When the Rain is Made of Teardrops

ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴀᴘᴇ.

"Aniki, she was able to touch me. It shouldn't happen. She should not be able to do that." He was panicking with what happened. He looked for her brother and asked for advice because he doesn't know what he can do if she will be able to touch him completely.

"Taiki, she doesn't know the rules between the human and spirit worlds. You know that you should not be showing yourself to her but you're not listening to me. Do you want to perish? Do you want your soul in purgatory instead? I don't want that, Taiki. You're precious to Ren and we all know that. I don't want her to be sadder because of your actions. She doesn't remember you. She doesn't know who you are. Let's keep it like that." He looked down when Sekai said those words. He was right. Everything he said was right. He should not break the rules of the human and spirit worlds.

"I.. just want her to know for the last time how much I love her." He mumbled and Sekai understood his intentions. If he can just help him to go back to his own body, he will do it. He is not a god who can just do anything for someone like him. There are always boundaries between them.

"All I can do for you is to give advice. Your love will not be able to bring you back alive anymore." Those were the words that kept him away from her. The reality is harsh, too harsh for him to endure it but he needs to accept it. If not, how will he be able to cross the river to go to the spirit world?

After the talk, he didn't show himself for a week. She was in the firing range when she received a message that the culprit took his life in the prison. She slowly put down the gun she was holding. She could feel her frustrations building up, especially when the lead to the mastermind was no longer alive. Who wanted to kill her? Why did they want to kill her? She felt someone behind her and he hugged her gently, holding both of her hands with the gun she used earlier and then, he guided her to hit the center of the target.

"I didn't know you're good at this." She said softly when they finished the whole magazine. He unloaded it and replaced the magazine with a new and loaded one and then, he gave the gun to her.

"I won second place during the national competition but now, I can't hold one because I'm still finishing my sanction." He said and she smiled before emptying the new magazine. She took off the head and eye gears and then, she left the place with him since they needed to go back to the headquarters.

"I'll show you the photo they took when they announced the winners. I know I still have it on my phone." He said when they went inside the car. He got his phone from his pocket and then, he showed her the photo. She raised a brow when she saw a familiar face.

"When was this competition?" She asked and he turned the engine on to drive. She zoomed the photo in and she was right. It was that man. She pursed her lips while staring at his face. It was him. It was Taiki. Kenta already saw Taiki before.

"2013. I still have the trophy and certificate they gave to me when I won second place. If I did better, I would have won first place." He kept his eyes on the road and it took them some minutes to arrive back to the headquarters. She gave his phone back and then, she rushed out of the car to get in front of the computer soon.

She searched for the competition and year and the names of the winners appeared on the screen. Sato Taiki. His name is Sato Taiki. He was the grand winner of the national firing competition held last 2013. She wrote down his police identity number and then, she went to the archive to look for his files. The moment she stepped in the archives, she saw him waiting for her. She was about to call him but he gestured to her to keep quiet. He cornered her to the dark part of the archive and covered her. They heard footsteps near the entrance and she just stared at him.

A few minutes had passed and they heard someone leaving the archive. He felt relieved after that. He made sure no one would see her. So, he brought her to the section where his files were located. She looked at every page but she couldn't find it. She also couldn't find the list of winners for the national firing competition. He just stared at her, wanting to hug her. She sat between the shelves and placed down the files on the floor. Whenever she discovers something about him, it would always disappear. Either destroyed or it doesn't really exist in the first place.

"Sato Taiki. That's your name, right? You're also a police officer, right? What did you do before? Why do you keep on following me? Why do you keep on showing yourself to me? Where is your body? Where are you sleeping?" She asked those questions to him but he just smiled. He reached for her cheeks and she shivered.

"Ren? Are you here?" They suddenly heard Kenta looking for her, so she stood up and immediately put the files back to the organizer. When he found her, she was just between the shelves and staring at nowhere.

"What happened? Did.. you see a ghost?" He asked and she smiled at him before shaking her head. He let out a sigh and reached for her hand. He held it gently and then, they went back to the office.

Later that night, they went out to drink. She felt a headache coming when she realized that he was already drunk. She hailed a cab and then, she gave his address to the driver. She couldn't leave him alone or else, he would sleep in the streets. She found a small apartment building and then, she asked the security guard on duty on which floor he lives. She asked for the security guard's help since she couldn't carry him. Then, the security guard left them alone when they arrived outside his apartment unit.

"Kenta, unlock this." She said while trying to open the door. She pressed various numbers until she looked for his birthday from the identification cards inside his wallet. She tried his birthday and the door finally unlocked. She rolled her eyes and opened the door, dragging him inside. She accidentally bumped into the stacked boxes at the side, so she groaned in frustration while putting the things back inside the boxes. She saw a broken walkman but when she opened it, there was a recording tape inside. She tried to play it but since it was broken, she didn't hear what the recording was all about.

"This guy." She mumbled while covering him with the blankets. She also placed a pillow under his head and then, she looked around his whole place. He doesn't have any photos with his parents. He never mentioned them though.

"Ren.." He murmured in his sleep and she rolled her eyes once again. She sat on the floor and brushed his hair to the side to see his sleeping face. A smile formed on her lips and she leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead.