Part 9 : The secret.

"I'm so sorry for clashing in your place tonight." I took Aoi-chan's hands and grab them tightly.

"Hikari-chan. It's okay. I don't mind having you here, so what's the secret?" despite her shyness, Aoi is the type of person that willing listens to any problem I had.

"So actually something happened to me in Tokyo and things happened to Hanabi too at the same time." I looked at Hanabi and she's given me the signal, to tell the truth.

"I know you believe in spiritual things and you even prayed to the spirit. I'd been cursed by a witch but I have been cleansing while Hanabi hasn't been cleansing. So Aoi-chan, I come here to beg you to save my little sister."

"Which kind of witch you been seeing?" Aoi-chan seems calm about this matter.

"I don't know." I released a sigh.

"Well, witches and spirituals are different. A witch is a person that conducts witchcraft and lives in another world. Our world exists in their world. I don't know much about witches but I'm sure granny knew something about this."

"So is she asleep?" Asked Hanabi.

"No, she's actually in a cleaning ritual. I think it's better if we told granny about this." Aoi-chan looked serious and doesn't take us for a joke.

I agreed to meet granny, I need to save my sister.

Aoi-chan brought us to her house, in a small temple that her family built in ancient times.

"You two stayed here, this holy ground is not for outsiders," explain Aoi-chan. We nodded and stayed in the house. I watched Aoi-chan approach her grandma in such a manner and with respect. She's whispering to her grandma's ears. The reaction on her grandma's face looked disturbed.

"What do you think gonna happen to us?" asked Hanabi.

"I don't know but let's hope for the best." I hold her left hand. Soon after, Aoi-chan signals us to come out from the waiting room.

"Step into the ground," says Aoi-chan. I looked at Hanabi and I step down to the holy ground. The white sand feels warm. I hold on to Hanabi and help her move down slowly. The moment Hanabi steps on the white sand, she screams.

"What's going on?!" I hold Hanabi up but her weight is so much heavier.

"The witches. They planted a seed in Hanabi's soul." Say, Granny. She moves towards us in her white kimono.

"Granny. Please save her!" I beg as I watch my little sister in pain. Suddenly her skin began to burn, she scream even harder.

"She needs to go thru this phase. This white sand is sand from the heavenly ocean."

"Ocean? Sea water?" I asked. Aoi chan held my hand and pull me away from Hanabi.

"Wait Aoi!"

"Be strong Hikari. This is cleansing," whispered Aoi.

"How long does she been in this state?"

"Two weeks. It happened when I met the witch too. Is this my fault?" I asked in anguish.

"How about you? Who cleanses you, dear?" Granny looked at me.

"A man from the chairman shop. Something disgusting came out of my body after that man chanted something to me." Granny took both of my hands and looked at it.

"I see. You have the gift." said granny. I looked at Aoi in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You have the natural gift for moving into another world," says Granny. She let go of my hands and focus on Hanabi.

"But your sister has been doing something dark. Her soul has been polluted. That's why the witches want her soul, it's a fine quality for them." Granny touched Hanabi's top head.

"What is she doing Aoi?"

"Granny has a gift of sightseeing someone's soul. She can see the person's memories. It's one of the extraordinary gifts."

Granny let go of her hands from Hanabi.

"Your sister has been fed by something dark. And if we don't help her now, her soul might be Taken Away."

"Taken away? How is that even possible?" Hanabi started to scream louder than ever, suddenly her hair becomes longer and her face turned into the witch, the one that I saw.

"HUMAN! Let this child go or I eat her soul!" said the ugly, granny, and Aoi don't seem to bother by the witch's words.

"Let her go you demon!" shouted granny, she grabs Hanabi's hands and take out the white salt and place it into Hanabi's tongue.

"Nooo!!!!" shout the witch, Hanabi slowly change into herself.

"Quick bring her inside," said Granny. I grab Hanabi's body and Aoi helped me.

"This way," says Aoi-chan. A few of the house servants opened the door and helped us to set Hanabi in the bed.

"What's going on?" says Kimura, he saw the red light from afar.

"It's Hanabi. Help her please!" Kimura takes over and begins his work on her. Kimura-san is a doctor, he knew what is going on with Hanabi's body.

"Leave us," he said. Aoi dragged me out of the room, my tears couldn't stop falling.

"Hikari, come with me," said Granny. We walked to her room, and I take my seat on the matted straw.

"Granny. Is it bad?"

"It is. But you could help her by guiding her soul back." Granny sits down behind the table. Aoi took out a few pieces of equipment, and place them on the table.

"What? How am I supposed to do that?"

"You can sneak in and out from our world to another. But first, you need to train your mind." I was busy looking at Aoi-chan, she sure is working fast.

"Train my mind? Granny. I don't know if I believe this. What if I'm not gifted?"

"Tell me, my dear, when you stepped in the holy sand what do you feel?" Granny started to pour something into a cup, a few flowers, and tea. And I don't know what's the rests

"Warm. It's warm and nice."

"Do you feel some kind of nostalgia?" Aoi-chan starts stirring the cup with a long stick.

"Yes, it's like I've been there before. But granny what is this all about?"

"It means your soul is pure, some people feel different when they touched the sand. In your case, you have closeness with the feelings." Granny took out a small knife, and she asked for my hands.

"This will not hurt you." I gave her, my right hand. She pokes the knife into my fingers. It doesn't feel painful at all. But my blood started to fall out, she put it in a cup filled with clear water. She started to chant in different languages.

"Aoi-chan. What is it?"

"Granny just checking your memories. That's all."

"My memories?"

"Yes, hold on. I need to help granny."