Ghost Encounter

Being in charge of the case, Sakume requested that Saito and Hirata come with him. They will go to the cemetery together to get to the bottom of this. Everyone has their doubts and fears, but Sakume showed none. He is one hundred percent sure that ghosts do not exist.

While walking along the cemetery, there was a thick fog. Saito was getting more and more scared. "Guys, we should go back while we still can. This place is getting creepy."

"Non-sense, Saito. We'll be fine." said Sakume.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Saito.

"We will be fine. Trust me, ghosts do not exist. It is all in our head. We humans are taught to fear the supernatural at an early age. It just superstition and hokey pokey."

As they walked on, the fog became thicker and thicker.

Standing on top of the shrine building was a silhouetted figure watching them. No one knows who or what is behind that deadly mask. In an instant, she jumped down. Whoosh.

The police officers were walking and walking directionless. Even Sakume can't tell where he is. They only see the ground and the gravestones.

A shadow ran by. Saito saw a glimpse of it. "What was that? Was it the ghost?"

Hirata said, "Don't scare us like that."

Saito replied, "I really saw it. It's following us."

Sakume replied, "Calm down you two. We have to stay calm."

The shadow ran by. Thud thud thud.

Now they're all scared. Sakume drew his sword. The three of them stood back to back…to back. "Stay still."

Suddenly, an arrow hit the ground near their feet. Saito was shaking and trembling. The shadow appeared directly in front of them. It slashed. The three of them ran away. Saito ran like hell, screaming in fear.

"No! Don't get separated!" But it's too late. He could not see them through the thick fog. "Saito? Hirata?"

Saito ran like hell and his foot got caught in a rope. He was pulled up a tree upside down. "No! No!"

The ghost approached and drew its sword.

"Please no! Aahhhhhh!!"

Hearing the scream, Hirata panicked. Suddenly, the shadow appeared behind him. He gasped in cold sweat. Slash!

"Aaaaah!"

Now Sakume was alone and he's scared. "Saito? Hirata?" There was no response. Are they unconscious? Dead? He walked around hoping to find them. He bumped into a tombstone. "Saito? Hirata? Say something!" Now he's screwed. The enemy knows where he is, but he doesn't where it is. He doesn't know a thing about this ghost…or whatever it is.

He felt the shadow was behind him, and he turned around and slashed in one circular motion. The shadow disappeared. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Leave this place now." it said.

"Who are you?!"

"Leave now and never come again." It appeared behind Sakume and whacked him on the back, knocking him unconscious.

Sakume remembered a distant memory. A memory that shaped his life to what it is today. It was his father's disappearance to a ghost. One time they were walking in the park. And then someone chased them. A ghost. Or a man dressed up as a ghost. Sakume was only a kid back then, and he couldn't do anything to help.

The father and son were running like hell into the woods. At some point they got separated. "Run Shikura! Run!"

"Father!"

The ghost had a sword fight with his father, and Shikura ran away scared. He wanted to look back, but he didn't.

He never saw his father again. People kept on saying that he was killed by a ghost, but Shikura did not believe it. It was a man disguised as a ghost. He was so sure of it. Shikura wanted to become a detective to find out the truth. To prove to the world that there are no such things as ghosts.

Sakume woke up in the cemetery and found his friends lying next to him. They woke up a few seconds after he did. "Saito? Hirata…they're alive." he said to himself. The mission was considered a failure, and the three returned to the police station to have their wounds checked. Good thing it was nothing life threatening.

Sakume wonders why they weren't killed. The ghost had a good chance to do so while they were unconscious. Maybe its intention is not to kill them but warn them. "Leave now and never come back again." were his words. He's definitely trying to scare them away from this place. But why?

Saito said, "No way am I ever going back to that place."

Hirata added, "Leave me out too."

"But we were so close." said Sakume.

Saito said, "We were almost killed. We're lucky to be alive. You are crazy if you think I am ever setting my foot in that place again. Screw it. Let the government take care of this one."

Sakume sighed. "Fine. I'll go myself."

Hirata said, "You're not serious, are you?"

Sakume left the room without answering him.

Feeling a little down, he went to the local bar to get a drink. "Why so down?" asked Kyone, polishing a cup.

"I am having trouble with a case."

"Oh. Police stuff eh? Sorry, can't help you there." he replied. Kyone is a fat man with a mustache. When he works he wears an apron. He's the current owner of the bar, and Gon is his employee. He treats Gon like a friend rather than an employee, though. He may be big, but he's actually a nice guy who's willing to help other people.

"Hey Kyone, do you believe in ghosts?" asked Sakume.

"Well, not really. Why do you ask?"

"There is this ghost that is haunting the Ryojin Cemetery and it's scaring away the locals. My job is to get to the bottom of it. But my co-workers are too scared to go with me. In the end, I'm all by myself."

"Well, that does suck. Did you say Ryojin Cemetery?"

"Yeah."

"The place where the Ryojin shrine is located?"

"Yeah…" Sakume replied, still looking at his glass of beer. "Do you know about it?"

"Well, I heard that it was once owned by the Lin family. The shrine was owned by a man named Ryoga Lin but he passed away a while ago."

"Ryoga Lin…" Then he smiled. "So the one that's haunting the place is Ryoga Lin…because he wants to protect his land from the government, huh?"

"Probably." Kyone replied.

Just now, Sakume thought of something. "Thanks. I'll see you later." He said, leaving money on the table.