The Second Date

As the days passed since Kenji's date with Amaya, the weather gradually grew warmer as summer approached. In a few short weeks, Kenji would begin taking his final exams. What came next after high school...he didn't know. All that was on his mind was Amaya and the Onibaba she'd struck down and killed.

Kenji finished off the soda he had in his hand, crushed the can, and threw it away at a nearby trash disposal. He shifted his gaze to the platform before checking his watch. Amaya would be arriving any time now.

On the dot, Amaya came striding toward Kenji from the other end of the station, so he began walking to meet with her. As he did so, he let his eyes wander and rest on the uniform she wore.

"Hey," he said to her as she approached, giving her a gentle smile, "I didn't know you were a Sakurasou student. That's where the uniform's from, right?"

Unfortunately, Amaya didn't seem very impressed by the fact that he knew this information.

"Sakurasou Private Academy, yes," the girl corrected him with a swift nod. "I'm not surprised to find you waiting. You're obsessive, aren't you?"

"No." Kenji shook his head. "I figured you'd like me to be punctual is all. Anyway, did you want to go somewhere?"

Amaya nodded in response after glancing around the busy station. Without warning, she grabbed Kenji's hand, intertwined their fingers, and led him away from the crowded platform.

Once the two were out of the station, Amaya started to talk quickly in a low tone.

"I don't know much about these...creatures. But, they always seem to find me...so I make sure I kill them," she explained rather suddenly, catching Kenji off guard. When he realized what she was talking about, he put all other thoughts aside and listened carefully.

"I don't have any family left. They killed my parents and my sister went missing. That's the short version of the story." Amaya clenched her teeth. "I haven't been able to rest since then. The creatures appear randomly, and almost always at night. I've found loopholes to slay them, but I'm by no means am expert. As far as I know, you're the only other person who has seen one."

The ravenette stopped and shifted her gaze to Kenji.

"I've been thinking a lot about you since that night."

Kenji raised his eyebrows and allowed a smile to pull at his lips. However, before he could say anything, Amaya stepped down on the toe of his shoe. Kenji folded over in pain.

"I didn't mean it like that. I've been thinking about how you are the only one I've met who has seen one of those demons even when others have been around. There must be something different with you."

Kenji finally brought himself back to his full height to find Amaya's intense stare. He noticed that her eyes were back to brown.

"That, and you can teleport. How did you do that?"

The boy threw his hands up in surrender.

"Look, I have no idea. I was scared, that was all. I've only ever done it once before that. It was completely a fluke."

Amaya narrowed her eyes.

"So you say." She huffed and began walking again. "I suppose I appreciate that gesture...though, it threw me off track. Don't get in the way again."

Kenji tilted his head, similar to how a dog would when asked if he wanted to go for a walk.

"Does that imply that we'll continue our little demon slaying adventures?"

Again, Amaya stopped, this time throwing her head back and letting out a groan.

"PLEASE shut up. Or else I'll use you as demon bait." She picked up the pace and rounded the corner, headed for the park. "Ultimately, I decided that it might be easier to find the answers to my questions regarding the demons. Especially when you have a superhuman ability, which already renders you different from any civilian. I was hoping you'd have had some other experience with the demons so we could compare theories."

"I'm sorry," Kenji murmured with a sigh of defeat. "I really don't know that much about them. That night was my first encounter."

Amaya turned her head.

"How about your teleportation ability? When did that first occur?"

Kenji scratched his head, his other hand relaxed in the pocket of his slacks while he thought back to his childhood. Then, it came to him: that day in the alley after school.

"I was really young," he recalled. "Hmm...eight? I think. I was heading home from school when this man grabbed me from out of nowhere. I'd never been so scared...and he had a death grip on me. I remember closing my eyes out of fear and then—"

Amaya hitched an eyebrow.

"You teleported?"

"I teleported," Kenji replied with a nod. "The next moment, I was in my schoolyard and my sister was just coming out of the building. I never told her the full story, so this is the first time anyone has ever heard of this. I tried to suppress the memory."

