Chapter Text
Death comes for all, regardless of ego, accomplishment, or want.
One can extend their life, take hold of it, control it, but the ending is always predetermined, no matter the road taken to get there.
But perhaps death can be swayed to be, at the very least, merciful. It may obey the burning intent of humanity meant to force back the cold and darkness, though only for a time.
It weighs entirely on the one who holds the lantern and stokes the fire.
You, one who holds the flame, shall either elude Death or become It.
“Putain! Come on!”
Two sets of footsteps pounded against the stone floor. One kept a decent pace while the other lagged behind. But the commotion behind them left no chance to slow down. For if they slowed down, certain death would be upon them. They didn’t need to look back to know that the sounds in hot pursuit of them more than indicated such.
Ragged gasps echoed as they pulled behind a shadowed corner. A bloody arm reached to cover the other’s mouth to stifle the noise. A second later, something large shot by the corner, continuing down the hall. It carried the foul stench of a rotting corpse with it as it went.
As the commotion of its journey faded, the bloody arm was pushed aside, though gently. “Doctor!” was whispered. “Your arm!”
“It looks worse than it is.” Despite the assurance, the older voice sounded greatly pained.
“Don’t try to bullshit me. I’ve seen more than enough carnage to know when something’s bad.”
“Well, good for you.”
A careful gaze peeked out of the hallway. Nothing seemed to jump out to the hazy, gray eyes. Holding their arm to their chest, they carefully stepped out.
“Sounds like it’s passed.” They turned back to the head of brown hair still within the shadows. “Let’s find the way out, before—”
“DOCTOR!”
Eyes snapped to the shadows cascading onto their back. The creature lunged forth, too quickly to be dodged. One arm shot out and shoved the other man to the side, while the other lifted in a crescendo of red lightning.
A burst of noise, a yell of pain, and—
The chime of the train’s intercom was a pleasant noise to wake up to. The following voice was just as soothing. “Now departing Flora and 45th. Next stop: Ouros Island.”
Silver eyes blinked off the last of the haze of sleep. A bit of white hair was caught in a mouth that had been drooling. A finger with well-manicured nails reached up and pulled the strand out as chapped lips smacked together.
What an odd dream. Shinoko almost wanted to know what happened next, despite the nightmarish situation. Call it a morbid curiosity.
Lifting her head from where it had been hanging, she looked out the window she sat next to. The buildings were starting to scatter, revealing more and more of the ocean ahead. If her studies of the train lines were right, there were thirty more minutes to go before the island would even start coming into view.
She hummed, reaching down to pick at the edges of her cream cardigan sleeves. It was brand-new, a sort of housewarming gift given to her before she set off for her uncle’s. And yet, it was already covered in cat hair. No doubt due to a certain culprit lying upon her lap, currently a mound of brown and still. When she reached out to pet it, there was a little chirp before the head was lifted.
“Ahhh… Are we there yet?”
“No, Chessie,” Shinoko answered. “Sorry.”
“Then why did you wake me up? I was perfectly content to sleep away this boring train ride.”
Nobody believed Shinoko when she said that she could talk to her childhood cat, from the very first day that she held the long-haired kitten in her hands. Even when Cheshire would theoretically be within earshot of others, all they would comment on was how noisy she was. So, it was a secret that wasn’t really a secret on why she was named after one of Shinoko’s childhood bedtime stories.
“Well, I got woken up, so now you’re up. We’re in this together, after all.”
Cheshire reached up and placed a paw on Shinoko’s chin. “That is a horrible excuse and you know it, dear. Now, you let me get back to my beauty sleep, and you get back to yours. We still have a long way to go, it seems.”
“I don’t think I will. I had a weird dream.”
“You always have weird dreams, sweetie. Remember seventh grade, with the goldfish?”
Shinoko sputtered loud enough that a few passengers looked her way. “Chessie!”
“Chessie what? You know I’m right. Anyways, this seems a lot more tame. You don’t look like you’re going to swear off on seafood for the rest of your life.”
“It wasn’t all seafood.”
“No, but somebody certainly gets a bowl full of smoked salmon whenever the grandparents aren’t looking…”
Now people definitely had to be staring. Shinoko was in a borderline-argument with the cat in her lap. She puffed up her cheeks and let her head fall back against the cushion. It wasn’t high-quality, and her butt was starting to ache.
