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For fifteen-year-old Neku Sakuraba, life couldn't be worst. First he lost his only friend about five years ago, causing him to become distant towards others to avoid future heartbreak. Then, just recently, his parents revealed they had built a portal to some ghostly world. After a failed test run, Neku's desire to see that same friend again compelled him to try and figure out how to fix it. Yet a slip-up of accidentally pressing a button caused him to get zapped with strange energy and now he's stuck with these weird powers he never wanted in the first place.
Yes, this might all sound familiar to you, but Neku is nothing like that other boy you might be thinking of. While he could walk through walls, disappear, and fly, he also obtained pyrokinesis. And to be honest, he hated how his life turned out. Turns out his little accident made the portal work properly, but now there were numerous ghosts invading Shibuya. Luckily given that his parents were experts on the subject, Neku decided to let them handle things while he attempted to live an ordinary life at school.
Well, aside from that rancid meat disaster, but that's a whole other issue.
Right now, I want to focus on what happened afterwards. There was an approaching dance at Shibuya Junior & Senior High School, the very same school Neku happens to attend. And like always, he was fed up with his classmates. All anyone could talk about was the dance, which irritated him to no end. He had absolutely no plans to attend and he just wanted to be left alone.
Of course, that didn't mean he could avoid the dance hype altogether.
"Sure I'll go to the dance with you!"
That was the sound of a brunette girl's squeals after a thuggish-looking boy asked her out to the dance. Neku groaned as he slipped on his headphones, wanting to eat his lunch in peace. He wasn't doing so well to begin with thanks to his dad's excitement over a ghost-proof fishing line last night. Long story short, he had to help reel in a feisty-looking dragon that nearly wrecked Dogenzaka's food district.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Neku's panic upon getting his powers is why his parents knew about them.
But enough of that. Staying back on topic, the orangeylocks teen was kind of exhausted from last night. But as he ate lunch while letting the sounds of SAWA drown out the outside world, he noticed there were two girls walking by. Neku heard of those girls before. They were part of the school's fashion club. He knew their names were Shiki and Eri, but he could never remember which girl was which. All he knew was that one was a redhead with a bubbly and cute personality, while the other one was a quieter brunette. But regardless of which one was Shiki and which one was Eri, the two were always seen together, catching the attention of other guys.
Right now, the two girls were sitting under the tree looking at a sketchbook. Neku had no idea what they were saying, nor did he really care. Yet at that moment, something strange clicked in his mind. He never really got a good look at the quieter girl since she always hid behind that sketchbook. But now, something felt...different. A bit weak-kneed, in fact. But he shrugged this weirdness off, not wanting a repeat of losing his friend all those years ago.
Although...maybe it wouldn't hurt to just say hi.
So after finishing his lunch, Neku mustered the courage to actually walk over to the two girls. But before he could even say a single word, the redhead girl noticed him and wordlessly glared at him. What was with her? Why was she getting so testy?
"Can I help you?" the redhead girl asked.
Neku mentally panicked. To be honest, he never really had a concrete reason for why he wanted over in the first place. It wasn't like he was planning on asking the brunette to the dance. Nope. Not interested at all.
"Is this about the dance?" the redhead girl assumed. "If so, hard pass. I already made plans for that night and I'm not interested in attending the dance just to know how special I am."
"Why would you say that?" Neku spat out.
"You're not the first guy who tried to ask me out," the redhead girl explained. "So if you really want a date, you better asked someone else."
"...Whatever," Neku muttered. He slipped on his headphones and left the two girls alone. That redhead was so shallow that she irritated him, and it was the first time they spoke to one another.
The brunette girl looked up from the sketchbook. "You didn't have to be so rude about it," she pointed out.
"I had no other choice," the redhead girl explained. "This is the fifth time a guy tried to ask me out while we were hanging out. I don't like how I get all the attention when you're just as talented as me."
"It's okay," the brunette girl reassured. "I'm used to being ignored." She went back to work on her sketch. "So how's this? I was trying to match your new amulet."
The redhead girl looked at the sketch in excitement. "It looks so pretty!" she gushed. "You're so good at designing!"
"It's not really a big deal," the brunette girl dismissed. "It's just for the dance."
"It is when I know your talented hands will bring it to life," the redhead girl insisted. "And I bet your dress will be just as amazing."
The brunette girl shyly muttered as she resumed sketching. Yet at that moment, the redhead girl thought back to the boy who tried to talk to her. She kind of felt bad that she had to turn him down like that. Maybe she should try to apologize to him the next time she sees him...
