Only Human

Psychic Detective Yakumo

Chapter One: Etched in Blood ~Hidden ~

Haruka Ozawa traced a shapeless line with her finger across the fog that had pressed itself against the interior of the car window, simply to pass the time of the seemingly endless and uncomfortably quiet drive. Despite the fact that the sun was still in the sky, the night's chill seemed to have seeped in a few hours ahead of schedule. Haruka was certainly starting to feel it and apparently it showed, hence the fog on the window. She was seated in the passenger side, currently being driven home on a Friday evening after classes by none other than Yakumo Saitou. Normally, Haruka would have insisted on taking the tram or walking home, like she usually did, but due to recent events, Yakumo took it upon himself to occasionally borrow his uncle's car and see that she arrived at her destination safely. Despite Haruka's persistent comments about how she was fully capable of taking care of herself, she almost always managed to wind up smack dab in the middle of trouble. Trouble that she had to be constantly pulled out of. She wasn't entirely helpless, though. She had saved Yakumo's life once after finding out where he was being kept against his will, so he felt that he owed her at least that much. He also didn't want to be plagued with seeing Haruka's spirit everywhere he went if something were to happen to her, though Yakumo would much rather eat a stack of needles than admit that, of course.

Haruka, being utterly clueless to Yakumo's inner musings, felt nearly suffocated by the stifling silence between the two of them. She was the type of person who filled the quiet with words, even if it was just meaningless chatter, just to keep from encountering this exact, uneasy silence that tended to drag on for what seemed like an eternity. Nothing had happened between the two of them of course, it was just Yakumo's nature to stay quiet when there was nothing to be said. Haruka didn't entirely believe this however, and was starting to believe it was because he didn't know how to express himself through words. It was just a hunch though, and she would never bring herself to say it aloud, especially to Yakumo himself.

She fidgeted softly, desperately wishing she had some kind of interesting topic to discuss with Yakumo just to get the conversation rolling, but she was drawing an annoying blank, which was common for her, according to Yakumo, who frequently enjoyed calling her an airhead. Her eyes involuntarily slid over to him as she thought this. The strikingly red iris of his left eye was currently concealed by a contact lens that matched the color of his "normal" eye, much to Haruka's disappointment. She hated that he hid it from view since she enjoyed looking at it. In her opinion, it was very beautiful, which Yakumo thought was crazy. Haruka also disliked how he loathed it so much, since it was a very unique part of him. As if he sensed her gaze, he shot her a scrutinizing glance out of the corners of his eyes.

"What is it that you find so interesting that you have to keep staring at?" Yakumo asked her in a matter-of-factly tone of voice after turning his attention back to the road.

Haruka stumbled for words for a moment, her nervous fidgeting only increasing. "Umm … well… Could I perhaps turn on this radio?" She asked just as she caught sight of it, dodging the question. It seemed like it was a perfect distraction, both from his question and the persisting silence.

Yakumo rolled his eyes, not bothering to look her way. "Do whatever you please. Just don't ask me how to work it, I've never used it before," he mumbled to her.

Pleased with the recent turn of events, Haruka obliged and turned it on, scanning for a station she liked. As she searched, she felt that she had the right to bring up conversation now. "What kind of music do you listen to, Yakumo-kun?" Haruka asked innocently. It wasn't really meaningless chatter, well, not to her anyways. Haruka always jumped at the chance to learn more about her withdrawn friend, since he never shared such information very willingly. She just hoped he would answer her seriously.

Yakumo sighed. "I guess there's no hiding from your annoying voice forever," he mumbled, not seeming to care if she heard him or not. "As for music, I don't have much time or the patience for it," he replied coolly, once again reverting back to silence.

Haruka shot him a childish glare before turning her attention back to the radio. "Well I for one love music," she informed him proudly.

"Yes, I know. You play that poor excuse of an instrument called a flute."

"Glad you remember," Haruka said sarcastically. "Ah, I love this song!" She exclaimed and fiddled with the volume, causing the upbeat tune to fill the cab of the car and began to subtly sing along to it, not caring what Yakumo thought about her singing voice one bit.

