Chasing in the Dark | Shadow of Darkness | One Shot

One Shot

The rain dripped from the umbrella onto Hiroto's clothes. He wondered if he should just leave the damn thing behind because clearly, it wasn't doing its job well. Besides, it slowed him down in the wind. 

"Didn't Tokiko say that her house was close as long as I followed the path...?" Hiroto asked himself as he looked around at the houses that were now asleep.

However, Hiroto had been walking for nearly an hour and he never reached Tokiko's house. He thought of turning around and going back home, but he had come far and he needed to see her...it was too important. 

Hiroto turned the corner and continued to follow the path that Tokiko sent him on. The wind blew softly, and there was a crispness in the air that Hiroto had never felt before. 

He looked up at the sky and saw a dozen stars twinkling brightly alongside a beautiful and bright full moon. 

"I wonder if Tokiko looked at the moon tonight..." He smiled to himself and looked down when just then, he noticed something.

He frowned a little and paused in his tracks. He saw a shadow of an individual a few feet away from him. 

"There's someone there! That's great," Hiroto approached the individual, "Maybe they can give me directions to the Sushi bar that Tokiko said was near her house. At least I'd be getting closer that way..." 

As Hiroto turned the corner, continuing to follow the path that Tokiko sent him on, he saw something.

Was that a person? It definitely looked like a man. 

"Good! Maybe they can give me directions to the sushi bar that Tokiko said was near her house. At least I'd be getting closer that way..."

As Hiroto got closer, he called out to the man, "Excuse me! Good evening! Can you please help me?"

However, the man didn't stop. He ignored Hiroto and turned another corner--his shadow following suit.

"That's...strange," Hiroto breathed softly, "Didn't he hear me or did he ignore me?"

Hiroto looked around but there was no one else in sight. And the rain wasn't planning on stopping either. Hiroto decided to quicken his pace and follow the man as he was the only one around who could help him at this time. Hiroto ran behind the man as fast as he could and tried to keep the shadow in his sight.

"Hey! Hey, stop! I need directions to the Kiyota Hanare Sushi Bar! Please!"

The man continued to move without stopping. Perhaps, he was hard of hearing? or completely dead? 

"That would be just my luck. My sign language doesn't go further than 'Thank you' and 'I don't speak sign language.'"

Hiroto continued to run, but the wind once more caught his umbrella. He had to come to a sudden halt and with slight annoyance, dropped his umbrella. He couldn't lose the shadow as time was ticking, and Tokiko was waiting for Hiroto eagerly. 

"Excuse me!" Hiroto called out loudly this time, hoping the man would listen and stop.

But as odd as it may sound, Hiroto noticed that the man would always match his pace perfectly, without faltering its steps even once. It was almost... gliding. As they turned yet another corner, Hiroto wondered whether he'd even be able to find the path again if he stopped running. 

Hiroto shook his head--shaking off the impatience and put on his determined look before continuing to follow the shadow that was so close yet so far away...

"How is this person always just out of reach? I can't even see them; they keep turning and leaving me with nothing to see but a... shadow..." Hiroto panted. He was now as wet as a cat who had been bathed. "I haven't seen anything but this person's shadow for the last 3 minutes!"