Izumi rolled in his bed unable to sleep. With each replay of the shiba’s reversed body, he became more and more sick to his stomach. What sickened him even more was the fact that Wraith had once played with Lala and thus the possibility of her taking the shiba’s place. That night, he procured no more than a handful of hours of rest, which were incredibly unfulfilling, so in the morning he felt more drained than the previous day. When he woke up, he saw the last person he wanted to see sitting beside his bed, gazing down on him with his contrasting eyes. Once more, he was in his blazer rather than his red robe. Wraith’s hand was over Izumi so that Izumi lay between the gap of his hand and body. This time, his smile was sweet, but Izumi wasn’t fooled.

“Good morning sleepy head. You look like you’ve seen better days.” Izumi didn’t want to respond to someone like him, and Wraith could tell. “It didn’t take very long for you to hate me. It doesn’t necessarily bother me either, the majority of the people, ghosts and humans alike, despise me. I could give you a reason to like me, at least a little bit, though.” His smile grew wider and more cocky than sweet. “I found your little murderer.”

Izumi shot up from his bed in both surprise and joy. “Really?!”

“Yep, did a bit of research for you too, only a little. He lives by himself, looks like a shut-in considering he doesn’t take care of himself nor his apartment very well. I could track his scent for you, could follow him today and see where he goes. Might help you figure out how you’re gonna bring him in. Theoretically, with the murder weapon found, you could just turn it in and get credit immediately.”

Izumi shook his head. “No, I could, but I wouldn’t be able to write a good article on it. I wanna know more about him and why he killed her, how one event led to another, like a whole story. It’ll make for a better piece. So approaching him would be better.” Izumi paused to think, not realizing that his face is less than a foot from Wraith’s. “Can you help me with something before? My mom, she thinks that I’m hallucinogenic. If I could show you to her, then she’ll finally believe me, I’m sure you could do that disappear and reappear thing and that would be good enough. She’ll probably faint for a second but it’s fine.”

Wraith tilts his head slightly in both confusion and surprise and chuckles. “Show me? Like some sort of talent show? Pfft. Sure alright. It’ll cost you though, just a bit of blood, how bout it?”

“What about tailing the murderer?”

“Put it under the same tab, it’s not big enough for me to ask for anything more than that. And before you ask, I promise I won’t ever drain you until an inch of your life. I can’t have you dying on me or anything close until I figure out your situation.”

Izumi wishes he didn’t have to work with him, but he was the only one he could rely on if he wanted to catch the murderer. “Alright.” He agreed.

  The blissful smell of a delicious breakfast flooded the house as Izumi opened his bedroom door and went downstairs into the kitchen. His mother had already finished cooking and the table was set to perfection. Hearing his footsteps, Izumi’s mother turned around and greeted him.

“Good morning, sweetie! I was right about to call you down.”

“Morning…” Izumi wasn’t really sure how to start. Wraith was waiting at the top of the stairs since Izumi figured it would be better for him to appear normally first rather than out of thin air. “I wanted to talk to you about something mom.”

“Sure, what is it sweetie? You finally leaving the nest? Or maybe you got another boyfriend.” Izumi shuddered at the thought of Wraith being his boyfriend.

“Well, it might be better to just show you I guess. You can come downstairs.”

Wraith descended the stairs slowly as the last thing he wanted was to take care of his unconscious mother. Luckily, Kanae didn’t pass out right away, but she was still agape nonetheless.

“The man from the drawings you do?!!” Her mouth and eyes were wide in shock. Wraith looked at Izumi with a face that clearly mocked him for drawing him, which embarrassed Izumi enough for his cheeks to burn red.

“Well, yes, but-”

Wraith sighed. “Look lady, I’ve got stuff to do with your kid so the faster that we clear this up the better. Your son isn’t delusional, ghosts are real.” With one hand, Wraith pulled a cup towards him using magic and made the other invisible. “See?”

Kanae thud onto the floor.

“Why the hell did you do that! I told you to let me talk to her first!” Izumi turned and scolded.

Wraith put down the cup and rematerialized his hand. “Yea and I did and you were taking too long. You want me to wake her up?” Lala was licking

Kanae’s face as she slowly rose. “Oh just kidding. Your mom’s a real trooper kid.”

Izumi rushed over to his mother, who was on the floor holding her head. “Mom, are you ok?!”

“I’m as fine as I can be. Is he-?” She peeked over the table to find Wraith still standing there. Shaking off her son, she went over to Wraith and cautiously stuck out a pointed finger, poking Wraith’s body in several areas, Wraith doing his best to not become annoyed and reduce her to paste. “He really is real. Do that thing again.”

