Then she disappeared beneath the black water. Reigen’s heart beat faster.

“L-little girl? Spirit?!”

Suddenly, the spirit was floating above him. She was joined by hundreds of gleaming eyes and small, green bodies of stolen children. They all stared down at him as the water rose around him.

“Wa-wait!” Reigen said desperately. “Don’t do this, please!”

“It’s already begun,” she said.

Reigen pulled and pulled against the chains around on his feet. If he could just get free! While he struggled, the children floated down to his level. There were hundreds of spirits; boys and girls and children too mutilated to recognize. They floated towards him with their hands outstretched, ready for the kill.

“Reigen!”

His eyes scrunched shut at the stretch of light penetrating the damp basement. Was he dying, or imagining someone coming to save him? But it wasn’t his imagination.

Standing at the top of the stairs was none other than Serizawa. He dashed down the stairs, shooting off magenta rays in various directions. Reigen kicked desperately as his boyfriend moved.

“‘Zawa! Be careful!”

Serizawa put his arms together and dived off the steps and into the water. His strong arms parted the water as he swam towards his boyfriend. The ghosts gathered around Arataka.

Their skin was a pale green, filled with holes. They had long, wispy fingers with dirty nails. One child was missing an eye, but his other narrowed at Reigen in wicked delight. They all grinned as they pulled him deeper into the dark waters.

“N-no! Get off of me!” Reigen protested. “Stop! Sto-“

The rest of his words were lost to the green sea of the basement. Serizawa’s eyes widened as he swam faster. Then, Reigen’s blond hair disappeared beneath the water.

“Reigen!”

Serizawa dived beneath the water, his eyes peeled for Reigen. The wager was thick and dirty, blinding him to anything. Serizawa didn’t care. He swam further and further until his legs felt like they were about to burst.

He opened his eyes again, swimming up the black body of water. When he rose from beneath the surface, he saw Dimple.

“What happened?!” He asked the spirit desperately.

“I don’t know! One second I was here and the next I was kicked out of the house. Someone must have put up an energy barrier or something!”

“Can you reach Reigen?!”

“I can try!”

A little girl appeared in front of them. Her hungry eyes zeroed in on Dimple.

“The snack is back!”

Dimple sneered. “You’re an ugly little girl, aren’t you?”

She raised her hands into the air and screamed, slamming them down as waves headed straight for Serizawa and Dimple. The duo moved even faster, desperate to reach Reigen. Serizawa used his powers as a light as he swam towards where he’d last seen his boyfriend.

His powers flashed through the dark waters, searching for a pink tie, a gray suit, anything! Beneath the water, he saw hundreds of smiling faces. Their green skin nearly blended in with the water. Each ghost reached out their hands to entrap him. They hissed when Serizawa’s aura flashed over them.

Serizawa continued scanning the water… there! Reigen’s eyes were closed, another bad sign. His hair was floating as the ghosts pulled him deeper and deeper by his chained feet. Serizawa shot off another ray that dispersed the ghosts. Then, his aura broke Reigen’s chains. The ghosts hissed when Serizawa approached them, scattering like frightened fish.

Without the weight, Reigen bobbed in the water. Serizawa grabbed the man and kicked with all of his might. He hoped Dimple was able to distract the spirits. He didn’t look back to check.

Serizawa gasped as they broke the surface, but Reigen didn’t move a muscle. He kicked with all of his might, but he wasn’t fast enough. The spirits were closing in!

He used his aura to attach Reigen to his back, needing g his arms and legs if he had any bc hands of making it out alive. Dimple shouted behind them, flying around as he tried to distract the hundreds of ghosts. Finally, Serizawa and Reigen reached the stairs.

Serizawa struggled to pull himself out of the water. The ghosts glared at him, their eyes empty of anything but hunger. Their little hands opened to grab at them, but he never felt the weight around them.