Once classes were done for the day, Neku was thinking about stopping by Towa Records to check out the latest music selection. Aside from that incident during lunch, school was rather boring. It didn't help that he never really had friends, but that was okay. He was better off alone anyw-
"Wait up!"
Turning around, Neku saw the redhead girl from earlier run over to him. He could have walked faster, but he had a hunch she would follow him, so he stopped walking.
"What do you want?" Neku demanded.
"Wow, rude much?" the redhead girl snarked. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted during lunch. Guys have been trying to ask me out for the dance and I assumed you were just like them."
"What? No," Neku corrected. "I was..." His mind went back to the brunette girl. "...interested in your friend."
"Really?" the redhead girl checked.
"Yeah," Neku explained. "Dunno why, but I wanted to-"
"Ask her out to the dance?" the redhead girl finished.
Neku didn't respond. He didn't really care that much about the dance. He just felt oddly drawn towards that girl with short hair. What was it about her that made him feel so weak-kneed? Of course, he was unable to think about that for long when a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you sure?" the redhead girl checked. "Do you really like her?"
"What's with the trivia questions?" Neku spat out.
"Because there were guys who tried to use her to get to me," the redhead girl explained. "I wanted to make sure you weren't one of those creeps."
"No way," Neku insisted. "I'm not interested in someone like you."
"Well if that's how you really feel, I can put in a good word for you," the redhead girl suggested. "Maybe you two can hang out at the dance."
"Hard pass," Neku dismissed. "I'm not interested in attending."
"Really?" the redhead girl asked.
"I don't have any plans to attend some dance," Neku explained. "Besides, it's not like I'll have fun there."
"Well, if you say so..." the redhead girl sighed. Just as she was about to leave the school grounds, she stopped and turned back to face Neku. "So...what's your name?"
"...Neku," he muttered. "Neku Sakuraba. You're Shiki, right?"
"Shiki...?" the redhead girl repeated. It took her a few seconds to speak again. "Yep! I'm Shiki Misaki."
"Great..." Neku dismissed. He resumed his music as he headed over to Towa Records. At least he finally figured out which girl was which.
At Towa Records, Neku browsed through the latest selection of new releases. But as he did so, he couldn't help but think back to that Shiki girl. She wasn't as shallow as he initially assumed, but something about her seemed a little off. She was a little too cheerful, which bothered him. Of course, that meant Eri was the meeker girl, someone he was drawn to for unexplained reasons.
That was also something to consider. Why was he suddenly drawn towards this Eri girl? After losing his first friend, he vowed to never get close to anyone else to avoid possible heartache. And yet here he was, getting all funny thinking about a girl he rarely spoke to. He had no idea why, but that's what happened.
But at that moment, a loud crash from outside snapped Neku out of his thoughts. He let out a sigh as he quickly sent a text to his parents.
Ghost attack outside of Towa Records.
Yeah, that was the typical routine for Neku with his weird powers. He often used them for minor inconveniences (like using intangibility to phase through obstacles) with no desire to use them for anything else. If there was some ghost threat, he often told his parents about it and they were quick to put a stop to it. Granted there was the occasional assist if a super-dangerous ghost was involved, but aside from that dragon incident, it was a rare occurrence.
So as Neku heard the familiar sounds of the family RV, he resumed his CD browsing while his parents dealt with whatever ghost was causing havoc. And after some time had pass, he proceeded to purchase some new albums from his favorite groups. Upon leaving the store, he saw his parents had finished up yet another mission. But wait... Where was the ghost? His curiosity overwhelmed him as he decided to ask his parents about it.
"There you are, Neku," Osamu sighed in relief. "I was worried you got hurt."
"I'm fine," Neku replied. "But what happened to the ghost?"
"It vanished a while ago," Fuji explained as she loaded equipment back into the RV. "Not sure how a giant dragon could disappear like that, but it did."
"A dragon ghost...?" Neku repeated. "Was it...?"
"The same one from last night," Osamu explained. "I was this close to asking for your help, too."
So it was the same dragon ghost from last night. It was weird considering Neku and his dad were able to secure it in the lab. How did it escape captivity so quickly? Regardless, he was going to have to check once he got home.
That evening, while Osamu and Fuji were attending a parent-teacher conference, Neku went to the lab to check the collection of ghosts that were caught over the past month, all of which were uploaded into a database for experimentation. And sure enough, a princess ghost was listed among the collection.