"…tanoshikena hototsu tonari no kimi watashi ha nani mo ienakute. Honto ha zutto kimi no koto wo dokoka de wakatteita. Mitsukatta tte todoki ha shinai dame day yo nakanaide sou iikikaseta…"

Yakumo groaned. "I think my ears are going to bleed," he complained, not bothering with being tactful.

Haruka found herself blushing slightly, not because of his snide comment, which she was used to and often ignored, but because she suddenly listened to the words she sang and took in their meaning. She immediately stopped and turned to look out the window, hoping fervently that Yakumo wouldn't notice. Haruka didn't really think of herself as a shy person, but lately she was starting to notice the way her body reacted whenever she was near Yakumo. Despite his rude and uncaring nature, Haruka couldn't deny that she was starting to feel something for him. Even though he was rude and verbally abusive to her whenever in his presence, he never hesitated to help her. Most notably, the time when she was thrown over a bridge to drown in an icy, dark river and Yakumo caught her hand, even proceeding to jump in after her after he lost his grip without hesitation.

Because of this, Haruka often pondered if there was something going on between the two of them that she couldn't put into words; that maybe there was a part of him that possibly felt the same way. Usually, those thoughts ended with her concluding that she had imagined it all; they were just friends, nothing more. Still, these thoughts lingered at the back of her mind, constantly butting their ugly heads into her conscious train of thought whenever they pleased.

The car pulled to a stop, subsequently pulling Haruka out of her reverie. She looked toward Yakumo, about to question why they had stopped when she noticed that they had arrived at her apartment complex. She opened the passenger door and got out, idly wondering if he would show her to her door. He suggested nothing of the sort and Haruka bade him goodnight after thanking him for the ride, to which he merely nodded before turning around and driving off.

Haruka sighed and returned to her apartment once the car was out of sight.

-x

Yakumo pulled into a local gas station, needing to replenish his uncle's gas as thanks before he gave the car back to him. Just as he turned off the ignition, he noticed a bundle of sea-green colored fabric in a heap in the passenger's seat: Haruka's scarf. That airhead, Yakumo thought with a grumble.

Yakumo had just finished refilling his uncle's gas tank with a fresh gallon of gas when his cell phone buzzed inside of his pants pocket, alerting him of an incoming call. Before he pulled it out of his pocket, he wondered if it was Haruka, calling to bug him about the scarf she annoyingly left behind. He checked the caller ID, and it was Gotou, the lazy detective that had a knack for pestering Yakumo with a case that required his "spiritual" powers.

He answered after sighing to himself. "What is it that you want this time?"

"Oi, Yakumo, you'd better head down here. There's something I think you need to see."

Slightly surprised at Gotou's sudden seriousness, Yakumo obliged without any further question. Gotou being serious and even slightly worried was never a good sign. After hanging up, he dialed his uncle and informed him that he will need his car for a bit longer, promising to refill it with gas afterward. Yakumo once again headed off, this time driving toward the police station without another moment's hesitation.

Within the next half an hour, he reached the station and was greeted by Gotou's grave and impatient expression. He gestured for Yakumo to follow him to his office.

"If it wasn't urgent, I would have waited until morning," Gotou said as soon as Yakumo was seated in front of one of the tables inside. He strode over to the large television and turned it on, pressing play on the remote control. Yakumo watched the footage carefully as soon as it started rolling, examining everything in careful detail.

It was surveillance footage and in very poor quality; the date in the bottom corner informed him that it was shot about a week prior. The fact that it had recorded a rather dark area didn't help matters much. The dim street light barely managed to illuminate what appeared to be the side of a liquor store. Seconds later, the silhouette of a young woman came into view. Her face was partially obscured by the darkness, but Yakumo could tell that she was of medium stature, had dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail and was most likely around Yakumo's age, give or take a year or two. She looked around nervously before kneeling down and lighting a large candle which she had produced from her rather baggy coat. The girl stayed with her back to the camera for a few moments until Yakumo noticed a distortion of movement to the girl's right.

Yakumo narrowed his eyes. "Pause it," he ordered, leaning closer to the television screen. Sure enough, a ghost stood next to the girl, peering down at her.

"What do you see?" Gotou asked curiously, obviously unable to see what Yakumo could.

"There's a ghost standing next to her. She appears to be watching her," Yakumo pointed out. "Resume it, please."

