Chapter Text
“Soulmates are real, and you can have more than one.”
Kougami doesn't believe that for a second.
“You don't believe me,” Akane says.
Kougami sits up straighter. “Don't do that.”
“Sorry.” Akane doesn't actually look sorry, and Kougami isn't actually angry. If there was something he really didn't want her to know, she wouldn't go looking for it. “But it's true. I read about it, and although most people would rather leave that sort of thing up to chance, I think it's interesting. Soulmate doesn't necessarily mean lover. It could mean 'best friend.' And you can have more than one. It's the people who are best suited to your personality.”
“If there's more than one,” Kougami says, “then what's the point?”
“It's not like you have hundreds,” Akane says. “At the most, you'll have five.”
“Five,” Kougami repeats. “Is that a number you just made up?”
“Maybe.”
They often spend their days like this, behind the counter of a shop that caters to the occult. Very few people actually know real magic, but for those that do, Akane's shop is a good base for them to gain information and resources.
Akane loves helping people.
“And say I have five soulmates,” Kougami says, because the store is empty. It's almost always empty, tucked away down a small side-street. “How would I know who these five people are?”
“There's a spell for that,” Akane says, reaching under the counter and pulling out a huge, old book.
“I've read that book,” Kougami says.
“Maybe you didn't read it carefully enough.” She starts flipping through the pages. Each time she flips a page, a cloud of dust rises into the air. Kougami isn't sure where all the dust comes from, given that the last time Akane touched the book was two days ago. It's not like it's had time to gather dust. But for some reason, it's always dusty.
Kougami thinks that some witches probably like the feeling of ancient things a little too much.
Akane stops flipping and says, “Oh.”
Kougami looks over her shoulder. Unlike the yellowed pages of the book, this page is stark white.
“That's a print-off from the internet,” Kougami points out.
“Yeah, I forgot that's where it came from,” Akane says. She hands the page off to Kougami. “If you want to know.”
“Why would I want to know?” Kougami asks. “I've been fine not knowing until now.”
Akane just hums and Kougami takes the page anyway, because she's offering. He'll take it home and bring it back tomorrow and he won't read it, because the idea of soulmates is just strange to him. Like something out of a fairytale.
“You're a witch,” Akane says without even looking at him. “Your whole life is like a fairytale.”
Sometimes Kougami hates having a friend who can literally get inside his head.
*
Kougami spends an hour not looking at the piece of paper on his kitchen counter as he makes dinner. He spends half an hour eating dinner, and somehow the paper has followed him, to rest next to his glass of water. He walks into his bedroom to read and the paper is next to him on the pillow. He can't read his book when it's sitting there like that.
He picks up the paper. Makes a mental note to himself that even if he reads it, that doesn't mean that he's going to actually do what it says. He's just curious. He just wants to know.
The paper tells him of spell that will, when completed, give him a glimpse of the identity of his soulmate(s) as well as their final words to the caster of the spell. Kougami actually says out loud, “Why would I want to know that?”
Because one may find it useful to have an idea of how much time they have together, the paper helpfully supplies.
The only exception to this is that if the spell-caster is meant to die before their soulmate, they will not hear any last words.
“No,” Kougami says, setting the paper aside. He wonders what website Akane went on to find this spell. He wonders if she's used it. “No.”
Half an hour later he has an assortment of lit candles, incense, a salt circle, and other strange items spread on the floor, with him in the center, and he closes his eyes and gets himself into the right mindset. He says words in a long-dead language and hopes he pronounced them right, because he rarily uses the sort of magic that requires speaking out loud. He feels a familiar tingle in his blood that lets him know the magic is working.
His eyes are closed, but suddenly he's hit with a burst of color. A man with glasses, dark hair falling over his face, green eyes partly hidden. He hears him say, “Who are you?”
And then another image, before Kougami can process the first. Large brown eyes, familiar, a fringe of brown hair, and he gasps, and then that image moves on, too.
Another takes its place. White. Long qhite hair. Lips curled in a smirk. Sharp eyes. A book. A soft voice saying, “You and I would have changed the world.”
And then black.
