Pitch darkness was the first thing that welcomed him. Jerking awake he looked around to see that there was no woman around him.
With how dark it was he wondered if he'd even see her if she was around him.
What had just happened? What in the devil's sin had that been?
It had felt like he was inside Ran; seeing what he was seeing, hearing what he was hearing, thinking what he was thinking—and worst of all, feeling what he was feeling.
There was something familiar about that woman that he didn't want to think about. He didn't want to even contemplate the idea of it.
This atrocious village was probably getting to him. It would do him a lot of good to get out. When he got home he'd try to see if he could get in contact with Ran. It'd been a while since they last spoke.
He looked around and gaped at his surroundings.
How in hell had he ended up in here?
Last he remembered he'd been groaning outside, reeling from strange feelings while Kigana had proceeded into the building he was only just recognizing now as familiar.
This was his school. He'd guess this was Kigana's school too. This place…
No, no, no. He shouldn't be here. If Hena Village was the gate of hell then this was its threshold.
These very same halls that gave off a feeling of warmth and familiarity during the school day now held obscured nightmares in their every shadow.
He caught sight of Kigana at the very end of the hallway. He got to his feet from where he'd woken up on the ground and headed over to her.
Something was wrong. Something was wrong with her.
As he got close she gasped and her fingers tightened around the torchlight she held, frightened.
He twitched as well, hearing what she'd heard—the sound of a cricket outside.
His heart thundered for what must have been the thousandth time that night. He couldn't be sure which was louder between his heartbeats and his quick breaths. Aside from their distinctive noise, a foreboding silence hung in the background and somehow managed to be equally as deafening as his heartbeats.
They really needed to get out of this place. Whatever was the fate of the lost urchin then prayers to his soul.
He watched as Kigana took in a deep breath and tried to centre herself.
He made sure to walk loud enough as he neared her. If the sounds of crickets could make her jittery, say, what will the sounds of perhaps footsteps make her do?. She turned towards him. "I don't like this place."
"Then why did you enter?" He asked, a bit annoyed. He controlled himself, rationalizing that it was likely not her fault. Even he had failed to recognize the building. "Alright, look... This was not the time to get jumpy and lose your head."
He knew that was a lie. This was the perfect time and place to do so, it was not voluntary. This school was just that bad. It was the mystery in the dark that should never be poked.
Apparently his thoughts had been heard. A door banged open crashing against the silence as the noise bounced off the walls in deep echoes.
Kigana beside him couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her. The click of heavy boots on porcelain tiles should have made them flee in fright.
But even as the footsteps got nearer they both found themselves unable to move.
Haru regretted even more that he'd found himself inside Esaru High, where even kin was rendered impotent.
Kigana swept the torch around the surrounding darkness searching for the intruder, but even as the light bathed the halls and drove away some of the darkness, their mysterious hunter evaded sight.
"We should move, we should get out of here."
Haru shared that opinion. He knew that it was not safe standing here in the middle of the hallway but his body was currently under its own command, it had severed communications with his mind. It was like his feets were chained to the floor.
Apparently it was the same with his friend. They both stood there, turbulent emotions clashed against each other as goosebumps lined up their skin.
They felt the need to run, they also felt the need to unmask this shadowed enemy. Perhaps putting a face to the figure will lessen their fear. At the same time they also felt the need to seek him out—if it was even a him. All these choices warred deep within them.
Kigana debated with herself if it would be wise to confront this unknown person approaching.
Haru wondered if It could be that it was another stranded like them, perhaps the urchin they came here to find.
The fear that it could also be their hunter made them both stay put though.
They had no idea why they felt they were being hunted, but the atmosphere suggested no other possibility.
The footsteps drew closer, coming from up ahead but still invisible to the illumination of Kigana's torchlight.
A familiar whistling joined the sound of clicking boots and their decision was made for them.
This was something they both recognised, this whistled tune had always terrified them.
Their body and mind finally caught up with each other at that familiar sound and they found themselves taking a step back and didn't dare pause and continued to do so.
The sound of a deep sigh had them turning around and making a hasty flight.
It sealed it for them, forced upon them the choice of flight. If the whistling hadn't been enough to indicate the identity of their hunter then that sigh definitely did the job. To some that weighty resonant exhale would signify a person feeling great satisfaction. To them it was the sound of the devil calling.
Just as they reached the end of the hallway, they were forced to make a hasty break in their flight as a figure appeared before them.
Eyes rounded in disbelief, they stared as shadow washed off the figure like a coat being shrugged off.
Pale face, grim smoke, red lip, their dead headmaster greeted them with a smile.
"Where are you rushing off to Kigana-san? Haru-san?"
Sweat broke on Haru's forehead as he stared into the eyes of the living dead.
He gulped as the shinigami smiled at him. He had no words to respond with, his throat was completely dried.
"What is it? Thought you were never going to see me again? Well, it must be destroying your hopes? Seeing me?"
The duo just stared, held against their will from turning around and fleeing the other way.
This was how it was in the presence of a shinigami—the living bowed to the will of the dead.
The impossible being before them made to speak when a bright light appeared behind him.
A disk curved through space, pushing the very barriers of reality to create a ring from which the light of bright sun came through.
Squinting at it, Haru hoped to every deity that existed that help had come.