For days, Hitomi wandered.
Through forests, rice fields, and empty country roads, she drifted like a ghost chasing her own shadow. Her long legs carried her effortlessly, but every step made her feel less human. People fled when she passed, their instincts screaming even if their eyes couldn't see her clearly.
She no longer spoke. Her voice—her real one—was fading. Each night, the other voice whispered louder.
Po… po… po…
It came from deep inside her, a sound she could not silence. Sometimes it wasn't even heard—it was felt, resonating in her bones like a heartbeat that wasn't hers.
She would wake to find herself in strange places—villages, shrines, graveyards—and she would cry without remembering why.
---
One evening, she stood at the edge of a ruined temple. The roof had collapsed years ago, and vines crawled over the broken statues of forgotten gods.
"This will do," she murmured again, setting her wide hat aside. Her reflection shimmered faintly in a pool of rainwater beside the steps. She hated looking at it, yet couldn't stop.
The slit-mouthed woman stared back.
"Who were you before?" Hitomi asked softly. "Before you became this?"
There was no answer—only the faint echo of her own voice returning from the trees.
But when she closed her eyes, something stirred within. A memory that wasn't hers.
A little girl. Crying in a field. A shadow reaching down, comforting her. Then—darkness. Screams. Chains.
Hitomi gasped and stumbled backward. "That was you…" she whispered. "You were taken. Just like me."
The voice within her answered, faint and broken.
We were both taken. Both forgotten. Now we are one.
Hitomi pressed her hands to her temples, shaking. "No. I can't let you take me completely. I won't let this end like that."
The ghost's voice hummed in reply.
Then fight.
---
That night, the storm came.
Thunder rolled through the forest, wind tearing through the trees. Hitomi knelt beneath the shattered torii gate, her long hair whipping wildly around her.
She could feel the ghost pushing again, stronger this time—an ancient will trying to surface.
Her body trembled. Her head tilted without her command. Her mouth twisted into a too-wide smile.
Po… po… po…
"No!" she screamed, clutching her head. "Stop it! You're not me!"
The voice laughed softly.
We share this flesh. We share this curse. You cannot silence what you are.
Hitomi gritted her teeth, tears running down her face. "Then if I can't silence you… I'll contain you."
She pressed her palms together, focusing—not on banishing, but on balance. She could feel the ghost's emotions beneath the rage: grief, sorrow, loneliness. It wasn't pure evil—it was pain given form.
Hitomi took a breath and whispered, "I'll carry your pain. But you will not control me."
Lightning split the sky.
For a heartbeat, everything was silent.
Then the humming stopped. The smile faded from her lips. And for the first time in days, Hitomi could hear her own heartbeat clearly.
She fell to her knees, shaking—but smiling weakly. "I did it…"
The ghost's voice was quiet now, almost gentle.
You did not defeat me. You learned to share.
Hitomi whispered, "Then let's find peace. Both of us."
---
Days turned into weeks. Hitomi traveled cautiously, staying in abandoned buildings or sleeping beneath bridges. She learned to hide her tall form beneath long coats and wide hats, masking her face from the world.
In towns, she listened to whispers of the supernatural. There were stories of a young woman in Tokyo—a girl who hunted ghosts and sealed them into a mysterious book.
At first, Hitomi thought it was just another rumor. But when she felt a faint pulse of power in the air—something that resonated with the ghost inside her—she knew it was real.
"That's her," Hitomi said softly. "The one who can capture spirits."
The ghost inside her stirred.
She carries the book. The prison of souls. The Aoyama legacy.
Hitomi's pulse quickened. "If she can seal others… maybe she can help me too."
And for the first time since her awakening, she had a purpose.
---
The Meeting
Night fell when Hitomi finally reached Tokyo. The city lights glimmered like stars fallen to earth, casting strange reflections on her pale skin. She moved carefully through the crowded streets—unseen by most, yet felt by all. People shivered when she passed, their eyes darting nervously though they didn't understand why.
The pull of the book guided her through the alleys, past shuttered shops and flickering street lamps, until she reached a small temple hidden behind rows of apartments.
There, standing before a row of incense sticks, was a girl with long dark hair. Her presence was calm, but the air around her shimmered faintly with power.
Hitomi stepped closer, her shadow stretching across the temple steps.
Rika turned slowly. Her eyes widened—not with fear, but recognition. The book on her back trembled, reacting to the immense spirit energy before her.
"You…" Rika said softly. "You're not fully a ghost."
Hitomi stopped a few feet away, trembling. "Please—don't attack me. I'm not here to harm anyone."
Rika's gaze softened slightly. "Then why are you here?"
Hitomi hesitated. "Because I'm trapped. I woke up in this body weeks ago. I can still feel myself inside, but the spirit—the curse—it's Hachishakusama. I've been fighting her, trying to keep her under control. I just… I don't want to hurt anyone."
Rika's eyes narrowed, studying her carefully. "You can resist her? That's… impossible. Most humans would have been consumed."
Hitomi smiled weakly. "Maybe I just don't want to die that badly."
The book pulsed faintly, its cover glowing with recognition. The ghost inside Hitomi shivered.
Rika stepped closer. "I can feel both your souls. You're bound together—but not completely merged."
She paused, then said quietly, "I might be able to help you. But if I do, you'll have to help me too."
Hitomi blinked. "Help you?"
Rika nodded. "There's something coming. Something that's tied to all of this—the same entity that caused my family's disappearance. If you can control your power… you could be the key to stopping it."
For a long moment, Hitomi was silent. The wind brushed past them, stirring the incense smoke into twisting shapes.
Then she nodded. "If helping you means I can keep control… then I'll do it."
Rika extended her hand. "Then we're allies."
Hitomi stared at the hand for a moment before slowly taking it. Her cold fingers met Rika's warm ones.
And in that moment, the book glowed softly—accepting her presence.
For the first time since waking as a monster, Hitomi felt something that almost resembled peace.
---
Far away, in the unseen corners of the city, shadows stirred.
The entity that had slipped through the cracks once before turned its gaze toward Tokyo again.
Two souls now burned brightly in the darkness—one bound by the book, and one trapped inside a curse.
And the entity smiled.