“It was…” she started, then stopped. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how to explain it. It was… cold. It had people that I didn’t know, things that I didn’t understand…”
“Isn’t that what normally happens, sweetie?”
“This one felt different.”
Cheshire fell silent for a moment. Her copper eyes held a life in them that couldn’t be ascribed to normal cats. They had reminded little Shinoko of the Cheshire Cat’s wicked gaze. Another reason for the name, though that one was not dared to be brought up in front of the fussy feline.
“Well, if it was different, then it was different.” Cheshire yawned before settling her head back down. “But I don’t think beating around the bush with me will give you any clarity on it. That’s something that you need to figure out yourself, I’m afraid.”
Shinoko looked out the window again. The sight of the mainland city was pulling away, leaving only the crystal-clear ocean to look over. The sound of the train rolling across the bridge rumbled underneath her feet. That and the aches of her body were the only things grounding her, while her mind was forced to resist the allure of floating away again.
Perhaps she would have time to think about it upon arriving at her uncle’s house.
“Now arriving: Ouros Island.”
Shinoko’s feet wobbled underneath her as she stood. She never wanted to ride on a train for more than a couple hours at a time again. Grabbing her only luggage, a black rolling backpack, she let Cheshire pull herself up to perch atop her shoulders. Once Cheshire was secure, Shinoko stepped towards the open doors of the train.
The station outside was the smallest one she’d ever seen. There was only a single bench for those waiting for the train, with one board displaying train departure and arrival times. Only three or so other people disembarked alongside Shinoko, and only one person got on. As soon as they did, the train doors slid shut, and it began moving, like it wanted nothing more than to get off the island as fast as possible.
Holding the handle with both of her hands, Shinoko looked about. There didn’t look to be anybody waiting at the station. With a frown, she pulled out a phone with a cracked cover and looked at the last message from her uncle. A thumbs up reaction to her texting him the time that the train would arrive.
“Maybe we should wait a little while, dear?” Cheshire suggested. “Perhaps he’s running late.”
“I don’t think the house is too far of a walk.” Shinoko put her phone back into her cardigan pocket. “The island’s not that big, after all.”
“Hm… Oh, very well. But if we are accosted by some ruffians, don’t expect me to claw their eyes out on your behalf.”
Shinoko only giggled. Stepping towards the edge of the platform, she lifted the backpack to begin walking down the steps. Once her red mary janes clicked against the stone pathway, she set it back down and let the wheels bump against the rocks as she walked forward.
The August weather was, of course, on the hotter side. The cardigan Shinoko wore was thin enough so that she wasn’t struggling underneath it. Still, it didn’t protect her from the shine of the sun, forcing her to lift her hand and shield her eyes from it as she continued forward.
The path leading from the station to the town proper looked like quite a long trek. More travelling needed, it seemed. At least it appeared to be walkable. Not to mention, the grassy hills between here and there were quite nice to look at, filled with trees providing shade that more than a few people looked to be enjoying. Mostly people around Shinoko’s age, enjoying the last day before school began.
What would school be like here, anyway? Ouros Island was small, with the town smaller. Shinoko’s heard that some schools in particularly small areas combined all age ranges into one building. Would that happen here? And that didn’t mention the fact that the school was starting in a completely different timeframe than what Shinoko was used to…
Thnk! Shinoko stumbled as something hit her backpack. When she looked, she saw a bright red frisbee lying right next to it.
“Oh! Sorry!” She lifted her head to see somebody yelling over her way. “Could you pass that back this way?”
Shinoko propped up her backpack and knelt down. She picked up the frisbee and took a moment to correctly hold it. As Cheshire appropriately shifted on her back, she threw it forward. While it wobbled in the air, the teenage boy was able to run and snatch it out of the air. He hooted in excitement and lifted it up as if to show it off like a prize, and Shinoko couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. She made sure to wave while picking up her backpack and beginning to move along again.
She only got about five steps before grass crunched behind her. “Hey, wait a minute!” The boy called, suddenly quite close. Curious eyes of green peeked out behind a mop of gold as he held the frisbee under his arm. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
“You got me.” Shinoko forced a smile, though inched back a bit to regain some space. “I’m new here.”
“Really? Who’d ever wanna move to a place like this?”
