Chapter Text
“We all worked so hard to get you that violin ! How could you, Sunny ?! God, what's wrong with you ?”
He hated that yelling. Sunny hated being yelled at. He hated his sister yelling even more.
The violin was broken downstairs. Maybe he could somehow repair it ? Get a cheap replacement one quickly ? Anything ?
Sunny needed to see what he could do. He needed to fix his mistake.
Any noise was tuned out, violin sounds echoing instead in his ears. He reached a hand towards the stairs-
“Where do you think you are going !? You aren't going anywhere young ma- AAAAH-”
"Get away !"
Crash.
Huh ?
“Mari ?”
-—-
Mari couldn't believe it. Sunny had pushed her !? God, that would leave bruises ! She patted at her dress, a pretty white night gown she hadn't bothered to change out from, and stood up.
She looked up at Sunny, annoyed. He was looking at her in horror. It did make her heart pinch to see her little brother so upset, but this was unacceptable.
“Sunny ! You're lucky I'm okay, because you are in big…trouble now…”
Sunny wasn't looking at her. He was looking through her.
“Mari ! Sunny !”
Basil's voice ? Mari turned. And promptly screamed when met with herself.
Except that this herself's neck was definitely not in the right angle. Nor was her knee. Actually, the blood had nothing to do here.
What's going on ?
She blankly stared at Sunny come down and crumbled next to the body. A body that wasn't hers. She was right here, why wasn't he seeing her ?
“Mari, wake up…I'm sorry big sister…”
She wanted to reach at him, to cup his cheeks and tell him it was okay, she was okay, but her hand phased right through his face. He shuddered.
Mari stared at the mess. This couldn't be happening.
She was helpless as Basil helped Sunny carry the body that definitely wasn't hers back in her bed upstairs.
Sunny was not completely here. Basil was staring at his hands.
The minutes, long, unforgiving, passed.
“She's okay…she needs sleep…she's tired lately…I'm tiring…”
Sunny was rambling. He was speaking more than he does usually. He was dissociating.
“Sunny…I-I have…a plan.”
Mari turned to Basil. Who was holding her jumping rope-
Don't you dare.
No- Basil would not do that to her. Mari must be dreaming- this whole thing was a dream !
Basil grabbed the corpse's legs. Sunny didn't move. So Basil gently brought him back on his feet.
Sunny looked up. Mari let out a cry. Sunny looked absolutely horrified. Sunny wasn't one for showing emotions on the daily. This was uncanny. Her brother shouldn't look like that.
Basil instead grabbed the corpse's torso. Sunny moved, almost mechanical, and took the legs.
Mari followed, helplessly trying to stop them. They phased through her. She began to scream.
“Basil, Sunny, put me down !”
They reached downstairs.
“Sunny, please, little brother, put me down ! It's okay, I'm not mad !”
The living room.
“You boys, the joke isn't funny anymore ! Who gave you such an idea, the prank isn't funny at all !”
The sliding doors.
“Stop it ! Listen to me ! Stop ignoring me !”
Backyard.
“SUNNY ! SUNNY STOP ! BASIL !”
The tree.
“PUT ME DOWN !”
Basil tied the jumping rope. How did he know how to tie a noose ?
“Like…potted plants…like that, see Sunny ? It's going to be fine !”
Mari felt sick. Basil was showing the noose to Sunny, who wasn't even staring anywhere. Basil's smile was scary. Desperate.
Mari kept trying to stop what was going on before her eyes.
Hoisted up.
Strung up.
Mari shouted.
“UNTIE ME ! GOD, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU BOTH !?”
She cried. Basil and Sunny were holding hands. This was sick. Sickening.
“Mari ! Sunny ! Ma-”
A scream. Aubrey. Mari turned to her. Hero and Kel rushed from behind.
Her heart ached. Hero was staring, eyes wide.
“Mari ? But- why-”
Aubrey threw up.
Mari looked at Basil.
“Basil…why did you do this ? WHY ?”
Sunny looked like he was about to collapse. Basil caught him.
