Possession 22: Rei's Request

               The shrine was filled with lights. They hung from the arches, from the rafters, from the very trees themselves. Beautiful lights of every color. And music… traditional music… The people from the nearest village had trekked here to be part of the great fair… to celebrate, to have fun, to be blessed…

                Tenshi walked among them, a mere child, in awe of all the lights. Everyone was so happy… It was a celebration, a time of relaxation and fun. It was so different from the days spent laboring with chores, practicing with the bokuto, communing with spirits… He had never seen Grandfather so happy. The old man was smiling and walking beside him as they passed the garden with the pond. Tenshi glanced over curiously.

                “…A time of renewal… Our own festival… Not widely celebrated…”

                He looked back at Grandfather to see what he was saying, but the words were blurry. Things were starting to loose focus.

                “… It is a glorious time, Rei… You shall see many… but none such as this…”

                Tenshi gasped and sat up.

                Blinking owlishly, he glanced around at his room then back at his twisted covers. He quickly patted himself down, making sure that he was… well, him. What’s going on, he thought to himself. Why am I having these weird dreams? They’re so strange… real, yet… different… and familiar all the same… Tenshi sighed and ran a hand through the tangled mess of hair on his head. “I wonder if I should tell Rei…”

                “Tell Rei what?”

                Tenshi gave out a cry of alarm and scrambled back against his wall. The priestess had risen slowly from the floor of his room, head cocked to the side curiously. Tenshi grasped at his chest, heart hammering a mile a minute. Well, at least he was awake. “I thought I told you to never do that kind of stuff!”

                Rei blinked and smiled. “I know. I apologize. There are few benefits spirits have that are more useful than scaring the living. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

                With a grumble, Tenshi pulled himself out of bed, standing beside the priestess. With a stretch and a yawn, he began to gather some clothes. “Just some weird dreams, that’s all. Hey, it’s Saturday, right?”

                “Yes it is. And what kind of dreams do you mean?”

                Grabbing a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, the teenage boy trudged out of his room and into the hall. “The weird kind, that’s all.”

                Rei frowned and followed, walking rather than floating. “You should pay attention to your dreams, you know. Sometimes they retell certain important things of the past, or even forecast the future. Dream interpretation is a valuable art, you know.”

                Tenshi waved her off as he went into the bathroom. “Too early, Rei. Too early.” With a sigh, he closed the door.

                The priestess poked her head through the wall. “What do you mean, too early?”

                Tenshi jumped again, letting out another startled yelp. “Too early for this! Get out! Out out out!”

                Rei recoiled quickly. “Sorry!” She scratched her head with a nervous laugh. “Heh…”

                A half hour later, totally refreshed, cleaned and dress, Tenshi left the bathroom and descended the stairs, stifling a yawn. “That felt good,” he said with a stretch. “Didn’t realize how tense I was… I guess a week full of being hounded by Izumi and his guys can be really stressful…” Pausing next to a shelf at the foot of the stairs, he picked up the picture of his mother, Saishi Sakura, and smiled. Good morning, mom… With a sigh, he set the picture back in its place and walked into the kitchen.

                Rei sat on one of the counters next to the sink. She smiled as Tenshi walked in. “I take it you’re in a better temperament now?”

                “Yeah,” the teenager responded as he moved over to a cupboard to take out a bowl. “I’m not much of a morning person until I take my morning shower.”

                The priestess smiled. “I noticed. Oh, and your father left you a note, Tenshi.”

                “He always does. You should know that by now.”

                “This one is different though.”

                Curious, Tenshi set his bowl on the table and went over to the fridge, taking the small paper from its clip and scanned his eyes over it.

Tenshi,

It’s that time of year again!

Hope you’re looking forward to

Next Saturday, because I am!

~Dad.

                With a frown, Tenshi turned to the calendar hanging on the wall and checked the date. “Next Saturday? What’s—OH!” A smile suddenly lit up his face, and Rei could see a change in the way he held himself.

                “What is it?” She asked. “What’s next Saturday?”

                “The Angel’s Night Festival!”

                The priestess arched her brows, suddenly curious. “A festival? At this time of the year?”

                Tenshi seemed energized with enthusiasm as he grabbed the cereal and milk, setting them on the table next to his bowl. He slid the note into his pocket rather than throwing it away. “Yeah. It’s not like those big ones they hold in other cities,” Tenshi explained. “The Angel’s Night Festival is more like a Kakidashi tradition. It was originally supposed to give the town a more ‘western’ feel, but the people consider it as natural as any other holiday.

                “See, the night before Halloween is called Angel’s Night. It’s a night meant to promote good feelings and acts of kindness to banish dark spirits and keep the following night safe for all the children. I guess people used to say prayers and stuff like that until the big companies downtown set up an actual festival. It takes place at the park near Kakidashi Shrine. They have rides, shows, games and food. It starts an hour before sundown and goes on till midnight, where the people would go over to the Shrine and say prayers before going home. Me and dad always left before then, though.

                “But most important of all,” Tenshi said with obvious excitement, “it’s one of the few times that dad gets to be home all day. He used to always take me to the Angel’s Night Festival the, on the next night, he would take me trick-or-treating. We don’t get to spend much time together, but around the holidays, he always made time for us.”

                Rei listened to his story with a smile on her face. She could feel her own excitement rising. “A festival… I love festivals… Back home, we always had one around the same time. Our own private gathering with the villagers… Oh, I wish I was still alive…” She sighed regretfully.