The pair reached the bridge overlooking the koi pond and collectively stopped to watch the fish swim beneath the warm sunlight.

"I tried to do that," Amaya said quietly as she placed her elbows on the railing of the bridge and leaned forward. "I wanted to forget everything. Losing my parents...my sister coming up missing...but it wasn't until after those events when the demons kept popping up. I soon realized that the only way to overcome the problem was to learn from my past."

Kenji nodded solemnly. In a way, he'd lost his own parents, but at least they were alive and he could see them every so often. Plus, he still had Satomi, even if she was busy with work all the time. Amaya, on the other hand, had nothing.

"When...when did that happen, if I may ask?"

Amaya slouched, her eyes clouded as she stared listlessly at the koi pond.

"Thirteen. That's how old I was when my parents were taken." She lifted her head and watched loose cherry blossom petals dance in the wind. "My mother ran a bakery downtown. It was small, and passed down from her own mother, but it was a popular business for those living on our end of the prefecture. She'd asked me to go grab some eggs, since my father had gotten a raise and everyone wanted to celebrate. My mother had used all of the eggs up that day, since it was a busy day at the bakery.

"Anyway, my mother was in the kitchen, my father in the living room, and my sister, Haia, upstairs in her bedroom when I left. I rode my bike down the street, bought some eggs, and came back to a bloody mess. My parents were both dead, their entrails all over the place. It looked like something had gotten ahold of them and torn their insides out while I was gone."

She bowed her head to keep Kenji from seeing her face in case she cried.

"I rushed upstairs, but Haia was nowhere to be seen. Her room was trashed, so I figured there was some struggle...but no body left behind. I stood there, panicked, until I felt something brush up against me. I turned to see what I believe was a Yurei, covered in shadow, and staring down at me with empty eyes. Without really thinking, I grabbed Haia's desk chair and hurled it at the Yurei with strength I'd never possessed before...and it disintegrated right then and there."

When she was done, Amaya let out a huff and straightened her shoulders before she turned to face Kenji. The boy was still speechless from her story, but it seemed as though Amaya was ready to move on.

"Ever since then, I've encountered several demons that take on the shape of mythological creatures. I discovered that when I fight them, I have unnatural strength and agility...but out of those scenarios, I'm simply a normal girl." Amaya then held out her hand. "Sorry for the sob story. The point is, I think the same thing may be for you: you gain your teleportation ability in the presence of the supernatural."

Kenji wasn't sure whether or not to take her hand or shake it, so he kept his own hands in his pockets.

"I'm...incredibly sorry to hear that, Oshiro-san," he told her in all honesty. "As for my ability? I have no idea how it works. I can try using it again if that helps."

Amaya frowned.

"No. We'll wait until we're facing something like the Onibaba again...which will likely be at night," she explained with a heavy sigh. "If you're free tonight—"

"Absolutely," Kenji answered without waiting for Amaya to finish her sentence. "My sister will be going out with her co-workers tonight, so it's not like I'll have anything else to do. Plus, I'm curious as to where these demons keep coming from and why they target you specifically."

To his relief, Amaya didn't berate him. Instead, she nodded her head, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

"Good. I'll be honest, I'm glad to have someone to help me out with this," she admitted. "I'm sorry I was rude to you at first. I was frustrated because I didn't want to get a civilian hurt but you wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't until I had time to clear my head when I realized that we could become allies."

"Glad to hear it." Kenji didn't even try to conceal his smile. "I guess I'll see you tonight, then? Oh— and should I pay you?"

It took Amaya a moment to catch on, but when she did, she shook her head curtly.

"Oh, no. You are no longer my client. I mean...I met you outside of work and now you know who I really am. You can't rent me anymore."

Kenji laughed and gave her a thumbs-up along with a wink, which earned him a soft smile from Amaya.

"I'm a-okay with that. I'd rather know the real Oshiro Amaya than rent out the fake one."

And, really, no truer words had ever been said.