“Huh? Well, while I suppose it’s in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn’t sell the natural beauty short.” Shinoko shrugged the shoulder that Cheshire wasn’t on. “Besides, I didn’t really have much of a choice.” Before the boy could ask, she continued, “If you live here, could you possibly tell me where a Kouki Morikawa lives?”
“Kouki… Oh! You mean Kooky Mori!” Shinoko grimaced at both the blase way of speaking and the suddenly concerned look. “Why do you want to know where that guy is?”
“Well… He’s my uncle. I’m going to be living with him.”
The boy blinked. He looked at Shinoko. He looked at the backpack. He looked at Shinoko again. Why did he suddenly look sympathetic?
“What the hell did you do to get such a bad luck of the draw?”
Shinoko frowned. “He can’t be that bad, can he?” She knew nothing about her uncle, but had merely chalked it up to him living in such a rural place meaning that he just didn’t want to be known.
“You ever heard of the saying “stick of the mud”? Kooky Mori’s kind of that, but much worse. He hates kids of all ages, and screams at any that get near him.”
“Well…” Shinoko kicked her shoe against the ground. “I’m his niece, and I heard that he used to get along with my mother. Maybe I’ll be an exception.”
The boy’s expression told her the situation was far from it. “Well… Good luck on that, I think. See you around…?”
“... Oh. My name is Shinoko.”
“Good to meet you! I’m Luke! Maybe once you get situated, I can show you around town?”
“Um… Maybe.” Shinoko didn’t intend on it. “I better go, now.” She hurried her step and began heading away before Luke could speak back up again.
Kooky Mori. A nickname that Shinoko wouldn’t be surprised to be called. Maybe she and her uncle could get along in that regard.
A turn of the stone path, and the more populated hillsides pulled out of view. Suddenly, Shinoko was more or less alone. Only then did she start to relax, letting the tension that had jumped into her shoulders when Luke started talking with her. The nature scenes around her, from what she feasted her eyes on to what she smelled, were more comforting than any populated area.
Maybe that was why the order to move out to Ouros Town wasn’t too bad of a change in her life. Most certainly not as terrible of a change as anything else. Shinoko shivered. The thought of everything that had occurred to upset her life previously sent a chill down her spine.
At least, she originally thought that it was the terrible memories. But then she recognized that goosebumps were breaking out along her skin. She grabbed onto her cardigan and pulled it closer as she blinked back into reality and looked about.
Her feet had continued her along the path, but it wasn’t leading towards the town anymore. It cut into a more shadowed location, surrounded by a black iron fence. A surprisingly thick fog was now encircling her feet, piercing through her socks and attacking her legs. When she looked up, she could see “OUROS CEMETERY” emblazoned above the open gates.
“Well, I’ll be,” Cheshire mused. “That’s quite a huge graveyard for such a small community. And it’s got an aura that’s night and day with the rest of the island!”
“How is the fog staying almost entirely within the fence?” Shinoko agreed.
“So, um… why are we here, dear?”
“I… don’t know.” Shinoko looked down at her feet, the culprits for the deviation.
“Well, so how about we turn ourselves around and get away from this? Something about it makes my fur stand up.”
Though Shinoko couldn’t put her finger on exactly what, something in her could agree with Cheshire. The fog was both foreboding… and strangely enough, alluring. Her feet had to be forced to turn around and begin walking away, back down towards the main stone path.
“Hey.”
The voice was unfamiliar, a baritone that got Shinoko’s heart racing. She quickly turned back around. She hadn’t even heard the figure walking towards her approaching. Had he been in the graveyard, watching her?
Something about him seemed to belong to the cemetery, that was for sure. Was it the jet black hair, with white streaks added in? The scars on his face, darkened in such an odd, grayish manner? Or maybe it was his clothes, ragged and unbelonging to any sort of modern society.
“Um, sorry,” Shinoko started, stumbling over her words, “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m not sure why—”
“You’re Shinoko Morikawa, right?”
For a moment, Shinoko found that she couldn’t speak. And when she did, her voice was muted. “I… I am, yes. How do you know me?”
“I got told to keep an eye out for a girl with a cat coming this way, so… Lucky guess.”
“By who? My uncle?”
“That’s not something that needs to be worried about right now.”
