Chapter 5

I...I'm....really pissed off "Oh look it's orange again" says Miss Auburn when her brooch lit up "she clearly is disappointed in you huh? that's for sure, man... she's been through a lot." I just looked at him emotionless and so was he, yes I will never get any from this male specie. He is amazing but… sometimes even he ticks me off, he was there like I was facing my old self, being bland, cold inside, doesn't really care and that's not going to happen.

Even we're slightly the same like... he always says "Face it." even it makes me want to reprimand my old self but I don't have any confidence. I am still the same…. I never face my confrontations, I just remained emotionless and just accept it. It's that voice again...

'finally you understood' it's that voice again

'finally…'

'who was that really?' I was telling myself, and in order to get myself together…

*SLAPS!* I slapped both of my cheeks to just get back into reality!

Both of them we're shocked "wow. I never felt any pain! I was bothered like really bothered by what's happening, by this guy here" I pointed him while looking at Miss Auburn "He is the main reason.. why I'm really bothered because, he never says anything, whenever we meet, he was just like sitting there or standing there just asking therapeutic questions, which is I'm not gonna lie, is kind of helpful, but really you can see that he's definitely uninterested while asking those questions, I get that there are people, who's personality is just listening, I get that this is your job and all, and deep inside of me... I am longing for someone who can listen to me, just earnest listening I really don't care if you won't speak or anything, I just want a companion even when I'm traversing to the afterlife. I know I'm selfish and all by ask-" my eyes grew, a sudden realization hits me "What did I just say?" I looked at them, and Miss Auburn looks confuse of course Reaper here my guide is just there. Standing. knew what's up

Whatever, I'll just mind him and his job and just be useful spirit until I'm done. "Yo, my head started to clear as soon I spoke these words." It's just like what he said to me before "face it." I looked at him, I know I'm really such a mess and ignored what my mind and emotional state is.

"Reaper.... you're really are amazing, I'm sorry if I said those…" he scratches his head, looked down and bowed 90 degrees "I'm really sorry, I will look up to you no matter what, and I will put my trust you as my guide so please, lead me out." and I extended my arm, but instead he just slaps it away.

Oh god, I do really hate him but, like I said even if he's annoying he's trying his best to help me out, these two actually. "I'm really selfish" I stood again and looked at them and smiled like I was a kid and do a peace sign, of course they are Reapers but at least Miss Auburn acknowledge my presence unlike this guy.

"Hey, 0228, don't you have any job we'll take it from here and I'll explain everything here" oh yeah… she's also a Reaper but she really do have a lot of free time "I was vacant and plus, I'm still waiting, so I'm gonna join you guys from the meantime, and I'm really curious about her state." she says, but one thing for sure that made me really not trusting about her is when she always those words 'I'm curious about her case' "Yeah she's really, really sus, Reaper, we'll take it from here" I winked at her, she looks dumbfounded "NO I'M NOT!" she says clearly these two are not good with each other, obviously I can sense Reaper, is awkward because he's been doing this alone, so as she, but if it's rainbows and butterflies let me out.

"Just admit it, you just wanted to be nosy around her" Ha! look at her turning away, her presence is really annoyed "Oh give me a break asshole! Just be thankful that the boss agreed to this, plus you're the most lonely kid in the block" she teases him and I saw his face annoyed.

"Oh, so he's a loner…" I ask teasingly "I see. Okay c'mon loner.. I don't mind her joining us, unless you find it awkward? Hmm" I raised my eyebrows and I'm not gonna tell you his whole presence right now is scary. "Okay… big man… let's go?" I said as I scratch my head.

When we enter the hospital, even though it's really bright it still frightens me, and we're waiting for the elevator? but they never pushed any buttons huh? They just joined the people "Hey, do we umm..." they looked at us "Humans can't see us, but never meddle with the things in the mortal world, they get scared." Miss Auburn explains wait what? I laughed hysterically "but they can feel us, so don't laugh" then the might Reaper explained.

Okay so we're actually ghosts here.

When we reached the 8th floor, saw my room "809" we vanished and got into my room and some unfamiliar faces welcomed me as I walk around them. Oh... I hate this who are these people?

'who are you guys?' I thought, walk around again and I saw myself, I know it senses me, but my lifeline is weak… I guess the blow really had me. "Hey… you see your body right?" reaper asks, well of course I do have eyes still. "You're body is fighting, meaning, you can be alive and anytime soon it's also gonna fall, it's like a 50/50 chance, so your job here is to at least touch your own-self, and find some clues why did you die, because we suspect that this isn't a suicide at all it's much more complicated, if you were brought here without a life the chances are they'll investigate the case or do some autopsy to know what the cause of death but police nowadays are too lazy to finish it, that's why they say it's a suicide, but who knows" he says, so I'm guessing that this is an accident or much more morbid because he explained how can it be complicated too.