Neku knew that wasn't an error. After he and his dad caught the dragon ghost, it turned into a medieval princess who was complaining about not being able to attend a costume ball. That only made things even more confusing. If this ghost was still locked up in the database, how was her dragon form still flying around?
So not wanting to cause possible havoc by releasing the ghost for questioning, Neku decided to do some internet research himself. Luckily typing in 'ghost' and 'dragon' presented very few options. And it was even luckier that the first website he checked was exactly what he was looking for, complete with a 'more info' option.
Medieval ghostly legend held that the cursed Amulet of Aragon could transform any wearer into dragon form under states of extreme emotional duress or anger.
That was when Neku had an idiot moment, realizing that the dragon reverted back into a princess was when her amulet fell off during last night's battle. Which can only mean one thing.
Someone in Shibuya must have picked up the amulet.
That same someone had gone into dragon form earlier today.
Which meant as long as that someone still had the amulet, his parents would have to keep dealing with the dragon ghost.
But how was he going to retrieve the amulet without drawing in suspicion?
A few weeks passed since that realization. Eventually the time came for the school dance. Which Neku was unfortunately forced to attend, due to his parents agreeing to volunteer as chaperones. Neither Osamu nor Fuji wanted Neku to be home alone, so he didn't have any other options. Now here he was, looking at his reflection in disdain.
Neku didn't have any formal wear, so he was wearing one of his dad's old suits. His hair was lacking any of its usual spikes due to the absence of gel, so it was worn down in its natural shoulder-length style. But worst of all, he wasn't allowed to bring his music player and headphones. He felt completely unrecognizable, especially since he wouldn't have his music to distract himself.
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted all thoughts. "Neku, are you dressed?" Fuji asked from outside. "Your father and I are about to leave."
"Coming..." Neku sighed, hoping nothing bad will happen tonight.
Meanwhile, Shiki and Eri were putting on the finishing touches for their outfits. Eri had spent the past few weeks sewing the dresses by hand, leaving such elegant results. The dress she made for Shiki was a dark shade of yellow, split into a long-sleeved top and floor-length slitted skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun, revealing golden earrings. She completed her look with smokey eyeshadow, dark red lipstick, and dark yellow heels.
As for Eri, her sleeveless dress was a bit more traditionally feminine, being a light shade of green with a layered skirt and matching flats. Her short hair was decorated with a silver flower clip and her makeup consisted of simple pale pink lipstick. Yet as she checked her reflection, she frowned slightly. While this was the outfit she designed for the dance, part of her was worried she wouldn't be recognized compared to Shiki. The thought of being overshadowed once more caused her to slightly tremble in nervousness.
"Are you feeling okay?" Shiki checked.
"Huh?" Eri muttered, averting her gaze from her reflection. "Oh, I'm fine... Just feeling a bit nervous about tonight."
"What's there to be nervous?" Shiki asked. "We're attending a school dance together to show off our latest designs. Can you imagine how many girls will want dresses like these?"
"But yours still looks better," Eri disagreed. "I'll just..." She frowned, unable to finish her sentence. Then at that moment, she saw a hand showing her a very familiar-looking amulet.
"Here," Shiki said. "I want you to borrow it."
"Really?" Eri checked. "But I made your dress so it matches the amulet."
"Just think of it as a good luck charm," Shiki insisted. "Maybe it can help you feel more confident about your handiwork."
Eri looked at the amulet, feeling a bit unsure about this offer. She felt uncomfortable about borrowing stuff that originally belonged to Shiki. She wasn't sure if she would look good wearing it. But if it's just for this one night...
"Fine," Eri agreed, taking the amulet and clipping it around her neck. "But only for tonight."
"That's the spirit!" Shiki encouraged. "Now let's make this the best night of our lives!"
This was the worst night of Neku's life.
As soon as he arrived at the school's auditorium, he was bombarded with loud music and flashing spotlights in a dim-lighted room. There was also a huge crowd with nearly every single one of his classmates attending, which only soured his mood further. He instinctively reached for his headphones to drown out the noise, only to realize he was grasping at air.
So right now, Neku stayed to the sidelines as he watched the other people dance and socialize, not really in the mood to talk. He was sipping on a cup of punch since there wasn't a lot to do. All he could do was wait for his parents to finish up chaperoning. Then they could finally take him home so he could-
What was that flash of green near the entrance?
