❝i don’t know what i’m supposed to do haunted by the ghost of you, oh take me back to the night we met.❞
description: a short story in which a young girl who's having a hard time coping with the death of her family stumbles upon the presence of a young restless spirit one night.
content warnings: mikey x oc, very heavy angst, comfort (?), soft mikey, heavy fluffy romance, suicide, mentions of suicidal thoughts, swearing, death, not checked for grammatical errors.
"no, no, no! please stop!" she whimpered, helplessly laying on the floor as her body weakly crawled further away from the figure. the little girl was struck with fear, traumatized by the sight in front of her.
she could never forget the way he menacingly smiled at her before turning around his body, a loud series of what felt like ear deafening firecrackers being set off.
her body froze, the tiny figure trembling on the cold wooden floor that would be soon soaking up with blood. she wanted to scream, yell her lungs out to beg someone just anyone at all to help her.
"you're next, little one." she heard him say as he inched closer to her, the horrid smell of alcohol and cigarettes defiling her sense of smell, making her want to puke. she quickly scrambled, grabbing the flower vase on the small table as she aimed for his head but he dodged it.
"how cute, but how about i aim this at you and see if you could miss it, hm? now wouldn't that be fun?" he continued, a chuckle leaving his mouth as he pointed the machinery gun at her.
her eyes widened, heart stopping, and that's when the old nori was gone. seeing everyone in her life disappear within seconds and waiting for the moment for her to meet the same fate.
"please!" nori shot up from the bed, panting hard due to her irregular breathing, while cold sweat began to trickle down the sides of her face. her hair was a mess, and she couldn't help but close her eyes and squeeze both of her hands tightly together to get some kind of stability over herself.
it was just a bad dream. a really, really, really bad dream. he's not here, he's gone and he won't come back.
after finally calming down, she opened her eyes, looking around the dark room in search for her clock. it was almost eleven, meaning that she has only slept for two hours. a heavy sigh left her lips as she leaned back on the headboard, staring at her wall.
peaceful as it was for now, that's when her eyes began to deceive her.
still paranoid from her dream, even the shadows of the trees began to looking like his figure. but of course, nori was too out of it to piece it together. her hands gripped the blanket tighter, pulling them up to her mouth as she felt like someone was restricting her airway, feeling it difficult to allow oxygen to pass through her lungs.
please, just leave me alone! why won't you go away?
nori was on the brink of tears, her body violently shaking as she felt like it was that night over again. the shadow began to inch closer, the arms holding a long cylindrical like object.
her eyes widened in shock, it was the same weapon from that day too.
"please, why are you here again? what do you want from me?!" nori cried out, tired and afraid of her brain eating her alive for the past six years of her life. not knowing if he'll come for her after getting released from jail or how to cope with her family's death.
she just wanted to disappear without a trace.
she just wanted to run away, somewhere far away from here. where it was just her.
no, where it was just her and manjiro. yeah, that sounds better.
the free arm of the figure rose, point the index finger straight at her and as if on cue she heard a loud booming noise coming from a direction that she didn't even bother to figure out. a choked out scream left her mouth as nori tumbled out of bed, her hair falling to her face.
but she didn't care, she scrambled to her feet, knocking down the things near her with her out of control body movements as she ran out the door. she never looked back, running as fast and far as her legs could take her.
the cold winter wind hit her flesh, sending goosebumps all over her skin. she was a sobbing mess, heart pounding in her chest as she began taking random turns, anything to get away from him.
and it was ironic, a girl who wished to die was now running for her life. and that was the one thing that nori didn't understand about herself.
she could vividly remember her fifteen-year-old self ready for the consequences, allowing the murderer to end her life with just a mere bullet striking her head or chest. what was the point of living if there was no one to be by her side?
but it was different now, so different.
she wanted to live, she wanted to grow old and go to places that she dreamt of and do the things she has never done before. she wanted to see what more life has to offer, other than the remorseful feeling of living with survivors guilt.
nori wanted to do it all with manjiro.
he was the reason why she wanted to live for another day, see him once again, and do the things that they had promised each other. she wanted to go ice skating with him, see the orion constellation, eat dorayaki under an umbrella while it rained, and take care of kei.
she took her last turn, hands on her knees as she crouched down to catch her breath from running for almost fifteen minutes straight. nori had no idea where the hell she was but when she looked up, she was stunned.
was i running around in circles?
she wondered, looking back in paranoia, hoping that she didn't lead that jackass here. cautiously, nori walked inside the park as she made herself walk towards the wooden small walkway bridge that went over the river.
the girl peered down at the water, feeling the temperature drop a bit more, but she didn't mind. nori felt her nerves calm down, that was until she heard the loud booming noises once again.
instinctively, she turned around and stood in a position of self-defense. she wasn't dying without a fight. but the color on her face drained once she turned around.
her mind playing games as it almost seemed like the figure multiplied himself, coming at her in all directions to surround her. her breath hitched, a shaky gasp leaving her lips as she fell on the ground, her knees giving up from all the running and drained out from the emotional wreckage she's been through.
it's no use, i can't do anything more. this is where it end, isn't this a bit too cruel? i never asked for this, all i ever wanted, was to live with everyone. i guess that's too much to ask for.
nori bitterly laughed, salty tears falling onto the wood below her as she cried in despair. there was no saving her now, so she just accepted it.
she felt weight on her left shoulder, as someone tapped her which made her yelp in surprise before shutting her eyes tightly.