                Tenshi smiled softly over at her. “Well, I know it’s not the same, but you can come with me and my dad… It’s not much, but…”

                The priestess hopped off of the counter and returned his smile. “I thank you, Tenshi. You’re a very kind person… when you want to be,” she added with a smile.

                For some reason, Tenshi felt himself blush at the complement. With a cough, he turned toward his cereal and poured it into the bowl, adding milk afterwards. He couldn’t help feeling a bit bad about Rei’s situation. Even if she dragged me into all this demon stuff, I can’t help but feel sorry for her… With a sigh, he looked back up at her. “You know… Even if you can’t make it to the fair, I wish there was something I could do for you…”

                Rei blinked and chuckled, folding her legs to sit in the air. “Don’t worry yourself, Tenshi. I appreciate the gesture, even with everything I’ve done to you, but—” Rei paused.

                Tenshi watched her as he munched on his cereal.

                “Say… how long have I been able to possess you? In my own body, I mean?”

                The teenager blinked. “Um… you mean from our training? I don’t know… About two hours, I guess. Why?”

                Rei tapped her chin. “Do you really mean what you said about wanting to do something for me?”

                Tenshi frowned. “Well… yeah…”

                A devious smile spread over the priestess’ lips. “Well… there is something, I suppose… Now, I don’t want to pressure you into anything, but… I guess there is something I would want…”

                Tenshi set his spoon down and watched her. “…What is it…?” He asked slowly.

                Rei slipped through the air to land at Tenshi’s feet, kneeling so she could look up at him. “I do miss being alive… being able to move around, being able to speak to other people, being able to enjoy the things others take for granted… I was wondering if you could lend me my body… for two hours, until we reach our limit… I would like to be out in the world… not for fighting or training or anything… but… just to be alive…”

                Tenshi blinked then bit his lip. “Well I guess that’s okay… I mean, its only two hours… and you’re only going to be hanging out…”

                “I’ll need some new clothes…”

                “Wait, what? Why do you need clothes?”

                She managed an indignant look. “I certainly can’t walk around in your clothes, now can I? I’d look ridiculous. And my school uniform is not for wearing around town, now is it?”

                During the run-in with the demon Kawari, Rei had been mistaken as a new student when the principal found her in the halls. Tenshi was powerless to stop things, so she had been given a spare uniform. Tenshi had hidden the outfit in a box under his bed. He felt nervous just thinking about it. “But—”

                “Please Tenshi? I realize I may be asking for a lot…” The priestess gave the boy a look that wrenched at his heart. “…Please…?”

                Tenshi sighed and rested his head in his hands. “I guess this means we’re going to the mall, then…”

                “Oh! Thank you, Tenshi!” The priestess jumped forward to hug him but simply passed right through his body. He sat up straighter as a chill ran through his body.

                “Gyah! Please don’t do that, Rei.” He said after the cold began to fade away.

                Rei smiled and rubbed the back of her head. “Heh… I’m sorry… I guess I’m just a bit excited, that’s all.”

                “Yeah…” Tenshi rubbed his head then began to continue his breakfast. “Let me just finish eating, okay?” I can’t believe I agreed to this…

                “Of course,” Rei responded happily.

                Rei sat on a train seat, dressed in her school uniform, staring in awe out the window and around at the machine itself. “This is such an amazing device,” she murmured.

                Tenshi sat on the seat beside her. There was very few people in this car, thankfully enough, and none seemed to notice the apparent schoolgirl talking to herself. To be honest, his amusement at the priestess’ innocent curiosity overpowered his worry over what Rei might run into. “It’s just a train…”

                “It’s so extraordinary! Such speed… what is the point in using cars when this ‘train’ is more efficient? Safer as well. And more environmentally friendly.”

                “I don’t know… I think it’s hard to rig up a series of trains to replace the roads…” The boy paused. “You really haven’t seen a train before? How’d you get to Kakidashi then?”

                Rei glanced at him, puzzled. “I walked. How else?”

                Tenshi stared. “…Okay…”

                Eventually, the buildings began to get larger as the train left the suburbs and slipped into the city proper. It was short ride but the difference in scenery was very noticeable. Rei was totally enthralled by the sights and paid little attention to the ghostly boy beside her. For his part, Tenshi just sat and thought.

                Soon enough the conductor announced that they had arrived on Irokuwa Street, the stop right across from the mall. Tenshi took to the air, leading Rei out of the train and onto the platform. She bumped into many people, seeing as how she was too busy looking up at the towering buildings Tenshi had to direct her down the stairs and onto the street level.

                “Alright, listen,” the teenage boy began, “the mall is a very big, very busy place. If you act too… too… well, too much like yourself, you’ll… well… Okay, maybe you won’t be noticed, but still, watch yourself. I know my way around so I’ll help you find anything you need. Okay? Just listen to me and we’ll be okay. Rei? Rei, do you hear me?”

                “Yes, yes, I hear you. Where is this ‘mall’?”

                “Across the street… see the three-story building with the crowd moving in and out? That’s the place. Cross at the light, but wait for it to turn green first.”

                Rei followed the instructions of the spiritual Tenshi and managed to get to the building in fair enough shape, despite having run into people while admiring the buildings and abundance of cars. Well, she wasn’t really admiring the cars, but just in awe of the amount of them on the street. Once in front of the building, Tenshi briefly explained the concept of the revolving door and she entered Kakidashi Mall.

                She hadn’t taken more than a single step inside when she stopped and her jaw dropped.

                Tenshi watched her and sighed. “This is going to be the longest two hours of my life…”