As the footage rolled again, the girl jumped back in surprise, looking directly at where the ghost stood.

Hmm …, Yakumo mused to himself. I wonder if she can see it as well.

The ghost extended it's hand toward the girl and Yakumo deducted that the ghost was female, due to the slenderness of her fingers. The girl stood uneasily and the ghost disappeared in a flash. The girl's head snapped backward just before she slumped to the ground and writhed contortedly, her mouth agape with screams that couldn't be heard through the tape. Finally, her movements ceased and Yakumo's eyes flickered toward the timer.

"She stays like that for a good ten minutes," Gotou said as if he guessed Yakumo's thoughts. Yakumo took the remote from him and began to fast forward. As he did so, he wondered what could be so important about this tape that required his immediate attention. It was obvious that the girl had been possessed by the spirit, but what else could –

Yakumo pushed play just as he spotted movement from the girl. Her torso arched as she began to rise. She removed something long and slender from her coat pocket and drove it across her palm. A knife, Yakumo assumed. She proceeded to use her fingertips as a paintbrush to write something on the wall with her own blood. Gotou pressed pause once again and zoomed inward for a closer look.

There, written in blood, was Yakumo's name. An icy pit developed in the bottom of his stomach and with a slightly shaking hand, he pressed the play button himself. The girl turned away from the wall and looked directly at the camera. With the knife she just used to slice open her palm, she placed the tip underneath her left eye and slid it downward, creating a small gash that was suddenly all too hauntingly familiar to Yakumo. A pointedly sick smile resided on her face just before she vanished, leaving only the sinister image of Yakumo's name in blood in her wake. The screen went black.

A long moment of silence passed between them before Gotou gained the courage to speak. "Does it mean anything to you, Yakumo-kun?"

"Unfortunately, yes…"

-x

"Yakumo-kun!" Haruka screamed as she shot upward in bed, her eyes wide. She exhaled deeply and touched her palm to her sweaty forehead. Another stupid nightmare, Haruka thought to herself, even though the image of Yakumo being tied unconscious to a chair in a freezing room was still freshly etched in her mind. These particular nightmares had been recurrent every night for Haruka ever since she found Yakumo very close to death after being held hostage by Miyuki Nanase, the crazed serial killer who slaughtered her own family. That night seemed as if it had happened just a day ago, instead of a mere two weeks. Nanase was still at large after she created a diversion to aid in her escape, created havoc among every police officer within twenty miles of the city. Haruka feared for Yakumo's safety as well as her own since she planned on killing Haruka to "break" Yakumo. Not to mention the fact that Yakumo's ever mysterious father was somehow involved in this.

Haruka lay back down and rubbed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to her again, even though Haruka had no desire to revisit another nightmare like the one she just experienced. Unfortunately, Haruka was unable to capture even another moment of sleep that night, out of pure adrenaline of icy fear. As she lay in bed and stared at her ceiling, she wondered if Yakumo was sleeping at this very moment … and if he wasn't, was he thinking about her? Idly, Haruka lightly pinched the pendant Yakumo had asked her to hold on to. It belonged to his late mother, and it matched his red eye almost perfectly. She always found herself touching it when she thought of something involving him.

Ah, my scarf! Haruka suddenly realized that she left the green scarf of her mother's in Yakumo's car. She resisted the urge to slap her forehead at her own idiocy or, as Yakumo would call it, her "air-headedness". She sighed and placed her arms over her eyes, thinking that if nothing else, she could use it as an excuse to visit him.

Morning seemed to take longer than an eternity to arrive and as soon as the rosy fingers of dawn crept through her blinds, Haruka shot up out of bed, more eager than ever to see Yakumo than normal. She hurriedly pulled on her outfit and gazed at herself in her mirror, righting any misshapen hairs around her face. Suddenly, she detected movement and saw the eerily distorted face of a woman take form within her mirror. Haruka blinked, but as soon as she did, it was gone. She shook her head. I'm just delusional from the lack of sleep. I'm hallucinating now, she chided herself and hurriedly left her apartment after firmly locking the door behind her.

Haruka arrived at the university after just barely catching the 6 AM train. It was little after 6:30 and she hesitated, unsure if she should wake Yakumo up this early in the morning. Nonetheless, she swallowed these thoughts, reasoning that it was good to wake up early every now and then.