"please don't hurt me!" nori blurted out, her cheeks wet with tears and the person in front of her looked down with concern and horror.
"nori? it's me, manjiro, i'm not gonna hurt you." he softly said, bringing a hand down to caress her cheeks as he wiped away her tears. nori recognized the familiar feeling of skin on hers, opening her eyes to only be met by the same onyx color she loved seeing.
nori didn't know whether it was all an illusion or if he was really there, but she was happy to see him, real or not.
"manjiro!" she breathed out in relief, getting up with her wobbly legs before throwing herself on him.
manjiro quickly caught her, feeling her legs wrap around his waist and arms protectively wrapped around his neck. he was confused on what had shaken the poor girl up this bad, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
"don't worry, i got you. i'm here, it's just me and you, nori." he assured, soothingly rubbing her back as her tears began to wet his shirt. a series of loud crackling noises went off, making nori's grip on him tighten.
"please, make it stop, jiro. make him stop!" nori loudly sobbed out, shaking within his embrace as the poor boy stood there dumbfounded. he had no clue who you were talking about since no one else was in the park.
the fireworks had already started as he heard them start a while ago, waiting for nori's arrival so that they both could watch it together. he never expected things to twist this way, but he didn't care. the well-being of nori was more important to him than anything else.
"okay, let's go. i know a place where no one could come." manjiro began to walk with the weeping girl in his arms, and soon enough he walked deeper into the park.
nori raised her head, vision blurry from her tears as she tried to make out her surrounding. she squinted, not recognizing the place.
"where are we, jiro?" her voice cracked a bit, making him hum as he sat her down on the ground before plopping himself next to her.
the area was beautiful, a water fountain that was still operating in front of them. there was still grass on the ground and some tiny flowers, which was surprising considering the winter weather.
"my secret hideout. i like to come here often to clear my mind, you know, when the world gets too loud." manjiro explained, turning his face to look at her with a comforting smile. nori looked at him and couldn't help but smile herself.
he was like this protective wall, shielding her from her thoughts and anything else that could potentially harm her. nori didn't know how to get the words out of her mouth, it felt like they were lodged in her throat.
"you're not obligated to explain anything to me, nori. but, i just want to tell you that whatever has been bothering you to make you randomly wander into an abandoned park at night without any care and make you feel this way just like the night we first met, your feelings are valid." manjiro said each and every word so delicately, she didn't know how to react.
nori was struck, a fuzzy feeling coating her chest. those words were all it took for her to lose it, unable to control her emotions once again as she covered her face with the palm of her hands to protect her pathetic sobbing face away from him.
do i even deserve this? no, i don't deserve him.
manjiro quickly pulled her on his chest, his fingers stroking her back as he gave her time to let it all out and compose herself. he didn't care whether she wanted to share her story or not because right now his only goal was to make her feel better.
"why me? they didn't deserve to go out like, i'm tired of carrying the burden of being able to live on my shoulders. i never asked for this, it's not my fault!" nori cried out as she shook her head in denial, choking on her words as manjiro simply remained quiet, paying attention to her words while nodding.
"my family was murdered about six years ago, a ruthless beast breaking into our house before taking away their lives. my mother wasn't aware that my dad got involved with a powerful loan shark, needing the money to cover my little sister's medical bills since she was diagnosed with heart failure." she explained, pausing a few times mid-sentence as she could just see the event flash before her very eyes once again. it was trauamtic, scarring her for the rest of her life as she knew well enough that she would never recover from it.
"that bastard had no mercy on anyone, not even my little sister who was ill. she was only ten, she still had hope to live a life that waited for her. who gave him the right to steal that away from her? all because of money? a bunch of paper that us shitty humans put value on?" nori looked at manjiro, eyes glossed with tears that soon streamed down her cheeks as she spoke.
manjiro brought his hand down to grab her trembling ones, squeezing it for comfort as she harshly swallowed, sniffling before opening her mouth to continue.
"it was too late for him to come at me, the police got here before he could do so. i could never forget the look that he gave me at the door, it makes my skin crawl every time." she shuddered, silence taking over the atomosphere for a quick minute before manjiro sighed out.
"i never knew that you were going through so much all alone. nori, i need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" manjiro requested, but the girl looked down at her lap.
