Shoji Akuma

Chapter Two

"Rento!!"

The boy turned around, his brown hair falling in front of his face. It was after school. Rento was heading home, but Kaiya finally found the chance to talk to him. "Ah, if it isn't Kaiya 'unbeliever' Akiyama!"

"Damare! I came here for an explanation, not your sarcasm!"

"Oh? Well that isn't fun," her friend teased her. "...fine, fine, I'll listen." Rento put down his book.

"...what are you reading?"

"Nothing important. I'm just trying to get used to reading in English. I find their 'comic books' strange...now, what do you demand an explanation to?"

"Your Shoji Akuma nonsense is apparently a one hundred year old story used to scare little children to not stay out past midnight. What makes you think you can spook me with this old fairy tale?"

Her friend just laughed. "So you did your research?"

"Yes. Jeez, you love to bother me, don't ya?"

"That's what friends are for!" Rento laughed again. "Besides, Kaiya, you let people get to you too much."

"Oh, so this was a test or something?"

"Yeah, to see how stubborn you are! Ha ha ha!!"

Kaiya punched him in the arm.

"O- ow!"

"Jāku!!" She yelled at him.

"Calm down, Kaiya...jeez..."

Kaiya rolled her eyes.

"...but..."

She tilted her head. "But?"

"That doesn't mean it's not true."

"Rentooooooo..."

He laughed.

"You seriously can't get me to believe this."

"I can try, can't I?" Rento gave a wink that was practically begging for him to get punched.

"Oh, you annoying..." Kaiya had her fists clenched, before sighing, looking away from him. "If you keep bothering me, Rento, I swear...

...what, no obnoxious response?

...Rento?" Kaiya looked next to her. Her friend wasn't there She looked behind her. Rento was looking at something in between two houses. "...Rento?" She started walking over to him. As she got closer, she noticed his scared expression. He was actually shaking...this made her hesitant. "R- Rento...?" She was right in front of him. "What is it?" She turned to look at what he was staring at.

She couldn't see exactly what it was. She took a few steps closer.

"K- Kaiya!!!" Rento called out, his voice shaking.

She turned around.

She stepped in something. Rento's face paled as he looked at her shoe. She brought her shoe back into the daylight so she could see. A crimson red was staining her school
shoes.

Blood.

Kaiya's face paled as she stared at her shoe, then she looked up from her shoe. Blood was slowly trickling down from the side of the building and onto the side walk.
Kaiya screamed in horror, eyes full of fear.

"Now, Miss Akiyama, we just need you to answer a few questions."

Kaiya and Rento were brought in for questioning, each at different times. Kaiya nodded, looking up at the police officer, intimidated.
The officer's eyes seemed to soften. "Listen, we don't think you were the reason this incident happened. We just want to know what you were doing and what you saw."
"...I..." Kaiya pushed her curly, amber red hair out of her face. Everything was like a blur.
"Please, Miss Akiyama. We just want to help."
"...me and my friend, Rento, were walking home from school...he was trying to scare me, with an old children's horror story. After a bit, I noticed that he wasn't next to me. I- I looked around to see him further behind me. I walked over to him. He s- seemed scared. When I looked over at what he was staring at, I couldn't see, because it was too dark in between the two houses...I took a step forwards to see what it was, and Rento called my name. I looked over at him, b- but I...stepped in something..."
"Blood," the officer checked. She hesitantly nodded. "So that explains the bloody footprints," he muttered to himself. "Did you see anything else?"
"No...I was too afraid to look back..."
The officer nods, taking notes. "Thank you so much for your cooperation. But, I just have one more question. What was your friend, Rento, talking about, exactly?"
"Um...I think it's called...Shoji Akuma..."
"Shoji Akuma...?" The officer repeated. He wrote it down on his note pad. Kaiya took a closer look at the man. He had messy, light brown hair peaking out from under his hat. He was, maybe thirty years of age. He was wearing black pants, and a blue uniform.
The officer looked back up at her. "Miss Akiyama, have you heard of this Shoji Akuma before?"
"N- no, Rento told me just yesterday..."
"Hm..." He just nodded without saying anything this time.

"Miss, you do know what Shoji Akuma means in English, right?"

"N- not really..."

"It means Possession Devil, or Demon."

Kaiya's eyes widened with horror.

"Shoji Akuma, like it's name says, takes over the body of any victim, but only at night time. At first, it will try to act like the person. Then, it hides their body away, taking the soul of the body and leaving the lifeless corpse."

Could Rento...no! Something like that can't be true!!!

"U- um, sir, Shoji Akuma is just a story, right?"

"..." The officer looked down.

"S- sir...??"

"Miss Akiyama, if I show you this, you can't show anyone, or speak of this."
Kaiya just nodded.
The officer took a photograph out of his pocket and showed it to Kaiya.
Her eyes widened with horror.
(Chapter picture artist can be found https://flauschiart.deviantart.com/ or as +Flauschiarts on Google + )