The man stepped closer. He was easily over a foot taller than Shinoko, not to mention a lot more intimidating. If she ran, would he be able to follow without a problem? Her mind screamed at her to, but her legs failed to obey.
The crinkling of paper caught her attention. She looked down to see the man holding something out to her with his right hand. It appeared to be a pitch-black folder, currently held open. Inside was a paper in one pocket, with a pen tucked into the other.
“What’s this?” Shinoko took the folder with both hands.
“A contract. Nothing scary that binds you to a higher power or anything, don’t worry. Just something that will help you keep the important things in mind.”
“Now hold on!” Cheshire finally spoke up as Shinoko pulled out the paper to inspect it more closely. “Who do you think you are, to just toss random contracts at unsuspecting teenage girls?! What are your intentions with my dear Shinoko?!”
“You don’t need to worry, as I said before. Just take a look, and you’ll see that it isn’t anything to fear.”
The man said that, but… Shinoko couldn’t help but swallow at the contract’s words. They were pitch black, near-perfectly printed, and seared themselves into her mind.
Death comes for all, regardless of ego, accomplishment, or want.
But through great strength and power, it can be delayed or controlled.
By putting name to paper, I concur to these statements and let them guide me onto the path of control over what life there is left.
Signature:
“Um… Sorry. This is kind of a lot, and I need to get to my uncle’s house. Can whatever this is wait?”
The man seemed to find Shinoko’s words funny, because he shook his head with a chuckle. “I guess you’re already heeding the words on the contract, aren’t you? Taking control over your life and all. I suppose in that case, you don’t really need to put your name down, huh? You’ve already agreed to it.”
Shinoko happened to look down at the paper again. What she saw almost made her drop it. There, emblazoned onto the signature line, was her name. Not just printed, but signed in such a way that no hand but her own could do.
Before she could say anything, the paper was black in the folder, and said folder was in the man’s hand. “You can keep the pen,” he said. “That was really all I needed it for.”
Shinoko was struck dumb. She watched with bug eyes as the man turned on his heel and stepped back towards the foggy cemetery.
Finally regaining her voice, Shinoko called out to him. “Wait!”
No response answered her. The man seemed to just outright vanish into the fog. Shinoko watched and almost waited to see if he would return or anything that could explain what just happened would occur. But neither came to be.
“Chessie,” Shinoko slowly said, “I don’t know what just happened, but…”
“I think that’s enough graveyard exploration for the rest of time, Shinoko sweetie,” Cheshire interjected. “Let’s leg it to the town right away.”
Shinoko didn’t need to be told twice. Pivoting on her heel, she sprinted down the stone path, the rolling backpack jerking along behind her.
Thankfully, the rest of the way to Ouros Town was uneventful, with no more accostings from any sort of men. Still, Shinoko kept checking over her shoulder to make sure no strange individuals were following her. Something akin to a heavy weight had settled on her back, and she wasn’t shrugging it off so easily.
The stone path turned to a pavement street, though it was barely wide enough to fit a car. Then again, Shinoko didn’t see any car anywhere. Was the entire town walkable? She supposed that getting cars out onto an island that only had so many ways to be accessed would be more of a hassle than it was worth…
Before long, she found herself in a semi-familiar residential district. Thankfully, her uncle had sent her the appropriate references needed to find where she’d be living. Still, she checked the address on the mailbox in front of the rather small house. Once she confirmed it, she stuffed the handle into her backpack, picked it up, and stepped up to the front door.
She didn’t see any indication that she couldn’t ring the doorbell… Still, she didn’t want to disturb anybody inside. So she knocked twice instead.
…
Okay, maybe she wasn’t heard the first time. She knocked twice again.
…
Maybe she should ring the doorbell after all. She reached to do just that.
The door was yanked open surprisingly quickly. Shinoko reeled back, instinctively flinching. After recovering from her shock, she blinked and looked forward to the man in the doorway.
Shinoko had only seen pictures of her uncle alongside her mother when they were children. This man looked nothing like that child. While he bore their family’s trademark white hair, he was significantly thinner than Shinoko expected, perhaps to a dangerous degree. His face looked like sharp nails were digging into it and dragging it down to hell, and his clothes looked poorly-kept. Most importantly, his expression of distaste remained plastered on his face, even as he got a good look at Shinoko.
