The High Road {Isamu}

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Frustrated tears pricked at the sides of her eyes. She turned away, blinking them back. Even though she knew that provoking Isamu would help bring the ghosts in, his words still stung. When she next spoke, her voice was dull and hollow, as if all the fight had gone out of her.

"I can see them," she said quietly. "I don't remember the first time. It's always been there. When I was little, I woke up in the middle of the night to see a man bleeding over me. I could feel his blood dripping on my face." She reached up and touched her cheek, still looking down, at the wall, everywhere but Isamu. "On my thirteenth birthday, I went to take a bath and there was some lady in the tub -" Tomoko broke off, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath in through the nose, her hand dropping to her side. Her eyes remained closed. "Do you know what it's like to see things that no other human can see? To deal with death every day of my life? To see how horrible it is to be left behind? To see people bloody and bruised and scared, and you are the only person who even notices them?" She opened her eyes, still not looking at Isamu.

After a moment, she looked at Isamu and opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. Whatever she was going to say...she didn't. Instead, she turned around and, quietly, said, "They're here. The poltergeists." The exorcist shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. She was suddenly very, very tired. "Can we please just go do this?" Tomoko was incredibly insulted that he didn't think - how could he be so stupid? It had picked him up! How can someone just ignore that?

Tomoko walked out into the street, glancing to the left. The poltergeists. There were standing there, waiting for her. It was much like an old western, the face off at high noon. Except in the cold, against ghosts, and at midnight. Nuances.

[Isamu Ito]

The frustrations of the day had built and built to the point that the few hours he had spent working calmly on cars, one of the few things where his troubles had a tendency to disappear, seemed like it had never happened. Isamu was tense, on edge and ready to jump at anything that so much as looked at him weird. He could practically feel the knots beginning to form over his shoulders. Today had been one shit hole of a day, and Isamu doubted it would get any better before tomorrow. School was going to be hell. He had the sudden urge to turn around and bash his head into the brick wall behind him, holding himself back from doing so.

Though he kept his gaze off of her, tail thrashing behind him, Isamu listened. His ego swelled at her tone. It wasn't the same as it had been earlier. He had won, though he was a little put off by her life's story. That didn't matter to him. Whatever had happened to her was her own business, and trying to explain it now of all times wasn't going to change his mind. If it made her better, then whatever, but it had no effect on him. For all he knew, it could be lies. Lies spouting from her mouth to make the idea that she was an exorcist and could see ghosts true. Seeing ghosts was vague enough.

He gave a light snort. She thought she was alone? Granted, Isamu hadn't been able to see creatures his entire life, but walking down the streets and seeing inhuman creatures walking along side humans that no one else could see, sometimes the most gruesome of creatures he had ever laid eyes on. It didn't help that the chimera's voice echoed in his mind occasionally. Forget just seeing creatures, hearing them was worse. The constant insults and endless shit.

Tsk. This entire thought process was just making him more and more irritated. Isamu ran a hand through his hair, hesitating a moment before following after Tomoko. "Tch. Fine. Whatever." He let his hands drop at his sides. For the second time that night blue flames danced around his hands, and his ears and canine teeth elongated. The temperature around him didn't take as drastic a turn as it had earlier. The chimera pushed at his mind, impatient with Isamu for using his power two times in the same day. The boy had rarely done that, and the creature wanted it's shot at a moment of freedom if Isamu was going to be using his abilities in one day after so long of not using them.

"Hold up your end," he growled in an almost threatening tone. Working together. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but Isamu had accepted that he couldn't fight whatever it was alone. He was a social retard, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Out of the corner of her eye, Tomoko watched Isamu's transformation. "Don't worry. I got your back," she said, nearly as threatening and just as wearily. Tomoko was many things, but she wasn't going to leave him hanging or back out and let him be torn apart.

Of course, she would have rather not had to deal with Isamu, but it was his strange power that would help, and it was in her best interest to keep him alive. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to do anything without her sight, and she knew they both knew that. No matter how much Isamu bitched and whined and insulted her ability, it was her ability that would be the key here. It made Tomoko feel better, although the idea of working with Isamu rankled. But...

Even if Isamu hadn't really cared about what she said, she had told him stories that she hadn't told anyone because they simply wouldn't have believed her. Tomoko would never let him know this, but inside it was a rather nice change of pace for someone to believe her. Even if that person was the biggest douchebag she had met, it was no less cathartic. At least he didn't look at her like she was growing broccoli out her ears. Disdainful looks were almost a relief after years and years of getting strange looks for talking to invisible people.

With an extremely self-satisfied and determined expression, Tomoko pushed the sleeves of her hoodie up to her elbows. Well, if Isamu was so sure he was going to be the cooler one, he had another thing coming. Tomoko was going to be the more badass one, no matter what it took. Even if Isamu did have flame-on powers.

"They're directly down the middle of the street," Tomoko said, "and about level with those trash cans." She pointed. "Should be pretty straightforward." Which was odd. They were just...standing there. Whatever. Easier to hit that way. In usual circumstances, Tomoko would have stepped back and wondered why they were almost...waiting. But the situation was so strange in and of itself that she didn't question it.