It bothered him that he had to wear a hoodie again in the summer, but he needed to cover the mark around his neck. The same applied to his lack of shorts as well, since Izumi’s legs still had bites and hickeys on them. As much as he liked receiving them, their lingering presence always proved to be an inconvenience. Upon entering the office building, Izumi was immediately met with a headache as Takeda pestered him for his absence.

“Is everything alright?!! I heard that you had an emerg–”

“My um–” Izumi quickly fished for a lie. “Friend, got robbed. Jumped on his way home.”

Takeda’s expression seemed to drop, and if Wraith taught him anything, it was how to read a room. “Oh. Is he..fine..?”

“Yea he just needed help getting home, didn’t have money or his train pass so.”

“Isn’t hurt or anything..?”

“No..?”

“....” Darting his eyes anywhere but at him, Izumi could sense a tinge of guilt in both his voice and mannerisms. “Is your um…boyfriend doing well?”

“Yes…?”

“Good…that’s uh good to hear. You know what? I just remembered that I’ve got some work to do so I’m gonna dooo thatttt nowwww yea mhm I will talk to you some other time!!” Scuttling off with his tail between his legs, Takeda left to his desk as fast as he could go. This only served to heighten Izumi’s suspicions, but there wasn’t much he could do about it right now. Izumi could probably ask him to the point of cracking with how timid Takeda can be, though that method was more suited for Wraith. Intimidation and playing with people with words didn’t really sit well with his conscience, he was too kind for that. Instead, he decided to follow Takeda after work in hopes of finding answers.

  It probably would’ve been a good idea to tell Wraith in advance in case something happened but nothing happened yet, he thought. The entire time, Takeda’s mind was clearly racing as he did all sorts of nervous antics, from biting his nails to readjusting his glasses several times. This continued even as Izumi followed him to his unknown destination. Following people wasn’t his thing either, yet it was easier for him to do than the tactics Wraith used. On the train they passed stop after stop getting further and further away from the city. Eventually, Takeda unboarded and rushed off, Izumi parting the crowd in suit. They had stopped at a rural town in the mountains, Takeda going off the beaten path into the woods. The closer Takeda got to his destination, the more Izumi’s necklace began to glow in a slow pulse that gradually quickened. It did this once before, when he neared that town of spirits. Danger. He promised Wraith he’d contact him whenever he was in trouble, and he still wasn’t in trouble yet. Still, he grew worried and soon enough Wraith did too.

Izumi’s phone rang and his heart nearly leapt out of his throat from surprise, trying to fumble for it before Takeda could hear the chime.

“Yessss honeyyy?” Izumi whispered as low as possible.

For a second, Wraith felt a flutter in his chest and he tried to brush it off so he could speak. “Whaaat are you doing? You’ve never called me honey before and the stone's acting weird.”

On the other end, Izumi could hear some form of shouting and clattering. Maybe a random spirit attack again? But for him to be calling in the middle of something like that...Izumi mentally sighed but more in affection than anything else. Wraith never changed.

Better to be honest, he thought. “I am currently following Takeda. Quite the way to spend my day.”

“Well, is everything alright? Should I head over?”

“Nono! I'm great no problems if something happens I'll ask Lavina you seem a bit busy right now.”

“I can make time.”

“Nope! As you'd say Lavina does nothing but sit in her library anyways I'll just ask her. Talk to you later bye!”

He hung up quickly, nearly losing Takeda in the process as he tried to keep a greater distance than usual to accommodate for the call.

Takeda suddenly stopped in front of a tall green tree, looking more anxious than ever as he paced back and forth. “I-”

A voice that came from an unknown but familiar source interrupted him. Izumi recognized it but wasn't sure where. “I would normally be aggravated by the sudden call, but it appears you brought compensation. Hiding is useless, Wraith's repugnant smell of burnt blood afflicts you. Tainting an innocent human with such is quite unbecoming. Izumi, is it?”

  The sound of his name jolts his body. That harrowing, cold tone that saw straight through him. Izumi couldn’t believe he forgot. Hesitantly he emerged from the bushes with a forced neutral expression that clearly strained and cracked at the seams. Takeda’s eyebrows rose and evidently wanted to say something, though the specter didn’t give him the chance. The only thing he could get out was a mouthed apology. In the branches was an owl that flew down and transformed into a tall man clad in white, juxtaposing his star-night skin. Tightly gripping his necklace, Izumi mentally called Lavina for reassurance who appeared instantaneously. With her presence, the ruby’s glow quelled to a stop.

The owl cocked his head with a leer. “Lavina. A pleasant surprise. I would much prefer you than that boy’s unfortunate lover anyways. Though I believed you to be neutral?”

Lavina’s scowl almost reached the level of hatred that Wraith had when gazing at the man. “I am, Vahan. I merely owe Wraith plenty of favors, keeping this boy safe being one of them.”

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“Then I can assure you I have no intentions to harm him. I hate the man but I have my own methods, and hurting him would do nothing for me.”

It scared him that the only thing that prevented Vahan from doing anything was the one superficial reason and he began to see why Wraith had a margin of hated respect for Vahan.

Suddenly, Takeda had dropped to the floor unconscious and in sight of Izumi’s concern, Vahan immediately explained, “A little useless to use him now since I can just talk to you. I’m sure you have questions for me as well, so how about a deal? I’ll answer your questions, and you answer mine. If you’d like, Lavina can be there as well.”

It was nearly impossible to read Vahan’s intentions. Whether he was being genuine or not, Izumi couldn’t tell, so he relied on Lavina’s input. With a glance that spoke volumes, Lavina gave him a reassuring nod, and he returned the same to Vahan.

“Good. Oh, and one more thing. I’ll let you decide. Would you like him to retain his memories of this? By this, I mean Wraith, myself, specters and his involvement regarding them with you. He will still remember you, of course, but not anything related to us.”