She knocked lightly twice on his door before trying the handle. It was locked, but she wasn't deterred. She still had the spare key he had given her and she opened the door without hesitation.

"Yakumo-kun, good morning, Sorry if I-"

Haruka looked around. Yakumo wasn't anywhere to be seen. She sighed to herself, feeling more disappointed than she should have been. She settled on his couch, determined to wait for his return. Just then, Haruka spotted her sea-green scarf carefully folded on the table in front of her. A pang of graciousness welled inside of her as she picked it up. As she always did upon feeling the soft cashmere, she pressed her face into it, only to notice that it had been recently washed.

Folded and washed…? Was this Yakumo's doing? She was quite startled to think that Yakumo would to go that far simply for her scarf.

Haruka curled her legs to her chest and rested her head back against the couch, feeling the sleepless night catching up with her. Before she could do anything about it, sleep crept up and claimed her.

-x

Yakumo returned to his dorm only find a very much asleep Haruka on his couch with her mouth open slightly, oblivious to the world. He sighed to himself.

"Freeloader as well as an airhead, huh?" He mumbled silently to himself. "Hey, freeloader, wake up. This isn't a hotel, go crash somewhere else," he called loudly. Startled, Haruka fell off the couch and crashed nosily onto the floor. She righted herself within seconds and nervously stumbled over her words.

"Ya-Ya-Yakumo-kun! You're back! I mean, I didn't mean to – I guess I fell asleep! What time is it?" He merely stared at her with one single eyebrow nonchalantly raised at her.

She piped in with a nervous laugh as she regarded her cell phone for the time. 7:45 AM.

"You're drooling, by the way," Yakumo noted, not moving from the spot.

She gasped and fervently wiped at her mouth before turning her eyes back on him. "Liar, I do not drool!" She exclaimed.

"Then why bother checking?" He said barely above a whisper as he turned away from her, heading toward his closet.

Haruka sensed that he was teasing her, yet she sensed there was something off about his voice.

"Yakumo-kun, did something happen?" She asked, all playfulness forgotten. He didn't turn around.

"Woman's intuition again?" Yes, there was definitely something off about the way he spoke.

She took a small, unsure step toward him, slightly worried as to what was bothering him. "You just seem…" She trailed off, unable to put her gut feeling into words.

Without a second glance at her, he pulled off his wrinkled shirt and shrugged into a new one just as quickly. Haruka didn't even have the chance to blush. She did, however, notice the very slight shake in his hands as he put the buttons in their place.

"Yakumo, just tell me. I can tell there's something-"

He cut her off before she could continue. "I can only speak with spirits, not help them. I never have been able to do anything more than that, nor will I ever be," he said, looking directly in her eyes. Haruka swallowed hard.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly as I said," he snapped, and then flinched to himself, as if he regretted his tone. He peeked at her out of the corners of his eyes again. "I have to leave again. I'll walk you back to your apartment." Haruka noticed dark circles under his eyes and that his face was paler than usual. Just like her, he appeared to have missed out on a night's sleep.

Haruka already knew she wouldn't get anything more out of him, so she didn't bother asking anything else. "N-no, it's fine. You need to get your rest. I can walk myself back." She gave him a sincere smile and left without another word and didn't return. After standing in silence for a few moments, Yakumo strode over to his window and looked out, sensing a spirit.

A woman stood directly across the street, gazing at the ground in silence. A small smile crept over her face as she slowly lifted her head to face to him, revealing a bloody scab just under her left eye. A large semi truck passed in front of her. As soon as it passed, she was gone.

-x

A/N: The song Haruka sings along to is Kimo no Shiranai Monogatari by Supercell. The part she sings is roughly translated to: "As I stood next to you, who was enjoying himself, I stood there unable to say anything. The truth is, I somehow understood my feelings for you. I found it, but they won't reach you. This is no good, don't cry, I told myself." Does this help explain why she was embarrassed?

This story takes place somewhere after episode 10 of the anime.

I don't intend for this story to be very long. Four chapters at most. Anyway, I hope you like it! Please leave me a review telling me what you think! :)

~Moon

-x