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Mitsuba was alive and still wanted to be friends. No. Alive is not a right description for a ghost. Kou should remember that. Mitsuba was… there. That’s a more fitting word. But was he even Mitsuba? He looked like Mitsuba and behaved like him too, but he said he’s not him. And Kou was almost sure he isn’t Mitsuba, or is he? Nonetheless Kou’s feelings were all over the place because of the ghost, because of the new third School Mystery.
And the exorcist promised him to find a way to be human again. But what could he do? He wasn’t as good as his Teru-nii at exorcising ghosts and didn’t have that broad knowledge, so helping a ghost would be an even bigger of a challenge. Something not so often done unlike exorcisms. Even so, that’s never gonna discourage Kou. He’s gonna find a way, even if that means hardships and suffering. He was gonna risk everything for his loved ones.
But… Did he love Mitsuba? And if so, then what kind of love did he feel to the supernatural?
How did Kou feel about Mitsuba who was never alive?
Kou spent his limited free time researching ghosts, especially those sentient or artificially made. That could give him some hint, or at least a clue how to help Mitsuba. Maybe even a small step. Make him more stable, more visible to everyone else? Since that kind of fusion of ghosts was surely not stable. Controlling all those entities and forcing them to be your ‘body’. How tiring must that be? But he couldn’t even ask Mitsuba about it. Kou was sure, he wasn’t going to get an answer to that. Probably not even a vocal response.
Finding nothing but ways to get rid of those types of ghosts, Kou thought he had to take a different approach. Maybe he’ll ask Spider-sensei? He wasn’t very thrilled about revealing the future to Kou the last time, but maybe if the blonde boy pesters him enough times, it’ll break him? Kou had to do it. For both Mitsuba and Yashiro-senpai. But what if… if he learns how to turn a supernatural into a human? Then saving Yashiro-senpai could be done in a few steps. Turn her into a supernatural and then back into a human. That could work! Two birds with one rock! Then worrying about stabilising Mitsuba would also not be needed, since he’d be a human.
Although first Kou has to survive today’s classes. That’s his biggest challenge right now. After that, straight to… “Spider-sensei!”, he screamed as he came into the teacher's room. As usual, a few heads turned in his direction. Few of, more used to his behaviour, teachers didn’t do as much as glancing. This wasn’t the first time he called Spider-sensei like that.
“I have already told you not to call me Spider-sensei. I’m Tsuchigomori-sensei for you” the supernatural teacher scolded Kou for yet another use of that awful nickname. He could possibly turn a blind eye on that if it wasn’t happening in a room full of teachers. At least it wasn’t a threat to being exposed for his real identity, but it was still a bit irritating to the man. “If this is again about the books, I did tell you no before and that decision won’t change”, Tsuchigomori stood firm.
“But I need at least a hint, to save them both”, Kou pleaded. He really was slowly running out of time and ideas.
“‘No’ means no, you should learn it as soon as you can”, Spider-sensei replied and got back to his documents, visibly ignoring the frustrated boy. Having nothing else to do than to change his plans again, he tried looking back at everything he knew. Maybe he was blind to the solution? Maybe it was already in front of his eyes and he just couldn’t see it. He wanted to give Mitsuba at least some chance to live as a human, even if partially.
But wait. There was an option he could try. He’d just have to persuade Mitsuba that it’s a good idea. Mitsuba would be able to enjoy a bento with Yokoo and Satou, he could talk with them, he could participate in a lot of other activities. The only possible issue: Kou’s older brother, Teru. Considering his knowledge, experience and generally being Kou’s brother, he’ll definitely see something off with Kou’s behaviour or even sense Mitsuba’s presence where it shouldn’t be.
That can be avoided, that can be a second thought. First, Mitsuba has to agree.
“You wanna break that mirror or what, lame-ass traffic-safety earring boy?” Mitsuba asked, peeking through the glass, as soon as Kou started knocking on a mirror inside one of the less used bathrooms. A crowd was definitely not needed when he’s gonna ask to be possessed. “Or am I so cute, you absolutely had to see me?” The pink boy snarked.
Kou grabbed his wrist the second he could and pulled him out, making him get closer. “Yes, I had to see you. I have an idea”, he said, not even reacting to Mitsuba’s comments. “Don’t dismiss it just yet, but what if I can give you a few hours everyday as a human?”, he started, trying to pique interest in Mitsuba.