“What are you waiting for?” Dimple called as he used his powers against the ghosts. “Move!”

Serizawa nodded and hoisted Reigen onto his shoulders. He dashed up the stairs, past the railing, through piles of furniture, and finally to the closed door. Serizawa ripped the door open, letting light pour into the basement.

He heard the screams of hundreds of children as Dimple appeared behind him. Serizawa let go of his aura and pushed Reigen onto the ground. Serizawa knelt next to Reigen’s neck and shoulders.

Serizawa thought of his training and placed the heel of his hand in the center of Reigen’s chest. His boyfriend’s face was pale and wet, lacking his usual mirth. He looked so wrong. Serizawa ignored the wrongness of the situation and placed one hand on top of the other, pressing down hard.

He heard Hakoma-san and her family rush to him in the backyard as he continued compressions. They shouted questions and half heard worries, but Serizawa didn’t look at them. He began his first rescue breath.

Reigen didn’t move. Serizawa repeated his compressions and rescues breaths; Reigen lay still.

“Come on,” Serizawa huffed as he pushed his hands deeper into Reigen’s chest. “Come on!”

The family watched in fear as Serizawa-san bent over his partner, huffing and puffing as he continued compressions. Airi began to cry. Hana inhaled shakily, holding Himawari back as they watched. Isamu took over, giving Serizawa a break to breathe.

Hakoma-san watched her husband begin compressions, praying this man would make it through. After another round of compressions and rescue breaths, Serizawa took over again, but hope was slim.

Suddenly, Serizawa pulled back. Reigen’s entire body shook and he threw himself forward, puking up water. But he was alive!

“Reigen-san!” Himawari cheered.

“Give him some space,” Dimple said as Reigen continued to cough.

For a few moments, Reigen did nothing but cough up water. Then, when he was finally able to breathe, he looked wearily at Serizawa.

“I didn’t realize you were so desperate to kiss me,” he said weakly.

“Oh god!” Serizawa cried and wrapped the man in a hug.

He cried into Reigen’s shoulder, holding the man tightly.

“Don’t disappear on me!” Serizawa said, his voice shaking.

Reigen pulled back slightly from the hug. “What?”

Serizawa spoke through tears. “I couldn’t take it if something happened to you, Arataka. Don’t leave me! I’m so scared you’re going to waste away.” He hugged him tighter. “Scared I’m going to lose you.”

“Hey,” Reigen said, “you’d have to do a lot to get rid of me.”

Serizawa trembled in his grasp. He didn’t say a word, but he gripped him so hard through his tremors. Reigen’s eyes widened at the concern he showed.

“Don’t joke like that,” Serizawa said desperately. “I want to know how you’re feeling, really! Don’t keep everything bottled up from me! I need you to know you can rely me on, Arataka.”

“I know I can rely on you,” Reigen said softly. “I trust you, really, I do.”

“Then why are you keeping secrets from me?!”

“I… because I…” Reigen faltered.

The question opened his chest like a knife, exposing his insecurities to the world. Reigen began to sweat. His tongue was stuck in his throat, and his mouth became uncomfortably dry. He swallowed and licked his lips.

“I… I just do,” he said sheepishly. “I’m- I’m sorry. I thought- I thought since it was just smoking, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Wasn’t a big deal?” Serizawa repeated with wet eyes. “How could that not be a big deal to me? You’re a big deal to me, you know that? Right?”

“Heh, I almost drowned,” he said weakly. “Can you be mad at me later?”

Serizawa nodded and pulled him in for another hug. “I can and I will.”

Chapter Text

Serizawa insisted Reigen go to the hospital, despite Reigen’s insistence that he was fine. The only thing he needed was a cigarette. They both bid the family a temporary farewell. Hakoma-san assured them she would keep in touch. Reigen felt awful for leaving, so Dimple (with much complaining) offered to stay with them.

“Now we have to put up with some creepy ghost?” Hana had complained.