Kougami opens his eyes, breathing hard. There's a moment where his pulse races, and he takes in the blown-out candles and the way his hands are clenched against each other, and suddenly he feels impossibly tired. His body feels too heavy.
Three.
*
“You did the spell,” Akane says.
Kougami places the paper in front of her. “Yes. I did.”
She watches him, carefully.
“Did you?” Kougami asks.
“No,” she says with a small smile. “I didn't want to know the second part, otherwise I would have.”
Ah yes, last words. Kougami sighs and massages his temples. He isn't sure whether he should tell her. He has three soulmates. Akane is one of them. He'll die before her, apparently. And he has no idea who the other two are.
“You don't have to say anything,” Akane says. “Take a look at this.” She slides a newspaper over the counter.
Kougami is grateful. Grateful that she understands. Grateful that she doesn't look even though she's curious.
He takes the newspaper and reads the front-page headline. “Inexplicable Murders Stump City Police.”
“You think we should get involved?” Kougami asks.
“We've never done murders before,” Akane says. They've investigated other strange happenings, things that they've figured have come from the magical community, all in hopes of keeping the peace. Especially since the magical community has never been revealed to the non-magical one. Mostly because people believe that if they knew about each other, they'd see each other as a threat. History had shown that to be true, before.
Kougami scans the article. “Two of the murdered were police,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “But they're not magical, are they?”
“I don't think so. Look at the cause of death.”
Kougami reads further. At each crime scene, the area around the body had been coated with blood, like a strange halo surrounding the corpse, exploded outwards. But the body itself, in each case, had been free of blood. And there were no wounds on any of the corpses to explain the blood being displaced. And it was their blood, in each case, tests later showed.
Fascinating. As much as Kougami knows about magic, he doesn't know what could do that. Something really powerful.
“Okay,” Kougami says, taking a deep breath. “That sounds like us. But we're in the same position as the police, aren't we?”
“Maybe not,” Akane says. “Shion might know someone.” She stands up. “We're closing the shop today.”
“And deny all your customers business?” Kougami says.
Akane is already halfway to the door. “You're excited about this.”
He is.
Ten minutes later they're standing in the lobby of a technology company. Shion meets them and gestures for them to take a seat in one of the waiting areas. She sits across from them and says, “You two read the papers this morning, didn't you?”
By day, Shion works in tech. By night (or rather, by day and night but unbeknownst to her colleagues) she gathers information on everyone in the magical community in Tokyo.
“Yeah,” Akane says. “If people are in danger, we need to help.”
“You want to talk to the victims,” Shion says.
“That would be helpful,” Kougami says. “The problem is, they're all dead.”
Shion grins at him. “So what you want to ask me is if I know someone who specializes in that kind of magic.”
“Do you?”
Shion hums. “I might.”
“Shion,” Kougami says, a warning.
“It isn't a guarantee,” Shion tells them. “That kind of magic is rare enough as it is. I can give you the address of the person who might be able to help you, but they also might not.”
“What are you talking about?” Kougami asks.
“I knew a man who could do that kind of magic,” Shion says. “Incidentally, he used to be a bit of a vigilante in the community, sort of like you guys.”
“We're not--” Akane starts, but Shion talks over her.
“He died a few years ago, but he had a son,” she says. “I haven't heard much about him.” Which for her, is saying a lot. “I'm only assuming that he has the same sort of magical talent, but he might not. I know where he lives, but that's all I can give you.”
She takes out a slip of paper and a pen and scrawls an address before handing it to Kougami.
“Thanks,” Kougami says.
“Anything else?”
“We're good, for now.”
To Akane, she says, “Did you get him to do the soulmate spell?”
Akane laughs, awkwardly. Kougami looks between her and Shion. “Does everyone know about this?”
“I found it for her,” Shion says. She stands up. “My break's over. Have fun, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”
“That's a really short list,” Kougami mutters.
“Well, I wouldn't fuck with the dead, but there you go.” Shion winks at him and heads off towards the elevators.
“So,” Kougami says, glancing at the piece of paper he's been left with. “Might as well try, right?”
*
The address leads them to a section of the city that's quiet, and an apartment building that looks relatively new. There's a park nearby, a few cafes, a book store. It's incredibly ordinary.