“Huh,” he finally said. “I guess that was today, huh?” He scoffed. “So dear old dad was up in arms over nothing. Clearly, you got here all on your own. Didn’t need me to hold your hand.”
“You’re Uncle Kouki, right?” Shinoko smiled up at him. “It’s nice to finally me—”
“Don’t call me that. It’ll be Mr. Morikawa from here on out, you got it? We aren’t going to have chummy pleasantries around here. Now get inside so I can lay down the rules.”
Well, Shinoko’s mother always told her that her uncle was a strict one. Still keeping the smile up, Shinoko stepped into the house. Even when the strange smells of nothing that she recognized began assaulting her, she kept it plastered on.
The interior of the house was incredibly cramped. There were boxes everywhere, some unpacked, some not. A couch stained with unnameable fluids was pointed to a TV, and a nearby coffee table was covered with empty bottles.
“Nao!” Mr. Morikawa barked. “Get down here! Your cousin’s here!”
After a moment, a clattering came from a staircase that Shinoko hadn’t noticed before. A moment later, a young woman with a tight, silvery braid came down the stairs. Standing in direct contrast to the pigsty of the downstairs rooms, she looked prim and proper, with a long skirt and expensive-looking makeup.
“Fuck, already?” she whined. “Dad, you told me it wouldn’t be this early!”
“Yeah, well, I forgot that school starts tomorrow, alright? Give me a break.”
“Ugh!” Nao looked at Shinoko like she was dirt on her heel. “Well… Hi, I guess. Shinoko, yeah? I’m just gonna call you Shi. Get on my nerves too much, and it’ll go to Shit, got it?”
Shinoko blinked. “Um… Okay.”
“Upstair’s off-limits. That’s my half of the house. If I catch you tracking dirt up there, you’re dead.”
Mr. Korikawa sighed. “She doesn’t even let me up there, just so you know.”
“Yeah, and I’ll give you three guesses on why, Dad!”
Shinoko looked around. “So, um… Where will I be staying, then?”
“‘Round the back is a door that leads to what we’ve been using as a storage room,” Mr. Korikawa answered. “Do with that whatever you want. Most of the stuff in there’s junk.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Kori—”
“Now.” Once more, he interrupted Shinoko. “The only reason you’re here is because your grandfather’s paying out the ass for me to board you. I didn’t want to take you in, but he insisted, since we’re “family” and all that. So let me make it clear to you on how things will work around here. You don’t talk to me, I don’t talk to you. I put food in the fridge and pantry, and what’s for you is clearly labelled. You don’t touch anything else. You steal anything, and I kick you out and send you back to the mainland. You got all that?”
“I, um…” Shinoko swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes, Mr. Morikawa.”
“Good. Time starts now.” Mr. Morikawa made a shooing motion. “Go set yourself up in your room, and make sure that you’re quiet doing it. School starts tomorrow, and I’m not waking you up to make sure you’re not late.”
Shinoko mutely bowed her head. For once on this strange day, her feet obeyed her, and she was quick to move around the corner.
“How much is the old man even paying you to make you even consider having her around, anyway?” she heard Nao say.
Shinoko didn’t stay to hear the answer. She tried the door at the far end of the messy hallway, first. She struck gold, as she pushed it open into a room choked with boxes and a musty smell. It made her entire body convulse in distaste. But she didn’t want to be anywhere else in the house, so she stepped inside.
“What a cur of a man,” Cheshire said as the door closed behind them and Shinoko turned on the lights. “There isn’t even any room in here to stretch out your arms, much less lay down comfortably!”
“It’ll do for now,” Shinoko assured her, letting her jump down onto a box and sit down. “There’s probably something in here that’ll serve as a good mattress.”
“Yes, but by the time you find it, it’ll likely be pitch-black… Ugh, if I had opposable thumbs…”
“Thank you for the support, Chessie.” Shinoko scratched the cat behind her ears. “I’m not sure what I would be able to do without you.”
“Yes, yes, I know, yet… I wish it wasn’t just I these days. You deserve so much more than a talking cat, sweetie.” Still, Cheshire yawned and circled in place. “Now, then. The second you find something plush, you’re going to bed. No arguments about it. You’ve had a long day, Shinoko dear, and I won’t stand for any further work made by your hands.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Sometimes, it’s almost like you’re my nanny.”
“I’ll take that as the compliment it is!”