“Hey,” Dimple had said, “I’m doing this for your own good!”

Isamu insisted they use his car. “It’s the least I can do for you two,” he’d said. Reigen resisted the urge to say he’d also accept a bonus and merely nodded his thanks. After all, they still had a mystery to solve. And he had so much to tell Serizawa!

Why was the Ame onna coming after this family? How would they stop the children from attacking again? Was the house even safe anymore? And why did the Ame onna refuse to enter their house?

These questions and more bothered Reigen as they drove to the hospital. He was grateful Serizawa had gotten his license last year because he was in no state to be driving. He felt like they’d failed the family.

Reigen had a lot of time to think on his guilt as they were put in a waiting room. Serizawa held his hand the entire time. Ge stared at Reigen as if he was going to disappear.

“I don’t feel like we’ve won this case at all,” Reigen confessed as he fidgeted in the hospital chair.

Serizawa put his hand on top of Reigen’s. “You did the best you could, Arataka. Hell, you almost died.”

Reigen raised his eyebrows. It was rare to hear Serizawa curse. Still, he didn’t feel like this situation had earned that urgency. He didn’t feel he’d earned anything. Failure. The ache to have a cigarette burned into his skull.

Doctors looked over Reigen and took his heart beat. They examined his feet that had been bound and checked his lungs for water. Fortunately, they found nothing. Reigen was even considering this a lucky case when his phone rang. He picked it up nervously.

“Reigen-san,” Hana said desperately, “we need your help.”

“What is it?”

Hana bit back a sob before speaking. “We can’t find Airi!”
——

The screams of Hana’s mother would not leave her ears. Every time Hana breathed her chest rejected the information more, staggering her in her own agony. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking of every time Airi had asked her to play, and every time she had said no.

Himawari had no room for jokes. She was staring off into space with fogged up glasses as their parents ran around the house. Mom was crying while dad kept calling for Airi.

Hana had just hung up the phone with Reigen-san, knowing she alone could contact them. What started out as a laughable attempt at a real job - the people who started out as laughable, were now her family’s only hope. Hana’s skin crawled as she looked out the window, praying for a sign of her little sister. But there was no one out there. Even the mysterious pale lady had vanished into thin air.
___________

Nearly drowning had left Reigen with a clean bill of health, according to the doctors. Which was a surprise to him considering the pounding in his ears and the ache behind his eyes. But there was no time. Reigen and Serizawa rushed back to the house.

Taking Isamu’s car back to their house felt like salt in the wound. Wounds Reigen barely escaped. Serizawa was still shaken from nearly losing his partner, but neither complained as they drove back to the house.

The sky was full of dark clouds which poured rain. Serizawa ignored the speed limit, drenching Isamu’s car in puddles. The windshield wipers worked overtime as the two exorcists spoke.

“I think we need to go back to the basement,” Reigen said.

Serizawa looked at him in shock. “Reigen, do you have a death wish? Those things nearly killed you!”

“Ah bup bup,” Reigen held up a finger, “nearly killed is not the same thing as killing.”

“What makes you think going back there is a good idea? Need I remind you, you almost died!”

“Because I didn’t die,” Reigen said, “those kids could have killed me instantly, but they didn’t. I think they might be the key to all of this. The Ame onna is a thing of legends, but my research hasn’t provided any ways to kill it.”

“You think the kids will lead us to her source of power?”

“I think the kids are her source of power.”

Serizawa nodded. “But where would we find their bodies?”

Reigen took a deep breath. “I think I know where we might find them. They fought pretty hard once we were in that basement. Not to mention how easy it was to flood it.”

“The Ame onna,” Serizawa’s eyes widened. “You don’t think she-“

“It’s horrible to think about,” Reigen said. “But yes. I think she might be doing the same thing to Airi right now. Which is why we need to hurry.”