If I hear those voice does that mean clue or just me? But even I'm afraid of my own, because what if I will see much morbid when I died. I reach my arm, and my heart is suddenly racing, I saw my lifeline beating like crazy, I looked at them "Is this normal?" as soon as I touched my arm.

"Joie, you have to." Says Miss Auburn, and closed my eyes, touched my arm and.. as I hear my lifeline beeping like crazy, I face it, and I heard snow falling, someone's running, then I saw someone running that pass through me, but it's all blurry, I hear someone catches a breath... and all of a sudden a loud bang came like a gunshot, it was twice no… thrice?

"You're helpless now, like you've always felt before" I looked at it and....

"Wai--" I just feel how hard those pavements are… and I saw a face it's blurry "case close".. it was a man's voice, and I just felt a heavy breathing, anytime soon, I'm going to die, my heart races, my fingers are numb from the cold air, but someone reached me and "She needs more time" I saw my hand was grabbed by reaper and I just keep on catching my breath "This going to take too long to solve before she reaches her memory." I heard Miss Auburn "I.." while catching some air "hey! Just breathe first" he says, of course I followed him, and touched his hand "I saw something." "I heard gunshot, I think it was three times but I believe I was shot and fell and someone says 'case close' it was man's voice."

"Th.. that's it?" he asks, I nodded and he help me stand up "I don't even know anymore it's like a blank pages that I need to solve"

"umm!" I look at Miss Auburn, feeling determined to solve this case "and, we must find him no matter what!" A sudden adrenaline came inside of me, it's making me feel like I'm growing big, but I look at myself and nothing's changing but it felt like a force.. "Wait! Joie! You're sucking his force" I looked at Miss Auburn "my what?" I ask her "your reaper is down because you're holding his hand!" She says and I looked at it "what's wrong with it?" I ask her "you can't do that as a spirit, only reapers will be able to hold you, you're sucking his capabilities, even his own abilities as a reaper, when you touch you're reaper --" I suddenly break from his hand and I looked at him "hey? are you good?" I ask him "Spirits must not touch their reaper," says her, "but when I held your hand why didn't I…. grabbed you're force then?" I ask her, this is really confusing at all! "the reapers can help you but if a spirit touches us, we can drain because, reapers and spirits are not alike we are just a mere guide. If you touch us there's a 15 percent chance that we will disappear or you become a malevolent spirit and even more..." but I definitely held her hand, "but why? I held yours?... she looks at me "I'm just a guide of lost spirits... and I'm not like reaper, we have different jobs..." she explains, a guide for lost spirits? "I don't get it Miss Auburn, you're also a reaper..."

"You didn't held me by hand Joie, it's my wrist... hand in hand is a sacred thing for us reapers, that's why we never reached our hands to the spirits, because, we we're once a..-" We heard my reaper just sat barely conscious... I looked at him and to Miss Auburn and asks her, "what if.. this is the only way to solve this?" Her eyes widened, and looks at me in dismay "then Joie, it's over, anger will take over you, because you're very determined to look out for you're case, and also like what I said to you, we will turn you over to the Ministry of the Afterlife, this time it's either we exorcise you or just let you adrift alone in the netherworld, we'll be the one that's disposing you" she explains firmly.

I look at her, feeling more and more scared, of what I can do as a spirit, so there is also a scary side towards the reaper, and spirits... Reapers aren't just guide.. they will help you sure, but there's no second thought, and you'll feel another death.

We look at Reaper and I just let Miss Auburn help him to sit properly, since he was trying to recover, "He'll be alright... don't worry" she says, Reaper almost turn into ash, he's turning gray, like I was taking his own life, I look at my hand and it's trembling, because there's so much power I feel inside, it almost feels like, myself is a time ticking bomb... "I'm sorry for sucking you're life force, Reaper, so please wake up" as he was sitting almost unconsciously, and kneel beside him

"We will definitely solve this... and... it's scary for me because, I'm trying to re-watch or remember my own death." and Miss Auburn just looks at me.

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As soon as she touches her arm, the lifeline machine, started beeping like crazy, and everyone in the room panicked, so was her Mother. She rushed to push to emergency call button.