The address Shion gave them is listed under a resident named “Ginoza Nobuchika.” Kougami decides that trying to explain to this guy why they want to see him over the building's intercom system would be too complicated, so he does a small unlocking spell to let them into the building.
The elevator carries them to the ninth floor, and soon they're in front of Ginoza Nobuchika's door. Without a plan.
“I'll do the talking,” Akane says.
“Why can't I?”
“You're,” Akane makes a vague hand gesture, “intense.”
Kougami stares at her.
Akane turns away, facing the door. “What if he's not home?” she wonders.
“Then we'll wait,” Kougami says.
Akane nods and knocks on the door. A dog barks. Akane and Kougami look at each other.
“Witches like cats,” Akane says. “Do you think he has a cat, too?”
“I don't think it matters what kind of pets he has,” Kougami says.
Then the door opens, and Kougami's heart nearly stops.
The man standing in front of him in a sweater and jeans is the same man he saw when he performed the spell the other night. The dark hair, falling to his chin, slightly obscuring his face. Glasses. Thin. Wearing a forest green sweater that matches his eyes. Slightly taller than Kougami himself, which is surprising. Not many people are taller than Kougami.
At his side, a husky watches them warily.
“Are you Ginoza Nobuchika?” Akane asks, breaking Kougami out of his daze.
“Yes,” the man says. “Can I help you?”
“Actually, yes,” Akane says. She sounds relieved. Probably that he's home. “It's, uh, actually something that requires a lot of explaining. It has to do with your father.”
Ginoza's expression closes off. “I don't think I can help you,” he says, and starts to shut the door.
Kougami places his foot in the way. “We need a necromancer.”
“Kougami!” Akane cries.
“Who--” Ginoza starts, and Kougami's heart speeds up.
“We're witches,” he interrupts. “And we're investigating the recent murders in the city. You've heard about them, haven't you? Exsanguination, but no wounds to explain how. We want to keep both the magical community and the human community safe, and we can't do that unless we find out what's responsible.” He pauses. Then adds, “I'm Kougami Shinya, and this is Tsunemori Akane.”
Ginoza stares at him, looking a combination of angry and shocked.
“We don't have much time,” Kougami adds.
“I'm not part of this,” Ginoza snaps, trying to force the door closed. But Kougami's foot is still in the way. His dog starts growling.
“It's fine,” Akane says, holding her hands up. “We were just wondering if you could help, but if you--”
“Can he do magic?” Kougami asks her.
Akane's eyes widen. “I'm not going to--”
“Can he?”
The dog's growling becomes louder.
“People are in danger,” Kougami insists.
Akane closes her eyes. “Yes,” she says, inclining her head.
Ginoza's eyes widen. The dog barks, startling Kougami enough that he takes a step back. And in that second, Ginoza shuts the door in his face.
“Don't ask me to do that again,” Akane snaps. “He didn't want me to know that!”
“We need him,” Kougami insists.
“There's something called tact, Kougami,” Akane says. “We've invaded his privacy. He probably has a good reason for not wanting to get involved.”
“And yet you're still here,” Kougami points out. “You know we need him just as well as I do.”
Akane shifts on her feet. “Yes. But I won't do that again.” She sighs. “Besides, now he hates us. I told you to let me handle this.”
“How experienced is he?” Kougami asks.
Akane gives him a dirty look. “I didn't dig that deep. It was just a surface check. Just to get a very basic answer. I wasn't going to--”
“Okay.” Kougami takes a deep breath. “But as it stands, if Shion says he's the only one who can do that kind of magic, then he's our only choice. We can't leave without him.”
“Maybe if I look up a spell...”
“It's an innate ability,” Kougami points out. “Not everyone can do it, and it's rare. You'd probably kill yourself trying.”
Akane bites her lip, staring at the closed door in front of them as if she's willing it to open. Truth be told, both of them could probably open it if they really wanted to. Kougami is tempted.
Before it can become a serious consideration, the door opens by itself.
Akane and Kougami exchange a questioning look, as if to ask the other, “Did you do that?”
Then Ginoza steps out, closing the door behind him and cutting off a worried whine from his dog.
“I'll help you,” he says, “if you leave me alone after.”