When Reigen and Serizawa did pull into the driveway, they saw a flooded front yard. A terrified family ran out of the house and flocked to their car. All except for Isamu-san, who watched them from the front porch with a doubtful expression.

“Reigen-san, Serizawa-san! You have to help us!” Hakoma-san said.

“Everyone into the house,” Reigen said calmly. “We’ll talk further there. I don’t want any unwanted ears overhearing us.”

Serizawa closed the door behind the group as they filed into the house. It was a little crowded with so many people. Serizawa wondered how such a small place could possible protect them. Why the house was a safety zone he had no idea. Nor did he truly believe it. After all, he and Dimple had lost Arataka to that dreaded basement. Regretfully, he too, thought that should be their next investigation.

“Let’s split up into groups,” Reigen announced after clapping his hands. “Ekubo, Serizawa, and I will all search the house. The children can stay here.”

“No way,” Hana scoffed, “you can’t just push us out of this! Our sister is missing!”

“Yeah,” Himawari said, “She’s in danger!”

“And that’s exactly why you should stay somewhere safe,” Serizawa said. “I know you both want to help. But it’s safer for everyone if you stay out of the way.” He looked at their mother. “I might even suggest sending them to stay with a relative.”

Hakoma-san looked away from them. “I’m afraid we don’t have any relatives nearby.”

“So it’s settled,” Hana said, “we’re going, with you.”

Isamu-san turned around, his mouth a stern line. “No it is not settled! Hana, I’m worried enough about Airi. I don’t need you and your sister tagging along. Stay here at the house.”

“I have to save her!” Hana cried.

She tried to ignore the guilt pooling in her eyes. How many times had Airi had asked to play with her big sister and Hana had ignored her? Was Airi screaming right now, was she putting on a brave face as she was all alone? These questions and more made fat tears glide down Hana’s face as she shouted.

“She’s my little sister!”

“I know,” Reigen said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I know. You can’t trust anyone else with her. But Hana, you have to. You have to trust me to do my job. Can you do that for me?”

Hana looked at him with wet eyes. She didn’t want to trust this man. She wanted to find Airi herself, but she was powerless against whatever evil was plaguing her family. The businessman didn’t break the contact when she spoke to him.

“You promise you’ll save her?”

Reigen-san nodded. “I promise.”

After speaking with the girls, Serizawa, Isamu, Reigen, and Ekubo all went off to search for Airi. Reigen couldn’t ignore the weight of the promise he made. He never made a promise to clients. He was someone they could rely on, and that meant not making promises you couldn’t keep. This promise torn into his heart like a fishing line. What if they didn’t find her?

Next to Reigen, Serizawa tried to ignore his worst fears: that Airi had disappeared like those children, that they’d never see her again. He could imagine the little girl now, her dark brown eyes turning white as the life was sucked out of her. He shivered.

“Hey,” Reigen said softly, bumping elbows with Serizawa. “What’s on your mind?”

Serizawa shook his head. “Nothing good. First you, now Airi.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“I know what you mean.” Reigen turned to look back at the children’s father, who was temporarily distracted by Ekubo’s presence and the fact that he was talking to a real ghost. “I don’t know how Isamu is holding up.”

Holding up was a strong term. Isamu’s black eyes darted around the front yard as they searched for signs of a ghost. His hair was greasy and unkempt from his stay at the hospital, and not showering when he returned home. His last few days had gone from strange to stressful to unbearable.

Where was his little girl?
———

Airi struggled to breathe through the vines wrapped around her mouth. Her breathing stuttered in her chest, echoing in her confinement. She couldn’t see anything in the dark. The only thing she could sense was a steady drip of water onto her head.

Her feet and hands were tied. The goosebumps running up and down her body were her only company. Occasionally she heard a cruel laugh, but no one came to check on her. She was torn between the fear of being alone, and the fear of whatever grabbed her coming back to finish the job.

