Ghost 3

Chapter 12~ The Tearless Cry Today

The chapter title explains it all. I hope I make you guys sad ^u^ This is NOT the last chapter by the way. Now to begin~ Read, comment, vote, and enjoy! -@otaku_reads_01

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My gaze shifted to Katsu. My future is in the hands of an idiot; but he's an idiot who created a death game, and the same idiot who's my best (and only) friend.

Katsu remained silent with a glare on his face while Nori stood with a sinister smirk. I could only wait for a response, but it didn't come. They acted as if I wasn't there, ignoring me entirely.

Only at that moment did I notice that we were no longer under Katsu's delusion. We were back in reality, where the fog swarmed the forest and the ground was covered in moist mud.

"Tsk. Owww," I grumbled. I winced a little as the pain from my twisted ankle and stabbed palm gradually came back.

Aggravated and out of nowhere, I shouted, "Don't I get a say in this? I own my life. I choose my fate."

Nori just scoffed at me, which stung because my life was on the line at the moment. He was the kind of person who would vigorously shake the line to see how long my life would hang on.

"I thought you trusted him, Mizuki," Nori said as he smiled at me. "If you trust him, then let him choose." He gestured towards Katsu. What are his intentions?

Katsu stared blankly at the ground. I could tell by his aura that his mind was flooded with thoughts. Nori and I just watched him. He looked like a statue of a hanging boy without a rope.

Whatever he chooses... It decides whether I get to go home or not, whether I get to live or not, and whether I get to be human or not.

After all I've seen and been through, I honestly wanted to give up. I wanted to live among the ghosts just to see Avi and Kameyo again. I'm human. It was only natural of me to think of such things, like giving up.

Anyways, I had nothing to lose. The scariest thing to face is a person who has nothing to lose; only something to gain. I was that person. Suddenly, all the anxiety building up inside of me toppled over and flew away.

"I should just die, right? Hehehe," I chuckled softly.

Katsu began to say something, but I cut him off. "Possess me, Katsu. Make me the new Ghost 3."

He didn't budge. Desperately, I sprinted over to him, reaching a hand out. Before my fingertips could touch him, he disappeared. I came to a halt and turned around to see two Katsu's standing hip to hip next to each other. Both of them reached a hand out towards me simultaneously and widened their faces into oversized smiles.

In unison, the Katsu's announced, "Only if you pass our test. You have to shake hands with the real Katsu. Once you make contact with him, you will become possessed as you wish. Pick the wrong one- and Katsu will punish himself!" Their voices were so sarcastically cheery, it disgusted me.

Both my life and Katsu's depended on a 50-50 chance.

I observed the left Katsu, then the right one. There wasn't even the slightest difference between the two. They could've been mirror images for all I knew. I strained my eyes, trying to pick up any signs, but Katsu wasn't that nice. He knew, and I knew, that this was a fair game to choose our fates.

I simply closed my eyes and went with my instinct. I took a deep breath and swerved my hand to the right, shaking the Katsu's hand. My hand trembled as I felt the cold skin of its hand.

"WRONG!" The two Katsu's laughed at me. I stumbled back in fear. What's to be of Katsu now? In an instant, the thought of rules dissolved and I grabbed the other Katsu's hand. I just wanted to see the kids again. However, to my surprise, it was ice cold. Another fake.

"Sorry," his voice mumbled from behind me. I spun around to stare wide-eyed at Katsu. "I can't let you give up your life. Sorry I had to deceive you, but it's for your own good. This is from me to you. Happy birthday, Mizu." He attempted to put on a smile for me.

He strolled over to the camera I had dropped before. I tried to run after him, but my legs couldn't cope with the pain throbbing in my ankle. Blood combined with the mud around my feet; red ran down my fingers. I kept on telling myself to ignore my feelings, but my feelings demanded to be felt.

He plucked he camera from the ground and stared at it for a while, looking a bit defeated. Then, he lifted the camera towards me and raised the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"I know I have to die completely, in order for you to live," Katsu began. "But at least I get to die for a purpose."

And at that moment, I saw a sight I thought I'd never see. The tearless Katsu that giggled, and pranked, and smiled 24/7... began to cry.

He sobbed and attempted to wipe away the tears, even though they kept on falling. He managed to let out a few words through his quivering lips, "Gosh, Mizu. It feels terrible to cry. I don't like it; it just hurts." He sniffled. "Just take it already." He tossed the camera at me, still rubbing the back of his hand against his wet eyes.

I clutched it in between my fingers. He forced a sad smile upon his face. I took a deep breath, focused the camera on his sad smile, and hovered my finger over the photo button. My hands were trembling too hard.

Suddenly, Nori elbowed me in the stomach, causing me to stumble backwards. The side of my head collided with a stone and I could feel a familiar warmth flow down from the impacted area. But I could remember, in the second that Nori hit me, I heard the faint click of the camera.

Lying half-dead on the ground, through half-closed eyes, I could see the camera in front of my face. A blurred image of Katsu remained on the camera screen.

Above me stood Nori with arms crossed over his chest. Even with gradually failing vision, I could sense his aura, which was overflowing with sadness.

"You got him," Nori's voice wavered. In the silence of it all, he sniffled. Was he crying?

Wonderful. Everyone's crying today, I thought. Then, I couldn't help but cry myself. Tears skimmed down the side of my face, just to mix with the bloody mud. Before I was swallowed whole by darkness, Nori knelt down beside me and whispered weakly, "He's gone."