Get your hands off my brother.
Mari kept trying to pummel into him. This couldn't be happening.
Hero shouted at Kel to get her down.
Sunny passed out. Aubrey hacked into the grass, struggling to catch her breath.
Mari stared at the mess.
Kel looked at her.
Her body was quickly lowered, but Mari knew it was useless. No matter how much she tried to enter her body, it didn't work.
Hero was doing chest compression.
Mouth to mouth.
She was almost happy she had first kissed him months before, because it would suck if this was their first kiss.
…not the right time for this kind of thought.
Her parents came in. Screamed. Her mom was holding her, cradling her, while her dad was calling an ambulance.
It was too late.
Mari Shinji, fifteen.
Date of death : Saturday 24th of October 1997
Estimated hour of death : 5:15 PM.
Cause of death : suicide by hanging.
-—-
Snap.
A translucent being turned around at hearing a branch crack. White hands wrapped around a scythe.
Sometimes, the undead came with weapons. They were the worst to deal with, because they were often out for blood. For some reason, ghosts strongly believed that blood could make them come back.
That was a wrong belief. There were ways for ghosts to come back, but collecting blood wasn't one.
The ghostly person stared at the short figure before them.
A middle-aged man, grey hair, a bit of stubble on the chin. With a bunch of bleeding holes in his chest. Average vengeful ghost basically.
The ghost snarled as the exorcist stepped up, a cross made out of cold iron around his neck. A young exorcist.
The man then smirked. Surely an exorcist this young couldn't do shit about him. Taking flight, he raised his scythe before suddenly screaming.
Half of his arm was gone.
The brat had a water gun raised, and a grin. A flask of salt in the other hand.
He shot again, firing at the ghost's chest. His heart.
A ghost’s weak point was it's heart.
The kid was trying to kill him !?
“Do you have any regrets ?”
The kid asked, gun right in his face.
The man growled. He had no regrets, he just wanted to come back ! That's only normal ! Selfishness, that's the embodiment of a human being !
Scythe slowly disintegrating, he tried a last attack. He used his remaining leg to push himself up, and swung at the kid, who cried out and dodged. And fired.
In his heart.
The ghost was gone.
The exorcist breathed loudly, standing over where the dead man once stood.
“If only you accepted my help instead of clinging to revenge…”
Revenge for what ? I don't think even you knew.
The exorcist left.
-—-
Mari watched as Aubrey left the graveyard crying. Her dad left. Mari wished she could reach out and hug the little girl.
She was the only one who came to visit her since she died, four months ago.
Mari had a hard time coming to terms with the fact she died. She felt bitter about it, but knew there was nothing to be done about it. She was dead, done.
She kept replaying her death in her mind. The way she yelled at Sunny for something stupid. She felt guilty his last memory of her was her yelling.
She forgave Sunny. She couldn't forgive Basil however. She just couldn't understand why he had done what he did.
Why he did this to her.
The graveyard was a rather nice place. Spirits here were mostly old people and children, sometimes with their parents. People with and without regrets. Mari often spoke with the old couple that died a few years ago. She was happy to see them again, since they used to give her candies when she came by.
Obviously, she wished their meet-up was done with different conditions, but it's not like anything could be done about it.
Mari had learnt there was a young exorcist who was very good at it. She didn't know much about who it was, but spirits whispered he was sweet and helpful. Did his best to help ghosts let go of their regrets and pass on the other side.
And didn't hesitate using force to make them pass on if needed.
It made Mari shudder, despite not being exactly able to feel cold.
Apparently, there were a lot of exorcists throughout the world. She was surprised Faraway had its own, to be honest.
“Mhm…night is falling.”
She felt to a tree and looked at the sunset. It was pretty.
But then she suddenly felt…dread.
She turned around, and was met with a cloaked figure. Rather tall, lean. Someone wearing a mask. And flasks of holy water and salt. Actually, the person seemed to be ready to take on any supernatural being : crosses, garlic, iron and silver knifes…
Mari flew down from her tree. All of her peers were cowering. The nice old couple was hiding behind their graves, holding hands.
