Philiophobia

Chapter 1

Allister wiped his tear stained face, bleeding and weak. It didn't work. He couldn't save her. She couldn't stay with him. He had sacrificed so much for this.. the things he had done, the sacrifices he made, it made him shudder to think about it. And to think it didn't work. He couldn't save his only loved one. "I guess some of the people were right" He thought. "I am a failure." He looked over at Isabella, who was out of breath. He simply couldn't do anything about what had happened. He had let her die.

***

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!" Itoko couldn't believe the seemingly young girl's words.

"I want you to deal punishment and rewards to spirits." Hanako said evenly.

"H-How?! I'm 15- I only died like, 3-5 years ago! There's no way I'm fit for-"

"Itoko."

"Whaaaat." He was practically whining now.

"Well first of all you sound like a small child, secondly, you're one of the most fair and sympathetic people here." Hanako said, grabbing her belongings.

"You're going to the far shore! I won't be able to contact you at all!! Inokiiii whyyyyyyyy."

"Because you can't tell me what to do, and I can. Now, you get your things, I'm sending you to the human world."

"Itsuki! Please! Can you not-"

Hanako sighed frustratedly. "Just go. If you don't like it I can rethink my decision. But you have almost total freedom. You can interact with humans, you can save everyone you see fit, you can do good, I thought you wanted that."

"Ughhhh, fine."

"Alrighty then! Bye Itokoooo!!" Hanako said, waving her arms.

Hanako quickly blinked out of existence, and Itoko found himself falling headfirst into a tree.

"She did that on purpose." He muttered to himself.

"Hello? Is there someone there? I heard a noise." A soft, fragile sounding voice said from somewhere. Soon, the owner came close. It was a shorter skinny boy with fluffy blackish purple hair and pale skin. He walked up to the tree and saw Itoko.

"Oh dear.. how did you get up there?" He asked.

"I- You don't want to know."

The boy was quiet for a second.

"Yeah, I probably d-don't wanna know how you suddenly appeared in my tree."

"Your tree?"

"Oh, this is my garden. Do you want some help getting down?" He said, holding up a hand. 

It didn't really offer much help as he was standing on his toes and still fell a few feet short of where he could easily grab his hand, and it wasn't much consolation that he looked about as muscular as a piece of cardboard would.

"Thanks." Itoko reached down to grab his hand, but ended up losing his balance and falling onto the boy.

"Sorry!" Itoko said, as he helped him up.

The boy looked astounded and fearful at the same time.

"Y-you're not h-human, a-are you..?" He was slowly backing away, his eyes filled with fear.

Itoko did a double take.

"No, I'm not... I'm  a ghost."

"Y-you aren't going t-to hurt me or anyone, r-right?"

"No, I'm here to deal justice to spirits still in the human world, I'm not exactly even allowed to hurt humans without reason, I'd either die permanently and my spirit would dissipate or I'd go to hell, and I'm not exactly excited to find out what happens if I do."