Familiar Stranger: CH 20

Chapter 20: Negative

 

Everything happened too fast for him to properly digest the situation; scenes overtaking each other in quick succession that the edges blurred together. Like a strange lucid dream, he's there yet he is not.

 

 

To think nothing was out of place that day. It had started the way it always has. He woke up sometime close to noon; slowly untangling himself from the covers, facing the empty half of the bed. Ryuga habitually wakes up at sunrise leaving him to sleep in. Can't help feeling a little guilty at that. It's supposed to be his duty since he was the one assigned to this area. There's a faint feeling that Ryuga is somehow indulging him. Just why, he doesn't really know.

Walking out of his room, he catches Toma diligently training (it was quite strange to him at first as well but he got used to it). Toma, somehow sensing him, paused and turned around to look at him before breaking into a wide grin.

"Ryuga said to not disturb you until you wake up." The grin on his little brother's face is a tad too wide for his comfort. This feels...suspicious.

"...Right." Deciding to leave it at that, he moves on towards Fusa who's buried in a pile of books and scripts at her table.

"What's with him today?"

She glanced up at him for a moment without stopping her activities. "Don't mind him, he's just a little giddy."

"Giddy?" Okay, that's definitely weird.

"He caught Ryuga coming out of your room this morning. He'd been onto me about the two of you for quite some time now. I guess he's giddy that his theories are proven."

Eyes blinking rapidly in mild shock.

Well it's not like he's hiding their relationship or anything, but he's sure he never mentioned about it to Fusa (much less to Toma). So, it's a bit shocking to know that they know.

"It's not that weird, and you're rather obvious too." Fusa raised her brows at him.

Cats out of the bag. "..No I'm not." She simply levels him with a judging look.

Ryuga had returned shortly after; the tip of his ears visibly turning a shade of red upon locking eyes with him, clearly embarrassed over the minor slip up.

 

*

 

They had gone out together as per usual around sunset. And even then, there was nothing unusual too.

They were just passing in front of an abandoned high-rise building when Ryuga sensed something off about it. He abruptly halts his steps right in front of it, eyes searching.

"Ryuga?"

"Something's not right with this place,..Zaruba?" A ring precedes his response.

"Aah. I can feel tremendous negative aura coming from this place."

"I can feel it too. It's probably originating from deep inside." Their suspicion is further supported by Alva, urging them to uncover the problem.

Inside was just like one would've expected to see in an abandoned place; cluttered, dusty and hollow. It appeared to have been an office building, likely having gone into an inevitable closure following bankruptcy. Looks like it'll take some time seeing as there are a lot of area to be covered.

"Let's split up. It'll be easier to search that way since this place is huge."

"Aah. Be careful, Mikage."

"You too."

 

They ran off to different directions then, trying to look for the source. Overall nothing had suddenly jumped out of any corner yet.

"Can you find it, Alva?"

"Mm, it's a bit hard to pinpoint. The aura seems to have permeated the entire building."

By the time he reached the top floor, the bright full moon appears from behind the thick clouds, bathing the whole floor in its silvery glow. The entire floor is empty save for a large floor-to-ceiling mirror at the far end.

The appearance of the inconspicuous object filled him with trepidation. He can feel the panic building inside, and he tightens his grip on his sword to curb the tremors. Slowly, he approaches.

This doesn't feel good; he'd been getting that feeling ever since they stepped into the building but he didn't voice it out. I'm just overthinking it, so he's telling himself. However, the feeling only strengthens. Maybe he shouldn't jump into this alone. Maybe he should have--

 

"-What? Wait for him to come along?"

 

His blood ran cold.

Those words were not from inside his head.

 

"Heh, pitiful as always."

 

He looks up towards the figure inside the mirror. A reflection, but also not. Not at all.

"You know it's more than that."

"-Shut up!"

"Afraid, are you? That it's true after all?"

 

Furiously shaking his head to will it away. "Don't listen to him!" Alva's voice barely broke through the haze, muffled and faraway. Don't listen to him. Don't listen to him.

 

"Mikage! Step away from there!"

 

He instinctively turned towards the voice, vaguely registering the man it belonged to rushing his way. Then suddenly he felt like he was yanked backwards and everything turned black.