Upon closer inspection, Neku realized the two girls, Shiki and Eri, had arrived at the dance together. No wonder Shiki didn't want to have a date for the dance. She already agreed to hang out with Eri. And speaking of Eri, she looked so cute, almost princess-like in fact. Neku was so in awe over this cuteness that he was unaware of his hand momentarily going intangible, causing the punch cup he was holding to phase through and fall to the ground with a noticeable shatter. But he couldn't care about that. All he could think about was walking over to Eri and-
THUD!
...fall onto the ground due to his foot momentarily becoming intangible. That didn't seem right. His powers have seemed stable up until now. What could cause them to go haywire? Regardless of the answer, it was too risky to approach Eri while he was like this. He was going to have to ask his parents for help.
Elsewhere, the two girls were dealing with something else. Just as Eri anticipated, the other students were more interested in Shiki than her. She wasn't sure if it was the loud music or low lights, but she was starting to feel a little dizzy. Eventually things got so overwhelming for her that she had to hide out in the hallway.
Naturally Shiki was quick to follow her best friend. "Are you doing okay?" she checked.
"No, not really," Eri admitted. "I was right that you would get all the attention." She suddenly felt a choking sensation near her neck, causing her to grasp the amulet. "Maybe coming here was a mistake..."
"Hey, don't say that," Shiki encouraged. "You look amazing."
"Not compared to you," Eri disagreed. "I-I-"
Suddenly, Shiki put her hands on Eri's shoulders, forcing her to look at her. "Stop with all the comparisons already," the redhead said. "Maybe you're not meant to be like me. You're pretty just as you are. Besides, there are plenty of guys who are interested in you."
"Then where are they?" Eri asked, her tone of voice suddenly changing. "Why does everyone we see always ignore me?"
Shiki released her grasp out of panic. Eri looked a little red as she spoke, while the amulet she was wearing suddenly glowed bright green. Shiki took a few steps back as Eri let out a rather inhuman roar and her skin turned bright blue.
She had to get help fast.
"Ghosts are ectoplasmic manifestations of post-human consciousnesses," Fuji told Neku, once the two were in a private section of auditorium. "They feed on human emotions to keep their pre-death forms."
"And how is this relevant?" Neku asked.
"Because your emotions need to be kept in check," Fuji clarified. "Otherwise you might end up phasing through the earth's core."
Suddenly, a familiar girl in a dark yellow dress ran over. "Help," she gasped for breath. "Curse. Friend. Dragon."
"Calm down," Fuji spoke. "What exactly happened?"
Shiki took a deep breath. "I think my amulet is cursed," she said. "It turned my friend into a dragon."
That did it for Neku. Shiki's words could only mean she was the one who picked up the Amulet of Aragon. And if that was true, it could only mean she was the one his parents fought a few weeks ago. Normally he would let his parents deal with the matter, but he knew they were off the clock. But someone had to step in.
"Neku, go get the capture thermos from the RV," Fuji instructed. "Your father and I will handle evacuation if needed."
Yep. Guess this was one of the rare times Neku had to step in and fight by himself. So left without any other options, he nodded to his mom before rushing out of the auditorium...
...and out into the hallway. Unfortunately, there was no ghost dragon present. Just a massive hole blown out of the school. Luckily there was a small blue-green blip, so that was no doubt the target. But what came next was something the orangeylocks teen dreaded.
"I hate becoming ghostly..." Neku groaned. Then he jumped into the air and transformed in a flash of fiery rings that spiraled across his body, starting at his waist and splitting apart outward.
When it was all over, Neku had transformed into his more ghostly form. Snow white hair, glowing green eyes, unusually tan skin, and a rather punk-looking outfit consisting of a black t-shirt, ripped midnight blue jeans, and white sneakers. This was similar to the outfit he wore when he had his accident, which he was unable to change for some strange reason. But unlike previous times, he was lacking his usual spikes due to not using hair gel while in his human half.
Once Neku finished transforming, he flew after the dragon ghost. But upon being spotted, she flew off even faster. It was almost like she wanted to be alone. Neku would have been able to keep up...if he had been using his powers regularly. So once the dragon took off, he was left in the dust. That seemed very strange because the previous times this ghost showed up, she was enraged.
Then again, that website mentioned the amulet was triggered by extreme emotional duress instead of just anger. But what exactly was this emotional duress?
