16 Chapter 16: That One Time...

I look at the moon letting my blood pressure slowly de-escalate. A single tear rolls down my face.

"How about we catch up with the others?" Haruren states in a casual tone. "I have some business to discuss with my grandson."

I grin and tuck my hands under my armpits for warmth. While walking toward the morgue, a light flashes in my pocket. My face hardens at the message on the screen.

If you choose to move forward with your plan, we will meet in person. Should you turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light, we will meet still. Tread carefully when dealing with the undead.

Each breath leaving my mouth makes my heart tighten. I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to keep them from drooping closed. My brain feels like mush but, turns a mile a minute, interpreting the subtle threat. The dark atmosphere closes in on me while I type away.

A crow sits atop an oak tree, eyeing a rat. The hawk's red talons shimmer in the sunlight as the rat scurries home. Enjoy listening to the Music of the Night, crow.

"Who are you texting?"

"I am not sure Suguru. But, I have my assumptions." The corners of my mouth drop to the floor while my eyes follow suit.

February 1st, 2007: 11:00 pm

After the long-winded surprise meeting, and exorcising the apartment curse, it is time for bed. The coffee from earlier kicks in, making me toss and turn every ten seconds. I flip onto my back, crank my eyes open and listen to my heart beating in my ears.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hey, Sakura. Come inside."

Sakura's shoulders reach for her ears as she drags her feet toward my bed. Once situated, she crosses her ankles.

"Here. Satoru wanted me to give you these." She hands me a light-green envelope. "He did not give many details on what is inside...and I did not ask for information."

I flip the envelope over, noticing an emblem pressed on the case's edge. My eyes slowly squint as my cheeks fill with air. Once the contents come into view, I forget to blink for thirty seconds.

Three black and white photos stare back at me. One of the photos holds a similar appearance to one of my parents, but, the other photos are unfamiliar. It is the three colored photos that make me cover my mouth and gasp.

"What is up, Blaise?"

I hand the photo of my parents to her: they are around twenty years old and holding my newly born, twin brothers. Goodness, their smiles are brighter than a hot summer's day.

The second photo is blurry and hard to interpret. This third photo is of me swaddled like a burrito, being held by someone with stern brown eyes, a goatee, and sunglasses tucked into their shirt. I am lost in my world when a slight embrace grabs my attention.

"It's ok," I lean my head on Sakura's shoulders, realizing the cool tears streaming down my warm face.

February 2nd, 2007

I roll over in my bed, jumping in my skin at the body laying next to me. A smile creeps up when I realize my error. As I am walking out of the bathroom, I catch something out of the corner of my eyes. It is black with a halo of red around its body.

"It is alright" I keep my voice low and gentle, "you will be safe with me." The bird pecks my hand before allowing me to pick it up.

A Few Hours Later

Yaga is sitting at the front of the classroom, arms folded across his chest. When I step inside, I avoid eye contact, walking with a purpose to my seat. I fold my hands atop the desk and adjust my t-shirt.

"How come you arrived early?" His left eyebrow aims for the ceiling. I silently tap my feet on the floor.

"I hate being late and wasting people's time." He sits back in his seat, while his face twitches involuntarily. "What relationship did you have with my parents?"

Silence. He clears his throat as the classroom door opens. I flash a smile to Satoru and Suguru as they sit down.

"Thank you for being here on short notice." Yaga gets up from his chair and stands in front of us. "The Higher-Ups need you all to re-visit this assignment.

A two page-document is handed to Suguru. I crank my neck to see what is on the pages but, he lays them out in front of me, making me ease back into my seat.

"Be discrete with your investigations. The family is quite, young, and leery of our assistance. You are dismissed."

I eye Yaga like a hawk as he leaves the room.

A Two-Hour Car Ride Later

The Axillary Manager waves goodbye before driving off. I walk toward the front door, taking mental notes of the surroundings. A woman who is shorter than me with a well-chiseled jawline, and brown eyes, stands before me.

"May I see some identification, please?"

I show the woman my Jujutsu Tech student identification and the papers Yaga gave to us. Satoru and Suguru copy my move.

Five minutes later, the woman returns and gestures for us to come inside. A young child runs up to me and hugs my leg. I take a few steps back to keep myself from falling over. I laugh and watch the child run away.

"You must be the people Jujutsu Tech sent over. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? And what are your names?" This coming from a person, I assume is a man.

"Gojo, Satoru. Seventeen."

"Geto, Suguru. Also seventeen."

"Santa-Clara, Lithuila. Sixteen." My eyes are fixated on the brunette-haired woman who just walked into the kitchen. She smiles, making me turn my eyes away in embarrassment. And her grey eyes are out of this world! Focus Santa-Clara.

"Please excuse my husband, we have been experiencing unusual activity the last two months." Her voice is sweet like honey and her teeth are sharp as needles. "My name is Ano, Katsuto and this is my husband, Ano Toru."

"New! New!"

"Ayami. Sweetheart, mommy, and daddy are having a conversation right now." Miss Ano gestures for her child to leave.

"Oh, it is alright. May I hold Ayami?"

Satoru and Suguru look at me sideways, while Sir Ano looks at me with a cocked eyebrow. Miss Ano gently laughs and allows me to hold her daughter. The bags under her eyes tell me she has not slept well in days.,

I scoop Ayami into my arms and sit her on my lap. She starts hitting my open palm which makes me grin. Suguru holds a similar expression to mine.

"Do you mind explaining what has happened with you and your family?" My voice is gentle and non-judgmental.

"Three months ago, our eldest daughter noticed something crawling around in her bedroom. My husband and I did not notice anything strange until she stopped sleeping in her room." Miss Ano looks at the table, her husband pats her hand in support.

"Eventually, she stopped sleeping throughout the night and sustained a few injuries. The police could not find anything."

Mr. Ano picks up the story after his wife stops talking.

"The same cycle started happening again a month and a half ago: our daughter is currently at school and unable to attest to what we are sharing. She spends the night outside because it makes her feel safe. When we contacted the police again, they suggested we reach out to Jujutsu Technical College."

A large slamming from the front room grabs our attention.

"Have you told them about the fire?" This comes from a ten-year-old who is fuming at the mouth.

"We were just..." before Sir Ano finishes his sentence, his daughter storms out of the kitchen. He excuses himself from the table.

"You are good with kids," Miss Ano's words are heavy. "The last sorcerer who helped us brought out Ayami's temper." Her eyes meet the floor.

I smile at the child and give her a high five. "Thank you. I have experience babysitting. Do you mind telling us about the fire, and the sorcerer?" I hide my lips and like the roof of my mouth. Suguru takes note of my mood shift.

Mr. Ano makes it back to the table and hugs his wife.

"With all due respect, we are not disclosing the identity of the sorcerer. Follow us and we will show you where the fire occurred."

The only cursed energy I am picking up comes from Mr. Ano, trace amounts from Miss Ano, and their infant.

"Here are the burn marks leading from the pond to your daughter's room." I follow Sir Ano's finger but get distracted by something else.

Fresh residuals are leading to the neighbor's yard. My counterparts nod their heads when we make eye contact. Then there is the smell of death so potent it makes me dry heave. It's the kind of death un-associated with curses.