“What-? How-?” pink haired boy was visibly lost, not being able to guess a solution to execute Kou’s proposition.
“I can let you possess me. I’ll just read something when you enjoy school life again. How about it? You just have to avoid Teru-nii and at least try to behave a bit similar to me”, he said, trying to think about any other requirements he should state. “And no fake gossip or ruining my reputation. You gotta promise”, Kou looked at shocked Mitsuba and held out his pinky finger.
“Are you stupid?! You just decided that having me in you is enough for you, prevert!” Mitsuba screamed, trying to free himself from Kou’s grasp. “How will you read when we share a body?! I don’t wanna hear your perverted and lame thoughts!”, he opposed.
“Hey! It’s not gonna be like that! My… my soul will be outside the body. Just think about it like…possessing a doll!” Kou tried to argue.
“Possessed dolls are c r e e p y!”, the pink haired boy retorted, emphasising the last word.
“Okay, okay, not a doll then. Just give it a try, no?” Kou urged, pushing his hand with stretched out pinky finger near Mitsuba, almost pushing it in his face.
Mitsuba sighted. “Only because you won’t stop pestering me until I agree, you lame earring”, he entwined their pinky fingers together. Of course he’s not gonna ruin Kou’s reputation if he’s gonna share that ugly face with the young exorcist for some time. “So how do I go about this?”, he asked, unsure how to possess someone.
“I… don’t really know. I mean, I was never a ghost so…” Kou said a bit embarrassed of his lack of knowledge after he pushed so much for this. “But, Hanako generally kinda went legs first into Yashiro-senpai”, he added, wanting to be helpful.
The pink ghost only rolled his eyes and went behind his friend. After some trying, Kou felt a lot lighter and a bit detached. That was weird. He looked around, only to see his own body standing right next to him. Definitely a freaky sight, as uncanny as the feeling of being non physical. So this is how ghosts felt? Or was it different for them? Were they feeling disconnected from something? Too light at the beginning? Will he get nauseous like astronauts from the lack of gravitation? Do ghosts feel sick?
“So… how do you feel, Mitsuba?”, Kou asked cautiously. He was hoping it wasn’t as unpleasant for his friend as it was for him. He went around his own body to evaluate the state of the situation.
The temporary host of the body moved his hands slowly, testing if he’s able to make himself articulated. “It feels… weird”, he replied. He really couldn’t describe what he was feeling right now. It was alien and movements felt heavy. And Mitsuba didn’t know if that was a normal feeling of human motion or something’s wrong. “I might need to get used to this”, he added, his voice feeling strange and unnatural. He didn’t sound like himself and that was also throwing him off. He sighted. But at least it worked, right?
“Wanna try just… walking around?”, Kou suggested, since that might be helpful while trying to learn how to use a body that’s not your own. “I’ll go with you, don’t worry”, he promised, patting Mitsuba on the back. It was kinda weird to touch his own body from the outside, but he probably had to get used to it. Especially with what he suggested and promised to Mitsuba. And what’s a better time to test this all than after classes? Like that they might not bump into anyone unwanted. And if they meet Hanako or Yashiro-senpai, then they can explain everything and the whole idea, though Kou would prefer avoiding that.
Mitsuba thought for a second, deciding if he wants to try it out right now or if they’re ending for today. “But I’m taking that lame-ass traffic-safety earring off”, already doing what he decided. He’s not going to walk around with such a tacky thing like that. He also smoothed out the school's uniform and fixed the tie so it looks a bit better. Maybe it wasn’t his body, but he had to look presentable. “We can go now”, he said with a soft smile and walked to the door to just explore the school from a new perspective.
Kou nodded and started levitating right behind him, checking if everything’s alright. And it seemed like the plan worked with no problems. Mitsuba’s movement didn’t look restricted or heavy. It seemed rather normal and natural. That’s good. Luckily the first try was rather uneventful.
___
Next time they tried it, it was during classes. Mitsuba prepared with gathering useful facts that could come out during his conversations with Yokoo and Satou. The only downside of this arrangement was that he couldn’t be fully himself, but it was good enough for now. He could be a human for at least some time, he could mess around with people he created connections with in that picture world. He’ll finally be able to meet them in the real world! That was something he longed for since coming back here.
Mitsuba sat at Kou's desk after swapping with him. “Hi, how’s it going?” He started with some small talk, feeling a lump forming in his throat. He was stressing out if they’ll like him, or at least his impression of Kou.