Eventually Neku finally found where the dragon ghost had gone. All the way out to Miyashita Park, resting underneath some trees. Thankfully there wasn't anyone present this late at night, so Neku landed near the dragon. Upon closer inspection, it looked like she was...moping? Thankfully it seemed like she wasn't in the mood to fight. Maybe he could try negotiating instead. That would be a huge relief.
"Hey there," Neku said. "You doing okay?" He paused, realizing he might need to double-check who this was. "Eri, right?"
The dragon ghost's eyes widened upon hearing that name, then she quickly shook her head. "Then...you're Shiki?" Neku checked, to which he was answered with a nod.
...Which could only mean he incorrectly assumed which girl was which the first time.
What an idiot moment.
"Right," Neku muttered, trying to stay on-topic. "Take it easy, Shiki. You don't want to hurt anyone."
"So plain..." the ghost dragon muttered. "So plain..."
"Plain?" Neku repeated. "What's plain?"
"Go away!" the ghost dragon growled. She swung her tail towards the ghost boy and resumed sulking.
Neku had to think carefully why this not-ghost was acting so aloof and sort-of hostile. From what he knew, Shiki and Eri were often seen together at school. And if Eri was the outgoing one, that meant it was Shiki who was quieter, her head hidden behind a sketchbook. Of course she wouldn't look anything like Eri, but if she was calling herself plain...
"Your emotions need to be kept in check. Otherwise you might end up phasing through the earth's core."
Fuji was right. This wasn't the time to get all weak-kneed again. Neku took a deep breath in an attempt to stay calm. It would be a bit embarrassing to blurt out all his feelings at once, but he didn't have any other options.
"Are you...calling yourself plain?" Neku checked.
The ghost dragon responded by covering her face with both clawed hands. Although for a brief moment, it sounded like she was whimpering. It was a pity party, something Neku quickly realized.
"Oh, would you cut the crap?" the ghost boy sighed. "Who are you?" That made the dragon ghost finally look at him. "You're you. You're not Eri. You'll never be Eri. You'll only ever be you."
"I'm...plain..." the ghost dragon whimpered, seemingly ignoring the ghost boy's words.
"Forget that!" Neku shouted. "I don't know what's going on with you, but you need to live your own life. If Eri can do it, so can you. All that matters is that you try." He sighed, annoyed that he was blurting out all these sentimental things for a girl he barely knew. "You're lucky you're jealous. It gives you something to shoot for." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "So...shoot."
That seemed to relax the ghost dragon, so Neku proceeded to take off the amulet. Sure enough, with a flash of pale blue light, the dragon had vanished and Shiki was left in its place, somewhat dazed after being in dragon form for so long. After safely pocketing the amulet, Neku held Shiki with both arms and flew back to the school, relieved this whole dragon ghost nonsense was finally over.
But as Neku flew back, he noticed Shiki had tighten her grasp, snaking her arms around his neck. He willed himself to avoid blushing just in case he had a power slip.
Later that evening, as the dance came to an end, Neku had safely gone back to his regular civilian mode and gave the amulet to his parents. Naturally they were just as relieved as he was.
"Nice work, Neku," Osamu said as he placed the amulet in a containment box. "We'll make sure this amulet never falls into another person's hands."
"Are you sure no one spotted you as...you know?" Fuji checked.
"Thankfully not," Neku replied. "Now let's get out of here before more weird stuff happens." He was about to leave with his parents when...
"Wait!"
...a hand grabbed his wrist. Turning around, he saw Shiki standing next to him. She released her grasp, looking shy and adorable.
"Can I help you?" Neku asked.
"Well...the DJ is still playing," Shiki pointed out. "And I think there's time for one last dance."
Neku was about to turn down the offer, but then he noticed his parents were giving him their silent approval. Eri was also still here, looking proud of her friend. The mood seemed right and a soft song was about to start. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to do this one thing.
"Sure," Neku agreed, his cheeks tinted pink.
The next thing the orangeylocks teen knew, he was gently swaying to the beat with a cute girl snuggled close to him. But it wasn't just any cute girl. It was the same girl who caught his eye for reasons unknown. And yet, he couldn't help but feel...happy.
Shiki Misaki... He was going to have to remember that name-
"Thanks for saving me, Neku."
...Okay, so maybe he was going to remember more than this girl's name. It seemed she recognized Neku as the ghost boy from earlier. This might prove to be a bit troublesome from now on, but hopefully he can learn to deal with having another person know his secret.
And maybe...it wouldn't hurt to open up after five years of loneliness.
The End