“Which thing?” Wraith asked.

“The invisible thing.” Wraith decomposed his hand. Kanae tried to touch the area his hand once was, but her hands passed right through. “Ok put it back.” He rematerialized his hand, his patience thinning, but work was work. She felt his hand with both of her own, her eyes sparkling. Wraith can clearly see where Izumi gets his starry eyes. “Woahhhhh. So you’re like, dead?”

Wraith pulls away his hand and makes some space between himself and Kanae. “Not particularly. Your son can explain it later if he wants to, but some ghosts are dead while others are born. I’m a born ghost.”

“So were you really that ghost he saw in the fields when he was a kid?”

“The one and only.”

Another ‘woahhh’ expression emerges on Kanae’s face before she turns to her son. “Well, then I’m sorry for not believing you, I mean-”

“It’s fine.” Izumi interrupts. “I don’t really blame you, even after seeing him for real I couldn’t believe it, for sort of similar reasons.”

“Well…” She turns back to Wraith. “Join us for breakfast won’t you?”

Izumi turns to his mom trying to gesture to her no, but since she isn’t looking, he tries to ask Wraith to decline.

Wraith shrewdly smiles. “Sure, I don’t eat though, so a drink would be nice if you have booze.”

Izumi groans in the background as his mother excitedly gets a drink for Wraith.

  The three of them are seated at the dining table, which only has four seats. While Izumi and his mother eat breakfast, Wraith merely has a glass of whiskey.

Izumi watches while his mother curiously peers at Wraith. Soon enough, his mother’s lips part in an effort to speak to him, in which he tries to stop her from asking the question before she starts, but he’s too late. “You don’t want to eat?” Kanae asks.

“I don’t, but it’s not like I can anyways.”

Izumi directs his attention to Wraith as his wonder overwhelms him once more. “Wait, why not?”

“I can only eat what I told you kid.” He handsomely winks and smirks at Izumi, causing him to break eye contact as he tries to hide his red cheeks. “If you want to tell your mom what that is, that's your choice, but I’m assuming you don’t want me to say anything, so I won’t.”

Izumi coughs in an attempt to brush off his embarrassment. “But that doesn’t really answer my question.”

“Ghosts can’t eat anything outside of their diet. So things like this, eggs, toast, vegetables, etcetera will make us sick, it’s like eating something completely flavorless and textureless. Drinks are fine though, as long as they are more on the liquid side than solid, so shakes are a no.”

“So you can never try my cooking…” Kanae sounds a bit disappointed.

“Have you ever tried eating something else?”

“On occasion I do it if I need to blend in but I’d rather not. Imagine if you ate something rotten, that’s how normal food is to us.”

A passing feeling of pity fills Izumi. Food is widely enjoyed by all, and to him, it’s disheartening to hear that he’ll never have a meal other than humans or his own kin. Maybe that’s part of the reason he’s become so monstrous, he thinks. After breakfast, Izumi and his mother talk, and she agrees to talk to the therapist and have Izumi stop attending her sessions. Izumi debates telling Eiji, his best friend, about Wraith, but he decides to wait, as he still hasn’t entirely forgiven him.

  As promised, Wraith tracks the scent of the culprit, which leads into the city, specifically the arcade. Behind a machine, a hooded man stands alone. He looks scrawny and worse for wear; Wraith was right about him not caring for himself well, as he also appears malnourished. The two watch him discreetly from a distant dining booth.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Is that really him?” Izumi asks.

“Sure is.”

“I wouldn’t think someone like him would be capable of killing anyone.”

“Yea, and according to you I don’t look like I’d be the strongest ghost there is, but here we are.”

Izumi tries to ignore his teases, gripping his shorts to cope. “W-well, I have an idea.”

“Which is?” Wraith’s alluring eyes throw off Izumi for a moment. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget the things he’s done, as he clearly doesn’t carry the burden of his actions on his shoulders.

“I’ll get to k-know him, try to get a confession through that.”

“Hmm. Normally I’d call you stupid, but it could work.” Wraith leans in closer to Izumi, who’s sitting across the table from him. “You see, I caught the specter that helped him just yesterday.”

“That quickly?!” Izumi nearly shouted in surprise.

“Shhh. Yes. I told you didn’t I? I’m possessive. It would’ve irked me if I didn’t take care of her asap. Lucky you though, it was the specter of guilt.”

“Which means he feels super guilty?”