The cloaked person spoke up.
“Mari Shinji, is that right ?”
Mari's eyes widened, wondering how the person knew her name. Before remembering she was standing right above her grave with her name engraved on it.
“Yes. Who is asking ?”
Cold, Mari cringed at her own tone.
“I came to offer you a deal.”
A deal ?
“See, your death was an accidental, very preventable one. It touched the Grandfather deeply. Which is why he sent me to offer you a second chance.”
Mari stared. She didn't know what to think of this. On the one hand, getting the chance to fix everything sounded amazing…on the other hand, it sounded too amazing to be true.
“What's the condition ?”
Mari asked.
The cloaked person chuckled.
“Join us and become an exorcist. A ghost joining our forces would be a great help. Find the reason vengeful spirits awaken and get rid of it, the Grandfather will give you your second chance. Ô Mari, Grant us your help.”
They were kneeling before her. Mari was speechless. What could she tell this person ? This seemed…complicated. But, she was dead. Bored.
“How do I…join you ?”
The grabbed her hand. They didn't phase through it.
“We need you to link your soul with the one of an exorcist. Quite easy to do, really. A pact of blood.”
Mari felt a shiver run down her spine. A blood pact ?
The person slowly rose to their feet, and took hold of the silver knife. Mari's eyes went wide as she realized what they were doing.
“Wait, I didn't agree-”
Slash.
“Mari Shinji, link your soul with mine.”
They held out their arm, a bleeding rash across it. Mari's stomach dropped. She flew back, or at least tried, but the exorcist grabbed her arm. Why could they touch her !? She hated it !
“Let me go ! I didn't say I agreed ! Let go !”
It was stronger. They were stronger. They had a flask of holy water in their other hand.
“Choose wisely, Mari Shinji. Pass on or take the chance to live again ?”
Mari stared in their eyes, foot phasing through the grave which bared her name, the hand gripping her am tightly. The threat before her.
“Help…”
She whispered.
“Let go of her right now !”
Huh ?
Thud.
“Ouch ! Gah, what the-”
A short figure had…whacked the exorcist in the back. With a wooden fence part.
“Nobody told your stinky butt it was rude to force a girl to comply with your pervy plans ?”
Mari gaped at her savior. Other spirits whispered.
It's him.
The town's exorcist.
“I'm taking care of that town, it's rude to poke your nose in it and interfere with the way I protect it ! Tch, the boldness of people !”
The cloaked person slowly stood up.
“Urfh…kid, it's too late for you to be out. Didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders ?”
The kid stuck his tongue out.
“And didn't any bloke teach you you shouldn't act in a town that isn't under your control ? Or are you trying to take control of this one too ? I heard some idiot exorcist recently stole a bunch of towns after making deals with the ghosts of young girls and using them to kill the guardians of the town. Is that you ?”
Mari's already cold body went even colder. She knew this was too good to be true, but still felt disappointed.
Then she let out a cry when the large person lunged at the boy. Who ducked, using his small height to his advantage to dodge, leaving the opponant off balance. He easily jumped on a gravestone to send himself flying in the air, and promptly landed a hit with the fence part in the cloaked person's head.
However, the creep who had fallen on the grass quickly got their senses back, and aimed now for the boy's ankle, knife out. They managed to grab him and slashed at his chest. The boy didn't waver however, despite a small grunt, and kicked with his free foot in the person's mask. Which cracked to reveal a man with a severely burnt face.
Mari gasped. The man grunted, having let go of the boy's ankle. Said boy who immediately jumped on his back and hit the back of the man's head one last time. He crumbled right then and there.
The boy stood up and let out a breath. Then stared at Mari.
“Mari, are you okay ? Did he do anything to you ?”
Mari approached him. Looked down at the passed out man.
Then she took a deep breath and mustered a shaky smile.
The boy smiled back, blissfully unaware of the tsunami of new informations inside of Mari.
She finally spoke up.
“I'm okay, Kel.”