"i know what you'll say, that it's not my fault and that it'll eventually get better. i've heard it all, but it's all a bunch of lies. it never gets better, and once it does for a while, it's ruined. everything's always ruined!" nori yelled, frustrated and fed up.
manjiro gently took a hold of the sides of her face, turning her around to face him and meet her eyes. his heart wrenched in pain, feeling it bleed from how hurt she looked.
"nori, you need to understand that it truly wasn't your fault. you were just a kid, you didn't know that this would happen or what to do. running away from this won't make you go back in time and change anything. you need to accept things as it is, and heal from it. i know your parents wouldn't want to see their daughter live in such misery and i know your little sister wouldn't want to see her big sister wishing that she was dead. live for them nori, life has so much more to offer." he advised her, taking his fingers to wipe away her tears as she listened to his words.
nori couldn't help but grip on his shirt tighter, pulling him closer to her as she buried her face into his chest, feeling his arms lace around her waist.
"how could you be this kind to someone like me? someone as selfish as me." nori questioned, not having the guts to look at him in eye.
"selfish for escaping death? that's crazy talk." manjiro lightly chuckled, making her break into a small giggle as well as she calmed down from that frenzy of overpowering emotions.
and that's how they stayed like for ten minutes, nori sitting on manjiro's lap as he allowed her to be engulfed in his warmth and embrace.
"i had a brother and a sister." manjiro started, making nori pinch her eyebrows in confusion as she was able to take note of his wording.
"had?" she asked, making him suck in air before releasing it to compose himself.
"they both passed away. my older brother got stuck in the head by my best friend who didn't know any better at the age of twelve and my little sister also got struck in the head by some hit and run." his body became stiff, making nori pull away to face him as she saw his eyes becoming red, tears threatening to spill out.
"i really looked up to him, you know? he was never popular among the ladies, probably cause his farts stinked, but he was so kind and forgiving. shinichiro was the best big brother i could ever ask for. and emma? she was the most sweetest, caring little sister ever." manjiro revealed, lips tugging on the sides to form a small smile as he pictured the faces of his siblings in his mind.
"it must've been so hard for you, jiro. i'm so sorry that you had to go through that all alone." nori softly said, coming out as a whisper as she brought his head to her chest, stroking his hair.
"don't be sorry for me. i always believed that i'm a curse, bringing death among my loved ones. emma and shinichiro died because of someone who was involved with me. isn't that so awful of me?" he weakly smiled, warm tears trickling down his cheeks before seeping into the fabric of nori's sweater.
"a curse? you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. you deserve the whole world, and if i could, then i would give it to you myself." her eyes sparkled as she looked down to face him, manjiro looking at her with nothing but pure adoration before guilt sank into him.
"that's too generous of you for someone like me." he laughed, sitting up as he dried his eyes. however, nori shook her head.
"manjiro, your siblings deaths wasn't your fault. it was out of your control, so stop thinking that you're an awful person. i can't even explain to you in words how much you mean to me and how you really did save me." nori continued to ramble, making him blush at her words as he felt his body shoot up with heat, which was unusual for his usally frigid cold body temperature.
"you really mean it?" manjiro asked, his ears not believing what he heard. it's been so long, so long since he's heard someone assure him like that.
" of course, i do." nori said with a bright smile, making him reciprocate one back to her.
"thank you for taking me here." nori said with gratitude, making a small laugh escape his throat.
"just say the word and your wish is my command, you know that. i'd do anything for you, nori." he honestly said, eyes shimmering with a loving glint that set her heart on fire.
"stay with me." she whispered, making manjiro's heart skip a beat as her own one was beating in her chest rapidly.
"nori.." he trailed off but the girl beat him to it.
"stay with me, jiro. i need you to be here with me, to give me purpose. to tell me that everything is okay even if it's not. i need you to be here to hold me because i can't live without you. i love you, i love you a lot." nori admitted, hopeful eyes looking at him as she could slowly feel her heart cracking from how he's stalling.
maybe it was too early to confess or maybe she wasn't the one for him. but she couldn't help it any longer, her feelings were getting too much for her to control.
"who said that i was leaving, hm? i love you too much to let go." manjiro chuckled before leaning in, closing the remaining space between them.
nori closed her eyes, feeling his soft lips on hers. an electric spark shooting up her spine once she felt one of her hands push her waist forwards to brush her body against his. his other hand softly touching on her cheek, tilting his face at an angle to deepend the kiss.
he smelled and tasted so sweet, she craved more of him. more of his touch, more of his taste, more of him. nori wanted him all to herself so bad, she couldn't let go.
she was madly in love with him and so was he.
manjiro smiled against her lips, contented as the both of them finally came to terms with their feelings and that made nori smile as well. as if on cue, the fireworks went off as they could hear people cheering in the distance.
the new year was here, which meant new beginnings.
"lets live for each other, jiro." nori said before leaning in first this time, planting a kiss on his lip before going in for another slower kiss, not giving him the chance to speak, loving the feeling of his lips on her.
it was addicting and she was excited to start this new beginning with him.
