Phantom Recall

26 || wolf in sheep's clothing

The subtle whistling of the wind diminishes into nothingness in such a short period of time; granted, however, climbing those steps feels more akin to the grueling stairwell of a tower than what it actually is. And it's fitting. The black smoke in the distance clears a little more with each instance of lifting my foot, the noise in my head dulling, all to allow my senses to properly adjust to the scene it knows I'm about to witness.

Yet I cannot fully process it.

From the top of the staircase, my eyes soak up the sight of him without hesitation — a familiar man clad in a dark uniform, kneeling on the ground as he lay a checkered blanket on the soft grass. A woven basket sits beside him, and I soon watch him pull from it an intricate teapot with tender care. Then he looks up.

Skull. He looks the same, too, aside from the fact his hair is pulled back into a short ponytail. But he is just as unmistakable even from a distance.

I have to remind myself he's only a phantom echo. At least in this instance. Seizing up in fear would do me no good.

"Will, are you sure you don't want to go find Hitsuji first?" Wisp asks, tapping my arm to get my attention, but I shake my head. Noir continues to walk towards Skull so I do the same.

The man in question rises to his feet and a smile graces his lips. A pure expression of joy. Almost eerily pure.

"I thought you'd forgotten me," Skull greets, arms outstretched. He beckons Noir with his hands as the boy grows closer. "I was just about to go look for you, you know. Come here."

My eyebrows twist in horror as Noir opens his own arms to accept the embrace. It lasts a good few seconds. More so on Skull's part, but even the younger boy noticeably tightens his hold around the man's torso, signifying the gesture isn't of any discomfort.

Skull pulls back and brushes the dirt from Noir's shoulders. "You didn't have trouble finding your way back, did you?" He asks. "Seemed like you were gone a bit longer than expected. And your face, I know you cannot lose weight but you look thinner somehow..."

Noir's eyes dart around for a while before he finally opens his mouth. "Jap—..." His jaw clenches and unclenches. "...Japanese, please..."

With those two words alone I can hear how much thicker his accent is — or, was, I should say. From however long ago this scene may have taken place. It must have been a while. His accent is virtually nonexistent now.

Skull breathes a gentle laugh, then extends a hand to flick off something stuck to Noir's coat. "Oh, no, no," he says, shaking his head. "You said you were serious about wanting to learn English, so we speak English, okay? I know you understand it pretty well, and besides, this is the best way to learn. You're doing well, Tetsuya. Ganbarou."

A little fissure forms in my brain. Something shattered. I'm sure of it. As the images of Skull and Noir before me waver like TV static, I feel Wisp shift uncomfortably in my arms. She's trying to get my attention again. I swallow my breath.

"...what...what am I looking at...?"

"Hitsuji's memory," Wisp replies. Her voice has grown so low and heavy now — she doesn't try to pull me away from the scene, but it's obvious she doesn't want to stay, either. And I can't blame her. She offered to help me out of here in the first place. But this isn't something I can turn a blind eye to.

"Hitsuji." I repeat the name and roll my shoulders, just to reassure myself I haven't frozen in place. "But it's...it's Noir, right? That's my Noir, not some alternative universe bull crap, right?"

"He did not tell you? Tetsuya is his birth name," Wisp explains. She reaches up to pat my cheek. It's enough to draw from me a glance but no more. "Oh, please don't make that face, Will, it's just a name. And this was many years ago."