“You catch on quick. Exactly. If you get close with him, he will probably start to feel even more guilty. If you’re having trouble, I could always pull some strings, since I have her in my possession and all.”

“You captured her?!” Izumi tries to be quietly surprised this time around.

“I did indeed. I would kill her, but if I do then the spell on the town would be released and you could kiss your article and the culprit goodbye, so I’ll wait until after you’re done.”

“Ok, that works for me. I need to do research though before I approach him, and a lot of it, so you could probably go about your business for a while. Is there a way you can get me his name?”

“Well, I can see from here that he ranks the highest on the leaderboard on that arcade game. Completely crushed anyone else on there. Name is VIX? Might help.”

“How can you see from this far away?”

“I can turn completely invisible at will and you’re wondering how I can see from this distance?” Wraith laughs, Izumi trying to ignore his constant mockery as he looks up the name on his phone.

“His name’s Fuhiro Nakamura apparently, professional at that game, seems like it’s kind of like Tetris? Actually, one of the top five.” Izumi scrolls some more, glancing at a few articles. “For whatever reason, he doesn’t go to tournaments anymore. Doesn’t say why, people speculate that he retired, but I doubt that if you said people’s perceptions were changed. Would it be possible to talk to the girl he killed?”

“Sure, if you know where she’s buried.”

“Cemetery records aren’t public in Japan. Could you try and find out for me?”

Wraith sighs. “What’s her name?”

“Toshiko Eri.”

“Got it. I could probably get you that by tonight and we could go tomorrow to check, that good with you?” Izumi nods in response. “Great, I’ll come by later today.” Again, Wraith disappears before Izumi could say anything in response, making him realize how much he hates that Wraith is in his own world on his own schedule.

  The rest of the day is spent behind his desk, sitting with his knees tucked into his chest as he does extensive research on Fuhiro. Still, there are no firm assertions on why he left the competitive scene, but Izumi does manage to find out the name of his previous sponsor just as soon as Wraith arrives, who scares the soul out of Izumi.

“Don’t you know how to use a door?!” Izumi shouts halfheartedly, his voice somewhat quivering, since he’s not the assertive type.

“Maybe you should have eyes on the back of your head, or just be more aware of your surroundings.” Wraith flops onto Izumi’s bed, where Lala is sleeping. Izumi side eyes Wraith, trying to gain the courage to tell Wraith to leave his dog alone. “Say it then, why don’t you?”

Izumi feels his heart in his throat from Wraith’s comment and gulps it back down. He tries his hardest to sound firm. “P-please,” mannnnn, “leave her a-alone.”

For the second time, Wraith’s smile is more sweet than sinister. “You need to work on standing your ground. Believe me, I don’t mind, it’s a cute look on you, but one day someone like me might take advantage of that.”

Izumi turns red from ear to ear and immediately goes back to working on his laptop. Wraith, who’s sitting comfortably on his bed, studies his room.

“I can tell you’re not a virgin, but you sure act like one.”

A shiver runs up Izumi’s spine and he whips his head to Wraith, nearly about to explode in embarrassment. “Can you please-!” Sounding downright in tears without the waterworks. Wraith’s smile shifts to his usual cocky one.

“You mind if I ask how long its been?”

“Of course I mind!” Izumi barks back.

“I won’t tell anyone.” Wraith tries to hold back his laughter. There’s nothing he enjoys more than playing with him, but even he doesn’t know why he enjoys it so much. “Come on. If it makes you feel more comfortable, I did it just a few days ago. I have people for that so I do decently often.”

“Well I don’t!” Izumi tries to go back to his work again, but Wraith gets up from the bed and turns his chair around. Placing a hand on each arm rest, he surrounds Izumi.

“I promise I won’t laugh. I’m just curious. You always ask me questions and I always answer. Just this one, please?” Wraith gives a fake pleading voice in order to persuade Izumi, which surprisingly works, especially considering it’s the first time Izumi has ever heard him say please.

“Maybe like four years….” He mumbles.

“Hmm?” Wraith teases.

“Like four years!” Izumi shouts in humiliation, his face burning.

“See, wasn’t that hard.”

“Yes it was!” Izumi’s voice cracks as he messies his hair, trying to forget the conversation. “Why do you even ask!”

“I’m just curious. Consider it a judge of character.” Another sweet smile, more genuine than the last, causing Izumi’s heart to skip a beat. He violently shakes away his questionable thoughts. Wraith is clearly getting a kick out of him, more than he usually does. He gently picks up Izumi’s wrist. “Do you mind?”

“M-mind w-w-w-what?” Izumi’s head starts to spin, he can’t take it anymore.

