Aberration

Chapter 14: The Phantom Shiki

The long day had finally come to an end and a new one had come just as quickly. Ami snored softly into her pillow, a spill of drool puddling just below her open mouth. She must have been in a deep, restful sleep so dark not even the young man by her bedside could stir her awake. "You weren't joking when you said you could sleep like a log... you sleep like a damn corpse." He grumbled. Standing up, he quickly typed a text and sent it to her phone about where he'd be going. Though jogging every morning was one of his habits, he still thought it made sense to inform her that he'd be leaving.

-Arash ran along his usual route, Yukimura laudably keeping pace behind him. Arash was minimalistic when exercising as a rule of thumb, a pair of shorts and an athletic shirt was all he needed. As for the exasperating Yukimura, another short-sleeve hoodie. This hoodie was black and fitted closer to his body, recommended by Arash. Arash tilted his gaze, looking behind him to see Yukimura's beet red face, gasps of air turning into wheezing pleads. "Break time." He announced. "I'm glad..." Yukimura responded. The scarce park was filled with skinny trees, reaching out like yearning children to the sunlight. There weren't any people around but squirrels, birds, and other small critters moved in the undergrowth. "This isn't your usual jogging route." Yukimura pointed out as the two sat along a hill overlooking a large lake. His petite face was drenched in sweat, glistening along his pale skin and catching in his hair like drops of dew. Arash raised his hand and hovered it atop Yukimura's head.

Just then, in even patterns, a cool breeze passed through his hair and down his body. "My own portable AC." He sighed in content, falling onto his back with a smile on his face, the cold breeze still coming in from Arash's palm. "Don't you need some too? You must be hot..."
-"It's only 96° today."
-"Only...? It must be nice to have heat resistance. Shaltish Racial Skills are really beneficial in this humid country." His chest heaved and lowered, the twinkles of light rolling along his exposed neck and collar bone. "It's the opposite of humid in Shalam. It's a desert, so rain is pretty scarce. The closest thing we have to a lake would be the endless sea of sand. I remember my mother mentioned that our Racial Skill works best in dry heat, but humid air and boiling water don't really affect me much," he shrugged, "Probably because I'm half-and-half." Yukimura stretched himself out, the grassy field rustling with the natural incoming breeze. He slid his eyes towards the young man sitting beside him. "Are you okay, Arash?" He asked. "Yeah, I'm good."
-"Your roommate has been keeping you up again, hasn't she?"
-"Not directly." Arash explicitly dismissed Yukimura, but he endeavored to get to the root. So he sat up and began to stroke his hair. "I heard a certain someone had to pick up Ami."
-"...Why the hell are you talking to Jade?"
-"I'm not. But you did just confirm it for me." He chuckled nervously. Arash glared at him, but immediately stopped caring. "Ami's weird."
-"Oh is she?"
-"Hey. You want some water?"
-"Change the subject. Same as usual. Arash, when are you gonna start being honest with me?" Yukimura slipped his hand into his pocket and began to type along his phone. "Really relaxing, huh?"
-"Officers are technically always on the clock, right? I like to think Investigators are too." He leaned back, taking a glance at Yukimura's screen: "Oh. You're seriously watching the news? You know they don't cover the supernatural, right? The government doesn't like to cause any unnecessary hysteria in people who aren't Mediums."
-"Whatever you say, grandpa." He giggled, rolling on his side. "Jeez..."
-"What's up?"
-"The mob is getting out of hand. Apparently there's been a huge increase of Spiders... or more like a bunch of spiders have finally been revealed but the boss is still being debated upon. Oh! Arash!" Yukimura sputtered to life, pushing his phone into Arash's face. "...Look at this."

"A meteorite crashed into Kagami forest yesterday afternoon..." Arash grabbed Yukimura's phone without a second thought. It was as if everything else in the world had stopped existing. He couldn't even hear Yukimura's voice any longer. The birds, the rustling grass: they didn't exist. Even with skin like chocolate, he was pale. "A mile? A mile of the entire Goddamn forest was destroyed?! Bullshit! If it were a 'meteorite', Inari would have stopped it! Sis could have-" he bit his tongue, covering his chest. "Lady... Kagami... could have stopped it."
-"Are you worried about your sister? I'm sure she's fin-"
-"Someone tried to hurt Shiho and Kimi. It's not like my sister and cousin are pushovers either. I've never seen anyone even scratch her." Arash's finger was between his lips, the nail nearly snapping between his teeth. "Arash. The news didn't say anyone was hurt. It's okay."
-"Of course they're not gonna announce that one of the Goddamn founding families' heads got hurt. Some prick tried to hurt my family, not just some punk trying to steal from her... There's no cellphone reception all the way out there and it's at least three and a half hours by motorbike." Yukimura grabbed his shoulder, "If you need to... I can cover for you."
-"I... I... okay... No, Yuki. Thank you, but I've got a responsibility towards you as my partner and I still need to look after Ami. I can't leave you alone to do my job." Though he grumbled his words, Arash meant every bit of it. It was impossible to shake a feeling of concern for someone close. That went for any human, but for a Sensor, anxiety can easily be misinterpreted as a premonition. {Lady Kagami is a big girl... I'm sure she's fine. She also has Inari with her and Kimi in case she gets hurt. But what could make a crater that big that Inari didn't pick up on before the impact?} His brain bubbled like a fizzy drink, so he clasped it as if to contain the content. "Okay."
-"You've got a plan?"
-"I'm gonna go down to the station and leave a statement. If it's possible, I want to send a group to guard her."
-"That's not gonna fly..."
-"I know! So I'll send myself!"
-"And who else? Aren't you weaker than everyone at the temple?"
-"Tch... that doesn't matter, asshole. I'm still gonna try to do something."
-"Then I'll go with you, okay?" Yukimura resolved, standing up and dusting himself off. "Come on. We still haven't finished our jog yet, right?"
-"Gimme your hand. I'm gonna fly instead."