“Hm? Why so stressed, Kou? Did that senpai of yours just talk with you?” Yokoo asked, his interest piqued. He wanted to know if their friend finally got something going on with the girl he spent a lot of time with.
Did Yokoo mean that radish-senpai that Kou liked so much? Should he lie? “No, no, I’m just a bit stressed today. I have a lot going on, that’s all”, he said, scratching his cheek with a finger. He’ll let Kou figure out what he could be stressed with later. Or he’ll just make the blonde idiot absolutely fall apart with how bad he’s at lying. He smiled to himself a little. “But don’t worry about it, I’m fine”, he added, seeing the puzzled reactions to his small grin. “And you didn’t answer me. Maybe you two are hiding something?”, Mitsuba said, raising his eyebrow a bit.
Sato looked at ‘Kou’. Since when was he so confident? “Nothing’s unusual today. But you seem like something happened. You shouldn’t hide things from your best friends”, he stated, taking out a candy to eat while the break is still lasting.
“It’s fine, I’m fine, I’ve already told you that”, he said and diverted the conversation to some other topics, just to not get too deep in the questions about something being off. By the end of the break concerns were long forgotten and Mitsuba could just enjoy their company. Obviously he had to stay in character, behave at least similar to Kou, so any fashion related topics should be definitely avoided. It was risky enough that he took that stupid earring off, but he just couldn’t be seen with it. It was just to lame and tacky!
The classes went well. He had so much fun just chatting with his friends he got to know anew and he was even able to answer one question from the teacher. It was nice. He was finally seen and acknowledged. But he wondered where Kou was? Where was the owner of the borrowed body? He went to the library after spending a little time after classes with others, since they asked so nicely. “So there you are. You know your classes ended?”, he whispered to focused Kou.
“Hm? They did?”, the blonde asked, a bit surprised. He was trying to gather all he could about school mysteries and legends in general, so he didn’t even register that the bell rang a few times while he was focused on searching for information. He wanted to find some kind of hint, anything he would be able to use. But that anything was nowhere to be found. Maybe he’d really need to ask Aoi-senpai for some help, since he’s a Clock Keeper. He might know more than it seems, especially because he was aware of Yashiro-senpai’s short lifespan. But that could also very easily end up badly. Aoi-senpai could tell everything to Teru-nii or even report back to Clock Keepers. And that could only end in some kind of supervision from them… turning a supernatural into a human, that was definitely taboo. “Did you have fun?”, Kou asked Mitsuba.
“Yes, I did. But what will you do when eventually your friends start to prefer me over you? Also are you aware you should be around when we talk, idiot? What if they ask you something from our conversation?” he snarked. It would be a huge problem if from Yokoo’s and Satou’s perspectives Kou would form memory gaps. They would definitely try to inform someone about that. “You’re just so stupid, it actually hurts. Acting all mighty, trying to figure out how to turn a supernatural into a human, but you can’t even think about details like that”, Mitsuba rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. But Kou really did give him a chance at experiencing real school life and humanhood. And it was more real than that fake, picture world.
“Then I will read in the class next time. I’ll just grab the book and try to hide with it”, Kou said, returning everything to their places. “Hopefully there will be no rumours about a self-reading book!” He tried to joke, but Mitsuba didn’t laugh.
___
“So boy, why have you been avoiding me lately?”, Hanako asked, obviously noticing Kou showing up less frequently in the bathroom. Something was off, especially that Kou promised his brother to keep an eye on the ghost. And didn’t Kou want to spend time with Yashiro? And protect her?
“I’ve just been busy lately”, Kou replied. He was busy! That was truth! He was focusing on elongating Yashiro-senpai’s lifespan. That was very important! “And I’m not avoiding you”, he added, nodding his head. Even if ‘he’ was, that wasn’t him.
“I see you turning around when you see me”, the ghost responded. He got closer to the blonde boy. He has to push him for answers or he’s gonna do something stupid again, if he wasn’t already doing something like that. “Are you getting scared of me or something?”, Hanako laughed.
“Most definitely not. I’ll exorcise you if I have to, be prepared”, Kou retorted, absolutely ignoring the previous sentence. What was he going to say? That it wasn’t him but Mitsuba? That he was trying to achieve his promises? Hanako also didn’t tell him about that fake world and even tried to sabotage them! So why would Kou tell him about his plan? What if he tries to stop him? That just wouldn’t do. “And I’m here, am I not?”, he asked.
Avoiding the question? Then they could play the long game. “I guess you are. But Yashiro has been missing you, so you better show up more often. Who’ll clean my toilets with her?”, the ghost teased. Then he could try to get an answer from the blonde boy. Especially that he wouldn’t be able to run away so easily or Yashiro would get worried. And Kou liked Yashiro…
___
A few days after consistently lending his body to be possessed, when Kou woke up and went to the bathroom, he almost screamed. He’s found a few of his hair strands have turned pink! And he definitely knew that shade. He put on a hat and sprinted to the nearest store. He has to learn how to dye his hair as soon as possible, because the hat could only be a temporary solution. No teacher would allow him to keep it on while in class! Or they’d at least ask Teru-nii or worse, his father, what happened. Kou will definitely be late for school today. He also has to make the breakfast faster so his brother won’t ask about anything. If he saw that change… there would be questions. And Kou was a terrible liar. If it gets worse he could dye his whole hair pink, although he really wanted to avoid that choice since that would only draw unwanted attention to him. He spent some time in his room, covering pink strands in hair lightener, he even skipped breakfast to minimise how late he’s going to be to school. And it was less to make too, so he made it faster, absolutely avoiding Teru-nii that morning.
He ran into the classroom, taking his seat, while continuously apologising for not being on time. His friends were already looking at him, perhaps a bit worried. His hair looked like a mess, but it was good enough, maybe a bit damaged. Hopefully no one will ask…
“What’s wrong with your hair? Did you fry them?” Kou heard a familiar voice next to himself and just rolled his eyes. He should ignore Mitsuba and not answer that. The longer he can hide it, the better. From everyone.
“Tiara”, he muttered, trying to lie. The smaller the sentence, the better. He’s not going to elaborate. This should be enough for everyone who asks. And… he didn’t think this one through. What’s he gonna say to Teru-nii? Or worse, Tiara? What if Yokoo or Satou ask more about it? What if they ask Teru-nii? He’s done for!
“Wow, that’s such an obvious lie. You’re visibly panicking, you lame dumbass”, Mitsuba sighted. If Kou didn’t wanna talk, he’s not going to push it. It’s not like he needed that desperately. He just wanted to know why Kou’s destroying his looks while Mitsuba was regularly borrowing it. “But whatever, just don’t mess up your hair too much. I don’t wanna look like I just went playing in hay”, he snorted.
Kou looked around to see where the teacher's focus was and whispered, “I’ll try. You can take over for now if you want to.” The blonde boy definitely needed to hurry until something worse occurred. He really didn’t want anyone to figure out what they’re doing. And Hanako already asked about the reason for being avoided. It’s not Kou’s fault that he didn’t want Hanako to figure this out or force Mitsuba to spend time with that ghost. Especially that they didn’t seem to be on the best terms.
“Sure”
Mitsuba looked at Kou’s soul as he opened his bag and took out some kind of notebook. That looked so suspicious. Kou was definitely an idiot. The pink haired boy took the notebook and opened it for his friend, so he could read it while it lay on the desk. It’s going to be much safer that way. No one’s gonna question some kind of supernatural themed notes on Kou’s desk. Especially that blonde boy was so stupidly open about being an exorcist. He could focus a bit more on his school when it was time for it. Maybe that would help him be less stupid!
“Kou, wanna eat late breakfast together? I can tell you’ve been rushing today”, Yokoo said, moving closer as soon as the bell for the break rang. “Did you try to change your look this morning? You look like something zapped you”, he laughed lightly, finally asking something that was definitely occupying his mind since Kou came into the classroom.
“Let’s go eat. And it’s just a side effect of my training, don’t worry”, Mitsuba replied. He was getting good at being someone else. But wasn’t he pretending to be someone else most of the time? Or even all his life? His very short ‘life’. “You know how hard it is to be an exorcist”, he chuckled.
Yokoo just laughed with him. “Yes, yes, we know. You train so hard”, he said and patted his back. “But try to be careful. You already have those scars. You don’t need to ruin your hair too”, Yokoo murmured, a bit worried. He was possibly just anxious that Kou would hurt himself badly as a result of those training sessions.
“Let’s not waste time and eat. You gotta have that energy for training and fighting ghosts”, Satou chimed in. He probably just wanted to eat something sweet and maybe steal a bite from Kou’s bento. And maybe he also didn’t want to go into those topics. It wasn’t the time and place. If Kou wanted to tell them, he would. It’s not like the blonde boy could get far with lying.