"Help, it's my daughter!! Her life... he..." then she started crying almost hugging her "Joie! Joie! my daughter! Please…. don't leave me…! We're always here for you remember that... please... not.. now... I'm begging you" It was her mom, who's been fighting like crazy for her child, but if it's her... does that mean Joie knows it too? but unconsciously? she walks pass through me, and stops... does... she.. know? we're here? she slowly looks at my direction, "Ma! Ma!" someone speaks, and good thing it was interfered by her, and who is she? She looks like Joie "Iji-chan! Please call the doctor, I've already clicked the emergency call button, please!" Iji? but she's none of my business "I'm going to look out for you're sister here, but go to the nurse's station please!!" Her mom says. Then I saw Joie, trembling and almost out of breath, I quickly call 0228 "Hey 0228! she's gonna die with the body! If her heart raced more faster, she's going to disappear and it'll be over for her!" 0228 almost got her "Hey 1224, she's stiffening, it's hard to release her!" I quickly grabbed her hand, and we pulled her by force, and as soon as I touched her hand.. it's cold "She's cold, I can feel it." I told 0228, and we released her, and saw her catching her breath "She needs more time!" she says "I know! but.. her aura.." I never saw her aura before it's almost clear as day, but it's suddenly turned into different colors "It's mixed!" I said, usually mixed aura is a sign of helplessness and fighting death, 0228 nods and talks to me "I witnessed it before... some lost spirits had it too, but it's not a pain in the ass" she says and we grabbed her, but 0228 instantly break free, because of the strong force, she almost fell "It's too strong, even it's mixed! She had these attacks before we made it here." I looked at her but Joie is too strong to be free, and when 0228 tries to hold her, "This is not good 1224, I can't hold her, I can't pass and hold her hand!" I was left alone and gave all my strength and grabbed her hand, this is not good, if I held her hand? she breaks free but her hand it stil cold.. and saw her gasping for air. "I.." she says "just breathe first!" I said she followed it and grabbed my hand, instantly she's trembling and her hand is still cold "I saw something…" when she starts explaining, I just felt cold and noticed her, then my forces was changing, she's too strong... hand in hand between a reaper and spirit is not good because there's a high chances that she will be... I was barely conscious almost felling asleep and this time, I almost felt so tired, I just remembered I was blacking out... and fading but.... something is odd.

Wait? What's this place? It's almost dark "I can't die her, I must report it…" I hear a woman's voice almost sounds like her? I walked at it and the voice is getting louder and louder "I'm weak.. he..l..p" It was her lying on the ground, fighting for her life, then I heard gunshot, "case close.." someone says but she held someone's hand "I'm weak… but my mind at least will feel happy, b.u..t you can...'t kill me, I'll definitely hu..nt-" and another gunshot happened, that's her final words... then a light appeared, almost the same as her memory stages, and saw her, sitting back in a dark room "You can't die in a place like this!" she looked at me, her face, is dirty and also her outfit... huh? and heard her crying. "Help me… please?" she reached out to me. "Please wake up." I heard her voice, and I'm back again in the room. "You're awake!" she looks happy but I looked at 0228 and must tell her this.

"Joie.. stay here, I'm taking 0228 out first" I said, she looked at me confusingly but she nodded

"You.. come with me" and we left the room, "I need you to report this to the boss quickly"

"Why? do you know that you almost turned into ashes?" She explains, I nodded "Yeah, whatever but..", "What?" she asks "Joie, held my hand right? and got my force drain but... this.. it's different.. I saw her moments before she dies" 0228 looks confuse and raise her eyebrows "that's not true we can't go way back there! because, Spirits and Reaper shouldn't be attached to one another! we are guides" What does she meant about attached? "1224... this is dangerous, we need to get her back, and let the higher ranks do this... this shouldn't be happening to you" She does make sense but... why do I feel that I need to help her I'm just a mere guide, "You're a Guider of Spirits, and you've done this plenty of times, this case... is too complicated and we must... report this to the higher ranks" she explains firmly, I looked at her, "Yes this case is different, but she got no clue, and her memory is all faded, let's not jump into conclusions right-" she halted me "1224! we're just a guides, and this the rule of the reapers, never ever get attached to a spirits! remember that!" She says and her eyes grew "Don't tell me you're attached to her?" Me? Attached to her? there's no way! "No! What I mean is, this case is unsolved right now, and I saw her in a dark room, all alone. Wanting to get out, and even heard her last words"

"You heard and you saw her? 1224? Are you even a reaper?" she asks vaguely "Because I got no clue had that encounters before, for a spirit guide." Was she gone missing? or captured?

"So right now head up and report this to the boss only! and I will try my best to solve this case" I pushed her shoulders back "and come back here again" but she stop "What if, it happens again? and she clearly said to me, what if holding her hand is the only way?" and faces me "You're risking her life here, she might turn to a malevolent spirit? think about it.."

"You're the guide of lost spirit right? so I'm counting on you, and report it to the boss first and come back here again" she scratches her head "You better know what you're doing 1224." then she disappeared.

The scroll is black, meaning hers is an unsolved case and it's strange because.. why are we the one who will solve this case?

What's his plan? Is this her judgement? and what was that encounter, hand in hand between a spirit and reaper is not good.

Joie Satoshi what's you're case.