She struggled desperately to escape, but it was no use. Her hands burnt from pulling at her binding and her ankles rubbed together from how tightly they were bound. The ground beneath her was cold and flat, suggesting she was still indoors. Reigen-san and Serizawa-san had insisted it was their yard which was haunted, but she wasn’t so sure.

“I can hear you thinking over there.”

Airi gasped. She hadn’t heard a voice since that evil woman had grabbed her from outside, laughing as she struggled to escape. But this voice was not the pale lady or the old woman who’d grabbed her. This sounded like the voice of a girl. Maybe, if she was lucky, it could be the voice of a friend? Her mom always said she was good at making friends.

“Please,” Airi whispered, “can you help me?”

She heard something scuttle over the cold ground. Then, a rattling breath coming closer and closer to her. Airi began to shake as she wondered what could be drawling closer and closer to her. Was it another pale lady with a long tongue, was it one of the dead children she saw in her nightmares?

“I can smell your fear.”

Airi gasped. “Wh-what?”

“She’ll love you for it. She always loves to feed.”

Goosebumps prickled the back of Airi’s neck. She whimpered. But the girl didn’t stop talking.

“She needs us, y’know? We make her strong.”

“I don’t want to make anyone strong,” Airi whispered. “I want my mom and dad.”

“Soon, you won’t remember them. Mom and dad will barely be a day in your memory. And then you’ll feel nothing at all. Just. Like. Me.”

Airi shivered. She felt something cold and sharp press against her throat. The little girl began to sob. There was no way out this time, no one to save -

“Get away from her!” someone shouted.

Airi felt salt rain down upon her and the knife against her throat disappeared. She began to sob in relief. Then, hands were around her.

“No!” She screamed and thrashed. “Let go of me, let go!”

Suddenly, her blindfold was gone and she was staring into the eyes of Reigen-san. His eyes were wet. He wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he mumbled into her shirt.

He turned his head. “I found her, Isamu!”

Then, a green wave began to form in front of them. Or, what Airi thought was a wave. A large group of dead children stared down at them with glowing white eyes. Reigen-san didn’t say a word. He put Airi behind him. He stood tall against the glowing eyes, all staring directly at him.

“Get on my shoulders, Airi,” Reigen-san said, kneeling down.

For once, Airi didn’t ask questions. She just scrambled up Reigen-san’s back and held on for dear life.

“It’s a good thing I’ve been hitting the gym,” Reigen said to himself.

Suddenly, the green wave of ghosts was plunging towards them. Reigen ran across the basement, sliding under stacked boxes and folded chairs. He gripped Airi-chan’s chubby legs as she screamed.

“Give her back to us!” The children screamed.

Suddenly, Serizawa jumped in behind Reigen. He shot off a beam of magenta, striking the wave of children. The center of the green wave turned red then black, burning before quickly repairing itself. Serizawa’s eyes widened.

“It’s not working!”

“Not working? That was a direct hit, video game boy!”

“This isn’t the same,” Serizawa huffed. “These kids mean to ki-“ he looked at Airi, “follow us!”

The basement grew bigger and bigger as Reigen and Serizawa ran. Serizawa shot off his hand again, creating a warm beam of light around Reigen to hold Airi against him. They raced towards the stairs with the little girl, hoping against all odds they would make it.

Suddenly, the pale lady herself appeared in front of them. The Ammeonna stared at them with red eyes and opened her mouth, revealing a few rotten teeth. The long, black hair she had began with had fallen off the top of her head. Without the long hair they could see how tired her red eyes were. She looked sickly and old.

“She must be lending her power to the children,” Serizawa said. “If I can exorcise them, maybe she’ll be weakened!”

The Ammeonna stuck out her arms, letting a blood curdling scream. When she threw her arms out to the side they crashed into the basement stairs. The wood surrounding the stairs began to crack. Reigen continued to run, not looking back as he turned away from the stairs.

“If she keeps going like that,” Reigen shouted, “we’ll be trapped here!”