And the real Kou was just next to them, trying to read whatever he gathered and connect it somehow so it makes sense. He already tried reversing a few of the talismans that kill ghosts. That was one of his earliest ideas. But that didn’t work like he wanted to… It definitely didn’t help that he couldn’t test them on some other human supernatural. He could try with mokke at most.
___
The next few days were worse and worse for Kou. He saw lighter spots on his face and hands. He was almost sure that this is Mitsuba’s skin tone. His trousers also got a bit longer, shoes a bit bigger. Was he really changing? How could he hide it? Hiding those splotches of different colour was as easy as just wearing a longer shirt under his uniform or sticking some bandaids on his face. But height could be a real problem. Same with his eyes, shade warmer than before. But maybe if he just… acts like nothing happened, people won’t be suspicious? Since no one remembered his eye colour, for sure. Or he could try and get blue contact lenses. He had some free money he could probably use for that. And he didn’t need anything fancy, just anything that would cover the problem at least a bit.
“Kou… are you okay?”, he suddenly heard his older brother’s voice right behind him. Kou went a bit pale and stiff. He was scared what would take place if his brother found out. Did he notice the changes to Kou’s posture? Maybe his brother suddenly remembered the exact shade of Kou’s eyes? Or maybe those white spots were more visible than he thought? “Are you… having problems in school? Or… if you want to change your hair, I can help you find a hairdresser. It’s not a problem”, Teru added, worried about the silence. The damage done to Kou’s hair was definitely visible. They were frizzy and now a bit warm orange, rather than yellow. Kou was having a hard time hiding all those new pink strands, especially that the ones from before were also coming back. Should he just dye his hair? But he’s been covering that up for so long that it would be suspicious to suddenly change it. And teachers would ask.
“It’s fine. I just… wanted to experiment a little and it just didn’t turn out the best. It’s just hair, it’ll grow back” Kou said, trying to keep everything to himself. The experimenting part was true. He absolutely didn’t know what he was doing. He was just putting things on his head, trying to make it work. It was so difficult to make his hair look unchanged without any prior knowledge. Even Yokoo and Satou had to be persuaded by Mitsuba that it was nothing to worry about. Because Kou would absolutely fail with lying to them. He was so bad at lying, it was actively posing a threat to this secret. But Mitsuba was smooth with it. And adding Kou’s inability to lie, that only made it more believable.
Teru touched Kou’s face lightly, running his fingers on one of the bandaids. “And those? What happened?”, he asked. Because he knew that those bandaids weren’t from training. Teru could only wonder if it was one of those supernatural ‘friends’ of Kou’s doing. If he found out which one it is… he could try to get rid of it. But wouldn’t that break the promise he made to Kou?
“Acne. I have terrible acne. I look horrid. I just thought I might cover them up”, Kou blurted out, not really thinking this through… again. That was his only idea other than some more serious skin conditions. That would’ve been a lot more suspicious and Teru would definitely take his brother to a doctor then, but still… ace wasn’t the best excuse. If only Mitsuba could lie for Kou this time too.
“We can buy you some kind of acne cream”, Teru suggested, a bit worried about his brother’s reaction. Why was Kou so secretive? He didn’t know. It was like he didn’t trust his older brother, and Teru just truly wanted to help. He wanted to protect his younger sibling and be his anchor. He wanted what’s best for the younger and couldn’t understand why it was turning that way. Because Teru kept his promise despite loathing supernaturals.
Kou moved away a bit. “Thank you, but I’ll take care of it myself”, he promised. “Don’t worry about it too much, Teru-nii. I have to make breakfast now”, Kou excused himself to the kitchen, to leave this conversation quickly. He loved his older brother dearly, but he'll know only after everything's done.
___
“You look worse and worse every day. I am not letting you go today with just excuses or lies. I demand you tell me what’s happening. You have bandaids, but your body’s not in pain. And you know I can feel it when we switch”, Mitsuba pressured. He needed to know before something worse took place. Kou was not telling him something really important, he could feel it. And he couldn’t feed lies to Yokoo and Satou if more and more strange things occurred. Also Mitsuba just wanted to know. Was it that bad to want to know what was happening?