It didn’t take long for Izumi to come up with a response. “If you can erase them, please do.”

Vahan chuckled, the unnatural laugh chilled his core. “I figured as much.”

As much as he disliked Takeda, he would still be better off living in blissful ignorance about the beastial world hidden within their own. Most people would be terrified to know that such beings walked amongst them in their day to day lives, and even more terrified knowing that they couldn’t even see them. Living with that knowledge, that a spirit could be around any corner waiting for its next meal… He partially regretted telling Eiji and his mother as well, but with their deep connection to him, it was only natural that they’d learn of Wraith. Especially now that they were together.

  Every nerve in his body tightened, becoming aware of the slightest movement or sound as he sat across from the calm specter, who’s demeanor was white compared to his black. Lavina didn’t sit with them, though she was still in eyesight listening from a distance. The clatter of his tea cup with the small plate beneath screeched throughout the library’s halls and it almost seemed to grow colder with his presence.

“I am a courteous man, so please, go first.” Vahan gestured with his gloved hand.

Now that he was presented with the opportunity, Izumi was quite frankly at a loss of what to ask. There were so many questions that crossed his mind before and it became a matter of recollection through his uneasiness.

“What did…you want with Takeda?”

“He was more a means to an end. You interested me at the ball, given your strange relation to Wraith, but I couldn’t approach you directly. I’m well aware of Wraith’s…behaviors, let’s say, so I knew in his eyes, had I simply waltzed up to you I would be asking for my head on a platter. At the time he had no relation to you, believing you to be a stranger, so he originally harbored no guilt in what I had asked him to do.”

He likely threatened him with his life, Izumi thought. It was a simple but effective method for most, especially people like Takeda who would throw in the towel without one even asking them to. Once Izumi inhaled to utter a follow up, Vahan read him well.

“So yes, I had asked him to lead you to that town, follow you that day you were with Wraith and interrogate you, even the previous day, when your best friend was kidnapped. In the final case, he had only given me the information of someone you cared for, I assure you he had no hand in it. You seemed to have influenced him in your own way, however. Today I believe he wished to fan his feathers like a peacock and show me how much he’s grown. Probably came to the conclusion that putting you or anyone else for his own sake was immoral. An interesting development but it doesn’t matter anymore, in the end, I still got what I wanted.”

Then came Izumi’s final inquiry. One that had been not just on his mind, but everyone’s as well. “What do you want?”

Vahan smiled and he found himself missing Wraith’s. If Wraith had a gentle or playful smile, Vahan’s was a complete contrast. It never seemed to reach his eyes.

“You. Believe me, not in that sense. I am a married man after all.” He flashed his own bloodstone and delicately placed his hand on his crossed legs. “I want to know more about you. Specifically: What you mean to Wraith, what he means to you, how did you come to meet him, why do you stay with him, and…what do you believe you mean to him. Answer in any order or mixture you please. I can follow the stream. Oh and, please don’t lie. I promise that I was truthful in my responses, so I expect the same from yours. Specters are quite skilled in catching lies, as I’m sure you know by now.”

For a second, Izumi glanced at Lavina. Her back was turned away but she was still following the conversation. It was more for reassurance that he wasn’t alone, and he held his necklace in his shaking hands to help the nerves. From it he could feel Wraith’s warmth, as if he was there with him as well.

With a deep breath, he began. “I met him when I was younger and afterwards I was able to see ghosts. We didn’t really interact after that until he saved me some months back and he recognized me from when I was a kid. He thought it was strange that I could see him and the others as well so he said that if I helped him figure it out, he’d help me with whatever I wanted.”

Although Vahan didn’t maintain eye contact, it was evident he was absorbing the information as he sipped his tea. Izumi could only imagine that he was already making his own conclusions or ideas based on what he told him.

“I originally stayed with him for that, but now I…I grew feelings for him and that’s why I stay. He doesn’t scare me like he did at the start and he treats me well–better than well honestly. Lavina and the others make it a point to tell me that.” Izumi grins to himself, almost forgetting the person he’s talking to. Shaking his head, he resumes. “In formal terms, we’re in a relationship and he says he likes me, in the romantic sense. But in terms of what I believe..?”

With a slight pause, Izumi thinks about the question more thoroughly. In all honesty he couldn’t tell the extent of Wraith’s feelings. Of all people, he was the worst at expressing himself properly and there were so many signs that pointed to something deeper than what he conveyed. Yet, if he believed that Wraith felt more for him than what he let on, he could potentially be getting his hopes up. Droplets of accumulated moisture stuck to his clammy hands and he wiped them on his pants, trying not to transfer it to the necklace.

“I don’t know. I think–know– he has feelings for me but how much I don’t know. Wraith…struggles to be straightforward with that kind of thing and I think he just needs the time to come to terms with himself first because he gets there eventually, just takes more time than others.”

The owl’s wings rustle and flutter. Izumi wasn’t sure if it was from the low lighting deceiving him, but for a moment, Vahan looked surprised-his eyebrows had risen slightly. Another clatter of porcelain chimed as the specter of hate set down his empty cup.

“You’ve been fairly mature and cooperative, I commend you for that. Your counterpart, however, wouldn’t have been.” With a creak, the chair moved back as Vahan stood, offering his hand in a shake. Hesitantly, Izumi shook it. “Thank you for meeting with me, that’s all I wished to know. I’ll see you again, I’m sure of it. And…do send your lover my regards.”

As he passed by Lavina, he gave a farewell grin and left. An exhausted sigh burned as it left Izumi’s chest, still in disbelief that he spoke to Vahan of all people, let alone specters. Whether he was going to tell Wraith, he still wasn’t sure.