The beams supporting the stairs continued to tremble as the wave of ghost children slammed themselves against them. Reigen’s eyes widened. They were going to bring down the house!
___________

Back upstairs, Isamu-san was fighting off a ghost all his own. A noose had dropped down from their ceiling, and with it, a cackling woman. Hana and Himawari clung to their mother, screaming as the noose swung around the kitchen, looking for its next victim. Meanwhile, the cackling woman dashed after Isamu.

“If I can’t have my children, then I’ll take yours!”

“Get away from my family, goddamnit!” Isamu screamed, holding up a cross. “Leave us alone!”

The ghost screamed and fell backwards, her pale skin burning at the sight of the crucifix.

“I thought they said ghosts couldn’t come in!” Hokama-san cried.

Hana, Himawari, and Hokama-san cowered in the corner of the kitchen. Hana’s arms shook at her sides. She was ashamed of the fear coursing through her veins. She said she wanted to protect her sister, but now, at the sight of a real ghost, she froze.

Suddenly, the ghost vanished. The family looked towards the basement as the door began to shutter and shake. Isamu ran towards the door without a second thought, but Hana held him back.

“Don’t go down there, daddy!” She begged. “It’s not safe.”
______

The house shook around them as Reigen and Serizawa searched for something to exorcize. It hardly seemed wise to further the destruction on the house, but Reigen was running out of ideas. Until he felt Airi tapping on his shoulders.

“Maybe we should go back to where that other girl put a- a knife to my throat,” she gulped.

No one could think of a better plan, and so the three raced backwards. The green wave of ghosts followed them closely, screaming for them to come back. Serizawa turned around and hit them with another beam of his powers, sizzling the gaping mouth that arose from within.

The ghost screamed in agony, but no one looked back to see how. Sweater poured down Reigen’s face like a leaking bottle as they ran. The area where Airi had been was covered in stacked boxes and old furniture. Reigen let Airi off of his back and helped her over the furniture, nearly missing a bolt of green energy aimed at him.

“Hurry, Reigen!” Serizawa cried as he stepped in front of them, shooting off his own energy.

Reigen threw himself over the set of boxes, landing in the dirt. Serizawa jumped over, landing much more gracefully, and began to create a barrier around them. The furniture and boxes continued multiplying around them, trapping them in the corner.

The walls around them continued to shake, causing pieces of plaster to fall off the old brick walls. Reigen gasped and covered Ariri’s eyes. Behind that plaster were the skulls of hundreds of children, all staring back at them.

“Serizawa, exorcise them! Quick!”

Serizawa turned away from the barrier and gasped when he saw the bodies peeking out from the plaster. There were so many, and they were so small… Reigen’s voice shook Serizawa from the horror of it. He and Reigen began digging through the skeletons, Serizawa exorcising as many as he could as Airi cowered in the corner. Behind them, the monster began to scream.

“You can’t diminish me! I am eternal!” The ghost screamed. “And I’m the last thing that girl will ever see!”

As the wave of ghost threatened them they began to scream, flashes of light leaving their body like people evacuating a fire. The massive being began to shrink. With them, the house settled from a shaking screech to a stable silence. Airi finally opened her eyes and saw the pale lady.

She was a small, pathetic looking thing, with barely any hair on her wrinkly head to cover her now pink eyes. She looked lost without so many souls tied to her. She stared at Airi as she panted. Reigen-san stepped in front of her once more.

“Stay behind me, Airi.”

“Actually, Reigen,” Serizawa-san began, “I think she might be-“

The Ameonna gave out a terrible, blood curdling shriek. A collection of souls rose from her body, causing her to shrink even further. She collapsed into the dust as Serizawa approached her. He stared down at the ghost, feeling a mixture of pity for what had happened to her and disgust for what she had become. He raised his solemnly.

“I release you from this world, spirit,” he said.

With a final cry, she was gone.