Full Moon Wo Sagashite Fan Fiction ❯ Finding the Gateway to Heaven ❯ The Scattered Past ( Chapter 11 )

... Chapter 11 - The Scattered Past

Izumi frowned as he looked down at his hands. The sensation of the soul lingered on his touch unpleasantly, and doubt gnawed further into his heart as he brought the sleeping form to his boss. Another Shinigami in the making, it certainly seemed to Izumi that his kind was becoming more common lately.

Jonathan sauntered nearby, and Izumi cast an angry glance to his completely desensitized partner. The whole Full Moon affair had not affected the ghostly Shinigami in the slightest. Jonathan could still remove a soul with no hint of remorse, though the pasty complexion never spoke of fascination or else, either. Jonathan had no sleepless nights, not that the Shinigami really needed to rest, but Jonathan was still… Jonathan.

Izumi looked down at his cold hands once again, mesmerized with their incredible ability to take people's lives, yet incapable of touching a soul.

"Jonathan," Izumi said dryly to his partner, "What's next on our schedule?" Izumi looked down, avoiding eye contact with the creature, though Jonathan was not exactly noteworthy for his expressions, anyway.

Jonathan squeaked ever so lightly, expelling the same odd sound which always emanated from his figure, before responding in his whiny high-pitched voice, "Izumi-kun… we don't have to do anything at all… what are you going to do, Izumi-kun?"

Jonathan always said Izumi-kun, had always referred to him as Izumi-kun, and just lately Izumi had begun to notice how aggravating this fact was. He was definitely losing control of himself, his calm confidence slowly eroding. He clenched his teeth and turned to Jonathan, his cool expression deadly with passion, doused just as swiftly into a frown as he faced the giggling ghost.

After a minute, he floated off down the streets and towards the underrealm.

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Meroko floated above the streets, lost in her thoughts as she searched the ground for Mitsuki's house.

"I guess we can search for whoever sent you to save Mitsuki," Eichi had said.

Meroko blushed and looked down, "It wasn't me, Eichi-kun. Takuto was the one who was sent to save her… I only tagged along…"

"Meroko," Eichi said, lifting her face gently by the chin, "you decided to help on your own, no?"

Meroko nodded shyly as her eyes met his, "But it was almost my fault that she…" Meroko stopped mid-sentence.

"She didn't, though, did she, Meroko. And in the end, it was your choice that saved her."

Contemplating this for a minute, Meroko finally smiled as she accepted her role in those events. The two sat quietly for a time, before she spoke again.

"Well, then, who could have sent us?"

"That's what we'll be trying to find out. But, how…"

"Perhaps someone in the realms knows."

Eichi stopped and thought for a minute before responding, "Hmm… it would take some time, but I guess we can ask everyone if they've heard of her name. That might help us find a clue."

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Izumi floated along angrily for a while, Jonathan trailing him as always. Izumi began to seethe, and searched the area for any signs of life which he might take. Against protocols, certainly, but animals were scarcely noticed for their weak souls. And perhaps there were a few humans whose time had come and just not been picked up yet…

Suddenly, he heard a song over the radio. The familiar voice tugged uncomfortably through his mind as the words echoed in his mind.

... It's her. I hear her everywhere now! his thoughts screamed in his mind, and he held the back of his head with his hands and shouted to the heavens in emotional pain. Jonathan watched curiously from behind, his quivering tail suddenly stopping its normally restless motion.

"Izumi-kun," the ghostly figure said, "What's wrong, Izumi-kun," the voice said.

Izumi turned, shaking, towards the ghost, and launched a punch. Oddly, the ghost merely sidehovered, as his grin widened. Izumi stared at his balled fist, he'd never before felt so much anger towards Jonathan. Towards anyone, really.

Trembling now, he shrugged as he put his arm back at his sides, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Suddenly, for the first time in years, he decided to transform himself into his puppy dog form, and doing so he galloped down the street which had been below at an incredible pace.

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Finally spotting Mitsuki's house, Meroko scanned the area for any sign of the girl. Seeing none, she slid down through the roof and into Mitsuki's bedroom. Meroko glanced about the room for a minute before deciding to begin her search with Mitsuki's personal drawer. Her eyes were drawn to the music box which Mitsuki's father had left. Picking it up, she rotated it around, feeling a strong pull from inside. I can't take this, Mitsuki would notice it missing instantly! Meroko thought to herself after a minute, and gently returned the crystal encasing to its spot on the desk.

She quietly opened the drawer below, revealing those possessions dearest to Mitsuki. It was very neatly organized, and Meroko carefully shuffled through the tidy piles inside. A glittering binder topped one, a blank memo pad rested on top of another, and towards the back Meroko noticed a letter from Eichi astride the final pile.

Meroko gently slid the letter out out of the drawer, holding it gingerly between her fingers. Its touch was potent, and powerful waves of emotion coursed through Meroko's fingers as she held it between her fingers. She sighed with relief, certain now that their decision to send her instead of Eichi had certainly averted disaster. Not that she knew the upper realms as well, anyway.

Sifting through the contents, Meroko sighed. I can't take any of this, she thought to herself, Mitsuki would noticeinstantly if any of these things were missing. I guess it's up to Eichi, then.

Hovering towards the roof, Meroko's heart tugged uncomfortably at her, the feeling spreading to her thoughts as she considered the items she was leaving behind. Something was there, something she had already glanced and just not noticed carefully enough. So, Meroko slid down for a second look at the drawer. And immediately, her heart and mind connected.

Meroko again picked up the music box, and looking at the inscription underneath found her answer. Koga! Mitsuki changed her name to Kouyama! Her parents' name was Koga, not Kouyama!

Exhilirated, Meroko leaped into the air, oblivious to the presence of the maid, Tanaka, who was shivering at the doorway watching the box as it floated down and gently back onto Mitsuki's little drawer.

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Izumi's trot was aimless, though. He wandered for miles, and soon found himself as lost as he could possibly be as he wandered down yet another bland street, cars slowly passing alongside dull pedestrians. Suddenly as he rounded the corner, though, he recognized the gates of the house which now lay in front of him. His doggy eyes bulged and he instantly poofed back into spirit form from the shock.

... It's the girl's house! his mind screamed inside.

He floated through the gates hurriedly, tugged by some unkown fate towards Mitsuki's room. Tanaka, the maid, was standing outside, trembling, and he watched as she soon scurried off towards the kitchen, the frightened expression a surprising contrast to her otherwise flaccid face.

Wondering what could have startled her so, Izumi hovered into Mitsuki's room…

"Izumi!" said Meroko, as she turned to face the dog boy, his hand clenched tightly around her wrist, startled. Angels were absolutely not supposed to see the Shinigami!

"Kero-chan," said Izumi in his sarcastic friendly tone, before his eyes widened and he lost his composure, "Meroko." He seemed on the verge of tears, suddenly. "Why can I see you, Meroko? What is that thing on your head? Your wings… it can't be!" he practically gasped.

"I was transformed, Izumi. It's real," she replied softly, sadly.

"So you've become an… an…" the Shinigami could not say the word, they never could.

"Angel, Izumi," Meroko smiled, and Izumi instantly vanished.