“Relax, I’m not going to fuck you. Not unless you want me to.” His comment nearly makes Izumi retract his hand and ask him to leave. “Before I forget, you need to repay your debt so far. I promise it won’t hurt too bad, just a sting.”

  Wraith holds Izumi’s wrist up to his mouth and licks, making Izumi shudder, although his heart is racing. He briefly felt a bump on Wraith’s tongue when he licked him, but his thought is interrupted as he winces in slight pain the moment Wraith bites down. Surprisingly, Wraith told the truth. Aside from the initial pinch, Izumi doesn’t really feel anything. Watching Wraith drink his blood makes Izumi wonder how blood tastes to ghosts like him. Eventually, he stops, pulling his teeth away and licking the wound, Izumi feeling the same bump again. Wraith’s saliva heals the wound, making it look like nothing happened in the first place, causing Izumi to pull his hand back and check his wrist in surprise and awe. He’ll never get over the prospect of magic. Wraith licks his teeth, swallowing the last bit of Izumi’s blood in his mouth. When Izumi makes eye contact with Wraith, he notices that Wraith is looking at him entirely differently, like someone overcome with the desire to devour him, but not in the sense to eat him, but rather, to truly feel him, and Izumi wasn’t sure which he was more scared of. Wraith wiped his mouth and ran his fingers through his hair as he softly laughed, reminding Izumi that despite his abhorrent mannerisms, he still is unexpectedly attractive.

“W-what is it?” Izumi rubbed his wrist and tried to shake off the thoughts in his head, trying to remind himself that at heart, Wraith wasn’t a good person, no matter what outward appearance he may hold.

“You get more and more interesting with each passing second, that’s what.” Wraith looks overjoyed as a delightful grin stretches across his face. He sits on the floor, leaning his back against the bed, his knees bent with his arms on top.

“What’s t-that supposed to mean?”

“Your blood is sweet. Incredibly sweet. If it was anyone else, they would’ve accidentally killed you.”

“Is that not normal?”

“No. Normally, people just taste normal, like when you bite your tongue, you can taste the iron in the blood, basically the same taste. For specters, humans that they mold usually taste more savory or sweet, depends on a few things like their character or how they’re built but you get the idea. But you taste sweet without any of that. No specter marked you, molded you, nothing, yet you still taste sweet.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not for me, now I’ll definitely look forward to charging you for my services. But for you, a little bit. If another spirit or specter catches you, they’ll definitely want to eat you.”

Izumi tightly grips his shorts in fear. “You won’t let that happen right?” He right away exclaims.

“Course not, remember it’s my job to keep you alive.”

“Until you figure out why I can see ghosts, and apparently why my blood is sweet. Then after that you’ll eat me too.” Izumi deducts.

“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe, when I find out why you can see ghosts, I learn that I can’t let you die. Who knows.”

“And if that’s not the case? Will you eat me?”

Wraith looks like he doesn’t want to answer the question directly, like he has an alternative in mind. “I’d rather not eat you. You’re more useful than that. Oh right, I found that lady for you. Some cemetery in the city, we can go tomorrow night, like I said. You got anything on that Fuhiro guy?”

Izumi clears his throat and tries to get back on track. “Yea, actually. I wanted to ask you something. Could you make someone tell the truth without them realizing it?”

“Would be a bit of work, which translates to pricey on your end, but yea I could do it.”

“What about making them believe anything they’re told?”

“Same thing. I could do it but it’ll be pricey.”

“Like how pricey?”

“For both? It’s better that I tell you some other time, when it’s more in the moment. Could go ahead and throw in finding that girl’s grave too. So, what were you planning?”

“I wanted to talk to his sponsor, but it’s obvious they won’t talk to some random guy, let alone say why Fuhiro stopped playing in tourneys. Especially since they’re probably under that spell that you mentioned from the specter of guilt, hence why I asked that.”

Wraith looks impressed, which is a first for Izumi. “Nice job kid, you’re smarter than you look. Sure, cool with me.”

“I’ll make the appointment for the day after tomorrow, their office is probably closed now, since it’s so late. Actually, I think it’d be better to talk to that girl after that then, because I have a long shift tomorrow.”

“Then that means I have to do something to do tomorrow that’s not poking fun at you. How boring.” Wraith jokes, making Izumi think I knew he did it on purpose! “Then I’ll see you in two days.” After Wraith leaves, Izumi grips his chest and repeatedly tries to shake off his unholy thoughts as Wraith’s kinder side spins around his head, begging his heart to change its mind.