Kou knew he wasn’t getting away this time. He knew he had to tell Mitsuba or he could just check himself. Pulling off bandaids was not a problem. He slowly rolled up his sleeves. “My hair has been turning pink. You know exactly what kind of pink”, he murmured, while Mitsuba just looked at him shocked. “But it’ll go back to normal after I finally turn you into a human and we stop… you know”, Kou lied. First lie that actually sounded believable, that didn’t look like a pause and a quick, stupid response after it.
Mitsuba held out his pinky finger, still visibly unsure of this situation. “You promise?”, he asked. Kou just nodded, not trusting himself to not say the truth. They once more entwined their small fingers as a promise. But this one… wasn’t so truthful. Someone was making a fake promise, that won’t be fulfilled.
“So? Wanna live some more? I think I’m getting somewhere with all that reading recently”, Kou said. He was feeling like he’s getting closer to some kind of answer. But that could take some more time and strength. He was even sneaking into Teru's and his father’s rooms, just to find something new. He really needed all the information he could get.
“Fine. But if it goes too far, we’re stopping this until you go back to normal”, Mitsuba sighted. Kou was absolutely and unbelievably stupid! He was risking his health and putting his well-beeing on the line just so Mitsuba could spend some time with friends? To experience school life, but for real this time? Kou was insane. But Mitsuba had to be truthful with himself this once. It was making him feel some kind of way. He couldn’t name it, but it was definitely a unique feeling.
But Kou knew he will hide as much as he possibly can. Just so no one stops him from reaching his goal.
___
Next were his face features. Kou’s face got softer, a bit more round and generally cuter. His eyes went a bit more droopy and turned cold purple. If he didn’t cut them, his hair would’ve been longer, in colour now being kind of a pinkish blonde colour. He almost couldn’t recognise himself. He promised everyone he’s fine while wearing eye contacts and a face mask. He said he caught a cold and doesn’t want to risk other people's health.
“You absolutely idiotic, totally lame-ass traffic-safety earring-dumbass with so little brain as a goddamn bug. We have to stop. Have you seen yourself? You almost look like me. This is a bad idea, we need a break”, the pink ghost lamented, scared for his friend. It was going south very fast and that could end so much worse if they don’t stop.
“I promise you, I feel fine”, Kou said and took his hand delicately. Mitsuba always looked so happy when he could spend time with others. He even gained some popularity, while pretending to be Kou. The blonde boy knew everyone would like Mitsuba as much as he likes him if they got to know him. “I know I’m close to the solution. Give me a bit more time, please”, Kou pleaded.
“But your brother is getting suspicious. Your friends are worried. And I have to constantly lie. Can’t this wait? Please”, Mitsuba begged. He didn’t want to be the one who destroys someone, he didn’t want to hurt Kou. He was so important to him, he would go insane if that would be the outcome.
“Last time, okay? So you have an opportunity to say goodbyes. Obviously not literal”, Kou chuckled, still trying to persuade Mitsuba into agreeing. If anything happens, he will be begging Aoi-senpai for help. Maybe… he could give him a hint then.
Was Kou spiraling?
He knew how alien he looked to himself. He was fighting his body everyday to make it look like those changes are something made by him or just to mask them completely. He tried so hard to keep it together as his hair grew every morning, as his eyes went more and more pink. He looked almost like Mitsuba, that was the truth, Mitsuba was right with that. But when he looked at this uncanny reflection, he saw someone he had to save. His goal was more important than himself. Then he could help Yashiro-senpai. This is for both of them.
Or was he selfish?
Was he putting Mitsuba through something awful? Was he hurting others just because he selfishly wanted to keep that oh so dear to him boy still close? To make him experience things he couldn’t before? He wanted to create so many beautiful memories together. Why was it so tiring and painful?
But he couldn’t think about it for too long, because he was once more outside of his body.
___
After a long day, when it was time to swap back to normal, when it was time for Kou to go home, something was wrong.
Hair grew back, now fully pink, sleeves and trousers visibly too long, clothes too loose on the thin body. Hands soft and delicate with no scars or calluses. Big, pink eyes, filled with tears and worry. “Kou, something’s very wrong”, Mitsuba said, with his own voice. It wasn’t Kou’s voice anymore. “I can’t leave. Please, do something”, he pleaded. He never wanted to become human at the cost of the young exorcist. He never wanted to steal someone’s life that literally. Taking the place of someone who no longer existed was not as bad as stealing a living person’s body and using it as his own.
Kou tried and tried again to ‘fix it’, to make everything go back to normal. But that body was no longer his.
He couldn’t go back.